The Long-awaited Mr Han

"They're sore losers, so they're trying to pick on us. Plus, you weren't here, and they initially assumed you're too scared to come," Han Leilei said.

"They always ridiculed us in and after class. Of course, it's only the students. The professors and lecturers care about their status and wouldn't go overboard. Some teachers are quite good too. Because we're quite behind in standard, they'd take extra care of us and explain a lot more to us.

"And when we have questions or have our own opinions, we could approach them. They're very willing to discuss with us. They're also interested in our acting styles. It's because of these that we held on until now.

"But there are some teachers too who are arrogant and look down on us. Though they won't step on us like the students do, we can tell from their actions and words. We don't have to approach them anyway, there are a lot of friendlier teachers around.

"The ones going overboard are the students, and some others, like the Jose you met today, don't teach classes and are just administrative staff. Professors have more restraints, so they wouldn't be expressing their emotions like he did today."

"It's just some students here who keep making trouble for us in and after class, scorning and ostracizing us," Guo Hai interjected.

Sun Hezhou, from Donghua Film Academy, said apologetically to Lu Man, "I was too impulsive and didn't check my temper. They said you're afraid to come for the competition, hiding back home. Hearing this so many times, I couldn't hold it back and said you'll come, just later."

Xu Chuansheng from the same academy said, "Hezhou didn't mean anything by that, he only said that and nothing else. Who knew what those people are thinking, but they reckoned you must've felt too clever for them and could win against them even without attending lessons."

Sun Hezhou said in regret, "Would've kept my mouth shut had I known earlier."

"So before you came, they not only mocked us, but they also mocked you," Wu Zilin from the Donghua Academy of Drama said.

"We learned from a professor who's good to us that you're arriving today, so Xiaoying and I wanted to go fetch you. Guo Hai and Tan Mingxiao were scared we'd be bullied since we're girls, so they came along," Han Leilei said.

Zhang Xiaoying had been silent all this while.

Because her encounters here had erased any animosity she had towards Lu Man.

Plus, no matter whom Lu Man defeated, she never put on airs.

Lu Man's abilities were there to see. If she won, she won, and that was it.

Unlike the people here, who wished to step on others regardless of their abilities.

If they won, they'd keep mocking others, flaunting it in front of them.

It was precisely because she experienced these that Zhang Xiaoying then discovered Lu Man's bright spots.

Moreover, though she always opposed Lu Man in school, Lu Man had the Han Family as her backing yet never used that to make life difficult for her.

Zhang Xiaoying never had any problems expanding her career in the entertainment industry.

Everyone would now and again experience having their roles and endorsement deals snatched in the industry.

Of course, apart from Lu Man.

No one would likely dare to rob Lu Man of these.