Chapter 140: Self-Funding!

A single spark set the whole body in motion.

Originally, this Christmas Eve celebration was organized by the Student Council, who had gathered students from various departments to contribute and coordinate the event.

For example, the hosts were recruited from the Film and Television Department, which specialized in Broadcasting and Hosting.

The singing and dancing performances were a collaborative effort among students from the Opera, Dance Drama, and Musical Theatre departments.

Language-based acts like cross-talk and skits were performed by students from the Acting Department, with scripts provided by those in the Dramatic Literature Department.

Especially the planning, design, and construction of the stage itself were handled by students from the Stage Art Department, who had already been working hard for two weeks. Though none of their students performed on stage, many were now displeased upon hearing that several programs prepared with great effort by their fellow students had been cut.

As for the Directing Department, needless to say, they were responsible for the entire planning and execution of the event.

And what did the Student Council do?

They secured a few sponsors, reviewed the programs, and invited faculty leaders to attend. Not insignificant work, but certainly not the most strenuous among all involved.

Amidst the escalating disputes, two figures entered—

The Student Council President, a refined yet somber-eyed young man.

And his assistant, a strikingly beautiful girl with a quintessential influencer’s face.

“What’s all this noise about?” the president barked upon entering.

But his authority carried little weight. A boy shouted back, “Tang Jin, why did you cut our program?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“If you don’t explain, we won’t let you leave this room today!”

“We’ve rehearsed so hard! Are you bullying us?”

“Do you think this is some kind of Spring Festival Gala? This is so damn unfair!”

The students erupted, each voicing their grievances at Tang Jin.

Yet Tang Jin wore a solemn expression, seemingly unfazed by their attacks.

He glanced around, his gaze settling on Jiang Lun, then stepped forward with a faint smile.

“Jiang Lun, today is Teacher Yao’s birthday from the Acting Department. We wanted to take this opportunity to send him our blessings. Also, we’ve invited many well-known figures from the entertainment industry. Since you’re here, I’d like to invite you to participate; your program can be performed on stage!”

Silence fell.

All eyes shifted to Jiang Lun, waiting to see if he would accept.

Tang Jin looked confident and composed, as if certain Jiang Lun would agree.

Jiang Lun remained expressionless. What was supposed to be a joyful day had turned sour—who could be happy now?

Though he wasn’t a formal student at the Central Academy of Drama and didn’t attend daily or share a dorm with others, friendships had still been forged.

How could he just step on stage now?

Besides, he wasn’t eager. He had declined many performances over the past months. If it weren’t for his classmates asking for help, he wouldn’t bother performing at all.

“I don’t care,” Jiang Lun waved dismissively. “Are you letting the students’ programs go on or not?”

“Impossible!” Tang Jin frowned. “I’m powerless here; the programs have already been finalized…”

“Then don’t say anything more—I’m not going on stage!”

Jiang Lun finished, then motioned to the students behind him. “Let’s go. If they won’t let you perform here, I’ll find a way for you!”

“Jiang Lun!” Tang Jin’s tone hardened. “Since you’re auditing here, you’re basically a student of this academy. If you perform well this time, I can propose to the school that you become a formal student. It’s not impossible!”

“Don’t give me that crap!” Jiang Lun turned, pointed his finger at Tang Jin’s nose. “And don’t speak to me in that tone—you have no right!”

“You…” Tang Jin clenched his breath, feeling suffocated.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Lun to speak to him so bluntly, showing no respect whatsoever.

By contrast, Jiang Lun’s presence was commanding, a stark contrast to his usual gentle and friendly demeanor.

After all, he was a star—though a grassroots one, currently at a rising-but-not-top-tier level—but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t put on airs. Just because he didn’t lose his temper didn’t mean he was easy to bully.

Back in the day, he had been banned from the microblog platform for engaging in heated debates. If it came down to a fight, who would back down?

Watching Jiang Lun lead the students toward the door, some members of the Student Council couldn’t help but ask Tang Jin, “What do we do? Has this gotten a bit out of hand?”

