The Rebirth of a Top Star

The screen went black briefly when Shen Nanqiao and Gu Ning were on camera because they went backstage to change.

So everyone who was watching those two people's live streams switched to watching the live streams of other groups.

"Your skin is so beautiful." The makeup artist praised Shen Nanqiao's delicate skin. She held a special powder for opera makeup in her hand, and with a few movements, she could vividly depict the appearance of Shen Nanqiao's skin.

Gu Ning and Shen Nanqiao were not in the same place, so Shen Nanqiao could not see what Gu Ning's outfit looked like.

The teacher's hand traced lines on Shen Nanqiao's eyebrows. A few minutes later, the reflection in the mirror was no longer of herself. It was an outfit she had never seen before.

The eyebrows are thick yet thin, and the arch is a style that Shen Nanqiao has never drawn before.

As the teacher's hand lingered on Shen Nanqiao's face, her cheeks, the corners of her eyes, and her lips were all different from Shen Nanqiao's usual appearance.

The makeup was almost finished, but Shen Nanqiao felt that something was missing, so she went back to find the makeup artist who had just done her makeup.

The teacher brought over a piece of something on a table. Shen Nanqiao looked closely and saw that it was something like hair, black and sticky, which looked rather unpleasant.

Shen Nanqiao knew a thing or two, but she didn't know that today's outfit required such attention to detail. She asked, "Should we wear this today?"

Actually, there was more curiosity in those words.

The teacher looked at Shen Nanqiao and carefully explained, "This is a head covering piece used in Peking Opera. It uses elm wood shavings water, which is clean and has no effect."

Fearing that Shen Nanqiao might not like it, the teacher held it up closer for Shen Nanqiao to see, saying, "If you don't like it, we won't do it, but it might affect the final result."

Shen Nanqiao had some reservations, but she never intended to refuse. She quickly explained, "No, I'm just curious. If I don't put it on, I feel it might be a bit disrespectful."

Shen Nanqiao thought so, and so did the makeup artist who did her makeup.

So the two of them happily began the final dressing process.

Seeing her adjusting her position and posture while applying the patch, Shen Nanqiao asked curiously. There were no cameras around, so these questions were mostly just casual conversation. There weren't many people around to worry about.

"Why do we need to put this on?" Shen Nanqiao had been curious about this before, and now that she had the chance to ask a professional, of course she was happy to.

Perhaps because very few female celebrities come here to film and participate, everyone at Huiyouxuan was very kind to Shen Nanqiao and her group today.

The makeup artist explained to Shen Nanqiao, "This is because in the past, female roles were all performed by men."

As she spoke, the makeup artist continued working, "So in order to ensure the realism of the character being portrayed, men generally have larger bone structures and facial features, so we use face masks, just like how people apply contouring makeup nowadays."

After he finished speaking, the last patch appeared perfectly on Shen Nanqiao's face.

Shen Nanqiao looked left and right, only to be pleasantly surprised. The makeup artist brought over the tools for binding her head. Before Shen Nanqiao could see clearly, she felt that she was experiencing for the first time what people online meant by being suspended and unable to move.

"Is it tight?" The makeup artist, mindful of Shen Nanqiao's feelings, looked down to observe her expression.

Shen Nanqiao suppressed the numbness in her head and smiled, "I'm fine, please continue."

Shen Nanqiao firmly told herself that everything was for the role.

After news broke that the two were already prepared backstage, the cameraman turned on the camera.

The audience from the other groups just returned without hesitation, like a gushing spring.

The atmosphere in this group is still the most comfortable for me.

Let's see just how few lines Gu Ning has.

[Here comes the bystander!]

[I'm here to ship this couple!]

Shen Nanqiao was much more nervous backstage than when she initially took on most of the work herself.

To be honest, Shen Nanqiao hadn't met Gu Ning yet. She only knew that Gu Ning would come out from the other side in a moment. Shen Nanqiao swallowed hard; she was very nervous.

At this moment, the beating of the heart takes on a tangible sound, and it becomes impossible to tell whether the heart is beating where it should be or has quietly wandered into the throat.

Shen Nanqiao looked down at her outfit, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

She went over the lines in her mind again, remembering how Teacher Shen had come up to comfort her before she went on stage.

Before she even saw it, Teacher Shen had already secretly disguised herself as Xiao Qing. She said that she was there to act alongside Shen Nanqiao, and there was nothing to worry about.

Shen Nanqiao looked up and glanced at the back of Teacher Shen standing in front of her, and her restless heart calmed down a bit.

