Back to 17, My Brother is the Cult Leader

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Fang Yuan took the train to Beijing.

When they arrived at the station, Huang Xiaoming was waiting at the exit.

"Come on, let me show you the house first," Huang Xiaoming said, taking the bag from his hand.

"I found one near the school, it wasn't expensive."

The two of them took a car to the vicinity of Beijing Film Academy.

Huang Xiaoming led him into an alley, turned two corners, and stopped in front of an old residential building.

Fourth floor, one-bedroom apartment.

The room wasn't big; it had a bed, a table, a chair, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.

The window faces south, so the lighting is decent.

"Six hundred a month, I've negotiated it for you, two months' rent," Huang Xiaoming said.

Fang Yuan looked at it and thought it was acceptable.

Six hundred yuan isn't expensive in Beijing. It's close to the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy, and it only takes about twenty minutes by car.

He paid the rent, put his things down, and tidied up a bit.

"How are you preparing for the Central Academy of Drama's preliminary exam tomorrow?" Huang Xiaoming asked.

"good."

"Don't be nervous. You've written so much already, what are you afraid of?"

That evening, Fang Yuan sat alone in his room, organizing the things he needed for the exam.

The exam admission ticket, ID card, and several pens were put into a file bag.

Then he took out his notebook and went through the general knowledge of literature and art again.

February 10th, the Central Academy of Drama's preliminary audition.

Fang Yuan got up early, washed his face, changed into clean clothes, and took a car to the Central Academy of Drama.

Huang Xiaoming still had to attend class, so Fang Yuan didn't let him ask for leave.

He wanted to go through the entire exam process himself.

The preliminary test covered general knowledge of literature and art, as well as essay writing.

One hundred multiple-choice questions on general knowledge of literature and art, covering literature, drama, film, fine arts, and music.

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Fang Yuan did it very quickly; he could do most of it, and even the ones he wasn't sure about, he was about 70-80% confident about.

After the general knowledge of literature and art test, there was a half-hour break before the essay writing test.

The assignment was given: Write a story of about 2,000 words on the theme of "Waiting".

Fang Yuan thought for five minutes, then began to write.

He wrote a story about a train station.

An old man waits for someone at the train station on the same day every year.

I've waited twenty years.

The station staff all knew him and asked him who he was waiting for, but he wouldn't say.

Then one day, he brought a young man with him, saying he was his son.

He told his son: Your mother left from here back then, and I come here every year to wait for her to come back.

The son asked, "Have you waited yet?" The old man replied, "No."

But I come every year, and if she comes back, I'm the first person she sees.

Fang Yuan wrote 2,300 words in 50 minutes.

He paid attention to controlling the pace, keeping the dialogue concise, and ending cleanly.

When he handed in his paper, he saw a candidate next to him write four long pages of dense writing, and he was a little unsure of what to do next.

But he felt his story was not bad.

The preliminary test results will be available in three days.

During the three days of waiting, Fang Yuan was not idle.

He reviewed his script outline again, made a list of possible questions, and thought of answers for each one.

On February 13th, the preliminary results were released.

Fang Yuan arrived at the Central Academy of Drama at seven o'clock in the morning.

A crowd had already gathered in front of the bulletin board.

He squeezed in and found his own among more than a hundred admission ticket numbers—he passed.

The second interview is in two days.

February 15th, the Central Academy of Drama's second round of auditions.

The second round of the exam is a themed creative writing exercise. You will be given a passage and asked to write a dramatic scene on the spot.

The material is a news event:

An elderly man lost his wallet on a bus. Everyone on the bus suspected a young man, who was unable to defend himself.

The wallet was later found; the old man had dropped it into the seat crevice.

Fang Yuan received the materials, thought for ten minutes, and then began to write.

He wrote a seven-minute short play.

Five characters: an old man, a young man, a driver, and two passengers.

The film opens with an argument on a bus, the conflict escalates in the middle, and the wallet is found at the end.

The young man cried, and everyone on the bus fell silent.

He finished writing it in forty minutes and then revised it in ten minutes.

When he handed in his paper, he felt that he had done a decent job.

The dialogue is written naturally, and the conflict is sufficient.

February 20th, the third audition for the Central Academy of Drama.

The third test is an interview.

There were more than twenty candidates sitting in the waiting room. Some were looking at materials, some were reciting silently, and some were so nervous that their palms were sweating.

When Fang Yuan was called in, his heart skipped a few beats, but he quickly regained his composure.

There were three teachers in the examination room, two men and one woman. The one in the middle had gray hair and wore glasses.

"Please introduce yourself," said the teacher in the middle.

Fang Yuan told them his name, his school, and why he wanted to study drama.

"Have you published any novels?" the female teacher next to me asked.

"I've published a few articles. 'Flying Colors' and 'Eighteen-Year-Old Sky' were both published in 'Mengya' magazine."

The three teachers exchanged glances.

"I've seen 'Flying Colors'," the female teacher said.

"Is it a story about a high school student's underdog success?"

