Chereads / A Casanova's Journey through the East Asian Entertainment Industry / Chapter 3 - Chapter 2: The Art Exam Encounter

Chapter 3 - Chapter 2: The Art Exam Encounter

Early the next morning, Wu Hao finished his breakfast and hurried off to the Beijing Film Academy. As expected, Yang Mi was a busy person. Wu Hao spent the entire day at the school without running into her, and the following days were no different. Not to mention Yang Mi, he didn't even come across anyone he knew.

Finally, the day of the art entrance exam arrived. Early in the morning, Wu Hao dressed in an Adidas tracksuit, standing tall at 180 centimeters, radiating sunshine and handsomeness.

He stood at the hotel entrance, listening to his parents' instructions when he saw Yuan Shanshan walking by. She waved while bidding farewell to a middle-aged couple, probably her parents. As she passed by Wu Hao, she nodded in acknowledgment, figuring out that he was also here for the art exam.

As soon as his parents finished their instructions, Wu Hao said goodbye and caught up with Yuan Shanshan, who hadn't gone far.

"Hello, are you also going for the art exam at the Beijing Film Academy?" Wu Hao greeted her proactively after catching up.

"Yeah, I applied for the Acting Department. And what about you, handsome guy?" Yuan Shanshan turned her head curiously to look at Wu Hao while walking.

It was hard to tell, but Yuan Shanshan seemed quite lively. She didn't address him as a classmate but as a handsome guy. Wu Hao thought to himself, pleased with his own self-confidence. Of course, he wasn't particularly interested in Yuan Shanshan at the moment, but considering they would be classmates and even Yang Mi's roommates in the future, it was important to establish a good relationship regardless.

"I also applied for the Acting Department. So, we might become classmates. Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Wu Hao, 17 years old, from Jiangxi." Wu Hao finished speaking and extended his right hand.

"I'm Yuan Shanshan from Hubei. I just turned 18, Wu Hao classmate, you should call me 'senior sister.'" Yuan Shanshan also reached out her hand and shook Wu Hao's, looking at him with a smile.

But just after a simple handshake, Wu Hao instinctively withdrew his hand, wearing a gloomy expression. "We're in the same class, so why call you 'senior sister'?" Wu Hao, despite being handsome, did have a bit of a baby face. In high school, he would occasionally be teased by girls and asked to call them 'little sister.'

Yuan Shanshan didn't dwell on it, understanding they had just met. Making a little joke seemed like a good way to break the ice. Although both of them were applying for the Acting Department, there was no competition between them. They enjoyed a pleasant conversation along the way, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the Beijing Film Academy.

From the main entrance to the interview venue, it was truly a sea of people, estimated to be thousands of individuals.

Yuan Shanshan watched as Wu Hao wandered around, looking here and there since they entered the school. Curiously, she asked, "Wu Hao, what are you looking at? Are you searching for someone? Famous celebrities wouldn't come back to the school before classes start. We should hurry to the interview." She thought Wu Hao wanted to catch a glimpse of some stars. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong—Yang Mi could be considered a star. Yes, Wu Hao was actually looking for Yang Mi.

"Oh, I'm not looking for those celebrities. I'll be a star myself in the future. What's there to see?" Wu Hao confidently replied.

"Heh, dreaming of being a star already before passing the audition?" But as Yuan Shanshan thought about it, she realized he had a point. Without dreams of becoming a star, why bother applying to a film academy?

Seeing that Wu Hao was still looking around, Yuan Shanshan spoke up again, "If not celebrities, what are you aimlessly looking at?"

"Yang Mi, you know? It was said online that she got a direct admission to the Beijing Film Academy. Why haven't I seen her?" Wu Hao exclaimed.

"You're silly. If she got a direct admission, why would she still need to audition?" Yuan Shanshan rolled her eyes. Of course, she knew Yang Mi. "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was quite popular, and Yang Mi's portrayal of Guo Xiang was impressive.

Wu Hao suddenly realized, "Oh, right! That's why. I've been at the school for so many days and haven't bumped into her. I thought she was just busy, but it turns out she didn't even have to come."

Yuan Shanshan couldn't help but roll her eyes again and said, "You're such a fool." After speaking, she ignored Wu Hao and walked on. In her mind, she thought, "How can he ignore a stunning beauty like her and obsess over someone else? Men really are clueless."

Of course, Yuan Shanshan wasn't falling for Wu Hao. She was just a girl, and even if she didn't particularly like him, if he openly thought about another girl in front of her, she would definitely get angry. Especially since he was a handsome guy.

Wu Hao, of course, understood this logic immediately. He quickly caught up and began to please her. He couldn't afford to offend Yuan Shanshan, his future roommate with Yang Mi. Before he could win over Yang Mi, being a lapdog was nothing. Once he became famous and successful in filmmaking, he would have any female celebrity he wanted.

The preliminary exam was quite simple, just reciting a piece. Ever since studying with Professor Deng, Wu Hao had been practicing every morning without fail. When he faced the interviewers, three of them, Wu Hao didn't recognize any of them. In general, Wu Hao didn't know many people behind the scenes, and the preliminary exam wouldn't have any renowned teachers presiding over it.

He bowed and greeted them, introduced himself once again, and recited a poem titled "Youth." Watching the three teachers exchange glances and nod, Wu Hao knew he had passed.

After finishing his recitation, the teacher in the middle spoke, "Wu Hao, your appearance is quite good, and your recitation was professional. Go home and wait for the notification."

"Thank you, teachers. Goodbye." Bowing once more to bid farewell, Wu Hao walked out of the classroom.

Yuan Shanshan saw Wu Hao coming out and immediately approached him, asking, "How did it go? Were the teachers easy to talk to?"

