Huayu: Starting with binding the front desk

After participating in the preliminary auditions for the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy, Wang Churan flew back to Shanghai on February 10th. She still had to participate in the preliminary audition for the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

She hasn't spoken much to Zhang Jingyi these past few days, spending all her time with Wang Zhe.

Zhang Jingyi saw everything, but said nothing, and even started to avoid Wang Zhe.

In the evening, Wang Zhe approached Zhang Jingyi: "Xiao Kai asked me to dinner, are you going?"

"Which Xiao Kai?"

"Wang Junkai, he had his preliminary audition at the Beijing Film Academy today," Wang Zhe explained.

Zhang Jingyi certainly knew that Wang Junkai was taking his first exam today, after all, the hashtag #WangJunkaiBeijingFilmStudyFirstExam# was still trending at number one on the hot search list.

She just didn't expect Wang Junkai to invite Wang Zhe to dinner.

"Is it okay?" She hesitated for a moment.

It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I'm afraid of disturbing Wang Zhe's dinner with his friends.

"Why can't I do that? Yangyang isn't here today, how could I possibly leave you behind?" Wang Zhe didn't give her a chance to hesitate, grabbed her hand and walked out.

He also noticed that Zhang Jingyi's behavior had been a bit off these past few days.

Perhaps it was because of Wang Churan, or perhaps it was her experiences over the past few days that made her realize the distance between them.

We arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant.

Wang Junkai had already ordered the food on his way here and even called to ask him what he wanted to eat.

As Wang Zhe entered, he looked at Wang Junkai and smiled, "This is quite a grand affair today."

Wang Junkai knew he wasn't referring to today's dinner party, but rather to the afternoon's incident where fans and media besieged the exam venue.

He said helplessly, "Brother Zhe, I don't want to either, but it's all the company's arrangement. I don't have any say in this matter."

  

All college entrance exams are conducted in batches, and only the candidates know which day they will take the exam; the dates are not announced.

Although there were media outlets staking out the exam venue, no one knew the exact date the celebrity candidate would take the exam.

Yesterday, when Wang Zhe was taking the exam, he only accepted interviews from a few media outlets. But today, before Wang Junkai even appeared, not only were there several times more reporters than usual waiting at the entrance of the exam hall, but also a large number of fans who blocked the traffic.

This clearly indicates that the itinerary has been leaked.

Wang Zhe knew perfectly well that his company was trying to use this opportunity to hype up Wang Junkai's current popularity.

"It seems the school has a lot of objections, so let's not do the re-examination," Wang Zhe reminded him.

This incident also affected Wang Zhe.

Both were star candidates in this year's exams, and the difference in their popularity is immediately apparent.

Although passersby wouldn't pay attention to these things, many of Wang Junkai's radical fans went to Wang Zhe's Weibo to mock him.

Wang Zhe didn't think much of it, but Yang Yangjin was very angry.

You like to cause trouble, huh? Trying to climb to the top by stepping on her artists?

Yang Yangjin was preparing to launch a counterattack during the re-examination, but Wang Zhe persuaded her to stop in the end.

He didn't think this was a good thing. Although it could demonstrate high popularity, it was somewhat damaging to his public image.

Wang Junkai knew that this matter had implicated Wang Zhe, which was why he wanted to invite him to dinner now.

He suggested, "Brother, let's take a picture together after dinner, and I'll post it on Weibo."

Wang Zhe shook his head. "No need. It's nothing serious and won't affect me much."

He understands that Wang Junkai wants to bridge the gap between fans, but he doesn't think it's a bad thing.

Wang Zhe's fan base isn't very loyal right now, which is related to his lack of engagement. Small-scale fan battles can increase his fans' loyalty.

"When are you three planning to go solo?" Wang Zhe changed the subject.

"It'll be in the second half of this year, the specific plans are still under discussion."

Zhang Jingyi sat quietly to the side, listening to the two talking, and was slightly shocked by what they said.

Looking at Wang Zhe in front of her, she felt that he was completely different from usual. He didn't have the carefree attitude of a teenager; instead, he was mature beyond his years.

Wang Zhe turned to look at her and found that she hadn't touched her chopsticks; she was just staring straight at him.

"Why are you staring at me like that? If you're hungry, eat first."

When Zhang Jingyi realized she had been discovered, she felt a little embarrassed, and her ears slowly turned red.

She gently shook her head: "Oh, I'm not very hungry yet."

