allonlinenovel Chapter 113 Rehearsal x Fu
Chapter 113 Rehearsal x Fu
"Ah Jiang! Are you going to the auditorium after dinner?" Li Xiangyue asked.
Jiang Lai was finishing the last bit of rice on her plate when she said, "I'm going. Tomorrow is the school anniversary gala, right? Tonight is the last rehearsal, so I have to go and keep an eye on things. Plus, the arts department has a performance too."
"Then I'll go with you! I need to find some material for the school newspaper to write an article for." Seeing that she was almost finished eating, Li Xiangyue quickly wolfed down her food.
"Okay, don't rush, eat slowly."
Li Xiangyue didn't even look up: "Understood, understood!"
Zhao Ying and Tang Li joined in the fun, saying, "Can we go take a look?"
Jiang Lai thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible, but we can see the official version tomorrow. What's the point of watching the rehearsal today?"
"The rehearsal is close-up, but there might not even be seats available tomorrow!"
"That's it!"
Tang Li and Zhao Ying took turns singing and shaking Jiang Lai's hand.
"Stop shaking them. I can't lock you up and stop you from going. I'm just worried that if the teacher is around, I won't let others wander around. If anyone asks, just say you're volunteers helping out. Just don't cause any trouble."
"Yes, sir!" the two men said in unison.
"Silly!" Jiang Lai laughed and scolded, then suddenly remembered, "Ah! Since you're coming to watch the rehearsal, why don't you help me record a video?"
"Isn't the photography department coming to take pictures?" Li Xiangyue asked casually as she was about to finish her meal.
“It doesn’t belong to the school, it’s mine,” Jiang Lai replied.
She's been busy with the school anniversary celebrations lately and hasn't done a live stream in a while. She's been getting pressured by the administrators every day, so she's taking advantage of the rehearsals to film some vlogs, since everyone loves watching everyday campus life.
"Oh yeah! That explains why I haven't seen you livestreaming from your dorm lately." "Too busy..."
-
After dinner, everyone in dormitory 306 walked together toward the auditorium.
"It's already May, it feels a bit unreal," Zhao Ying exclaimed.
"This temperature seems quite realistic." Li Xiangyue shook her head.
Tang Li walked at the front, skipping and jumping around happily. "I looked at the program list before, and it seems like all the programs this time are very interesting!"
"really……"
Jiang Lai took out her phone and first filmed the intro to a vlog.
"Hello everyone, long time no see! Your long-absent blogger is back! I've been busy with the school anniversary celebration lately, and the official celebration gala is tomorrow! Today is the last rehearsal, and as the head of the arts and culture department, I'm going to check on things and also take you all to get a feel for the anniversary atmosphere!"
“My roommates are with me today, they’re all old acquaintances!” Jiang Lai used to be careful not to let her roommates appear in the video when she was filming, for fear that they would be unhappy. But now she doesn’t care anymore. Everyone in 306 appears in Jiang Lai’s camera more or less, and they don’t mind at all. In fact, they are quite happy about it.
Tang Li immediately came over, "Hi everyone! Zhao Zhao and I will be filming today~"
Because it was the final rehearsal, all the relevant personnel and teams took it quite seriously. When Jiang Lai and her group arrived, there were already quite a few people in the auditorium.
The 306 people were divided into two groups.
Jiang Lai was in charge of stage setup and program rehearsals. She went straight backstage, while Tang Li followed her, filming with her phone.
Li Xiangyue was in charge of the manuscript, so she wandered around collecting writing materials, and Zhao Ying followed along to watch the excitement.
The backstage area was also chaotic and bustling. Almost everyone from the arts and culture department was there, some checking the program list, some verifying props, and others communicating with the lighting and sound teams.
People from other departments also came and went in a hurry, and the student union staff in charge of coordination were even busier than usual.
Jiang Lai had already communicated that they could shoot vlogs, so Tang Li would take out her phone and shoot some footage from time to time. In fact, the photography department was also shooting videos, so Tang Li's behavior wasn't too abrupt.
Jiang Lai walked in front, with Tang Li following closely behind.
"Ah Jiang, you're here!" Jiang Lai's deputy came over. "I've already checked the site here, and it's fine, but I still need you to take another look."
“No problem.” Jiang Lai walked onto the stage side by side with her.
The large screen is currently on, playing soft piano music on a loop. The sound system is working properly, with no crackling sounds. A red carpet is laid on the stage, with various cables hidden underneath. Display boards are placed on both sides of the stage.
Jiang Lai carefully examined the arrangement of items on and around the stage, and then checked the lighting and sound system. "Where's the microphone? Are the stands all ready?"
"We've also put three spare microphones there; the ones the host needs are over there!" The vice minister gestured, and a boy from the arts department brought them over.
"Okay, that's fine as long as there are no problems."
There were no problems on stage; the next step was the rehearsal.