“Let them go. Don’t think they can do whatever they want just because they’re ‘stars.’ There are bigger names here tonight than him,” Tang Jin said fiercely. “I’m not afraid this will escalate. I’ll personally report to the school leadership about Jiang Lun’s suspicious auditing status—I don’t even know if he passed the entrance exam. Those helping him will be in trouble too!”

“What about those students…”

“I’ve recorded their names. They’ll all have disciplinary points deducted for disobedience to school arrangements!”

“But this is self-funded, not the school’s…”

“I’m in charge here!” Tang Jin cut them off. “Enough! The event is about to start. Let’s not waste time!”

...

Jiang Lun stepped outside, pulling out his phone to post on microblog.

“Tonight’s Christmas Eve celebration: I’ve decided to hold an impromptu performance at the Central Academy of Drama. Anyone interested, feel free to reach out—private message or call my manager, Mr. Mai. Opportunities are limited!”

As soon as the post went up, it stirred a frenzy online.

Fans eagerly reposted and commented:

“Awesome! The fan club hasn’t had an event for ages. I’m heading to the academy right now!”

“Wait, the event’s in the capital city? So sudden—I can’t make it!”

“I’m nearby; I’m coming immediately!”

...

After posting, Jiang Lun called Mai Le.

“Hey, did you see my microblog?”

“No, what did you post?” Mai Le was also enjoying the holidays. Work had slowed down for Jiang Lun recently, so he was more relaxed.

“I’m hosting an event at the academy. If anyone contacts you for sponsorship, accept as many as you can, and try to meet any other reasonable requests!”

“What? What was that?”

Mai Le took a few seconds to process. “You’re doing an event? Are you serious?”

“Enough talk—I have work to do!”

Jiang Lun hung up, then handed the phone to Chen Yingying. “You handle the microblog messages. Same instructions as before, got it?”

“Got it!” Chen Yingying had been listening all along and understood Jiang Lun’s plan without him needing to explain.

“Jiang Lun, what now? Have you managed to secure us a chance to perform?” Lu Yuhan approached, noticing the microblog post and phone call.

Other students gathered around.

“Jiang Lun, who do we ask for performance opportunities?”

“We rehearsed so hard, but that bastard Tang Jin ruined everything. But if it doesn’t work out, it’s fine—there’ll be more chances in the future!”

“Yeah, no pressure. We’re not that attached.”

Listening to their words, some treated Jiang Lun like a savior, while others sought not just a chance to perform but to stand up to Tang Jin’s tyranny. Hearing Jiang Lun’s earlier offer to help resist the Student Council, they wanted to follow him.

“Everyone, quiet down. If they won’t let us join their celebration, we’ll make our own!” Jiang Lun raised his hand. “It’s just a Christmas party, and it’s self-funded too. We won’t let our hard work go to waste!”

“Make our own?” The students looked puzzled.

“No venue, no audience, no resources... and besides, it’s already late. Not very realistic.”

“Exactly. Staging an event costs money. Where would we find sponsorship?”

“And with just these few programs, can we even pull off a whole celebration?”

“Why not?” Jiang Lun smiled. “First, let’s talk location. Anyone know a suitable place nearby? Give me suggestions and we’ll pick one!”

“Gymnasium? Probably not. That requires school leadership approval, and time’s too short. Plus, the school might not allow us.”

“How about the sports field? Plenty of people there, no worries about audience.”

“I think in front of the teaching building. There’s an empty space there that no one manages.”

“I prefer in front of the dormitory. I’m close with the dorm manager; I can get him to help us.”

“That’s not that simple. We need approval from the logistics department.”

“I know the director of the general affairs section in logistics. We’ve teamed up before playing online games. I can try to contact him.”

All eyes turned to Jiang Lun, waiting for his decision.

Jiang Lun considered briefly. “Alright, let’s do it in front of the girls’ dormitory. Who said they know the general affairs director?”

“I—I’ll call now!” One boy immediately raised his hand and stepped aside to make the call.

