Tea-flavored Romance

The familiar scene made Ning Yuan's eyelids twitch uncontrollably. He came here to find his good friend Lu Jiujiu simply to find someone familiar to make him feel safer... and if necessary, she could also help him avoid a chaotic situation.

In the most outrageous scenario... they might even be able to collect his corpse.

"You look so tragic..." Lu Jiujiu asked cautiously, "Is it because I didn't go?"

"So you know how tragic my story is?" Master Ning composed himself and glanced at her sideways. "So how do you plan to make it up to me?"

"I'll try my best to get there as quickly as possible!"

"Sigh... since even my best friend can't be relied on... then my sister is obviously no better. By the way, has she asked you for money recently?"

"Borrow money? No, I don't." Lu Hanhan asked curiously, "Is Little Ling'er asking for money again?"

"That's true... she probably won't ask you for money."

Ning Yuan thought about it and found it a bit strange. If this girl didn't borrow money from anyone, then why did she spend so long sorting through old things? Was it because she couldn't bear to part with any of them?

How can a girl survive on her own allowance? It might be okay for a boy, but a girl definitely can't keep up with the spending.

Or...did she suddenly win the lottery?

How is that possible? With that leek spirit? Winning the lottery? Oh ho ho ho, that's hilarious.

"Forget it, I can't be bothered with that girl. I'd better think about what to do about tomorrow's short film competition..."

Although that's what they say, Ning Yuan's demeanor clearly doesn't suggest he's confident. To come up with a solution that works in just one day, this mission's rating is probably SSS!

I admit I was young and naive when I begged you two to release this task. But you two beautiful ladies, could you please cancel this task that could destroy both mining sites at the same time if we're not careful?

What a tragedy!

The boy in the bubble tea shop held his head in his hands, slumped over the table, sighing incessantly and occasionally letting out desperate cries. Across from him, a cute little goofball, though not quite understanding the reason for his troubles, quietly sat there keeping him company, listening to his complaints and rants.

Time flows by, the light shifts gently, and the bustling crowds outside create a peculiar backdrop. Lu Jiujiu sat in the milk tea shop, her chin resting on her hands, and suddenly felt as if she had returned to the past.

Tomorrow... seems to be a very important day for Ningyuan. Should I go and support him in advance?

Yeah, it's okay to leave early sometimes for a friend. Grandma won't know.

……

Whether Master Ning likes it or not, the will of the world has never revolved around him. After a long and worried night, the 21st Provincial College Student Micro-Film Festival opened as scheduled.

The film had already been submitted to the competition organizers for preliminary selection. Since the competition targets university students across the province, the number of submissions was quite substantial. The judges wouldn't have the time to watch all the entries; the purpose of the preliminary selection was simply to identify suitable works and ensure the content wasn't too low-quality.

Ning Yuan never imagined his film would fail the preliminary rounds. When the competition opened, he wore a small tag given to him by staff around his neck and arrived early to scout the venue.

It must be said that this competition was quite prestigious. Several of the judges were titans of the film industry, and some were even currently popular directors. Their purpose in coming here had long since transcended the concept of money; it was purely to enhance their reputation and qualifications.

Helping young filmmakers, if done well and some promising talents are discovered, then they can become mentors, which could become a wonderful story!

The entire venue is decorated in a light blue color scheme, giving it a vibrant and energetic feel. The layout is somewhat similar to a tiered classroom, so... will the two most beautiful girls from the department sit together, or will they sit at a distance and gaze at each other?

Chapter 76: Zhang Ziming's Awakening

They probably don't know what the other is up to, right? Otherwise, they wouldn't have both said, "I'm not going." Master Ning thought about it and found these two SSR girls quite funny. They both wanted the other to get involved, but they were both inevitably dragged into it. Is this a strange kind of love-hate relationship?

These two girls are really acting strangely.

As Ning Yuan shook his head and sighed, he walked up the steps to go backstage to sit down. A strange yet familiar figure passed by him. This figure walked down the steps of the venue on its own. When he realized that he seemed to have brushed past someone, he couldn't help but stop.

The man seemed to sense something, and turned his head slightly, revealing a slightly tired and confused face. Ning Yuan looked down from the high place, and that face seemed to be imprinted in his heart, vivid in his mind.

"Um... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

The man was silent for a moment, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked up and saw Master Ning looking bewildered.

"Me too."

"What is your name?"

"What is your name?"

Passerby: You two are such drama queens, are you trying to pay homage to a famous scene?

The man at the bottom of the steps sighed softly, and after thinking for a moment, he spoke up: "My name is Zhang Ziming."

"Oh my god! That Zhang from the forum..."

Zhang Joker immediately interrupted angrily, "No. That was just a joke!"

"I know, I know, people online are too idle these days." Upon meeting Joker in person for the first time, Master Ning felt a surge of respect. "Hello, I am Ning Yuan."

“I know,” Zhang Joker said with a hint of resentment, “I’ve known your name for a long time…”

Master Ning coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed. After all, the name "Zhang Da Joker" originated from him, so it was reasonable to say that he couldn't forget Ning Yuan.

"Brother Zhang, how have you been? ... Um, don't worry too much about the comments online, they're nothing."

“I know. Those people’s opinions won’t affect my life. They’re just crazy followers.” Zhang Ziming put on a worldly-wise air, shaking his head and sighing.

"Actually, they are the real clowns. I am not."

