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

Liu Haochun tilted his head and thought for a moment, about to say something, when a hurried female voice came from behind him.

"Save it!"

A woman in her early thirties walked over quickly, carrying a bag in her hand, her face full of tension.

She was wearing a simple white short-sleeved shirt and had a gentle demeanor, but her eyes were full of vigilance at this moment.

Her gaze swept over Jiang Chen, then looked at the half-eaten sandwich in her daughter's hand, and her expression turned sour.

"Sir, who are you...?"

Jiang Chen stood up and smiled politely, "Sister, don't be nervous. I'm a freshman at the Beijing Film Academy. I just arrived in Yanjing today and am just grabbing something to eat. I saw that the young man seemed a bit hungry, so I just shared some food with him. Please don't mind."

Liu Haochun chimed in, "Mom, he's not a bad person! He treated me to food and even complimented my looks."

Liu's mother glanced at her daughter, then at Jiang Chen, her expression softening slightly, but she hadn't completely let go.

"Cuncun, thank you, uncle. We're leaving now." She bent down to take her daughter's hand.

Liu Haochun jumped off the chair, grabbed his mother's hand, and waved to Jiang Chen, saying, "Goodbye, brother!"

Her mother, Chong Jiangchen, nodded and took her daughter's hand, leaving.

After walking a few steps, Liu Haochun suddenly turned around and called out to him, "Brother, you still haven't told me your name!"

"Jiang Chen".

"Brother Jiang Chen," she nodded earnestly, "you're studying acting at the Beijing Film Academy, you're sure to become a big star!"

Jiang Chen smiled and said, "You can do it too."

Liu Haochun was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard.

She can too?

Isn't she a dancer?

Did my brother say something wrong?

Before she could ask, her mother had already pulled her away.

Jiang Chen stood still, and could still hear their conversations intermittently.

"Cuncun, you can't eat food from strangers anymore, understand? Just in case..."

"My brother isn't a bad person."

"What do you know? You've been dancing since you were little, spending all your time in the practice room. How would you know how treacherous people can be outside?"

"Oh……"

"And also, didn't I tell you to call him 'uncle'? Why are you calling him 'brother'?"

"Because he's handsome!"

"...You silly child."

Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the coffee shop, watching the figure with two little pigtails skip and hop away into the crowd, and smiled.

He glanced down at the cold Americano in his hand, picked it up, and took a sip.

Ok?

How can it not be bitter?

……

Beijing Film Academy is located at No. 4 Xitucheng Road, HD District, next to Jimen Bridge, not far from the Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park.

One of the top three art schools, its gates are always swarming with paparazzi and talent scouts; if you throw a brick at it, you'll either hit a future star or a director.

Today is the registration day for new students, and it's exceptionally lively.

A red banner was hung at the school gate, with the words "Welcome to the Class of 2010" standing out prominently in the September sunshine.

Cars dropping off new students were stuck in traffic from the intersection all the way to the school gate, with BMWs, Audis, Toyotas, and Volkswagens lined up in a row, horns blaring incessantly.

Several bread trucks were parked on the roadside, with long lenses mounted on their windows, all pointing at the school gate.

Several reporters squatted by the flower bed, smoking and chatting, with their work badges hanging around their necks and camera bags and tripods at their feet.

Will Yang Zi come today?

"Yes, I heard she turned down the post-production work for 'The Pursuit of Happiness' because she didn't want to miss the application deadline."

A middle-aged reporter flipped through his notebook without even looking up.

"We should take more pictures. She and Zhang Yisan were both child stars in 'Home with Kids.' The fact that they are enrolling in school together will bring back a wave of nostalgia."

"That's right. They played siblings since they were kids, and now they're classmates. This material alone is enough to make headlines."

"Who else are some familiar faces?"

"As for Yu Yue, she acted in 'The Princess Is Getting Married' when she was a child, so she can be considered a child star, but her popularity is far less. The rest are all newcomers, so there's not much to dig out."

"That's enough, that's enough. Just Yang Zi and Zhang Yisan alone are enough to write three articles."

A taxi was parked at the intersection not far away.

Jiang Chen climbed out of the back seat, bent down to take the suitcase out of the trunk, and thanked the driver.

He was still somewhat dazed...

Taxi drivers in Yanjing are really good at chatting.

During the forty minutes it took to get from the airport to the school, the driver didn't stop talking.

"Let me tell you, young man, back during the 08 Olympics, Beijing was so bright and beautiful! The whole world was watching. The fireworks on Tiananmen Square, wow, they were absolutely gorgeous!"

"Although the World Expo is being held in Shanghai this year, we Beijing residents are paying close attention to it. It's a matter of national importance, so we have to care..."

"Look at these house prices, they're almost 40,000 yuan per square meter within the Third Ring Road. Let me tell you, buy early and you'll make money, or you'll regret it... You have to figure out the policies. Let me tell you, as soon as the higher-ups give the signal, we have to act..."

They talked about everything from the Olympics to the World Expo, from housing prices to policies, their tone carrying a sense of pride that said, "I live right here in the capital, what news don't I know?"

Jiang Chen couldn't even get a word in edgewise...

He stood by the roadside, dragging his suitcase, and looked up at the gate of Beijing Film Academy.

The September sun felt warm on my face.

The school gate was bustling with people, some carrying video cameras, some holding microphones, and some holding DSLR cameras, gathered in twos and threes.

The flash occasionally went off, and the shutter clicked away. The people being photographed were either freshmen dragging suitcases or parents seeing their children off.

Jiang Chen didn't look around much and walked inside with his head covered.

Security guards were maintaining order at the entrance, and a sign next to them read, "New students, please head towards the sports field for registration."

He followed the flow of people inside.

Upon entering the gate, you can see a row of blue sunshades set up along the edge of the playground. Under the sunshades, there are several folding tables covered with white cloths, and on the tables are sign-in books, brochures, and bottled water.

Each tent had a sign hanging above it with white paper and black lettering: "Acting Academy," "Directing Department," "Cinematography Department," "Literature Department," and so on.

The performance academy's studio was the largest and had the most people.

Three girls were sitting behind the tent, wearing matching white T-shirts with the words "Yanjing Film Academy" printed in red on the front.

The three of them are undeniably good-looking; those who get into the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy are the ones who stand out from the crowd.

Another thing they have in common is that they all have long legs. With their white T-shirts tucked into their denim shorts, they are a sight to behold when they sit there.

Jiang Chen dragged his suitcase over, and as soon as he got close to the table, all three of them looked up at the same time.

Six pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on him, scanning him from head to toe.

The modeling is fine...

The short-haired senior in the middle was the first to speak: "Excuse me, are you a freshman?"

"right."

Which department?

"Acting Department"

The pen in the hand of the senior with the high ponytail on the right fell onto the table with a thud. She didn't pick it up, stared at Jiang Chen's face for a few seconds, and then turned to the one on the left and said, "This year's class is pretty good."