Just then, Teacher Shen turned around and looked at Shen Nanqiao, giving her a look that seemed to say, "It's okay, don't worry, I've got everything covered."

As the music started playing outside, Shen Nanqiao could see through the cracks that under the open-air stage were a few simple stools, where, besides the cameraman, Teacher Pi Xiongguang was also sitting.

He was different from Gangzai; he was wearing a pair of reading glasses, which were firmly perched on his nose. It was unclear whether he had finished his work or had specially taken the time to watch Shen Nanqiao and the others' half-baked performance.

Teacher Xiao Shen stepped onto the stage and began her performance.

Shen Nanqiao stared intently at Teacher Shen until it was her turn to go on stage. The makeup artist who had been following her gave her a push.

This seemed like the final words to encourage the soldiers. Based on what she had learned, Shen Nanqiao went on stage.

Shen Nanqiao was not intimidated, nor did she avoid eye contact; instead, her eyes immediately fell on Old Pi in the audience.

Seeing that Shen Nanqiao did not refuse to dress up, and that all the necessary decorations were on her, Pi Lao's lips were still tight, but the tenderness in his eyes was not hidden.

In his eyes, Shen Nanqiao was a promising talent with a good figure.

After Shen Nanqiao finished singing her first verse, Gu Ning came out from the right.

This is both the first time the audience sees Gu Ning and the first time Shen Nanqiao sees Gu Ning.

Gu Ning had just been waiting inside and had already seen Shen Nanqiao's attire.

As he watched her perform, for some reason, his nervous and flustered heartbeat suddenly stopped for a second.

The numerous decorations in Shen Nanqiao's hair, her dedicated expression, and her complete outfit were not the whole picture of Shen Nanqiao that Gu Ning knew on a daily basis.

So when Gu Ning went on stage, he looked directly at Shen Nanqiao, a look that was never seen before.

Gu Ning indeed has few lines. This is the scene where the White Snake and Xu Xian first meet on the Broken Bridge, and it's only the latter half. Shen Nanqiao and Teacher Xiao Shen, who play the roles, have to sing most of the time, while Gu Ning is mostly just standing by and accompanying them.

As Shen Nanqiao sang on stage, every melody of her opera performance was captured and heard by the audience behind the camera.

At first, I thought both of them were teachers.

[I really can't believe this is Shen Nanqiao. I mean, she's really amazing.]

[It seems that Peking Opera isn't so bad after all.]

My grandpa just came over to see what I was looking at, and he said this little girl sang quite well.

[It's the same at my house. My grandma is right next to me, and she won't let me type in the comments to keep her watching.]

Unsurprisingly, Shen Nanqiao once again trended on social media because of her performance on a variety show.

This is the first time any of the guests has trended on social media.

Shen Nanqiao's opera performance was quickly uploaded to various platforms by quick-fingered viewers and has been played on a loop.

Shen Nanqiao didn't expect it, and neither did the director.

No one could have imagined that Shen Nanqiao would perform so well.

Everyone present was focused on Shen Nanqiao.

The clip wasn't very long. After Shen Nanqiao finished her performance, she came down from behind with Teacher Xiao Shen, still dressed as the White Snake.

Shen Nanqiao was filled with anxiety. She didn't know how her performance had gone, and the fact that she hadn't seen Mr. Pi smile even once made her very nervous.

As we walked from backstage to the front, Teacher Shen comforted her, saying, "Teacher Pi is usually very gentle; she only becomes serious when it comes to Peking Opera."

Shen Nanqiao and Gu Ning stood side by side in front of Teacher Pi. As they walked out, Pi Xiong Guang had already stood up first.

"Not bad, not bad." The same phrase "not bad" was repeated twice, both times while looking at Gu Ning.

Shen Nanqiao stood to the side, not daring to speak. Gu Ning bowed slightly to Old Pi, saying, "Next time you can try more content; you have talent."

After giving Gu Ning his instructions, Old Pi turned to Shen Nanqiao.

"Young lady, you have great potential."

This sentence is practically the greatest praise Shen Nanqiao could receive.

Shen Nanqiao was actually flattered, but she remained reserved. Although she was happy inside, she appeared calm on the surface: "Thank you, teacher."

The costumes they were wearing weren't comfortable, so Old Pi didn't say much. He just told Xiao Shen to take them backstage to change and remove their makeup.

As soon as Shen Nanqiao left, Old Pi looked at the camera that had been filming him the whole time.

"You guys are still filming, right?" He looked at the camera, which was broadcasting live, with a voice that sounded weathered yet full of depth.

