Chapter Twenty-One: The Troupe's First Performance (Part Two)

"Has everyone received their scripts?"
"We have, Teacher Cui."
"Good. Make sure you memorize your lines thoroughly. I don’t want any mistakes when it comes to the details. Also, try to manage your time well. This is an excellent practical opportunity, much better than any production team outside. Cherish it. And when you arrive at the theater, don’t look down on the actors there. They may not be as good-looking or as young as you, but their experience can easily surpass any of you. Remember, without life experience, you can’t become a truly good actor. I hope this practice will help you understand what it means to be a real actor."

What surprised everyone at Dream Theater was not only that Cui Jingfang brought several promising actors a few days later, but an entire class of fourteen students from the 2014 performance program.

Although this stirred a sense of crisis among some theater members, it also gave the theater more choices for casting the new play. Sometimes, reasonable competition makes people strive harder.

Wang Lei was more than happy to hand over directing rights to Cui Jingfang. After all, he was an amateur; though he believed he understood the play better than anyone else, he lacked finesse in the details. With Cui Jingfang at the helm, all Wang Lei needed to do was oversee things from time to time, ensuring the final effect matched his vision.

The “Beijing Drifters” at the theater also brought Cui Jingfang a novel experience. Among them were indeed some who merely muddled through, but there were also truly talented actors—for instance, Tian Meili, whom Wang Lei had chosen to play Ma Dongmei.

A former performer of two-person comic skits, Tian Meili possessed qualities that immediately caught Cui Jingfang’s eye. Her expressive style might seem excessive to the academy-trained, but Cui Jingfang knew such actors were perfect for stage plays and comedies.

With Cui Jingfang in charge, Wang Lei could easily go to Old Zhang’s place to record songs and handle trivial matters before the new play’s premiere.

Old Zhang arranged the two songs beautifully. Although they differed somewhat from what Wang Lei had envisioned, they had a unique flavor. Prompted by Old Zhang, Wang Lei quickly finished recording "Charlotte’s Troubles," while the other song, "Just Once," was recorded by a singer from the industry, not very famous but highly skilled.

This singer, Ke Dong, just over thirty, showed his shrewdness after recording "Just Once" by refusing any payment, merely asking for the right to perform the song.

Having spent years in the industry, Ke Dong knew such a good song was rare, and being able to work with Old Zhang, a heavyweight, proved the other party’s ability and connections. People like this were to be befriended, not offended. He wasn’t foolish; he understood when to advance and when to retreat.

Time passed quickly. Under Ma Dongmei’s daily check-ins and his own discipline, Wang Lei managed to maintain regular exercise during his spare time. He also visited a rehabilitation hospital in the capital for a prosthetic fitting and check-up.

Wang Lei chose a lightweight titanium prosthesis since his knee joint hadn’t been amputated. The installation process was simple—just allow the muscle and skin at the amputation site to adapt to the contact.

After the prosthesis was fitted, Wang Lei didn’t need hospitalization. He simply had to adjust and adapt to it in daily life, then return for a follow-up in a month.

With his new prosthesis, Wang Lei’s mobility improved dramatically. He could go out for errands, return to exercise, eat and rest properly. Gradually, he realized his body was recovering rapidly. It made him wonder if his “golden finger” was more than just experience from two worlds.

By late September, rehearsals for Dream Theater’s new play were in their final stage, and Wang Lei’s Ma Dongmei was about to return.

Ma Dongmei had just completed a successful stint with the national team. Though she appeared only twice, both times were crucial final matches.

Usually somewhat clumsy and adorable, Ma Dongmei showed no stage fright in these high-level competitions. It did feel odd to call a nearly two-meter-tall young woman cute, but that was her usual manner.

With no psychological burden, Ma Dongmei performed exceptionally well. As a main attacker, her powerful spikes stunned many. After all, this was women’s volleyball, and few female players could spike non-overhead balls inside the three-meter line—yet Ma Dongmei did it. In the match against Brazil’s women’s team, she repeatedly executed powerful spikes at the decisive moments, earning her the title of most spectacular spike of the tournament.

Sending the ball past the fingertips of three opposing blockers and landing inside the three-meter line, Ma Dongmei gained not just the honor of a championship, but also the attention and anticipation of volleyball fans across the Republic and the world.

On the eve of Ma Dongmei’s return, September 30, 2015, Dream Theater’s new play, "Charlotte’s Troubles," held its final internal rehearsal.

The makeup artist was ready, the prop master and stagehands arranged era-evoking props, and the performance proceeded according to rehearsal.

Though the two-hundred-seat audience chamber was sparsely populated, among them were well-known critics brought by Teacher Cui Jingfang, several “Beijing Drifters” with local friends and family, and a few uniformed police officers, present to award “Act of Bravery” prizes to Zhang San and Li Si.

Fewer than fifty spectators, yet the mixed cast felt a bit nervous. Cui Jingfang’s students, after all, were performing in such an environment for the first time, and even the “Beijing Drifters,” after a month of intensive training, felt uncertain.

From the wedding scene to the school farce, from Charlotte’s rise to Ma Dongmei’s grievances, from the superstar’s troubles to the common folk’s leisure, the audience was swept up by the plot, bursting into continuous laughter. With each wave of laughter, the actors grew more confident.

Zhang San fulfilled his dream of becoming an actor. He acted like a real performer—no, he was a real performer now—expressing the role of Charlotte through his own insight. Moments from the past flashed through his mind, giving him a new understanding of acting.

Wang Lei too savored the laughter of the audience, experiencing a peculiar sensation. A play from another world was now staged in this one, and Wang Lei felt exhilarated. After all, harboring such a big secret inside was exhausting; he often wanted to confide in someone. But now, by expressing his secret through this means, Wang Lei felt it was even more fitting.