Chapter 6: Practicing Alone
You are not my god, I will not convert for you, I must exhaust my good feelings and give up completely.
Xiang Qianlan01
After the freshman orientation ended, a boy played guitar and placed candles downstairs and confessed his love to me, which made me very embarrassed.
"Xiao Lan, you are so charming." Hongdou stood on the balcony and turned back to say to me.
Hongdou is a northern girl with a generous personality. She has short hair, thick eyebrows and big eyes. She likes to wear bright lipstick and always speaks in a loud voice. Her name is Hongdou, which is homophonic to "red bean". She asked us to call her that from the first day we met.
There are four people in our dormitory. In addition to Hongdou, there are two other girls. One of them is called Cheng Rujuan. She looks cute and has been getting along well with us since the freshman training.
The other one was always indifferent to us. She looked like a star, dressed fashionably, and was obviously from a wealthy family. Later we learned that this girl who seemed difficult to deal with was called Zhong Ling, and she came from a wealthy family.
I am a freshman admitted this year and was assigned to the management major. I did not take the art exam and could not enter the Art College. I went to the dean many times to apply for a change of major, but he never gave me a definite answer.
After getting familiar with school life, I would go to the Art Academy to "attend classes" and get to know the "essentials" of the acting major. They had relatively short class times and most of the time they were practicing on stage or in theaters, so I followed them to learn. As time went by, many teachers at the Art Academy got to know me.
But I never expected that during this kind of study, I would meet someone who changed the trajectory of my life.
That afternoon, I went out as usual. When I was almost at the Art College, it started to rain heavily. I had to hide from the rain in a pavilion. At this time, a man also ran to the pavilion.
I suddenly raised my head to look at him. When he saw me, he froze there, not moving a single step.
His dark blue shirt was soaked by the rain, but he still maintained his elegant and humble temperament. He raised his thick eyebrows and asked in confusion: "Are you a student of the Art Academy?"
I shook my head.
At that time, I didn't know that he was the boss of Jiaou Film and Television Company, nor did I know that he came to the Art Academy specifically to find an actor he wanted. No one expected that we would meet because of a heavy rain, and at this time I was frowning and wondering whether I should go to the Art Academy.
The voice of the man on the other side came, and he handed me a business card and said, "Classmate, can we chat?" Seeing my wary eyes, his narrow eyes slightly raised, revealing a smile, and stretched out his hand to me: "I am Sun Nuofan."
"Sun Nuofan." He pointed at himself.
Should I react differently to this name?
I took the business card, twitched the corners of my mouth, and smiled indifferently: "Hello."
"If you don't believe me, you can think about it first. When you're done, call me." He pointed to the business card. At this time, I saw several people walking over with umbrellas, one of whom was the dean of the Art Academy.
He smiled and said nonchalantly, "Here comes my trouble." He put the documents in his hand over his head and ran into the rain.
I lowered my head and looked at the gold-embossed business card in my hand: General Manager of Jiaou Film and Television Company, Sun Nuofan.
As the rain trapped me here temporarily, I took out my cell phone to check the information of this person. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak. No wonder my indifferent expression made him feel strange when he said the name. Sun Nuofan is not an ordinary person.
The labels that news reports have given to Sun Nuofan are all "rich", "prodigal son", "young and promising", and "scandal-ridden", making him a "celebrity" in the entertainment industry.
As I read on, my temples began to beat. Although the webpage described Sun Nuofan's "flirtatious" side with pictures and text, it also affirmed his talent. In just three years, he made several stars famous.
My phone rang. When the call was connected, a man's deep and magnetic voice came from the other end: "Xiang Qianlan, Miss Xiang, right? A freshman admitted with full tuition exemption, a frequent visitor to the School of Art, it seems that you are a celebrity in A University."
"Who are you?" I said.
"We just met, have you forgotten me so quickly?" He laughed.
"Sun Nuofan? Are you investigating me?" I was filled with anger.
"I dare not." He chuckled, his lazy tone revealing nonchalance, "Miss Xiang is so outstanding, I can find out with a little inquiry, there is no need to check. I just asked the dean of the art school, and he happens to know you."
I was a little choked.
Sun Nuofan was indeed very efficient. He asked me out for a chat one second and got my identity the next. He then said, "Back to the topic just now, Miss Xiang, can we have a chat?" He sent me an address.
This person is really haunting and reminds me of Chai Quan from the past.
According to the address, I took a bus to Qianchuan Building, walked through the lobby, took the elevator upstairs, and finally arrived outside a company.
I stood at the door hesitating, and then I heard a female voice above my head: "Miss Xiang? Mr. Sun is waiting for you inside."
I saw Sun Nuofan sitting in the reception room, leisurely drinking coffee, waiting for me to arrive. The secretary beside him, who was wearing a business suit, bowed her head and said a few words to him. Sun Nuofan turned around and waved to me.