“Yes, teacher.” Pi Xiong Guang’s eyes were sharp as he looked at the cameraman, who was considering whether he should stop what he was doing.

Old Pi looked at the dark cave entrance and said, "Then I'll have to say a few words."

His gaze at the camera wasn't as direct as before, which really confirmed what Xiao Shen said: Pi Lao is usually a very gentle senior.

"Xiao Shen is very talented. I don't know what she studies in her spare time, but she has her own understanding of Peking Opera."

Why didn't you say anything when it first appeared?

[Hindsight is 20/20, even the old guard likes to play this trick.]

Why didn't you say that in front of our Qiaoqiao?

[I could tell Shen Nanqiao was secretly pleased just now. Turns out, both master and apprentice are incredibly proud of themselves, hahaha!]

The true colors of the two were exposed, and the comments section was filled with good-natured smiles.

I don't know if any of the people who have come here have become fans of Shen Nanqiao, but at least none of them have any ill intentions towards her.

Shen Nanqiao was changing backstage. She thought it would take a long time, but she didn't expect that by following Teacher Shen's movements, her face would be cleaned up very quickly.

"If you feel uncomfortable, there's a washroom and shower in the back; you can go there and tidy up."

"Is it this professional and luxurious?"

Shen Nanqiao really hadn't expected there to be a dedicated shower area.

“Of course,” Xiao Shen said, not very enthusiastically. “Our teacher has probably invested all his savings here after retirement.”

Shen Nanqiao was unaware of these past events, but today's visit showed that Huiyouxuan was mostly frequented by passionate students.

Shen Nanqiao didn't waste any time. After tidying up, she put on a hat and went out. Old Pi had already left. Shen Nanqiao had no idea what Old Pi had said to the camera while she was away.

"We can go for a walk around the area now, and then we can choose to go back."

The cameraman received the message and relayed it to Shen Nanqiao and the other person.

Shen Nanqiao still wanted to find Elder Pi to say a proper goodbye, but the cameraman noticed her hesitation. "I already told Elder Pi earlier. He seems to have other things to do."

Shen Nanqiao had no choice but to abandon the idea.

When Gu Ning drove the car out of the parking lot, Shen Nanqiao noticed his expression and suddenly suggested, "Why don't I drive? Aren't you tired?"

Gu Ning's face showed obvious signs of fatigue. He didn't talk much and wouldn't offer any suggestions.

Shen Nanqiao then took his feelings into consideration.

When Gu Ning heard Shen Nanqiao make this suggestion, she looked at Shen Nanqiao with some doubt, "Can you drive? Do you have a driver's license?" She asked two questions in a row, and the last question in her eyes was almost blurted out: Are you sure you can do it?

Shen Nanqiao didn't want to be looked down upon, so she first looked at Gu Ning, and then at the camera behind her: "I have a driver's license. If you don't believe me, I'll show you my electronic driver's license."

Let her drive, let her drive.

I also want to see Qiao Qiao drive; it would be so cool!

"Of course you can drive if you have a driver's license. Gu Ning, come down quickly and let my daughter drive."

In this part of the story, Shen Nanqiao has gone from being a complete stranger to becoming their daughter.

Of course, one must prioritize fulfilling one's "daughter's" requests.

Gu Ning repeatedly checked Shen Nanqiao's affirmative expression. He was also a bit tired, and it wasn't a short drive back to the Heartbeat House; it would take at least an hour.

Gu Ning then gave in.

Shen Nanqiao got out of the passenger seat with light steps, jumped into the car and fastened her seatbelt.

Gu Ning still glanced at Shen Nanqiao with concern. Shen Nanqiao smiled and said to the two people following behind, "You guys should fasten your seatbelts too."

The cameraman thought Shen Nanqiao was going to promote safety awareness on the show, so he tried to agree with her.

Unexpectedly, Shen Nanqiao said next, "I've had my driver's license for two years, and this is my first time driving. You guys should wear seatbelts."

Cold sweat began to drip down Gu Ning's forehead.

Quick, buckle up my seatbelt too!

[Me too! Me too! I want to sit in the middle, protect me!]

In short, tens of thousands of spectators broke out in a cold sweat.

The moment Gu Ning realized what was happening, she was about to unbuckle her seatbelt, get out of the car, and change it back.

Shen Nanqiao stepped on the gas and started moving.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I passed the driving test on my third attempt with a perfect score."

This is my third time taking the driving test (Part 3).

Gu Ning reached out and quietly touched the doorknob.

Sometimes it's good to be more careful about safety.

Gu Ning was exhausted before the switch, but now she is in much better spirits than before.