Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 97, Section 96: I'm making progress, how about you?

In October, the Beijing Film Studio is already filled with the colors of autumn. Large swaths of golden sycamore leaves flutter down in the autumn wind, carpeting the main road of the studio. Stepping on them makes a soft, rustling sound, as if providing accompaniment to a busy and fulfilling period of time.

The news that Gao Yuanyuan signed with Shengying Media did not cause much of a stir in the industry, after all, at that time she was just an unknown art high school student.

But under Wang Sheng's arrangement, her life trajectory has quietly changed.

The day after signing the contract, Wang Sheng personally devised a detailed training plan for Gao Yuanyuan.

Every afternoon after school, and all day on Saturdays and Sundays, Gao Yuanyuan had to arrive at the Beijing Film Studio on time to report for duty.

The Beijing Film Studio, once a sacred temple of cinema, may appear somewhat weary under the impact of the market economy, but its profound heritage remains.

The factory's actors' troupe, dubbing workshop, art workshop, and even retired technicians and instructors are all valuable resources.

With his current influence within the factory, Wang Sheng easily arranged for Gao Yuanyuan to have the best teacher.

The vocal coach was a retired soprano from the troupe who had sung for many classic dubbed films and was extremely strict about breath control and pitch accuracy.

The physical education teacher was a veteran martial arts performer in the factory. Every move he made revealed his foundation in opera skills. He required Gao Yuanyuan to learn standing postures, leg presses, and practice basic etiquette.

There was also a dialogue coach, an old actor with a deep voice, who made Gao Yuanyuan practice tongue twisters and classic drama excerpts repeatedly every day to refine her pronunciation.

Gao Yuanyuan initially found it both novel and arduous.

Every afternoon, she would wear loose-fitting practice clothes and sweat profusely in the spacious rehearsal hall, or sit in a quiet classroom and follow the teacher to correct her pronunciation again and again.

When school is over, it's often just as the streetlights are coming on. She carries her schoolbag, dragging her tired but excited body to catch the bus home.

But she never complained, and her eyes always sparkled with curiosity and longing for the unknown world.

Wang Sheng would occasionally pass by the rehearsal hall, peek through the window for a while, and when he saw her earnest and hardworking appearance, he would nod slightly and feel a little relieved.

……

At the same time, Wang Sheng's own "recharging" plan was also launched.

After learning that Wang Sheng was going to take the entrance exam for the Beijing Film Academy next year, Lao Han used his connections to invite several experienced retired senior teachers from the Affiliated High School of Beijing Normal University to tutor Wang Sheng.

My main focus is on humanities.

The tutoring session was held in a small conference room next to the Shengying Media dispatch center.

Every afternoon from 3 pm to 5 pm is the fixed study time.

Wang Sheng also pulled Li Xiaoran over.

Share the blessings and share the difficulties.

……

"I want to learn too?"

Li Xiaoran's eyes widened in disbelief: "How many years has it been since I left school? I've forgotten all the knowledge from those books!"

Wang Sheng didn't even lift his eyelids. While flipping through his high school math textbook, he said casually, "Next year, I'm applying to the Beijing Film Academy's management department. You have to apply too, to the acting department."

Li Xiaoran panicked immediately: "Ah? I... I can't do it! How could I possibly pass the exam?"

Wang Sheng then raised his head, his gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable pressure as he looked at her, and said, "Can't pass the exam? If you can't pass the exam, I won't want you anymore."

Li Xiaoran froze instantly, her eyes reddening immediately, her voice trembling with tears: "Wang Sheng! You... how could you do this!"

Wang Sheng closed his textbook, his tone softening slightly, but still firm: "Xiao Ran, this world changes very quickly. Do you think shooting an ad or getting a role these days means you've entered the entertainment industry?"
In the real elite circles, background, mentorship, and connections matter. The Beijing Film Academy degree is the best stepping stone. Look at those who are doing well in the industry now—how many of them are self-taught?

Do you want to be a pretty face your whole life, or do you want to truly establish yourself so that when people introduce you in the future, they won't just say "Li Xiaoran, the beautiful actress who shoots commercials," but rather "Li Xiaoran, the outstanding actress who graduated from the Beijing Film Academy's acting department"?

He paused, then continued, "I heard that your former colleague at the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe, Chen Kun, got into the Beijing Film Academy's acting department this year entirely on his own merit. If he could get in, what makes you any less qualified than him?"

Li Dabai has absolutely no ambition; all you can do is whip him.

Take a step forward.

"I...I'll learn!"

Li Xiaoran bit her lip, as if she had made a huge decision. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall: "But... I really can't understand those formulas..."

