Against the Light - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Successful Advancement
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Over these few days, under Teacher Bai's guidance, the group's acting skills had not only improved significantly, but their confidence had also soared. After all, on the night before the semi-finals, Teacher Bai had once again made everyone watch entertainment shows with her, forcing them to go to bed early to relax their minds and bodies. This had invisibly served as a calming pill for them all.
In the backstage dressing room, the group had already finished their makeup and were in costume. It was worth noting that Little Fairy wasn't wearing a mask this time. Because the original character was supposed to have burn marks on her cheek, she had simply applied a strip of cloth to one side of her face, using the excuse of covering the burn to conveniently hide her features.
Once they were in costume, everyone immediately got into character. On a whim, they ran through their lines one more time.
The host came on stage, and the mentors took their seats. Last time, the audience had chanted for Little Fairy in unison. This time, the tide had turned. The moment Bai Yilan appeared, the audience roared in unison for Teacher Bai, which gave Bai Yilan quite a start and made everyone laugh.
"Let me interview the mentors first. The Old Drama Bone team and the Newcomer team, which one are you more optimistic about?"
"That's a cruel question. It's like choosing between the palm and the back of your hand. I'm optimistic about both," Lu Qing answered with a smile.
"And Teacher Bai?"
"The newcomer group has a lot of potential, and the veteran group's performance is very stable. I'm optimistic about both teams, and I'm looking forward to their performances."
"Tsk, these two teachers aren't falling for it. What about Teacher Yan?"
"Oh, so you're coming after me since you couldn't trap them? I feel the same as Teacher Bai."
"Hahahaha~" The audience burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the venue became much livelier under the host's lead.
"Alright, let's cut the chatter. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled and get ready to enjoy the show!"
Thunderous applause erupted from below the stage as the stage lights gradually dimmed.
The first groups to perform were Luo Bing's and Yang Xue's. Although Luo Bing's group had made great progress, they were still slightly lacking when pitted against the old drama bones. The gap was quite obvious.
As a mentor, Lu Qing had no voting rights. The other two mentors unanimously voted for the old drama bone group, and in the audience vote, the old drama bone group also won by a landslide.
Luo Bing's speech on stage, filled with various thanks, won her a good deal of favor and support from the audience. After all, her improvement was indeed significant and plain for all to see.
Upon seeing Yang Xue's group win, Gu Xinran gave an imperceptible nod. Now, as long as her own group won, she would get the chance to face Yang Xue head-on!
"Hey, I think you're plotting something," Lin Guo said, having noticed her nod. She secretly sidled up to her and whispered the question.
Gu Xinran glanced at her and smiled.
"Don't worry, I get it. I'll definitely keep it a secret for you," Lin Guo replied, winking at her.
"I feel like you two are exchanging secret signals and keeping me in the dark," Qin Qiong said, moving over after seeing their small interaction.
"Hahaha, not at all, Qin Qiong. We have to win this time. It's do or die!" Lin Guo made a fist pump at her.
"Hey, hey, hey, I heard that," Qi Yuwei from the old drama bone group said with a raised eyebrow as she deliberately walked past.
"Hey! We're discussing tactics, stay away!"
"I'd rather not!"
"Would you two cut it out? Anyone who didn't know better would think you're flirting," another old drama bone quipped.
"…" Qi Yuwei rolled her eyes and obediently walked away.
Before long, Yan Xi's group also finished their performance. Old drama bones like Ye Qihan and Qi Qiuyan completely crushed the newcomer group with an overwhelming number of votes. The old drama bone team scored another victory, greatly boosting Qi Yuwei and the others' confidence.
Finally, it was Bai Yilan's group's turn. The old drama bone team went on stage first. The moment they stepped onto the stage, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. After all, Teacher Bai's team had the best atmosphere over the past few days. Regardless of whether they were newcomers or veterans, everyone was endearing and very popular.
Seeing the old drama bones go on stage to prepare, Lin Guo took a deep breath. "Let's do this!" She pulled a deck of poker cards from her pocket.
