One of the parents asked, “Are you really the one teaching the acting class?”
Shen Zhi’s heart tightened. She had actually guessed they would ask that.
But when she heard it for real, she still panicked.
This was exactly where she felt the least confident!
Over the past few days, Director Gao and the others had already questioned her about it.
How could an over-the-hill actress who couldn’t even make it in the entertainment industry herself possibly attract parents to sign their children up?
She was even afraid that, after hearing she would be teaching them, these parents would make the same face Director Gao had.
At first, she had wanted to boast a little, saying that Shengde also had experienced teachers and so on.
But then she remembered Lu Yanzhao telling her not to exaggerate…
So she said hesitantly, “Yes, I’m one of the acting teachers. But don’t worry. I’ve already learned from my own teacher how to prepare students for the entrance exams and how to teach them…”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she spoke, and she was already prepared to be rejected.
To her surprise, however, the parents immediately lit up with delight.
One of them said at once, “You’re teaching them? That’s wonderful!”
Shen Zhi blinked. “Huh? You don’t mind that I don’t have any teaching experience?”
The other parents chimed in one after another.
“For a proper arts entrance exam, students do need systematic instruction, but our children have already learned all that.”
“Exactly. They’re not complete beginners. The exam syllabus and all that have already been drilled into them by those training institutions.”
“But the problem is that our children… really don’t do well in actual practice.”
“Maybe having a real actress help them at this stage and take them to the next level will make a difference.”
“Right! How much is the tuition at Shengde? When will classes start? We hope it can be as soon as possible!”
Shen Zhi hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. “Soon! Definitely soon! I’m not sure about the exact details, but I’ll give you the contact information for the school’s admissions office. You can also organize the contracts and evidence you have. The school’s legal department can help you review them.”
The parents hurriedly wrote down the information.
“Wonderful. If we can get our money back from this place, we can use it to sign up at your school.”
“Your program is run by a school, so it must at least be more reliable than these outside training institutions.”
After exchanging contact information, the parents left.
Shen Zhi didn’t come back to herself for quite some time.
Aaaaaah!!!!
I’ve been acknowledged!
So I’m actually this useful in their eyes!
For so long, as her career in the entertainment industry had steadily declined, she had constantly been beaten down until she began doubting herself.
She knew that it was because of her personality. She wasn’t willing to throw caution to the wind, and that was why she could never reach greater heights.
When she couldn’t see any way forward, she had actually thought that if Su Hao cut her female lead role and made her play second fiddle to Qiao Tang, she would grit her teeth and accept it.
That was until Yu Xiaxing opened the door to an entirely new world for her!
At thirty-two, she was embarking on the second spring of her career!
By standing in a different position, she could turn all the wrong turns she had taken in the entertainment industry into nourishment for those who came after her!
Shen Zhi returned to her car, filled with excitement.
She quickly reported what had happened to Lu Yanzhao.
“Assistant Lu, things went much more smoothly than I expected! I think I know where our advantage lies.”
There was a brief silence on Lu Yanzhao’s end. “Tell me.”
Shen Zhi said, “Students with no foundation naturally need systematic instruction from professional teachers. That really is our weak point. But students who already have some foundation know all the standard teaching templates. What they need is a practical teacher who can help them improve further.”
Lu Yanzhao said, “So you’re saying we can divide our enrollment into different levels. We should focus on students who need advanced correction and refinement.”
“Exactly!”
“Thank you, Ms. Shen. That’s a very important suggestion.”
The unmistakable approval in Lu Yanzhao’s voice made Shen Zhi’s heart race with excitement.
Neither of them had anything else to discuss, so they hung up.
Even after that, Shen Zhi remained unable to calm down.
She had been recognized in her career yet again!
Waaah! After being suppressed and tormented by Su Hao and Qiao Tang for so long, she had even started to wonder whether she was really too old.
And with AI actors entering the industry, she had once been afraid that her career would keep going downhill, that she would have fewer and fewer jobs until she starved.
Who would have thought that after leaving them, the whole world would suddenly be bathed in sunshine?
The more a person was recognized, the more energy they gained.
She had to study how to teach properly so that she wouldn’t let down Yu Xiaxing’s trust—or the fire of her own rekindled career.
