Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

At the entrance of Beijing Film Academy.

Zhao Huaiyuan, along with his older sister Zhao Xiaoyu and two younger sisters Peng Xiaohua and Guo Lili, finally made it back to school.

He was exhausted after that whole day.

From the vintage flea market in the Jimenli residential area across from the school

Then we went to Shuangxiu Park near the North Third Ring Road, and also strolled around the clothing market in Beitaipingzhuang.

Zhao Huaiyuan exclaimed that he really couldn't go shopping with women.

I really don't know how their legs grow so long, don't they get tired at all?

He was already slender, and now with his new outfit, he exuded a crisp and youthful vibe.

Zhao Huaiyuan not only bought clothes for himself, but also insisted on buying two new outfits for his sister Zhao Xiaoyu. Zhao Xiaoyu kept complaining that they were too expensive and not worth it, but her objections were in vain!

Speaking of this morning,

Before Zhao Huaiyuan could go to the off-campus guesthouse to find Zhao Xiaoyu, he received a notification from his advisor that the department head, Tian Zhuangzhuang, had something urgent to discuss with him and asked him to come over.

The first thing I heard upon entering was:

"Huaiyuan, I have bad news."

Tian Zhuangzhuang gave an apologetic description of the high-level meeting last night.

"Class C exhibition hall? I understand."

Zhao Huaiyuan nodded, his expression calm.

In fact, he had anticipated this outcome from the very beginning.

This is gambling from the start!

I'm betting that this short film will overcome all obstacles and reach Han Sanping.

This is why he didn't choose those safer art films that were more likely to be accepted by school leaders and win awards, but instead chose The Sound Engineer.

This is a mature work that has long been tested by the market.

As long as Han Sanping gets to see the film, there's no need to worry about the old scholars at school disliking it; after all, it's the inevitable trend.

He will definitely gain Han Sanping's appreciation and even be given an important position because of this short film.

After all, for Zhao Huaiyuan, the short film was just a small-scale project, just the beginning; he had a lot more to do.

For example, how to gain Han Sanping's appreciation in the shortest amount of time and maximize participation in his upcoming young director support program.

After all, even a low-budget commercial film costs millions, which is far beyond his current means.

"Huaiyuan, this is my fault. Don't blame the teacher for not continuing to advocate for you."

Although I have high hopes for your talent, this is ultimately the dean's will, and it also concerns the school's reputation.

As the department head, he has his own difficulties. Cherishing talent is one thing, but ruining an academic career is another.

That's not how it's supposed to be played.

"Actually, Category C is not bad either, don't be discouraged..." Tian Zhuangzhuang was about to say a few words of comfort when he saw Zhao Huaiyuan smile.

"Teacher Tian, ​​since President Han is coming tonight, I don't want to admit defeat so easily. I'm not one to back down. So, I won't put you in a difficult position, and I certainly won't let you challenge the hospital."

I just want to ask you for a small favor. It's something that's easy for you to do, something no one can fault, and it won't offend anyone.

Zhao Huaiyuan leaned closer and whispered a few words in his ear.

After listening, Tian Zhuangzhuang gave a meaningful smile: "You kid... alright, this is really no big deal, I'll take care of it."

"Thank you very much, Teacher Tian."

...

Having recovered from his memories, Zhao Huaiyuan stood at the school gate and carefully reviewed the plan one last time. After confirming that everything was in order, he led Zhao Xiaoyu and the others directly to the outside of the bidding hall.

By this time, the red carpet event was nearing its end, and the heavyweight figures and celebrity alumni had already moved to the VIP lounge.

But the excitement outside the venue was undiminished. Students without tickets and some fans who just wanted to join in the fun surrounded the entrance, craning their necks to look into the exhibition hall.

Looking at the men and women around her, all dressed in gold and silver and looking so glamorous, Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly felt a little intimidated.

Although she had lived in Yanjing for many years, her life was basically confined to the factory area in the suburbs, and she had never been in contact with or participated in such occasions.

This is so uncomfortable!

Zhao Xiaoyu's voice trembled: "This place...this place is too high-class, what if...they won't let us in? Should we go back?"

"Sister, don't worry, have you forgotten what you promised me?"

Besides, this is just a place where the school shows movies; it's no different from a village opera performance.

If you look closely at the lights, even though they're dressed well, they're still just human beings like us.

"It doesn't have an extra nose or extra eyes, so what's so high-class about it?" Zhao Huaiyuan laughed.

Peng Xiaohua, standing to the side, seemed perfectly at ease in this setting.

She was both happy and excited, grabbing Zhao Huaiyuan's arm and pulling him into her arms, making Zhao Huaiyuan quite embarrassed.

Guo Lili stared intently at the girls around her who were all youthful and graceful, their eyes filled with a strong longing.

She subconsciously straightened her clothes, which she had just bought today. She thought they were quite fashionable in the mall, but compared to these privileged young people in front of her, she immediately felt deflated and like a country bumpkin.

Just then.

"A great talent?"

A slightly surprised voice, with a hint of sweetness, came from behind.

Several people turned their heads.

Jiang Yan was seen walking gracefully towards the group, arm in arm with a boy.

