I entered Huayu Entertainment in 2016.

After the candidate left, the teacher next to him spoke up.

"Teacher Feng, you just now~~~!"

"It's alright, Ms. Li," the middle-aged male teacher sitting on the other side chimed in, his tone more confident than the female teacher's.

"Tell the students directly, so they don't have to suffer these past few days. It's better to know your level sooner rather than later, after failing the exam, and then figure it out."

Feng Yuanzheng nodded, "Among this group of students, only Wang Zi'an and the little girl who acted with him are truly talented!"

He paused; his pen tapped lightly on the grade sheet.

"It's a pity that Wang Zi'an is a free spirit and doesn't want to come to Beijing Film Academy."

After he finished speaking, the examiners remained silent for a few seconds.

After the preliminary test was completed, all the examiners were gathered in the conference room to watch the video and discuss it, going through each candidate one by one.

The purpose of this is to ensure that good seedlings are not overlooked.

Among the many applicants, they selected a group of promising talents who were now considered promising, but surprisingly, one of them did not want to come to the Beijing Film Academy.

The only good news is that this promising talent didn't report to the Central Academy of Drama!

To avoid the Central Academy of Drama finding out, Dean Wang and several other leaders ordered it to be kept secret.

Life is unpredictable!

···

The art school circle in Yenching is only so big. The Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama are just a few streets apart, so news of them spreads faster than a strong wind.

The office of the head of the Acting Department at the Central Academy of Drama.

In winter in Yanjing, sunlight streams through the windows, casting a pale golden glow on the wooden floor.

The office is small, with a bookcase taking up an entire wall, crammed with drama theory, performance textbooks, and materials from previous students' graduation plays.

The air was filled with the smell of old books and tea.

A middle-aged teacher looked at Ms. Chang Li, whose hair was gray, sitting in her seat, and casually said:

"Professor Chang, I heard that the Beijing Film Academy has a promising talent!"

Chang Li is an outstanding teacher who receives a State Council stipend; she is respectfully called "Mother Chang" by her students.

Chang Li looked at the documents in her hand, and only after hearing this did she look up at the middle-aged teacher.

"Don't worry, any student who is passionate about acting will come here!" Her tone was calm, but her words revealed confidence.

The Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy each occupy half of Beijing's arts education landscape, but their styles are completely different.

Beijing Film Academy leans towards film and television, while Central Academy of Drama leans towards stage performance.

Students who truly want to go deep into acting will eventually gravitate towards this path.

The male teacher laughed too; "That's true, I heard the leaders at the Beijing Film Academy requested secrecy, it's quite mysterious!"

"It's a secret!" Aunt Chang paused, a slight, disdainful smirk playing on her lips. "Are there secrets in this circle?"

"Ignore them, our students are ours!"

···

The moment Wang Zian stepped out of the examination building, a chill ran through him like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head.

He had been in the examination room for almost two hours, warmed by the heating and the spotlights. Nine candidates were crammed together rehearsing, and every pore on his body was opened up by the heat.

Now, suddenly stepping outside, the cold February air sent a slight shiver through his body.

He stood on the steps and took a deep breath.

Then he exhaled another puff of white mist; he felt much more relaxed from head to toe.

Alright! The exam is over! You can go now!

Where should we go next?

He stepped down the stairs and walked towards the school gate; his sneakers made a soft, rhythmic sound on the concrete pavement.

Just as he was pondering, he heard hurried footsteps behind him.

"Wait, Prince An, wait a minute!"

Wang Zian stopped and turned around the moment he heard his name.

Zhou Ye came running over excitedly.

A long, black down jacket wrapped around her, its narrow hem restricting her stride and making her look somewhat disheveled when she ran.

Since the steps were small, the only solution was to increase the frequency, and the two legs moved incredibly fast.

Her ponytail swung in a fan shape behind her head, the ends brushing against the hood of her down jacket and making a rustling sound.

"What's the matter, Zhou Ye?"

She ran up to Wang Zian and stopped, her eyes lighting up like light bulbs.

"You actually know my name!"

Wang Zian nodded. "I've heard of it!"

He glanced behind Zhou Ye and asked, "Where's your classmate from the same art exam class?"

"Him?" Zhou Ye lowered his hand, his tone casual and nonchalant, "He has an exam at the Central Academy of Drama this afternoon, so he went out to cram with a teacher a long time ago."

When she spoke, her facial expressions were very vivid; her eyebrows were raised and her lips were slightly pouted.

Then, a pair of bright, curious eyes looked at Wang Zi'an.

"Um... you really haven't studied acting?"

I knew she was interested in this.

"No!" Wang Zian shook his head decisively. "I only came here the day before the preliminary exam. My understanding of the art exam came from the materials I received at the entrance that day."

"I don't believe it!" she said, enunciating each word clearly and firmly. "If you're so amazing, which art exam prep class are you in?"

Wang Zian shook his head, turned around and continued walking towards the school gate.

As soon as Zhou Ye saw him leave, he quickly followed.

The hem of this dress is way too narrow.

When not running, it makes my legs look long, but when I run, it feels like a tight headband.

She was like a cat with its legs tangled, walking very fast but just not being able to keep up.

He could only hurriedly call out, "Wait a minute! I need your help!"

Wang Zian slowed his pace, waiting for Zhou Ye to catch up.

"Don't walk so fast!" Zhou Ye quickly walked to his side; "I think you're really capable, and I'd like to ask you for help!"

"I can't help you with anything," Wang Zian replied quickly and frankly.

"You can do it!" Zhou Ye's tone suddenly became very firm.

She stopped and looked up at him.

The afternoon sun shone from the side, making her almond-shaped eyes bright, and her amber pupils almost turned into transparent gold in the light.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her lips pursed and then relaxed.

When she gets serious, her carefree demeanor softens considerably, replaced by an undeniable persistence.

"If you really haven't attended any training courses, then your singing and recitation skills are so good, you must have some experience!"

"I'd like to ask you a question!"

"I really can't teach you!" Wang Zian also stopped in his tracks.

"I understand how you feel! But I learned to sing from a music teacher, and then I found instructional videos online. That's how I learned!"

"And recitation is the same; it's about watching videos of great reciters and listening to how they read."

Zhou Ye looked at Wang Zi'an; he spoke with a serious expression, not as if he were making excuses to shirk responsibility.

"What if I gave you money?"

When Zhou Ye uttered those words, Wang Zi'an looked at her in surprise, then at the young girl next to him who was looking up at him with a serious expression as she quoted a price.

Suddenly, he smiled.

The corners of those phoenix eyes curved into a beautiful arc.

"A rich woman~?"

Zhou Ye nodded firmly, then as if she suddenly remembered something, her expression changed from "I'm very generous" to a slightly hesitant and cautious one.

His lips moved, his brows furrowed slightly, and his voice was a fraction lower than before.

"Don't ask for anything too expensive; I don't have much money."