Ch21 - Dress Rehearsal (2/2)
Chen Yekai, “You’ll have to go on stage tomorrow night. I didn’t bother you about it before because I didn’t want it to affect your exams. Come over here.”
Yu Hao had barely practiced, so he was instantly even more nervous than before. Fortunately, Chen Yekai didn’t mention it to him beforehand, or else he definitely would have screwed up his exams. He followed Chen Yekai and entered a room. Chen Yekai opened up a wardrobe and said, “Have you picked what you want to wear? You can choose something you like from here ba.”
Yu Hao was 176cm, while Chen Yekai was 180cm, so Yu Hao could wear his clothes. There were a few suits in the wardrobe that looked way too formal. After Yu Hao thought over it for awhile, he said, “I should go buy one for myself ba?”
“It’s okay, you can just wear mine.” Chen Yekai said, “You don’t need to spend your money on one.”
It’s not like Yu Hao could go up on stage like this. Also, he knew that Chen Yekai was doing this for his sake, so he nodded gratefully. He had never cared very much for his dressing, and it wasn’t like he could afford the expenditure anyway. He probably wouldn’t be used to wearing such formal attire all of a sudden, so after pondering it briefly, he said, “I won’t wear the blazer, just the shirt will be fine.”
Chen Yekai said, “Up to you.”
“Is this one okay?” Yu Hao took out two shirts that were hung together — the one outside was a navy blue, while the shirt inside was white. The white one looked a bit worn out, and didn’t look like it was made out of a very expensive material. So he took the navy blue one off and compared the white one against him.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
“That shirt……” Chen Yekai said, “You should choose a better one ba.”
Yu Hao, “This one ba, white shirts go well with suit pants.”
Chen Yekai was surprised, “You like this style?”
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Yu Hao said, “I liked it the moment I saw it.”
So Chen Yekai didn’t press Yu Hao any further. He said, “Try it on?” After casually throwing the navy blue shirt into another wardrobe, he then found a pair of slim suit pants to pass to Yu Hao. He looked at his watch, “Hurry, I’ll take you to the dress rehearsal.”
After Yu Hao changed, he wanted Chen Yekai to take a look at it. Chen Yekai was looking at his phone in the living room, and said without even lifting his head, “Looks good.”
Yu Hao, “You haven’t even seen it yet!”
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Chen Yekai looked up. The two of them suddenly fell silent for awhile.
“Okay.” Chen Yekai said, “Wear that then. After you put on some light makeup and trim your eyebrows, you’ll look quite handsome.”
Yu Hao intuitively felt that Chen Yekai seemed a bit angry — perhaps it was because he had chosen the cheapest shirt. But he didn’t do so out of a sense of inferiority, but because he felt that……
“Chen Laoshi.” Yu Hao kept the clothes in his bag as he spoke apprehensively.
“Un.” Chen Yekai had both his hands stuffed into his pockets and was pacing around. He turned around to look at Yu Hao.
“I was just thinking, that I wanted to let the real me stand on stage to sing.” Yu Hao explained, “So……so……”
“Attractive people look good no matter what they wear.” The corners of Chen Yekai’s lips were slightly upturned, “You’re pretty confident in yourself now.”
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Yu Hao laughed. Chen Yekai took him to the auditorium for the dress rehearsal. The League Secretary was there too, and she nodded at them.
Yu Hao looked at his watch. He needed to finish his last job before 8pm today, then settle his wages with his supervisor, so he wondered if the dress rehearsal could conclude successfully by then. However, the dress rehearsal seemed to go on and on without an end in sight. That was when Yu Hao realised a very serious problem — dress rehearsals usually took longer than the actual performance.
He kept looking at his watch, and finally, Chen Yekai asked, “What’s the matter?”
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Yu Hao explained his situation. Chen Yekai said, “You haven’t had dinner yet.”
Yu Hao was afraid that his supervisor would be in arrears with his salary, so he said, “What if I make a trip down first?”
“Go ba.” Chen Yekai notified the student union. The president wore a bewildered expression and said, “Then what do we do?”
“I’ll sing for him then.” Chen Yekai said, “I’m a bit tone deaf, so I hope everyone wouldn’t mind it too much.”
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Everyone immediately ignored Yu Hao as they said in unison, “Okay okay!” Yu Hao thought, thank God, I’m finally free.
He rushed to the place as fast as he could and refilled the claw machine with dolls for the day. In the meantime, Zhou Sheng kept messaging him to ask him where he was and what time he would be returning to school. Yu Hao replied to him saying that he was working. Zhou Sheng called him, but Yu Hao was propping the glass cabinet up by himself at the time to keep it from falling down, and he was fumbling around as he tried to fill it up with dolls as well.