"Teacher Bai said that before going on stage, we must not be affected by external matters. We won't watch their performance. Let's play a round of Dou Dizhu!"
"…" The other two exchanged a glance. "Good idea!"
And so, under the intense gaze of countless staff members backstage, the three of them started a game of Dou Dizhu.
Lin Guo: "Bomb!"
Qin Qiong: "Don't even try. That's three 3s and a 4. Stop fooling people!"
Lin Guo: "Royal flush!"
Qin Qiong: "Huh? How do you have two big jokers!?"
Lin Guo: "Little Fairy slipped them to me!"
Gu Xinran: "I did not, I wasn't…"
On stage, the old drama bones finished their performance. The host suggested cutting to the backstage to see the expressions of the final newcomer group and have the veterans throw down some fighting words. As a result, when the camera cut over, it captured the three of them having a blast with their card game. The old drama bones' faces darkened, and the audience nearly died from laughter.
"Did you teach them this too?" Lu Qing asked in a low voice.
Bai Yilan clutched her throbbing forehead. "I did not, I wasn't…"
"You three, stop playing. It's your turn to go on stage," a staff member hurried over to remind them.
"Oh, okay, coming."
The three put down their cards, adjusted their mindsets, and exchanged encouraging glances before walking onto the stage.
As the trio appeared, the audience below erupted. This was the newcomer group with the most potential, and also the most amusing treasure of a trio. Their popularity was extremely high.
"Go, Little Fairy—"
"Lin Guo is the cutest!!!"
"You were born to play the villainess!!"
That last shout nearly broke Qin Qiong's character. She had to take several deep breaths to calm down. The stage lights gradually brightened, signaling the official start of the performance.
Qin Qiong, playing Xiao Chun, had a haggard face. She sat on a dilapidated wooden chair, clutching her younger sister's hand, her gaze filled with deep reluctance and heartache.
Xiao Xia kept her head down listlessly, letting her sister hold her hand without any reaction.
Xiao Chun slowly raised a hand to tidy the hair on her forehead.
"Xiao Xia… Tomorrow, I have to go on a long trip." She paused, her breath trembling slightly as she tried hard to suppress her emotions and maintain her composure.
Hearing this, Xiao Xia's vacant, unfocused eyes gradually came into focus, and she tightly gripped her sister's sleeve.
"Don't… don't go…" Her enunciation was very unclear, but she struggled to express her meaning.
"I won't go, I won't. Xiao Xia… I buried a seed on the mountaintop. While I'm away, can you help me look after it?"
"A s-seed?"
"Yes. When it bears fruit, I'll come back."
Xiao Xia furrowed her brow, thinking hard. After a long moment, she gave a dull "okay."
Xiao Chun patted her head, gratified, but as she turned away, a single tear streamed down her face.
Xiao Xia didn't see her sister's tear and was still muttering, "Seed, seed."
The stage went dark. When it lit up again, Xiao Chun had already exited. Xiao Xia's clothes were now dirty and torn, and she was covered in mud spots. She squatted on the ground, hugging her knees, her head tilted as she stared at the patch of dirt in front of her.
A rumble of thunder sounded. She looked up at the sky, then suddenly hunched her neck, shielding her head with one hand and the seed with the other. She would occasionally flinch, or blink hard, or rub her face on her shoulder, vividly portraying being drenched by the rain. Gasps of amazement rippled through the audience.
Qiu Yuan, standing behind her with an umbrella, watched her for a while before slowly walking over to shield her. Xiao Xia looked up and gave Qiu Yuan a silly grin, wiped her face, and carefully cleared away a puddle next to the dirt.
"Stop planting that thing. You've been at it for half a year. If it could really grow, it would have sprouted long ago," Qiu Yuan said, her face impassive and her tone gloomy and lifeless.
Xiao Xia ignored her, carefully stroking the soil.
Qiu Yuan slowly squatted down. "Don't be a fool. Your sister… she doesn't want you anymore." As she spoke, her gaze deepened, as if she were recalling the past.
Xiao Xia still ignored her.
"I told you to stop planting it, don't you understand?" Qiu Yuan grew annoyed and reached out to disturb the soil.
