Chapter 30

 Chapter 30: The Opening of the Welcome Party

More than a week had passed in the blink of an eye, and the date of the welcome party was approaching day by day.

October 13th, Friday.

The students from the Game Design College had been busy in the Science Hall the entire day, but the real challenge was just beginning.

Lu Zhixing, Zhang Yiyang, and others had been busy testing equipment and organizing rehearsals for various acts since the morning, and they had been working tirelessly until now, finally finding a moment to sit down and catch their breath.

After a simple meal in the backstage area and a glance at the time, it was already a little past 6 in the evening.

The welcome party was scheduled to officially start at 7 in the evening. Many students had already rushed to secure their seats, and only about a third of the seats in the Science Hall remained vacant. It was about to be a full house.

Coming any later would mean standing in the aisles and at the entrance to watch.

"I've never seen our college's welcome party so crowded," Zhang Yiyang sincerely remarked.

The popularity of welcome parties varied between different colleges, with colleges like Music, Dance, and Performing Arts consistently delivering high-quality performances, leading to packed audiences every time.

The Game Design College's welcome party had lower attendance in previous years, with many seats in the Science Hall remaining empty.

But this year was different, and the enthusiasm had noticeably increased.

Yan Wei added, "And this is despite our welcome party facing significant competition from the Music College and the TV show 'University Talent Show.'"

It was a lively evening, as the Music College's welcome party was also scheduled for the same day, but in the Grand Auditorium. Additionally, the long-anticipated TV show "University Talent Show" was holding its second-round premiere tonight, contributing to a slight diversion of the audience's attention from the Game Design College's welcome party.

"No worries, they'll do their show, and we'll do ours. The fact that we've been able to organize the welcome party to this extent has already exceeded our expectations, and we've made it into the top five in terms of campus popularity. We stand a chance," Zhang Yiyang said.

He knew that these people had come primarily to see Lu Zhixing. They knew he had sung an original song during the enrollment battle and had even declined an invitation from the "University Talent Show" talent scouts, so they had come out of curiosity.

This is why Zhang Yiyang and his team had to put their all into preparing their acts; they couldn't let this level of enthusiasm go to waste.

After a brief rest, the two of them went back to work.

At this moment, Lu Zhixing had a rare moment of leisure. He found a chair in the dressing room and sat down to relax.

"Brother Lu, this makeup on my face is so uncomfortable," Zhao Haoyan complained.

He had just finished getting his makeup done and, in the mirror, he resembled a white-faced monkey.

Well, that wasn't quite right; Zhao Haoyan was relatively tall, so he looked more like a white-faced gorilla.

Although their performance was in the category of language-related acts and didn't require very elaborate makeup, the stage lighting was quite intense. If they didn't wear makeup, they would look like they were carrying a big black pot on their heads when they got on stage. So, basic makeup was still necessary.

This was Zhao Haoyan's first time wearing makeup in his life, and he felt quite uncomfortable.

As for Lv Yixiao, who frequently guest-hosted at weddings, he had no such problem. He reassured Zhao Haoyan, saying, "It's okay, Old Zhao, whether the makeup is uncomfortable or not is not the main concern. The most important thing is not to forget your lines when you're on stage."

Liu Bo added, "Yeah, if you forget your lines on stage, it won't just be about losing your priority mate selection rights for the next four years; it'll be about losing them in advance for the next four years."

Zhao Haoyan's face turned even paler in an instant.

Lu Zhixing chuckled and said, "Don't scare him, you two. It's okay, Old Zhao. If you happen to forget your lines, just immerse yourself in the moment, think about what you'd say, and improvise. After all, you're performing in your own style, and most people won't notice."

Zhao Haoyan pondered for a moment, "Brother Lu, I suspect you're subtly mocking me, but I have no evidence."

……

At this moment, two special guests arrived outside the Science Hall.