Wang Junkai asked, "Brother Zhe, is this your assistant?"

"No, it's my classmate, also an art student in this year's exams."

Wang Junkai didn't ask any more questions, but he already knew in his heart that Wang Zhe, an ordinary classmate, would bring him out to eat.

"Let's eat first, we've been so busy chatting," he quickly said.

Wang Zhe and Wang Junkai did most of the talking at the dinner table, while Zhang Jingyi listened quietly from the side.

"Brother Zhe, when are you going to give me the song you promised to write?"

"I don't have time now, I'll wait until after the college entrance exams."

"Okay, I'll wait. You can't stand me up again, can you?"

"How could that be? I said I'd give it to you after the college entrance exam."

Wang Zhe had already decided which song to give him, but he didn't plan to give it to him now.

Sometimes, keeping people in suspense can actually lead to better deals.

After finishing our meal, on the way back in the car.

Zhang Jingyi suddenly spoke up: "Wang Zhe, can I sign with Qinghe Entertainment?"

Wang Zhe was somewhat surprised: "Why do you suddenly want to join Qinghe?"

In fact, he didn't really want Zhang Jingyi to sign with Qinghe so early.

In her previous life, she was signed by Dong Shen when she was a freshman in college, and the resources she received afterward were also quite good. The top actress Zhou Gongzi also did his best to cultivate her and regarded her as his successor.

Now, Qinghe already has two female artists, Tian Xiwei and Wang Churan, to promote, so resources are inevitably insufficient.

However, if Zhang Jingyi is determined to join, he will not refuse. From the moment the system bound the two of them, he has already regarded her as one of his own.

He had considered the issue of insufficient resources, and he had been maintaining relationships with the artists he had worked with over the past two years to pave the way for this.

Zhang Jingyi's heart sank when she heard that he didn't immediately agree: "Wang Zhe, I..."

Seeing her hesitant expression, Wang Zhe smiled and said, "If you really want to join, of course I agree, and I'm very happy that you can come."

Zhang Jingyi's eyes lit up immediately: "Wang Zhe, thank you."

"Don't be so polite with me. But after the college entrance exams, you should go home and talk to your aunt. Maybe Yangyang can come with you," Wang Zhe said.

Zhang Jingyi had actually wanted to join for a long time.

When Yang Yangjin asked her last time, she wanted to nod, but she was a little nervous.

She didn't know what Wang Zhe's attitude was, so she didn't dare to express her own thoughts.

She genuinely wanted to be with Wang Zhe.

She wasn't as decisive as Tian Xiwei, nor was she as carefree as Wang Churan, who clung to Wang Zhe relentlessly.

But after watching for the past few days, she finally understood that Wang Zhe was not an ordinary art student; he was a teenage idol.

If they hadn't sat at adjacent desks in junior high, they probably would never have had any interaction.

"Alright, let's talk about that later. Right now, the most important thing is the college entrance exam."

Wang Zhe paused for a moment, then said, "Even if you get into Qinghe, I can't guarantee you'll get great resources."

Zhang Jingyi nodded: "It's okay, I can audition myself. And right now, my most important thing is to get into Beijing Film Academy and then improve myself."

Wang Zhe nodded, not wanting to discourage her.

If you could succeed just by auditioning, why are there so many unemployed actors? Without connections, or with weak connections, they can't even get an audition opportunity.

"Little Blackie, you'd better practice your lines properly. To be honest, your lines are really bad, you sound like a wooden doll."

"Wang Duidui, can't you live a day without being foul-mouthed?" Zhang Jingyi was taken aback, but immediately retorted.

Only after he finished speaking did he realize what he had said and abruptly turned his head to look out the window.

Wang Zhe laughed and reached out to turn her head back.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Jingyi asked, a little embarrassed.

"Isn't this great? We can say whatever we want, just like before, without having to be so careful."

Zhang Jingyi's eyes reddened, her body stiffened for a moment, and then she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly like Wang Churan.

"Wang Zhe, thank you."

She now fully understands that Wang Zhe is still the same Wang Zhe.

Just because he's a celebrity now doesn't change the nature of their relationship.

They remained deskmates for six years, sitting in front of and behind each other.

Zhang Jingyi knows that she may not be good enough for him right now, but she will try her best to make herself worthy of Wang Zhe.

Just like her motto—"Maybe I grow a little slower than others, but I am also trying to bloom a little flower."