Chapter 34

 Chapter 34: The Best Freshman Welcome Party

While the latter part of the two stories had the same set and scenes, the plots were entirely different.

In the previous story, the protagonist was an athlete who was always the fastest in school, effortlessly winning first place at every school sports event, making all the students cheer and applaud.

But now, he was merely an outlier in a wheelchair, not only watching his classmates run on the school field during sports events but also enduring their curious glances when he rolled his wheelchair on the streets. 

On the stage, even though those classmates were mere blurry figures, not specific individuals, every member of the audience felt the collective gaze directed at them, moving with them as they followed the protagonist's journey.

In the earlier story, the mother's presence was absent.

Though Zhou Yuping still appeared on stage, she was usually in the background, an inconspicuous figure amid the cheering audience. As the story progressed, her image would grow more distant, with special filters applied to her in the holographic projections, combined with lighting effects, making her appear more and more obscure.

This was because the previous story was a figment of the protagonist's imagination, and his mother's presence wasn't genuine.

But in this story, Zhou Yuping's presence began to frequently appear at key locations on stage. She picked him up from school every day, had to put her work aside to take care of him, assumed more household chores, and went to the store to buy his favorite snacks.

His father's image also began to appear more frequently, always working hard to support the family. After their son fell ill, he would come home late after working long hours, his physical condition appearing to be weighed down.

Nevertheless, his parents tried to maintain an optimistic demeanor in front of their child, doing their best to make him happy.

All these details were woven into familiar scenes, allowing the audience to realize that this was the real story. However, compared to the first story, this one was much more distressing. With the first-person perspective's immersion, every audience member could feel the protagonist's isolation and the ever-present shadow cast by his disability.

Although the protagonist remained silent, everyone could sense his pain. He became increasingly mature and sensitive, deeply regretting not cherishing his time of good health in the past. He had been a source of worry for his mother, and now, he was powerless to do anything as he watched her give up her job and endure hardship to care for him.

When his mother passed away due to illness, he fell into deep self-blame. He found the world terribly unfair, wondering why he was the one afflicted by illness. Simultaneously, he felt that he had burdened his mother because, in his eyes, his mother had never experienced a single worry-free day because of him.

Thus, his subconscious gave birth to another life, where he could break free from the wheelchair's confines and run freely, where his classmates' gazes were no longer those of curiosity but admiration and envy. In this alternate life, he could live, love, and achieve success like any other normal person. He could free his mother from worrying about him and allow her to leave with no regrets.

But all of this was inevitably shattered by the unfeeling angel, brutally and starkly revealed to everyone.

The dream began to grow chaotic. The holographic projections displayed various irregular, multicolored complex shapes, which started to encroach upon the image, while the stage lights and sound effects grew chaotic, as if the entire world was becoming unstable.

These irregular, multicolored complex shapes represented the protagonist's current emotions—regret, pain, resentment, and sorrow...

They attacked each other, invading one another, causing the entire memory to become shaky.

The angel's voice sounded panicked, "Child, calm down. Your dream is about to collapse!

"Okay, listen to me now. Close your eyes and let your emotions settle.

"Someone wants to see you.

"She wants to tell you that maybe everything isn't as bad as you imagine."

The curtain slowly closed, and those various complex emotions were gradually concealed behind it, as if the protagonist's thoughts were being cleared.

At this moment, a beam of light shone in front of the curtain, and Zhou Yuping stood quietly with a smile.

"Child, your mother heard the story you told.

Mother is proud of your imagination; you've always been a very smart and sensible child.

The story about the athlete is great, and your mother likes it.

But, your mother doesn't actually like the little boy in the story because that's not you. So, your mother wants to tell you about the you in her eyes."

As Zhou Yuping narrated, the curtain slowly rose, and the holographic projection began to display images.

The audience now noticed that many physical props had been moved onto the stage. These props originally appeared in different scenes, but they were all now on the stage, creating a sense of temporal and spatial overlap.

This time, Zhou Yuping was more like an outsider and didn't interact with the holographic projection but took on the role of a narrator instead.

The holographic projection's images gradually became clearer. Two apparitions representing the parents were by the baby crib, sharing the joy of seeing a newborn baby coming into the world with all the audience in front of the stage.

As time passed, the projection on the stage also changed gradually. The three-year-old actor took the stage, and for the first time, the first-person perspective of the protagonist appeared in the audience's view.

