62: I can steal batteries to support you.

The next day, Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei went to school.

"Oh, who are these two? How do you have the time to see an old man like me?" Wang Jinsong said upon seeing Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei walk into the office.

"Teacher, those words really make us sad. We've been working tirelessly on the film set for the sake of your teaching record, afraid of embarrassing you," Li Xiuwu said with a face full of grievance.

"Haha, you brat." These words made Wang Jinsong very happy.

His students' acting achievements were indeed his teaching achievements.

"You're here to cancel your leave, right?"

"Wait," Li Xiuwu said as he saw Wang Jinsong looking for their leave requests.

"What is it?" Wang Jinsong looked at him. "Do you want to rest for a few more days? No problem."

He put Li Xiuwu's leave request back.

"Teacher, you're too biased." Liu Yifei couldn't help herself when she saw Wang Jinsong about to cancel her leave. When the two of them walked in, Wang Jinsong only had eyes for Li Xiuwu; before Li Xiuwu even spoke, his leave was extended, while hers was being canceled.

"Your foundation is so poor, and you've missed so many classes, yet you're still thinking about slacking off?" Wang Jinsong looked over with a stern face upon hearing Liu Yifei's voice.

Liu Yifei's image was excellent, but her foundation was a bit weak. During the summer break, she suddenly had an epiphany and made rapid progress. He had high expectations for her, so naturally, his requirements were stricter.

Liu Yifei pouted, feeling so aggrieved she wanted to cry.

"Ahem, Teacher, it's like this: 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' is about to be broadcast, and we need to do several shows. So, there's no need to cancel the leave. I'll come back for classes whenever I don't have work," Li Xiuwu interrupted and said.

"I see." Wang Jinsong nodded in understanding.

"Liu Yifei, you head back to the classroom first. Today's class is in Building 3, the large lecture hall."

It was like this again. Liu Yifei felt the teacher was treating them differently and left unhappily.

"Take a seat." After Liu Yifei left, Wang Jinsong's attitude toward Li Xiuwu became more relaxed.

Li Xiuwu didn't stand on ceremony and sat across from Wang Jinsong.

"Do you have any plans for next year?" Wang Jinsong asked.

"I'm not sure. I want to attend classes properly," Li Xiuwu replied.

Wang Jinsong waved his hand. "I heard from Old Zhou that your acting has improved a lot."

Wang Jinsong paid great attention to Li Xiuwu, or rather, the school paid great attention to him.

"Chen Dakai is going to film a movie next year. What do you think? Do you want to try out? The school can fight for an opportunity for you," Wang Jinsong asked him.

Regarding the matter of the great emperor wu of han, although it was an internal school affair, he hadn't let it go easily and had gone to the principal's office to slam the table in protest.

He couldn't let Li Xiuwu suffer this loss in silence.

"'The Promise'?" Li Xiuwu blurted out.

"You know about it?" Wang Jinsong was surprised. Although the project had been in the works for a while, it hadn't been publicly announced yet, so not many people knew.

"I heard Auntie Liu mention it," Li Xiuwu said casually.

Wang Jinsong nodded. He had heard of Liu Yifei's mother; she had some connections. Although she wasn't in the entertainment industry, it was possible she knew the news.

"What do you think? The school will try to get you the second male lead."

"Teacher, is there a script?" Li Xiuwu found it hard to refuse directly.

"The production crew hasn't started preparations yet, so the script hasn't been released," Wang Jinsong shook his head.

"Don't worry, a production by Chen Dakai won't be bad."

"Teacher, I'd still like to see the script first." Li Xiuwu shook his head. He wouldn't join this movie even if it killed him.

"Would I lie to you?" Wang Jinsong looked a bit dissatisfied. This was such a good resource.

If Li Xiuwu weren't the top scholar or if his acting were poor, the school wouldn't have fought for this resource.

You should know, this is a blockbuster with an investment of 300 million RMB. Chen Dakai has huge ambitions; he wants to open the doors to the Western world in one go and push Chinese cinema into Hollywood.

Judging from the film city Chen Dakai is building and the projected cast, which includes actors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, it's clearly being prepared as an international blockbuster.

Looking at Wang Jinsong's expression, Li Xiuwu understood that the man truly had his best interests at heart, but he really couldn't get on board with 'The Promise'.

If he didn't give a reason, Wang Jinsong would surely keep trying to persuade him.