"Ah! N-no!" Xiao Xia frantically tried to grab her hand.
Qiu Yuan's hand froze. Her expression changed slightly, and she slowly turned her hand over, palm up, before suddenly letting out a sneer.
"Look what this is. Do you recognize it? It's a stone! It will never blossom, let alone bear fruit!"
"Ah!" Xiao Xia let out an angry cry, desperately snatching the stone back from her hand. She frantically reburied it in the soil, carefully covering it, and even sprinkled some water from a nearby puddle over the dirt. "This is… Sis!"
Qiu Yuan sat back, staring at her blankly. "Fool."
The stage went dark again.
Then, a single beam of light slowly appeared. Qiu Yuan stood under it, clutching a lab report. Her expression shifted several times, and the hand holding the paper trembled uncontrollably.
She slowly turned her head. Where her gaze fell, a soft yellow light illuminated Xiao Xia, who was sitting on a small stool, her eyes vacant, her body swaying slightly.
Qiu Yuan took several deep breaths, tilted her head up, and forced back the tears welling in her eyes. She folded the lab report and clutched it tightly in her hand.
She turned and walked step by step toward Xiao Xia, squatting in front of her and forcing a stiff smile.
"Silly… girl. Tomorrow, I'll go with you to water the seed."
Xiao Xia slowly came back to her senses. She looked at her, her lips parting into a simple, honest smile.
The stage went dark. When the lights came up again, the three of them were standing in the center of the stage, smiling at the audience.
The audience instantly erupted in earth-shattering cheers.
【Ahhh, I actually cried! Ahhh, these actors are all so amazing!!!】
【That was brilliant, truly brilliant. The details were handled so well. The no-prop performance of being in the rain completely stunned me!】
【I think this group performed even better than the old drama bone group. Although both were very moving, that rain scene really won it.】
【This Little Fairy's gaze is so on point. She's in character every single moment. And playing a fool is the hardest role; she played it so naturally, not stiff at all. Honestly, if I met her on the street, I might really think she was a fool…】
【The part where she buried the stone in the dirt really made me cry. Her eyes were so devout, so full of emotion.】
【This Little Fairy is absolutely incredible.】
【All three of them are amazing. I really want to see them work together again! If this performance doesn't get them through, it's definitely rigged!】
The host came forward and gestured for the audience to calm down. "Mentors, it's time for you to make your choice."
"Can I see the audience vote first? I'm really torn between these two groups," Lu Qing said with a frown. This was too hard, way too hard.
"Does Teacher Bai have anything to say?"
Bai Yilan smiled and looked at the three with satisfaction. "They were as good as I expected. All three of them can get into character quickly, and they can also inspire each other, complementing one another. They're the best partners."
"That's high praise from Teacher Bai. Do the two mentors need a little more time to hesitate?"
"A little more time, a little more time."
"Then let's take a look at the audience vote first."
As soon as the host finished speaking, the bars representing the two groups' votes on the big screen shot up neck and neck. A moment later, the two bars stopped, and the audience gasped in unison.
The newcomer group was leading the old drama bone group by a slim margin of two votes! This was a first for this season's competition!
The host was also stunned for a moment, then looked at the mentors with a broad smile. "Teacher Lu, you can't not vote now." Each mentor had one vote, and one vote was worth ten audience votes. When a mentor's own trainees were competing, that mentor was not eligible to vote. Therefore, the two most crucial votes were in the hands of Lu Qing and Yan Xi.
Lu Qing took a deep breath and then just laughed. She had been hoping the audience would solve this problem for her, but she never expected that after all that, the trickiest problem would land right back in her lap.
"How about this? Let's not put Yan Xi in a difficult position. I'll just cast my vote." Lu Qing wrote two words on her whiteboard and held it up high: 【Fairy Group】
"Ahhhh—Little Fairy!!!"
"Awooo—"
The audience erupted once more. Her vote meant that the newcomer group had successfully triumphed over the old drama bones.
On stage, the three of them collectively breathed a sigh of relief and went to hug Qi Yuwei and the others.
