Studio Superstar: Chapter 38 Part 1

In the small theater, the groups appeared one by one and left one by one. Time flew by before they knew it.

At the end of the sixth group’s performance, Jiang Quan counted the remaining invitation cards in the hands of the four mentors.

“Teacher Guan still has five cards, Teacher Su and Teacher Feng have seven cards each, and Teacher Shen still has eight cards.”

Su Shijin poked her head out and joked with Guan Ruoying, “Teacher Guan, aren’t you issuing cards too fast?”

Guan Ruoying was also a bit depressed. “But everyone has really improved a lot this time. I think every group is good and I want to give it out in every group!”

The audience burst out laughing.

Guan Ruoying’s words were true.

The training was only one week, but perhaps it was because everyone had devoted themselves seriously this week and tried their best not to be eliminated in this competition. Many students made great strides in this round, and none of the six groups that had performed on stage were particularly bad.

Someone in the participant’s seat wailed. “Teachers, slow down. Don’t run out of cards by the time I get on stage!”

In addition, there were now two cases where the same participant had received two mentor invitation cards. The person on the stage was very happy, but the people in the audience were dripping blood.

—That repeat card could’ve been an extra chance!

Unfortunately, a competition was inherently cruel. There was no pity or sympathy.

Dou Mingjian pressed a hand on Xue Xiao’s shoulder and said to Huang Xiaolin and Gu Ling on both sides, “Get ready.”

Xue Xiao took a deep breath and nodded.

It was their turn.

Chang Yun, Jiang Lianlian, Zhao Dong, and Jin Xiaochen whispered cheers in their ears.

Soon, the rotating track in the background was completed. The host, Jiang Quan, said, “Next, let’s invite the seventh group. It is the group led by Teacher Guan—the ‘Spring Garden’ group!”

In the midst of the warm applause of the audience, the four people got up, stepped on the stage, and stood next to Jiang Quan.

The lights shone directly overhead.

He stepped on the stage again after two weeks. Xue Xiao felt that this huge stage seemed to have become more familiar, but the excitement it brought to him hadn’t diminished at all.

He looked at the mentor seats like last time. For a moment, the lights were too strong, and he felt that the mentor seats were blurred and invisible.

Ever since he and Shen Tingyan stared at each other just now, he didn’t dare to look over there again…

He felt that Shen Tingyan was a bit strange today. Not only were the frequent glances to him strange, but the man spoke very little today and was especially silent.

Xue Xiao didn’t know what happened and was at a loss. At this moment, he couldn’t clearly see the expression on the man’s face.

But… now wasn’t the time to think about these issues.

What he had to do now was focus on giving his best performance.

Jiang Quan said, “Let’s not talk nonsense. Go backstage to prepare. I will see you on the big screen in five minutes!”

Xue Xiao took one last look at the mentor seats, collected his thoughts, and nodded.

He bowed to the mentor seats and the audience seats. Then he turned and walked to the back with the other three.

……

The set was almost ready. The staff members were doing the final touches and ran back and forth very quickly.

The assistant actor had been waiting for them inside for a long time. He saw them coming and greeted them.

Huang Xiaolin kept taking deep breaths. The assistant actor who played the 81 year old man joked, “Aren’t you afraid of a lack of oxygen later if you breathe like this?”

Huang Xiaolin smiled bitterly and said, “I’m already short of oxygen now.”

Today, he wore something special.

He wore a jacket but still looked a bit thin in the early spring weather. He was plainly dressed and had a tanned complexion with many wrinkles. He was obviously only in his 40s, but with this makeup, he looked to be in his 50s.

This was specially changed by Guan Ruoying, who made a request to the makeup teacher.

The father he played, Yu Xiong, had just lost his son. He had just experienced the most painful and devastating three days. It was only natural that he would go through the vicissitudes of life in the blink of an eye.

Xue Xiao also changed his makeup.

Today, he was wearing a pure white sweater. Guan Ruoying asked him to change the sweater to two sizes larger to make him look thinner.

It was miraculous. Xue Xiao had never tried losing weight before, but the effect was very remarkable. He lost a lot of weight in a week. Chang Yun was envious since he couldn’t lose weight in ten thousand years.

At this moment, highlighted by the sickly makeup, he really looked haggard and pale. He was full of fragility.

Dou Mingjian looked at it and said, “Hey, let’s eat something good when today’s game is over.”

Xue Xiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Brother Dou, don’t worry. I will make up for it when I go back.”

Gu Ling kept to his usual few words and stood in place in silence.

On the field, the staff started the countdown.

The four people became serious, and Dou Mingjian whispered, “Come on. Don’t think about anything else. Just perform well.”

Xue Xiao’s eyes sank, and he nodded together with Huang Xiaolin and Gu Ling.

……

At the mentor table, Su Shijin suddenly said, “This group should be regarded as the group that everyone is most looking forward to in this competition, right?”

Guan Ruoying nodded repeatedly. “I felt a lot of pressure guiding them!”

Feng Wei smiled and looked at the audience. “They are under more pressure.”

It was true that the first episode of ‘Studio Superstar’ has become popular on the Internet due to the fight incident. The residual popularity was still considerable. Then what about after this?

