Chapter 4 - Chapter 3: Dormitory Delights

Upon hearing this, Wang Renjun quickly spoke up, "Haha, Wu Hao, you have quite the high standards! Yang Mi is already famous, so pursuing her won't be easy, my friend."

Yuan Shanshan chimed in, "I've always thought this guy only applied to the Film Academy just to pursue Yang Mi. Otherwise, why would a southerner like him not try for the Shanghai Theatre Academy? I reckon quite a few guys in our class are here for Yang Mi as well."

Yuan Shanshan patted Wu Hao on the back and consoled him, saying, "Young man, you better work hard."

Yuan Shanshan's words made perfect sense, leaving Wu Hao speechless. All he could do was grumble, "You're from Hubei, speaking as if you're not a southerner yourself."

The remaining three beauties took the opportunity to tease Wu Hao, but it was all in good fun. After all, Yang Mi was just starting to gain fame. The entertainment industry has its ups and downs, and while Wu Hao may not be as famous as Yang Mi now, who's to say he won't catch up in the future? So, there's no question of whether he's worthy or not.

The pleasant dinner came to an end. The next day, Wu Hao returned to Nanchang with his parents. After the art exam, he had to focus on preparing for the college entrance examination.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, the college entrance examination was over. Wu Hao achieved an impressive score of 580, ranking second in the humanities category, while Yang Mi secured the top spot with 583 points—a true academic overachiever. This was mainly because Wu Hao had neglected his textbooks for too long in his past life and had forgotten many things. He wasn't even as good as his high school self from his previous life. Achieving this score was solely thanks to Wu Hao's fortunate turn of events. Since the college applications were submitted before the scores were released, Wu Hao's parents, upon learning his score, felt a tinge of regret but didn't stop him from attending the film academy.

On August 31, 2005, Wu Hao walked through the gates of Beijing Film Academy, carrying his luggage. From this moment onward, a new life, a true beginning awaited him.

After registering, under the warm greetings of his senior classmates, Wu Hao received his essentials and arrived at Dormitory 1. Of course, it was the senior sisters who greeted him since the senior brothers were busy welcoming the new female students. The dormitory was a standard four-person room with bunk beds and desks, sans ensuite bathroom, but the environment was quite pleasant.

The dormitory was empty at this time, and Wu Hao neatly made his bed and organized his belongings before heading out for a leisurely stroll. Just as he reached the school gate, he spotted a beautiful girl with long legs, a slender waist, and big eyes stepping out of a car. He took a closer look and couldn't believe his eyes—it was none other than Yang Mi!

Wu Hao carefully observed Yang Mi. She was undeniably gorgeous, though her face had a slightly square shape, not the later almond-shaped face. But hey, girls' faces tend to become more tapered as they grow older, like Gao Yuanyuan and Angelababy. Of course, if you say they've all had some cosmetic work done, well, I won't argue.

Her figure was impeccable, with long legs and a petite waist. The only thing lacking was a larger bosom, but compared to her peers, it was already considered ample.

Just as Wu Hao was about to approach and strike up a conversation after the car that dropped off Yang Mi left, some male students who were watching from the sidelines rushed over, and in an instant, Wu Hao lost sight of Yang Mi. He was speechless. Weren't students at Beijing Film Academy supposed to treat celebrities like ordinary people? What was this madness? Yang Mi wasn't even a big star yet!

Watching those guys fawning over Yang Mi, Wu Hao realized that their intentions were just like his—they weren't well-intentioned at all. After all, not many people become famous before starting college, so having a girlfriend like her would undoubtedly boost their social status.

Well, there was no way he could squeeze in with so many people. Even if he managed to strike up a conversation, he probably wouldn't leave much of an impression. Besides, these guys didn't stand a chance anyway. Yang Mi's first boyfriend was most likely Hu Ge when they were filming "Chinese Paladin 3." Although Yang Mi spent little time on campus, Wu Hao believed that being in the same class as her would present future opportunities. As long as he could catch up to her before 2008, he wouldn't give Hu Ge a chance.

In the afternoon, the class teacher, Huang Lei, informed them of a meeting at 2 o'clock. It was quite astonishing that the class teacher for the 2005 Acting Class was none other than Huang Lei. Huang Lei was busy himself, having just become a father last year and having recently written, directed, and starred in a TV drama called "Nighttime Melody," which hadn't aired yet. Wu Hao wondered if he would have time to handle their class.

Wu Hao arrived at the classroom, which was sparsely populated, and he didn't know many people. He nodded and exchanged greetings with those he passed by. After a while, Yang Mi, Yuan Shanshan, Zhang Xiaopei, and Zhang Xuan entered the classroom. Yuan Shanshan glanced at Wu Hao and immediately leaned over to whisper something in Yang Mi's ear. Yang Mi then curiously looked at Wu Hao.

