How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 346 Emerging from Seclusion?

The days spent together were joyful and fulfilling, but they also passed by so quickly that it caught us off guard.

The three-day gathering came to an end in the blink of an eye.

In the early morning, the sunlight illuminated the sky, which was completely cloudless.

Zhang Wen drove to the training center, parked his car, and then walked to the hotel where the trainees were staying.

Today's schedule is very simple. In the morning, we will go to the training center to have students share their art exam experiences with their juniors. In the afternoon, we will take the students out for food and drinks to experience the vibrancy and cultural heritage of Beijing, bringing the three-day gathering to a perfect close.

The elevator slowly came to a stop, and after the doors opened, Zhang Wen stepped out.

The trainees were all gathered in the corridor, talking about something. Even Qiao Shuxin, who had gone home last night, came over, and they were all beaming with excitement.

"What are you chatting about that makes you so happy?" Zhang Wen walked over and asked.

Upon seeing Teacher Zhang, the students immediately surrounded him.

"Good morning, teacher."

"Teacher, we're talking about filming yesterday."

"And you and Bai Lu."

Ok?
Zhang Wen paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the trainees one by one.

The crowd's eyes were filled with curiosity, a thirst for gossip.

"What happened between Bai Lu and me?" Zhang Wen asked, feigning ignorance.

"Hehe, teacher, stop pretending. We already know you're Bai Lu's boyfriend," Zhou Lingyi said with a grin.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen narrowed his eyes. It seemed that these trainees had not only indulged in acting yesterday, but also indulging in gossip on set.

"Teacher Zhang, can you tell us who pursued Bai Lu first?" Sun Meng's eyes widened, sparkling with excitement.

The others also pricked up their ears to listen attentively, their thirst for gossip surpassing their thirst for knowledge.

Normally, people gossip about celebrities online, but today we can gossip right next to the parties involved. Who would pass up such an opportunity?

"Is that even a question? Isn't it obvious?" Zhang Wen shrugged and said, "With my outstanding qualities, both talented and good-looking, guess who pursued whom?"

Upon hearing this, the trainees immediately transformed into gorillas, waving their arms excitedly and howling.

"Wow!"

"The teacher is awesome."

"I told you, it must have been Bai Lu who pursued Teacher Zhang. You didn't believe me, Zhou Lingyi, you lost." Zhou An said smugly, as if he were the male lead.

"Teacher Zhang, was it really Bai Lu who pursued you?" Zhou Lingyi asked incredulously, her voice filled with doubt.

"What I mean is, although I'm not a celebrity, I'm very outstanding and worthy of Bai Lu. Actually, we are mutually attracted to each other and developed feelings for one another while spending time together. It was a natural progression of our relationship," Zhang Wen said.

As a teacher, he not only needs to impart knowledge to his students, but also to instill in them a sound view of love, so as to demonstrate his noble image as a role model for students.

You can't say that Bai Lu developed feelings for his teacher over time, while the teacher was lustful towards Bai Lu at first sight, can you?
This isn't a teacher; he's clearly a scoundrel.

Sure enough, the students all looked envious after hearing this.

In their hearts, mutual affection and love that grows over time is undoubtedly the most reassuring happiness and the most tender romance.

Although there is no fiery passion like love at first sight, you will gradually enter each other's lives and become each other's concern through daily interactions. It is a tacit understanding, and even more so, a resonance of souls, like a predestined fate.

If either side had deviated from the right path, we wouldn't have this two-way journey together.

Ugh!
Qiao Shuxin sighed inwardly.

In her opinion, this affection that had grown over time should have belonged to her aunt and Teacher Zhang, but because her aunt was too slow, Bai Lu snatched it away.

"Teachers, I wish you a long and happy life together, growing old together," Sun Meng said.

"Teacher, I wish you a long and happy marriage and many children," Jiang Guanlin added.

"teacher……"

"Alright, alright!" Zhang Wen raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. Just keep it to yourselves and don't tell anyone else. Otherwise, if it makes the news, it will be very detrimental to Bai Lu's acting career."

Upon hearing this, all the trainees immediately shut their mouths and looked around the corridor, afraid of being overheard by outsiders.

In today's entertainment industry, fans have very high expectations for their idols. Fans will stop supporting their idols if they start dating or if their romantic partner doesn't meet their standards.

If an artist's fan base decreases, their career will inevitably be affected.

