The entertainment industry: My 99 future timelines!

When we returned to the base after our morning run, everyone looked like they had been pulled out of the water.

Several boys collapsed onto the grass by the playground, while the girls supported each other, their steps unsteady.

After running three kilometers, Li Xu only felt warmed up and didn't feel tired at all.

Seeing how exhausted Jing Tian and the others looked, he glanced at his watch and said calmly, "The cafeteria opens at 6:30. No waiting for latecomers."

"You have fifteen minutes to wash up. Now, dismissed."

As soon as Li Xu said this, the crowd dispersed with groans.

But no one complained.

Because while they were running, Li Xu was also running, and he controlled the pace the whole time to ensure that no one fell too far behind.

This "I'm with you" attitude is more effective than any preaching.

For breakfast after their morning run, Li Xu didn't make things difficult for the actors; it was just a normal high school cafeteria meal. Although it wasn't fancy at all, the chef's skills were decent.

The starving actors mostly disregarded their image and wolfed down their food.

Only Jing Tian and Song Tie were eating slowly and deliberately.

Meanwhile, Li Xu, Shen Ao, and Professor Zhou sat at a table, eating and discussing the upcoming topics in hushed tones:

"The first class in the morning is Chinese. The invited teacher, Mr. Chen, will focus on 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng' and 'Ode to the Red Cliff'."

Shen Ao flipped through the schedule, "In the afternoon acting class, Professor Zhou will adjust their acting skills one by one according to the script requirements."

"We also have PE class this afternoon. Today it's basic basketball training, and starting tomorrow there will be group scrimmages."

At this point, Shen Ao couldn't help but glance at Li Xu, a hint of mockery and gleeful anticipation on his face. "Are you really going to play in this basketball game yourself? Aren't you afraid of getting injured?"

Li Xu took a sip of porridge and remained noncommittal to Shen Ao's words: "Of course, Ke Jingteng is a key player on the school team, so he can't fake it when he plays. Besides, I have to show them what it means to 'play for real'."

As he spoke, Li Xu glanced lightly at the young actors at the next table who were eating while secretly watching him.

"..."

"It has to be you."

Shen Ao's playful expression faded, and he gave a thumbs up. Li Xu's extreme attention to detail truly deserved to win the New Currents Award for his debut film.

-

At 7:30 a.m., thirteen desks were neatly arranged in the classroom that had been temporarily converted at the base.

Standing on the podium was an elderly teacher with gray hair and glasses—Chen Fang, a retired senior-level Chinese language teacher from Beijing No. 3 Middle School with forty years of teaching experience.

"Attend class."

"stand up--"

"Hello, teacher!"

The greeting, drawn out with a hint of reluctance yet also a touch of novelty, rang out.

Chen Fang adjusted her glasses and glanced at the audience.

She's been teaching for forty years; what kind of students hasn't she seen?

Although these young people in front of her were actors and older than the average high school student, the confusion, curiosity, and restlessness in their eyes were no different from those of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds in her eyes. She held them firmly in her hands.

"Today we will study the Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng."

With just a quick glance, Chen Fang understood the situation and stopped caring.

She turned around and wrote the title on the blackboard, watching the crowd below gradually quiet down, and nodded to herself.

A class lasts forty-five minutes.

For the young actors who hadn't sat in a classroom to listen to a lecture in a long time, those forty-five minutes felt exceptionally long.

At first, some people listened attentively, but after twenty minutes, some started yawning, daydreaming, and secretly drawing in their textbooks.

Zhang Ruoyun, who plays Ko Ching-teng's friend "Tsai Chang-hsien", even started nodding off sleepily like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Tsai Chang-hsien".

Chen Fang looked at Zhang Ruoyun, then suddenly spoke, causing Zhang Ruoyun to jump to her feet: "Here!"

"Could you translate the meaning of the poem 'The sunset glows and the lone wild goose flies together; the autumn water blends with the vast sky'?"

"..."

The entire room fell silent.

Zhang Ruoyun's face turned bright red, and she stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word.

Although he is indeed only two years old and has just finished high school, that doesn't mean he can still remember what he learned in high school.

"sit down."

Chen Fang shook her head. Knowing that the entertainment industry was full of academically challenged people, she didn't make things difficult for Zhang Ruoyun. Instead, she turned her gaze to the other side and said, "Shen Jiayi, you come here."

Jing Tian stood up.

She wore a simple ponytail and baggy sportswear today.

When she stood up, unlike Zhang Ruoyun who was timid and cowering, she stood up straight, her chin slightly raised, looking quite confident.

"This line of poetry means that the sunset glow flies together with a lone wild duck, and the autumn river and the vast sky merge into one."

These two lines describe the autumn scenery of Tengwang Pavilion, combining movement and stillness to create a vivid image. Wang Bo uses "flying together" and "all of one color" to blend the scenery into a unified whole, resulting in a very evocative atmosphere.

