I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 104 New Office Building and New Assistant

January 2013, Beijing Film Academy campus.

With final exams approaching, the atmosphere at the Haidian campus is a bit more tense than usual.

In the rehearsal hall of the performing arts department, people practice their lines and rehearse their movements from morning till night.

The editing room in the directing department is lit up until the early hours of the morning, and the line for the computer lab stretches to the entrance of the building.

Literature students would carry stacks of scripts to reserve seats in the library, and then lie down and fall asleep.

This is the most conflicted time of year for Beijing Film Academy. They have to hand in assignments and take exams, think about going home for the Chinese New Year, and worry about internships and organizing events next year.

The small conference room is on the third floor of the administration building.

The heating was on full blast, and a layer of white fog covered the windowpanes.

Seven or eight people were seated around the conference table, mostly heads of various departments.

"When is the Acting Department's graduation play scheduled for this year?" Yu Jianhong, the head of the Management Department, asked casually.

Sitting opposite him was Zhang Hui, the dean of the performing arts academy.

"There will be four performances from the 17th to the 20th. This year's production is 'Thunderstorm,' and the senior students are in good form."

"That's good." A department head sitting next to him interjected, "Don't let it be like last year, when the male lead had a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius on graduation day and almost ruined the show."

Zhang Hui laughed and said, "Not this year. This year is safe."

Yu Jianhong: "Old Zhang, I have something to tell you. Jiang Chen wants to apply for the Donglang Film Creative Industry Park. You know about it, right?"

Donglang Film Creative Industry Park is a project jointly built by Beijing Film Academy and Jiazhuo Culture Media Co., Ltd.

It was officially established in September 2012, located in the core area of ​​the CBD on Dawang Road in Chaoyang District. Its predecessor was an old factory building of BJ Printing Group.

The park covers an area of ​​2.8 square meters, with a building area of ​​3.5 square meters. It was renovated by a Chilean designer, combining industrial heritage with modern art, and is positioned as a film production base.

It is currently in the initial stage of attracting investment, but directors and teams from the Beijing Film Academy have already flocked there.

To put it bluntly, this is a new front for Nortel in the industry.

The school provides the brand and resources, while the company provides the funding and operations. Together, they transform the projects in the hands of students and teachers from school assignments into market products.

The entry requirements are not low, and there are rent discounts, but the review process is strict.

Work portfolio, team composition, and project feasibility all need to be approved.

"Yes," Zhang Hui nodded, "His studio submitted materials wanting a small detached house for project development and artist management."

"Where is the location?"

"He wants the one in the southeast corner of the park, the one by the lake, because it has a good view, but there are many applicants for it."

Yu Jianhong thought for a moment: "Let's hold off on the other things for now. Jiang Chen is still a student, so let's give him to him first."

Zhao Bing, the director of the school office in charge of admissions, smiled and said, "Yes, he's now our school's star student. Mention him and everyone knows him."

The crowd laughed a few times.

Yu Jianhong picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and suddenly turned to Zhang Hui: "Old Zhang, has your acting school followed up on the graduate school application process?"

Zhang Hui nodded. "I talked to him once last month, and he was willing. He has a very good attitude, is down-to-earth, and didn't say he was too busy to attend school."

Sitting at the other end of the long table was Liu Min, the vice dean of the graduate school.

"I've seen his grades from the first three years. His average GPA was 3.7, all of his major courses were above the excellent mark, and he never failed English."

The academic requirements for postgraduate admission are more than sufficient.

"The key is time," Zhang Hui said. "His work schedule is full right now, and I was worried that it wouldn't be convenient for him to take the postgraduate entrance exam, so I came up with a compromise for him."

"Be more specific."

"During his senior year, he served as an assistant acting coach for the freshmen of 2014."

"Acting coach assistant?"

"Yes," Zhang Hui explained, "He's not a formally employed teacher; it's just a nominal position. He assists the class teacher by leading morning exercises, supervising rehearsals, and occasionally sharing his industry experience with freshmen. He spends one or two afternoons a week, flexibly arranged, and the college accommodates his schedule without restricting attendance."

"The main reason is that this spot counts as social practice credits, goes into your academic record, and adds points to your overall assessment. It also allows you to get through the fast track when applying for graduate school."

Yu Jianhong hummed in agreement but did not immediately express his opinion.

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

This kind of practice is all too common in art schools.

For academic subjects, the criteria for postgraduate admission are GPA, papers, and competitions. But what criteria are used for art subjects?

Look at the work, the industry recognition, and the potential.

Jiang Chen has three dramas in hand: "Swords of Legends" has garnered 52 billion views, and "Battle of Changsha" has just finished filming but has yet to receive critical acclaim, though industry expectations are high.

It's said that there's a new movie that they're collaborating on with Wanda recently!

