Chapter 34: Sweetie’s Masterclass in Counter-Manipulation! A Performance of "Favoritism"

"Who cares if there's any benefit in it?"

"Helping Junior Zhang Li is enough to make me happy."

Jing Tian paused, chiding herself for being too calculating. Was she helping Zhang Li just to level up her own capabilities? No, she was doing it for justice; she was standing up for Junior Zhang Li... and Junior Dou Xiao.

Freshman performances were never a rigid requirement; they could be added at will before ten o'clock, so naturally, they could be reasonably canceled as well. She knew Junior Dou Xiao; he was suffering from suspected acute gastroenteritis and couldn't take the stage. Why deny a cancellation when there was no formal announcement yet? This was a clear case of someone making things difficult for others, wielding their minor authority like a royal decree.

"Junior Zhang Li is truly tough. He didn't compromise or butter anyone up; he decided to step up himself."

"Well, this is great. Now we get to enjoy a performance from our new campus heartthrob."

Cai Biyun shifted her position slightly to get a clearer view of the stage. Jing Tian didn't follow; instead, she walked to the side, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number. The person on the other end was the deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office, who was in charge of the orientation gala.

"Hello, Director Qin. This is Jing Tian."

"It's like this: I'm here at the sports field. A junior student seems to have come down with acute gastroenteritis and has already gone to the hospital. He was originally scheduled to perform, but he can't make it to the stage now. I'm calling to request a change for him."

"No application needed? I can just tell the teacher or the student in charge on-site?"

"But the junior went to tell the student in charge, and the senior student said it was mandatory to get approval from a teacher. I couldn't get through to the teacher in charge, and since I happened to have your number, I took the liberty of calling you."

"Right, I'll let you speak to that senior student... oh." Jing Tian's tone shifted, laced with a hint of helplessness. "Director Qin, the announcement team has already introduced the junior's program. With so many school leaders and alumni in the audience, this might turn into a broadcasting disaster."

Suddenly, her tone brightened. "Director Qin, the junior who came to deliver the message just borrowed a guitar and stepped onto the stage. It looks like he's going to fill in. That's wonderful."

"Yes, sorry to bother you."

After hanging up, Jing Tian tucked her phone away. Her gaze landed on Yuan Shanshan’s stunned and unsightly expression in the distance, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. Following that, she turned her attention to the center of the stage. Zhang Li had already adjusted the microphone height and was tuning his guitar.

Cai Wenjing, standing at the edge of the stage, looked surprised. "Why is Zhang Li the one on stage?"

A moment later, she had her answer.

"Hello, everyone," Zhang Li said into the microphone. "I am not Dou Xiao, whom the host just announced. I believe many of you are aware of that."

Ah!

A wave of shrieks erupted across the field. Girls could be heard shouting "Zhang Li!" and "Campus heartthrob!"

This sight brought smiles to the faces of the school leaders and famous alumni sitting in the front row.

"Young people certainly have energy."

"This junior is indeed very handsome; he lives up to the title of campus heartthrob."

"I was one of the interviewers during the freshman arts examinations this year. His acting, stage presence, and physical form were all top-tier. His academic scores were high enough for a first-tier university. He’s the top student in this year's acting department."

"So that's him? I heard about him earlier this year. Zhang Li, was it?"

"How did he end up replacing someone on stage?"

Zhang Li, however, was oblivious to these discussions. He pointed in a direction, looking smug. "I heard someone over there saying they knew, and shouting that Dou Xiao isn't as handsome as me. I must say, you have great taste. I can't let the overall level of attractiveness drop, can I?"

Laughter rippled through the crowd. Open narcissism? Was that even allowed?

"Dou Xiao is my roommate. A while back, he said he wanted to call me 'Big Brother,'" Zhang Li said, his tone teasing and feigning heartbreak. "Usually, when there's trouble, the little brother rushes in for the big brother. Here, it’s the other way around. I’m losing out on this deal."

The laughter grew louder. Watching a handsome guy do stand-up was quite entertaining.

