Play sparks debate on education

Wen, on the other hand, discovered a distinctive gesture to distinguish the personalities of Fu and Liang. In one of the scenes, while both characters point at Principal Yang, Fu does so directly and boldly to express dissatisfaction, whereas Liang hesitates before slowly raising a hand, and then quickly turns it into a head-scratching gesture to soften the aggressiveness, adding an element of awkwardness and humor.

For Ren, the challenge was to immerse herself in the high school environment, given her lack of experience with typical high school life — she went straight from an art middle school to university at 16 and graduated at 19. So, after landing the roles, she interviewed friends, watched related TV dramas, and even visited a traditional high school.

"Reflecting on my own school years, I'm grateful to have encountered a great teacher like Vice Principal Chen, who respected students' opinions and helped me a lot," she recalled.

Luo was a top student in high school. He was enrolled in China Foreign Affairs University, and even took the exam for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs before ultimately entering the theater industry out of a love for drama.

Having always been interested in writing, Luo crafted some works during his school days. He even wrote detailed character biographies for Fu and Liang in the play.

Alongside his acting career, Luo aspires to become a playwright and director in the future. "I hope that with more life experiences and reflections on reality, I can one day create and produce engaging plays," he said.

Zhang Yuying contributed to this story.