"Teacher, my company has a script that's set to start filming after the New Year. If I don't participate, the plan will have to be postponed. The company has to weigh its options," Li Xiuwu used the company as a shield.

Wang Jinsong frowned.

"The top resources in the mainland are Zhang Yimou and Chen Dakai."

He didn't believe there were any better projects in the industry. Actors who heard the news were all going crazy for it. If others knew the Beijing Film Academy had this resource, the graduates would lose their minds.

"Teacher, I still want to see the script."

"You go back to the classroom first." Wang Jinsong waved his hand, feeling mentally exhausted.

He had slammed the table in front of the principal for this resource.

When Li Xiuwu returned to the classroom, the first thing he got was a cold look from Liu Yifei.

At home, her mother was biased; at school, the teacher was biased. This world only cares about grades, hmph!

"Hi, Xiuwu is here," Zhu Yawen greeted him.

"Just got back," Li Xiuwu replied.

He walked over and sat next to Li Xiuwu. On the other hand, Zhang Lu, who had been on good terms with him before, now had new friends and didn't come over to say hello.

Zhang Lu was a child of the military compounds in Shaanxi. He had shown kindness to Li Xiuwu back then because of his good grades, intending to take him in as a follower.

Having filmed several dramas in a row, Li Xiuwu was no longer in the same circle as him.

Instead, it was Zhu Yawen who kept drawing closer to Li Xiuwu.

"I heard you also filmed something this year."

Zhu Yawen rubbed his head and chuckled. "Just a small supporting role in an urban TV drama, not many scenes."

"A senior from our Beijing Film Academy once told me that actors are all made from small roles. Keep it up," Li Xiuwu encouraged him.

"Yeah, my foundation is still a bit weak."

"What class do we have today?" Li Xiuwu asked about the day's schedule.

"Classic Reenactment. We have to perform classic movie scenes," Zhu Yawen said.

As the two were chatting, Teacher Cui Xin walked into the classroom.

She scanned the room and saw Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei, her eyes lighting up.

The images of these two were very outstanding even in this acting class at the Beijing Film Academy, and their acting skills were also quite good.

"Li Xiuwu, Liu Yifei, welcome back to class," Cui Xin said.

Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei stood up and smiled at everyone.

"Don't sit down yet. It's perfect to start with the two of you."

"You've probably seen the classic scenes from Stephen Chow's 'King of Comedy', right?"

"We've seen it," the two nodded simultaneously.

"Since you've seen it, I won't play the original clip. You two perform it first," Cui Xin said.

"Ah?" Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei looked at the teacher.

"What, can't remember the lines? Just act according to your memory," Cui Xin told them.

Everyone looked at them with smiles, feeling a bit of schadenfreude.

Li Xiuwu and Liu Yifei looked at each other. Neither was the type to get stage fright, so they nodded.

After a brief discussion, they began the performance.

Liu Yifei walked with a look of sadness on her face.

"Hey," Li Xiuwu made a motion of running out.

Hearing the sound, Liu Yifei stopped and turned around. With a faint smile on her face, she looked at Li Xiuwu, not showing her sadness.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Leaving?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you going?" Li Xiuwu asked, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Home," Liu Yifei replied casually, arms crossed.

"And then?"

"Going to work, obviously," she answered as if it were a matter of course.

Li Xiuwu lowered his head and immediately looked back up. "Is it okay if you don't go to work?"

"If I don't work, will you support me?"

The teacher didn't call 'cut', so they had to continue. Liu Yifei looked away, turned, and continued walking forward, pantomiming lighting a cigarette. Her movements were very clumsy; it was obvious she had never smoked.

"Hey," Li Xiuwu caught up again and called out to her from behind.

With her back to Li Xiuwu and a cigarette between her fingers, Liu Yifei turned her head slightly. "Now what?"

Li Xiuwu lowered his head, his eyes conflicted. His mouth opened and closed, and he swallowed hard. Gradually, he lifted his head and spoke firmly, "I'll support you."

With her back to Li Xiuwu, Liu Yifei's shoulders twitched. Oh no, she forgot her lines.

She couldn't remember what the next line was, but since the teacher hadn't called 'cut', she had to keep acting.

She turned her head slightly and looked at Li Xiuwu. "With what will you support me?"

There shouldn't have been any more lines for Li Xiuwu here, but since Liu Yifei clearly got the line wrong and the teacher still didn't call 'cut', Li Xiuwu had to bite the bullet and wing it.

"I can steal electric batteries to support you."