Chapter 102: The Show Begins! (Please Bookmark and Vote!)

Li Shixin gave no thought to organizing a grand opening ceremony; he didn’t expect to make money from this venture, so the official premiere was simply the start.

Early in the morning, as the chief director, Li Shixin rose early and, after arranging leave with the cast of "Flying Against the Wind," brought along Zhang Ying and her brother and An Xiaoxiao, driving to the Children and Youth Center.

Though Li Shixin didn’t take the opening seriously, a group of loyal fans had already prepared everything.

By eight o’clock, before arriving at the center, Li Shixin saw an inflatable archway set up at the entrance. Across the arch’s crossbeam, a large red banner with yellow characters boldly proclaimed, “Warmly Celebrating the Grand Opening of the Joyful Drama Theater.”

Inside, the small theater seating over three hundred was already filled with more than a hundred of his devoted fans.

At the entrance stood three little girls acting as ticket sellers, each with a sash draped over their shoulders. Li Shixin chuckled and gently patted their heads.

“Thank you all for coming to help.”

“Grandpa, it’s our pleasure!”

“Heh!”

“Cough.”

Noticing the children’s slightly awkward expressions, Li Shixin smiled and entered the theater.

After greeting his fans, he took hold of Zhang Shuo, who was completely stiffened at the thought of going onstage.

An Xiaoxiao and Zhao Jinzhi needed no special attention, but this godson, whom Li Shixin had coaxed onto the stage step by step, required some serious coaching.

“Godfather, didn’t we agree I’d just be giving you lines? Why do I have to change costumes and go onstage? I... I can’t do it! I can’t act!”

Backstage, watching Zhang Shuo’s pale lips and sweat-drenched forehead, Li Shixin chuckled.

“Shuo’er, be honest with me. Why are you afraid?”

“N-no reason!”

Seeing Zhang Shuo’s evasive gaze, Li Shixin raised an eyebrow. “Shuo’er, I’ll tell you the truth. When I said I found someone to play the son-in-law, I never actually looked. It’s always been you. If you don’t get onstage today, this whole show... will be ruined.”

Thump!

At those words, Zhang Shuo trembled all over and collapsed to the floor.

“Godfather, please, don’t.”

Seeing him trembling and on the verge of a breakdown, Li Shixin slammed the table.

“What’s going on with you? You hang around the set every day, watching others act more seriously than the director. How come when it’s your turn, you get scared like this?”

Li Shixin’s stern shout shattered Zhang Shuo’s mental defenses.

“Godfather, I... I’m really going to mess up the play!”

Under Li Shixin’s burning gaze, Zhang Shuo gritted his teeth and revealed his brief acting history.

Before leaving home to try his luck in Rongdian, Zhang Shuo’s career had gone well in the first few months. At that time, Rongdian was just budding; there weren’t as many extras as now, and there were plenty of minor roles. As long as you worked hard, you could always get parts.

With youthful vigor and a passion for acting, after more than half a year, Zhang Shuo had gained some reputation among extras and earned recognition from several group leaders, who began assigning him roles with lines.

Everything was going smoothly.

Until his tenth month in Rongdian, when a group leader approached him about filling in for a supporting role in an anti-Japanese war film. The original actor had been hospitalized unexpectedly. Zhang Shuo’s acting was good, so they wanted him to step in.

This role was significant in the film. Playing it well would mean a breakthrough.

Facing this sudden stroke of luck, Zhang Shuo spent over a week studying the script, memorizing lines, and observing camera positions and actor movements on set.

But on the first day of shooting, disaster struck.

Perhaps because he valued this rare chance too much, when it was time to perform, standing before the camera, his mind went blank, and he forgot everything he had prepared.

It wasn’t just that he was out of sync; he blocked other actors’ movements, disrupting the carefully rehearsed rhythm, and caused serious injury to an extra with fireworks.

An accident had occurred.

That scene was a large-scale one.

In front of hundreds of extras, the director, assistant director, and production team unleashed a torrent of scolding on Zhang Shuo and the group leader who had recommended him.

The director was so furious he kicked Zhang Shuo to the ground, declaring publicly that Zhang Shuo’s presence was a danger to everyone.

Since then, Zhang Shuo had fallen into despair. Haunted by the trauma, he couldn’t even manage a simple background role. Every time he saw a camera, his mind filled with the injured extra from that terrible day.

Listening gravely to Zhang Shuo’s story, Li Shixin nodded slightly.

He understood now.

Just as he had suspected—this fool was battling an inner demon.

Staring blankly at the costume on the floor, lost in thought, Zhang Shuo seemed trapped.

Li Shixin swiftly put on his first act’s costume and, seeing the time was nearly up, rose to his feet.

Passing by Zhang Shuo, he paused.

“Shuo’er, in life, there’s no hurdle you can’t overcome, only ones you don’t want to. This fear can stay with you forever—or you can crush it today. Think about it.”

Glancing at his watch, Li Shixin added, “You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

...

Fifteen minutes until curtain rise.

Li Shixin stepped from backstage onto the stage.

Below, his loyal fans were already seated. Wu Ming, Zhang Mingrong, Qiao Hong, and Liu Feng chatted cheerfully in the front row.

Besides the hundred or so fans, all other seats were filled. Yet from the stage, Li Shixin saw elderly patrons still arriving, some finding no seats and settling on small stools in the aisles.

Tonight’s first performance was mainly to inaugurate the theater and make its presence known; Li Shixin hadn’t expected a full house.

But seeing this scene, he couldn’t help but feel pleased.

These weren’t just ordinary elders in the audience.

They were living, breathing sources of applause and energy.

When Li Shixin took the stage, the tall man in charge of lighting signaled his crew to switch off the main lights with a click.

The once noisy theater instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed on the stage.

Bowing slightly to the audience, Li Shixin smiled and began, “Today marks the first day of the Joyful Drama Troupe’s performances. The creation of this theater was actually quite accidental.”

He glanced at the crowd of devoted fans, including the elderly Zhang Mingrong and her daughter Wang Qiang seated beside her.

“As someone of advanced years, I know well how hard winter can be for our elderly friends. To give them a place to find joy during the cold season...”

“As an actor, I also hope to contribute, in my small way, to bringing cultural entertainment to friends here. So I hope everyone who comes to this theater feels comfortable and enjoys what they see. I sincerely thank all those who have worked hard to establish this little theater!”

“Bravo!”

Amid warm applause, Li Shixin bowed again.

When the clapping subsided, he announced loudly, “Now, dear friends, please take your seats, switch off or silence your devices, and keep the theater quiet. Next, the first play of the Joyful Theater will begin.”

“I would especially like to thank the elderly Zhang Mingrong and her daughter Wang Qiang for attending. The first play, ‘Only You Are the Unforgettable Thought of My Life,’ is adapted from their true experiences. This play is also dedicated to our elderly friends living with Alzheimer’s disease. We hope you will enjoy it!”

With a second wave of applause, Li Shixin retreated backstage.

As the house lights dimmed once more, the curtains slowly parted.

Meanwhile, outside the small theater.

Accompanied by a dozen tenants from the second floor, cultural bureau officials who had come to investigate a complaint pushed open the theater doors.

Seeing the darkened theater, the lead official frowned.

“Who is responsible for this theater?”

At the entrance, the three little girls sitting on small stools pointed simultaneously toward the stage.

“Sir, that old man over there!”

The official followed their pointing fingers to see a burly middle-aged man carrying a small actor slowly making his way forward.

He was stunned.

Your child must be out of his mind.

There’s no old man here.