"Are the costumes and props all okay?" Jiang Lai asked.
"No."
"Next, we'll assess the program's reception. We might need to adjust the order of some segments." The program list Jiang Lai held wasn't the final draft yet. "We'll put the more exciting segments first..."
The student council assistant called out from backstage, "You can start the rehearsal now!"
"coming!"
As the minister, Jiang Lai's job is to oversee the overall situation. Right now, she is standing on the side of the stage with other departments and the student union. Tang Li has stopped filming her and started filming the people on the stage.
Teito University has international students, so the anniversary celebration was also hosted in bilingual language.
The hosts included two from the School of Arts and two from the School of Foreign Languages. They were all carefully selected and were very good-looking. The two men and two women were not wearing formal attire during today's rehearsal, but even so, they were still a sight to behold on stage.
"Distinguished guests, leaders, and students, good afternoon!" one of the male hosts began, his voice magnetic. Another boy followed suit, his fluent English flowing like a soaring melody.
"150 years of trials and tribulations, 150 years of unyielding self-improvement..."
Jiang Lai listened to the host on stage, stared at their positions for a while, and then turned around and walked to the side of the photography department.
"How are you feeling?" she asked familiarly.
For more than a month, everyone had been seeing each other all the time. The people in charge of the school anniversary celebration were all very familiar with each other, not to mention that Jiang Lai herself was quite well-known at the school.
The photography department staff fiddled with their equipment: "It's alright, but—"
"Location?"
"Yes, their positions are a bit off. Although my equipment can be moved, there will be people coming and going on and off the stage, and they could easily bump into each other. It would be best if the people on the stage were moved a bit."
"Hmm, let me think of a way." Jiang Lai walked back.
"Next, the principal will speak."
The principal is not here, so let's move on to this part.
After a short pause, the host continued, "Next, please welcome the street dance club to give us a fantastic performance and ignite the entire stage!"
The street dance club members went on stage, and the music started.
Tang Li glanced at Jiang Lai, who was talking to someone else, took a few pictures of her with her phone, and then moved it back to the stage.
The guys and girls in the street dance club are all incredibly handsome and well-built, take a picture!
Jiang Lai was giving instructions to the people setting up the venue, "Is it possible to make a mark on the red carpet? Put up a sticker or draw a pattern or something. As for the positions, in addition to the positions of the hosts, when someone goes on stage solo, they should stand in the center position, so that it will look better during the live broadcast."
"Hmm... how about this, I'll ask the sports department for some quicklime and make the spots on the field whiter. That way they'll be more noticeable."
"Okay."
Since it was just a rehearsal, the performances were relatively simple for everyone. The makeup and hair were only done briefly. Apart from some teachers' performances, almost everyone else had to rehearse once. For longer performances like stage plays, they only rehearsed one or two short segments.
Tang Li leaned on Jiang Lai's shoulder: "I'm sleepy."
"Go back if you're tired!"
Excluding speeches from various leaders, the school anniversary gala featured over thirty performances. It's estimated that all rehearsals would have finished by midnight, which is why the gala started in the afternoon.
"Xiangyue and the others have already gone back, you should go back too!" Jiang Lai advised.
"But there are still shows I want to watch later!" "Wouldn't it be better to watch the official show tomorrow?"
"But who will film your vlog if I leave?" "I'll film it myself. Anyway, it's just a rehearsal for the show right now, and there's basically nothing else going on."
Tang Li was still a little hesitant, but she was too sleepy, so she gave up and said, "Then I'm going back. Remember to come back early too."
"Okay, wait a minute. I'll give you a form. Give it to the dorm supervisor so you won't be marked as late."
"Mmmmmm!" Tang Li was already incredibly sleepy.
After seeing Tang Li off, Jiang Lai picked up her phone.
"As you can see, it's already past midnight, and we still have some parts of the show that haven't been rehearsed yet. I guess it'll be another big all-night event?"
"The Imperial University's anniversary celebration invited many alumni and people from all walks of life, making it a very lively event. The students' performances were also excellent..."
"Our school's official account will be live-streaming the entire event. If you're interested, you can watch it in the school's live stream room!"
"Ah Jiang!" The deputy minister called to her.
"what happened?"
"It's our turn!"
"coming!"
Jiang Lai said to the camera, "Our Arts and Literature Department also has a program this time, but because we have to do various preparations for the school anniversary celebration, our own program is relatively simple. It's a collaboration with the Hanfu Club. We'll be performing a Hanfu fashion show together with everyone from the Hanfu Club, which is also a way to promote traditional culture..."
Jiang Lai did not turn off the recording and walked straight backstage with everyone.
"We didn't even change clothes. Everyone's just going through the motions, remembering our order and getting a feel for it," the Hanfu club president instructed. "Don't be nervous, and don't walk too fast..."
With everyone in the Arts and Literature Department busy, the fashion show was entirely handed over to the president of the Hanfu Club; they were just emotionless walking robots.
