Chapter 25

“Is it almost our turn? Hurry up and touch up your makeup, I still need to check with Gu Han.” Yan Ning patted Qiao Yingxue and then turned to ask Lu Fengfeng, “Are you feeling better? We’re going on stage soon.”

Lu Fengfeng nodded, indicating that he was fine.

Qiao Yingxue watched as Yan Ning took out her phone and left, shaking her head. Yan Wan was doing everything she could to suppress Ningning, while Ningning was fully focused on the competition and didn’t even notice.

She had a feeling that Ningning’s performance tonight would definitely make a huge impact on the entire venue.

At first, she didn’t understand why Ningning had put so much effort into creating 3D projection visuals. But after the final rehearsal in the afternoon, when Gu Han showed her the video, she was stunned and didn’t speak for a long time.

“Contestant No. 20, Yan Ning, please prepare.” Meng Qing stood at the door of the waiting room.

Yan Ning got up and left with her two companions. Meng Qing nodded and smiled at her, “Good luck.”

Yan Ning smiled back, “Thank you.”

From the waiting room to the stage area, there was a corridor where Yan Ning and Yan Wan crossed paths.

Yan Wan had a cold expression, while Yan Ning slightly lifted her lips, giving a light nod as they passed each other without saying a word.

Chen Xiaohai, walking behind Yan Wan, turned around and glanced at Yan Ning. “What’s she wearing? What kind of performance is that? It can’t be square dancing, right?”

Yan Wan, already in a bad mood, was amused by Chen Xiaohai’s words.

Seeing her finally lighten up, Chen Xiaohai suggested, “Wanwan, why don’t we go see it from the front?”

“What’s there to see?” Yan Wan hesitated, feeling that going out of their way to watch Yan Ning perform would give her too much attention.

“Her performance is last, she thinks it’s the grand finale, but it’s not. We’ve already seen singing, dancing, and instrumental performances, everyone’s already tired of it. Let’s go see how many votes she gets?” Chen Xiaohai said with a grin, already convinced that Yan Ning would make a fool of herself.

She had heard from Yan Wan that Yan Ning had been spending days in the dance studio, and had even stayed up all night yesterday, probably putting in all her effort to perform well. Unfortunately, just now, a senior from the third year, Chen Nuan, performed a solo dance. She was the former school belle who had lost the title to Yan Wan.

Although Chen Nuan wasn’t as beautiful as Yan Wan, her dancing was indeed beautiful—she had solid basic skills, graceful posture, and smooth movements. It was the most impressive dance performance of the night, and she got over 9,000 votes, though still less than Yan Wan.

Yan Ning might want to win with dance, but she was more likely to embarrass herself.

Moreover, to be safe, she had already told the boys privately not to vote for the “country bumpkin.” If Yan Ning got high votes, it would be a surprise!

Yan Wan kept her head down, not saying anything. Chen Xiaohai tugged at her to go toward the front stage. “Let’s go take a look?”

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?” Yan Wan gently pulled away, lowering her eyebrows, showing a hint of reluctance.

Chen Xiaohai pulled her again, this time running ahead. “What’s wrong? She’s the one who signed up to participate, and you didn’t do anything. We’re just going to watch her perform. Come on, come on, I want to see it, Wanwan, just accompany me!”

Yan Wan stopped speaking and let Chen Xiaohai pull her along. They arrived at the front of the stage, where Yan Ning and Qiao Yingxue had just watched Lu Fengfeng’s performance. The performance hadn’t started yet.

Backstage

Yan Ning: “Is it ready? Gu Han?”

Gu Han was busy, his hands flying over the keyboard in a blur, sweat dripping down his forehead. “Oh my goodness, just wait two more minutes. You guys suddenly added more stuff for me to do, I’m about to go crazy.”

Yan Ning lifted the curtain and peered out, her face still calm. “It’s my fault for making you rush. Do you think they’ll get anxious if they wait too long?”

“It’s fine, I’ve called in backup, we should be able to hold on for another two minutes. Don’t disturb me, we’ll be ready to go on in two minutes.”

Yan Ning wanted to ask who the backup was, but didn’t want to delay Gu Han’s work. Just then, she saw.

There had been some restlessness in the audience as the contestant hadn’t come on stage yet. Just as the host was about to step in, a man entered through the side door. He was very low-key and made no grand entrance. The principal, sitting in the front row, and the three judges immediately stood when they saw him.

The man shook hands with the principal, and Zhao Xiaoju, who had been one of the judges, stood and bowed to the man. She didn’t sit back down but stood in the aisle near the edge of the venue. If she could, Zhao Xiaoju would have stood behind the man, but she didn’t want to block anyone, so she chose to wait in the outermost aisle.

After a brief exchange, the man sat in Zhao Xiaoju’s seat.

The audience’s attention was drawn to him, easing the tension from waiting for the performance.

The man had a well-defined face, sharp eyes, and an air of maturity. As he chatted with the principal, he appeared cultured and dignified.

“Who is that?” Yan Ning thought the man’s face seemed oddly familiar, but she was sure she hadn’t seen him before.

“That’s Tang Chengtian, the boss of Shengyi,” Gu Han replied.

“Eh?” Qiao Yingxue, upon hearing this, peeked through the curtain to look outside. “Why would he attend this kind of event?”

“You know him?” Yan Ning asked.

Qiao Yingxue looked at Yan Ning, hesitant to say anything. It seemed like she didn’t know about him. After a moment, she changed her approach. “Shengyi Gaming is one of the leading game development companies in the country. Over the past few years, they’ve been constantly innovating, expanding their business globally, and making a lot of money. It seems strange for such a big boss to attend a school-level event like this.”

Some things are more interesting for Ningning to discover on her own.