"Sister Wei~ You won't hold a grudge, will you~?" Lin Guo asked with a smile.
Qi Yuwei tapped her on the forehead. "Your acting is good, you have a bright future. But don't get too arrogant. Be humble. This is a piece of advice from a senior."
"Heh, got it. Thanks, Sister Wei!"
Lin Guo represented the group in giving their advancement speech, thanking the old drama bones in their group profusely and giving them plenty of face. Everyone was happy.
Afterward, the host announced the format for the finals: the ultimate PK. The three advancing groups would perform the same script. It would be a three-way battle, and the winner would be this season's champion. They would once again have three days to prepare!
In the office, Fang Jinghai and Qu Qi were speechless. Fang Jinghai even had to lie face down on the sofa to calm herself.
"What are you doing?" Qu Qi asked.
"A five-body prostration."
"…"
"Sister Qi! I really, really never expected Sister Ran's acting to be this good! She's so freaking awesome!"
"Tsk, watch your language. You're the assistant to a famous actress now, you can't speak so casually."
"Oh, right! Is Sister Ran going to make a comeback this time? Can she finally hold her head high?"
Qu Qi's lips curled into a smile. "More than just hold her head high. She could fly to the heavens."
"Awooo!!!"
On the film set, all the staff members were keeping their distance from Ming Zhen. She'd gone mad. That ancestor had gone mad. Her celebrity chasing had reached the point where she had custom-made outfits identical to Little Fairy's, even commissioning several masks just like hers. The key thing was, she didn't wear these things herself. Instead, she found people with similar body types to Little Fairy and forced them to dress up and pretend to be her!
Anyone on set with a decent figure had already fallen victim to her. It looked like the whole crew was going to be done for.
The assistant director, Jin Shuang, was about to lose her mind, praying every day for the director to come back soon. The world of the rich was so damn hard to understand.
Everyone returned to the villa. Watching the three old drama bones pack their things to leave, they suddenly felt a little down.
"Sister Wei, I…" Lin Guo looked conflicted and embarrassed.
"How about you leave and I stay?"
"Oh, no, you're too kind," Lin Guo's composure broke in a second.
Qi Yuwei laughed heartily. "Alright, look at you being all awkward. In a competition, there are wins and losses. It's perfectly normal. What's the big deal? Do I look like a sore loser?"
"Of course not."
"Exactly. So cheer up. You won, why the long faces? But seriously, if there's a chance, I'd really like to work with you all once. It's a real pleasure to watch you act."
"Are you… praising me?"
"Of course not. I'm praising Qin Qiong and Little Fairy. Their acting is truly impeccable." After saying that, Qi Yuwei suddenly raised an eyebrow, walked over, and hooked an arm around Gu Xinran's neck. "Hey, Miss Little Fairy, I'm about to leave. Can you give me a little hint about your identity?"
"Of course not! And besides, she's my Little Fairy!" Lin Guo immediately rushed over and separated the two.
"Alright, alright, she's yours, she's yours." Qi Yuwei smiled helplessly, waved her hand, and left with a carefree air.
All the winners came out to see them off into the car, then looked at each other.
Thinking back to a week ago, this villa complex had been bustling with dozens of people making a racket. Now, only a few remained. This competition was a bit cruel, wasn't it?
"Sigh, I wonder if they'll change mentors again?" The three returned to the villa, and Lin Guo sighed.
"What, you don't want to see me anymore?" A gentle voice came from behind them. The three turned around in pleasant surprise.
"Teacher Bai! Are you still going to lead us for the next round?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes, yes, yes, we really do!"
Bai Yilan smiled and nodded.
"Awooo!"
【Ahhh, it's a sure thing, a sure thing! With Director Bai here, this group is set. The Fairy team will definitely win!!】
【I second the comment above! Seeing Teacher Bai suddenly put my mind at ease!!】
【Teacher Bai is the best—】
【Hey, have you guys noticed that Little Fairy's eyes smile when she sees Teacher Bai! Is she also a little fangirl of Teacher Bai?】
【Who doesn't love Teacher Bai? Look at Lin Guo, she's about to go crazy.】
"Teacher Bai, what script will we be performing next?"
