How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 478 Forgery? No, it's real strength!

In the afternoon, Zhang Wen saw the students and parents off and was about to return to Tianxi Media with the three performance teachers when he saw Xu Zining rushing out from the front desk.

"Principal, Principal Zhang, wait a moment."

Zhang Wen paused, his hand still reaching for his keys. He looked up at the newcomer and asked, "What is it?"

"Principal, Xingxiang is trending in the local news again!" Xu Zining said excitedly.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wen looked puzzled. "What's trending?"

He thought about it carefully and realized that Xingxiang didn't seem to have any scandals worth making a fuss about. Could it be that the bet they made a few days ago has been brought up again?

"It's about all 400-plus acting students from Xingxiang Academy passing the preliminary auditions for Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy of Drama," Xu Zining explained.

Zhang Wen was taken aback. He hadn't even had a chance to generate buzz for this matter, so how did it become so popular?

Who?
Who is the kind person who is helping him?

Seeing the boss's bewildered expression, Xu Zining immediately handed over the phone and explained, "Boss, it's like this: a student's parent posted about this on their WeChat Moments, thanking our school's teachers. It got shared around and eventually ended up online, so now the whole internet knows about it."

Zhang Wen took the phone and looked at it. The first picture in the news was a screenshot of a parent named Lin Zhiwen's WeChat Moments. The content was a congratulatory message sent by He Yang, the teacher of Class 3 of the performance class, in the group.

"Congratulations to the entire class for passing the preliminary exams for Beijing Film Academy and China Theatre Academy. Congratulations to all 402 students in 9 classes for passing the preliminary exams for Beijing Film Academy and China Theatre Academy."

Parent's caption: Thank you Xingxiang, thank you Principal Zhang, thank you Teacher He. My child's dream of becoming an actor has finally overcome the first hurdle.

It turns out that when this parent was choosing an art exam training class for their child, they accidentally joined a WeChat group called "Beijing Art Exam Parents Mutual Aid Group" and added a few friends. One of the friends saw this post on their Moments and immediately took a screenshot and posted it to the group. As a result, it was like a drop of water falling into a hot oil pan, and it instantly caused an uproar in the group.

Some people saved the pictures and forwarded them to other groups, some sent private messages to the parent to inquire about Xingxiang's teaching details, and others posted screenshots on Weibo and Xiaohongshu with the title "Art Exam Miracle".

In just one afternoon, the news that "all students of Xingxiang Performance Class passed the preliminary examination for art exams" spread like wildfire, reaching many art exam candidate parents' groups, appearing on some art exam forums, and naturally, even on short video platforms.

Because many students, parents, schools, and media are paying attention to the results of the art exams, the screenshot immediately attracted the attention of countless people as soon as it appeared.

Especially on Weibo, the topic has been gaining popularity, with netizens expressing a mix of shock, envy, and doubt in their comments.

"Is the screenshot photoshopped? Over 400 people all passed? Even cheating wouldn't be this outrageous."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Isn't Huanya Art Exam amazing? Last year, more than 600 people participated in the art exams for Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy of Drama, and only about 60 people passed the preliminary test."

"Last year, only a little over a thousand people from Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy passed the preliminary exam. This year, the number should be about the same. If we calculate based on this ratio, it means that out of every 10 candidates, 4 are from Xingxiang. This ratio is terrifying."

"When I first saw Zhang Wen make a bet with Mindful Arts Exam, I thought he was too arrogant. How could a musician compare to someone who does professional training? Now it seems that he really has the confidence. Indeed, geniuses are good at everything."

"It looks so fake. Could it be that Xingxiang is deliberately creating this to attract students?"

To Zhang Wen's surprise, among these doubts were some of his competitors, including Jiahua, a company he had previously shunned.

As a long-established art exam training institution, Jia Hua was the first to speak out on its official Weibo account, with its words full of suggestive questions:

"All 400 students passed the preliminary exam? As top art schools in China, Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy of Drama have always had strict preliminary exam standards and high elimination rates. For a new art exam institution to suddenly release such 'impressive' data, please show the official screenshots of each student's score query, instead of just a chat screenshot, to avoid misleading candidates and parents and damaging the fair environment of the art exam training industry."

This Weibo post also deliberately tagged the admissions offices of Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy of Drama, attempting to get the two universities to come forward and expose the lies.

One of the teaching directors of Mindful Arts Exam even went live on short notice, using the opportunity to answer students' questions to subtly and overtly dampen their enthusiasm.

"Forgive my bluntness, but some training institutions publish data that is too exaggerated and is most likely fabricated to recruit students."

"Our best-performing performance class in this year's Mindful Arts Entrance Exams had 16 out of 45 students pass, a pass rate of 36%, which is already top-tier in the industry."

