Time flew by during practice, and in the blink of an eye, it was already July 20th — the day when the bottom five contestants would compete for rankings.
On that day, all contestants who weren’t performing could watch the competition from the audience. The show had reserved the first two rows for the contestants’ families and the contestants themselves.
Chi Yan was seated next to Lin Shan, who was second to perform. Lin Shan had looked especially nervous since arriving.
“Relax. If you keep this up, you won’t even be able to say your lines,” Ye Jiawen, sitting on Chi Yan’s other side, couldn’t help but comment.
Lin Shan nodded. “I’m trying not to think about it. Once I’m done performing, it’ll be fine…”
Beside Ye Jiawen was Han Xi, who looked calm and composed. Chi Yan pointed him out to Lin Shan. “Look at Han Xi. He’s going first and he’s not nearly as nervous. Learn from him.”
“He doesn’t care at all. Han Feifei isn’t nervous either.”
It was true. Only Lin Shan and You Shan seemed anxious — one due to her personality, the other out of excessive fear of making mistakes.
But regardless of how the contestants felt, the competition went on as scheduled.
Han Xi was the first to perform. He played a progressive intellectual giving a passionate speech at a podium, driven by a belief in saving the country from crisis. His emotions ran high. Though he mixed up one or two lines, it didn’t stop the audience from being moved by his performance.
After he stepped off the stage, he was met with a round of applause.
Chi Yan felt he had improved a lot. In just a short time, his acting had grown far beyond what it had been during the earlier ten-member group stage.
Next was Lin Shan. Perhaps because she was too nervous, she actually forgot her lines on stage. She froze for a few seconds, but thankfully composed herself and continued with the next line after about ten seconds.
After coming off the stage, Lin Shan cried.
“It’s really over, just like that.”
Chi Yan comforted her. “You did great. Your acting has improved a lot.”
Lin Shan gradually calmed down and began watching the others’ performances.
Xue Yi, Han Feifei, and You Shan took the stage one by one. None of them made mistakes. You Shan’s performance was especially stunning. Many viewers were surprised she did so well and regretted not voting for her.
Chi Yan looked at Lin Shan — her disappointment was obvious, but Chi Yan didn’t know what more to say, so she simply patted her on the shoulder.
The rankings were announced ten minutes later. Lin Shan hadn’t spoken a word since she stopped crying.
Chi Yan felt a bit uncomfortable. If it were Xu Yi sitting beside her, she wouldn’t have to hold back like this. When Xu Yi was upset, she’d just cry it out and be fine again. But Lin Shan was different. With a sigh, Chi Yan waited for the host to return.
The host gave a long speech before finally saying, “The much-anticipated rankings are out! Let’s look at the screen together!”
The rankings were revealed in reverse order. The first name at the bottom of the screen: 10th place — Lin Shan.
The rest followed: from top to bottom — You Shan, Han Xi, Xue Yi, Han Feifei, and Lin Shan.
And with that, half of the top ten competition was over.
Before the event ended, the host made an announcement.
“Since five contestants have completed their performances, next week The Road to Actor will not have a livestream. The final livestream will be on the night of the grand finale!”
This announcement shocked both the live and online audience. Even the ten contestants hadn’t been informed beforehand — making it seem like a sudden decision by the production team.
“To make it up to everyone, next week we’ll release exciting highlights every two hours — scenes that weren’t shown in the livestream. If you’re interested, follow Xiyou TV. That’s all for today’s show. See you next time!”
There were only five performances that day, so filming ended quickly. By the time the contestants were driven back to the dormitory by the production team, it was just after 9 PM.
“Congrats to the five of you for finishing this journey. You’ve all worked hard,” the director was waiting at the entrance. “Tomorrow, the five who completed their performances will be leaving the dorm. As a reward, I’ve arranged hairy crabs for your late-night snack. Enjoy!”
Han Xi exclaimed, “Director, you’re actually treating us to something this good? Totally worth it!”
“Han Xi, could you stop being so dramatic?” Han Feifei scolded.
“You’re just taking it out on me!”
He mumbled something after that, but Chi Yan didn’t catch it. Judging from the way Han Xi and Han Feifei talked to each other, she could tell they were very familiar — possibly even relatives.
After joking around and eating the crabs, everyone went back to their rooms.
As Chi Yan was about to head back, Xue Yi called out to her.
“Chi Yan-jie, wait up, I’ve got something for you. Can you wait here a second?”
She nodded and sat down to wait.
Xue Yi soon returned with a large bag in hand.
“Chi Yan-jie, my sister made this yogurt. I can’t finish it all myself. I gave some to Han Xi and the others too. There’s still a lot left — please take some.”
“Your sister’s amazing,” Chi Yan took the bag. “What’s she studying?”
“Something food-related… I forgot exactly. Most of her classes are about cooking.”
“Sounds impressive. You’re leaving tomorrow — thinking of taking on a new acting project next month? You’ll probably be busy with school once the semester starts.”
