I entered Huayu Entertainment in 2016.

After dinner, the two took the subway back to Zhou Ye's neighborhood.

The sun had already begun to set, and the sunlight had turned into a soft, golden glow, casting a gentle and warm light on the lawn and shrubs at the entrance of the residential area.

After arriving at the residential area, he got into his car and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Zhou Ye suddenly stood in front of the car door, clinging to it and looking at him pitifully.

"I'm telling you, when it comes to the third round of auditions, we absolutely have to go together!"

Her eyes met his.

There was no nervousness or shyness in those almond-shaped eyes, only a pure, direct gaze that laid bare one's innermost thoughts.

"You absolutely have to participate in the third round of auditions! You can't leave me behind!"

Wang Zian didn't know why Zhou Ye suddenly said such a thing.

But seeing Zhou Ye's cheeks inexplicably flushed again, Wang Zi'an nodded unconsciously.

"We'll meet at the school gate then." His voice wasn't loud, but it was steady.

"Pinky promise!" Zhou Ye stretched out his little finger and waved it in front of him.

The February wind made her fingers slightly red, but she stretched them out straight, as if waiting for him to sign a very serious little contract.

Looking at Zhou Ye, who suddenly seemed a bit childish, Wang Zian's lips inexplicably curled up.

"Pinky promise!"

He extended his right hand and hooked his little finger around hers.

Their fingers were intertwined, one cool and one warm, lingering above the car window frame for only about two seconds.

Then Zhou Ye let go of her hand and hid it in the pocket of her down jacket.

She took two steps back, and finally a relieved smile bloomed on her face, the one she had felt since that morning's hug.

"It's a deal! No backing out!"

Wang Zian nodded and started the car.

After signaling with the turn signal, the car slowly drove away from the entrance of the residential area.

In the rearview mirror, Zhou Ye was still standing outside the gate of the residential area, one hand hidden in his pocket, the other slowly waving at him in the air.

He turned his gaze from the rearview mirror to the road ahead.

The curve of his lips hadn't disappeared yet.

····

The day of the third test arrived.

Prince An got up very early.

She changed into a black FOG SKY lightweight jacket and paired it with light blue jeans.

Simple and neat, I glanced at myself in the mirror and it looked alright.

He rarely uses facial cleanser, but to show respect for the exam, he thoroughly washed his face with the hotel's facial cleanser, which he considered the greatest respect he could show to the exam.

He looked up, and the face in the mirror looked cleaner than usual, with smooth skin.

Wearing masks, I arrived at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy. The number of people here today was no less than during the re-examination.

The entrance to the Beijing Film Academy was even more bustling than he had expected.

He already felt there were enough people on the day of the second round of exams, but today, with the third round, the crowd at the school gate has grown even larger.

There were more reporters than test takers, with a whole row of cameras and lenses set up, all pointed at the school gate.

Prince An noticed that many news outlets had sent reporters.

Many art students were also being interviewed by reporters.

These people are either art students who came to promote themselves, or art exam preparation institutions who came to promote themselves!

Wang Zian looked around and sure enough, he found Zhou Ye surrounded by reporters in the crowd.

She was wearing a gray tracksuit today, and her hair was neatly tied back, not in her usual high ponytail, but in a lower and more stable ponytail, with stray hairs carefully tucked behind her ears.

She was smiling broadly as she was being interviewed by reporters; judging from the reporters, they seemed to be from various organizations and media outlets.

Wang Zian didn't disturb them. He pulled his mask up to cover most of his face, put his hands in his jacket pockets, and stood quietly among the group of test takers.

There were many people coming and going around him, but no one noticed the tall boy wearing a mask.

When Zhou Ye was answering the question, his eyes caught sight of him.

The next second, her eyes instantly curved into crescents, the corners of her mouth turned up, and a small dimple appeared on her cheek.

Wang Zian nodded slightly to her.

Then he turned his head away; he didn't want to be targeted by reporters.

Then, when I turned around, I saw someone.

Not far away, a girl wearing a black down jacket was surrounded by an even larger group of reporters.

The zipper of the down jacket was undone, leaving it open and revealing the close-fitting blue silk dance dress underneath.

The skirt flared out above her knees, making her legs look long and straight.

She stood in front of at least six or seven microphones, her expression calm and natural, with a perfectly timed smile on her lips. She answered questions at a moderate pace, and occasionally threw in a little joke that made the reporters burst into laughter.

Guan Xiaotong!

Finally, I can see a living celebrity again.

As expected of a child star, having grown up in front of the camera since childhood, her ability to handle reporters far surpasses that of any other candidate present.

The reporters who interviewed her were more numerous and of higher caliber than those who interviewed Zhou Ye.

There are Weibo accounts and Beijing TV accounts.

Judging from how easily she handled it, she must be used to it by now.

····

The students who made it to the third round were clearly more outstanding. From their physique to their speech, from their posture to their eyes, each of them exuded a refined and polished aura.

As Prince An looked around, he was also spotted by a reporter.

Across the street, an inconspicuous dark gray minivan was parked, with the "Today's Inquiry" logo affixed to its side.

There were two people sitting in the car.

The younger one, named Xiao Yu, had been working there for less than six months and was anxiously peering out the car window.

He was holding a microphone in his hand, which was still covered with a brand-new foam cover, and it was obvious that it hadn't been used much.

"Editor-in-Chief Sun, who should we interview?" Xiao Yu rolled down the car window a little, and the cold wind outside blew in, causing him to shrink his neck.

"It seems like nobody's paying attention to us! All the big media outlets have already taken everyone; I can't even squeeze in."

Editor-in-Chief Sun is a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. His hairline has receded quite a bit, but he looks calm and unhurried.

He leaned back in the passenger seat, holding a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and said slowly:

"Xiao Yu, don't be impatient! Our company's main business is different from that of ordinary media."

"I know! We mainly crawl..."

"Ahem!" Editor-in-Chief Sun coughed, the sound was not loud, but it was enough to make Xiao Yu swallow the rest of her sentence.

He glared at Xiao Yu, his eyes saying, "You little brat who can't keep his mouth shut."

Xiao Yu realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly shut his mouth.

"Our company has its own content channels and partner media outlets, which we then compile and publish; our sensitivity to the latest news is second to none!"

At this point, Editor-in-Chief Sun tapped the car window frame with his finger, as if emphasizing a key point: "But our main target audience is not those who follow celebrities, but ordinary people."

"For art exams like these, all we need to do is publish a few decent news articles!"

"No need for interviews, just take some photos of the scene to let the client know this happened!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the candidates not far away, "Just take your camera, find some good-looking ones, and take a few photos!"

Xiao Yu nodded, followed the leader's instructions, grabbed his camera, opened the car door, and jumped out.

Seeing Xiao Yu's energetic appearance, Editor-in-Chief Sun nodded unconsciously.

Being young is great, you have so much energy!