Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

After chatting with Liu Haochun.

A short while later, I received a message from Yang Chaoyue.

It was a voice message, mixed with the lazy, nasal tone of someone just waking up:
"Yang-ge, I'm awake. Bring me back some braised pork knuckle rice, extra spicy."
I didn't ask about the role contract.

I didn't ask about the pay.

I didn't ask about Jiang Yang's art exam results.

His words were filled with longing for braised pork trotters.

Jiang Yang typed back: ["Eat, eat, eat. All you do after waking up is eat. Are you a pig?"]
Yang Chaoyue replied: [“I’m not a pig, I’m a small-town dreamer.”]
An examination administrator wearing a vest came to the door and called out, "Next group of candidates, line up in order and follow me to the examination room."

The words fell.

The waiting area quieted down.

The examination administrator then read out the candidates' examination numbers and names:
"Number 147, Zhou Ye."

Zhou Ye was sitting in the middle of the front row. When he heard his name called, he gasped and his throat bobbed noticeably.

My mind suddenly went blank.

When I got up, my left foot tripped over my right foot and I almost stumbled.

His fingers unconsciously curled the edge of the exam admission ticket, the paper already crumpled into a fan shape.

You can tell that all the candidates here have studied acting since childhood and are very well prepared.

I, on the other hand, have only been studying for less than half a year.

How can we compare ourselves to others?

Subconscious inferiority complex.

Six months of hard work is like a makeshift paper bridge, forced to bear the weight of a massive army.

There was regret for my willfulness, and also a sense of wishful thinking that if I could defeat these people, I would be really amazing.

My parents fully supported my rash decision.

The more so.

The more pressure there is.

I'd rather they scold me for being willful than feel sorry for them now.

I want to achieve good results.

As he walked toward the entrance of the waiting area, realizing that he was about to go on stage, Zhou Ye kept tucking his bangs behind his ears and letting them slip down again.

His lips trembled.

Silently recite the poems you will be reciting in a little while.

The examination staff held the list and continued to register candidates' numbers and names.

Some of the candidates whose names were called suddenly started fixing their hair.

Some people repeatedly tried to tie their shoelaces, their fingers shaking so much that they couldn't tie a knot.

The sound of clearing throats rose and fell in waves.

"Number 159, Jiangyang."

Upon hearing his name called, Jiang Yang put away his phone and immediately stood up.

His gaze swept over Zhou Ye.

Once all the candidates in this group had arrived, the examination staff told everyone the location of the examination room: "We are now going to the third examination room for performance. Stay close to me and don't fall behind. Take out your admission ticket and ID card first, as we will need to verify your information before entering the examination room. It is convenient to have them in your hands in advance for easy presentation."

Hear the words.

Zhou Ye immediately took out his ID card and clutched it tightly in his hand along with his admission ticket.

Follow the examination staff to leave the waiting area.

We arrived at the third performance examination room.

Next door is the Beijing Film Academy's Black Box Theater. The door was closed, but you could hear candidates reciting Li Bai's "Drinking Alone Under the Moon" with great passion.

After the previous group of candidates finishes their preliminary test, it will be your group's turn.

The examination staff explained the next steps: "When it's your turn to take the exam, the staff inside will make arrangements. Once inside, please keep quiet and don't make loud noises that might disturb other candidates."

Before leaving, he offered some words of comfort:
"Don't be nervous, just do what you've prepared. Once inside, listen to instructions and relax to perform well."

After that, leave.

Zhou Ye's mind went blank.

He took out a palm-sized sticky note from his pocket, on which was written the poem he would recite later.

Jiang Yang, who was standing next to him, glanced at it.

The content above is clearly visible; it is "To the Oak Tree".

Zhou Ye, oblivious to Jiang Yang's gaze, silently recited in a low voice:

"If I love you, I will never be like the climbing trumpet creeper, using your tall branches to show off myself; if I love you, I will never be like the infatuated bird, repeating monotonous songs in the shade..."

Jiang Yang listened silently.

You can hear some minor mistakes in Zhou Ye's recitation.

The preliminary recitation section of the Beijing Film Academy's entrance exam tests the candidates' basic language skills.

The examiners will pay special attention to regional accents and correct them.

Therefore, the content to be recited must have the completeness of retroflex and alveolar consonants, nasal consonants, and the initial, vowel, and final consonants of each word. Furthermore, the handling of long sentences will be used to determine whether the candidate uses chest resonance rather than throat vocalization; this forms the foundation for future dialogue training.

When Zhou Ye recited the line "The roots, tightly held underground," it sounded like a bel canto opening.

In the sentence, “No, these are not enough,” Zhou Ye makes an exaggerated pause after the word “no,” disrupting the poet’s deliberately created flow of language.

Jiang Yang could hear some of Zhou Ye's mistakes in the details.

The door to the examination room across the street opened, and Huang Lei came out with a thermos to get hot water. As he walked over, all the candidates' eyes were on him.

Some enthusiastically called out to Teacher Huang.