"All 400 students passing? Unless every student is exceptionally talented and the teaching staff is top-notch, it's almost impossible to achieve in the art exam training industry."

In the live stream, a teacher from the Mindful Arts Exam Preparation Center led the way by posting comments like "That's right" and "Support the director," attempting to guide public opinion.

After seeing the two major art exam training institutions fail, some smaller organizations followed suit, making comments everywhere accusing Xingxiang of fraud and boasting.

Teachers He Yang, Han Wanling, and Zhou Min also saw the comments online, and their faces all showed anger.

"They can't do it, so they say we can't do it either. What kind of people are they!"

"Jealousy, naked jealousy."

"Principal, what should we do?"

The three teachers all looked at Zhang Wen, but Xu Zining was not angry. Instead, she felt that this was an excellent opportunity to promote Xingxiang.

"A clear conscience fears no accusation, so why are you all in such a hurry?" Zhang Wen said with a faint smile. "It's no use talking to them now. Can our few mouths out-argue their thousands of mouths?"

"Are we just going to let them talk nonsense and ruin Xingxiang's reputation?" He Yang said indignantly.

"First, compile screenshots of all the students' scores to ensure they are authentic and verifiable." Zhang Wen looked at the negative comments on his phone screen and said with a sneer, "Let these people make a fuss, raise the profile even higher, and then we'll give them a good slap in the face."

Upon hearing the principal's arrangement, the three teachers finally smiled, knowing that the principal was not one to swallow his anger; this was truly the principal's style.

Next, He Yang and others started their work, contacting the students in the group and asking them to log in to the official website of the university to check their scores again and keep screenshots.

After learning about the situation, the students and parents not only cooperated actively, but also went online to testify for Xingxiang and the principal, and denounced the despicable and shameless online trolls.

However, the appearance of the students and parents did not dispel netizens' doubts. Some people even accused the students and parents of being paid shills by Xingxiang, which angered the students and parents to the point that they almost gave out their ID numbers.

After learning about these things, Zhang Wen immediately comforted the students and parents, telling them not to argue with those trolls, to focus on preparing for tomorrow's retest, and not to let it affect their performance. He told them to leave the online arguments to him.

He then posted a message on his Weibo account: "After communicating with students and parents, the results of the preliminary, intermediate, and final exams will be announced successively. Your supervision is welcome."

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

These words immediately attracted the attention of countless netizens.

"I knew Teacher Zhang wouldn't back down. The fact that he dared to publish the list proves that everyone passed the art exam. Those who doubted him can just wait to be proven wrong."

"Well done, Teacher Zhang! I'm waiting for the list to be released later. Let's see how the haters can jump around now!"

"Jiahua and Xinling, come out and speak! Xingxiang has decided to announce the results of the preliminary, re-examination, and third rounds of the art exam. Shouldn't you also announce your results?"

"I support all art exam training institutions publishing their exam results. When the tide goes out, we'll see who's been swimming naked!"

Most netizens support Zhang Wen, but the doubts have not completely disappeared, and some netizens still do not believe it.

Haters are haters; they'll keep criticizing even if they can't find a reason.

"Why announce it gradually instead of all at once? Are you trying to brush it off when the hype dies down?"

"Are you thinking of how to cover it up? I've already come up with one for you: it was done by a temporary worker, the account was hacked..."

"Don't be fooled by his fame in music. Making music and running a training program are two different things. He might just be using the gimmick of 'supervision' to appease parents and public opinion, but he actually has no real substance!"

"..." As the topic remained popular, the news that "all 400 students of Xingxiang Art Examination passed the preliminary test" soon reached the ears of the examiners at Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy.

Office of the Performance Department, Beijing Film Academy.

Several teachers who participated in the preliminary review were sitting together looking at their phones, their faces full of disbelief.

Professor Liu, who was in charge of physical assessment, pushed up his glasses, looked at the screenshots in the news repeatedly, and said incredulously, "Four hundred people all passed? If I remember correctly, only a little over a thousand art students from Beijing Film Academy and Huaxi Academy passed the preliminary exam in total."

"Yes, this is outrageous! I've never heard of any art exam training institution having so many people pass the preliminary exam," said Teacher Zheng, who was in charge of the script review.

"I think it's unlikely; it's probably a tactic used for student recruitment," said Teacher Li, who was in charge of voice review, with certainty.

“This Zhang Wen is quite a celebrity. If he relies on deception to recruit students, wouldn’t he be condemned by everyone? I don’t think what he said might be true. You know Han Zhixue and Qiao Shuxin, who are freshmen, right? They are Zhang Wen’s students, and I think there are two other students who are also Zhang Wen’s students,” Teacher Zheng said.

"What? Han Zhixue is his student?" Professor Liu asked in surprise.

"Yes." Teacher Zheng nodded.

"..." Professor Liu opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything.

