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

After the movie ended, the students were all very happy and excited that Jiang Lai had been able to act in the film.

However, Jiang Lai didn't seem to be very happy.

"Oh, Mr. Jiang, I want to eat chicken!"

"Young Master Jiang, how's the rat? How does it compare to the chicken?"

What is a "bad friend"? It's a friend who's always making fun of you.

Liu Ye and Dang Hao, along with a few other mischievous friends, started calling Jiang Lai "Little Boss Jiang" and would tease him with lines from the play from time to time, with Liu Ye being the most enthusiastic.

Jiang Lai pursed his lips, not caring, thinking to himself, "I'll be waiting for you guys to make a movie."

"Hey! Don't forget to take the Coke bottle; you can exchange it for money when you return it," Zeng Lai said.

"Really? Is that true?" Jiang Lai blinked; he really didn't know.

"Tch, what do you know, you rich landlord? Come on, give me the bottle."

Zhang Ziyi rolled her eyes at him, stretched out her little hand, and Jiang Lai handed her the bottle. The group of people ran into the convenience store.

Jiang Lai didn't go in. He stood at the door looking at the movie poster. Jackie Chan's movie "Who Am I?" was about to be released. Jackie Chan looked really young at that time.

"Hello, are you senior Jiang Lai?"

A voice sounded behind him. Jiang Lai turned around and saw a pretty and gentle girl. Jiang Lai thought to himself, "Oh, I've run into someone I know."

"Yes, that's me."

"Hello, senior!" The girl was a little excited. "I am... I'm from the Directing Department, class of '97. I watched your performance in 'Hello, Teacher' at school, and I just watched 'The Dream Factory' too. Your crying scene was so good!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you. Actually, it's not that great. You flatter me," Jiang Lai replied modestly.

"I'm not exaggerating, you acted very well in 'Hello, Teacher,' you really captured that spirit." The girl continued to praise, and as she spoke, she became a little shy, lowered her head and smiled, revealing a deep dimple.

"Really, really, don't flatter me, I'll get arrogant, hahaha." Jiang Lai was embarrassed by the praise and unconsciously scratched his head.

At the entrance of the convenience store, Zhang Ziyi and his classmates had just walked out laughing when he looked up and saw Jiang Lai chatting and laughing with a girl. The smile on his face vanished instantly.

She bit her lip, then straightened her chest, raised her neck, and walked over with a standard smile.

"Who is this young lady? Why don't you introduce her to me?"

She walked up to Jiang Lai, deliberately getting very close, but didn't look at him once, staring straight at the girl.

"Oh, I just met her, she's a junior of ours, her name is Z... Oh right, what's your name?"

Jiang Lai was about to say the name when he suddenly realized that the other person hadn't registered yet.

The girl felt flustered under Zhang Ziyi's gaze, as if electricity was shooting out of his eyes. She calmly replied, "Hello, senior, my name is Zhang Jingchu, and I'm from the Directing Department, class of '97."

"Oh, you're a junior from the directing department! You're here to see the movie 'The Dream Factory' too, right? Let me tell you, director Feng Xiaogang is amazing! You're here to learn his directing techniques, aren't you? I know him, let me tell you..."

Zhang Ziyi enthusiastically stepped forward, took Zhang Jingchu's arm, and led her outside, leaving Zhang Jingchu looking completely bewildered.

Jiang Lai was a little confused. When he turned his head, he saw more than a dozen pairs of eyes shining with anticipation.

"Jiang'er, we got sixteen yuan back. We bought some snacks. Eat more later. Good luck tonight." Liu Ye stepped forward, put his arm around Jiang Lai's shoulder, and nodded solemnly.

Jiang Lai: "..."

At this moment, Jiang Lai was thinking, "So the three yuan for a glass bottle of Coke comes with a one yuan deposit. I guess I misunderstood."

Not long after, Zhang Ziyi returned, and Jiang Lai felt that the other party's aura seemed different.

"Is your sister disappointed that she's gone?" Zhang Ziyi looked at Jiang Lai with a half-smile.

"We just met, what's there to be disappointed about?" Jiang Lai forced himself to look at her.

"Oh, so you mean you'll be disappointed after knowing someone for a long time?"

"Huh? Is that what I meant?"

"So what do you mean?"

Seeing this, the students quietly moved away and left the theater to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

Not long after, Jiang Lai and Zhang Ziyi also came out. It seemed that everything was alright. The Class of '96 were laughing and joking again as they prepared to go eat.

