Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

Jiang Lai lazily opened his eyes at noon the next day.

He couldn't sleep last night, tossing and turning, his mind filled with thoughts of acting, constantly recalling the chilling and terrifying characters he had seen in his past life.

I fantasize about how I would perform in front of the camera or on stage if it were me.

It was cold, so Jiang Lai mentally prepared himself before throwing off the covers and quickly jumping out of bed shirtless. He didn't like wearing pajamas to bed, always feeling that they were too uncomfortable.

After quickly getting dressed, Jiang came to the front yard living room, where his father was sitting on the sofa looking at something.

"Son't awake, come here, come and see me." Father Jiang beckoned.

Jiang Lai scratched his messy hair before slipping on his slippers and walking over to sit down.

"Dad, what's this?" he asked, looking at the few booklets on the table.

"Didn't you say you wanted to act last night? These are all scripts for movies and TV series that have been registered in Beijing this year and are ready to start filming. Take a look, and tell Dad which role you like!"

Jiang's father patted his chest, leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and looked smug.

I finally got the chance to show off my connections to my son. Before, this kid was so unambitious and never felt a sense of accomplishment as a father.

Jiang Lai looked at his father with amusement. In his previous life, he only realized how powerful his family was when he was older. Unfortunately, by then, the family's influence had diminished considerably, and all that remained was money.

Putting aside his thoughts, he flipped through the scripts in front of him; he still remembered several of the plays.

For example, Gao Yuanyuan's screen debut was "Spicy Love Soup," which also starred Xu Jinglei, who would later become one of the "Four Little Actresses."

Flipping through the pages again, I found "Princess Pearl" inside. Looking back now, it's true that Li Mingqi was right when he said that Rong Momo was a good person. After all, Rong Momo only stabbed the nameless.

What's even more outrageous is a script called "You Are Not a Common Person," which turns out to be a novel, with "pending" written on the title page.

Jiang Lai put down the scripts, but an idea came to mind.

"Dad, can I play whichever role I want?"

"Don't worry, son! Who would turn down money?" Jiang's father said with a smile, his tone full of confidence that he was throwing money around.

Jiang Lai raised an eyebrow noncommittally, thinking of that gloomy-faced artsy young man; at least this person shouldn't compromise for money.

Right?

"Dad! I won't act in any of these!"

Jiang Lai stood up, his expression seemingly yearning for something.

"I want to go to school!"

......

A few days later, the housekeeper, Lao Li, came to report to Jiang.

It's said that Jia Kezhang's film also had Hong Kong investment, but his side only provided money and didn't participate in the film's production. If it's profitable, the later profit sharing will be very troublesome.

But most importantly, this film did not receive any quotas from film studios, and the script was not submitted to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television for review and approval.

Old Li had the script faxed over and took a look. He was immediately embarrassed, thinking that the plot had a slim chance of passing the censorship.

The old man, thinking it was his young master's first investment, told Jia Kezhang that as long as the script was revised, he could help him pull strings to get the quota and pass the review.

Jia Kezhang replied with just one sentence:

The script can't be changed; take it or leave it!

Old Li almost had a heart attack from anger.

When Jiang Lai found out, he smiled and said it was okay, he should still invest, even if he lost money.

In the end, Old Li reluctantly prepared 300,000 yuan. It wasn't necessary to give that much, but the young master said to give more.

When giving the money, Lao Li didn't give Jia Kezhang a kind look at all. When he left, he was cursing and swearing. Jia Kezhang just happily accepted the 300,000 yuan and didn't argue with him.

Time flies, and the start of the school year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Today marks the first day of the new semester for all universities and colleges.

Because it was late February, the chill was still in the air, and the old locust trees in Dongmianhua Hutong were still bare.

Zhang Ziyi, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, ran frantically through the alley. Her nose was red from the cold, and she was panting heavily, her breath coming out in white puffs.

"That girl Zeng Lai, she promised to wake me up, but she ran off first!"

She frowned and muttered to herself, taking a vicious bite of the fried dough stick in her hand as she ran away.

