Hear this life

The theater specially placed the lottery box in the center of the stage.

After the contestants go on stage, they need to show the number plates they have grabbed to the judges and audience below the stage to demonstrate the fairness and objectivity of every aspect of the competition.

After reading out the rules of the finals, Mr. Zhao led all the contestants to the side of the stage to wait for instructions from the stage. Taking advantage of this break, Wen Tingli quietly looked out through the gap in the thick scarlet curtain.

Just as Manager Zhao said, all the more than 1,000 seats in the venue were filled.

At just one glance, she felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. The gazes coming from all directions almost drowned her on the stage. Her throat felt a little dry and she quietly clenched her fists.

The judges sat in the first row. Huang Yuanshan, as the initiator of the competition, did not serve as a judge. At this moment, he was enthusiastically greeting the two presidents of the Film Association from the audience.

Looking down, I saw Principal Michelle in the second row. She was representing Shiwu Middle School, so she sat in the front row.

Michelle was surrounded by principals of various high schools, producers of various film companies, and heads of some famous literary and art associations in Shanghai.

Suddenly, someone on the stage said, "Let's invite the ten contestants tonight to take turns to come up on stage and draw lots."

The contestants' breathing became heavier at the same time. The audience applauded. Wen Tingli was the fifth to go on stage.

As soon as she went up, a beam of white light hit her. Looking around, the audience seats were like a vast ocean. Every glance from the audience was like a wave, gathering together to form a huge raging wave. In comparison, the actors on the stage were like fish stranded on the beach, small, dry, and exposed.

Wen Tingli drew out a number plate under the gaze of the whole audience.

The host, a comedian with a middle-parted hairstyle, said loudly to the audience: "Mr. Wen, please show everyone the number you drew."

Wen Tingli turned towards the audience calmly.

"Number 10." The host took the number plate and showed it high in a circle, then said to the judges in the first row, "President Lin, please read the corresponding script for number 10."

"The play is 'Orphans and Widows'."

It turns out that each number plate corresponds to two sets of scripts for male and female actors. Wen Tingli is a female contestant, and according to the script for number 10 (actress), she will play a maid named Ah Xiang.

In the script, Ah Xiang's husband went to Southeast Asia with his fellow villagers to make a living two years ago, leaving Ah Xiang alone in Shanghai to take care of their daughter. In the first year, her husband occasionally sent money home, and then he completely lost contact with her.

The winter of that year was particularly cold, and her daughter suffered from pneumonia. Ah Xiang spent all her savings on the child's treatment, and was fired by her employer for missing work because of taking the child to the doctor.

Her daughter was still running a fever, and Ah Xiang had nowhere to go while holding her daughter. Suddenly, she saw a man who looked like her husband, Wang Jinsheng, on the street. The man was carrying a suitcase and seemed to have just gotten off the train. Ah Xiang didn't dare to recognize him at first, after all, the man was dressed very richly. Unexpectedly, when she called out, the man turned around. Ah Xiang held her daughter and ran towards her husband. When she got closer, she found that there was a young girl standing behind her husband...

President Lin finished reading the script in public and said: "Please design your own lines and body language."

There was quite a commotion in the audience.

It sounds like this play is not going to be easy to act. First there is great suffering, then great joy, and then all hopes are dashed. Not to mention a little girl, even an experienced actor may not be able to pull it off.

The key point is that these ten scripts were newly written by screenwriters commissioned by Golden Pictures. The purpose is to prevent the contestants from borrowing the performance experience of their predecessors from the films that have been released.

Without a blueprint, everything depends on the contestants' own improvisation.

Wen Tingli silently recited the script in her mind. Huang Yuanshan folded his arms and looked at Wen Tingli on the stage, his eyes full of expectation. Whether this newcomer he discovered can take on the leading role will be revealed later.

"Next, let us invite Xu Weian from Hujiang Middle School to come on stage to draw lots."

The whole audience was shocked. Amid the roar of cheers, Xu Weian confidently stepped onto the stage. After he stepped onto the stage, he first bowed to the audience with a smile, and then, under the eager gaze of the audience, he drew a "seven".

"Contestants, please listen carefully. The title of script number seven is "The Poorest Rich Man."