"Yes. It's based on a girl's true story."

"What happened to that girl afterwards?"

"I got into university."

The teacher nodded.

Then the questions began.

"What plays have you seen?" the male teacher on the left asked.

Fang Yuan mentioned that he had read or watched "Thunderstorm," "Teahouse," "Sunrise," and "Peking Man" in his previous life.

Which one is your favorite?

"Teahouse. A three-act play, spanning several decades, featuring dozens of characters, each with their own destiny. Lao She wrote it so well."

What do you think is good about "Teahouse"?

Fang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Fortunately, everyone has a role to play."

Even a supporting character with only a few lines can make you feel like they are a real person.

The shopkeeper, Wang Lifu, was shrewd, worldly, and never offended anyone, but in the end, he was still forced to hang himself.

Qin Zhongyi was dedicated to saving the country through industry, but in the end, his factory was confiscated.

Master Chang was an upright man all his life, but in the end he was so poor that he couldn't afford to eat.

Lao She didn't shout slogans, but after reading his work, you'll understand what that era was like.

The teacher didn't ask any further questions.

Then they asked some standard questions.

What kind of books do you usually like to read?

What are your thoughts on commercial films and art films?

What do you think is the most important ability for a screenwriter?

Fang Yuan answered each question one by one. He spoke his true thoughts, without pretense or deliberate flattery.

The last question, asked by the gray-haired teacher in the middle, was: "What kind of works do you want to write in the future?"

Fang Yuan said, "I write about ordinary people. I write about how they make choices and how they survive in difficult situations."

The teacher glanced at him and wrote a few words on the paper.

"Alright, go back and wait for our notification."

Fang Yuan stood up, bowed, and walked out of the examination room.

After leaving the school gate, he stood by the roadside and let out a long sigh.

He felt he performed normally during the interview, without stumbling or saying anything wrong.

Now we wait for the results.

On February 22nd, the Central Academy of Drama released its admission results.

When Fang Yuan arrived at the school, the bulletin board was already surrounded by people.

He squeezed in and found his exam admission ticket number—he passed.

Professionally qualified.

Some people nearby cried, while others laughed.

Fang Yuan stood in the crowd, looking at that number, and felt at ease.

February 25th, Beijing Film Academy preliminary audition.

The entrance exam process for Beijing Film Academy is similar to that of the Central Academy of Drama.

The first test consists of general knowledge of literature and art and a given essay topic; the second test is an interview; and the third test is a given creative work.

Fang Yuan answered the preliminary test on general knowledge of literature and art with even more ease than he did at the Central Academy of Drama.

The topic for the essay was "A Train Ticket." He wrote a story about going home: a migrant worker couldn't buy a train ticket for the Spring Festival, but eventually met a kind person at the station who gave him his ticket.

After finishing the writing, he felt it was a bit sentimental, but the story was complete and the characters were believable.

I passed the preliminary test smoothly.

On March 1st, I took the second round of interviews at Beijing Film Academy.

Assigned topic creation.

Given a passage, write a movie clip.

Fang Yuan wrote a ten-minute segment.

It depicts a father and son.

My father was a train driver and was away from home most of the year.

His son hates him.

Later, the son rode the train his father had driven and saw his father's workshop, where a photo of the son as a child was displayed.

The son cried.

When Fang Yuan was writing, he thought of himself and his father.

After finishing writing, he felt it was the best essay he had ever written since taking the exam.

On March 5th, I took the third audition for the Beijing Film Academy.

The interview was held in the teaching building of the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy. There were three teachers, two women and one man.

Introduce yourself, ask about your works, your readership, and your understanding of screenwriting.

Fang Yuan's answer was similar to that of the Central Academy of Drama, but the teachers at the Beijing Film Academy were more film-oriented.

"What movies have you seen?" a female teacher asked.

Fang Yuan mentioned more than a dozen works, both Chinese and foreign.

Which one is your favorite?

"To Live"

Why?

"Because it tells the story of how a person lives."

Fu Gui was unlucky his whole life; everyone around him died one by one, but he was still alive.

He didn't spout any grand principles; he just lived.

I think this is how Chinese people live.

The teacher nodded.

They asked some more questions about the movie. Fang Yuan answered them quite calmly.

On March 10th, the Beijing Film Academy released its results.

When Fang Yuan arrived at the school, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the bulletin board.

Huang Xiaoming had been waiting for him for a long time.

I squeezed in and found my exam admission ticket number—I passed.

Professionally qualified.

I passed both schools.

Fang Yuan stood at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy, watching the people coming and going.

In March, the wind in Beijing was still cool, but the sun was shining brightly.

"You've been accepted to both schools, which one will you choose?"

"I haven't decided yet." "You've been accepted to both schools, which one will you choose?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Then take your time thinking about it. Let's treat everyone to dinner first."

"OK."

"Then take your time thinking about it. Let's treat everyone to dinner first."

"OK."

I've got my professional qualification certificate; next up is the college entrance exam.

If you pass the academic subjects, you can attend school.

Three months left.