Three hours later, Xi En glanced at his watch and stood up. "Alright, that's all for today."
"Okay."
Sweat beaded on Xia Wei Liang's forehead. She acted as meekly as a primary school student in front of him, escorting him to the door with utmost respect. "Teacher Xi, thank you for your trouble."
"It's no trouble." Xi En remained refined and gentle. He paused at the doorway and looked back at her. "I've always believed there are no shortcuts in acting. You might be excellent at variety shows, but that only proves you have good variety sense, not that you'll become a qualified actress. Perhaps this path isn't suitable for you; it would be a futile effort no matter how far you go."
Meeting Xia Wei Liang's stunned gaze, he smiled. "Don't overthink it, I didn't mean anything else."
He turned and left.
Xia Wei Liang stood frozen at the doorway for a long time.
What a way to say I'm not good enough!
She slowly turned around and wiped her eyes. She wasn't crying!
She knew her acting wasn't good, that's why she wanted to learn. He had only taught one lesson and already said she wasn't suited for acting. Who does that?
Xia Wei Liang skipped dinner.
Song Yuan had finished filming in An County and had returned. She glanced at Xia Wei Liang and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, you've gained a little weight."
"..."
Xia Wei Liang took a deep breath. Let her be angry, let her be angry, let her be so angry she died!
Nuo Mi was refilling Xiao Jin Zi's bowl when she looked up at Xia Wei Liang. "No way! Sister Wei Wei looks just right like this!" She turned to ask, "So, Sister Wei Wei, did something stimulate you?"
Xia Wei Liang sighed, slumping onto the sofa like a dying fish, just short of blowing bubbles.
"Teacher Xi said I'm not suitable to be an actress."
Song Yuan: "Which Teacher Xi?"
Nuo Mi: "Xi En! Brother En! The Grand Slam winner of the three major television awards! The only one who can truly compete with our Brother Yi in the entertainment industry is him!"
Song Yuan: "Oh, I don't watch TV."
She continued eating, then looked up again and said, "I think what he said is quite pertinent."
"...Sister Yuan, to be honest, are you my anti-fan?"
Nuo Mi asked suspiciously, "But I heard that Brother En is very nice in private and has high emotional intelligence. He agreed to teach you acting, so there's no need for him to put you down. So... did you offend him somehow?"
Xia Wei Liang felt wronged. "You tell me, with my previous status, could I even reach this Best Actor? This is our first private meeting, but I feel like he has a lot of opinions about me."
"How could he not?" Song Yuan put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Since you both say he's so great, such a capable person, coming personally to teach an amateur... think about it, you'd know this is pressure from above. If it were you, would you be happy?"
A word to awaken the dreamer. Both of them widened their eyes and looked at her, raising their thumbs in unison.
At critical moments, they still relied on Sister Yuan, the brainpower!
Nuo Mi expressed understanding. "Then his attitude is completely normal. Compared to Sister Wei Wei, he's the one who's wronged!"
Xia Wei Liang silently glanced at her. Which country is she from? Does she climb walls across borders?
Xiao Jin Zi finished eating and climbed down from her chair, intending to wash the dishes.
Although she was only five years old, the Li Dashu couple treated her like a servant. Washing dishes, sweeping the floor, and doing laundry were all her chores.
But since coming to Xia Wei Liang's, they were reluctant to let such a young child do chores. At most, they would let her help wipe the table, and then go downstairs together to take out the trash, and perhaps buy a pile of snacks from the convenience store.
Xiao Jin Zi never asked for more, only carefully selecting one item, which made Xia Wei Liang and Nuo Mi's hearts ache.
"Don't move!"
"Don't move!"
"Don't move!"
The three spoke in unison. Xiao Jin Zi stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
"Go watch TV!"
"Go play with your toys!"
"Go eat snacks!"
Xiao Jin Zi looked at them blankly. Finally, her little mouth curved, and she picked up her own bowl, stood on a small stool in the kitchen, and washed it diligently.
After washing and putting it away, she sat on the sofa and focused on watching cartoons. She never touched the snacks and fruits on the table.
Nuo Mi felt immense sympathy. "Sister Wei Wei, Sister Yuan! You two go keep Xiao Jin Zi company. I'll take care of the dishwashing tonight!"
"Okay!"
"Alright."
The two of them sat diligently on either side of Xiao Jin Zi. One was responsible for feeding her fruit, and the other for feeding her snacks.
They wanted to spoil her rotten!
They wanted to dote on Xiao Jin Zi until she became a little princess who couldn't take care of herself!
Anyone who had an opinion had to keep it to themselves!!
In the evening, Xia Wei Liang couldn't help but call Ji Huan.
"Sister Huan, what's the deal with Teacher Xi? I thought you would invite a teacher from an academy, but I didn't expect it to be him."
"Director Du applied for this with the company."
"Little Du?"
"Yes, Director Du said if you're going to be taught, you must be taught by the best." She paused, and Ji Huan added, "Xi En is the top artist at Huatian Entertainment. It is indeed demeaning for him to personally teach you."
"Sigh~"
Xia Wei Liang also let out a long sigh. "Who says not? A king teaching scrap metal."
"You must understand that you represent popularity right now, and there are plenty of people who want to teach you acting. Xi En is proud; if not for the boss of Huatian Entertainment owing him a great debt of gratitude, he might not have agreed to this."
Xia Wei Liang didn't want everyone to feel awkward. However, Ji Huan said, "It's probably not as simple as you think. Huatian has already arranged promotional articles, which will be released tomorrow. In the end, this is a win-win deal. You don't need to feel burdened; just learn from him diligently. In terms of skill, Xi En is also renowned."
"Oh, I understand."
Xia Wei Liang wasn't one to trouble herself. It wasn't like she had begged him to come!
Shortly after hanging up, she received a request to add her on WeChat from a stranger.
Xi En?
Xia Wei Liang felt her fingers tremble as she accepted.
Just looking at the name gave her a sense of awe and power.
Trembling, she passed the request and immediately sent a polite message: [Hello Teacher Xi, you're still up so late?]
The opposite side, which had shown "typing...", disappeared a few seconds after seeing her message. Then came the reply: [Old age, little sleep.] Su Dan Novel Network
Xia Wei Liang swallowed with difficulty and nervously sent another message: [Teacher Xi, what is it you need?]
[Tomorrow morning at nine, I'll be there for class.]
[Okay!]
After that, there was nothing more.
Not even a "goodnight."
The next day, Xia Wei Liang got up early, tidied the room, and prepared fruits and snacks.
Sister Yuan and Nuo Mi, with Xiao Jin Zi in tow, stood to the side, having witnessed quite a scene.
Song Yuan: "This makes me really want to meet this Best Actor."
Nuo Mi: "He can control Sister Wei Wei so well, he's very skilled at training!"
Seeing that it was almost time, the two of them prepared to leave with Xiao Jin Zi. "We're taking Xiao Jin Zi to the amusement park. Can you handle it alone?"
"Don't go~~~" Xia Wei Liang stood at the doorway, gazing at them from afar. "Don't abandon me~ You have no idea how terrifying he is! He kills people invisibly while talking and laughing!"
The two who were initially watching for amusement gradually stopped smiling.
Nuo Mi pulled at her stiff lips and looked at the person leaning against the corridor, her voice breaking. "Xi, Teacher Xi, you're here!"