Like the second story, there weren't many changes in what he did.

In the home scene, he didn't play quietly by himself but kept crying and seeking his mother's attention. He didn't study the piano or painting diligently and was often distracted...

However, this time, with a different perspective, the audience could see more details.

For example, when he attempted to cry and attract his mother's attention, his mother didn't get angry or annoyed. Instead, she comforted him with a voice full of indulgence.

He remembered being distracted when learning the piano and painting, but he forgot the delight and pride on his parents' faces when he played his first tune and completed his first painting.

The audience no longer saw an inexperienced, bothersome child, but a vibrant, lively, and limitless new life full of possibilities.

It turned out that the images of his childhood in his memory, which he considered as not sensible, were the most precious memories for his parents.

Until he sat in the wheelchair, he had always strived to make his dad and mom happy, fantasizing about running, raising funds to help disabled children, and he wrote and drew it all down.

Although his writing was naive and his drawing skills weren't outstanding, these works contained the pure heart of a child.

Finally, Zhou Yuping stood in the center of the stage, smiling at the audience and said, "Child, don't be sad, don't blame yourself. Mom had an incredibly happy life.

"You brought light, joy, and endless possibilities to a new family. You wove beautiful memories with your childhood friends.

"Sometimes you were playful, sometimes you were stubborn, sometimes you felt guilty, but all of that signifies you have a heart of gold, and it signifies you've always been warming this world like the gentle morning light.

"So, Mom feels incredibly happy, and she doesn't regret her life at all.

"You also don't need to fantasize about another life because your current life is already incredibly great.

"In the future, you will undoubtedly lead an even more remarkable life, a fulfilling life, a life with endless possibilities.

"Son, Mom loves you."

With the final farewell, the stage's curtain slowly descended.

On the projection on the curtain, the angel appeared again, but this time he didn't look towards the direction of the audience; instead, he gazed at another corner of the curtain.

There, a blurry figure was walking slowly towards a brightly lit door at an elevated spot. Just as she was about to enter, she turned around, waving her hand slowly.

Then, she stepped inside, and the door slowly closed.

The angel turned back and said, "Thank you for letting me witness such a touching story. Actually, even if Mom goes to heaven, she will always be by your side, right?

"Okay, child, close your eyes and wake up.

"You have to listen to Mom, lead an even more remarkable life, a fulfilling life, a life with endless possibilities."

The projection on the curtain gradually dimmed, and the top and bottom edges slowly squeezed the entire field of vision, just like closing one's eyes.

After the curtain went completely black, the name of the stage play appeared once again: "You in My Eyes."

……

At this point, this extensive language-themed program has come to an end.

Strictly speaking, it's more like a stage play than a skit. An hour-long duration is quite excessive for a skit, but it suits a stage play perfectly.

So, it's more accurate to say that it extended a stage play into the evening program rather than stretching the skit.

The final performance of the freshman welcome ceremony is a grand chorus by all the performers and staff.

This performance is more relaxed, with no worries about mishaps or elaborate stage effects. At this point, it can be declared that the freshman welcome ceremony of the Game Design Institute is a complete success.

As the song plays, the names of all the performers and staff from this welcome ceremony appear on the large screen behind the stage and scroll slowly upward to the accompaniment of the final chorus.

The audience below the stage is also singing along with the actors on stage, and many are still immersed in the program "You in My Eyes" and can't pull themselves away.

This welcome ceremony for the Game Design Institute is full of surprises!

At the beginning, many audience members came for Road to Know's song, but they didn't expect that the two language-themed programs that followed were even more spectacular, one after the other!

Especially "You in My Eyes," it's a very novel form of a stage play, the first time it has fully utilized the power of the holographic projection equipment in the Science Auditorium. It actually incorporates many game design elements and offers the audience a completely new experience.

Moreover, it's much more sophisticated than the typical skits that have a "happy beginning and sad ending."

It focuses on the disabled community, presents touching family elements, and the content flows naturally, progressing in layers like peeling an onion, with emotions conveyed just right, unlike some skits that feel forced.

At the same time, it's a program that very effectively represents the Game Design Institute, successfully integrating gaming and stage drama.

Many people have realized that this may be the best freshman welcome ceremony in the history of the Game Design Institute, or perhaps in the history of Jinghai University!

……

Author Note: 

PS. The game / stages idea is taken from this game.  《历历在目》"Before Your Eyes." A narrative game that is played by blinking your eyes.