Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, the Diary of a 95 Flower

I was just planning to keep chattering away until I reached 800 words.

Yang Chaoyue suddenly noticed that the essay paper of the candidate diagonally in front of him was still blank.

Looking to the left, the other person wasn't writing an essay either; it seemed they were doing reading comprehension exercises.

Suddenly I realized something.

Look up at the clock again.

I realized I was too nervous and had misread the time; it wasn't five minutes left, but one hour and five minutes.

If we waste this time, we'll only have one hour left.

That's enough to write an essay.

Yang Chaoyue crossed out the scribbles he had just made.

I pulled out an unwritten sheet of paper and carefully examined the essay topic, which was about perseverance.

Then look at the scars on your fingers.

It felt like something had hit me in the heart.

luck?

persist in?

Isn't that just like her?

Scenes from the past flashed before my eyes.

When she was twelve and cried while holding her textbooks, she thought that her desire to study had been extinguished by poverty. But she still remembers the feeling of stuffing her textbooks under her pillow at night.

At a zipper factory in Jiaxing, my finger was bitten and pierced by an injection molding machine. The pain made me tremble all over, but the image of my beloved husband carrying steel bars flashed through my mind, and I dared not cry out.

Back then, I didn't understand what perseverance meant; I only knew that I couldn't let my hometown people laugh at me.

This scar serves as a constant reminder to her that no matter how tough life gets, she must hold on tight and never let go.

Yang Chaoyue wrote the title stroke by stroke:

My luck is my perseverance.
Take a deep breath.

Write the main text:

[——

The scar on my finger is from when I dropped out of school and was bitten by an injection molding machine at a zipper factory in Jiaxing.

It always reminds me that good luck is accidental, but getting through those difficulties is all due to my own strength.

When I was twelve, on the day my mother left with her luggage, my grandfather was squatting on the doorstep smoking. He said to me, "Oh dear, don't study anymore, go to Jiaxing with your mother to work."

I cried while holding my textbooks, but my family couldn't even afford the tuition. No matter how much I loved reading, I had to accept it.

Later I found out that my mother left because she was afraid of being poor. I didn't blame her. I stuffed my textbooks under my pillow and followed her to the zipper factory in Jiaxing.

Inside the tin-roofed factory, the injection molding machines roared deafeningly, and it was as hot as a steamer.

My job was to put the zipper into the machine opening. My fingers had to be faster than the machine; if I was even a second slower, they might get caught.

Two months into my job, I slipped and lost my grip, and the machine's metal claw bit my index finger, causing blood to gush out immediately.

My mother cried and dragged me to find the factory manager, who didn't even lift his eyelids: "Either come to work tomorrow, or get your wages and leave."

That night, I tossed and turned on the hard bed in my rented room, my fingers aching terribly. But when I thought of my dad carrying steel bars at the construction site back home, and when I remembered telling him that I would definitely go home with my head held high, I gritted my teeth and said I would continue to go to work.

Back then, we didn't understand what perseverance was.

All I know is that I can't admit defeat, and I can't let myself become a spineless deserter.

Later, people often said I was lucky, but back then, it had nothing to do with luck. It was because I was forced into a corner and refused to let myself go.

Later I went to Shanghai, which people call the Magic City.

But all I saw were the textile factory assembly lines and the musty smell of shared apartments in the suburbs.

My monthly salary is 3,000 yuan, but I have to pay several hundred yuan for rent, and meals are not included.

Once, there were ten days left until payday, and I only had fifty yuan left in my pocket.

I was too embarrassed to ask my grandpa and mom for money, and I didn't borrow from my colleagues at the factory either. I was afraid of owing favors, and even more afraid of getting used to making do.

I bought more than a dozen packs of instant noodles and ate them every day by soaking them in hot water. I would even lick the oil off the packaging.

Crying while eating.

I feel like I'll probably spend my whole life on the assembly line, earning just enough to eat and survive.

But even after you've cried, life goes on.