“I’ll be really late!” Yu Hao said, “What on earth is it? I’m still refilling dolls, so I’m hanging up now!”
Zhou Sheng, “Why are you working again?”
“If I don’t work I’ll have to go cold and hungry!”
“Could you hurry up?!” The couple waiting for the claw machine became angry, so Yu Hao could only say, “I’ll be right on it!”
“Complain about him!” The customer said, “He’s been on his phone……”
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“Don’t!” Yu Hao quickly tried to appease them, “That number’s for repair, not for complaints! Okay okay, I won’t use my phone anymore.” This could be complained about too? He would be getting his wages today, so it would be horrible if his boss used this as an excuse to dock his wages.
Yu Hao tried his very best to persuade them, and after he hung up the phone, he apologised to the customers again before running to the next mall. He busied himself for an entire night, and after he successfully received his wages, he sent a message to Chen Yekai to ask if the dress rehearsal was over. Chen Yekai didn’t reply to him.
Crap, he must be angry. Yu hao rushed to the auditorium before lights out. The auditorium was already locked and it was pitch-dark inside.
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After he returned to his dormitory and lied down, Chen Yekai replied him.
【If you screw up tomorrow night, you’re dead.】
Yu Hao quickly apologised. Chen Yekai still ignored him, but Zhou Sheng’s call came.
“What the hell are you doing?” Zhou Sheng’s voice travelled through the phone, “Laozi’s gonna start beating someone up! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?!”
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Yu Hao was completely baffled. He didn’t arrange to meet up with Zhou Sheng today?
Yu Hao was dead tired, but it was pointless no matter how much he tried to explain. Zhou Sheng continued, “What did Chen Yekai ask you to do again?”
“I was working!” Yu Hao huddled under his quilt. His roommates had all gone out to play after their examinations were over, “I didn’t do anything else!”
“I’m angry!” Zhou Sheng said, “I’ve been waiting for you the whole night!”
“Why were you waiting for me?” Yu Hao said, “We weren’t supposed to meet up today, right??”
Zhou Sheng stopped talking. Yu Hao didn’t know what to say at all. He hadn’t eaten dinner, so his stomach was suffering from an unbearable hunger, yet he still had to get scolded wherever he went. He didn’t have a very good temper now.
“Then look for me again after your anger dissipates ba.” Yu Hao said.
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“Open the door!” Zhou Sheng shouted angrily outside the door.
Yu Hao, “……”
Yu Hao quickly got up to go open the door, Zhou Sheng entered his dormitory and casually threw a packed dinner on the table. Then he turned around with both hands stuffed into his pockets and left.
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“Zhou Sheng!” Yu Hao was about to chase after him when a cold wind blew in from outside. Yu Hao hurried back and put on his trousers, then ran downstairs. The lights in the dormitory buildings were all out. He could only see Zhou Sheng jump over the railings of the second floor and sprint back to his own dormitory after he landed.
Yu Hao jumped down as well, but after Zhou Sheng passed the courtyard, he jumped onto the railings behind their dormitory and — as if he was doing parkour — he jumped a few times up to the second floor on the opposite dormitory and entered his own dorm.
Yu Hao stood in the courtyard, completely dumbfounded. He couldn’t jump onto the opposite building. Fortunately, another guy from his own dormitory had returned, so after shouting for half a day outside the entrance downstairs, the dorm supervisor finally opened the door and Yu Hao managed to return to his own dormitory.
The meal that Zhou Sheng had packed for him was already cold. Yu Hao was so ravenous that he wolfed it down in a hurry. He called Zhou Sheng, but he didn’t pick up. He messaged him too, but he didn’t receive a reply. Yu Hao suddenly remembered that Zhou Sheng had something he wanted to tell him today, so he could only apologise to him first. Actually, he didn’t know why he had to apologise in the first place. In the end, he fell asleep in a dreary mood.
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He didn’t need to work, go to class or do any revision the next day.
From the start of New Year’s until the 17th this month, Yu Hao had managed to save a total of 2200 yuan. This would be enough to tide him over for the winter vacation. Prices during the Spring Festival period would skyrocket, but he still had to buy some clothes for himself. He decided that in the near future, he would go to the supermarket to find a part-time job as an inventory clerk.
General’s existence had gradually begun to fade away. When he recalled his dreamscape from half a month ago, it was enshrouded in a hazy fog. But he still tried his best to remind himself over and over again that the person from his memories was real.
Yu Hao prepared a cup of instant noodles for himself in his dormitory. Then he looked at his phone and opened up Changba to practice the song that he would be singing on stage tonight. He believed that he would be able to sing it well, even though he hadn’t sang in awhile. He practiced all the way till noon and wanted to ask Zhou Sheng out for lunch, but Zhou Sheng never sent him a message.