"Teacher, don't worry, I will keep it a secret for you and your wife," Zhou Lingyi said softly.

"I will too, and I will absolutely not tell anyone," Chen Mingyue said, patting his chest.

"This matter ends here with me," He Xingyi vowed, raising his hand.

"..."

Zhang Wen nodded, then waved his hand.

"Let's go and eat."

After hearing this, the group marched towards the elevator in a grand procession.

Today was a gathering between Zhang Wen and his students, so they didn't call the parents.

Because the experience-sharing class started at 10 a.m., there was plenty of time. Zhang Wen and the students ate and chatted in the restaurant until breakfast ended before leaving.

"Teacher, don't we need to take a car?"

As they exited the hotel, Zhou Lingyi looked at Teacher Zhang with a puzzled expression. The bus was parked in the parking lot in front of the hotel, but Teacher Zhang was leading them in the other direction.

Although she was unfamiliar with Beijing, she knew that the Beijing Film Academy was far from the hotel, while Teacher Zhang's training center was near the Beijing Film Academy. She didn't know how long it would take to walk there.

She looked up at the sun in the sky. She wasn't afraid of walking, but she was afraid of the sun. If she got tanned, wouldn't that affect her appearance on camera?
“Zhou Lingyi, have you forgotten? The teacher’s training center has moved. The new location is near the hotel, and it’s bigger and better than the old one,” Qiao Shuxin said.

She was also the only one among the nine students to have seen the new school.

Zhou Lingyi was stunned for a moment before remembering that Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center had moved, so she smiled apologetically.

"I forgot."

"..."

Zhang Wen led the way, and a few minutes later they arrived at the training center.

When the students saw the new Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center, they were all stunned and stood there in amazement.

So big?
They remembered that their original school only had two classrooms, while the school in front of them looked to have at least twenty or thirty classrooms, making it larger than the art exam training school they attended in their hometown.

What happened to the saying, "A mountain is not famous because of its height, but because of the immortals dwelling there; a body of water is not sacred because of its depth, but because of the dragons residing within"?

What happened to the saying, "This humble abode is fragrant because of my virtue"?

Is the teacher planning to return to public life?

That's true. A small mountain can't contain a great immortal, and shallow water can't nurture a true dragon. Zhang Wen pushed open the door to the training center and was immediately startled by the scene before him.

The hall was packed with people, at least three or four hundred. There weren't enough chairs in the parents' waiting area, and most people were standing.

Someone unfamiliar with the area might mistake it for a train station waiting room.

The students following behind were also completely bewildered.

what's the situation?
How come there are so many people?

Did you go to the wrong door?
When I saw the words "Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center" written in large characters on the wall behind the reception desk, I realized that I had come to the right place.

At this point, some parents around also recognized Principal Zhang Wen. They had received the flyers from him, and with the school walls covered with photos of Principal Zhang with many celebrities, it was hard not to recognize him.

"Principal Zhang, when will the experience-sharing session begin?"

"Principal Zhang, have the previous cohort of students arrived?"

"Are those kids behind you the students who took the art college entrance exam this year?"

All the parents turned their attention to the children standing behind Principal Zhang.

Apart from the two boys, the other students were all handsome and beautiful, and each had an outstanding temperament; they were clearly not ordinary art students.

When Qiao Shuxin and the others saw so many people suddenly looking at them, they were a little embarrassed. However, after yesterday's filming, they now knew how to control their emotions, so they remained poised and showed no signs of stage fright.

"Parents, please be quiet and listen to me," Zhang Wen said loudly, his voice echoing throughout the hall.

The scene immediately fell silent, and all the parents looked over.

Among them, some had already enrolled their children in Xingxiang, some came after learning from acquaintances that Xingxiang would be holding an art exam preparation experience sharing session today, and others were struggling to choose an art exam training school for their children.

Everyone shared a common goal: to deepen their understanding of Xingxiang and completely dispel any doubts they might have through this experience-sharing session.

After all, everyone chose Xingxiang because of Xingxiang's art exam results this year.

Publicity alone is not enough; we need to produce something of substance.

"Dear parents, let me formally introduce you." Zhang Wen turned to the side and pointed to the nine students behind him, "These nine are some of the students from Xingxiang who participated in the art exams this year and were admitted."

"This is Han Zhixue, who ranked first in the performance major at Beijing Film Academy. Her grades are verifiable." Zhang Wen walked up to Han Zhixue and patted her on the shoulder.