Jing Tian's voice was clear and crisp, with a touch of Chang'an local accent, but every word was distinct.

Although she jokingly calls herself a poor student when she was in school, compared to those sports stars and those who missed out on the top three in the entertainment industry...

Coming from a well-off family, she did quite well in her studies during high school. Although she was an art student, she didn't neglect her academic performance too much because she had many private tutors.

The classroom was silent for a few seconds.

Then a soft inhalation sound could be heard.

Cao Jun and Zhang Ruoyun exchanged glances. As academic underachievers, they felt as if they could actually see Shen Jiayi from the script stepping out of the story.

Shen Jiayi is indeed a top student who excels in her studies, has a beautiful appearance and temperament, and can answer teachers' questions fluently in class.

Chen Fang was also taken aback. She hadn't expected that among this group of academically challenged actors, there was one with truly excellent academic performance. A rare smile of satisfaction appeared on her face as she nodded and said, "Shen Jiayi, very good. Please sit down."

After finishing her lecture, Chen Fang continued teaching.

"When we study a classical Chinese text, we should not only be able to translate it, but also understand its artistic conception and feel the author's state of mind when writing it."

"Wang Bo was twenty-five years old when he wrote 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng,' which is about the same age as you are now. However, he had already experienced the ups and downs of life. His writing contains both the heroic spirit of 'Though old, I am still vigorous and will not change my heart even in my old age,' and the lament of 'The passes and mountains are difficult to cross; who will mourn the lost traveler?'"

However, among the many young actors in the audience, apart from a handful like Li Xu, Jing Tian, ​​and Song Tie, the rest were not really taking things seriously.

-

After a grueling Chinese class, the math and English classes that followed were just as tormenting for everyone.

The math teacher was a serious middle-aged man. He started by handing out a test paper: "Students, in the next class, please complete this test paper. This test paper is very simple. I just want to see your basic knowledge. Don't be nervous. I feel that even junior high school students can pass."

As the middle-aged math teacher spoke, the test paper was slowly passed around the classroom, accompanied by groans of agony.

"Teacher, we haven't touched exam papers in years... Only some specialized interdisciplinary programs at Beijing Film Academy require this, our acting department doesn't!"

"A quadratic function? What's that?"

Solid geometry? Just kill me...

Li Xu sat in the last row. He took the test paper, glanced at it, picked up his pen, and started working on it. Although he wasn't a top student in academic subjects, he was definitely not a poor student either.

He's not fast at solving problems, but he's very steady.

Jing Tian, ​​whose seat was right in front of Li Xu, glanced back quietly and was surprised to find that Li Xu was actually solving a problem, with formulas listed on his scratch paper and deriving them step by step.

"You still remember this? Aren't you already a sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy? Haven't you taught your teachers these academic subjects yet?"

Jing Tian lowered her voice.

"I forgot, but I studied until 2 a.m. last night."

Li Xu didn't even look up. "Don't talk about me yet. You're only a freshman. Don't tell me you can't do anything."

Jing Tian: "..."

With a dark expression on her face, she turned her head away again. Who did she think she was looking down on?

The way she's saying that is ridiculous. Everyone knows she's only a freshman in college, so how could she possibly have forgotten all her knowledge?

Twenty minutes later, the papers were collected.

The math teacher corrected the mistakes on the spot, his face growing increasingly dark.

"Out of thirteen people, only five passed." He slammed the test paper on the podium. "The highest score was 82, which went to Ko Ching-teng."

All eyes turned to Li Xu, who remained calm and unconcerned about his score of 82.

To reiterate, he's not a top student, but he's not a poor student either.

Besides Li Xu, four other students also received passing marks: second place Jing Tian (79 points), third place Xie Minghe (Hao Shaowen) (75 points), fourth place Hu Jiawei (Song Tie) (70 points), and fifth place Cai Changxian (Zhang Ruoyun) (61 points).

Of course, there's also the lowest score of 19 points, held by Liao Yinghong.

The young actor playing Liao Yinghong was an unknown freshman at the Central Academy of Drama who would not be famous in the future. At this moment, he couldn't help but cover his face, his face turning a little red.

Even though he is an actor and is currently trying to get into character, the fact that he got the lowest score of 19 points still made him feel a little ashamed, as if he had really returned to his high school days.

"How can you guys act like high school students?"

Once everyone in the classroom knew their exam scores, the middle-aged math teacher's voice was cold.

"High school students face these exams, scores, and rankings every day! You can't even solve the problems, so how can you portray the feeling of desperately fighting for one or two points and competing for a good ranking?"

The classroom was deathly silent.

"get out of class dismissed. Starting today, I will assign ten problems every day. If you don't finish them, you can practice them in the evening."

The middle-aged math teacher pushed up his glasses, turned around, and walked out of the classroom.

-

The atmosphere in the cafeteria was somewhat somber at lunchtime.

Several unlucky students who failed their math exams ate their meals in silence, not uttering a single word.

