From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

"Teacher Yu Liang, are you nervous?" Reba asked.

"A little." Yu Liang nodded.

In such an atmosphere, especially with Teacher Xiao Ou setting such a dramatic tone, it would be a lie to say you weren't nervous.

Zhou Xiao'ou's one minute and forty seconds was like a benchmark planted there, and everyone who appeared after him would be compared to him.

"It's hot."

"Um?"

"If you're nervous, drink some water. Also, just call me Yu Liang."

To be honest, Yu Liang really couldn't accept being called "teacher" by Dilraba; it made him feel like he was getting old. According to the original owner's age, he was actually a year younger than Dilraba.

Reba paused for a moment, then laughed.

At this moment, Zhai Tianlin, who was the second to appear, had already arrived on the stage.

Competition information appeared on the giant screen:

[Scene from the competition: Cao Cao in "The Advisors Alliance"]

Zhai Tianlin stood in that beam of light, his tone carrying the air of a ruthless hero like Cao Cao.

"You are the ruler, and I am the subject—"

"There are only wronged officials in the world, never wronged emperors."

Zhai Tianlin's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to seep from deep within his bones.

Yu Liang leaned back on the sofa, her fingers unconsciously tapping her knees.

He had seen this scene before. It was the part in *The Advisors Alliance* where Cao Cao rebuked Emperor Xian of Han. After the imperial edict was exposed, Cao Cao stood in the palace and uttered those words to the nominal emperor. It wasn't a subject's remonstrance to his ruler; it was the victor's judgment of the vanquished.

Zhai Tianlin brought out that sense of judgment in his performance.

It must be said that this doctor's delivery of lines is truly exceptional.

The performance ended. The applause was even more enthusiastic than Zhou Xiao'ou's.

Yu Liang suddenly realized something.

Whether it's Zhou Xiaoou's performance in "Conquest" or Zhai Tianlin's performance in "The Advisors Alliance," these are TV dramas that they themselves have acted in.

He turned to look at Reba.

"It's hot, what did you prepare?"

"Bai Qian from 'Three Lives Three Worlds'," she whispered.

really.

The actors present today all brought their own works. They're using the popularity of the series to trigger a wave of nostalgia among the audience, while also gaining new fans with their outstanding performances in their familiar fields.

This is the safest strategy.

This strategy put Yu Liang at a disadvantage, as he did not have any representative works at that time.

At the same time, Yu Liang's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Hua Chenyu.

And this one?

What will he perform?

-

The fourth person to appear was Jia Jialiang.

His performance clips appeared on the giant screen:

[Performance Excerpt: "The Green Jewel on the Rooftop" - Zhou Nianzhong]

The live chat exploded instantly.

[The Green Jewel on the Roof? How many years old is this show?]

[A 2006 drama, Jia Jialiang, you really dared to dig this up! Even the archaeological team couldn't do as much as you.]

This is essentially self-inflicted damage.

In the preparation area, Zhou Xiaogou and Zhai Tianlin exchanged a glance.

Yu Liang looked down at her phone, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

To be fair, the acting wasn't bad. Jia Jialiang, who is over thirty years old, still has a youthful look in his face when playing Zhou Nianzhong.

Now, as he stands before the microphone, his voice carries a depth honed over more than a decade.

But the comments section had completely gone off track.

It's not that he acted badly, it's that the audience is still immersed in the euphoria brought by the title of the show.

When the performance ended, there was applause, but it was noticeably less than the applause for the previous two performances.

Yu Liang suddenly felt a bit of admiration for him. To dare to bring up this drama in front of national cameras—whether he genuinely didn't care or was just pretending—that kind of courage was rare.

-

The fourth is Bai Baihe.

When she stood up, her expression was calmer than the previous ones.

The giant screen lights up: [Competition Clip: "Monster Hunt" - Huba Recognizes His Father]

She stood in front of the microphone, not deliberately "getting into character" like the previous speakers. The moment her voice came out, Yu Liang understood her strategy—she wasn't acting. She was using her own voice to match Huba's. Clean, bright, and with a touch of natural sweetness.

