Chapter 38

Act V: Avenue Q (10)

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Xiang Cai was still young. His life was like a flower that had just blossomed. He was unrestrained and enthusiastic; young and fearless.

A teenager of his age had not tasted any of the hidden rules in society. He did not understand what Tan Yiming was having to confront and what he was conflicted about.

But precisely that, such a naive, idealized, only-knowing-black-from-white teenager, could clear up the fog in front of Tan Yiming.

guess: Yun Da, the reason why dreams are called dreams is precisely because they are far away from us!

guess: It's definitely very, very hard to attain that dream.

guess: Dreams allows us to temporarily pause or take short detours, but it is absolutely impossible for to compromise, give up, or take shortcuts in order to attain it.

guess: You know, humans have worked hard for thousands of years before finally landing on the moon.

guess: Don’t you know, it’s easier to pick up the moon from the water?

——Of course I know, but the moon picked up from the water is not the moon.

Tan Yiming sat under the table lamp, staring blankly at the words sent by the boy.

He didn't expect Cai Cai to be able to set it out so clearly for him.

He sat there. It was obviously March, but he seemed to be under sweltering heat, and his body was wet with sweat after a while.

Tan Yiming awoke suddenly, in shock.

It was as if he was waking up from a long nightmare. Tan Yiming recalled his mental half-month journey, and no longer felt conflicted by his own rules of integrity.

Yes, the interview opportunity of Blizzard Entertainment was rare, but it was by no means the only way to reach his dream.

The commercial voice-over circles were not the same as the internet voice-over circles. 99% of the famous gods in commercial voice-over circles did not become famous from just a single role. Most relied on the accumulation of countless roles, step by step from dragon set to chief officer.

[T/N: That last phrase means from the background actors like servants to the protagonist. That’s not the actual English phrase, just mtl.]

This road was paved with difficulties. A commercial actor who just started out would hardly make any money, and instead would constantly expend a lot of energy. Some people would quit after some trials and setbacks, but Tan Yiming knew he could persist and succeed.

After this epiphany, Tan Yiming's mental state improved a lot in an instant.

He first went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water, and was almost scared by the decadent appearance of the person in the mirror.

... No wonder George spoke carefully when talking to him recently, no wonder the leader had assigned him fewer tasks, and his mentor paid special attention to him.

He shaved his beard carefully, washed his face, and decided to go out for a haircut tomorrow.

He returned to the table and thought seriously, leaving a string of words on the computer.

Yiming Qingyun: Cai Cai, thank you.

Yiming Qingyun: You've made me realized a lot of things.

Yiming Qingyun: I was the one who had gotten into trouble before.

Within three seconds, the little swan's reply popped out.

guess: !!!!!

guess: Great god, you finally replied!!!!!

guess: [quack big cry].jpg

guess: I thought I was talking too much and made you angry!!!

Tan Yiming would never know that in the few minutes he hadn't responded, Xiang Cai felt like he was free falling from a high altitude without the parachute, falling and falling into an abyss.

When his teacher was speaking on the podium, he didn't hear a single word. He took out his mobile phone every other minute to check for messages, and when he didn't see any, he anxiously checked it again.

This was a symptom of unrequited love. Since the other party did not respond immediately, the waiting caused his restless, anxious to let time go back to perhaps rewrite the message over, word by word.

Yiming Qingyun: How come?

Yiming Qingyun: If there was not you, I would still be overwhelmed by my indecision.

"If there was not you"……

What a beautiful phrase.

Xiang Cai blushed and decided to bury these five words in his heart.

Yiming Qingyun: But I want to apologize to you.

guess: [black swan question mark face].jpg

Yiming Qingyun: I was too busy during the previous period. You often sent a few heart felt greetings, but I could only return a few perfunctory words after a long time.

Yiming Qingyun: Are you angry with me?

guess: No no no!!!

guess: [Mighty Goose Shaking His Head].jpg

guess: Who has time to take care of the second dimension when they’re busy with the three-dimensional world?

guess: Besides, I will never be mad at you!

Because he was young, it was easy for him to say the word "never". He had not yet understood the true meaning of the word, but it didn’t matter, there was no rush for him to understand it.

Beside him, Qi Ji coldly looked at Xiang Cai secretly playing on his phone, filled with envy, she wanted to report to the teacher that he was not paying attention in class!

However, after seeing his red earlobes, she was unwilling after all.

※

Three days later, Tan Yiming asked Yao Yin to meet.

Yao Yin was well-dressed, and drove over the most expensive sports car in his garage..

They met at a cafe next to the school, and when the fuchsia sports car stopped at the side of the road, the whole cafe boiled over.

Someone recognized Yao Yin. He was a well-known Chinese student at the Conservatory of Music and now he had moved to the film and television industry to develop his career.

Seeing him coming, someone took the initiative to invite him to sit with them. Yao Yin declined, saying, "I have an appointment with a beauty."

Tan Yiming was this ‘beauty’.

Because they wanted privacy, the two sat in an inconspicuous corner surrounded by greenery.

As soon as Yao Yin sat down, Tan Yiming got straight to the point.

"Yao Yin, thank you for your kindness. However, I thought about it, and I still can't accept your proposal." Tan Yiming's face showed no apologies. After all, he had nothing to apologize for.

"..." Yao Yin, who only a few moments ago was happily holding his prey before his mate in courtship attire, entertaining wicked thoughts of his upcoming mating rituals, suddenly suffered a big blow, wounding his tiger pride.

