novellhall Chapter 25 On the Stage
Chapter 25 On the Stage
"Chen Nianbei".
Teacher Li turned her head and answered Yang Mi's question softly, "A very promising child from the 2011 acting class."
Yang Mi nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the young actor in the gray robe on the stage.
The light fell on his profile, outlining his clear features.
A high, straight nose and well-defined brow bones—the kind of bone structure that looks great in photos.
"She has a good appearance and demeanor."
Yang Mi commented softly, "She doesn't look like a sophomore."
"It doesn't look like it."
Teacher Li smiled and said, "This child has a lot of ideas. He took leave a while ago to go to the set of Director Kong Sheng's 'Battle of Changsha' and even played a role. He just finished filming and came back."
Yang Mi raised her eyebrows slightly. Kong Sheng, played by Daylight Entertainment, is a very famous character in the TV series.
"Director Kong's film? What is he acting in?"
"Xiaoman. He doesn't have many scenes, but I heard he acted well, and Director Kong thinks highly of him."
"and then?"
Yang Mi asked, her gaze still following Chen Nianbei on the stage.
He is currently confronting "Fanyi," and the sense of struggle—wanting to escape yet unable to break free—is expressed in great layers.
"And then,"
Teacher Li paused for a moment, "We just finalized Lu Yang's casting in 'Brotherhood of Blades' yesterday, he will play Jin Yichuan, one of the three brothers."
Yang Mi was genuinely surprised.
She turned to look at Teacher Li: "Lu Yang's 'Brotherhood of Blades'?"
She had been following the production team, for a simple reason: her old friend, Liu Shishi, was in it.
It is said that this drama was made with great care and is a work worth looking forward to.
"Jin Yichuan..."
Yang Mi murmured the character's name repeatedly, "She has a significant role. Director Lu has already decided on this?"
"According to the students who went to the audition with me, their performance was so good that they were approved on the spot."
Teacher Li said, "When this child first entered the school, his professional level was very poor, but recently his level has improved by leaps and bounds, and his level is higher than some veteran drama actors."
Yang Mi nodded, but didn't reply, turning her attention back to the stage.
At this moment, the play is showing Zhou Ping and Si Feng meeting by chance in the garden.
Naza's portrayal of Sifeng was pure and shy, with her eyes hiding admiration that she dared not express; her acting was indeed quite good. But Yang Mi's gaze was more focused on Chen Nianbei.
He portrayed Zhou Ping's cautious, yearning yet self-conscious state when facing Si Feng with great subtlety.
Especially when Sifeng turned to leave, he subconsciously reached out to stop her, but stopped in mid-air and slowly withdrew his hand.
That subtle movement brought Zhou Ping's cowardice and struggle to life.
The stage lights reflected a faint light in his eyes, as if he wanted to cry but was holding it back.
Yang Mi's heart stirred slightly.
Her acting skills aren't great, but she has a good eye for talent.
Because she has seen too many young actors.
Those with formal training, those without, those with talent, and those without talent.
But it's rare to see someone like Chen Nianbei portray a complex character with such depth and realism.
Especially his attention to detail.
The rhythm of breathing, the trembling of fingers, the changes in eyes.
These are not things that teachers can teach; they require constant refinement until they become instinctive.
On stage, the play is reaching its climax.
In the third act, Zhou Ping confesses his love to Si Feng.
Chen Nianbei stood in the center of the stage, the lights shining on him, casting a long shadow on the dark floor.
He faced Naza, his eyes filled with struggle and guilt, but even more so with a resolute determination to go all out.
"Four Phoenixes,"
His voice was soft, but clearly audible in the quiet theater: "I have something to tell you."
Naza raised his head, his eyes sparkling: "Young Master, please speak."
Chen Nianbei paused for a moment.
The pause was just right.
The duration was just right, neither too long nor too short, allowing the audience to feel Zhou Ping's hesitation and tension.
His Adam's apple bobbed, as if he had swallowed something difficult to say.
Then he said, "I like you."
He spoke those four words slowly and earnestly, as if he had used all his strength.
There were faint gasps from the audience.
It's not because his lines are particularly good, but because of the sense of realism they convey.
He perfectly captured the awkwardness and sincerity of a twenty-year-old confessing his feelings for the first time.
Nazar's reaction was also spot on.
She lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, her voice trembling: "Young Master, please don't say that..."
"I mean it."
Chen Nianbei took a step forward, but kept a distance of one foot.
That was the sense of propriety Zhou Ping should have had: "I know I'm not worthy, but I can't control myself."
When he said he "couldn't control himself," his voice carried an almost painful honesty.
Yang Mi leaned forward slightly.
She was familiar with this scene.
After all, it's a classic scene from "Thunderstorm," performed by countless people.
But Chen Nianbei's approach to the situation was quite unique.
He didn't portray Zhou Ping as a complete scumbag, but rather as a pitiful man struggling between feudal ethics and genuine emotions.
That sense of contradiction made him seem both hateful and pathetic.
The play continues.
Act Four: The intense confrontation between Zhou Ping and Fan Yi.
Zhang Yue's portrayal of Fan Yi erupted in this scene.
She portrayed the madness that had been suppressed for many years; the obsession and despair in her eyes were chilling.
But Zhou Ping, played by Chen Nianbei, was not overwhelmed by her imposing manner. Instead, her dodging and retreat revealed a deeper kind of pain.
When Fanyi pressed him, "Do you love me or not?" Chen Nianbei's answer wasn't an angry denial, but a weary escape:
"I don't know... I really don't know."
When he said this, he didn't look at Fanyi, but stared at a point in the void, his eyes vacant.
The bewilderment of being driven to the brink is more powerful than any vehement rebuttal.
Yang Mi noticed a detail: Chen Nianbei's fingers were trembling slightly when he said this line.
That wasn't a designed movement; it was more like a natural bodily reaction.
A person who has a mental breakdown can't even control their body.
This small detail makes the whole scene more realistic.
In the final scene, the tragedy reaches its climax.
Sifeng died from electrocution, and Zhou Ping was devastated.
Chen Nianbei knelt in the center of the stage, holding "Sifeng's" body, her shoulders trembling violently.
He didn't cry or scream; he just knelt there, his body curled up in a ball.
The light shone on his back, and his shadow twisted and distorted on the floor.
Then, he slowly raised his head.
There were no tears on her face.
Even when Zhou Ping cries, she does so with restraint.
But the despair in those eyes was more heartbreaking than any tears.
He stared ahead, his eyes vacant, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end no sound came out.
Then, he slowly stood up and walked towards the back of the stage.
The lights gradually dimmed, leaving only a silhouette in the end.
The curtain slowly closed.
The theater was silent for a few seconds.
Then, applause broke out.
It started as a few scattered sounds, then grew louder and louder, and finally merged into a chorus.
Yang Mi clapped along, but her gaze remained fixed on the curtain, as if she could still see the figure disappearing into the darkness.
"How is it?" Teacher Li asked, her voice tinged with amusement.
"good."
Yang Mi paused, then added, "Especially Chen Nianbei, he acted very well."
"yes."
Teacher Li also looked towards the stage, "This child is amazing."
The applause lasted for a long time until the curtain was drawn back and all the actors went on stage to take their final bow.
Chen Nianbei stood in the middle and bowed slightly.
Yang Mi scrutinized him carefully.
The gloom and struggle that Zhou Ping had shed on his face were gone. Chen Nianbei, standing on the stage, looked like a clean and handsome young man.
But the essence in those eyes remained.
That kind of focus on the performance cannot be faked.
The actors left the stage one by one, and the applause gradually subsided.