Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: You're a Director, But You're a Casanova?

Sunlight streamed into the living room, and Niu Yuehua sat up, feeling refreshed.

Tang Yan emerged from the guest room with dark circles under her eyes, her face as red as a monkey's bottom, her eyes darting around, wanting to say something but unsure where to begin.

Liu Xiaoli got up early and prepared breakfast in the kitchen. After bringing it out, she watched coldly from the sidelines.

Niu Yuehua sniffed himself and said, "Auntie, could I borrow the toilet to take a shower?"

Liu Xiaoli glared coldly at Niu Yuehua without saying a word.

Niu Yuehua was not embarrassed by the rejection and sat down at the table to eat breakfast.

"Auntie, do you have any plastic bags that have been used to store vegetables that I can use?"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the two women, Niu Yuehua casually stuffed the priceless trophy, enough to secure his place in Chinese history, into a plastic bag that had once contained scallions, and headed out the door.

On his way to Beijing Film Academy, Niu Yuehua had a clear plan in mind.

If you've made a name for yourself abroad, wouldn't it be like wearing fine clothes in the dark if you didn't show them off to your family when you returned home?

Sure enough, a banner was hung at the school gate early on: "Warmly congratulate our freshman Niu Yuehua on winning the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival."

When Niu Yuehua strolled into the department head's office, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Xie Xiaojing were drinking tea.

Upon seeing him enter, a flicker of excitement crossed the eyes of the two professors. After all, it was unprecedented for a freshman from the Beijing Film Academy to win a major award in the main competition of one of the three major film festivals. However, on the surface, they still had to maintain the airs of their teachers.

After all, they suppress their own children in this way.

Tian Zhuangzhuang snorted: "Oh, so Director Niu is finally willing to go back to school?"

"I thought you won a short film award and were planning to start your own business."

"Actually, Director Niu, with your strong abilities, you are perfectly capable of going solo. Staying at Beijing Film Academy is a waste of your talent."

Xie Xiaojing couldn't stand it anymore and quickly interrupted Lao Tian.

"Yuehua, did you bring the trophy? Let us take a look."

Niu Yuehua threw the plastic bag containing the scallions onto his desk with a loud thud.

Xie Xiaojing opened the plastic bag and saw the gleaming Golden Bear trophy squeezed together with a few scallion leaves...

The two elderly professors' blood pressure spiked instantly. Tian Zhuangzhuang's hands trembled with anger: "What a waste! You little brat, this is a golden bear! You think it's just a green onion?!"

"So what?" Niu Yuehua sneered. "If I produce another feature film, you'll treat it like a sacred object, won't you?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang's face darkened, and Xie Xiaojing quickly pulled her back. Tian Zhuangzhuang then coughed and adopted an official tone: "Yuehua, the school history museum is in need of a heavyweight treasure. Your trophy is too valuable; it's not safe to keep it in the dormitory. Why don't we lend it to the school for a couple of days to inspire the younger students?"

Hehe~

Niu Yuehua smiled and placed his hand on the plastic bag:

"Director Tian, ​​it's my duty as a senior to encourage my juniors!"

"But as you know, I'm a poor college student. I can't even afford to take the bus, so I usually ride a bicycle."

"I heard the school has an 'Outstanding Undergraduate Film and Television Project Support Fund,' and a top-notch editor is about to start operating it?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang laughed angrily: "So that pink bicycle parked downstairs is yours. Go to the guardhouse and ride it away when you go out later."

Niu Yuehua: "?"

"As for the support fund, I can approve 50,000 yuan for you."

"Here's a key for the editor too; you can go there yourself when no one's around at night."

"Now you can put the trophy down and roll it away."

Niu Yuehua happily took the keys and turned to leave.

After all this time, I'm finally seeing a return on my investment!

We're still short 50,000. Let's keep going and take another shot to win it back!

On his way to the guardhouse to retrieve his bicycle, Niu Yuehua happened to run into the performance class after class. Liu Yifei happily came up to greet him, holding his hand and shaking it back and forth.