According to the script, Xu Weian will play a fifty-year-old wealthy man named Chen. Weng Chen's creed in life is "I would rather let the world down than let the world let me down." Although he is rich enough to rival a country, he also has many enemies. The biggest regret in his life is that he accidentally got separated from his son when he fled with his family in his early years. For this reason, he has been looking for his son's whereabouts all these years. In the last scene, Weng Chen mistakenly shot his own son as a spy sent by the enemy. After learning that the dead young man in front of him was his youngest son whom he had been searching for for many years, Chen fell down beside the corpse in shock.

Xu Weian thought for a few seconds before stepping down.

When it was Le Zhiwen's turn to go on stage to draw lots, the theater suddenly exploded. Applause surged to every corner of the theater like a tide. The audience stood up from their seats and applauded. Even in the private rooms upstairs, many people were so excited that they leaned out their upper bodies and waved to Le Zhiwen on the stage.

Seeing this, several staff members on the sidelines sighed in a low voice: "Sister Huang is far-sighted. She specially separated the drawing and performance. The atmosphere on the scene is so hot before the official competition even started."

Le Zhiwen drew number nine. President Lin announced: "The play you are going to perform is Brother Wolf and Brother Tiger."

In the script, Le Zhiwen's name is Lily, and she is an out-of-date actress.

Lily was an orphan. When she was young, she was sent to a drama troupe by her adoptive parents to learn acting. During a performance, she was noticed by a famous director because of her outstanding singing voice and figure. At the invitation of the director, Lily played the leading role in a film. Since then, she became famous and her value also soared.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, several sons born to Lily's adoptive parents offered to serve as her bodyguards. The adoptive parents also kept all of Lily's income in their hands, fearing that she would spend money lavishly.

After that, every movie Lily made became a hit and she became the most popular female star. Her adoptive parents began to worry that if she continued like this, Lily would sooner or later escape from their control. One of their sons then suggested that they should induce Lily to smoke opium, believing that once a person is addicted to opium, it would be easy to discipline them (note).

After Lily got addicted to smoking, she was often late for filming and frequently forgot her lines. Gradually, she got fewer and fewer film offers. One day, she finally got an audition opportunity recommended by a friend, but was eliminated. After returning home, the terrible addiction to smoking came back to her again, and she was tortured. At this time, her adoptive parents and their sons broke into her apartment and robbed her. Lily rushed over with strong hatred...

After President Lin finished reading script number nine, the entire audience fell into silence. Not to mention the emotional intensity of this scene, the difficulty of the performance techniques alone was the highest of the night.

But that was Le Zhiwen after all. She could do what others couldn't. After a brief silence, the theater was boiling. The audience was excited and whispered to each other. The buzzing sound could not be suppressed. The host asked with expectation: "Did Le hear everything?"

Le Zhiwen nodded calmly.

"Okay, the ten plays have been announced, and all the supporting actors are waiting backstage."

As soon as Le Zhiwen stepped off the stage, assistants and makeup artists came with huge suitcases and escorted her downstairs to change her clothes.

Mr. Zhao ran over and said to the remaining contestants, "Hurry, the stage is about to be set up. Follow me backstage to put on makeup. Also, take your own costumes. The organizer has already prepared costumes for ten scripts."

The outfit prepared for No. 10 Wen Tingli was a grey coarse cotton gown with a pair of worn cotton shoes underneath. Wen Tingli tried on her makeup and found the gown a little too big, but the cotton shoes were neither too big nor too small.

Due to limited time, the makeup artist simply helped Wen Tingli to put her hair into a bun and that was the end of her makeup.

Zhao Qingluo was to play a rich lady in script No. 3, but the makeup artist simply used curlers to give her a simple Western-style hairstyle.

Correspondingly, Xu Weian and Le Zhiwen's own makeup artists showed their talents. In just ten minutes, Xu Weian was transformed from a handsome young man into an old man with wrinkles all over his face.

After Lezhi Culture finished her makeup, her plump cheeks suddenly became sunken, and the two bags under her eyes seemed unable to be covered even with thick makeup. It was obvious at first glance that she was an "addict".

Wen Tingli and Zhao Qingluo were amazed. They didn't have their own makeup artist, so they had to help each other with makeup. Wen Tingli helped Zhao Qingluo put on eyeliner, while Zhao Qingluo carefully covered Wen Tingli's red lips with brown foundation, and messed up Wen Tingli's tight bun. After tidying it up, she tilted her head back and looked around: "Well, this is what a desperate mother looks like."

