In the evening, Yang Xiaoxiu unlocked the dormitory door with her key.
The chatter she had heard outside the door instantly ceased the moment she turned the key.
Her eyebrows moved subtly. As was usual, her roommates’ conversations never stopped because of her arrival, unless it involved her.
Although Yang Xiaoxiu had some guesses, she merely glanced at her roommates in the dorm, her gaze pausing for a second on the curly-haired Huang Ying, then headed straight to the bathroom to wash up without asking more.
The three roommates’ eyes focused on Yang Xiaoxiu; seeing her enter the bathroom and close the door, they softly resumed their discussion.
"Yingying, didn’t you say she hooked up with some rich second-generation guy and wouldn’t be back today?"
Hearing the roommate’s doubt, Huang Ying’s expression shifted slightly. She whispered, "I don’t know either. Usually, the dormitory door is closed this late, and she should be staying at a hotel... Could it be that the rich guy dumped her?"
"No way, could it be..."
"Stop, stop, she’s coming out."
As soon as the words were spoken, with a slight sound from the bathroom door, Yang Xiaoxiu emerged.
She carried her plastic washbasin filled with a few clothes to be laundered and headed down the corridor.
Seeing Yang Xiaoxiu heading to the laundry room, Huang Ying couldn’t help asking, "Xiaoxiu..."
Yang Xiaoxiu turned her head, her expression calm, showing neither joy nor anger.
This was how Yang Xiaoxiu appeared in front of her roommates most of the time. She knew she couldn’t fit into their circle and didn’t intend to force her way in. She always focused on her own things, planning her university life, and maintained a peaceful but somewhat distant relationship with her roommates.
Looking into Yang Xiaoxiu’s clear, calm eyes, Huang Ying inexplicably felt a bit afraid to meet her gaze and merely asked, "Isn’t the dormitory door downstairs closed by now? How did you get in?"
"I called the dormitory manager, and she let me in."
"You called that dorm manager? Didn’t she scold you? I heard she’s particularly hard to deal with."
"She did say a few words. I explained, is there a problem?"
Seeing Yang Xiaoxiu’s serene demeanor, Huang Ying awkwardly smiled, "No, no problem."
As Yang Xiaoxiu left, the other two roommates immediately leaned in, puzzled, "That doesn’t add up, Yingying. If she hooked up with a rich second-generation guy, why would she come back so late at the risk of being lectured by the dorm manager?"
"I bet she wasn’t really noticed by the rich guy. Do you think a rich guy would go for a village girl like her, whose whole outfit isn’t worth more than one of our jackets? I heard she went to work as atmosphere staff at a bar recently. Do you think it could be..."
"It really could be. I heard about it too! Who would have thought, she seems so obedient and loves studying, yet she would work as atmosphere staff at a bar."
"Who knows, everyone has many sides, and she’s short on money, so it’s understandable to have a part-time job. But going to a place like that, it won’t be easy to come back."
"There’s no other way. Everyone has their path. It’s her choice, and we can’t do anything to help."
"True, forget it, let’s not mention this again. Just pretend we don’t know. Anyway, she doesn’t get along with us three..."
A moment later, Yang Xiaoxiu returned, and the three roommates were each doing their own thing.
One was video chatting with her boyfriend, another was using the latest skincare products, and Huang Ying had her headphones on, watching the popular drama on her laptop, occasionally laughing out loud.
Yang Xiaoxiu glanced at the trio and calmly returned to her place, looking at the neatly arranged professional books on her desk. She pulled out the one on top, "The Acting Arts Course: Actor’s Handbook".
She had been reading this book recently, which covered basic acting theory and various training techniques, including detailed explanations from basic elements to character creation.
Some foundational skills she taught Li Jing today were learned from this book.
The book had been flipped through so much that it was slightly worn and yellowed, filled with notes and insights she’d written in different colored markers.
She opened to the bookmarked page and was about to study the section on character development when a scene of her and Li Jing kissing at dinner inexplicably sprang to mind.
Her cheeks flushed red, and she frowned, shaking her head to suppress the images. Taking a deep breath, she began seriously reading again.
The entire dormitory, or rather this whole floor, during this non-exam period, only Yang Xiaoxiu was earnestly bent over her desk, studying.
The next day, Yang Xiaoxiu met with Li Jing again as planned to coach him on acting techniques.
Having successfully taken the first step yesterday, Li Jing’s improvement was markedly faster this time.
Having found a way to immerse in the role, Li Jing had solved the main issue, now focusing more on strengthening his language, expressions, and body movements.
For convenience, Li Jing simply booked a suite at the hotel.
Yang Xiaoxiu spent the day in the hotel room, correcting Li Jing’s issues and mistakes little by little.
Luckily, Li Jing wasn’t dull; even though his acting talent wasn’t stellar, it wasn’t bad either. With Yang Xiaoxiu’s determined guidance, his improvement was remarkably swift.
During several later performances, Yang Xiaoxiu was so absorbed that it seemed as if at this moment, Li Jing had become the young Jiangnan, experiencing the changes of the era at a state-owned factory.
Compared to yesterday’s ease, today’s teaching was clearly more challenging, requiring Li Jing to make more adjustments.
Throughout the day, they even ate in the hotel, having no time to go out.
It wasn’t until evening that Li Jing plopped down on the sofa, exhaling heavily, "Whew, acting is really tough. Teacher Yang, does this mean today’s tasks are done?"
Hearing this, Yang Xiaoxiu smiled, her eyes showing a hint of fatigue yet unusually bright, and she nodded in contentment, "Yes, Brother Jing, your understanding of this role is much quicker than I expected. And Director Wen choosing you to play Jiangnan certainly wasn’t without careful consideration. You couldn’t have progressed this fast otherwise."
Li Jing jokingly said, "So, my progress has nothing to do with me; it was all about Wen Lan’s good casting?"
"Ah, no, no." Yang Xiaoxiu realized the ambiguity in her words and quickly explained, "You’re awesome too, your comprehension is better than my classmates, and you’ve been diligently studying. Your talent isn’t bad either. Without these, no matter how well the director cast, it wouldn’t matter."
Li Jing knew she was trying to amend and didn’t debunk her. He smiled, "I’m just joking. Do you think I’ll pass tomorrow’s acting test?"
On this topic, Yang Xiaoxiu confidently nodded, "You just have a few scenes to act in the state-owned factory tomorrow and the day after. We’ve practiced them many times over these days, you’ll definitely pass.
Later scenes will require a change of setting, so they probably won’t be shot here. Brother Jing, you’ll have ample time to rehearse."
Hearing this, Li Jing felt at ease, then looked at his watch, raising an eyebrow in surprise:
"Time flies so fast. It’s already ten o’clock at night..."
"Ah, is it ten o’clock?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Xiaoxiu exclaimed and hurriedly took out her phone from her bag, seeing the time displayed on the screen, her face immediately turned grim, "Oh no, oh no, yesterday I promised the dorm manager that I wouldn’t ask her to open the door again tonight..."
"Your dormitory closes at night?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing, aware he had booked a suite with two bedrooms, suggested without much thought, "I’ve already booked this suite anyway, why not stay here for the night?"