I walked in and he warmly asked me to sit down, and his secretary went out and made a cup of coffee and brought it to me.
"I heard that you like acting? Why did you choose management as your major?" He took a sip of coffee and asked me curiously.
"Mr. Sun, you're meddling too much. This is my private matter." I sat down and said indifferently.
He smiled generously: "Let's get back to the point. I don't like to waste time, so I'll get straight to business. We have a script recently, and I think Miss Xiang is very suitable for one of the roles. I want to ask Miss Xiang if she wants to act in it?"
I frowned and thought, "First, I'm an inexperienced freshman, not even a student majoring in acting. Second, Mr. Sun's company has many top female stars, so why would he hire an outsider like me? I really don't understand Mr. Sun's intentions."
Sun Nuofan laughed loudly: "What experience, what's the best? Miss Xiang, have you ever heard of this saying? Some people are born actors. I am a businessman with a discerning eye. I know what is a rare jade and what is an ordinary stone. To me, Miss Xiang is such a jade. With a little carving, it will surely bloom with extraordinary brilliance."
"How do you mean?" I asked curiously, "You've only known me for less than an hour."
He said, "I've seen your grades. You're pretty and smart. It doesn't matter whether you're professional or not. As long as I choose you, I can make you professional, unless you don't want to be an excellent actor. But I believe you will be an excellent actor."
I sarcastically said, "Mr. Sun, what makes you judge me like this?"
"intuition."
Sun Nuofan looked at me as if he was looking at his prey. Without saying anything, I had read the message in his eyes. It was the wisdom that came from having experienced many ups and downs, and the confidence of a mature man in his own abilities.
I was like a helpless sailboat, stuck in the waves, powerless against the coming storm and darkness.
I have never felt this kind of feeling in Chai Quan and Qi Beichen. It is an instinctive sense of danger, a kind of defense triggered by sensing external threats.
I looked at him stupidly. Sun Nuofan stared at me with cold eyes. Slowly, the mist in his eyes dissipated and he smiled: "Miss Xiang is a smart person. I will give you time to think about it. In addition, the company will cover all the expenses during the training process, and it will not delay your classes."
He must have known that I was a poor student.
I said casually: "Thank you, it's ok, I'll leave first."
"I hope to cooperate with Miss Xiang ."
I looked at him with a smile and told him that I would consider it. As I walked out of Qianchuan Building, I felt weak all over.
I sat down on a bench in a nearby park, thinking about what to do. I rested for a while, and finally mustered up the courage to call Qi Beichen. In fact, we had very little contact after the freshman training. When he appeared in front of me, I almost hugged him.
I suddenly felt very tired. After so many years of being hurt, I have always been healing alone. I hope there is a pair of arms where I can cry and someone I can rely on.
Qi Beichen didn't ask anything after seeing my appearance, but just took me to eat. The night was already deep, and the young man in front of me seemed to have lost his pride, grown up quickly, and had a sense of reliability.
I told him about my meeting with Sun Nuofan and what Sun Nuofan said to me.
"You will go, and you will compete based on your own abilities. Besides, he didn't say there would be any shady dealings. I will support you no matter what decision you make. Don't be afraid." He smiled and put some food into my bowl.
"Not necessarily. He might take advantage of me." I bit a piece of potato into my mouth.
"Hey, you're pretty crazy." He laughed.
I smiled bitterly: "Yeah, it's always like this, a lone brave."
Chai Quan called me at this time. My mother only remembered my mobile phone number. I bought her a mobile phone before she came to A University. She would contact me regularly, so I didn't change my number.
"Lanlan! How are you?" Chai Quan shouted excitedly on the other end of the phone. His voice was so loud that Qi Beichen must have heard it.
Perhaps, there will always be no clear connection between the three of us.
"I'm fine, how about you?" I don't have much animosity towards Chai Quan, but now that we are geographically distant, when I receive his call, I feel like I'm hearing greetings from an old friend.
"I'm fine! The school management is lax. My two brothers and I opened a billiard room, and the business is pretty good. Lanlan, when I make a lot of money, I will buy a big house and marry you." Chai Quan still spoke in a frivolous manner, and I didn't take his words to heart.
He asked about Qi Beichen again. I was upset that Qi Beichen had good grades and was admitted to the same university as me. I smiled bitterly and said to him, "Qi Beichen and I are having dinner. Do you want to talk to him?"
Hearing Qi Beichen's name, Chai Quan shouted in surprise: "What? This guy attacked you again? No, Lanlan, you are too beautiful. If Qi Beichen is not there, there are other men. I will come to find you after I finish this."
During these 19 years, I have fantasized countless times about what it would feel like to have friends. Now my former classmates have become friends with whom I can joke and chat, and my heart is filled with joy.
It turns out that it’s so happy to have friends who care about me.