The two of them went to look for supporting actors to rehearse their lines. After rehearsing for about ten minutes, a staff member came over and urged them, "Zhao Qingluo, Zhao Qingluo! It's your turn!"

Zhao Qingluo hurriedly said to Wen Tingli, "Don't go out to watch my performance. Take this opportunity to rehearse well with the senior who will be assisting you in the performance."

The staff member held up the swaddling clothes in his hand again: "Where is the contestant for script number ten? Here are your props."

Wen Tingli hurried forward to take the swaddling clothes, and when she turned around, Zhao Qingluo had already gone on stage.

Outside, it was as quiet as a grave at one moment and thunderous applause at another. In contrast, the dressing room was like a quiet cabin isolated from the world. The contestants were so nervous that they dared not breathe. Not long after, Mr. Zhao came over in person to invite Xu Weian: "Mr. Xu, it's your turn."

Wen Tingli rehearsed silently in front of the mirror for a while, but still didn't see Zhao Qingluo return backstage, so she had to go outside.

On the stage, Xu Weian's performance had reached its climax.

He knelt alone in a corner of the stage, with a "corpse" in front of him. He raised his hand tremblingly, then dropped it, raised it again, but retracted it. Finally, he touched the face of the corpse in disbelief, lowered his head and sobbed. The cry was so sad that the audience below the stage couldn't help but sob along with him.

There are only a few short lines in the whole process, but the shock, regret and despair of an ambitious man are portrayed vividly.

After the performance, Huang Yuanshan took the lead in standing up and applauding. The directors in the second row also praised him continuously. Among the ten judges, seven gave full marks.

The host shouted at the top of his lungs, "Congratulations to Xu Weian for getting the highest score so far."

The next contestant to come on stage was a contestant from Xiu De, who had drawn a comedy show.

The girl had a talent for comedy and the theater was filled with laughter during the performance. The only shortcoming was that her pronunciation was not clear, which was not a prominent shortcoming at first, but because she came on stage after Xu Weian, who was famous for his lines, this shortcoming was infinitely magnified. Although the audience response was very good, the final score was not high.

As soon as contestant No. 8 stepped off the stage, the host's tone could no longer conceal his excitement: "Next - let's welcome contestant No. 9, Le Zhiwen."

Wen Tingli was staring at the stage intently. At this moment, a stagehand suddenly came in with a hunched back and said something to Huang Yuanshan who was sitting in the first row. Huang Yuanshan was startled and hurried to the private seats upstairs.

Wen Tingli looked in that direction curiously and saw a man sitting down far away on the east side. The two private rooms next to him were empty, and that seat seemed to be reserved for him alone.

He sat entirely in the shadows, but his face seemed to be facing the center of the stage.

When Michelle and others saw Lu Shicheng coming, they left their tables and went upstairs.

Wen Tingli was about to take a closer look when the lights in the theater suddenly dimmed, the curtain on the stage quietly opened, and a girl slowly walked out from the shadows.

The floor of the stage was obviously very flat, but the girl felt like she was stepping on mud. Every step she took was heavy and weak. After pushing the door open and entering the room, she leaned her back against the door, staring blankly at a certain point in the void, in a daze.

Although there was no extra expression, the audience immediately sensed the despair emanating from the person on the stage. That despair was so heart-wrenching that it tore at everyone's heartstrings.

The theater was so large that you could hear a pin drop.

In the semi-darkness, the wooden sculpture-like girl suddenly started, lowered her head and quickly searched in her bag. Her impatient look was a bit weird.

Soon, Lily took out a cigarette and a pack of matches and lit the cigarette with trembling hands. However, because she was shaking so much, it took her several attempts to light it.

After taking a few deep puffs of the cigarette, Lily's anxiety did not subside at all. She pulled her arm and staggered to the sofa to sit down, but it was no use. Even with the cigarette in her mouth, her body was still shaking. Finally, she fell to the ground uncontrollably.

There was a loud "bang" and you could tell it was a pretty heavy fall.

The fans couldn't help but scream, "Miss Le."

