"I'm sorry, Teacher Xiao, I made such an unreasonable request just now. Please forgive me."

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Li Jian could only slowly walk over, reluctantly apologizing to Xiao He, enduring his teacher's death stare without daring to even lift his head.

Xiao He's lips twitched slightly. He didn't expect the other party to apologize sincerely. He just shook his head and took the opportunity to say, "It's okay. Many of the students are my fans. I was just punished by being made to write a self-criticism, so I just wanted to alleviate my guilt in this way."

For him, someone like Li Jian wasn't even cannon fodder.

Xiao He simply didn't have the leisure to waste his negative emotions and energy on unimportant people.

"Punished by having to write a self-criticism?"

Completely unaware of the situation, Qu Kangcheng immediately {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} looked at Li Jian.

Li Jian quickly explained, "I was just teasing them; I didn't really intend for them to write it."

"Hmph, how can a teacher joke around with students about rewards and punishments? Since the student made a mistake, you should also take responsibility. Go back and write a doubled self-criticism, and give it to me next time." Qu Kangcheng sneered. "You are now a teacher at Peking Opera, bearing the responsibility of passing on knowledge and skills. You are no longer part of the theater. From now on, you should try to focus your energy on your teaching career!"

Li Jian's expression cracked slightly, but in the end he didn't defend himself. He simply bowed again, pursed his lips, and slunk away.

Xiao He let the matter drop and didn't pursue it further.

After that, Xiao He spent some time signing autographs for the students and taking photos as souvenirs. Then, with Yang Heng's introduction, he got to know several senior figures who had come to listen to the lecture.

Among the senior actors from the academy who had long been in the theater, some were kind to young people like Xiao He, while others were indifferent to him. Even when they received gifts from Xiao He, they remained indifferent. However, they all gave Xiao He face and were not as bluntly harsh as Li Jian. They treated Xiao He as an ordinary stranger.

Xiao He thought this was pretty good.

Those who like him will naturally be captivated by his personal charm, while those who don't will become dispensable after getting to know him.

-

On the way to the dean's office, Yang Heng explained to Xiao He, "Senior Brother Li left the theater seven years ago. He wanted to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, but because of his unremarkable appearance, even though he was an excellent actor, he still encountered setbacks everywhere."

Li Jian and Yang Heng are students of the same teacher, which shows that their talent is already quite good, surpassing many people.

However, Li Jian was too farsighted and was blinded by the booming development of the domestic entertainment industry at the time, wanting to make a name for himself based on his own abilities... The result was obvious.

Therefore, Li Jian hated those actors and stars who had little ability and acting skills but still succeeded in rising to the top by relying on capital and appearance. He also hated that his teacher Qu Kangcheng was heartless for not using his status to help him get resources and for not letting him enjoy any of the benefits of his status.

So when Yang Heng, who came from a privileged family and was exceptionally talented, appeared, he was consumed by jealousy.

"Actually, many people left the theater at that time, not just Senior Brother Li."

Yang Heng continued to mutter, "Although the National Theatre is the largest and most prestigious theatre in the country, the salaries of its staff are nowhere near the sky-high fees of stars. Drama has a small audience, low exposure, and a lot of rules and regulations, so many people use it as a stepping stone and have no intention of staying for long."

How could Qu Kangcheng possibly lend a hand at that time, or even provide resources to Li Jian? Once that door was opened, these things would just flow like a flood, completely unstoppable.

If you help this person today and that person tomorrow, does that mean the dean also supports everyone's expansion outwards?

Once this door is opened, I'm afraid even more people will leave.

Therefore, Qu Kangcheng's best course of action was to remain indifferent and not help anyone.

So after the impatient people left, and were left feeling humiliated, the flow of people finally stabilized.

However, their resolute departure back then ultimately became a chasm between them.

This topic is a bit heavy. Xiao He hadn't expected that the National Theater, which so many people aspire to, would now become a stepping stone for many. Some want to get in, while others want to get out. With the development of the huge entertainment industry, the National Theater has become nothing more than a backdrop for gilding...

Remembering that Yang Heng had also auditioned for the "Imperial Conquest" production as a stage actor, Xiao He glanced at Qu Kangcheng walking ahead and asked in a low voice, "So, when you auditioned last time, were you also preparing for it?"

Yang Heng's position as chief already makes him an absolute pillar of the youth group. If he were to leave, it would likely have a significant impact.

“I’m considering joining the industry, but I don’t plan to give up my job here yet,” Yang Heng said. “We can now legally work part-time. 'The Emperor’ is a support project, and we get extra subsidies if we join, so it’s a good opportunity.”

Many serious dramas and patriotic films feature national team actors. As long as they complete their theater duties, they can take on part-time work to a certain extent.

Xiao He breathed a sigh of relief: "I see."

Fortunately, Yang Heng looked too young and was too young for this audition. Otherwise, given his youthful appearance and age, Xiao He might have been afraid he wouldn't have been able to compete with him once he matured.

Seeing Xiao He breathe a sigh of relief, Yang Heng said, "If I start working in the industry in the future, your company shouldn't mind signing me, right?"

Xiao He immediately laughed and casually replied, "Sure, if you can come to our company, I would be more than happy to agree!"

Yang Heng is no different from Li Jian. He is not only highly talented, but also quite good-looking, has a powerful family background, and even has a director uncle. Xiao He would find it hard to refuse such a well-rounded artist.

If they could join their company, they wouldn't need to worry too much; they could just follow the pace and take off.

However, this is just something to think about.

Xiao He felt that since Yang Heng's family already had such resources and connections, there was absolutely no need for him to leave Beijing and come to Shanghai specifically to develop his business—even though Linghui Company had already become quite famous.

Yang Heng stared at Xiao He, his smile slowly fading, his tone becoming more serious: "I might take this seriously later."

Xiao He noticed Yang Heng's seriousness, and the smile on his face faded a little. He nodded seriously and said, "I understand. The doors of Linghui Entertainment are always open to you."

"Alright, don't talk about crickets changing jobs in front of me!"

Qu Kangcheng suddenly stopped and turned to look at the two boys behind him, somewhat speechless.

Xiao He immediately stood up straight and smiled ingratiatingly at Qu Kangcheng, while Yang Heng raised his eyebrows and said rudely, "It's just a casual chat. Don't meddle in young people's business."

Instead of worrying about this, you might as well talk to Xiao He about the upcoming performance competition.

It's clear that Yang Heng and Qu Kangcheng have a very good relationship; they speak to each other in a very intimate and casual manner.

However, Xiao He's focus had clearly shifted elsewhere.

"Huh? What performance? What competition? The invitation you mentioned last time?"

Xiao He glanced at Yang Heng, then looked at Qu Kangcheng, his face showing confusion.

He and Yang Heng had known each other for far too short a time.

Yang Heng was ambiguous about many things, so Xiao He really had no idea that Yang Heng's invitation to him to perform on stage had another purpose.

"Of course it's true!"

Yang Heng stopped in his tracks, looking at Xiao He with a helpless expression: "You didn't think that what I said to you before was just polite talk, did you?"

Xiao He immediately coughed a few times: "Ahem, why don't we continue talking about this competition?"