I didn't rely on luck; I just wanted to avoid becoming someone worn down by hardship and to avoid disappointing the version of myself who cried while clutching textbooks back then.

Meeting my boss was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.

During the interview, he asked me what I was good at, and after hesitating for a long time, I only dared to say, "I can endure hardship, and I am willing to learn anything."

Looking back now, it was really a stroke of luck.

But the reason I was able to catch this luck wasn't luck itself, but the spirit I never lost since I was in the Jiaxing factory.

He started out playing minor roles in variety shows and supporting characters in dramas like "A Little Reunion" and "Fighter of the Destiny".

When I sang "Calories," I was tone-deaf, so I practiced in front of the mirror until my voice was hoarse.

On my Weibo, people often tell me that I'm not cut out for this.

I didn't refute it.

My boss gave me a seat, so I sat down.

Later, when I made money, some people advised me to take a break, saying I had enough to live on.

But I dare not.

I remember the days I ate instant noodles in Shanghai, I remember the pain of injection molding machines biting my hands, and I know how hard it is to earn this little bit of money.

I didn't squander the money. First, I bought new furniture for my grandpa in our hometown, and then I donated shoes to the local primary school.

When I took several pairs of ready-made shoes to the primary school in my hometown, and saw the children running around in their new shoes, a little girl grabbed my hand and said thank you, sister. Suddenly, I understood.

I persist in making money not to gain pride, but to protect the people I care about, and even more so to live up to the self who gritted his teeth and persevered in the factory back then.

Some people say that now that I have money, I shouldn't work so hard.

But I know that if I give up now, I'll be letting down the girl who can't see a future in the shared factory.

I'm sorry to the version of myself who dared to go to work even though I was injured.

Now, sitting in the exam room, the space next to my essay paper is empty, but I can see my old work badge from the textile factory, which is still on it. In the photo, I can still clearly see myself wearing the factory uniform.

When I decided to take the adult college entrance examination, I had no foundation, so I started by studying the textbook for the first compulsory course.

No matter how tired I am after filming every day, I always read a book or do some math problems when I get home.

Someone on Weibo said, "I'm already an actor, I'm famous, why would I take this exam?"

But I remember crying while holding my textbook when I was twelve.

I didn't have the opportunity to study back then, but I can make up for it now. It's a way of giving myself a proper education. It has nothing to do with luck; it's because I've never given up on my desire to study.

Meeting my boss was my good fortune, but the reason this good fortune has turned out the way it is today is not because of luck, but because I didn't collapse in the factory, I didn't get arrogant when I made money, I didn't go astray when things were tough, and I didn't forget my roots when things were going well. I didn't let down the person who persevered in the factory, gritting my teeth and eating instant noodles.

I'm writing this now not to prove how great I am, but simply to tell those who, like me, have struggled from the bottom up.

Don't be afraid of hard times, don't wait for luck to come.

Luck is accidental, but the hardships you endure through gritted teeth, the heart you hold onto, and the perseverance you keep going are what you can rely on for a lifetime.

Just like now, sitting in the examination room, I'm making up for the regret of not finishing my studies back then.

This wasn't given by luck; it was earned through ten years of perseverance.

I hope I can get into university this time.

——]
The two-day exam was an agonizing experience.

Once the exam is over, I can let go of everything and just wait for the results. I've done everything I could to overcome my obsession with the college entrance exam, and the burden on my heart has lightened considerably.

After the exam papers were collected, Yang Chaoyue was the first to rush out of the exam room and run towards the school gate.

Behind her, she heard the teacher collecting the papers reminding her to slow down, but she couldn't stop walking. She really wanted to take a breath of fresh air from outside the exam room.

Make sure you're not dreaming.

The school gate was crowded with people, mostly parents carrying bottled water and fanning themselves.

The wind in Yancheng in June carries a hint of the Yellow Sea, and it's hot and dry.

"That girl was the first one to rush out!"

"Quickly, quickly, interview her!"

Noticing someone staring at him, Yang Chaoyue turned his head to look.