"Lily" continued to roll on the ground in pain, sometimes straightening up like a bow, sometimes hunching like a shrimp. After just a few times, her clothes and face were covered with dust. Finally, she could no longer resist the temptation and crawled towards a cupboard. She groped upwards tremblingly for a while and took out a piece of black tobacco paste and a cigarette pipe from a drawer.

After taking a puff of smoke, "Lily" showed a pleased expression on her face, but then she held her head in pain and started crying.

Even the most insensitive audience could hear the hatred in her crying. The girl hated the opium and her own fate, but the pity was that no one could help her.

Suddenly, a group of people appeared at the side of the stage, and the one leading them kicked the door open.

When they saw Lily lying on the ground, the tallest man in the crowd said to the old man, "Dad, look, Lily is addicted to smoking again. If she continues like this, she will squander the little money we have. Why don't we move all the things in this room back home?"

The old man sighed hypocritically: "Move it, move it."

A group of people just marched in, and no one cared about Lily's life or death.

The man pried open the drawer and pulled out a pile of banknotes. Lily rushed over with all her strength and hugged his legs: "You bunch of robbers! If it weren't for you, would I be in such a state? Don't touch my money!"

The man kicked Lily to the ground and said, "What do you mean by your money? If we hadn't adopted you, would you be where you are today?"

Lily looked up and glared at the so-called "relative" in front of her. Her eyes gradually changed from anger and pain to resentment. She quickly turned around and took out a pocket pistol from the drawer containing the tobacco paste, pointed it at the "relative" in front of her, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The people in front of her were all shocked and fell to the ground one after another, but Lily laughed hysterically, and her laughter shook everyone's eardrums and made their scalps numb.

The whole audience was silent. This scene was obviously creepy, yet also revealed an infinite sadness. After an unknown amount of time, the sound of applause came from the back of the stage. It turned out that Xu Weian did not leave after the performance, but watched Le Zhiwen's performance from beginning to end.

He willingly led the applause.

The whole audience burst into thunderous applause.

Wen Tingli's palms were clapping red, he was worthy of being Le Zhiwen, his skills, lines, and body movements were all impeccable.

As Le Zhiwen came out to take his bow, the atmosphere in the theater reached its peak. The host raised his hand to signal and made jokes, and it took a lot of effort to quiet down the theater.

"Please calm down for a moment. Don't forget that the game is not over yet. Next - let us welcome contestant number ten."

Unexpectedly, there was a commotion below and many audience members stood up in response.

Most people came to see Le Zhiwen and Xu Weian. The performances of the two stars had ended and the results of the competition were no longer in suspense. They had no interest in the remaining programs.

What was even more unexpected was that some of Xu Weian’s fans at the scene, dissatisfied with the fact that the jury gave Le Zhiwen a higher score, actually left the venue en masse to express their protest.

In the blink of an eye, one third of the audience left their seats. What's more frightening is that, infected by this atmosphere, the remaining audience also hesitated whether to leave early.

Wen Tingli was preparing to go on stage with great confidence, but she was dumbfounded when she saw this. Fortunately, a theater staff member came out immediately to calm the audience: "Ladies and gentlemen, the weather is hot. We at Golden Theater have prepared sweet mung bean and lotus seed soup for every audience member. You can enjoy the dessert while watching the performance below."

This move only retained a small number of the audience, and the rest who were still wearing hats put on their hats and clothes, preparing to leave.

Huang Yuanshan saw that the situation was not good, and waved anxiously to the audience. Mr. Zhao walked quickly to the center of the stage and said with a loud smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news to tell you. There will be a grand award ceremony after the competition. The champion, runner-up and third place winners will go on stage to receive their awards. At that time, two lucky audience members will be drawn to take photos with the top three."

This worked wonders, and most people stopped.

Huang Yuanshan gestured to the host again, and the host took the opportunity to say, "Next, let's invite contestant number 10 to the stage."

The lights in the venue went out again, but the audience was as noisy as before. People were either busy eating desserts or arguing about whose performance was better, Xu Weian or Le Zhiwen. In short, no one had time to look at the stage.

Suddenly, a woman appeared on the stage.

Compared with Le Zhiwen mentioned above, this actress's makeup is very rough. Even standing far away on the stage, she can be seen as a little girl, but her every move does not have the youthfulness of a little girl. On the contrary, she looks gloomy.

