Studio Superstar: Chapter 39

A few minutes ago.

Lu Dinghua strode toward the cubicle and quickly wiped his eyes as he walked. Many viewers couldn’t help it and started to sniff.

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Lu Yu stood stiffly in place, motionless.

There was a ten second silence.

None of the spectators were distracted. Their emotions were tightly hung on the scene.

Suddenly, Lu Yu moved.

His back was slightly hunched over as if he had no strength at all. He dragged his feet and lowered his head as he walked to the corridor outside the office.

The thin, helpless back was distressing.

……

This was the most complex plot in the original work.

The four families, which originally looked like parallel lines, became emotionally entangled at this moment.

Yu Xiong’s eyes became redder and redder since Lu Dinghua and Lu Yu argued just now. Once Lu Yu walked out of the office, he suddenly got up and walked to the cubicle. He poured a glass of water for Lu Dinghua into a disposable paper cup provided by the office.

Then he sat down next to Lu Dinghua.

Perhaps he felt it was presumptuous, but he couldn’t help it. He thought of himself and his son and whispered with red eyes, “How can you let that child give up treatment? You will regret it!”

He wanted Lu Dinghua to quickly bring Lu Yu back to the hospital while there was still ‘time.’

Maybe the child could be saved? Maybe there was no need for him to die?”

On the other hand, Lu Dinghua kept his head down. The anger just now seemed to have drained all the strength in his body.

After a while, he suddenly murmured, “I still remember the first time Ah Yu pinched my finger after he was born.”

Yu Xiong froze.

“…It was Spring. He was born on March 14th. I told my wife that he was as energetic as the green onions grown in our flower pots. Once he grew up, he would definitely be very energetic and loved to move.”

“Sure enough. Ah Yu joined the school basketball team in middle school and won second place in the city. He was also a popular figure in the school when he was in high school. He was very famous, and the teachers liked him very much.” Lu Dinghua laughed. He laughed for a moment before clenching his fists hard. “This child doesn’t like silence. Don’t look at how quiet he is now. In fact, he is usually very active and doesn’t like to listen…”

Speaking of this, Lu Dinghua wiped his eyes. “…It isn’t ‘usually’ anymore. It is ‘previously’.”

He cursed and said while crying, “There are still ten days left before he celebrates his birthday.”

Yu Xiong’s eyes became redder.

He looked away from Lu Dinghua.

He stayed there for a long time before saying, “My son’s birthday is still half a year away… He was born near the new year.”

The two fathers sat quietly in the shadows of the cubicle.

“That guy brought his girlfriend back for his birthday a year ago.”

Yu Xiong’s whisper was particularly quiet.

……

On the other side, Luo Sheng got up and wanted to go outside to smoke.

He heard the worried whispers of the old couple behind him. As he walked to the corridor, he turned and looked to the right.

Lu Yu was huddled against the wall.

The wide sweater covered him. The 23 year old was obviously tall, but now he looked so small.

He lowered his head to his knees and remained silent. It was as if he wasn’t breathing.

Luo Sheng hesitated and asked, “Isn’t it cold?”

Two seconds later, Lu Yu shook his head slightly.

There was a pause before Luo Sheng asked again, “…Do you need to take medicine? Do you need me to pour you a glass of water?”

It was only then that Lu Yu raised his head slightly as he said, “…No, I will swallow it directly.”

Luo Sheng could see that this person was suffering from cancer pain and needed to take painkillers.

Lu Yu looked over with some doubt, as if wondering why this person was looking at him. Luo Sheng said calmly, “I have met a patient before who took painkillers like candy when he wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t follow the doctor’s advice at all. His disease is different from yours, but it is pretty much the same.”

The word ‘patient’ surprised Lu Yu. “You also have cancer?”

“No, it is another problem… the person I’m talking about didn’t have cancer. It was something else.” Luo Sheng was vague.

He didn’t want to mention his history of major depression, a time of great chaos—a time when the body and soul were disrupted at the same time.

“That’s it…” Lu Yu said while covering his abdomen.

The painkillers didn’t seem to work well. His lips were shockingly white.

But he still smiled and said, “I’m sorry for disturbing you just now.”

