Huayu: Starting from an Unemployed Male Model

Beijing.

October in Beijing already carries a hint of autumn, and the ginkgo leaves on the Beijing Film Academy campus are gradually turning yellow.

During the seven-day National Day holiday, only a dozen or so people remained on campus.

Zhou Ye diligently practiced her basic physical skills in front of the mirror in the school's physical training room.

Before her holiday, her posture teacher told her that her movements were stiff and her posture lacked beauty, so she needed to practice more. Therefore, she specifically told her parents that she would not go home for the National Day holiday, but would practice her basic skills at school. She wanted to amaze her classmates when they returned from their holidays.

Zhou Ye decided to transfer to the media class in her senior year of high school and decided to take the art exam at the last minute. She was eventually admitted to the Beijing Film Academy with a score of 36th in the country, majoring in acting. She also became the first student from Huizhou to be admitted to the acting department of the Beijing Film Academy.

After enrolling in school, her cheerful and happy personality quickly won the hearts of her classmates and teachers. In addition, her campus video appeared in the music video for Wei Jun's new song "The Wind Rises" before she enrolled, which brought her a certain amount of popularity.

So her classmates took photos with her and asked for autographs, joking that when she became a big star, these autographed photos would be very valuable. They spent more than half a month happily like this.

However, her schoolwork doesn't become easier just because she's pretty or popular. Zhou Ye herself has only average talent; she sings off-key and has average physical attributes, but she's been learning piano since she was young and is quite good at it.

The reason she achieved good results in the art exam was not only because of her good appearance, but also because she suddenly shone during the exam, displaying a powerful acting ability that deeply captivated the examiners.

Once at school, things changed. Without professional training from a young age, how could he compare to the hard work and accumulation of other students, especially his classmate Guan Xiaotong, who had been a child star since childhood and could sing, dance, and play the piano?

The two are classmates, but they come from different circles. One seems to be a favored daughter of heaven and a holy maiden of a sect, while the other is an "ordinary" girl who entered the sect by chance. Moreover, this girl once became popular and gained the love of the audience because of a chance encounter.

The two were unconsciously compared by others, and the more comparisons were made, the more pressure Zhou Ye felt.

"Phew." Zhou Ye collapsed on the floor, spread-eagled, her entire training uniform soaked with sweat.

"Hey, come quick! Your benefactor Wei Jun has released a new song!" Classmate Xu Zijun ran out, turned up the volume on his phone, and handed it to her. "Watch this music video."

To be precise, Zhou Ye is not a fan of Wei Jun. She came across Wei Jun's recruitment information while browsing Weibo out of boredom, thought it was fun, and decided to try submitting her work. It was accepted, and she even became famous for a short time because of it. She is very grateful to Wei Jun.

Zhou Ye took a towel from the railing and wiped the sweat from her hands before taking the phone: "I know, 'Touring Beijing,' I've been playing it on repeat for the past two days."

"That's not the point. This is a duet version, and with this new music video, it's absolutely tearjerker. I suggest you grab some tissues." Xu Zijun took out the tissues he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

Zhou Ye looked incredulous. She hadn't cried while watching Titanic, so what could possibly make her cry? She ignored Xu Zijun's exaggerated words and focused on the music video in front of her.

The prelude is a harmony: "In the ancient city, I hear a beautiful woman playing the zither; under the bright starry night sky, I watch children release lanterns~~~"

As soon as the harmony began, Zhou Ye was captivated. When Wei Jun's voice came out, her body trembled slightly, as if she had been shocked by the piezoelectric ceramic of a lighter.

Her face was no longer smiling, and her eyes were no longer casual; instead, they became solemn and respectful.

Watching the male and female protagonists, who were childhood sweethearts, become apprentices and eventually grow up to become two stars of the Peking Opera world, Zhou Ye was also happy.

Seeing the male and female protagonists' sects fall into ruin, their master die tragically, and they being forced by their mistresses to celebrate the officer's birthday, she also felt sadness and anger.

Watching the male and female leads poison Xiao Rizi and the two of them use opera singing to cast a spell to suppress the Japanese devils, she cried, crying until tears and snot came out.

Xu Zijun silently handed her a tissue. Zhou Ye took it, wiped away her tears, blew her nose, and threw the dirty tissue into the trash can.

"Let's go eat after you've finished crying," Xu Zijun suggested.

"No, I want to continue training," Zhou Ye said, as if she had been injected with adrenaline. She stood up, grabbed her water bottle, drank it in big gulps, and then continued, "You go first, I'll practice this part and then go eat."

"Actually, you don't need to compare yourself to Xiaotong," Xu Zijun sighed slightly. "She's a child star with countless resources and has even won awards. Comparing yourself to her will only cause you trouble."

"I don't want to compete with her anymore." Zhou Ye seemed to have found the meaning of acting, and she also wanted to play memorable roles.

Xu Zijun left silently.

After practicing for half an hour, Zhou Ye lay down, exhausted. The door to the training room opened again. She thought Xu Zijun had come to call her for dinner again, but instead heard a squeaking sound.

"Yezi, stop practicing and come play with me." Meng Ziyi walked in, tossing her hair.

The two met shortly after enrolling in school. At that time, Zhou Ye was experiencing a surge in popularity due to her role in "The Wind Rises." Driven by curiosity, Meng Ziyi came to see if this junior was really as lively and cute as she appeared in the videos. Just like that, the two hit it off immediately and became good friends.

"Sister Meng, I need to train," Zhou Ye refused.

Meng Ziyi pouted: "I know you too well. You're the kind of person who gets enthusiastic for only three minutes. You'll get all worked up after someone discourages you or you watch some inspirational video. But once that's over, you'll lose interest."

Zhou Ye blushed: "I'm serious this time."

"Never mind then," Meng Ziyi shook her head and pretended to leave. "A new barbecue restaurant opened near the school. I have a coupon, but unfortunately, no one will go with me."

"Meng Ziyi!" Zhou Ye picked up the clothes and bags from the ground and followed behind her. "I really admire you. You're like a stubborn rock on my path to success."

I'm not just having a fleeting interest; I've been practicing for a long time, and I'm hungry and need to replenish my energy. Besides, my teacher always says that we should balance work and rest.

Zhou Ye no longer frowned because of the pressure, and once again followed Meng Ziyi around like a happy puppy, eating and drinking for free.

That's how it is with teenagers in their 19s and 20s. Their emotions come and go quickly. They might strive because of pressure or watching a good video, but once the passion fades, they'll revert to their old ways.

......

Hengdian.

Wang Churan stayed alone in the hotel where the film crew was staying, reading the script and memorizing her lines, while her mother went out to communicate with the crew members about the upcoming TV series "General and I".

Her fingers gripped the script tightly, her brows furrowed. Sometimes she would scribble and draw on the script, pondering the character, and sometimes she would close her eyes and recite the lines.

She felt incredibly lucky, as if she had been struck by Lady Luck's arrow and was overflowing with good fortune.

She accidentally saw Wei Jun publicly recruiting campus stories on Weibo, and on a whim, she sent her own videos and photos to Wei Jun's studio via email. As a result, she was selected for the music video, which became a huge hit and brought her fame.

Just then, the casting director of "Oh My General" saw this music video and took a liking to her, inviting her to participate in the audition. The audition was for Liu Xiyin. On the day of the audition, her appearance, temperament and performance surprised the director, and she was successfully passed.

The news of passing the audition didn't bring her joy for long; instead, it brought immense pressure.