She went all out for this important event today, wearing a red off-shoulder dress and with exquisite makeup.

The boy arm in arm with her was Zhang Jian, a senior majoring in directing.

At this time, Zhang Jian was riding high on his success.

He not only successfully used his connections to move his shortlisted work, "He Just Sit There Eating Noodles," from Category C to Category B, but also managed to win over a pretty junior high school girl who had just started school, all with just a friend's ticket.

What a winner in life!

Jiang Yan looked the group up and down, her gaze first landing on Zhao Xiaoyu, who was poorly dressed and looked somewhat disheveled. She subtly showed her disdain on her face, inwardly cursing her as a poor, wretched person!

Looking at Guo Lili and Peng Xiaohua again, I felt quite disdainful of them. Although they were dressed somewhat fashionably and wore some makeup, their inherent rusticity was undeniable!

She smiled and looked at Zhao Huaiyuan:

"What a coincidence! I thought it looked like you from afar. Are these people... from our hometown? Are they here to visit the school?"

Jiang Yan's tone was gentle, as if she genuinely cared about her classmate, but then she abruptly changed the subject, her brows furrowing slightly as if offering a well-intentioned reminder:

"However, today is a major event for our school, and all the attendees are high-society figures, so security is extremely tight."

Although our school is usually open to the public, I'm afraid that random people won't be able to get in tonight.

As she was talking, she suddenly thought of something terrible, and her face showed horror as she quickly covered her mouth:

"Oh dear, with this group of people here, what if they get on the boss's nerves? Or what if the security guards mistake them for scalpers and kick them out? That would be so embarrassing!"

Zhao Huaiyuan frowned.

Why is this leech still clinging to me?

A quick glance.

[Target: Jiang Yan]

Current favorability rating: 2

He had seen plenty of people like Jiang Yan in his two lifetimes. It was nothing more than him ignoring her on the first day of school, making her lose face and hurting her so-called self-esteem. Now she was just trying to get her revenge.

It's utterly baffling.

But Jiang Yan didn't think that way. She had always been the center of attention, with everyone revolving around her. But that day, Zhao Huaiyuan completely ignored her, which made her angry.

Since we've run into each other today, we have to vent our anger!

Zhao Huaiyuan didn't want to deal with this kind of person.

But Peng Xiaohua, standing to the side, wasn't going to tolerate it.

She took a step forward, blocking Zhao Huaiyuan's path, her beautiful eyes glaring at him, and immediately began to curse:

"Whether we come or not is none of your business! Who do you think you are? What are you babbling about here? Who's the bystander? Who's going to be kicked out? I think you're the one who's like a red-feathered chicken, clucking around everywhere!"

Peng Xiaohua had worked in a factory and had been through a lot in society for many years. She had seen all kinds of people. When she saw the other party provoking her, she didn't play games with her and started cursing right away!

"you.."

Jiang Yan's fake smile froze instantly; she was completely taken aback.

She clearly hadn't expected the other person to be so rude. She had often spoken sarcastically to many people before, but most people were mindful of their manners and upbringing. Even when the two of them argued, it was just a back-and-forth sarcastic remark, a polite argument.

She really didn't know how to respond to this kind of direct and unrestrained verbal abuse.

"How dare you swear at me! You have no manners!" Jiang Yan's face turned pale with anger. She pointed at Peng Xiaohua, then turned to Zhang Jian and pleaded.

"Senior, look at them... they're bullying me."

Zhang Jian stood aside, not wanting to get involved in these matters, especially since arguing with a woman in public was simply uncivilized, so he pretended not to hear.

He is, after all, an artist, and he has his pride.

"This is our school's film festival, a sophisticated place. You poor wretches don't even have tickets. Even if you manage to sneak to the entrance now, you won't be able to get in later!" Seeing that Zhang Jian didn't react, Jiang Yan stomped her foot in anger and stopped pretending.

"Who are you cursing? Say it again and I'll slap you! Besides, we have tickets, why can't we go in?" Peng Xiaohua chuckled, waving the tickets in her hand in front of Jiang Yan.

"kindness?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jian, who had been indifferent to the situation, looked over.

He stepped forward, his gaze falling on the ticket in Peng Xiaohua's hand, examining it for a few moments.

"Tickets for the screening hall? Where did you get them?"

"What do you care where I came from? We all have them!" Peng Xiaohua glared at him.

Zhang Jian chuckled to himself. He naturally wouldn't stoop to her level, especially not with a beautiful woman!

He looked around again and saw Zhao Huaiyuan sandwiched among several women, clearly having come together, and immediately understood.

"Hey junior, you don't look familiar. What year are you in?"

"None of your business." This guy doesn't look like a good person at all; he's practically got a villain's name on his forehead. Zhao Huaiyuan wasn't going to be polite to him.

Zhang Jian smiled.

"Did you give them those tickets? Do you know that even I, a senior director who was shortlisted for the Category B screenings, only got two tickets for friends and family in the standard screening hall, and the seats were quite far back?"

You're telling me now that you're a freshman, yet you have three front-row tickets for the main auditorium? Do you think that's reasonable?