Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 145, Section 143: The Little Delinquent (Revised)

Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of August 1997.

As the sweltering summer in Beijing draws to a close, the coolness of early autumn is already quietly creeping in during the mornings and evenings.

For Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran, this summer brought not only great success in their careers, but also a weighty acceptance letter—admission notices to the Management Department (Wang Sheng) and the Acting Department (Li Xiaoran) of the Beijing Film Academy, which were successfully delivered to them at the end of July along with the release of the national college entrance examination scores (results were released on July 24).

The mid-to-late 1990s was a crucial period in which the reform of the national higher education system was gradually deepened.

The so-called "merging of tracks" (or the abolition of the "dual-track system") simply means changing the previous parallel model of national planned enrollment (publicly funded students) and adjustment plan enrollment (self-funded students and commissioned students), and gradually implementing a system in which all students need to pay a portion of the tuition fees.

Although the distinction between government-funded and self-funded students is rapidly fading, art colleges like the Beijing Film Academy still have a category of "self-funded students" who need to pay higher tuition fees.

Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran belong to this category. Tuition fees are naturally not a problem for them. What Wang Sheng really values ​​is the "formal education" status represented by the diploma and its "protective charm" effect that makes it easier to get along within the system.

A week before the start of the school term, Wang Sheng took care of all the backlogged tasks at hand.

The TV movie business is progressing steadily under the alliance's industrialized production line; the post-production of "30 Days" is nearing completion, overseen by Huo Jianqi; under the management of Wang Changtian and Cai Yinong, the pre-production of "Super Girl" and the crew building of "Love Line Between Beijing and Hong Kong" at "Enlight Media" are proceeding in an orderly manner; the cooperation with Hunan Economic Television is also on track; and the animation workshop is also being improved.

After confirming that there were no urgent matters that required his personal presence, Wang Sheng kept his promise to take Li Xiaoran out for a walk, choosing Hong Kong Island, which had recently returned to China, as their destination.

Ostensibly, the trip was to inspect the progress of location scouting for "Love Line Between Beijing and Hong Kong" in Hong Kong.

Wang Sheng adopted a completely hands-off approach to this groundbreaking work by Cai Yinong, without interfering excessively.

Upon arriving in Hong Kong Island, Cai Yinong was busy coordinating venues and liaising with local partners, leaving her with no time to spare. So she arranged for Ah Ming, one of the few local employees who remained at the original "China Film Company" and was quite familiar with Hong Kong Island, to act as a guide for Wang Sheng and his companion.

Wang Sheng was naturally careful when he went out, and he brought along four young employees who were carefully selected from the security department of Beijing Film Studio.

They are all in their mid-twenties, tall and well-trained, with sharp eyes, capable of ensuring safety and serving as assistants in critical moments.

The group had already completed the formalities and passed through customs easily.

Over the next few days, Amin led Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran through the streets and alleys of Hong Kong Island.

They climbed to the top of Victoria Peak to overlook the night view of Victoria Harbour, lingered in the bustling Central district and the bustling streets of the Kowloon Walled City ruins, took the Star Ferry back and forth between the two sides, and also went to Temple Street to experience the night market atmosphere.

Many familiar filming locations in Hong Kong movies—such as the pier in "A Better Tomorrow" and the Mid-Levels Escalator in "Chungking Express"—have left their mark.

Li Xiaoran linked arms with Wang Sheng, her enthusiasm palpable, as if she wanted to etch every wonder of this Pearl of the Orient into her memory.

That night, they stayed at the Peninsula Hotel on the Victoria Harbour waterfront.

The reserved suite boasts an excellent view, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dazzling night view of Hong Kong Island, where neon lights shimmer and ships shuttle back and forth, like a flowing galaxy.

One night, in the heat of passion, Li Xiaoran was pinned against a cold glass window by Wang Sheng. Behind them and in front of them was the bustling, vibrant city that never sleeps, and behind them...

……

After several days of sightseeing, two days before their return to Beijing, the crew of "Love Line Between Beijing and Hong Kong" finally began filming on Hong Kong Island. Out of courtesy, Wang Sheng and Li Xiaoran accepted Cai Yinong's invitation to visit the set.

The film crew was stationed near an old-style housing estate in Kowloon to shoot a scene depicting the first encounter between the male and female leads.

The scene was busy yet orderly. Li Guoli was using a walkie-talkie to coordinate camera positions and actors, while Cai Yinong was busy coordinating various trivial matters.

Upon seeing Wang Sheng arrive, the two quickly came to greet him.

"Mr. Wang, Ms. Li, you've arrived!" Cai Yinong said with a smile, "The conditions here are simple, thank you for making the trip."

"It's nothing, I just came to see how you guys are working." Wang Sheng waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the film set.

He saw the male and female leads—Li Yapeng from mainland China and Wu Qianlian from Hong Kong—rehearsing their lines.

He also saw several young faces waiting to go on stage, clearly extras.

Just then, a figure caught his attention.

She was a girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a simple school uniform, with a simple ponytail, and her face still had some baby fat. However, her facial features were extremely delicate, especially her eyes, which were clear and bright, with the unique depth of mixed-race people. Even among a group of extras, her outstanding spirit could not be hidden.

She stood quietly in the corner, waiting for the director's call.

Wang Sheng focused his gaze and instantly recognized her—although she was still very young at this time and far from reaching the peak of her stunning beauty that would later captivate Hong Kong, her unique bone structure and the charm between her brows and eyes were already beginning to take shape.

This is Zhang Bozhi, who was later hailed as the "Jade Girl Leader" and whose career was once incredibly brilliant.

Wang Sheng remained calm and gestured to Cai Yinong beside him in a low voice, "Yinong, do you see that little girl in the school uniform over there?"

Cai Yinong followed his gaze and nodded: "I see her, her name is Zhang Bozhi, she seems to be of mixed Chinese and Portuguese descent. She was recommended by a colleague who worked on an advertisement before, and she's here today to play a student extra. Does President Wang know her?"

"I don't know her," Wang Sheng said casually. "But she has a very good appearance and great potential. Find an opportunity to sign her. You can offer generous terms, with preference given to long-term contracts."

Cai Yinong was very astute and immediately understood Wang Sheng's meaning.

She took another careful look at the girl named Cecilia Cheung and indeed felt that she had excellent potential, but she had not yet fully matured and lacked proper styling.

The person whom Mr. Wang personally requested to sign must have something extraordinary about them.

“Understood, Mr. Wang. I’ll contact her agent after the set visit… Oh, a minor actress like her probably doesn’t have a fixed agent yet, I’ll talk to her directly.” Cai Yinong immediately agreed, already planning how to use the contract with Enlight Media to firmly grasp this future potential star in her hands.

Wang Sheng nodded and said nothing more.

Signing Cecilia Cheung was an unexpected bonus of this trip.

This girl's future commercial value and media attention will be phenomenal for a certain period. Acquiring her in advance is a good move, both for Enlight Media, which is about to focus on artist management, and for its future expansion into the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets.

(End of this chapter)