Then two reporters, holding microphones and carrying cameras, caught up with us.

He is a reporter from Yancheng.

The camera lens was pointed at her.

The female reporter's shirt collar was soaked with sweat as she held the microphone up to Yang Chaoyue: "You're the first one to come out of the exam room, can we chat?"

"OK."

Yang Chaoyue was already used to the camera and didn't flinch or avoid it.

"Many people online say that yesterday's Chinese composition topic in Yancheng was very difficult. The topic was the art of speaking. Did you find it difficult?"

"Is it difficult? I don't think it's difficult at all... Holy crap, yesterday's essay topic was the art of speaking?!"

Yang Chaoyue suddenly realized what was happening, his head buzzed, and he blurted out a sentence.

Then I understood what was going on.

The essay topic that was circulating online was for regular college entrance exam students, not hers. Yang Chaoyue couldn't help but laugh: "You scared me. I took the adult college entrance exam, and my essay topic is different."

"Adult college entrance examination? You look very young."

"But I've been in the workforce for several years now. I dropped out of junior high school."

"Why are you still thinking about going to university?" The female reporter handed her the microphone, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Yang Chaoyue blinked.

I turned around and looked back at the campus.

The wind blew her hair across her face, and Yang Chaoyue raised her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear: "This isn't the first time I've thought about it, but the first time I've dared to take the exam."

Her voice was a little hoarse.

But she remained calm: "My family was so poor before that they couldn't afford to send me to school, so I went to work in a factory. At that time, I felt that going to university was something for the next life, and I thought that I might spend my life on the assembly line. Later, I became an actor with my boss and made some money. Then I wanted to go back to school and give an explanation to that little girl who cried while holding her textbooks back then. She didn't have the opportunity to study back then, and I can make up for it now. That's not letting her down."

Speaking of it.

She paused.

She waved her hand at the camera and said, "I'm not going to say anything more. I'm actually quite emotional right now. It would be pretentious to say too much. You guys should interview other test takers, interview those high school students who took the college entrance exam normally. Their feelings are definitely different from mine. I need to call my grandpa. He's waiting for me to come home."

Facing the reporter's microphone, Yang Chaoyue had nothing to hide.

Dropping out of junior high school and working in a factory are not shameful things; they are the paths she has truly walked.

Yang Chaoyue left after he finished speaking.

But then a female reporter stopped him: "By the way, young lady, what's your name? You were the first one to rush out of the exam room. When it's broadcast, we'll have to include your name."

"My name is Yang Chaoyue!"

Yang Chaoyue turned to face the camera, wearing a simple t-shirt, with a ponytail and two tufts of hair on her forehead: "Yang is the character 'Mu Yi Yang,' Chao is the character 'Chao' which means to surpass, and Yue is the character 'Yue' which means to leap over. It means to surpass the bitter days of the past and leap over that hurdle."

Yang Chaoyue smiled brightly.

She is no longer the anxious little girl in the factory, nor the working girl who cried while eating instant noodles. She is Yang Chaoyue, a woman who dares to pursue her dreams, dares to persevere, and dares to give herself an explanation.

While waiting for the college entrance examination results, there is bound to be anxiety, but more importantly, there is composure.

Anyway, I've done everything I could.

The rest is up to time.

No matter the outcome, she will never stop, because her life has always been about surpassing the past and leaping into the future on her own.

Done.

Yang Chaoyue stepped back and waved to the camera again: "I really won't keep you any longer. I need to call my grandpa. He must be getting impatient on the other end of the phone."

After making the phone call to my grandpa.

After checking out of the hotel, Yang Chaoyue boarded a car to return to his hometown of Yancheng.

In the WeChat group chat of the "Fighter of the Destiny" crew for two weeks, Zhong Shujia sent a message: ["Thank you all for your hard work, actors. Some episodes didn't pass the censorship and need to be reshot. We're filming in Hengdian. The coordinator will contact you all to check your schedules. Thank you for your hard work..."]
The next part is a string of names of the actors mentioned.

