2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 89 Class 14, Senior Three

Getting Tian Du to buy his script is quite difficult.

Even if Chu An hasn't proven that his scripts are a gold standard, and even if everyone could make a fortune, Tiandu would most likely not buy them.

Can't afford to lose that person.

Chu An was just saying it; he had nothing better to do anyway.

The two of them busied themselves making dumplings and ate them together. And then, of course, they sat down together to play games.

Chu An sometimes wondered, how did I become an internet addict after transmigrating?
Tong Meng offered a credible explanation for this: "If a delicate and beautiful celebrity were sitting there playing games with you, you'd become an internet addict too."

Once the Lantern Festival is over, Chu An's good days of playing games, wasting time, and making money will also come to an end.

Because school starts on March 1st soon.

For a student who completed the enrollment procedures more than a month before the Lunar New Year but has yet to report to the school, it would be unreasonable for them not to go any further.

That day, Chu An carried his schoolbag, which he hadn't touched in the past six months, and was taken to school by Lu Mingze, who "pretended" to be his parent.

As mentioned before, Shengjing No. 13 Middle School is a school with a long history. During the Republic of China period, it was the affiliated middle school of Fu Jen Catholic University.

The school was located in the Prince's Mansion, which is a famous historical site.

Lu Mingze chose this school for Chu An not entirely because it was close to home.

Another important reason is that the college admission rate of the art specialty classes at No. 13 Middle School has been 100% over the years.

Upon arriving at the school, Chu An was still admiring the scenery when the director of the academic affairs office came to pick him up personally, after all, Lu Mingze was a well-known alumnus of No. 13 Middle School.

Chu An didn't have to worry about the formalities or picking up the textbooks; Old Lu was quite a competent "parent."

Before long, Chu An was sent to Class 14 of the third year of high school, which is the art specialty class of No. 13 Middle School.

The academic affairs director also introduced Chu An to the class, saying, "There are 32 students in Class 14, most of whom are art students. Chu An is the first one to apply for the directing class."

When they opened the classroom door, they found only 7 students, all of whom were sleeping. There was no teacher in sight.

Seeing the dean of academic affairs bring in the new students, the student who had been woken up only glanced up before lying back down to continue sleeping.

Ok!

Art talent classes are all the same in every school.

The school exhibits a lax attitude. This is especially true in "good schools" like No. 13 Middle School, particularly in its special talent classes.

At this point in time, for art students, the focus should not be on academic subjects, but on extracurricular tutoring for their special talents.

Most of those who didn't come were attending classes off-campus. Those sleeping were either physical education students who hadn't started training yet, or they didn't have any professional classes at that time.

As for academic subjects? This was in 2002, a time when universities had the most autonomy in admissions. What academic subjects were we talking about?

The director told Chu An to find an empty seat.

then
"Your homeroom teacher's surname is Wang. He must have taken the art students to the Central Academy of Fine Arts for tutoring classes."

"When she comes back, she will tell you about the entrance exam process for the Central Academy of Drama and the things to note."

"Next week, the teacher in charge of the entrance exams at the Central Academy of Drama will come to the school to give a lecture. Teacher Wang will introduce you there."

He glanced at Lu Mingze and smiled calmly, "However, Director Lu should have arranged all of this. The school is only making preliminary contact."

Listen to this! Is this even human language?
Although Chu An himself was a special agent, he still felt it was somewhat inhumane.

He remembered that in another time and space, there was a painter named Chen, whose given name was D Qing, who once told him about his experience of leaving the university.

Among them, the Chinese-style education was criticized as worthless.

The reason why he sees no hope in Chinese education is that he doesn't understand why students who want to study art have to take English and math exams.

He thought it was ridiculous and pointless, so he quit.

Many ordinary people still believe he is right, that Chinese-style education is simply bad.

Chu An was speechless.

He rarely has a sharp opinion of someone, but this one is definitely one of them.

I've always felt that he's either a modern-day "let them eat meat porridge" type, oblivious to the suffering of others.

They're either purely evil, determined to say something shocking or outrageous.

Without hard barriers like English and math, those so-called geniuses and promising individuals among ordinary people wouldn't even have the chance to be seen by him.

Talent is a difficult thing to define, and the evaluation of whether a person has talent can be monopolized.

That's just how realistic this world is.

Leaving aside the fact that Chu An is currently in a position of academic dominance, and also ignoring how much Lu Mingze's behind-the-scenes manipulations have increased Chu An's chances of academic success.

Take No. 13 Middle School as an example, and the fact that it had the decision-making power over college admissions in 2002.
Although No. 13 Middle School can be considered a key middle school, it is located in Xicheng District and is not even considered a top-tier key middle school; it can only be ranked in the third tier.

But do you know which universities this third-tier key high school partners with for talent development programs?

Tsinghua and Peking University are the perks of being in a culturally-oriented class.

