Chapter 34: Live Out the Fantasy

“So that’s how it is—I just thought I’d wasted my money on these books, but if you say so, I’ll definitely take a good look.”

Ceng Li asked Wu Yuchen: “Hey, which stop are you getting off at?”

Wu Yuchen looked around blankly, his face twisted in surprise, as if just realizing he was on a bus:

“Huh? How did I get on here? I was supposed to go to Central Drama!”

“Ah? I thought you’d already met your friend and were heading back!”

Seeing Wu Yuchen’s bewildered expression, Ceng Li covered her mouth and smiled.

Then she told Wu Yuchen: “If you’ve got something to do, get off at the next stop~”

Wu Yuchen nodded, fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked Ceng Li:

“Hey, do you usually eat lunch?”

Ceng Li’s eyes flickered with understanding, her heart stirred—she immediately smiled and said:

“That’s a strange thing to ask—just say what you’re thinking outright!”

Wu Yuchen lowered his head slightly, meeting her gaze directly:

“Actually, I’d really like to take you out to dinner.”

A faint smile curled at Ceng Li’s lips: “That’s easy to arrange~”

Wu Yuchen smiled, about to say something, when the old man beside them on the bus seat suddenly leaned over, eyes wide, and blurted: “Hey, you two—trying to live out that drama too?”

“Live Out the Fantasy” was a love TV drama from two years ago starring Wang Zhiwen and Jiang Shan; it became a massive hit upon release, making Wang Zhiwen the dream man of countless middle-aged and young women. In Jingcheng, no one hadn’t seen it.

The old man had heard every word clearly—the exact dialogue these two young people had just exchanged was lifted straight from the scene in “Live Out the Fantasy” where the male and female leads flirted on the bus, word for word.

Wu Yuchen shot the meddlesome old man an annoyed glance, then turned to Ceng Li, who looked slightly embarrassed.

The two exchanged a knowing look and burst out laughing together.

Just then the bus stopped and the doors opened; Wu Yuchen said to the old man:

“Old man, I hope you get to live out your fantasy even in your dreams!”

“Hey, kid! Thanks a lot!”

The old man watched as Wu Yuchen and Ceng Li got off together, muttering under his breath.

At a roadside eatery, Ceng Li smiled at Wu Yuchen and asked:

“Say, are you usually this cheeky?”

“I only get cheeky with people who tease me,” Wu Yuchen said, pouring Ceng Li a glass of water.

Ceng Li smiled faintly, took the water from him, and asked:

“Wu Yuchen, what’s the difference between Jingying and Central Drama? Should I try applying to your school?”

Wu Yuchen’s eyes lit up instantly, grinning warmly: “Welcome, welcome~”

Academically, Central Drama is stricter, with a bottom-tier elimination system in freshman year, and it leans more toward training stage and theater actors.

Jingying is relatively relaxed, encouraging students to seek opportunities outside campus; graduates from the acting department usually end up on small screens—TV dramas.

In fact, the exam content is nearly identical—you could apply to both schools as a safety net. If you get accepted to both, you can choose freely.”

“I don’t have that kind of talent—I’d be thrilled just to get into one!”

“I heard before that Central Drama traditionally didn’t like admitting students from opera schools.”

Ceng Li sighed, propping her chin on her hand.

“Oh? You know quite a bit! Don’t worry—I’ve got the inside scoop.”

“What’s the inside scoop?” Ceng Li asked curiously.

Wu Yuchen had wanted to tease her, but seeing her serious expression, he dropped the act:

“This year, the head of admissions at Central Drama is Teacher Chang Li. She plans to break the school’s tradition of not accepting opera or dance performers—especially female ones. With your background, she’ll love you!”

Wu Yuchen remembered clearly: in his past life, Central Drama’s Class of ’96 had eight golden beauties—four from dance, four from opera, exactly half and half.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

Ceng Li’s face lit up with joy; she lifted her glass of water:

“This news is priceless—I’ll toast you with tea!”

“Hey hey, that’s not tea—you’re toasting me with plain water?”

“Then what do you want?”

“At least buy me a bottle of soda!”

Ceng Li burst into laughter, covering her mouth, then called the waiter and ordered two bottles of soda. After opening them, she clinked hers against Wu Yuchen’s.

After downing the soda, Ceng Li felt a new closeness with him and slipped easily into cheerful conversation.

After graduating elementary school, Ceng Li was selected by her province’s Peking Opera Troupe and came to Jingcheng for training at the China Opera Academy, specializing in Qingyi. After graduating this year, she was assigned back to her hometown troupe—only to find it had completely collapsed. Everyone spent their days playing cards, mahjong, or drinking tea, earning three or four hundred yuan a month. After a few months in that environment, she felt utterly hopeless about her future.

Then she heard rumors about Central Drama and saw it as a chance to improve herself. She took leave from her unit and returned to Jingcheng to investigate. Wu Yuchen’s words just now had solidified her resolve: she would quit her job and take the college entrance exam.

“What? You’re going back tomorrow? So soon?”

Wu Yuchen was deeply disappointed—he’d hoped to bond with her by helping her prepare for the acting department exam!

A graceful lady, a gentleman’s desire.

Such a beautiful, scandal-free girl—wouldn’t it be a waste not to make her your girlfriend?

As for whether Ceng Li looked good on camera?

That had nothing to do with him—he was looking for a girlfriend for himself, not to show off to others. Whether she looked good on screen was irrelevant!

Since his rebirth, Wu Yuchen had seen only one woman, Jiang Qin, whose beauty rivaled Ceng Li’s—but that girl had frozen him out the moment she saw him, clearly no chance. He had no intention of chasing her like a lapdog.

Meeting Ceng Li today—wasn’t that fate descending from the heavens?

But now she was leaving for her hometown tomorrow…

“I don’t want to rush either, but I have no choice—the round trip takes several days.”

“Tonight I still have to have dinner with my opera school buddy—she reacted faster than me; she quit after a week and came straight to Jingcheng. I’m going to her place to gather more info.”

Wu Yuchen’s heart stirred—could this be Yuan Quan?

Before entering Central Drama, Yuan Quan had competed in some contests and won awards.

But he knew he couldn’t beg to tag along to dinner, so his interest faded, and he didn’t press further.

Wu Yuchen sighed: “Alright, you’ve got solid training—your physique and talents won’t be an issue. When you get back, practice your recitation and prepare a short skit—you’ll almost certainly be fine.”

Ceng Li nodded, paused, then asked: “Wu Yuchen, do you have a phone?”

“Of course I do!”

Wu Yuchen asked the waiter for a pen and wrote a string of numbers on the new book Ceng Li had just bought.

“The first one is the public phone in our dorm building—you can call if you need anything at home.”

“The second is my pager number—once you’re back in Jingcheng, contact me directly.”

The pager was a gift from Wu Yuchen’s uncle after he got into college—not a high-end Motorola alphanumeric model costing thousands, but a Casio NP180 digital pager, 800 yuan.

Even so, Wu Yuchen remembered how thrilled he’d been when he received it in his past life.

Ceng Li held the book up, gazing at the two sets of numbers, her bright eyes shimmering with a warm smile.