As soon as he finished speaking, the parents began to murmur among themselves in the hall.

“I’ve seen the news reports; it’s this girl.”

"Not only is she beautiful, but she also has a great temperament and looks like a star."

"Yes, she truly deserves to be ranked first in the performance major at Beijing Film Academy. I heard her college entrance exam score was also very high, over 500 points."

"awesome!"

The parents looked at Han Zhixue and praised her highly, saying that she was someone else's child.

After introducing Han Zhixue, Zhang Wen went to Wang Jiayi's side and continued to introduce her.

"This is Wang Jiayi, the second-ranked student in the performance major at Huaxi Theatre Academy..."

The parents' attention began to shift.

"This young lady is also quite good. She has a dignified appearance and a composed demeanor. She looks like a leading lady in a traditional Chinese opera at first glance."

"She's not very old, but she has a lot of presence."

"..."

Next, Zhang Wen introduced the other trainees one by one.

Each time someone was introduced, a chorus of exclamations would erupt in the hall.

Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy are the top drama and film schools in China. Those who can get into these two schools and achieve good results in the entrance exams are definitely outstanding individuals.

Which parent here today doesn't hope their child can get into Beijing Film Academy or Huaxi Academy of Drama?
Now that the new students of Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy are right in front of them, how could they not be envious?

Zhang Wen checked the time; there was still half an hour until 10 o'clock, and the first class should be over soon.

To avoid chaos, he thought for a moment and then said, "The experience sharing session will begin at 10 o'clock. Parents who want to attend can wait in the lecture hall on the left side of the first floor. Please keep the order and leave the first few rows of seats for the students. Thank you."

The lecture hall is the largest classroom in the entire training center, capable of accommodating more than 300 people at the same time. However, judging from the number of attendees today, 300 seats are far from enough, and many people will have to stand to listen.

Upon hearing this, the parents all moved to the left side of the corridor, each one faster than the last, as if afraid of falling behind and not getting a seat.

It's actually okay if there are no seats, you can still listen while standing. But if you can't even squeeze into the classroom, wouldn't it be a waste of time to come today?

Soon, the once crowded hall was nearly empty.

However, as the first class ended and the second class was about to begin, many young faces appeared in the hall, but they only went in and did not leave, heading towards the lecture hall.

Even students studying vocal music and dance went to join in the fun.

In fact, whether they are students in the performance class, vocal class, or dance class, everyone's ultimate goal is the same: to become a shining star.

Zhang Wen brought his nine beloved students to the office.

There was a clear sound of relief the moment the door closed.

"call!"

"call!"

Zhang Wen glanced over and couldn't help but laugh.

"What, you can't handle this? Haven't you participated in many competitions and performances?"

“Teacher, it’s different.” Wang Jiayi said with a wry smile, “The competition has a venue, and the performance has a stage. They are far away from the audience, but just now, I felt like those uncles and aunts were about to pounce on us.”

“That’s right, I feel the same way,” Zhou Lingyi said, patting her chest.

"What's the big deal? They're not going to eat you." Qiao Shuxin said nonchalantly, "You're all so scared by such a small group of people. When you become celebrities, you'll be surrounded by crowds wherever you go. How will you attend events then? Are you going to stay home all the time?"

“Qiao Shuxin is right.” Zhang Wen looked at the other students and said, “Another reason I called you here today is to let you experience what it feels like to be the center of attention and surrounded by people. Get used to it in advance so that you won’t be too scared to walk when you encounter such a scene in the future and embarrass your teacher.”

"Teacher, don't listen to Qiao Shuxin, she's just putting on a brave face." Zhou Lingyi said loudly, "I saw it just now, when you introduced her, her fists were clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of her hands were bulging."

"You, you're talking nonsense, I didn't," Qiao Shuxin retorted, her face flushed.

“I was standing right next to you, how could I not know?” Zhou Lingyi said, “Do you know how I found out? Because I felt the person next to me’s arm shaking, so I looked down and... Waaah!”

Before Zhou Lingyi could finish speaking, Qiao Shuxin covered her mouth with her hand.

While pulling Zhou Lingyi along, Qiao Shuxin explained, "It's fake, she's talking nonsense. She's the one shaking, and it infected me. Do you know what resonance is?"

"..."

Everyone was speechless.

I just feel like Qiao Shuxin is a cooked duck, all she has left is to be stubborn.

……

(End of this chapter)