Everyone had a question in their hearts.

Putting aside the gossip and quarrels, how much popularity could these students create with their own abilities? What if the first episode was the peak and then nothing?

In particular, Xue Xiao was the person at the center of the storm, and he would receive the most scrutiny.

Feng Wei glanced at Yu Shanhe, unable to see what expression the other person had.

He looked at Shen Tingyan again and inquired, “Teacher Shen hasn’t spoken a lot today. Xue Xiao should also be a participant you are particularly optimistic about, right?”

Shen Tingyan looked calm. “Will my speaking more or speaking less affect their final presentation?”

Feng Wei smiled and said meaningfully, “If Teacher Shen falls in love one day and still acts like this, you will have to suffer.”

“……” Shen Tingyan said, “Director Feng is talking a lot today. Then again, when did you never speak a lot?”

Feng Wei: “Hehehehe.”

Shen Tingyan: “Heh.”

The two of them were bickering with each other when the words ‘Spring Garden’ started to emerge on the big screen, and they shut up.

A second later, the performance officially began.

The story of ‘Spring Garden’ took place on an ordinary day in early spring.

The weather was fine and cloudless.

This could even be said to be a very comfortable day for most ordinary people.

On this day, four families met in the cemetery’s office.

The office.

This place wasn’t big or small. There were people sitting at three open counters, all handling business. There were also seven or eight people scattered around and waiting to be called.

Gu Ling played Luo Sheng, and Huang Xiaolin played Yu Xiong. Along with the assistant who played Huang Xiaolin’s wife, they each sat at two corners of the waiting area.

An elderly couple with gray hair and Xue Xiao, who played Lu Yu, stood by the wall and looked at the introduction and overlook of the cemetery.

“Young man, what position did you pick?” The grandfather started chatting casually. “We went to another cemetery with an intermediary before, but the location of the cemetery was too remote. It took quite a long time to drive there. Our son said it is better to come here even though the price is more expensive.”

“Yes,” the old lady continued speaking. “At that time, the intermediary said it was very complicated. What position is high but not low? The current cemetery might not be a grave on the mountain like the past, but we still need to pay attention to Feng shui… I thought, now that graves are in such short supply, how can we choose what we want?”

Lu Yu stood aside, smiling very quietly while listening. His eyes were curved as he smiled.

His complexion was obviously different from ordinary people. It was pale with a hint of blue and yellow. His lips were dry without the slightest trace of blood.

His chin was as sharp as a melon seed, and his body was so thin that he seemed about to collapse when the wind blew.

There was a cap on his head, but it could still be seen that there was not a single black hair on his head.

The two old people’s throats became dry as they talked. At first, they thought this young man came with his family to pick a grave for a deceased elderly person. But at this moment, they seemed to understand something. They suddenly didn’t know how to continue the conversation and became hesitant.

Lu Yu said calmly, “My dad and I have never studied these things. The staff here won’t popularize such a thing as Feng shui, right? Otherwise, how can a spot without good Feng shui be sold?”

He spoke softly with a sense of an ethereal quality. It was as if he could fly away at any moment, but his tone was very light.

The old couple said, “Yes, yes…”

Lu Yu rolled his eyes and said thoughtfully, “But it is the place where you will live ‘for the rest of your life’ after all. It isn’t wrong to choose carefully. Once you decide, you won’t be able to move unless the entire cemetery is gone in the future…”

He wanted to laugh, but after laughing, he coughed.

The cough wasn’t serious, but redness appeared on his pale face.

The old man was very nervous. “Young man, are you okay? Why don’t you go and sit down? Hey, you shouldn’t have come by yourself!”

“No, I’m fine,” the young man said nonchalantly. “I’ve been lying down for too long.”

The camera on the big screen shifted to another part of the office. It was the waiting area.

The camera hit Luo Sheng (Gu Ling) from the side.

This man was wearing black clothes and had heavy bags under his eyes. His black eyes looked solemn, and his face wasn’t very good-looking.

The corners of his mouth straightened, giving him a very indifferent feeling.

He was chatting on WeChat.

The other person was surprised. “Are you at Lushan Cemetery now?”

“Are you buying a grave for Xiao Xiao?”

Luo Sheng typed in an unhurried manner, “Yes.”

“…Well, it has been two years. It isn’t good to continue leaving her ashes at the funeral home. You should’ve asked me to come with you.”

“No. I just want to ask if you are free for dinner tonight.”

“Okay.”

The other person said happily, “You haven’t come out with us for two years. It is time to live a normal life again.”

Luo Sheng put down his phone.

He stared into empty air, his eyes heavy and far-reaching. It wasn’t known what he was thinking.

Diagonally behind him, a couple was sitting there.

Yu Xiong (Huang Xiaolin) leaned back against the chair, his legs slightly spread apart. He held the queue number that had become crumpled and placed it between his legs.

His wife beside him had her legs crossed. Her left elbow was bent on the armrest, and she wiped her eyes from time to time. Occasionally, there were sounds of inhalation and choking.

She endured it, but she couldn’t help it.

Yu Xiong stared at the ground in a daze for a while. He turned his head and looked blankly at the door of the office hall, where golden light spilled in.