I saw the woman carrying a bundle on her shoulders and holding a baby in her arms. She was walking while looking around in panic.

As they were walking, the bag on the woman's shoulder accidentally fell off, and the things inside scattered all over the ground. There were scissors, clothes, and shoe soles... This must be all the belongings of the woman and her children.

The woman squatted down and quickly picked up her bag, while impatiently patting the baby in her arms: "If you keep making noise, Mommy will be exhausted!"

The scolding was so lifelike, just like a woman who was overwhelmed by life.

The theater slowly quieted down, because everyone felt a deep sense of exhaustion and anxiety from this woman. It was so realistic that it was hard to imagine that the contestant on the stage was only eighteen or nineteen years old at most.

After scolding her, Ah Xiang felt distressed again: "Okay, okay, dear girl, mom knows you are in pain. We will be at the clinic soon and ask the doctor to give you an injection." Suddenly, she touched the child's forehead with her mouth in astonishment and said in panic: "Why is the fever getting higher and higher?! Rickshaw... Rickshaw... My child is dying!"

Her panic and anxiety were so real that everyone in the audience was on edge.

At this time, a man carrying a suitcase appeared at the side of the stage. Ah Xiang was holding the child and was at a loss. When she suddenly saw the man, she tripped involuntarily.

The man looked up, as if looking for someone in the crowd.

Ah Xiang was trembling all over and walked quickly around the man.

The man turned his head, and Ah Xiang followed him around to the other side. When she saw the man's face clearly, the woman instantly showed an ecstatic expression: "Jin Sheng!"

The man turned around in response.

"It's really you!" She happily held the child and walked towards the man, "Wake up, dear girl, that's your father!"

However, before Ah Xiang ran over, she saw a young girl laughing and throwing herself into the man's arms: "How long have you been waiting for me here?"

Ah Xiang stopped in shock, and the girl followed the man's gaze and noticed Ah Xiang.

Two people said in unison: "Who is she?!"

The girl suddenly threw her hands away: "Okay, Wang Jinsheng, you lied to me! You already have a wife and children, and you still have the nerve to pursue me? I'm going to tell my father that you lied to me!"

Wang Jinsheng hurriedly stopped the girl: "Who told you she is my wife?! She is just a relative of mine from the countryside."

Ah Xiang was shocked, and the girl broke free from Chen Jinsheng and ran away. Wang Jinsheng tried to chase her, but Ah Xiang caught up with him and grabbed his arm: "Wang Jinsheng! Explain yourself! What am I to you?"

After she asked one question, her throat seemed to be blocked by tears and heat, and the sound made the audience feel sad.

The easily emotional audience had already taken out their handkerchiefs, wiping their tears while cursing: "How hateful!"

The man was so angry that he pushed her to the ground and said, "Go away!"

Ah Xiang fell to the ground, staring at the man's back in horror. After a long pause, she got up angrily and chased after him: "Wang Jinsheng! Do you have any conscience? You haven't been heard from for the past two years. Do you know how Ah Yuan and I got through this?"

At this moment, the swaddling clothes in her arms seemed to twitch, which made her face change. She looked down at the swaddling clothes and her hands and feet suddenly became flustered: "A Yuan, A Yuan, Wang Jinsheng, your child is dying!"

The man finally stopped walking. Ah Xiang rushed forward and grabbed his arm tightly: "Hurry, take the child to the hospital! Please!"

The man's attention was still partially occupied by the girl in the distance. He made up his mind and took out a few banknotes from his suit pocket: "Okay, okay, you take the child to the hospital first, I'll come find you later!"

The banknotes were scattered all over the ground at Ah Xiang's feet. She gasped for breath, but she no longer had time to chase her husband. She endured the humiliation, picked up the banknotes, and ran to the other side with the child in her arms.

The lights on the stage gradually dimmed, and when they came on again, Ah Xiang was seen sitting alone, holding her child, next to a bench in the clinic.

She looked so dull, like a lifeless statue.

After a while, the man walked out from the darkness, looked around, and found Ah Xiang in the shadows.

"How is it?" He was a little impatient. "Is the child better?"

Ah Xiang said nothing.

The man took a closer look at the swaddling clothes and was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground.