Thinking of Yu Xiaxing reminded her that the two of them had made plans to gossip together.
Work was not to be disturbed during off-hours.
But gossip was another matter!
Shen Zhi immediately sent Yu Xiaxing a message.
“After our show wrapped, your fourth sister called Su Hao away for a long private conversation. I thought she was finally going to confront him, but instead I found out that they’re going for a premarital checkup and registering their marriage tomorrow.”
—
—
The Yu residence.
In the entertainment room, the projector screen flickered with shifting light, while the intense sound effects of the game filled the air.
Yu Xiaxing was curled up on the sofa playing a game with Yu Zheng. Diandian was sprawled at her feet, gnawing on a chew stick.
Yu Xiaxing never worked during her off-hours.
Yu Zheng had originally been extremely driven, spending all day thinking of ways to win competitions. But little by little, his younger sister’s influence had taught him to relax too.
At that moment, he was sprawled lazily on the sofa with a controller in his hands.
Clearly, though, he wasn’t as focused as Yu Xiaxing. His movements were somewhat careless.
Most of the time, he was simply admiring the murderous look on his sister’s face.
Just then, a message came in. The character Yu Xiaxing was controlling happened to be on cooldown, so she picked up her phone and took a glance at it. Her face immediately filled with disdain.
Yu Zheng glanced at her. “Who upset you?”
Yu Xiaxing tossed her phone back onto the sofa. “Who would dare upset me? I just find certain people’s spineless behavior a little irritating.”
Yu Zheng knew immediately that she was talking about their fourth sister.
This little sister of his really did care deeply about the family. She was just too awkward about showing it.
If only she would openly run over, cling to their fourth sister’s arm, and cry, “Sister, please don’t marry that scumbag! I’m begging you…”
Their fourth sister would definitely be moved.
“All right, all right. I won’t marry him…”
Yu Zheng let out a quiet sigh as well. “There’s nothing we can do. Fourth Sister has lived under other people’s judgment her entire life. She’s been restricted since childhood. She had to be an elegant and gentle heiress from a wealthy family… Because all the love, resources, and attention she received growing up were conditional on her being well-behaved.”
“Only if she got good grades was she worthy of praise. Only if she behaved gracefully was she worthy of being taken out in public. Only if she knew how to maintain the appearance of peace was she worthy of being a daughter of the Yu family.”
Yu Xiaxing glanced at her brother.
She hadn’t expected this usually carefree and irreverent brother of hers to see things so clearly.
It wasn’t only their fourth sister who had been raised this way.
Most young people in this era were raised the same way.
From the moment they were born, they were pushed forward by a system of rewards and punishments.
Somehow, whether they were outstanding had become tied to whether they could receive love from their elders.
The fact that her brother could see this proved that he was actually a very observant person.
No wonder that in her previous life, he had been able to keep Shengde running until the very end, even while she was paralyzed.
Yu Xiaxing pressed her lips together. “I can’t understand it.”
Yu Zheng raised a hand and affectionately draped it around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer. “You can’t understand it because the two of us were born to be scolded.”
That was true. Yu Xiaxing had to admit it.
As a child, she had been willful, spoiled, and undisciplined, acting outrageously because she relied on their grandfather’s favoritism.
As for her brother, when he was little, he had been a tiny thug who got into fights whenever anyone crossed him.
Everyone said he didn’t look like a young master from a wealthy family.
He looked more like some bleached-blond street punk.
But their parents had long since given up the family business to become Doctors Without Borders, traveling the world to treat impoverished orphans.
That was why everyone said that two bodhisattvas had given birth to two little demons.
Yu Zheng said lazily, “After being cursed out by enough people, you start to realize that other people’s opinions aren’t worth much.”
Yu Xiaxing nodded. She had been feeling that even more deeply lately.
Today, her teachers, the parents, and people online were all cursing her. Tomorrow, they would be saying she had guts.
If you relied on other people’s mouths to decide what kind of person you were, you’d end up with multiple personalities.
Yu Xiaxing said, “We’ve got thick skin.”
Yu Zheng laughed, cocky and languid. “That’s called having a stable core.”
Yu Xiaxing laughed too. When she finished, she lowered her head and glanced at her phone again.
Yu Zheng gave her a look. “You’re still worried about Fourth Sister?”
