Bits and Pieces of Rehearsals (2)

As soon as he spoke, Zhu Yuchen regretted it. Seeing the astonished looks from everyone, he felt even more ashamed and quickly apologized to the girl, "Ah, Jiang Lu, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else and had a bad attitude. I apologize!"

In fact, everyone could clearly see what was going on.

As the president of the drama club, Zhu Yuchen was naturally talented and charismatic, admired by many of the girls in the club. However, he had been pursuing Ye Zi with all his heart, leaving no room for anyone else. Now, with Murong Feng's sudden reappearance and Ye Zi's obvious change in attitude towards him, everyone knew Zhu Yuchen had little chance.

Jiang Lu, who was partnered with Zhu Yuchen for the play, was initially happy, hoping to get closer to him. Unexpectedly, she became the target of his outburst. Although she still felt hurt, she saw Zhu Yuchen's sincere apology and nodded to accept it. Even though she tried to maintain a calm demeanor, the sadness in her eyes was unmistakable.

Murong Feng, on the other hand, was too absorbed in the thrill and abandon of the performance to notice these minor romantic entanglements. Every glance seemed to spark fire, every line he delivered with clear, youthful emotion. This is the charm of theater—this joy of performing is truly intoxicating. When the rehearsal ended, he even felt a slight sense of loss.

Ye Zi, however, felt a deep sense of happiness. Performing alongside Murong Feng, she could clearly feel his intense passion and every subtle glance. This soul-to-soul resonance made her heart flutter.

The rehearsal that night was a perfect success, despite the minor hiccup. Afterward, everyone decided to head to a small restaurant outside the school for a late-night snack.

They ordered a large pile of aromatic, greasy skewers and drank cold beer, chatting about the rehearsal, gossiping about the drama club, discussing its history, and sharing funny anecdotes about each other. These small, real joys were indescribable.

Everyone was very happy, talking and laughing. Even Zhu Yuchen, who had been somewhat silent, became lively after downing a few beers.

The conversation turned to how the drama scene was becoming increasingly popular, with the small theaters around the school often being sold out. Zhu Yuchen suddenly smiled and said, "Recently, the Capital Theater just finished performing 'Rhinoceros in Love.' I still remember some lines from it."

He recited loudly, "You are my warm glove, my cold beer, / My shirt with the scent of sunlight, my daily dream. / You will never know, you are the sunny day I have longed for, / You will never know, you are the hunger I can hardly bear, / You will never know, you are the air I breathe.

You are different, unique, soft, clean, like the sky, / You are pure, innocent, like glass, / You are pure, innocent, like flowing water, / Nothing can change you, nothing can stain you, / The sunlight passes through you, changing its direction. / My lover, my lover, my lover…."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted until it locked onto Ye Zi. His eyes grew wet as he finished and then suddenly grabbed a beer, drinking it in large gulps. Seeing his demeanor, everyone felt a bit sad. He really was a good guy. Ye Zi felt a bit awkward; although Zhu Yuchen had been pursuing her, he had always been restrained and introverted, never this direct.

Wang Yizhi suddenly pulled Murong Feng aside, "Murong, let's have a chat?" Murong Feng nodded, and the two stepped outside the small restaurant to smoke.

"Murong, you and Ye Zi?" Wang Yizhi asked tentatively.

"Nothing much, don't worry. I'm not the type to go after a close friend." Murong Feng sensed the atmosphere at the table and smiled as he explained to Wang Yizhi's gossipy expression.

Wang Yizhi nodded, "Yeah, you and Zhao Nian were so deeply in love back then. Even though you've broken up now, I don't think you'd find someone new so quickly…" Seeing Murong Feng's face darken, he cursed himself for bringing up the painful subject and quickly added, "But, hehe, not to mention, Ye Zi is a great girl—talented, kind-hearted. She's a good match. If you're not considering her, maybe I should!"

Murong Feng laughed, "Go ahead. I encourage you. Fair competition with Zhu Yuchen." After some banter, Murong Feng sighed, "Actually, Zhu Yuchen is quite talented and skilled. But being troubled by emotions shows his lack of composure. This drama club compared to our time seems to have less passion for acting and more unnecessary drama."

Wang Yizhi snorted, "You're just saying that because you're not involved. A fair lady is what every gentleman seeks. I don't blame Zhu Yuchen. College life without some romance is pointless. From that perspective, I support him. But he shouldn't let these feelings affect the whole rehearsal. I'll have a good talk with him. I entrusted him with the drama club; he can't let me down." 