“The stage setup…”

“Leave that to us from Stage Art. No problem!” Two students from that department raised their hands before Jiang Lun finished.

“Great, thank you. You guys can bring more friends to help and join in!”

“No problem!”

As the two students left, Chen Yingying came up. “Mai Le called. ‘Fragrant Milk Tea’ and ‘Tong Yi Instant Noodles’ want to sponsor us!”

“These two are fine. Tell them to come right away!” Jiang Lun said. “Write down all sponsors’ names. Later, give the list to Stage Art so they can display them!”

“Also, Five-Star Music Network wants to do a live broadcast. Mai Le asked for your opinion.”

“Live streaming?” Jiang Lun frowned. Could their small-scale event be broadcast live?

But since he already had a live streaming contract with Five-Star Music, he couldn’t refuse. After some thought, he bit the bullet.

“Alright, live broadcast it. Also, post this on my microblog. Fans who can’t make it can watch the stream on Five-Star Music.”

He smiled at the remaining students. “See? We have sponsorship and a website broadcast. What’s there to worry about? It’s 7:30 now, and we start at 9:30. Two hours—enough time to prepare?”

“Enough!” the students cheered.

“Good. Contact your classmates and roommates. Anyone with a program can join. If you have extra acts, sign up with Lu Yuhan!”

“Me?” Lu Yuhan pointed at herself, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility. She nodded firmly. “I’ll handle it!”

“What time does it end?” someone asked.

“Christmas Eve celebration goes until 3 a.m.,” Jiang Lun said with a smile. “As long as you have enough acts!”

“What do we do now?”

“We can rally students across campus to watch our show!”

“And help decorate the stage!”

Without waiting for Jiang Lun, ideas and energy buzzed from the group.

They agreed to meet at 8:30 p.m. in front of the girls’ dormitory.

Twenty minutes later, the student who had contacted the general affairs director returned, waving a paper excitedly.

“Got it! The logistics department approved our venue usage, and we can use it until dawn!”

“Really?”

Jiang Lun took the paper, reading carefully: time, location, and signatures were all there. The signature read “Zou Libin.”

“Who’s that?” he asked.

“That’s me,” the boy said. “It was rushed, so just my name is on it. Can I be the person responsible?”

“No problem. You’re the person in charge!” Jiang Lun said casually. These were just formalities.

With the venue secured, Stage Art students raced against time to build the stage.

The stage equipment was rented from the school, requiring a teacher’s signature to access the storage room. Stage Art students had the authority to handle this.

Upon learning Jiang Lun was setting up a spontaneous Christmas event in front of the girls’ dormitory, the department head and several teachers arrived—not to stop them, but to offer advice on lighting, sound placement, backdrop design, and how to create a festive atmosphere quickly and simply.

The department head, a man well into his fifties, worked alongside the students without any airs of authority.

Jiang Lun busied himself managing sponsorships. The microblog post Chen Yingying had sent earlier drew even more attention; some sponsors called Mai Le after hearing about the live stream.

Sponsorships weren’t about quantity but quality. Jiang Lun’s requirements were simple: bring money and gifts. The money was for the event; the gifts were to celebrate Christmas with the students.

After screening, six sponsors remained.

Just then, Chen Yingying handed him another call.

“Who is it?”

“The Jiazi Band.”

“Oh!” Jiang Lun took the phone. “Hello, Akai?”

“Alan, do you need us to come help?”

“Ah! I almost forgot—we still need music! Come quick!”

“Haha, we’re just in East Cotton Alley. We’ll be there in ten minutes!”

...

Just as Jiang Lun ended the call, someone called from behind, “Alan!”

Turning around, he was surprised. “Nan Ge, what are you doing here?”

“I saw your microblog. I know this impromptu show isn’t easy. Need my help?”

Liu Nan had come in person.

Jiang Lun was deeply touched, speechless except for a heartfelt, “Nan Ge, thank you!”

“Don’t thank me yet. See who else is here?” Liu Nan smiled and winked.

(To be continued.)