"I think I passed. I saw all three teachers nodding. They didn't say much." Wu Hao looked at the slightly nervous Yuan Shanshan and reassured her, "It's not difficult. Just introduce yourself and recite. Have confidence and don't be nervous. You can do it!"

Wu Hao knew that Yuan Shanshan had successfully passed the exam in her previous life, so there shouldn't be any problems this time. As expected, after a while, Yuan Shanshan emerged with a smile on her face.

They planned to have lunch together, but Yuan Shanshan was in a hurry to share the good news with her parents, so they returned to the hotel together. Once they reached the hotel, they exchanged phone numbers before parting ways.

Back in his room, Wu Hao shared the good news with his parents, who were ecstatic.

Later that evening, they received a call from the school, notifying them that Wu Hao had passed the preliminary exam, and the final exam would be in 7 days. It wasn't feasible to stay in the hotel every day for those 7 days, so the next day, the family went out to enjoy themselves. They visited several tourist attractions during that period, and Wu Hao even treated Yuan Shanshan to two meals.

The seven days passed quickly, and Wu Hao intentionally bought a guitar. He had taught himself to play the guitar; Professor Deng didn't cover that in their lessons. He had practiced "The One That Used to Be You" for a month. While his singing was decent, he had never received professional vocal training. How many people come for the audition without any vocal training? Unfortunately, he had to rely on the guitar to make up for it. Besides, he had deliberately strained his voice that morning, pushing it to the brink of hoarseness.

As he arrived at the final exam venue, he noticed that the number of participants had decreased by at least tenfold, but there were still around three hundred people. Wu Hao observed the people around him. Among the 2005 Acting Class at the Beijing Film Academy, there were a few female stars: Yang Mi, Yuan Shanshan, Zhang Xiaopei, and Jiao Junyan. Ah, the first two were Yang Mi's roommates. As for the male students, none of them were famous, at least not recognized by Wu Hao.

Wu Hao continued to observe as waves of people went in for their auditions, some coming out happy, others disappointed. He felt a slight nervousness himself. After all, he didn't have much time to prepare, and besides singing, he didn't possess any other talents. As for acting, that would have to wait for the third round, during the skit performance.

Soon, it was Wu Hao's turn. He still didn't recognize the three teachers, as usual, he bowed and greeted them. He began by reciting loudly a poem titled "Seagull," and indeed, his throat felt uncomfortable. Then he proceeded to play and sing "The One That Used to Be You." His voice was just right, a touch of huskiness with a magnetic quality. Well, at least Wu Hao was satisfied with his own performance, feeling a bit reminiscent of Xu Wei.

As expected, he passed the final exam. The subsequent third round and interview were not challenging either. In the third round, they learned some movements from the teachers and imitated them. It wasn't difficult for Wu Hao; he was intelligent and quickly grasped many things. Then, they were given a skit topic on the spot, five minutes to prepare, and performed it with two or three others. While the skit tested the students' ability to react, adapt, and improvise, as well as their creativity and imagination, it wasn't the main focus. After all, it was the Acting Department, and the primary evaluation was their acting skills. In this regard, Wu Hao had confidence.

The interview was even simpler, touching upon classical poetry, historical events, and why he chose the Acting Department. He responded with positive and inspiring answers, which naturally led to his success. Worth mentioning was that Huang Lei conducted his interview. They were fellow townspeople, and as Huang Lei looked through Wu Hao's profile, he seemed satisfied. After the interview, Huang Lei extended his hand and smiled at Wu Hao, saying, "Prepare well for the college entrance examination, and I'll see you in September."

Wu Hao let out a sigh of relief and excitedly shook Huang Lei's hand. "Thank you, Teacher Huang. I will work hard."

And so, Wu Hao successfully passed the film academy's exam, stepping halfway into the doorway of the entertainment industry.

Yuan Shanshan naturally passed as well. They arranged to have dinner together in the evening since they would each return to their respective homes tomorrow. Wu Hao invited Zhang Xiaopei and Jiao Junyan to join them, as they had performed together. Yuan Shanshan invited Zhang Xuan and Wang Renjun, who were in the same group.

They went to a small restaurant, and with six people, it didn't cost much. Wu Hao took the initiative to say that he would treat, and Wang Renjun didn't object. They were classmates after all, and they would pay him back in the future.

With someone treating, the atmosphere became lively. As they chatted, the four girls became more animated. In the course of conversation, they grew closer and discussed their expectations for campus life and their aspirations for the entertainment industry.

"Wu Hao, Yuan Shanshan, what are you two talking about? You seem so close. Come on, spill the beans. What's the relationship between you two? I've noticed you coming together for several auditions. How far has it progressed?" Jiao Junyan asked with a teasing smile, interrupting Wu Hao and Yuan Shanshan's happy conversation.

"It's a misunderstanding. We just happened to stay at the same hotel and attended auditions together a few times, so we naturally became familiar," Wu Hao explained. There were three girls here who were Yang Mi's roommates, and he still needed their help to pursue Yang Mi. He couldn't let them misunderstand.

Yuan Shanshan smiled and couldn't resist adding, "Let me tell you, Wu Hao actually has a crush on Yang Mi. On the first day of auditions, he was running around trying to find her, clueless that Yang Mi wouldn't even be here."

The group burst into laughter, teasing Wu Hao good-naturedly. He blushed and tried to defend himself, "It's not like that! I... well, she's just someone I admire. But now that I'm here, my focus is on my studies and becoming a successful actor."

The lively dinner continued, filled with laughter, dreams, and the beginnings of a strong bond among the group. They were embarking on a new chapter of their lives, ready to face the challenges and opportunities that awaited them in the prestigious film academy.