He had previously doubted the veracity of this news, but now... he felt it was highly likely.

It's a pity I don't know which candidates are students of Xingxiang Art Examination Training Center, otherwise I would definitely pay close attention.

the next day.

The second round of auditions for the acting program at the Beijing Film Academy has finally begun.

Early in the morning, the school gate was noticeably less crowded than during the preliminary exam.

When Zhang Wen appeared in the crowd, a small commotion broke out instantly.

"Look, it's Zhang Wen!"

Someone shouted, and reporters and social media users immediately swarmed around, bombarding them with questions like a machine gun.

"Principal Zhang, is it true that all 400-plus students at Xingxiang High School passed the preliminary test?"

"Teacher Zhang, you said you would announce the students' results, when exactly will you announce them?"

"Principal Zhang, both Jia Hua Art Exam and Mindful Art Exam say you're bragging. What do you think about that?"

Zhang Wen stopped and gestured for everyone to be quiet before saying, "Thank you for your attention. To avoid affecting the students' exams, I will announce the list of students who did not pass the second round of exams after the results are released, and the list of students who did not pass the third round and those who passed the third round after the results are released. You are welcome to check at that time."

After speaking, he pushed through the crowd and walked towards the door.

“Principal Zhang, over here!” A middle-aged man waved vigorously at Zhang Wen. “I’ve saved you a seat.”

After saying that, he pointed to the front of him.

People around stepped back and made way for him.

Zhang Wen looked over and saw that they were all parents of the acting class students.

"Thank you!" Zhang Wen said as he walked over.

"You're welcome."

"Teacher Zhang, you're too kind."

Zhang Wen walked to the front row and stopped.

At this moment, several parents nearby exchanged glances and nodded in unison. Then, the male parent who had reserved a seat shouted to the reporter not far away, "Some people online are questioning the authenticity of the fact that all students in Xingxiang Art Examination Performance Class passed the preliminary test. Today, I'll let you see whether it's true or not."

After saying that, he waved to the hundreds of art students standing by the roadside.

Upon receiving the signal, these art students immediately headed towards the gate of the Beijing Film Academy, but they all stopped when they passed Zhang Wen.

"Hello, Principal Zhang!"

"Hello, Principal Zhang!"

"..."

The trainees greeted each other and bowed before finally entering the gates of Beijing Film Academy.

Today is the day of the second round of auditions for the Beijing Film Academy. All candidates who are able to enter this room must verify their identity with their admission tickets from the preliminary exam. The fact that these candidates can enter the room smoothly is itself a form of proof.

Zhang Wen stared wide-eyed at the parents and students, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Is this meant to prove something to him? Why didn't anyone tell him?
The male parent standing nearby noticed Zhang Wen's confusion and said with a smile, "Principal Zhang, don't be surprised. We parents have a private group. Yesterday, we saw some people online slandering you and Xingxiang, and we were all furious. After discussing it in the group, we decided to fight back in this way."

Looking into the other person's sincere eyes and then at the nodding agreement of the other parents around him, Zhang Wen felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

"Thank you for your trouble," Zhang Wen said. "Actually, it didn't have to be so complicated. The results speak for themselves, and everything will be clear sooner or later."

“No trouble at all!” A female parent in a red coat stepped forward and said, “Those people immediately accused you of fraud, questioning not only you but also our children. We must stand up to clear your name and the children’s name.”

The reporters seemed to have sensed something and immediately began interviewing the parents. One reporter stared at the art students who were bowing and greeting Zhang Wen and subconsciously started counting them.

"one two Three……"

He only stopped when no more art students entered the school gate.

"251 people! There are actually 251 people participating in the second round of the Beijing Film Academy entrance exam. Adding the Huaxi Opera students, it's perfectly normal for the total to exceed 400." The reporter muttered to himself, utterly shocked.

Seeing that other reporters were still interviewing parents, he immediately took out his phone and quickly edited a Weibo post: "At the Beijing Film Academy entrance exam retest site, Xingxiang Principal Zhang Wen appeared. There were 251 students who greeted him at the school gate alone. Combined with the previous announcement by Xingxiang that 402 people passed the preliminary test, it is almost impossible to fake the results."

The Weibo post quickly attracted the attention of many netizens.

"251 trainees gave their greetings, that's solid proof, that's the real deal."

"Where are the people who questioned this before? Come out and take a look. Are all these real, living test takers hired as extras?"

"The reporters' on-site statistics can't be wrong, right? Xingxiang's abilities are truly impressive!"

"Jiahua, Xinling, come out and take your beating!"

Reporters and media outlets also issued on-site reports, all conveying the attitude that "Xingxiang's results are genuine and credible."

The rumors of "faking" that were still circulating earlier fell silent in front of the media present.

……

(End of this chapter)