HuaYu: Starting with Photography to Navigate the Entertainment Industry

Beijing Film Academy.

On campus, the people walking around are either beautiful girls or handsome guys.

Upon reaching this point, Xu Lang suddenly "forgave" the system.

"Giving me an 80% rating for my appearance is pretty generous!"

However, he did not have any anxiety about his appearance, which can be seen from the way he allocated his free attribute points.

Xu Lang didn't hesitate to add the free attribute point he earned from Feng Ke to his eyes.

To discover beauty, the first step is to have a keen eye.

See, now these thieving eyes are putting them to good use.

"Wow, this little beauty is really something!"

At the freshman registration area, Xu Lang's eyes scanned the surroundings, and sure enough, his efforts paid off when a beautiful woman appeared in his field of vision.

Looking at beautiful women is a common hobby for all men.

Xu Lang looked at it openly and honestly, without a trace of lewdness.

He not only looked, but also raised his camera and started snapping pictures of the beautiful woman.

"Hey kid, how dare you take pictures of my girlfriend without my permission?"

A figure rushed up to Xu Lang in an instant, his face full of anger, grabbing the camera from Xu Lang's hand with one hand and pointing at Xu Lang with the other.

"How can you be so rude, taking pictures of others without their consent? That's illegal, don't you understand?"

His shout immediately drew the attention of the students who had registered, who all turned to look at Xu Lang, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

Xu Lang was somewhat bewildered by this scene; he even had some doubts.

"Is this still the open and inclusive Beijing Film Academy? Or have we stumbled into a closed-off, self-righteous world?"

But looking around and seeing the Beijing Film Academy's name everywhere on campus, he understood.

"It was at the Beijing Film Academy, but I ran into an idiot!"

"Oh!"

Xu Lang pointed at the man's hand gripping his camera and sneered:

"You can't be sure if I'm breaking the law, but if you don't let go, you're definitely breaking the law!"

"Oh?!"

Xu Lang's reaction was somewhat unexpected.

"Sun Ping, don't be so impulsive."

The girl who had been photographed by Xu Lang hurriedly followed, grabbing the boy's arm.

"Just let go of their camera. Why don't you talk things out properly?"

Sun Ping wasn't stupid. This kid in front of him didn't seem to be easily intimidated. It wouldn't be good if he were to turn around and accuse Sun Ping of robbing him in public.

"snort!"

Sun Ping released his grip and comforted the girl beside him:

"Su Wan, don't worry, I will definitely stop this scoundrel."

After saying that, he turned and looked Xu Lang up and down.

"Hey kid, new here, huh? No wonder you're so clueless. Watch out, I'll report your voyeuristic behavior to your college, and you'll be fired. You'd better delete it right now!"

In the end, Sun Ping still resorted to threats.

Xu Lang, who had worked as a photographer for over a decade in his previous life, had encountered this situation far too often and was extremely familiar with the legal provisions.

Especially since it was 2004, the legal definition of street photography was even more lenient.

"In public spaces, my copyright takes precedence over your portrait rights."

Xu Lang waved the camera in his hand.

"As long as I don't use it for commercial purposes or for profit, I don't have the risk of infringing on any rights, let alone taking secret photos."

As he spoke, he handed the camera to the girl.

"Hey beautiful, are you sure you want to delete this photo?"

"Nonsense, there's no need to ask, just hurry up..."

Sun Ping was speaking indignantly when Su Wan stopped him.

"Sun Ping, come and see, this photo is really well taken."

The girl's face flushed with excitement.

"You really need to learn from this guy; you've never taken a photo like this before."

"What?"

Sun Ping was very frustrated. "I'm here to stop people from taking photos without my consent, not to learn anything. Get that straight!"

Although he was indignant, he was also curious about what the photos were about and how they turned out.

He turned his head to look at the camera screen, and what he saw stunned him:

The setting sun was cut into golden beams by the canopy of the sycamore trees, casting dappled shadows on the asphalt road. Su Wan stood precisely at the intersection of the light beams, her body wrapped in soft, golden edges. The soft light reflected from the road surface precisely filled the shadows on her face, without any stark blacks or overexposure.

Su Wan's relaxed moment as she took off her sunglasses was captured on camera. Her white fitted cropped tank top, paired with a loose-fitting light blue washed denim shirt, was both neat and languid, making her and the scenery blend seamlessly.

There was no deliberate staging; only a clean and vibrant feel, capturing the youthful energy and warm autumn scenery in the frame.

So beautiful!

This scene was witnessed by those around them, and immediately caused a stir.

Where is this?

At the Beijing Film Academy's photography department, all the students who came to report were photography students, especially Qin Feifei, the counselor in charge of reporting, who was an expert in photography.

"Let me see it too!"

Immediately, a crowd surged over, all craning their necks to get a look at the camera in Su Wan's hand.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!"