He asked Fu Liqun out for a meal after the performance tonight, and Fu Liqun replied:【I’m not in school today, do your own things ba.】
Yu Hao suddenly felt a little lonely. He never felt this way when he kept to himself in the past, but after he made a new friend like Zhou Sheng, he felt like something was missing after Zhou Sheng started to ignore him.
Yu Hao thought that maybe he was hated now, so he could only return to how it was before and eat in the canteen alone. After he took a bath and changed into the shirt and suit pants that Chen Yekai had loaned him, he put on a down vest and went to the auditorium for today’s performance at the appointed time.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
The performance was scheduled to start at 3pm. The Dean gave the opening speech, and introduced Professor Lin along with his spouse. She then reported on the development of the academic atmosphere in their college for the past year, and discussed how she looked forward to the college’s future goals in the new year.
“It’s you?” The League Secretary said when she saw Yu Hao.
Yu Hao peeked out from the gap while he was backstage, and realised that Professor Lin and his spouse were the couple who had dinner with Chen Yekai on New Year’s Eve. He hurriedly apologised to the League Secretary for not attending the dress rehearsal, and everyone backstage all said that it was understandable. They might have said that ‘it was understandable’, but there was a vague sense of estrangement in their eyes. Yu Hao was used to enduring such gazes, and didn’t say anything. Everyone in the literary arts department knew one another. They were all gnawing on melon seeds, eating snacks or chatting away happily while they waited for their turn on stage, but Yu Hao merely stood to the side.
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“It’s too cold there.” The League Secretary said, “I’ll comb your hair and put on some light makeup for you.”
Yu Hao allowed them to handle his hair. He heard Chen Yekai’s voice outside, “Is he here yet?”
The League Secretary answered that he was here, and Chen Yekai didn’t even come in to take a look at him before he said, “It’s fine as long as he’s here.” Then he turned around and left.
After Yu Hao’s hair was styled and light makeup had been applied to his face, he returned backstage. Everyone fell silent.
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“Does it look weird?” Yu Hao said.
The girls all remained silent for awhile, then expressed in succession, “You look quite handsome.”
Yu Hao laughed. He took a chair over and sat down on it, and didn’t notice the gazes of the people around him. He wore his earphones as he played the song that he was about to sing over and over again.
Zhou Sheng finally sent him a short message as he asked, “Have you eaten?”
Yu Hao answered, “I have a performance tonight.”
Zhou Sheng sent him an angry QQ expression:【I know, I’m asking if you’ve eaten yet.】
Yu Hao quickly said that he had eaten, then Zhou Sheng replied:【Sing properly, don’t go out of tune.】
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Yu Hao was never afraid of going out of tune, but now that Zhou Sheng mentioned it, he began to dread that he might actually go out of tune. Zhou Sheng asked what he was singing, and who he was singing for. Yu Hao answered:【For a friend.】
【Oh?】After Zhou Sheng sent this message, he didn’t say anything else.
As the time for his turn on stage approached, Yu Hao began to tense up uncontrollably.
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“Don’t drink water all the time.” The League Secretary reminded.
Yu Hao had already finished drinking two bottles of water, but his throat still felt dry. He was worried that his voice would sound hoarse on stage.
“I’ll go to the bathroom for a bit……” Yu Hao said as he trembled.
“Don’t be nervous.” The League Secretary said, “It’s just a performance anyway, nothing much would happen even if you mess up. Is it your first time performing on stage?”
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Yu Hao waved his hand and ran away to pee, by the time he rushed back, the backstage staff were urging him, “Hurry, hurry! It’s your turn!!”
“Take off your down vest!” The League Secretary got him to take off his down vest before passing the microphone to him, “Don’t pat it and don’t say ‘wei’. When you get on stage, welcome Professor Lin to our college first, then just sing straight away. After you’re done singing the first sentence, the accompaniment will follow. Don’t be nervous!”
“Watch out for the steps, don’t trip!”
“Don’t raise your head when you’re singing! It’s not a good angle for camera shots!”
When Yu Hao stepped onto the stage, he inadvertently looked up and the first person he saw was actually Zhou Sheng. He was standing at the last row of the auditorium.
Zhou Sheng watched the performance from the last row of the auditorium. He bowed down slightly and sloppily leaned on the railings, while his girlfriend stood beside him — that beautiful girl who helped to warm Yu Hao’s hands up on that cold, winter day.
All of the nervousness that he had accumulated throughout his life reached a certain peak and collapsed — just like the snow that had gathered on a snowy mountain peak for thousands of years. It all fell down on him now, submerging him with a loud rumble.