Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is harsh.

Because Li Xiang had been surrounded by people ever since he followed Zhang Yimou into the inner area—

It wasn't that he was particularly popular, but rather that Zhang Yimou took the opportunity to introduce him to those who came over to say hello.

And those who could get close to Zhang Yimou in the first instance were all extraordinary individuals.

They were all familiar old friends and alumni. Zhang Yimou would introduce each of them with a smile: "This is Li Xiang, also a student at the school, a pretty good kid."

Since the other party meant well, Li Xiang naturally couldn't embarrass them, so he acted like a dutiful junior throughout the whole process, respectfully greeting everyone he met.

His humble and appropriate demeanor instantly won everyone's praise: "Wow, the school has produced another promising talent."

"This child is polite and steady."

"I've seen the movie, and the acting was pretty good."

In short, Li Xiang was so busy keeping Zhang Yimou company and exchanging pleasantries with a group of senior figures that he couldn't leave for a while.

Yang Mi watched from afar, and naturally, her desire to go up and strike up a conversation remained unfulfilled.

She couldn't very well force her way into the group of veteran artists, so she had to suppress her thoughts for the time being and chat with someone she knew, while her eyes kept glancing at Li Xiang.

After finally getting rid of the group, he was pulled away by Uncle Wang, who had just escaped from Kai Ge's complaints, and thrown into another round of small talk.

As they were talking, they saw an old man leading a middle-aged man walking straight toward them from a distance.

Upon seeing this, the people around him all took the initiative to make way and greet him. Even Brother Kai put aside his arrogance and stood aside like a student, bowing and greeting him respectfully.

Li Xiang's heart tightened; his intuition told him this was a true big shot.

And judging from their posture, they were probably coming this way, so they quickly straightened their backs and became extremely alert.

Sure enough, after exchanging a few pleasantries with the people around him, the old man walked straight toward them.

Uncle Wang's eyes lit up, and he pulled Li Xiang along, jogging a few steps to greet them: "Old Dean, what brings you here? How are you feeling?"

"Good, as long as it can still film and move, that's better than anything else." The old man smiled, his voice booming.

"But from what you're saying, are you hoping I'll retire early?"

"How could I dare!" Uncle Wang quickly waved his hand. "With your health, you could easily direct films for another twenty years. The film industry still needs you to steer it!"

"You're so good with words." The old man glanced at him, but his eyes were full of amusement.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Uncle Wang remembered Li Xiang behind him and quickly gave him a push: "Li Xiang, come here quickly."

This is Xie Fei, the former dean of the Beijing Film Academy—most of the directors present are his students.

Li Xiang finally realized who this person in front of him was.

Xie Fei is a leading figure of the fourth generation of directors, the mentor of the fifth and sixth generation of directors, and a legendary art film director.

Moreover, this person is not just someone with a great reputation, but a true godfather figure with his own achievements.

He has won the Berlin Golden Bear and Silver Bear, and has received numerous film awards, including those from the Montreal, Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festivals. He has also served as a jury member at international film festivals for a long time.

Even Jia Zhangke, Guan Hu, and Wang Xiaoshuai, all members of the Sixth Generation of Chinese film directors, were his students.

In the film industry, this level of influence is absolutely top-notch.

He quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Hello, Professor Xie, I am Li Xiang from the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy."

Xie Fei looked him over, his gaze gentle yet scrutinizing, and slowly nodded: "Yes, I've heard of you."

It's great that students are thinking about contributing to the school's success.

"And Yi Mou also mentioned to me that you're a promising talent."

"You flatter me, sir. I am truly unworthy of such praise." Li Xiang's attitude became even more respectful.

"I heard you even wrote your own notebook?" Xie Fei asked again.

"It's just something I figured out on my own."

"To get Yi Mou to nod in approval and even have Xiao Lie take the photos, this isn't just wishful thinking," Xie Fei chuckled.

"Students at Beijing Film Academy must have this kind of pioneering spirit."

Uncle Wang seized the opportunity to interject: "Old Dean, the film is currently in pre-production, and Li Xiang is the male lead. I'll send you a copy of the script later; could you please give it your feedback?"

"Sure," Xie Fei nodded. "No need to wait until we get back. If you brought it, we can chat about it somewhere after this is over."

As he spoke, he gave a meaningful look to the middle-aged man who had been following him.