Jing Tian was quite happy—she scored 79 points, ranking second only to Li Xu.

"Li Xu, how about it? Hmph, since I'm playing Shen Jiayi, how could I not even be able to do a test?"

She sat down opposite Li Xu with her tray in hand, her eyes sparkling, her face clearly showing her desire to be praised.

"Shen Jiayi should be a shoo-in for first place."

Li Xu's concise words shattered Jing Tian's initial excitement.

"Li Xu! Are you trying to drive me crazy? So you can go find someone else behind my back?"

Jing Tian broke down.

She disregarded her current identity as Shen Jiayi and her student status, and retorted angrily.

"I'm not looking for anyone."

"Don't worry, it's just acting. You may not be number one, but second place is already very good."

Li Xu softened his stance slightly.

"..."

Jing Tian glared at Li Xu, but a smile couldn't help but quietly appear in her eyes.

Song Tie, who was sitting at the next table, inadvertently saw this scene. His eyes flashed with the desire to gossip. While eating his rice, he kept glancing at the two of them.

-

The afternoon performance class was held in the gymnasium.

Professor Zhou Wenbin is 65 years old this year. He is a retired professor from the Central Academy of Drama. Among his students, there are a lot of award-winning actors and actresses.

He was not tall, with a full head of silver hair, but his eyes were very bright, as if he could see into people's hearts when he looked at them.

"The first lesson in acting is to forget about acting."

Professor Zhou paced back and forth in front of the thirteen young people, his hands behind his back.

"Right now, all you have on your minds is 'I want to play this role well,' 'I want to satisfy the director,' and 'I want the audience to like you,' but these thoughts are all garbage."

He stopped and his gaze swept across every face.

"True performance is about becoming, not acting."

"You shouldn't be acting as Shen Jiayi, Ke Jingteng, or anyone else. You should be acting as yourselves, trying your best to get into character. Every move you make, every smile you give, should be in line with the character's mindset as much as possible."

"So, the first thing I want you all to do is forget, forget the script."

Everyone was stunned by these words.

Forget the script? What's the point of acting then?

"Forget the lines in the script, forget the director's instructions for you."

Professor Zhou continued, "This was something I had already discussed with Li Xu beforehand:"

"From now on, you are students of Class 3, Grade 11. What is your relationship with each other? Are you friends, crushes, best friends, or rivals who can't stand each other?"

"These relationships weren't told to you by the script; they were developed through your interactions over these twenty days."

He pointed to the center of the venue: "This afternoon, we'll do a simple exercise. Everyone, sit down in a circle now."

Thirteen people did as instructed.

"Now, starting with Ko Ching-teng, everyone tell us about the most memorable thing that happened to you in high school. It can be something happy, something sad, something embarrassing, or something that made you angry."

"Tell the truth, don't make things up."

Li Xu, as the leader and one of the parties involved in agreeing to this matter, spoke first:

"Let me start. In my senior year of high school, I and some friends climbed over the wall to go to an internet cafe, and we got caught by the head of the teaching department."

"The principal made us stand under the national flag all morning. The whole school was watching us when we did our exercises. Later, the dean of students called my dad over. In front of the whole school, my dad rushed up and kicked me."

Li Xu spoke calmly, but several people behind him couldn't help but laugh, including Jing Tian.

She never imagined that Li Xu, such an outstanding, excellent, and meticulous future "husband," would have such a past.

"Really?" she asked with a smile.

"real."

Li Xu nodded, "I didn't speak to my dad for a month after that."

"And then what?"

"later……"

Li Xu shook his head. "I got better later. Do you think there would be any more dramatic things, like my dad carrying me for three kilometers to the hospital in the pouring rain and then staying with me there all night?"

Upon hearing Li Xu's words, Jing Tian couldn't help but chuckle. She couldn't help but recall something: she seemed to have actually fabricated this story in a middle school essay.

Seeing Jing Tian laugh out loud, Li Xu immediately reached out and pointed at her.

It's not revenge.

To reiterate, it wasn't revenge; Li Xu felt it was just a casual act.

Jing Tian gave Li Xu a light glare. She hugged her knees, thought for a moment, and said, "I went to the Beijing Dance Academy for high school, majoring in folk dance. It's nothing special. I just dropped out later and then went to the Beijing Film Academy."

"I don't think I've done many outrageous things in my life, this must be the most outrageous thing so far."

After saying that, Jing Tian couldn't help but add in her mind, "Besides you, I have indeed done a lot of outrageous things and used a lot of resources for you."

After Jing Tian finished telling her story, the others followed suit.

Thirteen stories, thirteen different high school days. Although none of them are particularly interesting or outstanding, each has its own warmth and regrets.

As everyone shared their stories, the atmosphere among them began to subtly shift without anyone noticing.

Because they had all shared their high school stories, Li Xu, Jing Tian, ​​Song Tie, and the other thirteen people seemed to have gotten to know each other better, and it really felt like they were high school classmates.