Zhu Yawen, Luo Jin, and the others' expressions changed, but they didn't dare say anything. Their eyes shifted from disdain at the start of the semester to awe and fervor. After all, who doesn't dream of becoming famous?

If a director like Nicholas Hoarder could win a Golden Bear for just two random, unattractive people filming a surveillance video, wouldn't he win an Oscar if he were in that situation?

Several classmates gathered around to ask for advice, and Niu Yuehua generously spread his fallacies and heresies, frantically absorbing the jealousy and admiration of his peers.

Just then, a group of people arrived, surrounded by a retinue.

The leader was a spirited and artistic young man named Lu Chuan.

A classmate nearby exclaimed, "It's Senior Brother Lu Chuan!"

"Is that Lu Chuan, the senior brother who starred in the big-name film 'The Missing Gun'? It was a box office and critical success!"

"Is he coming to school to scout for his next role?!"

When Lu Chuan, who was passing by, heard Niu Yuehua boasting to the freshmen about the high box office turnover rate and emotional value, his "aloof" heart was instantly stung.

Lu Chuan stopped and looked at Niu Yuehua with disdain:

"Are you Niu Yuehua, the guy who won the Berlin Golden Bear with CCTV footage?"

As expected, Lu Chuan, just like in all Chinese entertainment novels, began his fatherly lecturing.

"Short films are just toys for kids playing house."

"Filmmaking is a feature-length art that requires time and reflection. Don't think that winning an insignificant short film award means you understand film."

"The aesthetic standards of Chinese films have been ruined by opportunists like you who only care about money and have no artistic principles!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Yuehua smiled sinisterly.

"Does Senior Brother Lu mean you understand film better than the film festival judges?"

"Our three major film awards, the three major European film awards, and the Oscars all have short film awards. Do you think they are insignificant?"

"If word gets out that you said that, people will think that Chinese filmmakers look down on international film festivals. Senior brother, you've really disgraced our country."

Lu Chuan panicked. His arrogant expression vanished instantly. He hadn't expected this freshman to be so old-fashioned, labeling people before taking sides.

"Junior, please don't try to twist the facts. When did I say I looked down on international film festivals? I was talking about the ones you made..."

"What's wrong with the stuff I filmed?" Niu Yuehua suddenly raised his voice, attracting the attention of passersby.

"On behalf of Chinese filmmakers and the Beijing Film Academy, I have won the highest honor at an international film festival with a limited budget, bringing glory to our country!"

"Why did it become insignificant in the senior's words?"

Niu Yuehua was heartbroken.

"Senior, do you really think winning glory for the country is insignificant?"

"You're erasing the achievements of Chinese filmmakers who have worked so hard to explore opportunities abroad!"

The students watching from the sidelines gasped in shock; this kid was terrifying!

That hat is way too big!

Lu Chuan became anxious, "Niu Yuehua, don't make baseless accusations! I'm discussing artistic aesthetics with you, don't throw accusations around!"

"Me, labeling someone?" Niu Yuehua didn't give him a chance to explain. He turned around, raised his arm, and rallied his classmates to shake each other.

"Students! Listen to this!"

"Director Lu just said that it's us who ruined the aesthetics of Chinese films!"

"What do you mean by 'we'?!"

"Short films are the cornerstone of the film industry, and the only way for countless young creators and impoverished students to reach the big screen!"

"Director Lu's rejection of the short film and its international accolades today is not only a blatant disregard for film rules, but also a suppression of young filmmakers at the grassroots level!"

Niu Yuehua turned around and stared at Lu Chuan, whose face was ashen. He thought, "We should press our advantage and pursue the enemy to the bitter end."

"You're seriously out of touch with the masses, it's the self-admiration of a petty-bourgeois intellectual! You're trying to establish a 'those who obey me prosper, those who oppose me perish' academic clique monopoly in the Beijing Film Academy and the Chinese film industry, Lu Chuan! What are you up to?! Where is your national cultural policy of encouraging a hundred flowers to bloom and a hundred schools of thought to contend?!"