HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

Awards ceremony for the "Beijing Film Academy Splendor" Photography Competition.

The entrance to the exhibition was decorated in an even more grand, even extravagant, manner.

Giant balloons floated in the air, there was a sign-in backdrop, a red carpet, and an awards ceremony backdrop, all surrounded by a large group of reporters with cameras and video recorders.

Xu Lang followed Jiang Wei and the other two to the scene. Xu Lang was already prepared, knowing that Zhang Hao would definitely make a big fuss for publicity, but he was still surprised to see the scene.

Jiang Wei, Mao Jian, and Zhang Yanbin were so astonished they couldn't close their mouths.

"Holy crap, did we come to the wrong place?"

"Is this all the fuss for a school photography exhibition?"

"Exactly! This is a scene straight out of a photography competition awards ceremony; anyone who didn't know better would think it was a film festival with celebrities walking the red carpet!"

As Jiang Wei spoke, he nudged Xu Lang with his elbow, his voice laced with sarcasm:

"Third brother, see that? This is all to build momentum for that kid who pulled the stunt. He must have some powerful connections. It's no wonder you lost to him!"

Just as Xu Lang was about to reply, a man wearing a camera vest quickly approached him.

"Teacher Xu, our planner Zhang is looking for you. Please come with me for a moment."

"Oh well."

As Xu Lang nodded in agreement, he said to Jiang Wei and the other two:

"You guys stay here, I'm going to do something."

"what?"

Jiang Wei and the other two looked at each other, all feeling somewhat puzzled.

"That guy in the vest looks like a staff member from the event organizers."

"Yeah, what did he want with Lao San? And calling him Teacher Xu, Teacher Xu, I didn't even realize it."

"I think Third Brother is acting a bit strange today."

As the three were talking, it was exactly ten o'clock.

As the music began, the host announced:

The first "Beijing Film Academy Splendor" Photography Competition and the selection event for the cast of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" have successfully concluded.

Today, here, we will present awards to the winners of the competition. Afterwards, the special audition actors selected by the production team of *The Return of the Condor Heroes* will also meet with the crew.

As soon as the host finished speaking, the crowd began to discuss it enthusiastically.

The awards ceremony was secondary; the most important thing was the characters from "The Return of the Condor Heroes"!

Isn't this the day that students at Beijing Film Academy, especially those in the acting department, have been waiting for?

Moreover, judging from the scene and the host's use of terms like "special audition," "meeting with the director team," and "official debut," this is not just a simple audition.

It's probably confirmed!

The onlookers speculated amongst themselves as the host announced:

The guests present today are:

Zhang Huijun, Dean of Beijing Film Academy;

Cui Xiuqin, Vice Dean of the Performing Arts Department;

Dean Su Zhigang of the School of Photography;

...

Upon hearing the list of deans, the onlookers were immediately astonished.

"Even the college's top leaders came out; what level is this photography competition?!"

Amidst the crowd's onlookers, the host continued to announce,

Also attending this awards ceremony were:

Executive Producer of "The Return of the Condor Heroes": Zhang Jizhong;

Director of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*: Yu Min;

Assistant Director for Actors: Zhao Guangbin;

Art direction: Huang Jianming;

...

Hearing this, the onlookers were a little stunned. Had all the members of the Condor Heroes crew arrived?

Today is supposed to be the awards ceremony for a school competition, but it feels more like the opening ceremony for the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Then, the host announced...

The organizing committee's special guests and judges include:

Mr. Lü Houmin, advisor to the China Photographers Association;

Gu Changwei, a top cinematographer and director from the 78 class of the Cinematography Department at Beijing Film Academy;

Zhao Xiaoding, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy's Cinematography Department (Class of '87), is now a top-tier director of photography.

...

Holy crap!

Hearing these resounding names, the onlookers were completely confused about what was going on.

What kind of formation is this?

Does a school really need these people to attend its photography competition awards ceremony?

While the leader was giving his speech, Jiang Wei, Mao Jian, and Zhang Yanbin were still whispering among themselves.

Jiang Wei: No need to ask, this means the school is about to launch another "star-making" plan!

Mao Jian: Starmaking? Shouldn't starmaking be done in the performing arts department? Why did it suddenly turn to our photography school?

Zhang Yanbin: I think it was arranged by the crew of "The Return of the Condor Heroes". Didn't you see? Everyone was busy running around, it was all crew members.

