China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 1018 Dream Chaser

In mid-November, Beijing welcomed its first snowfall.

The fluttering snowflakes fall, telling people that winter has arrived.

Just one block away from the Beijing Dance Academy, in an old-fashioned tenement building.

It's snowing.

Jin Chen stood by the window, watching the snow falling all around him, and unconsciously muttered to himself.

It's been four years now, and my university life has officially come to an end. My dreams and glory seem to have all vanished with this first snow.

If nothing unexpected happens, I will have to go back to my hometown, end this unrealistic dream, and follow my parents' arrangements to become a dance teacher, marry someone I like or don't like, and live a mundane life.

But what can I do if I don't want to?

She sighed and looked back once more at the little home that had been her home for four years.

The room was small, but it was so clean it was almost empty. Apart from the necessary furniture and a pile of dance supplies covered with dust cloths, there was almost no sign that someone had lived there for a long time. On the wall were a few faded stage practice photos and a poster of her receiving an award.

In the photo, she is smiling so brightly that she seems to be glowing.

And now, it's just simple proof that a dreamer once lived here.

Jin Chen looked at the photo of herself receiving the award and forced a smile. After thinking for a moment, she carefully took it off and placed it neatly in the corner of the room, inside one of her two bulging suitcases.

Then I started to space out.

Jin Chen, dressed in simple home clothes, sat cross-legged on the floor. Years of dance training had given her a graceful figure, even without conscious effort. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the handle of her suitcase, her gaze somewhat unfocused, her thoughts drifting back to who-knows-when.

She has dedicated ten years to the Beijing Dance Academy, and is the dance genius her mentor described as "once in a decade."

She has top-notch physical attributes, is beautiful, and most importantly, has an exceptionally high aptitude for dance. Her mentor even predicted that her future achievements would be extraordinary.

But fate played a cruel joke at the most crucial moment.

During her sophomore year, when she should have been shining in the spotlight, she briefly fell into a coma after an intense rehearsal, initially thinking it was just a simple case of low blood sugar.

These symptoms are very common among dancers who have to maintain their physical shape at all times.

While undergoing a check-up at the hospital, she was still joking with her roommate, teasing her supervisor for making a mountain out of a molehill.

The diagnosis report, stating "heart problems, unable to adapt to long-term high-intensity exercise," extinguished all her fantasies about becoming a top dancer like a bucket of ice water.

The doctor offered a gentle suggestion, and the mentor sighed and advised: Your body may not be able to withstand the intensity accumulated by a professional dancer over the years.

That was the first darkest moment of her life.

Who can understand the pain of losing hope, feeling resentful, desperate, and even contemplating suicide? More than a decade of hard work was wiped out in an instant.

Ultimately, with the encouragement and advice of her mentor, she gritted her teeth and turned to acting.

Starting in the second semester of her sophomore year, she was like a thirsty sponge, frantically studying acting courses, attending film sets, and auditioning. In 11, she gritted her teeth and participated in "Dancing Miracles," winning the championship with her solid dance foundation and indomitable spirit, making a small splash. Based on this initial success, she signed with a small talent agency.

For the next two years, she began to work her way up in the film and television industry.

The agency initially planned a path for her: "dance prodigy → crossover actress → variety show dark horse → movie star." It sounds like a standard underdog story, but only she knows the hardships and joys involved.

Every step was fraught with difficulties and uncertainties.

Two years later, she hasn't even established herself as an actress yet, and her agency's contract has expired with no intention of renewing it.

This year, she graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy. She watched as her classmates either stayed at the school, joined national-level troupes, or signed with big companies. Meanwhile, she, once the "prodigy" among her classmates, had to give up her dance career. In order to switch to acting, she lost the opportunity to stay at the school. In the film and television industry, she wasted years without any progress and had even been abandoned by some companies.

Disheartened, she even followed her parents' arrangements and prepared to return to her hometown to work as a dance teacher at an art school, hoping to live a simple and peaceful life.

But at this very moment, a low-budget suspense horror film she participated in filming earlier this year, "The Haunted Carpool," was nominated at the Shanghai International Film Festival, earning her a Best Newcomer nomination.

It was as if fate had left her with a faint afterglow before completely closing the door on her.

Just as she packed her bags, bought her train ticket south to return home, and prepared to bid farewell to Beijing, the city that held so many of her dreams and disappointments, an unexpected olive branch was extended to her. Tangren Film & Television.

Although it wasn't a top-tier contract, but rather the kind of basic newcomer contract that involves casting a wide net and nurturing talent, it was still worlds apart from her current situation.

That's Tangren Media, the company that has produced countless classic dramas and made countless actors famous!

Without much hesitation, she decided to seize this opportunity and prepare to embark on her "second acting journey".

She didn't want to go home and live a life where she could see the end from the beginning; she wanted to try something new.

Her luggage was all packed, and her train was tomorrow afternoon. Just as she was hesitating whether to go back to school one last time to say a proper goodbye to her advisor, her phone rang.

It was her mentor, the one who had the highest hopes for her back then, who poured his heart and soul into nurturing her, and who even supported her career transition despite opposition after she developed health problems.

The voice on the phone was low, unusually hurried, and even somewhat agitated:
"Jin Chen? Where are you now? In Beijing, right? You haven't left yet? Immediately! Right now! Back to school! Go straight to Rehearsal Hall No. 2!"

"Teacher, I"

"I mean immediately! There's a very important program that needs professional dancers. It's a rare opportunity! Don't ask any more questions, just come right now!"

After saying that, the phone was hung up.

Although it lasted only a dozen seconds and was vague, the urgency in the mentor's tone was undeniable.

Jin Chen held her phone, stunned. She had never seen her mentor so eager before.

Looking at her already packed luggage at her feet, and remembering her mentor's care and support over the years, which had been like a teacher and a mother to her, she hardly hesitated. Even if it was just to repay this kindness, she had to go back and visit.

She opened her suitcase, took out her practice clothes and dance shoes, changed into a simple set of sportswear, put on a coat, went out without makeup, and carried only a small bag. She temporarily suppressed her doubts and a hint of expectation that she dared not have, and hurriedly headed towards the campus that she knew so well, braving the wind and snow.

(End of this chapter)