Letting a student like that go would be foolish.

However, granting direct admission to graduate school is too early in the process and could easily give others cause for criticism.

So the college came up with a compromise.

Offer them a prestigious position, resources, and impressive resume beforehand to secure their loyalty, and then proceed with the formal procedures.

The acting coach assistant position is just a front.

Ostensibly, it's to assist teaching and help freshmen adapt to their major studies, but in reality, it's a disguised form of identifying key students for the college's development.

Social practice credits, comprehensive assessment bonus points, and outstanding graduate selection materials—when it comes to recommending students for postgraduate studies, the review committee takes one look and approves them unanimously.

Temporary assignments for professional development, enhanced resumes, and streamlined application process.

Beijing Film Academy has more than one student doing this every year, but not many students can get the head of the management department and the dean of the performing arts school to sit down and have a special talk.

"Okay, tell him to come back more often when he has time and keep in touch with the department. Next September, when the new students enroll, the official appointment of the assistant will be issued and publicized."

"Okay, I'll tell him."

A week later, Bai Mengyan jumped off the back seat of a taxi, dragging her suitcase.

Before me stood a gray industrial factory with red brick walls and rusty iron gates. A sign at the entrance read: "Donglang Film Creative Industry Park".

It was completely different from the celebrity studio she had imagined.

There were no glass curtain walls, no neon signs, and no security guards standing in a row.

A few young people, wearing down jackets and carrying laptops, hurriedly walked through the iron gate, muttering "The film screening is at 3 p.m.

Goodness, the company is right here?

She dragged her suitcase inside; the park was bigger than she had imagined.

The ground was newly paved with cement, and the parking space lines were painted crookedly.

Several old factory buildings have been renovated, with the exterior walls painted dark gray and the windows replaced with large floor-to-ceiling windows that let in sunlight, allowing you to see shadows moving inside.

There's a sign by the roadside listing the units that occupy each building.

She squinted as she searched and found on the third line: "Zhengwu Sunshine · Jiang Chen Studio, Building B3".

Building B3

She dragged her suitcase that way, the wheels making a clattering sound as they rolled across the ground.

Building B3 is a three-story detached building located next to the artificial lake in the park.

A thin layer of ice had formed on the lake, and a few wild ducks were wading across the ice, looking rather silly.

The exterior walls of the small building are dark gray, and there are several bamboo trees planted at the entrance. In winter, all the leaves fall off, leaving only bare stalks.

She opened the door.

A wave of warmth washed over me.

There was a small reception desk at the entrance, but no one was there. However, there was a sign on the desk that read: "Interviewees, please go straight in and find Li Yitong in the third room."

Bai Mengyan put the suitcase down in a corner and continued walking inside.

The first floor is an open-plan office area with seven or eight workstations arranged in two rows. There are both men and women working there, and they are all quite young, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

Someone is on the phone, "Yes, Head & Shoulders' renewal contract, double-check the terms—"

Someone is typing on a keyboard, clattering away, and the screen displays an EceI spreadsheet filled with dense data.

Someone was holding a coffee cup, standing in front of a whiteboard with several photos and the words "Concert Stage Design Plan V3" on it.

A girl wearing glasses looked up at her, smiled, and asked, "New here?"

"right----"

"Go inside, to the room near the stairwell, and report to Sister Tong."

"Thanks."

She continued walking inside, passing a tea room, and froze on the spot.

Because she saw two people.

Yang Zi.

Zhang Yisan.

Yang Zi sat cross-legged on a beanbag chair, holding a cup of milk tea in her hand.

Zhang Yisan sat next to her, legs crossed, looking down at his phone, occasionally letting out a strange laugh.

Summer Snow?

Liu Xing?

Home with Kids?

Those two people she's known since childhood?

Yang Zixian noticed her.

"New here?"

"Ah—yes," Bai Mengyan stammered, "I—I'm here to start work—"

"Starting a job?" Yang Zi put down her milk tea and smiled. "What position?"

"assistant----"

"Welcome, welcome!" Yang Zi stood up, noticeably more enthusiastic. "From now on, we're family! My name is Yang Zi, you can just call me Sister Zi!"

She pointed to the side, "This is Zhang Yisan, you should know him, ignore him."

Zhang Yikang looked up and waved to Bai Mengyan: "Hi, nice to meet you, newcomer."

Bai Mengyan's mouth was open, half-closed.

She—she was just patted on the shoulder by Xia Xue?

And you still expect her to call you Sister Zi?

"You—how did you get here?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Come over and have some fun," Yang Zi said, sitting back down on the beanbag chair. "I just finished filming my movie and have nowhere to go, so I came here to mooch off Brother Chen. Zhang Yikang is in a bad situation; he doesn't even have any movies to film, he's just an unemployed bum."

