In the audience, Mother and Father Xie clapped excitedly along with everyone else. Mother Xie’s eyes were red.
The barrage in the live stream room had already gone crazy.
“It is so sweet ahhhhhh QAQ.”
“The two people are too sweet to be acting.”
‘I am crying so much. Help me. It obviously wasn’t abusive QAQ.”
“Xue Xiao’s acting is really good…”
“The ending was so touching, woo woo woo…”
On the edge of the stage, Dou Mingjian patted Xue Xiao’s shoulder hard and sighed. “I concede defeat.”
Xue Xiao stood up and bowed to the audience.
Gu Ling stared at the big screen for a long time. Even though the screen dimmed and rose, he still couldn’t take his eyes away.
This was until Jiang Quan found an opportunity to control the stage and said, “Come, we will invite Xue Xiao to come to the center of the stage.”
It was only then that Gu Ling stared at the slender back walking toward the stage with complicated eyes.
This round of vigorous applause lasted for a full minute before the audience took their seats. It was the most enthusiastic response from the audience since the show began.
The moment Xue Xiao stood next to Jiang Quan, Su Shijin opened her mouth and asked in an unsatisfied manner, “Is this last confession included in the script from the beginning?”
Shen Tingyan said, “No, Shen Ling added it later.”
“Oh, he suddenly got inspiration from watching the two of you act together, right?” Su Shijin’s words were meaningful, and the audience screamed.
Xue Xiao’s cheeks were red.
Su Shijin continued, “I didn’t expect you, Teacher Shen, to be able to make such a film since the four love dramas in the second round were forced on you by the show’s staff. However, this time, you chose it yourself. I originally thought that according to your style, even if it is a romantic film, you would follow the route of a strong plot and strong rhythm. I didn’t expect the final film to be so tender.”
Someone in the audience suddenly shouted, “Because of love!!”
The whole audience laughed.
Xue Xiao: “……”
Shen Tingyan glanced casually at the audience. His lips curled up, but he didn’t speak.
Admittedly, he might’ve been too lazy to pay attention, but this smile was really intriguing. The audience burst out screaming again.
Xue Xiao’s cheeks were so hot that he didn’t dare to look over there. His parents were still present and he didn’t know what their expressions were now…
Fortunately, Su Shijin started to comment seriously.
She looked at Xue Xiao and said, “Xue Xiao, I have said a lot of praise for you, but every time I see your performance, I still can’t help but think that this actor has improved too quickly.”
“The character of Xie Jia is difficult to act. It isn’t only because he is hearing-impaired, but also because the content contained in this film is too complex.”
“Growth and inspiration. There are no strong twists in the plot, and the characters are very ordinary. It seems very simple, right? But in fact, the story contains family, friendship, love, confusion, determination, open-mindedness, a growth line, and an emotional line that are all entangled around you. It takes a lot of skill for an actor to portray such a character well. The preparation period often takes a long time, but you only spent ten days on it?”
Feng Wei and Guan Ruoying nodded in agreement.
Guan Ruoying couldn’t help poking her head out and saying, “Teacher Shen, you are too courageous. If it was me, I wouldn’t dare to give the participants such acting tasks in this type of competition.”
Shen Tingyan looked at Xue Xiao on the stage and smiled slightly. “It is because I know he can do it.”
Xue Xiao pursed his lips before smiling.
In the past ten days, they hadn’t been in chaos. A large part of the reason was that he and Shen Tingyan worked hard to cooperate with each other.
Xue Xiao learned so much from Shen Tingyan that he could almost believe that as long as they worked together, they could complete it no matter how incredible the filming task.
Su Shijin finally said, “It is really a good performance, great.”
Xue Xiao replied, “Thank you, Teacher Su!”
The second to speak was Guan Ruoying.
There were professional judges to comment on the finals. Guan Ruoying didn’t bother to analyze it too much.
She sighed when it was her turn. “Xiao Xiao, I feel a bit depressed when I think that after the show is over, I will no longer be able to see your acting regularly.”
The audience shouted in unison, “Yes!”
Xue Xiao laughed. “Teacher Guan, I will work hard to act after the competition is over.”
“Then I will leave it to Teacher Shen… Xiao Xiao, I really hope to see you officially appear on the big screen in the theater soon.”
“I want to see you on the podium, I want to see you continue to film, and I want you to benefit all the audience members who like to watch films and dramas.”
Xue Xiao’s throat was slightly sore.
Guan Ruoying had always liked him and thought highly of him. She always expressed her affection to him generously and frankly.
But these words were the most emotional words Guan Ruoying had ever said.
She wiped her eyes and smiled sheepishly. “Before I came to this show, I never thought I would want to chase stars. But now I really have a fan mentality toward you. As a career fan, I only hope that your career will be prosperous.”
The audience enthusiastically shouted, “Me too!!”
At this moment, the atmosphere in the studio was too high.
Xue Xiao’s eyes curved, and he bowed deeply. “Thank you, Teacher Guan!”
Jiang Quan smiled. “Is there anything that Director Feng wants to say?”
Later in the show, there was some disagreement between Feng Wei and the other three mentors.
However, he always commented objectively on the participants. He didn’t get angry with them because of the unharmonious relationship between mentors.
Feng Wei sat up straight, leaned closer to the microphone, and said, “To be honest, I had thought about what the finals would look like if I was paired with you.”
On the edge of the stage, Cheng Yang’s expression became very subtle.