I subconsciously tidied my clothes.

Huang Lei slowed his pace, a smile on his face: "You all look like this, which reminds me of myself when I took the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy. Back then, I was just as young as you are now. I had nothing and didn't know what the future held, but for some reason, I had a lot of passion and an inextinguishable flame in my bones."

He went on to say:
"Relax, this is just the preliminary test. The chances of passing are still quite high. The men are handsome and the women are beautiful. Their looks are much better than when I was young. If you were assigned to my exam room, I would pass you on the spot."

Hear the words.

The group of test takers all laughed.

Just as he burst out laughing, Huang Lei made a shushing gesture: "Don't laugh, don't laugh, the other exam rooms are still holding exams."

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Zhou Ye suddenly noticed that Huang Lei had stopped walking and was staring at him.

Looking up, she realized that Huang Lei wasn't looking at her, but staring at the boy next to her.

Huang Lei's smile turned into a loud laugh as he strode over: "Hey Xiao Jiang, you're here. You stood me up all day, and now you're on my turf without even saying hello. I was so annoyed that I had to urge you to come to Beijing Film Academy yesterday instead of Beijing Dance Academy. Why didn't you say hello to me?"

"I was afraid you'd want me to get you some hot water," Jiang Yang chuckled.

Hear the words.

Huang Lei held out his thermos: "Go, get me a cup of hot water. That's how my teacher used to order me around."

"I'm not your student yet."

"From now on, the entrance exam for Beijing Film Academy is not that difficult for you. If you don't get a top ten score, it will be a disservice to the boast I made to the other teachers."

Huang Lei shoved the thermos into Jiang Yang's hand: "You'll have a lot of work to do in the future, so hurry up and get used to it in advance."

Jiang Yang left carrying Huang Lei's thermos.

Huang Lei chatted quietly with the other candidates.

Tell the other candidates the important points to note during the exam.

I had long heard that Huang Lei, a star teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, was extremely strict with his students and very protective of them, but very easygoing with others. Now I can finally see it for myself.

Zhou Ye, who was at the very edge of the group, watched Jiang Yang's departing figure, then his gaze fell on Huang Lei.

Unlike the other candidates, she didn't take the initiative to chat with Huang Lei. She wasn't an outgoing girl to begin with and only talked a lot with people she was familiar with.

Think carefully about the conversation between Huang Lei and Jiang Yang just now.

The fact that Jiang Yang's name was mentioned during the exam, and that Huang Lei referred to Jiang Yang as "Little Jiang," indicates that they have a very good relationship.

Urging Jiang Yang to take the exam, releasing Huang Lei's pigeons, the second round of auditions for the Beijing Dance Academy, the requirement for Jiang Yang is to be in the top ten of the Beijing Film Academy's entrance exams...

This boy named Jiang Yang is no ordinary test taker.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from my recitation performance. I knew I must have overlooked many details, and I hadn't had enough time to practice before I could notice them.

Perhaps Jiang Yang can help me.

A short while later, Jiang Yang returned with Huang Lei's thermos filled with hot water.

After chatting briefly with Huang Lei, Huang Lei said to Jiang Yang before returning to his own examination room, "By the way, if you ever visit your hometown, remember to treat me to your hometown hot pot. I can handle really spicy food."

Jiang Yang laughed and blurted out in his Chongqing dialect, "Leave it to me, Teacher Huang! There's a hot pot place in my hometown that's incredibly spicy. I'll treat you to the Ba Dao Tang hot pot from Longji Mountain."

Zhou Ye was slightly taken aback.

Hearing a familiar accent in a foreign place suddenly evokes a sense of warmth.

After Huang Lei entered another examination room and quieted down, she turned her head slightly and leaned her body slightly towards Jiang Yang to maintain a safe distance.

Move your cervical spine forward first, and muster your courage.

However, the shoulder blades are retracted and the toes are turned inward, indicating a tendency to withdraw and creating a contradictory posture.

She smiled and spoke with a Chongqing accent:

"You're from Chongqing too? Me too, we're from the same hometown!"

While speaking, he subconsciously grabbed the hem of his down jacket, and quickly let go after he finished speaking.

Noticing Jiang Yang's gaze, she dared not look directly at him, instead focusing her eyes on his earlobe, holding her breath and waiting for a response.

I'm not comfortable initiating conversations with strangers.

She was also worried that Jiang Yang would ignore her.

I am naturally introverted.

Zhou Ye's smile was somewhat forced, and his gaze was unfocused.

She was mentally prepared that if Jiang Yang ignored her, she would lower her head and pretend she hadn't asked.
-
Ps:

Yang Chaoyue: "Thanks to Gui Jin Yang for feeding me the chicken leg. Yang Ge went to the art exam today. I know my own limitations and I have to push myself to grow. I'll wait for Yang Ge to bring me back some pork trotter rice."

Zhou Ye: "I met a fellow townsman from Chongqing today. The more I learn, the more I can use it. Please vote for me!" (End of Chapter)