She was the first one.

I thought I could finally take a break after the college entrance exam.

How come there's still a story like "Fighter of the Destiny"?

When Yang Chaoyue encountered this situation for the first time, he immediately called the production coordinator. He quickly heard the other party say, "Actually, there was no problem when the script was reviewed, but this drama is too popular, so they are very strict. Chaoyue, do you remember the scene where you deliver a message at the Heavenly Dao Academy? There was a Heavenly Talisman hanging in the background?"

"I remember, I recall it."

Yang Chaoyue responded.

When she was taking the photos, she even asked what the words on the talisman meant.

The props team said they just copied it from the internet.

I never expected that I would actually fail because of this.

"The review team said that the text on the talisman looked too much like real religious symbols. I was speechless. They also said that fantasy can be fictionalized, but it cannot reflect real religion. They insisted that our crew redesign the talisman ourselves. Actually, we could have done special effects, but even the side profile shot of you passing by the talisman would have to be reshot."

The coordinator added, "Not only that, but the scene where Teacher Jiang Yang draws qi into his body was filmed with lighting effects that were too dazzling and could be easily imitated by minors. So we had to reshoot a version with more subtle lighting effects, which meant that the scene where you had to hand over the magic weapon also had to be reshot."

There are many similar problems.

These are all fragmented plot points. It's not that special effects can't be done, but the contract stipulates that if reshoots are needed, the actors must cooperate.

The production crew only needs to reimburse their travel and accommodation expenses.

Bringing the actors back is efficient, inexpensive, and produces more realistic footage.

"What a stupid review process, so many problems," Yang Chaoyue muttered under his breath.

Of course I'm willing to take photos.

The main problem is that they won't pay me when I go back to film this time!
Let's take another look at the cast list for Zhong Shujia's "Aite".

It turns out she wasn't the only one going back to reshoot; Yang Ge, Xiwei, and Haochun all had to go to Hengdian again.

Seeing that everyone was suffering along with him, Yang Chaoyue felt much more at ease.

Open the [Swordsman 4] group.

Yang Chaoyue sent a message: [“How did everyone do on the exam?”]
Zhao Jinmai popped up: [“I did incredibly well on the exam!”]
Yang Chaoyue replied to Zhao Jinmai: [“Maimai, go to the side. Say that again in three years.”]
Zhao Jinmai replied to Yang Chaoyue: [“Chaoyue, you’ve gotten too big for your britches, daring to talk back to me now.”]
Yang Chaoyue sent a message: [“I’ll be a college student in two months. I’m so cocky right now. Yang Ge is trash; he might not even do as well as me on the exam.”]
Liu Haochun replied to Yang Chaoyue: [“You did alright on the exam, screw you.”]
[“Haochun, you actually insulted me? Have you gotten too arrogant?”] Yang Chaoyue sent the message incredulously.

Liu Haochun did not reply to Yang Chaoyue.

She tagged Zhang Ruonan: [“@Zhang Ruonan, Ruonan, say something.”]
Zhang Ruonan chimed in: [“Chaoyue, you called the boss trash, go to hell.”]
Yang Chaoyue was stunned.

He immediately understood the situation.

It made me laugh out loud.

The performances of Zhang and Chun, the lackeys, remained consistently stable.

She continued typing: ["Yang Ge is trash, Yang Ge is trash, Yang Ge is trash."]
Liu Haochun replied: [“Chaoyue, go to hell and shut up.”]
Zhang Ruonan followed up: [“Chaoyue, send another message, have someone take care of you.”]
Yang Chaoyue ignored the two lackeys of the company.

After chatting for a while, I noticed that Zhou Ye hadn't made a move.

She edited the text: ["@Zhou Ye, Ye Zi, what are you doing? How come you just disappeared after the college entrance exam?"]
Zhou Ye replied: [“You're trying to grab an order, Chaoyue, you're so noisy today.”] (End of Chapter)