Chapter 194: Dreamlike

Chapter 194: Like a Dream, Like a Vision

In years past, the Double Eleven gala was something most people watched only if they happened to be bored, but this time, Zhang Zhouwei and his peers were not only determined to watch it, they organized a whole group—men and women alike—to crowd into a small campus screening room until it was bursting at the seams.

However, once they arrived, the boys who had brought their girlfriends along began to regret it.

Double Eleven was already a bottomless pit of consumerism, and because Meng Fan was appearing on the live broadcast, these fools had practically jumped into the abyss themselves.

Days before, major online stores had already released their discount schedules. Never mind the girls; many boys had also pre-loaded their shopping carts. Before the broadcast even began in the screening room, the girls were naturally buzzing about which store had the best deals, which new arrivals were discounted, and which items were "must-haves" that one simply had to buy by the dozen.

Usually, such conversations were confined to the girls, but today, with their boyfriends right beside them, the girls naturally looped them into the exchange.

"Darling, I think you would look absolutely stunning in this outfit!"

"Baby, I simply must buy these sneakers for you!"

"Honey, winter is coming, you can't let your skin be so reckless anymore. I'm buying you some men's facial masks—oh, and lotion and cream are a must, don't you dare find it troublesome!"

"I bought these hand warmers for you, aren't they cute?"

"Look at the sleeves on this coat, they come with gloves. See? They’re couple’s gloves, so when we walk, I can reach inside and hold your hand. Isn't that just so sweet?"

Did the girls demand that the boys clear their shopping carts?

Not a chance!

The young ladies of our Fine Arts Academy are all independent, self-reliant women of the new era, thank you very much!

Instead of asking their boyfriends to pay for their carts, they were busy carefully selecting items that were perfect for the boys themselves.

As for how the boys should respond to such heartfelt, considerate affection—well, that depended on their own level of awareness.

And if their awareness was low?

Ha, don't make me laugh; do guys with low awareness even have girlfriends?

"It's starting, it's starting!"

When Zhang Zhouwei and the others heard the host introduce Su Qingcen, their ears pricked up. These spendthrift women had been discussing what to buy even while watching the performances, and what was most infuriating was that the stage kept flashing product advertisements during the show—wasn't this just another scheme to trick them into chopping off their own hands?

Man: I work hard to earn money, yet you use it to support another man!

Woman: You explain yourself clearly—who am I supporting?

Man: Jack Ma!

Woman: That’s my Daddy!

That was essentially the situation on the ground. Finally, when Meng Fan was about to appear, the spendthrift women were expected to stop and forget about "Daddy Ma" for a moment.

"Sand art?"

When they saw Meng Fan was going to perform sand art, the audience was stunned. Since when did Meng Fan know sand art? Wasn't he supposed to be singing?

Xing Tage finally realized what that platform they had carried down from the upper floor the other day was for.

...

The only people who should have known about Meng Fan's sand art performance were those sitting in the Wen Wan Sand Art Studio, including Qin Jue, who had been dragged there by Wen Wan herself.

"Take a good look at the gap between you and him!"

Not long after Wen Wan finished speaking, after watching Meng Fan for barely ten seconds, the expressions of her team members shifted completely.

Teacher, we truly cannot see where the gap is anymore—it’s as vast as the heavens!

Wen Wan’s own face changed, too, because she realized the gap between herself and Meng Fan.

"It’s only been a few days, how has he improved so much again?"

"This technique... I can't even fathom it!"

"Is it just that his hands are too fast? Speed is one thing, but there seems to be a special precision in his touch!"

Then, looking at the stage again, the sand art appeared beneath Su Qingcen’s feet. Upon closer inspection of the content, Wen Wan stood up abruptly.

Sand art is two-dimensional, so how—how did he create a three-dimensional effect?

Su Qingcen was being swept up by a "gale." Wen Wan understood the stage wires and special effects, but the sand art content appearing on the stage floor looked as if it were standing upright. This was something Wen Wan could not comprehend!

A 2D 3D effect?!

This kind of artistic technique was not uncommon in street art, but Su Qingcen had never seen sand art capable of such a display.

She had imagined such an effect before, but knew it was a pipe dream—virtually impossible. The "lines" of sand art are composed of grains, which are inherently random. For colored sand to produce such exquisite results, every grain must be meticulously selected; it was impossible for them to gather into towers like sand on a beach.

The key was that Meng Fan wasn't piling it up; he was relying purely on visual perspective!

Just how deep was his understanding of sand art, how high was his skill, and to what level had his control over the sand reached to achieve this?

But what Wen Wan found most terrifying was Meng Fan’s hand speed and precision.

At this moment, the projected sand art on the live broadcast shifted again. Relying on technology, the image of the raging gale was preserved on the stage floor. Then, Meng Fan splayed his ten fingers and pressed and swept across the forest floor. The empty spaces left by the sand he pushed aside formed the shape of a humanoid—no, strictly speaking, it was the shape of a demon crawling out from the ground.

Wen Wan was confident she could quickly draw a human silhouette using such techniques, but to make the outline so clear was difficult.

And the next scene left Wen Wan, and every single viewer, stunned.

The individual demon shapes he had pointed out eventually connected to form a single, massive demon!

It was like a mosaic of images forming a human face.

But that usually required long periods of assembly, or even computer calculations. This was a live broadcast, and it had all happened in a matter of seconds.

The ingenuity of the design, the terrifying level of control... what kind of monstrous imagination did this require?

Su Qingcen, flying in the sky, continued to sing. She wasn't just singing; she was dancing, and her movements were perfectly synchronized with the sand art. For instance, she would perform a "chuunibyou" magic-casting gesture, and at that exact angle, a spear drawn from sand would appear. With a turn, the sand art would add two wings to her back.

No, to be precise, the sand art was precisely following Su Qingcen’s dance.

In the air, Su Qingcen’s movements couldn't possibly be that precise, or rather, how much rehearsal time could they have had to develop such chemistry?

What if there was no chemistry?

That was the first question the director asked when he heard Meng Fan’s idea. Meng Fan’s solution was simple: Su Qingcen would perform according to her own rhythm, and he would handle the rest.

The facts proved Meng Fan wasn't bragging. After the first rehearsal, the director was satisfied—and shocked. He immediately approved Meng Fan’s proposal and mobilized massive resources to support him, such as the stage screens, which had been upgraded specifically for this performance, along with additional aerial camera angles.

The spear flew out during Su Qingcen’s magic cast, piercing the giant demon, which then exploded into a blooming epiphyllum. Su Qingcen descended from the air, landing on the flower; she became the dreamlike, pure spirit.

Reality and sand art intertwined perfectly—like a dream, like a vision.

Su Qingcen walked forward, and with every step, a flower bloomed on the stage floor. Until the final note of the song, the stage and all the screens dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight on Su Qingcen. It was breathtakingly beautiful!

Oh, and one more light, shining on the sand artist in the distance: Meng Fan.