"The first class is a dialogue lesson, she absolutely mustn't come."

Zhang Ziyi clasped her hands together, praying that the Great Demon King Chang Li wouldn't call roll. Just thinking about that terrifying face sent chills down her spine.

"Bang!"

"Ouch!"

As if she had hit a wall, Zhang Ziyi fell flat on her back. She looked up and saw a man grimacing and clutching his chest.

"Sorry, sorry, I was looking down and not watching where I was going."

She hurriedly stood up and bowed repeatedly in apology.

"Hiss—it's okay, it's okay. Are you alright after that fall?" a male voice rang out.

The voice was quite pleasant, the girl thought to herself, and straightened up to look at the other person.

Yeah, he's pretty handsome, and his fashion sense is good too. He's much better than those guys in the class who only wear baggy shorts and gray t-shirts.

"Ouch! My fried dough sticks!"

With a pang of heartache, she picked up the half-eaten fried dough stick from the ground, blew on it, and pursed her lips to pick off the dirt that had gotten on it.

"Sorry I was late for class. Um, I'm Zhang Ziyi from the 96 acting class. I'll treat you to a meal to apologize another time."

After stuffing the fried dough stick into his mouth in a few bites, Zhang Ziyi strode towards the classroom. Compared to flirting with handsome guys, Teacher Chang Li's intimidating presence was much more powerful.

The person who was hit was Jiang Lai.

As he watched the retreating figure running away, he gently curled the corners of his lips into a smile.

After navigating through the winding campus, Jiang Lai finally found the teachers' office.

He stood at the door, watching the busy figures inside, and knocked.

"Bang bang!"

"Is Ms. Chang Li here?"

A kind-looking old lady looked up from the table.

"This is me, what can I do for you?"

Once he identified the person, Jiang Lai ran over in small steps and gave a quick, 90-degree bow.

"Hello, Ms. Chang Li. I'm Jiang Lai, here to report for duty today."

Upon hearing this name, Chang Li's expression darkened.

A few days ago, before the start of the semester, she received a notice from the school leaders saying that someone wanted to transfer into the 96 performance class, which she firmly refused.

If it were just a matter of being placed in a continuing education or training program at the university, that would be fine, but this is a regular class. She can't agree to skip the first semester of her freshman year and go straight into the second semester.

However, the school leaders repeatedly complained and tried to persuade her, so even though Chang Li disliked this kind of thing, she had no choice but to agree.

"Get up, stand up straight!"

"yes!"

Jiang Lai immediately straightened his back and stood at attention like a soldier, looking like a well-behaved child listening to instruction.

He didn't actually have to lower himself so much, but as the saying goes, the more people lack something, the more they yearn for it. He always respected those who had aspirations and perseverance.

Chang Li secretly looked Jiang Lai up and down.

His appearance is quite good. I initially thought that someone who joined the class through a transfer wouldn't be easy to get along with, but he seems to be behaving reasonably well right now.

Chang Li crossed her arms, intending to give the young man a hard time.

"As you know, you transferred in last semester. You missed so many classes last semester, and no teacher will give you extra help. You have to make up for all the basics on your own."

"Yes! I will definitely study hard and never let my teacher down or drag the class down!" Jiang Lai shouted as if he were standing at attention, which drew the attention of the other teachers.

"Alright, all talk and no action. If you don't pass the final exam, I don't care who recommended you, I'll expel you anyway."

The other party's serious attitude reassured Chang Li a little. In fact, as long as the other party's grades were acceptable, they would not be expelled. However, she still threatened them.

"This is 'Fundamentals of Dramatic Performance,' which is our textbook. Go take a look at it for now, and I'll take you to the classroom for a formal lesson next time."

"Yes!" Jiang Lai snapped to attention and saluted before taking the book and going to the nearby rest area to start reading.

Chang Li chuckled lightly, unsure whether the boy was serious or just being cheeky. At least his attitude towards learning was decent, better than some arrogant people who rely on good resources and good looks.

Let's wait and see.

Chang Li looked away and continued preparing her lesson at her desk.