The smile on Yao Yin's face disappeared: "You kept me waiting for so long, only to give me such an answer?"

Tan Yiming said, "I've never asked you to wait."

At this point, the man finally showed his disappointment wrapped under the appearance of a kind gentleman.

"Yao Yin, my appreciation and liking of you is based on friendship. You are really good, but if I want to find a good friend to associate with, why don’t I just find George?" Tan Yiming said.

Yao Yin said: "Because I am richer, more handsome, and more talented than George ... Forget it, I can't compare talents, because he can't play the piano while I can't program." He then insisted, "Because I can help you with your career."

"But I don't need it." Tan Yiming repeated again, "I don't need it."

Yao Yin was silent for a while, and suddenly asked, "Is my way of pursuing you too radical? Did my ‘prey’ theory disgust you? Do you prefer implicit, oriental courtship?"

"It has nothing to do with the manner in which you are pursuing me." Tan Yiming didn't know how to explain to make Yao Yin understand.

He had never been with anyone before, but had had many people pursue him. There were those with passionate feelings, and there those noisy ones with gongs and drums. Yao Yin was the one who persisted for the longest time, but it did not arouse his dislike.

"I really don't want to exchange my feelings for a letter of recommendation." Tan Yiming folded his hands on the table and took a sip of the espresso in his hand. "If you just do this, it's not fair to me. "

"This is not an exchange." Yao Yin frowned. "Look at it another way, if you had been my boyfriend long ago, and I had such a good opportunity to push forward, I would have definitely given it to you—now, just reverse the order..."

"But I'm not your boyfriend." Tan Yiming had never seen such a persistent person. "I can't take advantage of you, knowing that you have a good impression of me."

"Tan Yiming, did you really think clearly?" Yao Yin asked in a heavier tone. "Do you know that what you’re giving up is an opportunity that will allow you to rise to the sky in one step?"

"I know." Tan Yiming said, "But it doesn't matter. I can walk slowly. Even if it takes a long time, eventually I can walk to the moon."

"..."

After saying this, Tan Yiming finished the bitter espresso in his hand. He called the waiter to pay the bill, then left Yao Yin alone and walked out of the cafe.

The sun was shining outside, the March sky was warming up, and the leaves on both sides of the road began to change color.

He took a deep breath and felt that the sky was far away and the road was long. However, he was still young and still had plenty of energy.

...

After Tan Yiming left, Yao Yin sat alone on the sofa for a while, quietly looking at the empty seat across the table.

He came to the United States to study alone at the age of eighteen. He was young, talented, and generous. His family supported him in the pursuit of his dreams, and he did not experience any frustration after entering the film and television industry.

Tan Yiming was the first ‘frustration’ he had ever experienced in his life.

He couldn't say how it felt. After being completely rejected by Tan Yiming, he thought he would be sad. However, apart from emptiness, he didn't feel much.

He sat still for a while, and his mind was empty, the time unknowingly slipping away.

There was never-ending soft background music in the cafe, and the tape "clicked" and jumped onto the next song.

A gentle female voice floated from the sound, delicate and emotional.

Yao Yin recognized this song as "There’s A Fine, Fine Line" from the recent hit musical Avenue Q.



"There's a fine, fine line

Between a lover, and a friend.

There's a fine, fine line

Between reality, and pretend;

There's a fine, fine line

Between together,

And not.

And there's a fine, fine line

Between what you wanted,

And what you got."

[T/N: Those lyrics are edited to match the Chinese ones.]

Yao Yin smiled bitterly, and never felt that background music was so suitable.

He didn't want to stay here. He laughed, got up, put on his coat, and walked out of the cafe.

His luxury car was still parked on the side of the road. He walked over in a daze. He should have opened the door, but his fingers pressed in the wrong button, and the trunk bounced open.

... Balloons floated out, flowers covered the entire trunk, and a top-level microphone and headphones laid in the flowers, and ... the small handwritten banner hanging above the car cover read--

-"Tan Yiming: I hope your dreams come true, your work goes smoothly, and your future is bright!"

Your freshly released boyfriend: Yao Yin "

He had made these arrangements himself by following an online tutorial before coming to meet Tan Yiming. At that time, he was full of joyful optimism, and felt that everything was under his control.

But now, it seemed that it was only filled with jokes.

He stood alone at the end of the car, watching the joke quietly. People around him came and went, everyone noticed this luxury car, this gift, and him alone.

Everyone in the cafe came and went, and every time the door opened, the song sang back from the door.

Those lyrics infiltrated Yao Yin's ears, as if they were talking about him, as if they were talking about everyone in the world.

"And there's a fine, fine line

Between "you're wonderful" and "goodbye".

...

And you never know 'til you reach the top

If it was worth the uphill climb.

There's a fine, fine line

Between love,

And a waste of time

... "

He waited until the song was over before getting into his car, closing the door and leaving.

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The author has something to say: The part about Yao Yin is temporarily over.

With the help of Cai Cai, Tan Yiming finally realized what he needed and wanted. Of course, this is in the career aspect, and the emotional conversation has not been considered yet. 23333

I thought that the end of the fifth act could complete the first half, but I found it was confiscated, and I had to come back to do another act _(:3 」∠)_

PS: Does the new cover look good? It's Cai Cai onstage with drawn wings! The full picture can be seen on my Weibo!

***

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