“What’s strange about it? His presence here means there’s something to gain,” Gu Han said. “Alright, it’s done! Get ready to go on stage!”

Yan Ning felt that Qiao Yingxue was hiding something important from her, but since she was about to go on stage, she had to suppress her questions for the moment and focus all her energy on the upcoming performance.

The lights on the stage dimmed, and instantly, all attention was drawn to the stage.

Tang Chengtian’s gaze also shifted to the stage. His hands were clasped on his knees, and his eyes revealed intense interest.

Gu Han had used his employees and office to take on side jobs, even having him pay for it. He wanted to see what kind of performance could be so hyped up, claiming to be above everything.

In the corner, the Amelian star, Tutu, who was waiting with the camera for filming, also entered a focused state. His most important task today was to capture every angle and detail of this performance, as it was crucial material for their company’s post-production.

Standing by the back door, Hei Jing was also intrigued. He wasn’t here to watch Lu Fengfeng perform today, but rather to see Yan Ning.

Zhao Xiaolu, Shi Lei, and Zhou Ye sat in the audience area, anxious and a bit uneasy. They had participated in the creation of the costumes, instruments, and some props. They had also seen Yan Ning’s group practice, but the overall effect didn’t seem as stunning as Yan Ning’s proposal had described.

In the group chat earlier, Qiao Yingxue had mentioned that the 3D projection images and background music together would be shocking, but they hadn’t seen it yet, so they couldn’t imagine how impressive it would be.

The performance was a stage production similar to a ballet, with a story being told, but the actors didn’t speak a single line. Instead, they expressed the characters’ personalities and the plot through body movements and facial expressions.

The story was simple: A young girl, transported to another world, joins the army to fight monsters in order to survive. Due to her racial differences and lack of combat skills, she is always injured on the battlefield. As a frequent visitor to the medical room, she becomes friends with a fellow nurse, Xiao Hui, who is of the same age.

Although the girl is weak, she is determined and works hard to improve herself. Eventually, she kills the monster leader in a major battle, becoming famous and summoned by the king.

The ambitious king greatly values her abilities and appoints her as a general to fight the monsters. The girl lives up to his expectations, winning every battle and soon clearing the monsters near the border.

However, the monsters are unwilling to retreat and kidnap the girl’s friend, Xiao Hui. The girl single-handedly infiltrates the monster’s lair, barely surviving, but returns with only Xiao Hui’s lifeless body.

The girl returns to the royal capital, buries Xiao Hui, and is deeply consumed by guilt for her friend’s death. She seeks an audience with the king, requesting to go on another expedition, vowing to wipe out the monsters. It’s both an act of revenge and a way to restore peace to the ordinary people.

The storyline is not complicated, designed to quickly draw the audience into the situation. In this performance, the story serves as an introduction and skeleton.

What truly brings the entire performance to life is the grand and incredibly realistic 3D projection, the actors’ performances, and the music that enhances the atmosphere. Together, these three elements immerse the audience in a magical fantasy world.

In the first scene of the performance, as a light spot slowly expands in the darkness, an eleven or twelve-year-old girl wakes up on an ancient battlefield. She sees decaying corpses, dried blood, and ruined war chariots…

All eyes are fixed on the scene before them, as the girl’s vision mirrors what they see. Whether it’s the mountain of corpses and sea of blood or the desolate, blood-red sunset, everything is right in front of them, seemingly within reach.

The background looks as real as stage props, but as the scene shifts with the girl’s perspective, everything she sees changes. Yet, it’s not a flat image—it’s an ultra-realistic 4D experience without wearing 4D glasses.

If it had to be compared, it’s like watching a horror movie where a ghost climbs out of the television in a completely three-dimensional and realistic manner.

As soon as Shi Lei saw the screen, he grabbed Zhao Xiaolu, his attention elsewhere: “Is that Yan Ning?”

The Yan Ning on stage was not the one they knew, but an eleven or twelve-year-old version of her, much smaller and more immature than she was now.

“Is this the 3D projection technology? Can it even make people appear smaller?” Shi Lei gasped in disbelief.

Zhao Xiaolu was also surprised. She had watched Yan Ning rehearse many times in the dance studio, but this time she truly saw the core of the performance—using high-tech that people had never seen before, combined with top-tier performances, to completely capture the audience’s senses.

Tang Chengtian’s lips curved into a slight smile, his eyes shining. That kid Gu Han had taken 2 million from him, but after seeing the first scene, he already felt it was worth the price.

Compared to the few people who knew what was going on, the audience at the scene was in a state of confusion and curiosity.

The first nineteen performances had indeed caused some aesthetic fatigue, and by the time the last one came, patience was running low. Tomorrow was the May Day holiday, and all they wanted was to finish the show and go home. But they hadn’t expected this opening to instantly wake them up.

What exactly is going on with the background on stage? Why is it so realistic?

Did they hire a special stylist? Why do the actors’ costumes and looks look so good?

Where did they find this music? Why have they never heard it before?

What will happen to the protagonist in the next step of her journey in this other world? Will anyone help her?

A variety of questions, curiosity from all angles—Yan Ning’s first step was a success.

As the scene continued to change, the originally youthful girl suddenly seemed to grow a little, now appearing as a fourteen or fifteen-year-old.

Some people began rubbing their eyes. Did they see that wrong? Or did they change actors in the middle? But except for the fact that she seemed a little older, the actor on stage didn’t look different at all.

Others pulled their companions to ask. Everyone saw the same thing—yes, the protagonist did seem to have grown a little.

The further it went, the more amazed they became, and the more they couldn’t understand how this effect was achieved. So they simply set aside their curiosity and became fully immersed in the performance.

At this moment, a suppressed gasp suddenly echoed from the audience.