“It’s okay.” Luo Sheng suddenly didn’t want to smoke any longer. He walked to the other side of Lu Yu and sat down on the spot like this person. He said, “It is a normal conflict. Your father isn’t wrong, but you aren’t wrong. Your terminal illness happens to be cancer. You can’t escape from your parents’ eyes when you get sick. If there are other problems, just make your own decisions. There are some things in this world that people can’t understand. You can’t torture yourself for it.”

Luo Sheng’s words were too relaxed. Lu Yu stared at him and asked, “What type of disease do you have? Are you also terminally ill?”

Luo Sheng smiled.

Lu Yu kept looking at him. “It doesn’t look like you are terminally ill.”

Luo Sheng replied back, “You don’t look like you are terminally ill.”

Lu Yu smiled. He suddenly stretched out his hand to support himself on the ground.

He held on and clenched his fists. The pain slowly rising in his body like a tide made him unable to smile any longer.

“It looks like a terminal illness now,” Luo Sheng said.

“It isn’t nice to say that.” Lu Yu smiled, endured the pain for a while, and said softly, “It is better not to seek death if you can live.”

Luo Sheng paused and looked at him.

It was already difficult for Lu Yu to maintain a normal posture.

He curled up tighter than before. He was like a pupa, a pupa that was gradually drying up and losing its vitality.

He lowered his head slightly, staring at the flowering crab-apple tree in front of him. He said, “It is so good to be alive. As long as there is a small chance, I also want to live. If I can live ten days, it will be my birthday.”

“…My parents secretly prepared for my last birthday behind my back. They thought I didn’t know and deliberately hid it from me. They were afraid I would be too sick to get up and would be unhappy.”

Lu Yu smiled and muttered, “They cried while preparing it, trying to think about what I wanted that they didn’t buy for me in the past. They wanted to buy it all for me this time but were afraid that doing it too obviously would make me feel like I was about to die. I have never seen them so fearful since I was a child. It is a bit funny, but also a bit…”

Lu Yu stopped.

His Adam’s apple moved, and he said in a hoarse voice, “Alive… you can spend your birthday well. You can eat hot pot, skewers, and spicy hot pot. You can travel during the winter and summer vacations. You can go anywhere in the world. When you are tired… just go home.”

“There are many things that can be done when still alive. If you lose a basketball game, you can win it back next time. If you fail the exam, you can still take it next time. If you quarrel with your parents, you can act spoiled with them tomorrow…”

“If you make the wrong choice, you can make a new choice…”

“…Different options can lead to different results.”

However, the two options before him now, to accept treatment or to give up treatment, led to the same result—death.

Luo Sheng’s eyes, which had been watching him, moved slightly.

Lu Yu stared straight at the brilliant and vibrant crab-apple tree outside the corridor.

Tears were gathering in his clear eyes.

Maybe it was due to the physical pain or maybe it was because of something else…

He lowered his head slightly. The tears that slowly accumulated hung on the surface of his eyeballs.

They were shaky, refracting the light and color of the flowers. It was a crystal clear and brilliant half-arc, showing his fear and unwillingness.

Luo Sheng stared at the undropped tears. He was waiting for the tears to fall…

Just like petals falling and leaves drifting.

These tears would be as weightless as their souls and fall down.

But at this moment, the young man suddenly turned to look at him.

He actually smiled, easily blinking away the pain and vulnerability in his eyes. He persuaded in a good voice.

“Really. If you can live well, don’t die.”

……

Cries started to erupt in the small theater studio.

Xue Xiao’s unshed tears and his relaxed words made many viewers unable to hold back.

The camera gave a close-up to Xue Xiao. They saw the accumulated tears in his eyes, half-hanging and becoming more and more beautiful under the refraction of light.

They waited like Luo Sheng, waiting for these beautiful tears to fall and usher in a tragedy. However, the tears didn’t fall in the end!

They, didn’t, fall, down!

At this time, the audience’s psychological defense was directly broken, and they cried.

This crying scene was too beautiful, right?!

What type of god was Xue Xiao? How could he control it so that his tears hung like this?

They were going crazy. Could the scene just now be rewound so that they could take a photo to use as the phone wallpaper?

Xue Xiao didn’t cry, but they were almost crying to death!

At the mentor’s table, Su Shijin, Feng Wei, and even Guan Ruoying, who personally directed this scene, were all shocked by Xue Xiao’s live performance.