Uncle Cheng pushed Cheng Ting to the entrance and handed the complimentary tickets he had in his hand to the student in charge of reception.

"Hello, are you Mr. Cheng? Your seats are in the third row. Allow me to show you there," the student said.

Uncle Cheng expressed his gratitude and then pushed Cheng Ting into the almost fully packed venue.

As the organizers of the welcome party, there were surely plenty of complimentary tickets available. The front rows of the Science Hall were reserved, while the back rows were for free seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

These two complimentary tickets were, of course, given by Lu Zhixing.

Cheng Ting looked around with curiosity. His mindset had improved a lot, and he was now capable of going out in a wheelchair by himself.

"Dad, which number is Uncle Lu's performance?" he asked.

Uncle Cheng shook his head. "Dad doesn't know, but I heard that almost the entire evening will be organized by your Uncle Lu. Be patient and watch; it should be entertaining throughout."

Cheng Ting nodded. He had heard that Uncle Lu had prepared a gift for him, so he was very excited.

After a while, the professors and teachers from the Game Design College also arrived.

Sitting in the front row, Fang Ling was surprised to see Professor He Cheng there. She said, "Oh? Professor He, you're here too? Weren't you saying you couldn't make it before?"

Professor He Cheng snorted, "I happened to have some time. I came to see what's special about your new program this time."

He indeed had no interest in this event before. It was just students fooling around, singing a few songs, and putting on a few skits. What was so interesting about that?

He didn't even watch the annual Spring Festival Gala, as he preferred to spend his time researching new games.

However, after seeing Lu Zhixing's "In Your Eyes," Professor He Cheng changed his mind.

It was not only an innovative stage performance but also a game.

Ever since he had read the script, Professor He Cheng had been itching to see it. Although he couldn't see the finished game at the moment, he could at least witness the effect on stage.

For him, it was an irresistible temptation.

Audiences gradually entered the venue, and the students responsible for photography had already set up their equipment, ready to record videos and begin live streaming.

Soon, it was 7 o'clock.

At this point, the Science Hall was packed to capacity, with even the aisles and corridors filled with people. Many individuals outside the doors could only crane their necks to catch a glimpse and listen to the sounds.

The curtains were slowly drawn, and the welcome party officially began.

The host warmed up the audience.

Opening dance.

Routine song and dance performances.

According to the pre-arranged program, one act after another was performed systematically, and bursts of applause and cheers intermittently filled the Science Hall.

...

Time ticked away.

In the Grand Auditorium, the welcome party of the Music College had also begun.

There were a fair number of spectators here as well, given that the Music College consistently delivered high-quality welcome parties each year, and it often featured future campus singing competition participants.

However, perhaps due to the larger seating capacity of the Grand Auditorium, it wasn't completely full, making the atmosphere seem a bit less intense.

Li Zihan was waiting backstage, but his mind wasn't focused on his own performance at all. Instead, he frequently took out his phone to chat with his roommates.

"How is he doing? Is he on stage?"

Shortly after, his roommate messaged back, "He's on stage, and the atmosphere at the venue is quite lively."

They also sent a short video clip.

The video was shot from the Science Hall's stage, where Lu Zhixing was performing "I'm a Rich Man Now." The stage's projectors and holographic displays were playing related music videos.

The video's quality was high, and, of course, it was made by Lu Zhixing himself.

The first half of the song had a lively and playful style, so the elements in the music video were mostly money and party-related, instantly igniting the atmosphere in the venue.

In the second half of the song, the theme shifted towards a more profound and uplifting message, with lyrics mentioning "dreams" and "children's smiles." The video correspondingly changed, replacing money-related elements with elements like sunshine, rainbows, green trees, and red flowers that conveyed a sense of healing.

The alignment between these visuals and the lyrics was perfect, and with Lu Zhixing's live performance as smooth as a CD, it brought the enthusiasm of the Game Design College's welcome party to its peak.

