Jiangcheng Media University, though claiming to be a comprehensive university, truly excels in its many arts and film schools. Thus, its freshman welcome party also attracted quite a few non-freshmen and even students and faculty from other schools in the university town. After all, just considering the freshmen from the film academy, they were already a dazzling array of stars, and as for the others, you never know if a future big star might be playing a tree in some show you've watched...
The freshman welcome party was held at Jiangchuan's outdoor stadium, which reportedly could seat several thousand people. Today, a stage had been set up, tens of thousands of small stools arranged, and even a few cameras mounted, operated by top-tier photography majors. These performances would be recorded and turned into polished programs broadcast on the campus television station.
Led by Ding Xiang, Yang Yi quickly arrived at the venue. After verifying their tickets, they smoothly entered the inner field—those without tickets could only watch from the outer seating area at the stadium's edge.
"Daddy, my legs feel uncomfortable," the little girl said, stepping onto the grass of the inner field. The stiff blades pricked her bare calves, and her delicate skin couldn't take it.
"Come here, Daddy will hold you!" Yang Yi bent down and picked up Xixi, gently rubbing her little legs.
Guided by a staff member on site, Yang Yi and Ding Xiang found their seats, which were a bit off to the side—after all, they weren't freshmen and only had invitation tickets. Fortunately, the students present were well-behaved, mostly sitting quietly on their small stools. With Yang Yi's height, he could see the stage clearly without much trouble.
The only issue was that Yang Yi's legs were a bit long, making sitting like this uncomfortable...
"When will Uncle Guo perform?" The party hadn't started yet, but Xixi was already asking eagerly.
"His act is the sixteenth, roughly in the middle to later part. It should be around nine-something when it's his turn," Ding Xiang said, holding a program schedule.
"Let me see." Yang Yi took it with interest and examined it.
"Oh!" Under the bright lights from the stage, Yang Yi spotted a familiar name. "Qianli Chuanshu? Aren't they upperclassmen? Why are they performing?"
Ding Xiang wasn't into gossip; she didn't even know who Qianli Chuanshu was, so she couldn't answer Yang Yi's question.
Xixi, however, eagerly leaned in with her little head: "Let me see too, Daddy, let me see!"
"Can you even read it?" Yang Yi laughed, handing it to her.
The little girl studied it for a while, clearly not understanding, but she pointed out one classmate's surname: "This one is the same as Xixi's!"
...
The freshman welcome party finally began. The host team was quite impressive—four men and four women in sharp suits and elegant evening gowns, almost rivaling a New Year's Eve gala on TV.
And indeed, it was just like a New Year's Eve gala. The opening dance was choreographed by freshmen from the dance academy, with the girls delivering a stunning performance. The second act was a tightly packed medley of songs, with one performer after another appearing on stage, singing half a song each in a mashup that kept the audience's eyes busy.
Then two hosts came out to transition and announce the next act.
But it was still singing, this time a solo, with the performer able to sing a full song.
Before the singer even appeared, the crowd erupted in waves of cheers, mostly from the girls.
"Tang Kaitai!" Ding Xiang couldn't help but whisper his name.
Yang Yi saw a handsome young man in a white suit step onto the stage, like a prince charming, capturing the attention of nearly every girl in the audience.
"Who is he?" Yang Yi asked Ding Xiang curiously.
"A freshman from the film academy. I saw him during orientation; I heard he started acting in movies very young," Ding Xiang said to Yang Yi. Her memory was decent, though she still couldn't distinguish between movies and TV dramas.
Tang Kaitai sang an upbeat song and even flashily danced a cha-cha with his female backup dancers, drawing excited screams from the crowd.
But after listening, Yang Yi shook his head slightly.
His singing was mediocre. His voice was clear and somewhat distinctive, and he had some singing technique, but it felt forced. His breath control was lacking, and after the cha-cha, he was nearly out of breath, making the singing sound terrible.
Even Yang Yi before he used his inner energy to expand his vocal range could easily outshine this guy, who relied on fame and good looks for applause.
At that moment, Du Yuanlei, the party's head director sitting in the front row, frowned inwardly. She regretted letting Tang Kaitai perform this act. His singing was average to begin with, and he added flashy moves, making it worse and worse...
"Phew..." Du Yuanlei sighed in frustration.
She knew it was useless to regret it. The school had instructed her to accommodate Tang Kaitai, and he was socially savvy, calling her "senior" right from the start. Even if she disliked his act, she had no right to reject it.
"If I were an independent film director, would I not have to deal with these constraints?" Du Yuanlei envied some big directors, like the long-established Director Feng or the highly respected Director Chen Fengchen.
But these thoughts were just fleeting. Those authoritative directors had all endured long periods of hardship before making it big. What qualifications did she have to enjoy the treatment of those big directors now?
Du Yuanlei turned her attention back to the stage, though her focus was on the audience's reactions.
The following acts alternated between singing and dancing, with occasional variety performances interspersed. Not every student was a professional performer, so the quality of the acts submitted by various departments and majors was uneven. Du Yuanlei could only arrange them to avoid monotony—after a couple of mediocre acts, a brilliant professional performance would follow.
The audience's reactions confirmed her plan. These occasional surprises kept the viewers from getting bored, and the buffer period after a climax allowed them to cheer even louder in the next round.
Unbeknownst to them, the party was already halfway through. The hosts on stage were enthusiastically introducing a group: "...They are representatives of student groups, the best example of ordinary enthusiasts walking the path of dreams. Qianli Chuanshu, a folk duo composed of Lu Xiaoshu from the School of Architecture and Miao Chuan from the School of Electronic Engineering. Discovered by a talent scout during a street performance, they recently signed with Ronghuada Agency in Xiangnan. Since the news broke, they've become the new campus idols of Jiangchuan!"
Du Yuanlei watched with interest as the two prepared to take the stage. This duo had been the biggest news at Jiangchuan this month, and the labels the host just listed were why students were paying close attention.
Though Du Yuanlei wasn't optimistic about the agency Qianli Chuanshu had signed with—she knew a bit about it, and it leaned toward film and TV, with limited resources in the music field—she still felt happy for the two juniors. After all, they were chasing their dreams.
"Go for it, Qianli Chuanshu!"