The audience below was breathless.

Ah Xiang had her hair disheveled and she giggled.

"Dead...dead..."

The man stretched out his hand fearfully, trying to take the swaddling baby out of Ah Xiang's arms, but Ah Xiang pushed the man away with a sullen face and moved closer to him step by step.

"You're the one who caused this...give me back my Yuan!"

"You..." Wang Jinsheng was at a loss, stepping back step by step, "You can't blame me for this, the child was clearly dying just now!"

Seeing that he was forced into a corner, he suddenly raised his eyes and cursed back: "How do you take care of the child!"

With a "slap", Ah Xiang raised her hand and slapped the man, causing the man to stagger.

"Pa——" It was the second hit. When she was about to hit her for the third time, Wang Jinsheng grabbed her wrist and pushed her aside.

"You lunatic." He ran away in a panic.

Ah Xiang was pushed to the bench nearby, and the "child" in her arms fell to the ground. When she saw the child's face, Ah Xiang trembled all over and sat on the ground in a daze. Her eyes and expression gradually became covered with a layer of dust. Suddenly, she groped on the ground like a blind person, and while groping, she called out softly to Wang Jinsheng's back, "Jinsheng, you dropped something."

Wang Jinsheng turned his head impatiently, but at this moment, Ah Xiang ran up to him in two steps and suddenly stabbed a pair of scissors into his chest.

The whole audience exclaimed, and some people even stood up in horror. As the man fell to the ground, Ah Xiang retreated in confusion, holding the scissors.

Her eyes were scattered and she took a quick step to the left, then two quick steps to the right, looking distraught.

As soon as his hand loosened, the scissors in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.

There seemed to be a lot of people gathered around. Ah Xiang looked around with a pale face. Suddenly she remembered something, knelt down again, hugged the child tightly in her arms, and put her face against his affectionately.

Gradually, she smiled sweetly, raised the swaddling clothes in her hands, and said to the empty space around her: "Our A Yuan is a good baby. Usually when I go out to do things, my A Yuan always waits for Mom to come home without making any noise. She also helps Mom to wring the towel and gets water for Mom to wash her face. She never cries... I heard that such a sensible child comes to repay her gratitude. Am I so lucky?"

Some people in the audience couldn't help crying.

Ah Xiang on the stage stood there in despair for a long while, then slowly turned her back and stepped over the man's body on the ground like a ghost, as if she was stepping over a puddle of mud. Suddenly, she quickened her pace and rushed towards the road without hesitation.

There was a sharp brake sound and Ah Xiang fell heavily to the ground. Before she died, she was still holding the child tightly.

The curtain slowly covered the scene on the stage. The theater was unusually silent. Some people were sobbing quietly, some were wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs, and some were cursing unwillingly. Everyone's chest was filled with a stuffy emotion. The emotion was between bitterness and sourness, and it was difficult to describe it. It was not until the first applause from the audience that the whole audience burst into fierce cheers.

The applause continued for a long time. Who would have thought that such infectious scenes and lines were designed by the contestants on the spur of the moment?

When it came to the next scoring stage, the judges had a dispute. Some insisted that Le Zhiwen's performance was better, while others thought that contestant No. 10's performance was more touching. Her crying or laughing seemed to reach people's hearts, making people feel sad or happy involuntarily.

It's a talent.

Because the judges argued so intensely, they still hadn't come to a conclusion after more than ten minutes. The audience was noisy and chattering from time to time, and everyone was waiting anxiously.

Someone's eyes lit up: "It's scored, it's scored."

Contestant No. 10 Wen Tingli narrowly won by one point.

There was an uproar in the theater.

Chairman Lin spoke on behalf of the ten judges: "The two contestants have a very deep understanding of the characters. In the ninth play, Yue Zhiwen's performance is extremely touching. Whether it is the state of the protagonist's smoking addiction or the subtle changes in her eyes when her emotions are impacted, she has performed them vividly.

"And contestant No. 10 presented us with a complete, delicate and touching performance. In our opinion, the two contestants are equally talented and both are the best tonight. However, considering that contestant No. 10 is a newcomer without professional training, the judges are willing to give this newcomer more encouragement points."

As soon as these words were spoken, the controversy in the audience immediately subsided.