"Oh, and there's Hanfu too! Don't forget to come and get it when you leave!" Some of the Hanfu in this fashion show were provided by members of the Hanfu Society.
By the time all the programs had been rehearsed, it was already past 1 a.m.
"You're all amazing!" The student council president's inspiring speech from the stage was truly inspiring.
Jiang Lai was already incredibly sleepy, but she was still listening to his rambling, "He's clearly a man, why does he talk so much..."
She thought to herself, and then she thought of Lin Chaoyin. Although she hadn't spent much time with her, Lin Chaoyin was very efficient and decisive when she was the student council president.
001: "Do you want to know what Lin Chaoyin is doing right now?"
Jiang Lai was startled: "Why did you suddenly pop out like that!"
"I haven't shown up in a long time, so I'm coming out to make my presence known. Is there a problem with that?"
Jiang Lai rolled her eyes: "No."
001: "So, do you want to...?"
"I do not want!"
"Okay!" 001 disappeared again.
"I wish our school anniversary gala tomorrow a complete success!" The student council president finally concluded his speech.
Jiang Lai and the person next to her exchanged a helpless glance and shook their heads.
People left the auditorium one after another.
-
It was already May, and the early morning wasn't cold at all; rather, it was a pleasantly cool temperature.
Jiang Lai, who had been dozing off in the auditorium, immediately woke up as soon as she stepped outside.
There was a sliver of light in the sky, and stars were still visible, appearing and disappearing like scattered diamonds on a curtain.
Jiang Lai's mood brightened instantly, and she took out her phone to take a picture and post it on her WeChat Moments.
"I've also seen people on campus at 1 AM [Image]"
A notification sound came from WeChat very quickly.
"Who's still awake at this hour?" Jiang Lai picked up her phone and saw it was Fu Changyuan.
Oh, it's him. Then there's no problem. That's how big bosses are; otherwise, how would they make so much money?
Jiang Lai clicked on the little red dot, initially thinking he had just liked it, but she didn't expect him to comment as well.
"Insomnia?"
Jiang Lai wondered, "Who is having insomnia?"
With his fingers flying across the keyboard, he replied: School anniversary rehearsal.
Fu Changyuan's phone rang, and he took it out to see Jiang Lai's reply.
Is it for the anniversary celebration of Imperial Capital University? He pondered, and realized that the Fu family might have been invited as well?
To enhance its corporate image, the Fu family has made donations to Imperial University and other universities. Furthermore, the Fu family collaborates with Imperial University, providing internship opportunities to its students annually. The relationship between the two companies is quite good; for example, the Fu family group was among those invited to Imperial University's anniversary celebration.
However, because I had been very busy, I hadn't indicated that I would participate, and it seems that the secretariat had delegated the matter to someone else.
Fu Changyuan was already busy late into the night, and when he finally finished his work, he found that he couldn't fall asleep again. He wanted to listen to Jiang Lai's audio recordings that he had saved, but unexpectedly he saw her post on WeChat Moments, and so, as if possessed, he commented.
And he was the first one.
"Ding-dong," the WeChat notification sound rang again.
These are likes and comments from mutual friends. Ye Kongxing: You two are still awake?
Jiang Lai: Right away!
Fu Changyuan ignored him.
Ye Kongxing immediately messaged him privately.
Ye Kongxing: Fu Changyuan! You've got the guts to comment on my Moments, but you've got the guts to reply to my messages too!
Ye Kongxing: Don't hide and stay silent! I know you're not asleep!
Ye Kongxing: Good brother, come and get me out of here! I'm being harassed by that woman from the Zhang family!
Ye Kongxing: Help! Help! Help! Help!
Fu Changyuan rubbed his temples and typed: Address.
Ye Kongxing: [Real-time Location]
Ye Kongxing: Good brother! Don't worry! I'll definitely help you!
Fu Changyuan: ?
Ye Kongxing: Don't pretend! I know you really like that girl! Don't worry, I'll treat her well!
Fu Changyuan was speechless and typed: Don't do anything unnecessary.
Ye Kongxing: You can't see your own heart!
Fu Changyuan: In your eyes, men and women are only concerned with love and romance?
Ye Kongxing: How could that be!
Ye Kongxing: But you're very different now.
Ye Kongxing: You're being stubborn, I'm not going to argue with you.
Ye Kongxing: I can't take it anymore, come save me!
Fu Changyuan: I was planning to come over, but since you can still talk nonsense, it seems there's no big problem. You can handle Miss Zhang yourself.
Ye Kongxing: You think you're even human?!
Fu Changyuan closed WeChat in a good mood and opened Jiang Lai's audio.
Meanwhile, under the reproachful yet weary gaze of the dormitory supervisor, Jiang Lai quickly returned to her room, quietly washed up, and immediately lay down on her bed and fell asleep.