Yu Shanhe leaned back against his chair and fell into deep silence.

Fragility, strength, unwillingness, and relief blended into the character of Lu Yu. At this moment, Xue Xiao wore a white sweater and was like petals that had been blown off. It was as if he would go away with the wind at any time, making people no longer able to grasp it.

He looked like he was really in pain, but he also looked like he could bear it easily. He tried his best to burn the last bit of vitality in his body, using his spring-like power to hide all the turbulent waves in his body.

Shen Tingyan suddenly felt that he couldn’t sit still.

Obviously, the plot had moved on, but his mind was stuck on the scene just now, unable to move.

He stared at the young man on the big screen, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

At this moment, he was a bit confused about whether he was looking at Lu Yu or Xue Xiao, whether those lines were said by Lu Yu or Xue Xiao.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I can’t think of a way to solve this problem. No matter how difficult the last problem in mathematics of the college entrance examination is, can there be no solution to this problem in life?”

“I can only hope that I can become a small seed, fall into the soil, germinate again, and meet them again every spring.”

The young man who said this seemed to suddenly relax his body.

A crab-apple petal drifted toward him in the wind.

He reached out and caught it. The petal landed in his palm.

He stared at this petal and said with a smile, “I have lived so vigorously in this life. After becoming a tree, I can still grow so beautifully, right?”

……

The studio was already crying miserably.

The play ‘Spring Garden’ was just like the original movie. It started easily and ended easily.

From beginning to end, the fierce conflict was only in the middle. The rest was just a conversation between the two sides.

The two elders were unwilling to let go, but they had to let go after all. Illness and death were life processes that couldn’t be stopped. Accidents were also sudden and unpredictable.

Yu Xiong wanted to go and persuade Lu Dinghua, but Lu Dinghua actually knew in his heart that he should let his beloved child have an easier time in the end.

He finally stood up and said, “I made you laugh just now.”

“I think…” he said slowly. “I had better finish here early. I will go back and make him his favorite pickled fish.”

His letting go made Yu Xiong also put it down.

As for Luo Sheng, he had no sense of life or death for two whole years. However, Lu Yu’s words once again made his numb heart feel the weight of life.

This weight made him recall his wife again, and he felt more pained than ever.

At this time, Lu Yu said to him, “You look a bit like you are terminally ill now.”

Luo Sheng smiled bitterly. “It is a terminal illness.”

“Is it really hopeless?”

“For others, it might not be. But for me, there is no salvation. I tried to save it for two whole years, but it recurred.” Luo Sheng leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and said, “…But thank you anyway. I haven’t felt her so clearly for a long time.”

“If I can also become a seed, I hope I can grow into a magnolia tree, the white kind. It was her favorite when she was alive. It is also the one outside our bedroom window…”

……

At the end of this play, Lu Yu and Luo Sheng walked back to the office.

They raised their heads and looked at Yu Xiong and Lu Dinghua, who also came out and were sitting with the two old people sitting in the waiting seats.

Live well when they should live well, and let go when they should let go.

From now on, they valued rebirth as much as they valued death. They valued death as much as they valued life.

……

The play was completely over.

The big screen rose. Xue Xiao, Dou Mingjian, Gu Ling, and Huang Xiaolin walked out.

The state of the four people was relaxed.

They had practiced too many times. They had been able to enter and exit the play perfectly, but the audience couldn’t emerge from the scene!

The applause of the audience was deafening. The four people couldn’t help being stunned when they saw that even Guan Ruoying was wiping her tears.

…Guan Ruoying hadn’t watched them rehearse many times. Why did she still cry when watching them?

According to the process, the audience voted first. The two minute voting time ended, and the instructor’s comments began.

Feng Wei asked the question for them. “Teacher Guan, why are you crying like this?”

Guan Ruoying carefully wiped her tears, afraid her makeup would be stained. She was choked up. “This is the same as a stage play. Every performance feels different! For every previous rehearsal, Xue Xiao cried in this crying scene. This time, he didn’t shed tears!”

Speaking of this, Gu Ling looked over at Xue Xiao with deep eyes again.

This was indeed a temporary chance that Xue Xiao made just now. He hadn’t expected it.