"Brother Zhang, your insight is profound." Master Ning cupped his hands in greeting, thinking to himself that he hadn't expected this rumored rich second-generation to have such high moral character. Truly, a true master doesn't reveal his abilities.

“I’ve been watching you for a long time,” Zhang Ziming suddenly said. “You are a formidable opponent.”

Ning Yuan was stunned for a moment, and was about to say something when Zhang Ziming waved his hand to interrupt him: "You misunderstood. I was not talking about who is more competitive in pursuing Gu Guanxue, but about talent."

"Your talent makes me give it my all. Thanks to a formidable opponent like you, I have gained profound insights and made breakthroughs."

"My obsession with romantic love between men and women was due to my narrow-mindedness. Since watching your work, I have suddenly grasped the true essence of the film industry."

Ning Yuan: ? ? ?

You've come up with some nonsense, but my film hasn't even started yet... Wait...

Master Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly had a bad feeling.

"The Tuner" hasn't been released yet, so the only films Zhang Da Joker can see that he directed are...

The Legend of Dragon King Shura?!

Seeing Ning Yuan's extremely shocked expression, Zhang Ziming couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth. However, perhaps because he had grasped the meaning too deeply, the curl of his mouth was a bit outrageous.

"You must be very surprised, and I am surprised too. I never thought I could learn something from your movie."

“What a person needs to grow is not just friends, but also a respectable opponent.” Zhang Ziming said seriously, “Ning Yuan, you are a respectable director. Even though you majored in computer science, I believe that as long as you are willing to step into this field, you will definitely be a name in the Chinese film industry in the future.”

Master Ning waved his hands frantically: "I can't do it, don't drag me into your bragging... I really can't... I'm just a computer science student... Brother Zhang, you overestimate me."

“Ning Yuan, you don’t need to pretend anymore.” Zhang Da Joker said in a loud voice, “To be honest, ever since I last saw your work, I have been deeply doubting myself. I felt that I was not capable of being your opponent, and even wanted to give up participating in the micro-film festival with you... because I knew that with my talent and level at that time, I was not enough to compete with you head-on.”

"Later, I watched your works more than a dozen times... including the compilation version uploaded to Bilibili."

Master Ning: ? ? ?

Who could watch The Legend of the Dragon King more than ten times? A normal person would get tired of it after watching it two or three times, right?

Dude, something's not right with you!

"From your work, I see a vibrant vitality and vigor, the kind of vitality that only a director with dreams can infuse into his work. Infected by this vitality, I... am elevated."

"After so much unremitting effort, I have finally completed a work of my own to participate in the competition. I hope we can compete head-to-head on the screen!"

After saying this, Zhang Da Joker tossed his proud hair, turned around and left with a triumphant air, leaving Ning Yuan standing there dumbfounded.

Something's not right, something's definitely not right with this guy!

Zhang Ziming had only taken a few steps when he turned back, asking somewhat anxiously, "You should have understood the main point I just made, right?"

"..."

"It's about the previous situation." Zhang Ziming coughed lightly, hinting, "Actually, I wasn't very familiar with Gu Guanxue before, you understand?"

"So, if you have time, could you please explain the rumors about Joker on the forum?"

"After all, I don't want those real clowns to continue living such a pathetic life... you know what I mean?"

"I almost understand."

Having said all he needed to say, Zhang Da Joker, his eyes glazed over, tossed his hair again and smugly walked away. He felt his maneuvering had been absolutely perfect; not only had he successfully fooled Ning Yuan, but he had also managed to cultivate a reformed playboy persona for himself!

Why bother with all this nonsense about best, middle, and worst strategies? Wouldn't it be better to just have Ning Yuan, the culprit, clear my name?

Gu Guanxue? Even a clown wouldn't chase her!

Just as Zhang Ziming was secretly congratulating himself on perfectly resolving a social death incident, and silently resolving never to brag about chasing girls while drinking again, Master Ning behind him seemed unable to suppress his curiosity any longer and slowly spoke up.

"Um... Brother Zhang."

"Ok?"

"Excuse me, what's the name of your short film...?"

"Oh, that." Zhang Ziming's lips slowly curled up, revealing a strange yet confident smile.

"A Pure Heart Pursuing Dreams in the Entertainment Industry"

Ning Yuan: ? ? ? ? ?

Chapter 77: I'm already researching my competitors in the National Micro-Film Competition.

Upon hearing the name, Ning Yuan's expression immediately turned serious, and he became respectful: "Is that really your name?"

"Yes."

"See you on the field, Brother Zhang!"

See you on the field!

Zhang Da Joker turned and left smugly, seemingly ignited by a fighting spirit. From their initial meeting while pursuing the same girl, to their current status as lifelong rivals in the film industry, their story could easily be a novel!

That's the kind of feeling that gets us fired up!

Regardless of whether his lifelong rival behind him had ignited his fire, Zhang Ziming was already burning with rage. Ning Yuan watched the slowly departing figure, his heart surging with emotion, almost shouting "Awesome!"

Although it's unclear whether Zhang Ziming's pursuit of the entertainment industry is the same circle he learned about from the entertainment information... the fact that he could touch the edge of the legendary realm on his own is truly a force to be reckoned with.

If he really does make that kind of epic masterpiece...

Born a prodigy! This is a prodigy born a prodigy! Coupled with his status as a second-generation rich kid, once this child grows up, he will definitely be a breath of fresh air in the Chinese film industry.

Before I could even marvel at how such a remarkable person was right beside me, staff from the competition organizers rushed over, seemingly to hand over the screening arrangements.