"The use of light and shadow here is absolutely amazing!"

"Yeah, it's incredible that they could arrange the photos like this against the light!"

"And the subject of the photo is perfectly at peace with the light and the environment; what's that word? Yes, completely natural!"

When counselor Qin Feifei saw it, she was also taken aback.

She is a student at the Beijing Film Academy. After graduation, she stayed on as a faculty member, majoring in acting and minoring in photography. This is her first year as a counselor and class leader.

She prides herself on her talent in photography, having studied the works of many masters during her studies, and possesses exceptional appreciation skills.

But upon seeing this photo, a sudden feeling of imbalance welled up inside her:

"Is this what my mentor meant by talent?"

Her eyes, when she looked at Xu Lang, suddenly held a mixture of envy and jealousy.

"This photo is amazing!"

Amidst the crowd's exclamations of admiration, Su Wan's pretty face grew even redder, her smile more pronounced than an AK.

Looking at her expression, how could Sun Ping dare to say a word?

Any word he uttered could backfire, causing Su Wan to despise his photography skills, thus creating tension in their relationship and escalating into emotional issues.

Not to mention his previous confident promise to force Xu Lang to delete the photos.

Sun Ping had a feeling that if he dared to force Xu Lang to delete the photo, Su Wan would "delete" him on the spot!

"Excuse me, could I have this photo?"

Su Wan finally made this request to Xu Lang.

But noticing the somewhat surprised looks from those around her, she quickly added:

"Of course, this is your work, I certainly can't take it for free, I can pay for it."

Her words calmed the people around her down a bit.

After all, this is a photography academy, and everyone around is studying or working in photography, so they naturally tend to favor Xu Lang.

It's no exaggeration to say that this was Xu Lang's home turf.

This photograph, which can be called a work of art, is something you can't buy even if you pay at a photo studio.

It's something you can only encounter by chance, not something you can seek out!

Want to get something for free?

That won't do!

"Not for sale!"

Xu Lang took the camera from Su Wan's hand, "But I can give it away."

His words easily lifted Su Wan's heart, then gently put it down again, giving her a fleeting experience of "losing and then regaining."

"Just give me authorization to publish this work online or in a bulletin board."

Xu Lang's request might be difficult for some ordinary people to accept.

But the people at Beijing Film Academy didn't take it seriously at all, and even hoped that Xu Lang would do that.

It's not like it's a private photo. Go ahead and post it. The more publicity you give it, the better.

Which girl at the Beijing Film Academy doesn't want to enter the entertainment industry, which one doesn't want to become famous?

If Su Wan could gain fame through her photography and catch the eye of a director, she would have to thank Xu Lang handsomely.

"no problem!"

Su Wan readily agreed.

"it is good."

Xu Lang wrote his QQ number on a piece of paper, "Add me when you have time, and I'll send you the photos."

"Okay, thank you!"

Sun Ping, who was standing to the side, really didn't want Su Wan to accept the note with the QQ number written on it. Wasn't this just sending a lamb to the slaughter?

But given Su Wan's current excitement, he dared not stop her.

Su Wan glanced at Xu Lang, smiled and nodded, then skipped away happily.

But the registration point for the photography academy was bustling with activity, as a group of freshmen surrounded Xu Lang.

"Dude, your photography skills are amazing!"

"Exactly, look at that camera of theirs, it costs 16,000 yuan. I've got my eye on it too, but I just can't bring myself to buy it."

"Hey, is there something special about your eyes? How can you have such a precise grasp of light and shadow?"

Amidst the murmurs, counselor Qin Feifei approached, took the admission notice from Xu Lang, and looked at the information on it.

"Xu Lang, right?"

"Teacher Qin, it's me."

Qin Feifei left a deep impression on Xu Lang; she was their counselor for four years.

They weren't much older than them, and their interactions felt more like those of friends than teachers.

What's even more remarkable is that Qin Feifei is truly beautiful. Her beauty is beyond what you'd expect from someone from a photography school. Even in the Beijing Film Academy's acting department, where beauties abound, it would be hard to find even one or two like her.

Later, Xu Lang learned that she really couldn't be considered a student of the photography academy; she was a proper student of the performing arts department, but she stayed on at the school to become a counselor for the photography academy.

But this made Xu Lang even more puzzled. "Such a beautiful woman, and she studied acting, why doesn't she become an actress? With those looks, she could easily become a star."

Stay at the university as a counselor?

Xu Lang felt that would be a waste of resources.

What was that saying again?

In the past, when watching action-romance movies, I would always sigh when I saw the beautiful female lead:

How did someone so beautiful end up doing this?

Now, when I see a beautiful woman on the street, I can't help but sigh:

She's so beautiful, it's a waste that she doesn't go into filming!

Now, this has become Xu Lang's "resentment" towards Qin Feifei.