Huayu: Were you ever a top star before writing nonsense?

As night fell, the freshmen of the 07 class of the Shanghai Theatre Academy gathered at the military training camp.

The lights were on, and a cool breeze was blowing.

In the very center of the venue, all the equipment needed for the large-scale gala was ready, such as microphones and speakers.

The freshmen of the Shanghai Theatre Academy sat around on both sides.

Students from the performing arts department, dance academy, and opera academy were eager to compete, discussing who would go on stage first, like warlike, bloodthirsty warriors who had spotted an enemy.

Students from departments such as directing, drama, and stage design were much more modest. The men and women looked at each other without saying a word.

It's not that everyone lacks talent, but it depends on who you're compared to. Facing those students who have received professional training, whoever goes on stage tonight will feel awkward.

At this very moment, in the drama department's formation.

"Ma Junliang can play guitar and sing, but our team is still missing a performance. Does anyone else have a talent? Here's your chance to shine," the slightly chubby girl asked.

"I'll pass, my singing is worse than a pig's squeal," said the boy from Guangxi Province in broken Mandarin.

"Scream for us!" another classmate joked.

"Go to hell." The boy from Guangxi Province was speechless.

"I can chant the Great Compassion Mantra," a boy with a buzz cut raised his hand.

"My family has been a Taoist lineage for generations, and I have some knowledge of rainmaking." The thin young man said calmly.

The slightly chubby girl looked utterly dejected: "Everyone here is so talented... Can you please be serious? The Great Compassion Mantra? Praying for rain? Is that appropriate?"

At this moment, Wu Wei said in a crisp voice:

"I can play the guzheng, but there are no guzheng here, so... you know, I can't play."

After speaking, Wu Wei turned to look at Shen Can, her beautiful eyes filled with resentment.

It's been ten days, and I'm still not over it.

Shen Can automatically ignored her gaze.

"I think we can take a different approach and rely on looks..." A short-haired girl named Xue Fan looked at Shen Can with sparkling eyes and said with a smile, "Let Shen Can go. He's much more handsome than all the boys in the performing arts department this year. Just standing on the stage will be a sight to behold. He can just recite a poem, sing a song, or tell a joke. If he doesn't have the talent, he can make up for it with his looks."

After he finished speaking, many boys and girls echoed his sentiments.

It doesn't matter who goes, as long as it's not them going themselves.

"I agree! Let those who want to be stars see what a star look like." Ma Junliang nodded in agreement.

"Me? Am I suitable?"

Shen Can feigned surprise, but he wasn't surprised at all; this was how he had entered the gala stage in his previous life.

"Perfect, of course perfect." Ma Junliang patted Shen Can on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't panic. I'll go up with you later. You perform first, and I'll back you up."

"Okay." Shen Can nodded in agreement, feeling a little amused.

This guy seems like a really good person on the surface, but that's only on the surface.

Of all the drama students, Ma Junliang is the most cunning.

He came from a middle-class family, but pretended to be poor to get scholarships and grants. After receiving the money, he boasted to others and mocked his classmates as fools—"They have money to take but don't even know how to make a living."

Join the student council, wag your tail like a dog in front of the student council president, then turn around and act arrogantly, treating trivial matters as if they were imperial commands.

They have a penchant for prying into other people's privacy and then passing that information on to unrelated individuals.

He had a girlfriend, broke up with her, and harbored resentment. He posted nude photos of her online and ended up getting a pair of silver bracelets in return.

Typical example of someone who is both stupid and wicked.

Shen Can later realized, after gaining more experience, that Ma Junliang's words about "giving him support" probably didn't have any good intentions.

After reciting the poem, the man played and sang "Unavoidable Love," presumably trying to use his "pretty face" to highlight the man's talent.

He didn't expect that the two limericks would be so funny and leave a deep impression on his classmates.

Of course, Shen Can had no evidence, but considering Ma Junliang's character, it should be pretty much true.

It doesn't matter if I guess wrong, since Ma Junliang doesn't know either.

……

At 7:20 p.m., the school leader in charge of the delegation said a few words into the microphone, which lasted about ten minutes, and then the grand gala officially began.

The first to perform were freshmen majoring in classical dance, who presented a piece called "Mythology".

Unravel my deepest mystery of waiting; stars fall, the wind blows, and finally, I hold you in my arms again, our hearts trembling...

Amidst the poignant songs of Jackie Chan and Kim Hee-sun, a petite and beautiful girl dances gracefully under the lights.

Although she wasn't wearing professional attire, just an ordinary pale yellow dress, she still gave off a strong visual appeal.

Her movements resembled those of a graceful peacock, incorporating elements of classical dance, creating a breathtaking spectacle that left many mesmerized.

After the classical dance, Zhou Fang and Li Mou from the Performing Arts Department went on stage together to perform a modern dance.

Compared to the elegant and graceful classical dance, the hot and dynamic modern dance is a completely different style.

"Coming to the Shanghai Theatre Academy was definitely the right decision, it's awesome!" one student couldn't help but say.

"I suddenly understand those tyrannical rulers of ancient times. If it were me, I would also listen to music and watch dances every day. That's what it means to enjoy life," Ke Qingchuan said excitedly.

Following closely behind, one program after another took the stage...

Pu Bajia, who debuted as the champion of "Go! Good Boys", sang a song called "Good Boys Stand Up".

The boys from the Creative Academy sang a song called "Autumn Never Returns".

Two female students from the Chinese Opera Academy performed the classic Huangmei Opera piece, "The Female Imperial Scholar."

Soon, it will be the turn of the Department of Dramatic Literature to take the stage.

"come on."

The students cheered Shen Can on.

Some students were nervous for Shen Can. Although they didn't have to go on stage, at this moment, Shen Can represented the Department of Dramatic Literature, and their honor was shared by all.

Shen Can stood up, his hands trembling slightly, a tremor that was barely noticeable to others.

He wasn't nervous, he was excited!

The intense physical reaction made him feel his adrenaline surge.

Before his rebirth, he had written many urban entertainment novels, and had imagined countless times the scene of the protagonist singing on stage and showing off, shocking everyone. Then, day and night, he typed on the keyboard to turn his imagination into words, giving the protagonists a brilliant and colorful life...

Finally, it was his turn as the author.

He had the opportunity to start a new chapter in his life with his pen.

For a moment, Shen Can felt a little dazed, as if he had returned to the difficult times he spent as a struggling migrant worker in Shanghai after graduation.

In his cramped rented room, he worked as a ghostwriter for a screenwriting studio, revising scripts again and again, from morning till night, from spring to winter. Buckets of instant noodles in his box disappeared one by one, and one roommate after another came and went...

He appears to work in the film and television industry, but in reality, he hasn't even managed to get credit for a single film or television production.

I was twenty-five that year, a nobody in the industry.

"In the torrent of worldly life, standing out is harder than climbing to heaven!"

"I want to be famous, even if it's just for a day! I want the world to see my talent and know my name!"

In front of the computer, his eyes were red, he failed time and time again, but he rallied again and again.

Unwilling to admit defeat, unwilling to give up.

That stubborn and immature young man.

He could have lived a good life by living off a woman, but he stubbornly insisted on doing it and ended up getting hurt.

Shen Can felt as if sand was being blown into his eyes by the evening breeze.

At that moment, amidst the gazes of his fellow students from the Drama Department, bathed in the interplay of moonlight and lamplight, he walked to Ma Junliang's side and said to him:

"Can I borrow your guitar? I need to... play and sing."