Those tears didn’t fall, and it was really more beautiful than when it fell.

Xue Xiao hadn’t expected Guan Ruoying to be crying like this because of him. He was a bit surprised.

He explained, “I suddenly thought it would be better if I didn’t cry here. Lu Yu must’ve cried many times in the process of fighting the disease. He must’ve cried many times when his parents cried behind his back. I suddenly felt that by this time, he wouldn’t cry easily.”

Lu Yu was a strong young man. He didn’t want his vulnerability to be seen by others.

Therefore, after developing the ability to endure it after crying a lot, he definitely wouldn’t hesitate to hold it back.

This was how Xue Xiao came up with the tears that were about to fall.

He didn’t think too much. It was a reaction of the moment that made him choose to act like that.

Su Shijin praised it. “Your control is too good. I have seen many actresses who are good at crying scenes and have strong control. But among the male actors, you are really the most capable in this regard that I have ever seen. All of us in the audience shook due to your tears. As a result, you blinked your tears away, and everyone’s mentality collapsed.”

Guan Ruoying nodded desperately. “There was also the petal just now. That petal wasn’t there during the rehearsal.”

Xue Xiao said shyly, “The petal just floated over, so I reached out and took it. It was the big brother in charge of the props who blew it well.”

The audience burst out laughing.

Speaking of which, it was all a coincidence. But this type of coincidence could be caught by Xue Xiao. It was the most wonderful thing about him.

Feng Wei smiled and said, “Xue Xiao, your progress surprised me a bit. Speaking of which, you are the one who listened to the most classes everywhere in the previous week, right?”

Guan Ruoying and Su Shijin nodded one after another, acknowledging this.

Feng Wei continued, “Some people might not understand these lectures, nor can they listen. But in fact, compared with these two points, the willingness to listen and learn are more important. No matter how stupid the bird, one day, it will be able to fly higher and further than other birds if it studies more—not to mention that you aren’t a stupid bird.”

The audience laughed again. Feng Wei said with a smile, “Your future progress will be great as long as you maintain this learning mentality and maintain the habit of working hard and thinking more.”

Xue Xiao smiled and bowed. “Thank you, Director Feng!”

Feng Wei also systematically commented on the other three. “Huang Xiaolin, I actually had some doubts about you playing the role of Yu Xiong. It was because your performance was ordinary in the first round, and I felt you couldn’t control it. However, you acted well today. There might be fewer scenes, but the mood was very strong.”

Huang Xiaolin said excitedly, “Thank you, Director Feng!”

“Dou Mingjian, you are so powerful. I’m a bit confused. How can an actor like you keep being a background role? Have you never been approached by a company?”

Su Shijin teased. “Director Feng, do you want to sign this person?”

Feng Wei was really thinking about it. “I haven’t opened a company myself, but there are a few agents I know. An actor like you will be popular sooner or later, even if you are over 40 years old. The market isn’t just occupied by young talents.”

The whole audience was in an uproar. Dou Mingjian hadn’t expected Feng Wei to praise him so much and thanked him repeatedly.

“In addition, Gu Ling. Your performance was very steady today. It wasn’t bad.” Feng Wei just commented on him briefly.

After that, Su Shijin and Guan Ruoying praised Xue Xiao and Dou Mingjian again. It was only after this praise finished that everyone started to realize only one person remained silent.

Jiang Quan took control of the situation and asked, “Teacher Shen, do you have anything to say?”

The whole place fell silent.

Xue Xiao was slightly startled and looked at Shen Tingyan.

This time, the light on the stage wasn’t so dazzling. Shen Tingyan just stared at him quietly.

The silent, straight gaze made Xue Xiao’s heart jump.

He was a bit confused about Shen Tingyan’s reaction…

Were there still a lot of problems this time? Xue Xiao thought nervously.

Shen Tingyan’s silence made everyone nervous.

A moment later, the man moved.

He lowered his eyes and fiddled with the invitation card on the mentor’s desk. Then he looked up and said to Jiang Quan, “I have nothing to say—”

“—Can I give out an invitation card?”

Xue Xiao was stunned.

“Xue Xiao.”

The man read his name softly, picked up the invitation card, and stood up.

The audience was silent. Then in the next second, they collectively cheered!

White Lily

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