Very smart.

The performance ended, and the applause was more enthusiastic than Jia Jialiang's, but not as enthusiastic as the previous two. Bai Baihe's expression remained unchanged, neither sad nor happy.

Yu Liang had heard about what happened a year ago. After "One Finger Zen," her career plummeted. "The Actor's Singing" was her first appearance after her silence.

She doesn't need to win. She just needs to get people to see her again.

From this perspective, she has accomplished her mission.

---

Zhou Xiao'ou's composure, Zhai Tianlin's sharpness, Dilraba's sweetness, Jia Jialiang's topicality, and Bai Baihe's intelligence.

Five people, five different playing styles, and each card was played in a different position.

But the cards in his hand were different from everyone else's.

"It's your turn, Teacher Yu Liang," Zhou Xiao'ou reminded him.

"Go Liang Ge!" Reba said sweetly.

Yu Liang stood up and straightened his collar.

"Um."

He walked toward the elevator.

The door opened, he went in, and turned around.

Before the door closed, he saw Reba give him a thumbs-up. Hua Chenyu leaned back on the sofa, watching him with an undisguised scrutiny in her eyes.

Well, after observing the situation, it seems they're treating me like an easy target.

The elevator began to descend.

Yu Liang closed her eyes.

Two weeks ago in the rehearsal hall, Li Lihong made him read those lines over and over again.

Tong Guowei's sigh in "Yongzheng Dynasty", Sun Wukong's insight in "Journey to the West", Zhang Mazi's steadfastness in "Let the Bullets Fly", Lü Bu's sharp edge in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"...

Six lines of dialogue

Six characters,

Six kinds of lives.

He has no representative works.

Therefore, he can only rely on other people's nostalgia for the classics to make himself remembered.

The elevator doors opened.

As Yu Liang walked out, the shadow of the side curtain slid across him, and then the light came. The beam of light shone down from the dome, enveloping him completely.

Just like the others,

One person, one microphone, one beam of light.

But the person standing in the light became himself.

The audience seats were outside the light, a dark mass, and he couldn't see any faces. But he knew those eyes were all watching him.

The judges' panel was on the left, with three high-backed chairs arranged in an arc. Nayoung leaned back in her chair, Wu Yifan looked down at his cue cards, and Yang Mi—

Yang Mi is looking at him.

That gaze pierced through the light and distance, landing on him.

Wang Han stood on the other side of the stage and glanced down at his cue cards.

Then he paused.

Although it was only for less than a second, he wouldn't have noticed it at all if Yu Liang hadn't been staring at him.

Wang Han's gaze lingered on the card for a slightly longer time than usual before she looked up, her expression unchanged.

"Please welcome our guest performer, Yu Liang, whose performance is—"

He glanced at the card again, as if to confirm that he hadn't misread it.

"—A compilation of lines from the film 'Life'."

The quiet scene instantly erupted into chaos.

A buzz of whispers rose from the audience. Some craned their necks to look at the stage, while others peered down to confirm with the person next to them that they hadn't misheard.

"What did Teacher Wang Han say?"

"A medley of lines?"

"Wait, why is he doing a medley for a voice acting competition?"

"You must have misheard, it might be a medley of song lyrics?"

"A lyric medley isn't right! This is a dubbing competition!"

On the judges' panel, Na-young looked puzzled. Wu Yifan put down his cue cards, looked up, and stared intently at the stage. Yang Mi didn't move, but Yu Liang noticed her eyebrows twitch slightly.

The live stream chat exploded.

【? ? ? ? ? ? 】

What is a medley of dialogue lines?

Yu Liang, you're stirring up trouble again.

The comments section is still debating the phrase "a medley of lines".

So what exactly is a dialogue medley? Is it just stringing together a bunch of lines?

[Isn't this just asking for trouble? The first few were all actors who had appeared in popular dramas he was in; who would remember them all if he did a medley?]