Everyone Loves the Alpha, But He’s Not Interested [Transmigration] - Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Professor Zhang’s performance practice class for this semester had concluded. The remaining sessions before finals would primarily focus on selecting roles for the end-of-term play and conducting rehearsals.

“By the way, what movie did you act in?” Professor Zhang asked with a frown.

Before Ning Xi could answer, he immediately continued, “Having good physical attributes doesn’t mean you don’t need profound acting skills. Rather than wasting time on bad films, you’d be better off attending classes properly to land better movie roles in the future. From now on, be diligent and always consult me before accepting any roles, understand?”

Professor Zhang spoke earnestly, and Ning Xi naturally recognized his good intentions. “I’ll definitely seek your advice in the future. Thank you, Professor Zhang.”

“Hmm, you may go back now.”

Ning Xi returned to her seat.

The person next to her was trembling with suppressed laughter, while those with less restraint were already grinning widely, revealing their white teeth, and had to cover their mouths with their hands.

An Man stood beside Professor Zhang, looking extremely awkward.

Just as An Man was hesitating whether to tell Professor Zhang what movie Ning Xi had actually acted in, Professor Zhang’s eyes narrowed sharply as he sternly addressed the students, “What are you laughing at? Was what I just said funny? Do I need to give you something even funnier to do?”

“No, not funny at all.”

Professor Zhang had always been strict with them and true to his word. Seeing that he seemed genuinely angry now, the students immediately stopped their antics.

An Man also composed herself. Ning Xi hadn’t spoken up directly because she didn’t want to embarrass Professor Zhang in front of the students. It would be better to explain this awkward situation to him privately after class.

Convinced that Ning Xi lacked acting skills, Professor Zhang spent the entire class testing other students without calling on her once.

When Ning Xi raised her hand to participate in the assessment, Professor Zhang simply ignored her.

Ning Xi: “…” How could she explain to Professor Zhang that her acting skills were actually excellent without hurting his pride and get a chance to participate in the play selection?

After class, Professor Zhang left immediately without any delay. An Man said to Ning Xi, “I’ll talk to Professor Zhang. You’d better not go.”

Ning Xi nodded, “Thank you, Class President. It would indeed be awkward if I went.”

An Man replied, “Don’t worry about it. Consider this my apology on behalf of Zheng Tian.”

An Man caught up with Professor Zhang, “Professor Zhang, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Professor Zhang glanced at her sideways, “Go ahead.”

An Man said, “There are too many people here. It’s not convenient. Could we go to your office?”

Professor Zhang gave her a strange look, “There are other teachers in the office too.”

An Man said with a pained expression, “Then could you find a private space? What I need to tell you is really important.”

A flicker of suspicion crossed Professor Zhang’s eyes, then his expression suddenly changed as if realizing something, “Come with me.”

Professor Zhang and the Dean were married, and the Dean had a private office.

Professor Zhang took An Man to the Dean’s office, asked her husband to leave, then pointed to the chair opposite and said to An Man, “Sit down and talk.” His tone carried a hint of caution.

“Professor Zhang, I…” An Man hesitated, unsure how to begin.

Professor Zhang said, “Has someone been bullying you? Don’t be afraid, tell me. I can help resolve this and make sure the perpetrator is brought to justice.”

“What?” An Man looked confused, “Professor Zhang, what perpetrator?”

Teacher Zhang sensed something was off and asked, “You called me to this secluded place to talk is it because you’re being bullied by betas?”

“No, Teacher, where did you get that idea?” An Man couldn’t help but laugh. “I wanted to talk to you about Ning Xi.”

Teacher Zhang let out a relieved sigh. “As long as you’re not being bullied, that’s fine. You gave me a scare.”

“If Ning Xi has something to say, why didn’t she come to me herself?” Teacher Zhang picked up his teacup and took a sip.

An Man glanced at him cautiously. “Promise you won’t get mad at Ning Xi. She really couldn’t explain it to you herself. To be precise, this misunderstanding is actually your fault for jumping to conclusions.”