Why is the college entrance examination pass rate for art students at No. 13 Middle School 100%? Because they have cooperative relationships with the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Central Academy of Drama.

You're just a test-taker from a small county town, and you don't even know which way the doors of the Central Academy of Drama and the Central Academy of Fine Arts face, let alone what their entrance exam procedures are.

However, the art students at No. 13 Middle School can invite the people in charge of the exams to give a special lecture to tell you what they need to be tested on, how they are tested, and what things to pay attention to.

You're still living in a small county town, believing in your talent and abilities, fantasizing that you can win the heart of the interviewer.

They've already met with the interviewers and made an initial impression.

Without seemingly absurd obstacles like English and math, most test takers would have to rely on their conscience.

But most of the time, conscience is worthless in the face of personal relationships and interests.

Getting back to the point, Chu An could only sigh at the fact that in his previous life he was a nobody who climbed his way up step by step.

But I've ended up with "0+4" in this life. Life is truly ironic.

As lunchtime approached, the homeroom teacher, Wang Xiaoxia, returned with a dozen or so art students, only to discover that there was a new student in the class, and quite a prominent one at that.

"Chu An." Teacher Wang looked Chu An up and down. "Later, please sign an autograph for me and take a photo with me."

This made Chu An blush deeply, but he had seen all sorts of big scenes before. "Please don't embarrass me. From today onwards, I'm your soldier!"

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to the whole class, "I'm new here, so don't bully me! Otherwise, I'll write a script called 'Class 14 is Full of Jerks,' and make you all the villains!"

Not only Teacher Wang, but the whole class burst into laughter, and they had a good impression of the famous star Chu.

Teacher Wang also had a good impression of this new student. Before, when he criticized Ji Yang online, it caused quite a stir, and Wang Xiaoxia even felt that this child was a bit too sharp.

Stop teasing him, call Chu An to the front of the class and explain the process of the entrance exam for the Central Academy of Drama's directing program.

"The Central Academy of Drama's independent admissions process uses a three-stage progressive assessment system."

"That means you have to go through three exams. The first one is a preliminary exam, which consists of two parts: reading aloud and a performance on a given topic."

"Of these, reading aloud accounts for 40% of the preliminary test score. Choose a piece of content that is no more than 3 minutes long to practice. Note that you should not choose famous works or song lyrics."

As a homeroom teacher for a special talent class at No. 13 Middle School, Wang Xiaoxia is very familiar with the entrance examination procedures and precautions for various art colleges and majors.

She even knew exactly what each school tabooed.

Chu An was instructed to listen and take notes.

"The test points for the reading aloud section are the expressiveness of language, the emotional depth, and the depth of text comprehension."

"The Central Academy of Drama has three main criteria for eliminating candidates for recitation: first, reciting in a flat tone; second, using an exaggerated tone; and third, using a regional accent! So even though you're not applying to the acting class, you still have to change your accent, and it's best not to use a Northeastern accent."

Chu An nodded and noted it down. Wang Xiaoxia continued, "The other part of the preliminary test is a themed performance, which is also the most important part, accounting for 60%. Generally, it is a group performance with 5 to 8 people, such as the theme 'Afternoon Classroom'."

Chu An asked, puzzled, "Teacher, if I'm applying to the directing program, do I still need to do acting?"

Wang Xiaoxia: "Of course we have to take the exam! And students from the directing class are most likely to make mistakes here."

"Because assigned performances don't test your acting skills, but rather the spatial imagination, teamwork ability, and life observation skills that a director should possess."

Chu An clicked his tongue inwardly, cursing Old Lu for being so unreliable, not telling him such important information at all!

Wang Xiaoxia continued, "The re-examination also has two parts."

"One part is the written test, which involves analyzing a work. The Central Academy of Drama usually gives you a clip from a famous novel or a popular film or television show. You watch it for 15 minutes, and then you have 50 minutes to answer questions. Remember, don't write a reflection; write a commentary."

Chu An: "Oh, if you hadn't told me, I definitely would have written a review. After all, I'm very familiar with this stuff; I've been writing about it since I was a child."

Wang Xiaoxia said, "Commentary should start with the deconstruction of the director's shots and his personal aesthetic stance, and finally delve into the social metaphors."

Chu An, "."

Wow! Everyone says that the pass rate of No. 13 Middle School is 100%. The homeroom teacher is practically holding your hand and teaching you how to pass the exam. How could the pass rate not be high?
Wang Xiaoxia said, "The other part of the re-examination is the preparation and presentation of the interview questions. You will draw a question on the spot, have 3 minutes to think about it, and 2 minutes to present it."

"I don't need to say more about this; it would be strange if you didn't get a perfect score."

Okay, Chu An is a screenwriter, so writing a presentation based on a given topic is the easiest thing for him. For example, drawing a topic on the spot—a broken chair.

Chu An only needed to borrow a broken chair and make up a two-minute story.

"The third test."