Wang Yizhi continued, "But Murong, I can tell from Ye Zi's eyes that she really has feelings for you. If you're not serious, don't lead her on. You might end up hurting her." He sighed, regretting his decision, "If I had known, I wouldn't have cast you two in 'Youth.'"

Seeing his regretful expression, Murong Feng retorted, "Damn it, how did I lead her on? Don't forget, every time this play was performed when I was in school, I played the lead! And honestly, talents like Ye Zi joined the drama club because of my influence." Although he sounded tough, Murong Feng knew deep down that he had indeed been spending a lot of time with Ye Zi lately, perhaps giving her mixed signals. Ah, beauty, the most irresistible thing in the world, often weakens one's resolve. Ye Zi's sunny and beautiful nature had unconsciously drawn him in.

Wang Yizhi laughed heartily, "Yeah, yeah, you're a big shot, a drama star!" He tossed his nearly finished cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, ready to head back in. He then turned back and couldn't resist saying, "Murong, Shitou was right. Your charm is really six-star level threat with girls." Murong Feng laughed and cursed, "Get lost!"

Wang Yizhi went back inside, but Murong Feng wasn't ready to rejoin the lively scene yet. He stayed at the restaurant entrance, lighting another cigarette. Looking around at the familiar surroundings, he realized that nothing much had changed in nearly four years. Back then, after late-night rehearsals, the drama club members would come here to drink and eat skewers. Drunk, they'd sit by the roadside, reciting lines, singing, and laughing. During those times, Nian Nian always stayed by his side, gentle and supportive.

But now, everything was different. The night grew colder, and the wind seemed chillier.

Sighing, he was about to head back inside when Ye Zi pushed the door open and stepped out. "Why have you been out here so long? I thought you got drunk!" Ye Zi said, looking at him with concern. Murong Feng, touched by her concern, smiled and said, "No, just wanted to have a smoke. Let's go back in."

Inside, the atmosphere was still lively. It wasn't until nearly 11 PM, just before the dorm curfew, that everyone decided to call it a night.

After that day, Murong Feng consciously distanced himself. Apart from the evening rehearsals for 'Youth,' he tried not to go back to the school. Although he had feelings for Ye Zi, he was still unable to move past his heartache over Nian Nian. He didn't want to rush into something new with Ye Zi, feeling it would be unfair to her.

Ye Zi felt down in the days that followed. Murong Feng remained warm and friendly but stopped calling or asking her out as often as before. When he did come for rehearsals, he left quickly afterward. Ye Zi, who had been falling for him, might have been ready to accept his advances if he had continued to pursue her, but now...

Ye Zi sometimes wondered if Zhu Yuchen was the reason for Murong Feng's change in behavior. But Zhu Yuchen, after that day, seemed to have let go of his gloomy mood and threw himself completely into preparing for the art festival and rehearsals. He didn't show any more abnormal behavior toward Murong Feng or her.

Could it be that Murong Feng doesn't like me? Yet, whenever she recalled that evening when Murong Feng waited for her downstairs, smiling and reciting poetry, she was convinced that he did have feelings for her.

Regardless, a girl's pride made Ye Zi adopt a reserved attitude towards Murong Feng. After once getting closer, their relationship seemed to return to that of ordinary friends.

One evening during rehearsals, due to her low spirits, Ye Zi's performance was a bit stiff. Murong Feng immediately noticed and stopped the rehearsal to think for a moment. He then said to her, "Ye Zi, you're a person with strong intuition and perception, but recently your performance seems to be using reason to suppress and close off your emotions. Why not let go of those rhythms, those directions, and those messy thoughts and emotions, and fully immerse yourself in the role? Remember, only when you move yourself can you move the audience."

Ye Zi looked at Murong Feng's serious and bright eyes, her heart filled with turmoil. Don't you know my feelings? She silently screamed inside. But on the surface, she just nodded quietly.

Gathering her courage, she was about to say something when Murong Feng's phone rang. Apologizing, he took out his luxurious Vertu phone and walked to the side of the stage to take the call. Wang Yizhi, sitting in the front row, shouted, "Murong! Turn off your phone during rehearsals!"

The call was from Liu Xin, informing Murong Feng that their company had acquired a game studio and had developed their own Java mobile game product. He would be in Beijing tomorrow to have meetings with a couple operators. Liu Xin excitedly said, "Fengzi, our business is about to take off!"

After finishing the call, Murong Feng returned. But Ye Zi, interrupted, had lost her courage. As a beautiful girl often pursued in university, it was difficult for her to muster the courage to say something that might clarify their relationship or express her feelings. Murong Feng, in a good mood because of the call from Liu Xin, didn't notice her hesitation.

That night, Ye Zi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.