In just a few words, a number of people had quietly gathered around them not far away, all waiting to come forward and greet them.

Seeing this, Uncle Wang knew he couldn't take up any more of Li Xiang's time, so he pulled Li Xiang aside and said, "Then we won't bother you any longer, please go ahead with your work."

Xie Fei waved his hand and turned to greet the others.

Seeing that Uncle Wang was still excited, Li Xiang quickly tugged at his arm.

Uncle Wang then came to his senses, pulled him towards Hui Yinghong, and whispered an instruction:

"Go to my car later and get that blue folder so I can give it to the old director."

"Okay, I understand," Li Xiang replied.

"What do you know?" Uncle Wang glared at him first, then leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"The old director is a veteran of the three major European film festivals, and the tone of our film is exactly what the film festivals want."

First, ask him to review it. If you can get his approval, then his recommendation will basically guarantee your place in the main competition.

Li Xiang suddenly realized that this was what Uncle Wang was planning.

But when he heard that "making the cut is a sure thing," he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

If he were to be nominated for one of the three major European film festivals, he, as the lead actor, would naturally be a contender for Best Actor.

The movie hasn't even started filming yet, but its star power has already been elevated to a higher level. No wonder Uncle Wang was so excited that he almost lost his composure just now.

Moreover, he vaguely remembered that the film actually won a major award at the Venice Film Festival, indicating that it had the potential to win the championship.

"Then I'll go get it in a bit." With that thought, Li Xiang's steps became a little lighter.

When the two walked over to Kara Hui, she was chatting enthusiastically with several veteran actors. When she saw them coming, she greeted them with a smile.

Wenli and Uncle Wang were clearly very familiar with each other, and she teased each other half-jokingly:

"Old Wang, that's not very nice of you. You have a new film to direct and you didn't even tell us? We're all old friends, how could we not support you?"

"No way," Uncle Wang said with a smile, waving his hand.

"The film is still in pre-production, the actors have just been cast, it's not even close to being finalized yet, how could I possibly announce it?"

"Judging by your setup, you've got quite the ambition." Wenli raised an eyebrow.

"The female leads are all award-winning actresses, so what about the male leads?"

Uncle Wang tilted his head towards Li Xiang: "Isn't this right here?"

He then looked at Kara Hui, clearly noticing that she was tight-lipped and hadn't mentioned the male lead at all.

Kara Hui returned the smile. She wasn't stupid; she had only mentioned collaborating with Uncle Wang, without revealing anything else.

Uncle Wang had no choice but to pull Li Xiang over and introduce him again.

Before they could exchange more than a few words, Zhang Yimou finished his pleasantries and came over, saying to Uncle Wang, "I saw you chatting so enthusiastically with the teacher earlier. Did you want to ask the teacher for his opinion?"

Uncle Wang didn't deny it. Everyone in this circle was an old classmate. He nodded and replied, "Yes, we want the old dean to give us some advice."

Zhang Yimou smiled and said, "That's great. If the teacher approves, you'll have even more confidence in your performance."

A group of people huddled together chatting, which made the actors in the distance, who were eager to improve, extremely envious.

Why is this kid everywhere?

Despite being just a student, he managed to bypass them and infiltrate the circle of these senior figures.

Before long, Gu Changwei and Chen Kaige also joined in, making the lineup even more excessive.

Even before the school anniversary celebration officially began, Li Xiang had already become one of the focal points, attracting even more attention than the fame he gained from filming Under the Hawthorn Tree.

At least within the Beijing Film Academy circle, it's clear to everyone that this "Zhang Yimou's protégé" is not only a protégé of Director Zhang, but also a good kid in the eyes of many senior figures.

Li Xiang naturally noticed the envious glances from those around him, and felt quite pleased with himself...

It's better to be a student while you're in school. You'll be valued for your achievements while you're in school. Once you graduate, you'll always be at a disadvantage.

Even established stars like Huang Xiaoming, Jing Tian with her incredible resources, and Yang Mi, who has already made a name for herself, are all looking this way with longing eyes.

He may not be as famous as these people now, but he has powerful backers.

Moreover, he just received Xie Lao's approval. If he is not a direct descendant of the Beijing Film Academy, then no one else can live up to that title.

Just then, the sound of the emcee testing the sound came from the auditorium not far away. The opening ceremony of the school anniversary celebration was about to begin.