“My professor already got in touch. He recommended me to a friend’s production crew. They start filming next month. I’ll be playing the fourth male lead — not too many scenes, so I should be able to manage school too.”
“That’s great! Good luck!”
After chatting with Xue Yi, Chi Yan returned to her room.
She felt a little empty inside. Maybe she had gotten used to this kind of lifestyle, and now that it was about to change, she felt a bit lost.
The next morning, Xue Yi and the others packed up and left the dorm — some headed back to school, some to the airport.
Meanwhile, the remaining contestants continued training in the rehearsal room.
Chi Yan didn’t go to see them off. She was alone in the practice room, dancing.
She hadn’t slept well the night before, and woke up at five in the morning, unable to fall back asleep. So she got up early to practice.
When she arrived at the training room, she happened to run into Yang Yueyi entering the one across from hers.
Time was tight, and everyone left in the competition wanted to win the championship.
With no Path of the Actor live stream on the Xiyou Live App, viewers felt a bit lost. Thankfully, the production team uploaded some highlight clips—otherwise, it would’ve been too boring.
The highlights featured interesting moments from all 100 contestants, spanning from when they first moved into the initial dorm to the night before.
Audiences watched eagerly, but with a touch of melancholy.
“I’ve been watching since the show premiered on June 21st. It’s already been a month. Time really flies.”
“The final is on the evening of August 3rd—can’t wait to see Duan Duan’s performance!”
“Ye Jiawen is the coolest! Go for it!”
“Go Yan Yan! Beat Yang Yueyi! Don’t lose that one million!”
Messages like these filled the highlight comment section daily—viewers had gotten used to it.
A week passed, and the grand finals for the five remaining contestants began.
As before, the contestants and their invited family and friends sat in the front two rows.
A few days earlier, Shen Chen had contacted Chi Yan saying he could attend. She sent him the e-ticket.
“Mom, sit next to me. I’ll be the second-to-last to go on stage, so we’ll have to wait a bit.”
“Yan Yan, good luck! Bring home the championship for Mom!”
Chi Yan smiled. “Okay.”
Yang Yueyi had brought her mom too—their seats were not far away.
Hearing Chi Yan’s mom, Yang Lan let out a “hmph” and reminded her daughter, “You must not lose. Otherwise, your Uncle Chi will be angry.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll do my best.”
“Chi Yan, where should I sit?” Shen Chen entered the venue under the guidance of staff and approached Chi Yan.
“You came.” Chi Yan stood and pointed to the seat beside her mom. “Can you sit there? I’ll need to go up on stage from this side later.”
Shen Chen nodded and walked over.
Noticing her mother’s slightly curious expression, Chi Yan said, “Mom, let me introduce you. This is my senior, Shen Chen.”
She also introduced her mom to Shen Chen.
Shen Chen greeted politely, “Hello, Auntie.”
“Hello! I recognize you. You were there when Yan Yan hosted the graduation ceremony.”
Seeing them chatting well, Chi Yan sat quietly in her seat, reviewing her lines.
Yang Yueyi was the first to perform. Once she went on stage, Chi Yan couldn’t sit still.
“Mom, I’m going backstage first. I’m worried I won’t have enough time to change.”
“Okay, good luck later.”
“Auntie, is she going backstage?” Shen Chen also noticed the movement and asked her mom.
“Yes, Yan Yan’s afraid she’ll run out of time.”
“Do you know what role she’s playing this time? She never told her mentor.”
Her mom shook her head. “I don’t know either. I never ask about her competition stuff.”
Backstage, Chi Yan changed into her costume and walked to the makeup room.
Only Ye Jiawen was there. He had finished his makeup and was slouched in a chair playing games on his phone.
“They’re all done with makeup?” Chi Yan asked. “You really look like a male lead from a school romance novel in that outfit.”
“I haven’t graduated yet. Don’t say ‘look like’—I am one.” He glanced up and added, “They were all noisy just now, probably left.”
He finally looked at Chi Yan, noticed her costume, and raised an eyebrow. “You’re dancing in a qipao?”
“Yep.”
“Creative. I’m going back to my game now—my teammate’s yelling at me.” With that, he looked back down.
Chi Yan didn’t say anything else. The makeup artist started working on her, reminding her not to move.
After her makeup was done, Qi Kerong finished her performance and returned to grab her bag.
Chi Yan figured Duan Jing must be performing now—she needed to hurry and get into position.
When she reached backstage, Duan Jing was at the climax of her act.
To Chi Yan’s surprise, Duan Jing had also chosen to tackle a weakness—she played a female general defending a city.
But Duan Jing lacked spirit in her performance. She didn’t convey the bold aura of a general. The sword dance, a key part of the act, was poorly handled.
Her arms were soft and lacked strength. Rather than fighting with a sword, it looked more like she was dancing with it.
Still, her fans cheered loudly when her performance ended.
“Duan Duan, I love you!” echoed throughout the venue.
Duan Jing kept her expression composed on stage, but once she stepped off, her face clearly showed her frustration.
Chi Yan glanced at her, then walked onto the stage.
It was now her turn to perform.
