Huayu: Enjoy Yourself

Chapter 17 Study hard and make progress every day

Afterwards, Chen An carried his gifts and visited everyone he knew to offer New Year's greetings.

Chen An, who was not in the capital, was temporarily retained.

Afterwards, Chen An went to the Beijing Film Studio to work on post-production, and he called his staff back, since he was paying them to do so.

Since they weren't found for free, Chen An naturally called them all back for you.

Chen An was quite polite, only calling them back on the 10th to officially start work.

But since their hometown isn't in Beijing, they probably won't be able to enjoy the Lantern Festival dinner.

But Chen An couldn't care less about that. At least until the coal boss emerged, his future was tied up in this movie, and he couldn't afford to fail!

Chen An devoted himself entirely to post-production.

After the start of the semester, I went to school once, and after taking leave, I returned to the Beijing Film Studio.

During that time, I also visited the Shanghai Art Museum to check on the animation production situation.

As a former top-tier studio, Shanghai Animation Film Studio did not disappoint Chen An, producing excellent animations.

This put Chen An at ease, and he left Shanghai.

By March, the film was finished, but subtitles had not yet been added, though this did not affect its screening.

They were preparing to begin internal screenings at the Beijing Film Studio.

Chen An and some production staff were in the screening room of the Beijing Film Studio, preparing to start the screening.

While waiting, Han Sanping also brought people over and sat in the viewing seats. The film started playing after he arrived.

The words "Run Lola Run" appeared on the screen, followed by the name of the Beijing Film Studio, and the film officially began.

The first thing to appear is the animated Lola, and the film slowly plays along with rhythmic background music.

Chen An and the others watched together.

The time was not long; Chen An's version, like the original, was only eighty minutes long and finished playing in no time.

After watching the film, Chen An felt relieved and was very satisfied with the final product.

Anyway, in my opinion, it's no worse than the original.

Led by Han Sanping, everyone applauded.

He was also very satisfied with the film, never expecting that a sophomore could actually make such a movie.

"Congratulations, Brother Chen! This movie is very well made. It's a good commercial film with a good pace. Also, those sweet potato chips for Chinese New Year were delicious. My daughter loves them. I'll ask you to bring me some more next time."

"Thank you for your kind words, Director Han. I think it's about time to submit it for review and add subtitles. I still have some sweet potato chips, I'll bring them to you later."

"Thank you very much, Brother Chen. As a father, I can only ask you for help to make my daughter happy."

Chen Anlian said it was fine, and he had no other ideas to add to the film. He felt that the film was already completed and only needed to be subtitled.

Han Sanping nodded, having no objections: "Then I'll help Brother Chen submit it for review. If you're planning to send it to Cannes, then have them add French subtitles as well."

"Once it's approved by the higher-ups, I'll send it to Cannes for you."

"No problem, thank you, Factory Director Han."

"Alright, I'll be going now."

After the discussion, Han Sanping didn't stay long. He asked someone to take the copy and left the screening room to prepare for the review.

After packing up the film reels and putting them in a box, Chen An left the Beijing Film Studio.

I found an opportunity to give the remaining sweet potato chips to Han Sanping.

The matter is now considered closed.

The rest of the time was spent waiting; Chen An had done everything he needed to do.

It has to be said that Chen An admires Lin Dajiang quite a bit. He has never called to inquire about the situation these past few days; only Chen An has contacted him.

Whether he was carefree or genuinely trusted, Chen An thought that this was probably why filmmakers in later generations liked coal mine owners.

He only cares about the female lead and nothing else; Lin Dajiang only cares about him promoting his brand and nothing else.

He's not a coal mine owner, but he's better than one!

Chen An returned to school and received targeted training from Teacher Mu.

Chen An barely passed the last final exam, which made him very embarrassed, so the school decided to increase his study workload.

Chen An had no choice but to accept it. Anyway, he wasn't looking for work on film sets anymore, and he was perfectly capable of managing his time.

There's still time to audit classes in the directing department.

I just get a little distracted sometimes.

One night in late March, Chen An hung up the phone with the film crew who had been protecting him closely.

I lit a cigarette and smoked it on the balcony. The phone call I just received was from Han Sanping. The movie had passed the censorship and the copy had been sent to Cannes.