"A historical drama. Your previous historical costumes all looked great, very elegant, so there shouldn't be any problems this time. The only difficulty is, does any of you know sword dancing or classical dance?"
Lin Guo and Qin Qiong looked at each other. They mostly acted in modern dramas; historical dramas were already a challenge for them. Sword dancing and all that…
"Not really…" Lin Guo had just started to speak when she caught sight of a hand raised beside her out of the corner of her eye.
She whipped her head around to look at Little Fairy, who had her hand up.
"Sister, is there anything you can't do!?"
"She can't play Dou Dizhu," Qin Qiong said seriously.
Gu Xinran smoothed her hair, embarrassed. It was quite a coincidence. In her previous life, her friend Lu Qing had a background in dance. Because she had to perform some dance moves for a role, she had specifically sought out Lu Qing for two months of intensive training, focusing on a particular sword dance.
Bai Yilan also looked surprised. "Can you perform a little?"
"It's been a long time, I need to think."
"Okay."
Gu Xinran stood up, looked at her left hand, and felt like something was missing. She went upstairs to grab a silk scarf and took the opportunity to recall the movements.
When she returned downstairs, she draped the scarf over her left hand to serve as a water sleeve, and used the fingers of her right hand as a sword.
She centered herself and closed her eyes. When she slowly opened them, a sharp glint flashed within. Her feet moved with classical dance steps as her finger-sword thrust out, carrying an air of slaughter. As she retreated, she flicked the silk scarf with her left hand, the movement slow and gentle. The transition between hard and soft was incredibly natural. The only minor flaw was that the falling scarf lacked the power and beauty of a real water sleeve in motion.
Her steps were light, a blend of hardness and softness. When the dance was over, the other three were staring, dumbfounded.
Bai Yilan was the first to recover. "I have no more questions. What about you two?"
"We… we wouldn't dare…"
Gu Xinran secretly sighed in relief, rubbing her right wrist. Thank goodness. For some reason, after coming to this world, her memory had become exceptionally good. She hadn't touched these moves in decades, yet with a little thought, they appeared in her mind's eye.
"The script will be delivered tomorrow. For today, just get a good rest," Bai Yilan said, then glanced at Gu Xinran, happening to see the small gesture of her rubbing her wrist.
"Okay, goodnight, Teacher Bai!"
Lin Guo dragged Qin Qiong away, the two of them off to plot something in secret.
In her room, Gu Xinran sat at her desk and took out a piece of drawing paper. It was the design sketch for that outfit. She had found some time to redraw it a few days ago, even making some slight modifications to the pattern.
A sudden knock came at the door. Gu Xinran looked puzzled as she got up to open it.
She was visibly startled when she saw who it was. She subconsciously glanced at the camera on the wall before remembering that the live broadcast had been paused for the night. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Teacher Bai?"
Bai Yilan looked down at her hand, then took a bottle of medicinal spray from her pocket. "If you can't do it, don't force yourself."
Gu Xinran froze, looking from the spray to her. A wave of warmth rose from the bottom of her heart. She took a quiet breath and reached out to take the bottle. Her fingers accidentally brushed against Bai Yilan's soft ones, and a jolt shot through her heart!
Bai Yilan's expression also changed slightly, the tips of her ears turning a little red. She averted her gaze and smoothed her hair.
Gu Xinran was silent for a moment before she softly said thank you, a clear smile showing in the half of her face not covered by the cloth strip.
Watching the corner of her lips curve upward, Bai Yilan found herself smiling unconsciously as well. "Put the medicine on and go to sleep."
"Okay, th-thank you!"
That night, Gu Xinran lay in bed, too excited to sleep. She kept turning her head to look at the medicine bottle on the desk, even worrying that someone might take it away.
It wasn't until late at night that she stretched, looking with satisfaction at the tiny shirt she had put on the bottle. She had even used a marker to draw a little pouting face on it. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, treating the medicine bottle as if it were her child.
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