The teacup froze halfway to Teacher Zhang’s lips. “Hey, you little brat. I’d like to hear how exactly I jumped to conclusions.”

An Man gave him a sympathetic look. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

“I’m sure!” Teacher Zhang set the cup down decisively, focusing entirely on An Man. “But before you start, could you stop looking at me like I’m some kind of idiot? I’m still your teacher, you know.”

An Man averted her gaze, unable to suppress a smile. “Alright, Teacher Zhang, I’ll get straight to the point.”

“Ning Xi’s grades and looks used to be pretty average, but ever since she differentiated into an alpha, it’s like she unlocked some hidden potential. You’ve obviously noticed her appearance, but what you don’t know is her acting skills.”

Teacher Zhang scoffed. “I’ve taught hundreds, if not thousands, of alphas in my time, and I’ve never seen anyone’s acting suddenly improve just because they differentiated. At most, they might grasp things a bit faster. How can someone who skips classes still be a good actor? Who would believe that? Don’t think just because she landed some small-time movie role that she’s suddenly amazing. Those films just use pretty newcomers for publicity they don’t care about actual talent.”

“…Teacher Zhang, but Ning Xi is acting in Yu Qingxue’s movie,” An Man finally blurted out.

“Yu Qingxue? What?wait, who? The Yu Qingxue I know?” Teacher Zhang paused mid-sentence, his expression shifting to shock.

“Yes, that Yu Qingxue, the only omega actress to win a global award, your prized student,” An Man confirmed.

Teacher Zhang’s pupils trembled. “…It must be a film funded by her company. She probably doesn’t even know about it.”

An Man’s eyes filled with endless pity once more. “No, Teacher Zhang. You were abroad at the time, so you didn’t hear, but Yu Qingxue held an actor audition at Beihua Academy…”

“Ning Xi stood out in the audition?” Teacher Zhang asked.

“Well… not exactly. But in the end, Yu Qingxue personally approved her and cast her as the lead!”

Teacher Zhang stared at her in silence. An Man began to feel uneasy under his gaze. “Teacher Zhang…?”

“So you’re just trying to tell me that Ning Xi’s acting is good, and she’s not in some low-budget film, right?”

An Man nodded.

“Got it. You can go now.”

An Man left the dean’s office in a daze, feeling like Teacher Zhang had misunderstood something yet again.

Even though Ning Xi hadn’t won the lead role through the official selection process, everyone knew she had completely outshone the original first-place candidate, Cai Yixuan, with her acting so much so that even the proud Cai Yixuan admitted her defeat and was demoted to a supporting role.

Teacher Zhang had also taught Cai Yixuan. Maybe she should have mentioned that part?

After thinking for a long while, Anman snapped out of her thoughts to find she had already walked out of the office building. Glancing back, she decided returning would be too troublesome. “I’ll just talk to Professor Zhang next time,” she thought.

The dean waited until Anman left before immediately pushing the door open and returning to his office.

Seeing Professor Zhang sitting in his chair deep in thought, the dean didn’t disturb him and quietly picked up a book to read instead.

No one knew what Professor Zhang was pondering except himself. When he finally came to, he noticed the dean reading and took out his phone. “I’m making a call. Don’t make a sound,” he said.

The dean immediately gave an “okay” gesture.

Professor Zhang scrolled through his contacts until he found Yu Qingxue’s number. After hesitating for a moment, he felt it necessary to make this call.

Though Yu Qingxue had graduated years ago and achieved great success far beyond the reach of a mere professor’s interference, he had to call for the sake of her reputation.

“Ring—ring!” The call connected after two rings.

“Professor Zhang, what brings you to call me? This is the first time I’ve heard from you since graduation.”

Yu Qingxue’s soft, amused voice came through the phone, but Professor Zhang’s expression remained stern.

“Qingxue, I heard Ning Xi is starring in your film?”