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously," Li Tingzhe said with a laugh, holding up his phone to record the speech to show Dou Xiao later.

"Fortunately, Dou Xiao knows how to talk," Zhang Li continued. "He called me and said, 'Brother Li, I have acute gastroenteritis and have to go to the hospital. I can't perform and save face for our acting department, so you go in my stead.' I told him it wasn't that much trouble, that we could just cancel the performance and I'd put in a word for him. But he said, 'If you go, the senior in charge will definitely make you go on stage to give everyone in the audience a shock with your looks.'"

*Woo! Woo! Woo!*

Narcissist! But handsome!

The students and teachers in the audience assumed Zhang Li was just playing to the crowd, using humor to explain why Dou Xiao couldn't perform and why he was filling in. But only a few, like Yuan Shanshan, knew that Zhang Li was deliberately targeting her. In truth, Zhang Li could have ignored it—it wasn't his reputation at stake, but Dou Xiao's. It could have even reflected poorly on the Beijing Film Academy, leading to an investigation into Yuan Shanshan. Yet, for his friend, he chose to take the stage.

For a moment, many in the backstage area looked at Yuan Shanshan with disdain.

Yuan Shanshan: "..." She only wanted Zhang Li to say something nice to her, to beg her—what was so wrong with that? She wouldn't have actually let a performance disaster happen. It was just that Zhang Li was taking things too seriously.

"After I got backstage, I realized Dou Xiao was right, so here I am," Zhang Li added.

The jeering from the crowd grew louder, with all sorts of shouts. After a few seconds, Zhang Li raised a hand to signal for silence.

"I am Zhang Li from the acting department. Next, I will perform an original song. It is a piece I wrote for the three-lifetime love story of two characters in a script."

"It's called... 'Partiality'!"

As soon as he spoke, many faces showed anticipation. Of course, others watched with scrutiny, observing coldly, feeling disdain or assuming Zhang Li was just grandstanding.

Jing Tian's eyes glinted with expectation. If she wasn't mistaken, the two characters Zhang Li mentioned must be Xu Changqing and Zixuan from *Chinese Paladin 3*.

*Pluck.*

Zhang Li began to strum the guitar. Even the simple intro made it clear that his musical foundation and skill were high. The melody was catchy, creating a unique atmosphere in the starry night.

"Discarding yesterday, now that you are before my eyes,"

"I want to love, please give me a chance."

Zhang Li sang the first line. It was calm and melodious, carrying an explosive power held just beneath the surface. Many professionals in the audience closed their eyes to listen. Just from the opening music and lyrics, they could tell this was a good song. As for how good, they would have to keep listening.

"Even if I'm wrong, I'll bear it, convinced you are the answer."

"I don't fear anyone mocking me for being extreme~"

"Trusting my own intuition, the stubborn don't cry of exhaustion; I won't retreat from falling for you..."

A few more lines painted a picture of a man obsessively, stubbornly in love. Zhang Li’s voice was naturally deep, yet it held the clear, high-pitched resonance of a woman’s voice. Finally, the chorus hit, and his vocals erupted with emotion.

"I said, I won't dodge it; I am determined to do this."

"Even if they don't listen, I choose to love, loving harder, to make you understand~"

"There is no other path to take; it's up to you whether you'll accompany me."

"Stubbornly partial, feeling my way through love, waiting for your reliance..."

"Partial to you, even the pain is delightful..."

Many felt goosebumps. This was a classic case of thinking you were facing a bronze-level player, only to realize they were a master.

On one side of the field, Zhang Huijun, Dean of the Beijing Film Academy, spoke to the middle-aged man beside him, who was wearing a mask and a baseball cap. "Yimou, what do you think of this kid?"

Zhang Yimou watched Zhang Li, who seemed to glow on stage. A hint of reminiscence flickered in his eyes, which were filled with the weariness of time, and he nodded gently. "I have a film to shoot in the second half of next year. His image is quite suitable."

Zhang Huijun: ???