Wang Xiaoxia simply explained the content of the third test, saying, "The third test won't be difficult for you either."

The third test consists of three parts:
First, group creation, usually in groups of 8, with 40 minutes to create a short play on a theme.

Second: Individual interviews. The content depends entirely on the examiner's preferences, and people with a good reputation like Chu An generally pass.

Thirdly, there's the talent/skills component. This is also the only component that can be prepared before the exam.

It could be a self-made short film, a storyboard drawing, etc.

"The entrance exams for the Central Academy of Drama are usually held in early May. Registration opens then, and the school will help you prepare the materials, so you don't need to worry about it."

"If you're not confident about getting into the Central Academy of Drama, you can also apply to the directing programs at the Beijing Film Academy and the Shanghai Theatre Academy. You can choose whichever program you get accepted into."

Chu An then carefully reviewed the entrance exam process for the Central Academy of Drama once again.

Whether it's the preliminary exam, the second exam, or the third exam, they test either professional skills or experience and interpersonal skills.

Chu An thought he should be fine, right?
Moreover, there's the support of No. 13 Middle School and Lao Lu.

"Applying to the Central Academy of Drama is enough."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoxia didn't think Chu An was being presumptuous, as the academic affairs director had already told her about Chu An's situation.

Lu Mingze personally delivered it; it would be a miracle if he didn't get into the Central Academy of Drama.

As for the academic scores?
These days, it's not uncommon for students with special talents to be admitted with zero points. Besides, according to Chu An's file, his academic performance at his original school was above average; he could easily get into a second-tier university, let alone an art college.

"Then go back! Our class doesn't have many academic classes. If you want to improve, copy the class schedule yourself and come to class on time."

"You can allocate the rest of your time as you like; the main purpose is for you to prepare for the college entrance exams."

Chu An had no objections; for him, this was the best arrangement. Going to school wouldn't interfere with his work, and working wouldn't interfere with his schooling.

Back in my seat, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

Wang Xiaoxia announced the end of school and left on her own, but more than a dozen of her classmates stayed behind.

A big star has come to the class, which is still a novelty for them.

Regardless of whether they were boys or girls, they all pretended to pack their bags, glancing at Chu An intentionally or unintentionally.

Chu An remained calm, pretending not to see anything, and walked out of the classroom with his hands in his pockets, under the watchful eyes of the entire class.

But when they reached the door, they stopped and turned around.
When everyone saw him standing there, this time without trying to hide, they all stared at him, wondering what the big star was going to do.

Chu An asked with a serious expression, "So, should I treat you to a meal or a milk tea?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback, but then relaxed.

A girl in the front row picked up her easel and asked, "How about some milk tea?"

A chubby boy next to her grinned and said, "He's a big star, isn't the milk tea a bit too good for him?"

"How about we have dinner? Let's have a good meal."

The crowd immediately became lively, with some saying that since they had just met, a meal would be too expensive, and milk tea would be fine. The majority of the participants were girls.
Some people thought the chubby guy was right; big stars have money and deserve a good meal.

Finally, Chu An waved his hand and said, "Please, everyone! Let's go!"

The whole class erupted in cheers, and all traces of estrangement and unfamiliarity towards Chu An vanished.

Young people can forge the most sincere friendships in the shortest amount of time.

It's that simple.

In the afternoon, Chu An didn't go to school because there were no academic classes.

Chu An's plan is this: he will still attend all his required academic classes and try not to miss any. He wants to get as high a score as possible on the college entrance exam; he doesn't want to be found out in the future that he's an illiterate college student.

For the rest of the time, you can prepare for the college entrance exams at home; you don't need to go to school.

I had lunch with my classmates and then sat by Houhai Lake drinking milk tea.

Then, I waved them off to school, turned around, and walked 50 meters to my doorstep.

There were already people waiting for him at his doorstep.

Su Manqing was wearing a headscarf and sunglasses, completely covering herself up.

Nicolas Cage also wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, a completely different image from his on-screen persona.

Only Sofia Coppola, with her relatively unknown background, could unabashedly display her dashing and heroic side in a foreign land.

At this moment, neither Cage nor Sofia were in a good mood.

In Hollywood, screenwriters hold a very high status, and it is a necessary process to revisit the plot's plausibility and details with them.

But not only did this Chinese screenwriter refuse to go to the United States to meet, he also made them stand here for half an hour.

He used the excuse of having a meal to delay his arrival.

Seeing a young face walking straight towards them, Cage thought he had been recognized by Chinese movie fans.

She felt panicked, fearing that the boy would shout loudly and attract a crowd.

As a result, Su Manqing went up to them and said:
"This is Chu An, the screenwriter of 'Heart Fire'."

Sofia, “.”

Cage, “.”

They knew the screenwriter was young, but they never imagined he was this young.
Cage looked serious. "Sue, this is a joke, right?"

.

It's late, it's late, I'm back late.

Guilty, deserving of death! Must repent.

(End of this chapter)