The words were spoken so beautifully that even Le Zhiwen's fans were speechless.

Wen Tingli was anxiously waiting for news in the dark side stage. When she heard the result, before she could even smile brightly, Zhao Qingluo ran over in ecstasy and hugged her neck: "Did you hear that? Wen Tingli! You are first! You are first!"

Wen Tingli cried with joy, and the two of them hugged each other and danced like children.

The contestants came over one after another to congratulate: "Wen Tingli, congratulations."

Facing the sincere faces, Wen Tingli's heart was filled with joy, and she hurriedly said, "Thank you."

Suddenly, the crowd moved to the sides, and Le Zhiwen came over. Le Zhiwen usually didn't smile, and now her face was also indifferent, as if all the explosive power and emotions in her body were reserved only for the stage.

She came closer and looked at Wen Tingli carefully, and said sincerely: "You are great."

Just three words made Wen Tingli's eyes warm inexplicably: "Thank you!"

Xu Weian came over and shook hands with Wen Tingli openly: "Congratulations."

Although he was proud, he was also sincere. He turned around and saw that Le Zhiwen had already walked away. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and chased after him: "Are you unhappy about losing? Hey, I'll treat you to a midnight snack at Cirrus."

Le Zhiwen turned around and headed in another direction, and the staff on site couldn't help but laugh and shake their heads.

When the award was presented, Wen Tingli accepted the prize from President Lin with great honor. In addition to a glittering golden trophy, there was also a brand new German Bonnawa camera.

There was a strange "bang bang bang" noise coming from the audience. It was a group of newspaper reporters taking pictures of her with Western cameras.

Wen Tingli stood in the light and shadow, holding her trophy high, her smile as sweet as honey.

Next was a group photo of all the contestants. Zhao Qingluo won fifth place and she was very satisfied with herself. While taking the photo, she waved desperately to the Zhao family members in the audience. Mr. and Mrs. Zhao were very happy and directed the two younger ones to wave flags for their sister.

Later, the host invited two lucky audience members to come on stage to take photos with the champion, runner-up and third place winners. The lively event lasted for more than ten minutes before it ended, and the audience left feeling very satisfied.

Huang Yuanshan said to his colleagues in the Film Association with a smile: "Seniors, please stop blaming me for going to so much trouble for a drama competition. Look, we have not only attracted a group of young people who are interested in drama, but also discovered a performing genius in this competition!"

As soon as Wen Tingli and Zhao Qingluo stepped off the stage, Director Zheng rushed over and hugged them: "When you were competing just now, the teacher didn't dare to breathe. When it came to the part where Wen Tingli and Zhao Qingluo were divided, I was so nervous that I almost fainted."

He pointed to the back and said, "Principal Michelle is here too. Let's go over and say hello."

Michelle just came down from the private room on the second floor, but she just stood there and nodded coldly, then walked towards the exit with the other principals.

Wen Tingli subconsciously looked up at the private room on the second floor, only to find that Lu Shicheng was no longer there. Mr. Zhao ran over and whispered to Huang Yuanshan in the crowd, "A director wants to come over to talk to Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu is going to take a break in the VIP room at the back. He will probably wait until it's completely quiet outside before leaving."

Huang Yuanshan's face was stern: "Make some tea quickly, I'll be there later."

Zhao Qingluo happily suggested, "Since Yan Zhenzhen and the others are waiting for us at the exit, why don't we go to the Cinnamon Rolls across the street and have some ice cream before we leave? Wen Tingli and I will treat you to a meal as a celebration."

As they were talking, a reporter from the newspaper came over to interview Wen Tingli. Director Zheng consciously took on the responsibility of a guardian: "Thank you all for your kindness. Wen is a student of our Shiwu Girls' Middle School. You can interview her, but you must report to our Art Department in advance. Please forgive me. She is still a student. Thank you very much... Tomorrow is the weekend... Please contact the Shiwu Art Department on Monday."

The staff escorted Wen Tingli and Zhao Qingluo backstage to remove their makeup. After they were done, they walked out of the theater through the side door. A cool night breeze blew over them. Wen Tingli lowered her head and said in surprise, "Oh, my schoolbag was left backstage. Wait a minute, I'll go back and get it."

She ran back along the same path.