"If you don't understand, just read and learn slowly. We're supplementing your humanities subjects, so take out your brain and memorize it by rote."

Wang Sheng's tone left no room for negotiation: "You'll come every afternoon to attend class with me. No lateness, no leaving early."

"Oh heavens! Why do I still have to go to school when I'm already twenty-one?!"

Li Xiaoran was on the verge of tears.

after that.

Every afternoon, a peculiar scene unfolds in the small conference room next to the dispatch center of Shengying Media: the young company CEO Wang Sheng and the beautiful actress Li Xiaoran sit side by side at a desk, deep in thought, staring at their high school textbooks and exercise books.

The tutor patiently explained the lessons from the side.

Wang Sheng is quick-witted and learns very fast, focusing more on organizing his knowledge base and filling in any gaps in his understanding.

Li Xiaoran found learning extremely difficult, especially math and English. She often found herself completely confused and would scratch her head in frustration.

Wang Sheng sometimes couldn't help but laugh when he saw her pitiful yet adorable appearance, but he remained serious on the surface. Occasionally, when she really couldn't understand something, he would give her a few more words of guidance in a more straightforward way.

Although Li Xiaoran complained incessantly, her inner competitive spirit, her longing for the future, and perhaps her fear of losing Wang Sheng kept her going.

She started carrying a notebook with her, silently memorizing classical Chinese texts and English words anytime, anywhere.

Sometimes, the somersault cloud would jump onto the table and curiously paw at her pen, only to be pushed away by her in annoyance.

……

Amidst this intense yet structured learning environment, Wang Sheng also kept a close eye on the post-production progress of "Harmony Brings Prosperity".

He personally oversaw every aspect, from editing and music composition to sound mixing, repeatedly communicating with assistant director Huo Jianqi and editor Xiao Ma to ensure that this Lunar New Year drama, which carried the alliance's high hopes, would achieve the best results.

Xiao Ma is now a full-fledged editor. He earns over 10,000 yuan a month by taking on freelance post-production work for Shengying Media, which is quite remarkable.

……

After the sample of "Harmony Brings Prosperity" was completed, Wang Sheng invited Han Sanping and several other factory representatives from the distribution committee to watch it together.

The down-to-earth yet dramatic performances of Zhao Benshan, Guo Da, Song Dandan, and others drew continuous laughter in the meeting room, and everyone was full of confidence in the market prospects of this play.

……

Time slipped away quietly as I learned about and supervised the post-production of "Harmony Brings Prosperity" and handled the company's daily affairs.

It's late October now.

One afternoon.

Wang Shenggang had just finished tutoring and was flipping through the day's newspaper in his office.

A news item, neither too big nor too small, in the culture section of the Beijing Evening News caught his attention.

The title is: "Aido VCD cleverly plays the 'return to the market' card, with a price target of 1997 yuan!"

The report states that recently, the VCD brand "Aido" launched a significant price reduction promotion nationwide, setting the price of its mainstream VCD player at a highly symbolic number of 1997 yuan, clearly leveraging the upcoming return of Hong Kong for event marketing.

The report also mentioned that this move has attracted a lot of attention in the market. Some people think it is a clever use of patriotic marketing, while others question whether it is too much of a hype.

"The era of VCDs is coming..."

Wang Sheng muttered something to himself.

When he watched "Duckweed" before, he saw that the characters Wolong and Fengchu were hoarding pagers and videotapes, so he learned about the development history of audio-visual media in mainland China.

The first stage was before the reform and opening up, which was the era of vinyl records and film records.

The second phase was the 1980s, the golden age of cassette tapes.

The third stage was the 1990s, an era of the rise of optical disc media such as CDs and VCDs and the integration of audio and video.

The fourth stage was in the early 2000s, during which DVDs and MP3s coexisted and transitioned.

The fifth stage is from the late 2000s to the year Wang Sheng traveled through time, which was the era of streaming media, and physical media had already declined.

We are currently on the eve of the third phase.

According to Wang Sheng, the popularization and boom of VCDs in mainland China began with Aido VCD's price reduction marketing campaign.

VCDs were merely a transitional product in the West, but in China they became a phenomenal phenomenon.

This was directly related to the fact that the penetration rate of television in Chinese households was increasing year by year, but the price of video recorders was expensive and the cost of magnetic tapes was high.

In December, Hu Zhibiao, the CEO of Aido VCD, will lower the price of the product again.

As the price of VCD players dropped rapidly, cheap pirated discs perfectly matched the application scenarios and market demands.

If you were to ask what this has to do with Wang Sheng, the connection would be enormous!
(End of this chapter)