Liu Ye shouted that he wanted to eat ten chickens.

At this moment, in a movie theater in Shanghai.

Lou Ye and Nai An were also watching the movie; after all, it was their boss's production, so it was necessary to watch it.

The arrogant and smug person in the scene made him laugh out loud. He never expected that such an easy-going person could act so vividly.

Until the person in the shot lay on the earthen kiln, tears streaming down their face, those deep eyes pierced Lou Ye's heart, and he couldn't help but tremble.

"What a pity..."

He sighed inwardly.

......

Since the movie was released, Jiang Lai has been walking around the school, and everyone he meets, whether they know him or not, will tease him about it.

"Oh, isn't this General Manager Jiang?"

"Little Jiang came to school in person?"

Even Teacher Chang Li would jokingly call him "Little Boss Jiang," and people would often jump out and ask for his autograph when he was walking down the street.

Now, Jiang Lai feels inexplicably ashamed whenever he hears those three words; it's too embarrassing.

But he couldn't help feeling a little proud, as he had experienced what it was like to be a star.

This is actually a typical survivor bias. First of all, Jiang Lai's circle is basically composed of people working in the film and television industry, so it's normal for them to have seen "The Dream Factory".

Secondly, the film grossed over ten million yuan in Beijing, where the permanent population is also over ten million. At a ticket price of thirty yuan, this means that one in every thirty people in Beijing has seen the film.

Interestingly, the film grossed over 30 million yuan nationwide, with Beijing alone contributing one-third of the national box office.

Therefore, we can conclude that outside of Beijing, who would recognize him?

On a side note, although "The Dream Factory" only grossed over 30 million yuan nationwide, it was the biggest blockbuster in mainland China at that time.

In 1997, there were approximately 3000 screens nationwide. This figure includes many non-professional screening venues, such as dance halls and schools. The actual number of commercial screens would have been even less.

So how many screens are there now? According to official data, there will be 93187 screens by 2025.

With a difference of more than 30 times, even if we disregard inflation and other factors today, this movie would definitely be a blockbuster that grosses over a billion yuan.

Getting back to the main point, the hype will eventually die down.

Although this movie made Jiang Lai a little famous, what is the Central Academy of Drama? The big names who come out of there can occupy a large part of the entertainment industry. He is nothing compared to them.

However, the nickname "Little Boss Jiang" has been retained. Many people who are not that close to him still call him "Little Boss Jiang" affectionately, but it no longer carries a teasing connotation and has become much more normal.

Time flew by and it was 1998. The first semester of sophomore year was about to end, and the students of Class 96 were busy preparing for the end-of-semester performance.

Compared to the first semester of freshman year, everyone has made great progress and performs with ease. Teacher Chang Li has also become less and less of a "big devil".

Perhaps realizing that his classmates would be starting to take on acting roles in just six months, the "Big Boss" earnestly advised them:

"You must master the basics, and you must be able to endure loneliness."

"If it's not a good role, a good director, or a good crew, I'd rather not film it than risk getting stuck in a terrible production."

"You need to study more and think more, so that you can play any role given to you."

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, but how many people actually listened is anyone's guess.

The end of the semester came quickly, and the bottom three students successfully completed their exams. On their way out of the exam hall, Jiang Lai ran into Zhang Jingchu again.

"Senior, congratulations, you acted really well." The girl looked up and smiled slightly, her attitude neither overly enthusiastic nor cold, striking just the right balance.

"Thank you, and I wish you good luck on your exam," Jiang Lai replied politely.

How could he not be polite? There was another pair of eyes watching him from behind. Even without turning around, he could feel a chill.

Liu Ye walked up and put his arm around Jiang Lai's neck, then glanced behind him at Zhang Ziyi and Zhang Jingchu holding hands affectionately.

He asked with a sly grin, "Jiang'er, are you and Ziyi together or not?"

Jiang Lai thought for a moment and replied, "I guess not."

Liu Ye was stunned by these words. "How can this be considered 'should' and not 'not'? Don't you know whether you're together or not?"

Jiang Lai chuckled softly, "Because there's a promise I haven't kept."

Memories surfaced in his eyes, recalling that night when he pulled Zhang Ziyi away from the playground and made a promise under the old locust tree.

Winter vacation has begun, and 1997 has passed. Jiang Lai doesn't miss it, but he is grateful for it.