At that moment, the highlight of the event, the awards ceremony, officially began.

"The photographers who won the Bronze Lens Award in the 'Beijing Film Academy Splendor' Photography Competition are Zhou Kunming, Feng Jiancheng, and Wang Wei. Please welcome the three of you to the stage."

Looking at the three people walking onto the stage, Jiang Wei curled his lip.

"I know Feng Jiancheng, and I've read his works. They're nowhere near as good as Lao San's."

"Sigh, to be honest, the third brother is really frustrated. Even if he didn't get the gold medal, getting third place would have been better."

"If you ask me, he must have offended someone."

As the three discussed the matter, the host continued to announce:

"The photographers who won the Silver Lens Award in the 'Beijing Film Academy Splendor' Photography Competition are Su Jing and Chen Nan. Please welcome them to the stage."

Upon hearing these two names, Jiang Wei clicked his tongue, his face full of regret.

"It's over, the third brother has absolutely no chance!"

"Yes, all that's left is the gold medal."

"I want to see who they're really trying to promote after all this fuss."

The host then announced:

"The photographer who won the Golden Lens Award in the 'Beijing Film Academy Splendor' Photography Competition is... Xu Lang. Please welcome Mr. Xu to the stage!"

The host had barely finished speaking when Jiang Wei and the other two hadn't even reacted yet.

"This gold medal winner, Xu... Holy crap, isn't that Lao San?!"

"Look, it really is the third brother! Bah, it's the third brother on stage!"

"Holy crap, so it turns out Third Brother was the biggest mastermind behind everything!"

While the three were still in surprise, the host continued to announce,

"The winner of the Best Creative Award in this year's 'Beijing Film Academy Splendor' Photography Competition is: Teacher Xu Lang;"

Best Moment Award Winner: Teacher Xu Lang;

Xu Lang, winner of the Best Color Award;

Xu Lang, winner of the Best Composition Award;

The winner of the Most Popular Award is Teacher Xu Lang;

...

The string of titles left the onlookers speechless.

"Is this Xu Lang the illegitimate son of the person in charge of the competition organizing committee?"

"Isn't this all a form of shady dealing, enough to force people to comply?"

"So this is just a competition organized for him alone, is that it?"

Zhu Zhu also stood in the crowd, legs crossed, watching Xu Lang walk onto the stage, secretly rejoicing.

"Thank goodness we didn't have a falling out yesterday!"

With this kind of support, as long as we stick close to him, we'll never have to worry about food again.

Unlike Zhu Zhu, who secretly rejoiced, Tang Yan was the one who felt fortunate.

Now, she was filled with extreme regret.

"How could I be so stupid!"

Like Xianglin's wife, she kept repeating this sentence in her mind.

"If I had asked Xu Lang to take photos back then, I wouldn't have been photographed without my consent."

But I really didn't expect Xu Lang to have such strength.

That's it. After this, even if I wanted to get Xu Lang to take photos again, I probably wouldn't be able to get two thousand yuan back.

Reyizha, who was standing to the side, seemed to have sensed Tang Yan's thoughts. He gently squeezed her hand and softly comforted her:

"It's okay. Let me tell you, Xu Lang is like a mule that's easy to please. As long as you figure out his temperament, he'll not only take great care in filming, but he won't even charge you."

The thought that Xu Lang might have already seen the photos she had secretly taken made her blush.

"Really? But... sigh!"

Just then, Xu Lang arrived on stage. The host looked at Xu Lang and asked:

"Teacher Xu, may I ask you something?"

Hearing this, Xu Lang knew that Zhang Hao's publicity stunt had officially begun.

"Okay, what is it you're talking about?"

The host considered for a moment, then asked with a smile:

"There's something going viral in the media right now, saying that during the Super Girl finals this weekend, the champion left the stage halfway through. I heard that person is also named Xu Lang. Can you tell me, what's your relationship with him?"

As the host spoke, a staff member pushed over a drawing board with a photo of Xu Lang leaving the stage.

Upon hearing this question, both the students watching and the reporters from various media outlets immediately became excited.

The sudden departure of the Super Girl champion has been making headlines in the entertainment industry these past two days.

With the added fuel of the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" production team, the question of Xu Lang's true identity and why he left the show was suddenly brought to a new level of discussion.

Now, the mystery is about to be revealed.

In an instant, all the cameras and lenses were focused on Xu Lang.