"Phew~ Whether it works out or not is up to fate again. This feeling is really unpleasant. If I were like Zhang Yimou, I wouldn't need to hope for being nominated; the film festivals would be begging me to go."

Chen An stood on the balcony, looking at the night sky of Beijing, which still had some starlight, and sighed as he smoked.

"In the end, I still have a lot to learn."

He knew in his heart that he was being too greedy, thinking about these things when he was only a sophomore.

It's already quite good that someone invests in his film production; even he sometimes marvels at his good fortune.

If it weren't for that incident, he wouldn't have had the money to make even a short film, let alone a movie.

Now I go to classes every day, audit classes, and try to find odd jobs on film sets, like collecting scrap. I'm struggling to make ends meet.

"Slap! Slap!"

Thinking of this, Chen An slapped his cheeks hard to clear his head:

"I don't want to think about it anymore. I can't stop thinking about it. After filming, I want to be nominated. After being nominated, I want to win an award. After winning an award, I want to win a big award. The more I think about it, the more I want to win."

"I'm only a sophomore, I still have a chance. Even if I fail like in 'A Chinese Odyssey,' I can just wait for the coal mine owner to come out of retirement!"

After saying that, Chen An extinguished his cigarette and rushed into the sewer.

Even if this movie had been successful in its previous life, Chen An couldn't guarantee it would continue to be successful in this one. After all, A Chinese Odyssey had failed back then and was only later overturned.

He finished the production two years ahead of schedule, but he didn't know what the outcome would be, since even the production background had changed.

However, Chen An decided to leave it for now, since he couldn't get involved in the rest anyway.

After lying down on the bed, Chen An quickly fell asleep, clearing his mind of all distractions.

The next day, after washing up, Chen An took his textbooks and went to class.

On the way, Chen An ran into Teacher Mu and went over to help him carry the teaching materials in his hands.

"What, settled down now?"

He saw right through Chen An's state at a glance.

She was no longer the worried and absent-minded person she used to be.

"You noticed?"

"Who can't see that you're always silent, just sitting in the classroom daydreaming? Do you even need to concentrate on the lesson if I don't keep an eye on you and make you answer questions?"

"Hey, I was just carrying something on my mind, but I've let it go now."

Chen An scratched his head sheepishly, not expecting that his teacher had noticed his behavior.

"Actually, I don't recommend you to make movies. You're still young and have a lot to learn. Feature films and short films are different. But you've already secured the investment, so I can't really stop you. Letting you try it once will help you settle down."

"You have great talent, a good sense of the camera, and you can write scripts. You will succeed one day. There's no need to rush. Study hard and build a solid foundation. I still have high hopes for you. You're no worse than those big directors."

Teacher Mu was earnestly lecturing Chen An.

He could see Chen An's talent, his good attitude towards learning, and his ability to endure hardship. However, the success of the short film made him a little arrogant.

Ultimately, he still hoped that Chen An would study hard, lay a solid foundation, and delve into his research before completing his own film.

Otherwise, it will only be a flash in the pan.

However, seeing Chen An now put his mind at ease.

After listening to Teacher Mu's teachings, Chen An nodded obediently: "That's right. It's all finished filming now and has been sent to Cannes. I've done what I was supposed to do, and I'm not thinking about anything else anymore. I'll just focus on my studies from now on."

Teacher Xinmu was delighted to have accepted his prized student as a disciple: "Alright, then you should study hard first. I'll introduce you to a few film crews during the summer vacation to get some practical experience. Now, just focus on learning and don't think about anything else, understand?"

"Yes, I understand. I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

After speaking, Chen An, just like last time, saluted as a soldier.

Then he followed Teacher Mu into the classroom.

After helping him put his textbooks on the desk, I took my own textbooks and went back downstairs.

I found a desk, sat down, and prepared to listen to the lesson.

After Teacher Mu cleaned the blackboard, he began the formal lesson, and Chen An was his expert in answering professional questions.

Every question required a name to be called upon, and no one dared to slack off even slightly.

Some of the students below were gloating at this sight, while others were a little envious.

After all, given the current state, who wouldn't be able to tell? In ancient times, someone in this situation would be considered a direct disciple!

Seeking everything

(End of this chapter)