Yu Qingxue chuckled. “You rarely pay attention to such things. Did you take a liking to Ning Xi and want her as your student, just like me?”

Professor Zhang said gravely, “I heard Ning Xi didn’t participate in your audition and was directly chosen as the lead?”

“That’s correct.”

Hearing her confirmation, Professor Zhang clutched his chest. “I never thought you’d pick up the worst habits of the entertainment industry after all these years! How could you just hand the role to Ning Xi? Just because she’s beautiful? Don’t tell me you were actually moved by her acting! Listen to me, Yu Qingxue keeping an alpha as a lover is a stain you can’t afford. And Ning Xi doesn’t deserve to be treated like this either. Take my advice and cut ties with her, do you hear me?!”

Yu Qingxue was stunned by Professor Zhang’s outburst.

When she was in college, she had been young, and Professor Zhang had taken special care of her. Their bond was almost father-daughter-like.

This was the first time he had ever scolded her so severely, leaving her momentarily speechless.

“What, you’re still hesitating?!” Professor Zhang, mistaking her silence for reluctance, was so furious his chest heaved violently.

The dean quickly set his book aside and rushed over to pat his back. “Calm down, maybe you’ve misunderstood Qingxue. She doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”

“Quiet! I’m talking to Qingxue. Stay out of this!”

With one glare from Professor Zhang, the dean sheepishly retreated to his book.

“Professor Zhang, you think I cast Ning Xi because I’m keeping her as a lover?” Yu Qingxue asked incredulously.

“What else? Ning Xi’s grades are mediocre, she barely attends class, and the only thing exceptional about her is her face. What other conclusion could I possibly draw?”

Yu Qingxue suppressed a laugh. “Professor Zhang, you’ve got it all wrong. Ning Xi and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“I know you’re wondering why I chose her, and I can prove with facts that my decision was completely impartial.”

Professor Zhang: “…Really?” Still skeptical.

“I’ve sent the video to your email. Please remember to watch it later. If you’re not satisfied, I guarantee a refund.”

Professor Zhang hung up the phone, walked to his desk, and logged into his email. Yu Qingxue had indeed sent him a video.

With a stern face, Professor Zhang downloaded the video, thinking to himself, “Qingxue, you’d better not be half-assing this.”

Ten minutes later, the nearly 1GB HD video finished downloading. Professor Zhang clicked play with his mouse.

The dean, curious, put down his book and stood behind Professor Zhang to watch.

The beginning of the video appeared to be a three-minute trailer edited by the “Asking Demons” production team.

Set to fitting music, it looked like a passionate martial arts film with a touching love story.

“Ning Xi’s acting is quite good. See? You’ve really misunderstood Qingxue. How could you doubt your own student’s character?”

Professor Zhang paused the video and glared at the dean. “Are you done?”

“Done, done.”

“Do you think it’s hard to cut two hours of garbage into three minutes of a great trailer? Didn’t you get enough of that with ‘Three Lifetimes of Immortal Love’ earlier this year?”

The dean recalled it and immediately felt a toothache coming on. “More than enough. That trash was painful to watch.”

Professor Zhang, feeling validated, nodded in satisfaction and turned back to continue the video.

Ten minutes later, Professor Zhang and the dean were looking at each other with tear-filled eyes, their hearts drowning in sorrow, speechless.

“…”

“…”

“What was Qingxue thinking, releasing this year’s ultimate tearjerker on Valentine’s Day?” the dean asked.

Professor Zhang grabbed a tissue to wipe his tears and immediately called Yu Qingxue.

“Professor Zhang, did you enjoy the video~?” Her cheerful voice was a stark contrast to the film’s tragedy.

Professor Zhang was instantly snapped out of the sad atmosphere, and the questions he had for Yu Qingxue got stuck in his throat.

“…You actually want to release a tragedy on Valentine’s Day? Did couples do something to offend you?”

Yu Qingxue didn’t let him off the hook, laughing as she asked, “Ning Xi’s acting isn’t bad, right?”

Support