"Who's unemployed?" Zhang Yikang protested. "I'm currently in talks for a web series!"

"Have you been dating for a year?"

'

""

Watching the two bicker, Bai Mengyan suddenly felt that this world was somewhat fantastical.

She's here as an undercover agent.

Why did I run into two childhood idols right away?

"Orange Beggar Number Two?"

A voice came from behind.

Bai Mengyan turned around and saw a very pretty girl wearing a beige sweater and holding a stack of documents in her hand.

"Ah—that's me," Bai Mengyan paused for a moment, "and you are?"

"My name is Li Yitong," the girl smiled, "I'm Chen Ge's assistant, recommended by Bai Xue. Please wait a moment, Chen Ge is still busy in his office."

"Okay—okay."

"Let's go to my office first."

Li Yitong turned and led the way, with Bai Mengyan following.

As soon as the two left, Yang Zi approached Zhang Yikang.

"Little beggar, Li Yitong is amazing!"

"What's wrong?"

"She's introduced all her relatives to the company."

Zhang Yikang was stunned: "What the hell?"

How did you tell they were relatives?

Yang Zi was speechless: "Use your eyes to see! These two look so alike, but when they smile, Yi Tong seems to be prettier, and the new one looks a bit silly."

Zhang Yikang: "————"

He glanced at Bai Mengyan's back again, then at Li Yitong.

"—It really does look a bit like it."

"Right!" Yang Zi said smugly. "I have sharp eyes!"

At the end of the corridor, Jiang Chen's office is located.

The door wasn't closed properly, and a gruff voice came from inside.

"Second Uncle, my dad said I'm going to follow you from now on!"

Jiang Chen sat behind his desk, looking at the burly young man standing in front of him.

The beggar was 1.9 meters tall, with shoulders as broad as a door panel, and his chest muscles made his T-shirt bulge, even bigger than Li Yitong's.

He had dark skin, a square face, and a thick beard. When he smiled, he revealed bright white teeth, exuding a simple and honest yet rugged and unruly air.

Jiang Chen's lips twitched: "Are you sure you're only twenty-five?"

"Yeah!" the young man nodded. "My dad says I look a bit older than I am."

"...

'

This is a distant relative of Jiang Chen's from his hometown, named Jiang Dazhuang, also known as Xiao Duan Duan.

According to the family genealogy, he still had to respectfully address Jiang Chen as his second uncle, whom Jiang Chen had met once when he returned to his hometown as a child.

Jiang Chen is currently looking for a full-time driver, and his father specifically recommended this person.

But looking at that physique—

It's really a waste to have him as a driver.

With those arms, that waist, those legs, he stands there like an iron tower.

He can drive a car and also act as a bodyguard.

If he encounters obsessive fans or paparazzi following him, this guy can block the way at the gate, and even a dozen security guards wouldn't be enough.

"Okay," Jiang Chen said, "follow Sister Yan for a while first, get familiar with the routes. From now on, you drive my car."

"Okay, Uncle!" the young man grinned. "I'll definitely do my best!"

"Don't call me Second Uncle," Jiang Chen waved his hand, "Call me Brother Chen."

"Okay, Brother Chen!"

The young man turned and walked out, his shoulder, as thick as a door panel, almost brushing against the door frame.

Not long after, Li Yitong knocked on the door and poked half her body in: "Brother Chen, the girl who was interviewed has arrived."

"Come in."

Bai Mengyan followed Li Yitong in, her hands folded in front of her, standing properly like a young girl meeting her parents for the first time.

Be as honest as you can be.

Jiang Chen looked up and his gaze fell on her face.

I was completely stunned.

It wasn't because he was good-looking, but because he recognized the face.

To be precise, I knew this face before I was reborn.

Egret?

Li Yitong introduced from the side: "Brother Chen, you should remember her, right? Orange No. 2, she's very active online, a die-hard fan of yours."

"Loyalty is absolutely no problem!"

"We also carefully selected her for you. She majors in English, knows some Korean, and has good writing skills. She often posts some of her own novels in the group. She can help you write Weibo captions in the future."

"Oh, right," Li Yitong suddenly remembered something, "Brother Chen, you don't know, do you? You have a hater named Bailu, who's a fan of Lu Han. Haha, he stirs up trouble online and insults you. He's so annoying."

"Recently, it's been Orange Beggar Number Two who's been handling things. That guy disappeared in no time. She's incredibly capable!"

'

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up and water sprayed out.

"Cough cough————"

He coughed violently, his face turning bright red.

Li Yitong quickly handed over a tissue: "Brother Chen, what's wrong?"

"No—it's nothing," Jiang Chen said, wiping his mouth, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Mengyan. "I choked."

Bai Mengyan stood there, her expression unchanged, and even took a step forward, revealing a sweet smile.

"Brother Chen! I really like you!"

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