But Feng Wei didn’t care about him now. He said bluntly, “I think I am good at filming actors. No matter whether it is an actor or actress, I can show their personal charm. However, now I have to admit that the person who can film you the best is Teacher Shen.”
This was a bit surprising.
Shen Tingyan glanced over.
“He captured the most beautiful side of you.” Feng Wei raised his hand. “It isn’t only the most beautiful side, but also the most three-dimensional side. He almost put you in the strongest spotlight position and introduced you to the audience members: This is Xue Xiao.”
“So this time, I am willing to give up. There is nothing for me to say. You are indeed the strongest pair.”
“Xue Xiao, your future must be limitless.”
Xue Xiao gripped the microphone.
No matter what happened between them on the show, he spoke sincerely at this moment, “Thank you, Director Feng.”
Jiang Quan turned to where the professional judges were.
The mentors deliberately spoke less so that the professional judges could speak more.
Before Jiang Quan could say anything, countless arms were raised in unison. It was obvious that they were really impatient.
Jiang Quan picked someone at random.
The man was a producer. He stood up and said, “Xue Xiao, in this film, your monologue runs through the entire story. The monologue is really interesting. Your speaking skills are much better than before. In the beginning, you hadn’t appeared, and we could only see the young actor. Yet almost as soon as we heard your monologue, we could imagine what type of character Xie Jia would be when he grew up.”
The audience nodded in agreement.
“There are also the love scenes between you and Teacher Shen. I was actually a bit worried when I first heard the plot introduction. It is because in the final round, the four mentors must show off their talents and try their best to help the actor get votes. Teacher Shen personally acted as a partner for you and played your lover. This topic will definitely be hot, and you don’t have to worry about not being competitive.”
Shen Tingyan looked over coldly.
The producer immediately smiled sheepishly. “My thoughts were too narrow-minded.”
Su Shijin shook her head. “Teacher Shen won’t force scenes just to attract attention.”
The producer nodded. “Yes, I understood after watching the film. This film is about the growth of the character Xie Jia and the first half of his life. In their lives, one meets many people and experiences different emotions.”
“When you are born, you have parents and family ties. When you go to school, you meet classmates and teachers, developing a classmate and teacher-student relationship. Some classmates will become close friends, so you have friendship.”
“And love—Xie Jia meeting his lover is a normal process in his ordinary life.”
“He fell in love with a man, which made his survival situation in this society even more difficult. But in the end, he faced love as bravely as he faced his hearing impairment. He carried out his own principles of doing things to the end. Such a character will eventually enjoy happiness and contentment!”
“Even if some people doubt that the final ending is too fairy tale-like, I will say that if you really try to live like Xie Jia in real life, you will know that this isn’t a fairy tale!”
“Xue Xiao, you acted so well in this whole delicate growth process. To complete such a film in ten days isn’t something that just any actor or director can do. Teacher Shen, I hope you and Xue Xiao will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future. You are both in the same company, so I think there must be opportunities!”
Shen Tingyan replied very simply, “Of course.”
The audience immediately applauded.
Xue Xiao thanked the producer.
The second person to speak was a screenwriter.
She said, “I have been following this show since the first episode. I paid attention to you, but at that time, my attention was on several other actors. I didn’t expect that when the second round of the competition started, you would hit us like this.”
“Xue Xiao, your progress is amazing. If I want to use a function to represent you, it would definitely be an exponential function.”
The audience laughed.
“It is really amazing. When I watched the movie just now, I was thinking about how you could perform such delicate emotions.”
“There are many actors in the circle who can perform delicately, but your route is different from theirs. You can just do it. If you hesitated just now, us in the audience could immediately see your thoughts from your face. You interpret it very clearly, but you never overdo it. You don’t act by squeezing your facial features.”
“In the film, Xie Jia was exposed to hearing aids twice in total. For those two times, your interpretation was completely different.”
“One is homesickness. What you longed for has finally come to you. You desperately want to feel the feeling of having your hearing returned to you, but you are afraid that your hope will be disappointed. That little device can’t achieve the effect that people said.”
“When you actually hear the harsh and unpleasant sounds that are amplified in your ears, there was so much enjoyment on your face that I got goosebumps and was teary-eyed.”
“The second time was at the end of the film. At that time, compared to the excitement and nervousness when you first picked up the hearing aids, your attitude was more solemn. You were finally going to officially have your own hearing aids. These two little things are even sacred to you.”
“When you walked to the window and opened it, the soundtrack suddenly stopped. The sounds of everything in the world came to you. At that moment, your performance was truly amazing. I got goosebumps!”
“Xue Xiao, I agree with what Teacher Guan said in the fourth round of the competition. It is only a matter of time before you win a prize. I am waiting for that day.”
Xue Xiao’s palms were already drenched with sweat.
He couldn’t tell whether it was because he was excited or embarrassed about being praised. He was short of words and could only say again and again, “Thank you!”
The third person was a senior executive of a domestic heavyweight film and television company. He stood up and said, “It is a pity.”
The audience was shocked.
A pity? What was a pity?
“I didn’t think about asking my agent to contact you until the third episode of the show, but Teacher Shen had already signed you.”
Xue Xiao laughed along with the audience.
The senior executive shook his head. “Teacher Shen, your hands and feet are too fast.”
Shen Tingyan smiled and said, “If I can’t sign someone right under my nose, I would’ve recorded this show for nothing.”
The senior executive still sighed. “It is a pity. There are many outstanding actors in this show, but by the time I realized it, all of them had signed with a company.”
The audience laughed.
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