Li Zihan fell silent for a moment and replied, "Got it. Come back soon. I'll be on stage shortly."

"It seems like the timing we chose to have him perform is working out," he sent his roommate to gather information.

Ever since he was thoroughly defeated by Lu Zhixing in the last enrollment battle, this matter had become a mental obstacle for Li Zihan, and he couldn't shake it.

The welcome parties of the Music College and the Game Design College coincidentally fell on the same day. For Li Zihan, it was impossible to reclaim the spotlight. How could his cover songs and original songs compete with Lu Zhixing? Instead, he focused on avoiding a direct clash.

So, he changed his previously chosen "I'm a Rich Man" for a classic song. Privately, he practiced it repeatedly many times, even affecting his performance in "University Talent Show," where he failed to make it to the next round.

To avoid any clashes with Lu Zhixing, he obtained the Game Design College's program schedule in advance, ensuring that their performance times did not overlap.

Furthermore, he assigned his roommate to act as a spy and share information constantly.

Li Zihan's main motivation was to monitor Lu Zhixing's performance. Additionally, he had a lingering sense of hope. What if Lu Zhixing messed up on stage? Many people got nervous when they went on stage; singing off-key, missing notes, or having unstable breath were all common issues.

However, after watching the video, Li Zihan's last hope was shattered.

Lu Zhixing's on-stage performance was incredibly stable, almost like a live CD. Coupled with the outstanding sound system of the Science Hall, it felt like a concert, and the audience's enthusiasm was through the roof!

Li Zihan had now completely lost his temper. His only wish was for Lu Zhixing to finish his performance before he took the stage. This way, there might be some audience members who, after watching Lu Zhixing's performance, would return to see the later part of the Music College's welcome party.

After all, as of now, the Game Design College's welcome party had only Lu Zhixing's standout performance, and overall, it couldn't compete with the Music College's.

Li Zihan checked the time, and his next performance was coming up.

However, it was at this moment that his roommate sent another message.

"Wait, there's a change in the situation! The next act is a skit, and it says, 'Written by Lu Zhixing!'

"Damn! This is too hilarious; it's more interesting than the Spring Festival Gala. The Science Hall is going to explode!

"I won't go back for now; I'll watch this act first."

Even inside the Grand Auditorium, there was a faint buzz, and many audience members were discreetly discussing the Game Design College's welcome party.

"Oh my, I heard the Game Design College's original skit is amazing and very funny!"

"Is that for real? Can we still make it there now? The Music College's program is so uninteresting; it's all just singing."

"Let's go check it out!"

"Hey, there's a live stream online, do you have noise-canceling headphones? Can I borrow them? It's really loud in here."

These students watched the welcome party while sharing information. Soon, the news about the Game Design College's skit began to spread like a virus.

Even the audience in the Grand Auditorium had started to stir. Many of them secretly wanted to leave, or they took out their phones, put on their headphones, and prepared to see what exactly this skit was all about.

Lu Zhixing purposely seamlessly connected his song with "Undercover Trainee." Of course, there was a reason for this. Many people had come to the Game Design College's welcome party just to hear Lu Zhixing's song and to find out more about this campus superstar who had declined "University Talent Show." If the performance after his song was unrelated or not engaging, many of them would probably leave.

Hence, it was crucial to have a smooth transition with "Undercover Trainee" to keep the audience's attention locked in!

However, Lu Zhixing didn't realize that this arrangement unintentionally overshadowed Li Zihan.

He had thought it out well: by timing his performance differently from Lu Zhixing's, he could hope that after Lu Zhixing's performance, when the Game Design College's party didn't have any compelling acts left, the audience might come to see him.

But he never expected that Lu Zhixing would change course, moving from original songs to an original skit. Even Li Zihan's undercover roommate, who he had sent, turned traitor because the skit was so hilarious!

Li Zihan's expression gradually became blank, and the upcoming performance suddenly felt bland...

How frustrating!