Compared to the previous bustle, the theater was much quieter now. Her heart was still immersed in the joy of winning. She rushed back to the dressing room like the wind, but couldn't find her schoolbag. She hurried out to ask for help. A young stage manager happened to pass by. When he saw Wen Tingli, he changed his previous perfunctory attitude and greeted her warmly, saying, "Miss Wen."

Wen Tingli hurriedly asked him if he had seen her schoolbag.

"Oh, several contestants left their belongings here just now, and Mr. Zhao had them all put away. Why don't you go ask Mr. Zhao? He's checking the accounts on the second floor. It's the room with the open door at the end of the corridor."

Wen Tingli thanked him and went to the second floor. The corridor on the second floor was covered with thick scarlet carpet, and it was silent when she stepped on it.

There were about ten rooms on both sides, but none of them had their doors open. Just as she was about to shout "Mr. Zhao", Wen Tingli saw a little bright light coming out of the door on the right.

She guessed that Mr. Ding Zhao was inside, so she turned around and pushed the door open.

When Wen Tingli saw the scene inside, she was stunned at the door.

It was an extremely spacious room with an apricot leather sofa on the left side and a person sitting on the sofa.

The man had a spring watch hanging in the breast pocket of his suit. Wen Tingli had visited many department stores and recognized that it was an extremely expensive Swiss brand, but the watch in front of her seemed particularly luxurious because the watch cover was inlaid with emerald green, which was obviously specially made.

When she raised her eyes again, she was stunned. Lu Shicheng!
But the Lu Shicheng in front of her seemed very different from the one she had seen before. The moment she pushed the door open, he was quietly emitting a cold aura, and his quiet eyes were filled with cold sarcasm.

However, when he saw clearly that it was her who came in, he was obviously stunned.

In a flash, Wen Tingli had already seen clearly what Lu Shicheng was holding in his hand. It was a pistol, with the black muzzle pointing at her chest.

Wen Tingli's mind went blank, and she hurriedly tried to retreat to the corridor, but Lu Shicheng stood up and walked towards her. Wen Tingli waved her hands with a pale face: "You...I..."

Before he could finish his words, Lu Shicheng leaped up, pulled her into his arms, and rolled quickly to the side with her in his arms.

There was a "bang" sound from behind, and something brushed past Wen Tingli's left arm and hit the chair beside her.

Lu Shicheng pressed Wen Tingli's head against his chest, then fired several shots at the door.

Wen Tingli could only hear a thumping sound in her ears, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
Just then, there was a sound of hurried footsteps in the corridor.

"What's going on? Was that a gunshot?"

"It seems so! Someone ran away!
"Don't chase me, be careful of getting shot. Hurry, go to the police station and call the police first!"

No matter how confused Wen Tingli's mind was, she now understood what had just happened. From her angle, she could clearly see a bullet hole on a chair not far away with smoke coming out of it.

Seeing this, she broke out in a cold sweat. If Lu Shicheng hadn't pulled her away, the bullet shot from behind would have surely penetrated her chest.

She wanted to move, only to find that she was still being held down by Lu Shicheng.

Someone broke in: "Mr. Lu, what happened just now?"

Lu Shicheng pulled Wen Tingli up, lowered his eyebrows and glanced at her to confirm that the girl had no injuries. He nodded at her with some apology, then was about to chase after her with his gun in hand.

Wen Tingli was about to speak when she realized her left arm was on fire. Thinking of the bullet, she thought she was shot and burst into tears. She covered the wound and said tearfully, "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much."

Lu Shicheng turned around.

Under the light, Wen Tingli's face was as white as paper. He frowned slightly and squatted down to help her check the wound.

Wen Tingli was so frightened that she kept covering her wound tightly.

Lu Shicheng finally pulled Wen Tingli's hand away, and saw that his palm was stained with blood.

Wen Tingli's face became even uglier. Did the bullet just now hit her? Would she become disabled? She was immediately extremely discouraged and drooped her arms to let Lu Shicheng check her.

Lu Shicheng concentrated and used the barrel of his gun to gently lift up Wen Tingli's torn sleeve, revealing a snow-white, round arm.

There was blood, but it was only a very shallow area.

A closer look revealed that it was only a superficial wound.

When he looked up again, Wen Tingli had already burst into tears.

(End of this chapter)