Reborn as a comedic artist

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Shuyin, Administration Building, Third Floor, First Conference Room.

The atmosphere was so heavy it seemed like it could drip water.

On either side of the long conference table sat the bigwigs from various colleges of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music.

The air was filled with a faint smell of tobacco and a strong smell of gunpowder.

On the projection screen, a video titled "Photographic Art VS Singing and Dancing" was playing on a loop.

In the video, Cheng Ming is seen shouting at the camera with a miserable expression, "Happy times are always fleeting...!"

"Snapped!"

A loud bang shattered the deathly silence of the conference room.

Li Baoguo, the dean of the music academy, slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup lid jump.

The usually cheerful and refined old professor's face was now as black as soot.

"Nonsense! This is utter nonsense...!"

Li Baoguo pointed at the screen, his fingers trembling: "What is this? This is a film shot by our students from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music? Ah...! Rolling on the ground in tight clothes...? Using a guitar as a fire poker? And that...."

He pointed to Lin Yiyi, Zhao Yufeng, and Gu Xiao, who were providing the accompaniment on screen, and said with heartache, "These are all the most outstanding talents in our music department...!"

Gu Xiao is one of the top students in the Department of Music Performance!

Lin Yiyi is a well-known good girl in the music education department!

And Zhao Yufeng, who's no less impressive than the bearded man, and now? He's been tricked by this kid into doing this...this kind of despicable thing...!"

Li Baoguo grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving violently: "This is not art...! This is a blatant insult...!"

This is a huge slap in the face to all the teachers and students of our music academy! Principal, I suggest that they be immediately ordered to delete the video and that these two students be given a demerit...!"

........

The meeting room was quiet.

The dean of the art academy lowered his head and sipped his tea, seemingly oblivious to everything else, like a bystander watching a melon seed with no concern for him.

Dean Zhang Shengli of the School of Media and Communication had a half-smile on his face, his eyes scanning back and forth between Li Baoguo and Wang Jianhua opposite him.

As a media professional, he was all too aware of the value of this video.

Six million views in just over ten hours...!

If this were an official school account, the data would be unimaginable.

Although the content is indeed a bit... well, the effect is undeniable.

"Old Li, calm down, calm down..."

Wang Jianhua, the head of the photography department, slowly stubbed out his cigarette, his face showing not a trace of remorse, but rather a faint sense of pride.

He picked up his teacup and blew away the floating tea leaves:

"Young people always have wildly imaginative ideas... Besides, how is this video low-class? I think it's well-made; the composition, editing, and pacing are all professional-level..."

"Wang Jianhua...!"

"You call this professionalism...? Look at the comments section, someone said our Sichuan Conservatory of Music is a mental hospital! And you think you're proud of that...?"

Li Baoguo stared wide-eyed at his old rival in disbelief.

"Sigh, what you're saying..."

Wang Jianhua put down his teacup, pulled a thick stack of A4 papers from the file bag in front of him, and gently pushed it to the center of the conference table.

"Old Li, you're just out of touch with the times... What's the current online environment all about? It's deconstruction, contrast, and being down-to-earth..."

Wang Jianhua pointed to the document, his tone becoming serious:

"This is the proposal written by Cheng Ming – 'Proposal (Draft) on Building a Benchmark for University Cultural Output Based on New Media Platforms'. I've already read it and even polished it a bit for him."

"A project proposal...?"

Principal Zhao Zhiqiang, who had been silent until now, raised an eyebrow and reached out to take the document.

Wang Jianhua continued, "Cheng Ming, this kid, seems to be making funny and nonsensical videos, but he's actually playing a big game."

He is using this seemingly absurd method to break down the public's stereotypes about art students and to bring high art closer to the general public.

Look at the comments section. Besides those making jokes, aren't there many people expressing sympathy for the hardships art students face? That's empathy, that's the power of communication!

Wang Jianhua spoke more and more fluently, pouring out all the words he had thought of overnight, and even almost convinced himself of his own words.

One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black!

Ever since he was captivated by Cheng Ming's three truly abstract paintings, this old scholar has finally seen the light, and now he talks like a sow wearing a bra, spouting one spiel after another.

"Moreover, this time it wasn't just the photography department; Professor Huang Yuxi from the School of Media and Communication also participated in the guidance, and several students from the music department also volunteered to join."

This is a comprehensive art practice that spans multiple colleges and disciplines, and a bold attempt at reforming the teaching methods at Sichuan Conservatory of Music!

Good guy.

Zhang Shengli, who was standing next to him, gave him a thumbs up.

As expected of Lao Wang, he usually seems unassuming, but when it matters, his silver tongue is amazing. He can turn black into white and make abstract concepts sound like educational reforms.

With such high praise, who would dare to say "no"?

Li Baoguo was a bit bewildered by this set of theories. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute them, but couldn't find a starting point.

After all, the phrase "teaching reform" is too grand a concept; it's overwhelming.

"But...but you can't just ruin the music like that!"

Li Baoguo struggled for a long time, managing to utter only this one sentence, his momentum noticeably weakened.

Zhao Zhiqiang flipped through the proposal in his hand, his eyes growing brighter with each reading.

Although he didn't quite understand some of the terms in the proposal, such as "private domain traffic," "user pain points," and "viral marketing," the keen insight into new media revealed between the lines truly surprised even this old principal.

Especially the final summary: "Let art come down from its pedestal and into life, even if it's in a comical way."

.............

interesting.

Zhao Zhiqiang closed the file and rubbed his throbbing temples.

The current situation is awkward.

Good news: Shuyin (a type of traditional Chinese music) has become a hit, and the IP's popularity is unprecedented.

The bad news: the way it went viral was a bit unconventional and could easily cause controversy.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Zhao Zhiqiang tapped the table, and the conference room fell silent instantly.

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Wang Jianhua:

"Old Wang, this proposal does have some merit, but this kind of video is too risky. If the public opinion isn't controlled properly, it could easily backfire."

Wang Jianhua immediately sat up straight: "Don't worry, Principal, Cheng Ming knows what he's doing."

He said this was just the first step, and there would be follow-up videos to turn the series into a complete story, ultimately restoring its reputation...

"A sequel? More filming? More harassment of our music students...?" Li Baoguo sneered.

Wang Jianhua retorted, "How can you call it 'wasting'? It's called 'win-win cooperation'...!"

"alright!"

Zhao Zhiqiang interrupted their argument, pondered for a moment, and made a decision.

"Well then, since the hype has already started, we can't just suppress it. That would easily provoke a rebellious attitude among the students and make our school seem petty."

He looked at Wang Jianhua: "Old Wang, go back and tell Cheng Ming that the videos can continue to be filmed, but there must be a bottom line. They can't do anything vulgar..."

Also, have him refine this proposal. I need him to come to my office in person tomorrow morning to present it to me…!

"Report in person...?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

A graduating student reporting directly to the principal? That's quite a privilege...

Wang Jianhua's face instantly lit up with a smile: "Principal, don't worry, I'll definitely pass on the message. If this kid dares to cause trouble, I'll be the first to break his legs...!"

Although Li Baoguo was still somewhat unconvinced, the principal had already spoken, so he could only sit back down sullenly, muttering, "What kind of world is this? Monkey trainers are now artists...!"

……