Wu Hao didn't need to guess; Yuan Shanshan must have told Yang Mi about his feelings for her. He wondered how Yuan Shanshan presented the information to her. Hopefully, she didn't say anything bad because during the art exam period, Wu Hao had maintained a good image and hadn't left a negative impression on Yuan Shanshan.

As Yang Mi looked at the boy that Yuan Shanshan mentioned, who was now smiling foolishly at her, she couldn't help but burst into laughter. She thought to herself, 'This little boy is quite adorable, just a bit young.'

Seeing Yang Mi laugh, Wu Hao flashed an even brighter smile. Little did he know that what he thought was a charming smile appeared silly in Yang Mi's eyes. He believed that Yuan Shanshan must have shared some amusing stories about him with Yang Mi.

Yang Mi didn't come over to greet Wu Hao and casually found a seat quite far away from him. Wu Hao felt a bit frustrated. As he noticed his classmates quietly discussing Yang Mi, no one approached her to say hello, so Wu Hao hesitated to strike up a conversation.

After a while, everyone had gathered. There were 30 students in the Beijing Film Academy's 2005 undergraduate acting class, with an equal split of 15 males and 15 females. The only names that Wu Hao could recall were the five people he had dinner with previously, plus Yang Mi. He didn't know the rest of the students, assuming that even if some of them had debuted in a rush, they weren't particularly famous.

Since Huang Lei hadn't arrived yet, Wu Hao took out his phone and sent a text message to Yuan Shanshan.

Wu: [Tell me! What did you say to Yang Mi that made her laugh at me?]

Yuan: [What's with your attitude? Do you really think I bad-mouthed you in front of Yang Mi, preventing you from catching up to her? Now, both Zhang Xiaopei and Zhang Xuan are roommates with Yang Mi.]

Wu: [I'm sorry. Shanshan, you're the best. You'll definitely speak well of me, won't you?]

Yuan: [That depends on your sincerity.]

Wu: [A week's worth of dinners!]

Yuan: [A month.]

Wu Hao sighed at Yuan Shanshan's demand but knew he had to play along to gain her favor. After all, he hoped that Yuan Shanshan would help him make a good impression on Yang Mi. The classroom buzzed with anticipation as they awaited the arrival of their class teacher, Huang Lei, and the beginning of their exciting journey at Beijing Film Academy.

Wu Hao read the text message and gritted his teeth, glaring at Yuan Shanshan's retreating figure. It seemed like she could sense his gaze and turned around, shooting a provocative look back at him.

Wu Hao immediately responded with a challenging look of his own, thinking, "Yuan Shanshan, you've gone too far!"

Yuan Shanshan smiled mischievously at Wu Hao and said, "What can you do to me?"

Wu Hao reluctantly compromised and continued sending messages to Yuan Shanshan: "Two weeks. If you can help me win over Yang Mi, I'll cover all your meals for your four years of university."

Yuan Shanshan replied, [Deal!]

After a while, Yuan Shanshan sent another message: [I'm doing this for your own good, think about it. If you invite me to dinner, how could I not bring along Yang Mi? Isn't that creating an opportunity for you?]

Wu Hao became excited as he read the message and quickly replied, [Haha! You're indeed a true friend. I'll cover all your meals for four years!]

In reality, it was all just a joke. Firstly, they weren't at the level of eating together every day, and secondly, starting from their sophomore year, classmates would gradually leave campus to join drama crews, audition for roles, or shoot movies. They didn't have much time to spend at the school, so the idea of covering all meals didn't really apply.

Yuan Shanshan retorted, [Pff, who said we're friends? Call me senior sister!]

Wu Hao replied obediently, [Alright, senior sister! Understood, senior sister! From now on, you're my dear sister!]

Yuan Shanshan looked at the message, turned around, and gave Wu Hao a disdainful look. Who asked him to call her dear sister?

Just as she was about to reply to Wu Hao, Huang Lei entered the classroom. Yuan Shanshan put her phone away and turned her attention to see what the class meeting had in store.

In 2005, Huang Lei was not yet overweight, at least not with a big belly. He still had some of his youthful appearance.

Standing at the front of the classroom, Huang Lei scanned the students he would be guiding for the next four years and began speaking, "I'm Huang Lei, your class teacher. I will be guiding you throughout your four years of university... If you have any issues, feel free to come to me. Now, let's have everyone come up and introduce themselves. Since we're in the acting class, showcasing your talents is a must. Let's start with Yang Mi, as she's the only one in the class with acting experience. Set a good example for the rest of us."

After Huang Lei finished speaking, the boys in the class began teasing and cheering. Considering they were able to get into the Film Academy, there was probably no one who didn't know Yang Mi. Being admitted directly to the Beijing Film Academy and ranking first in the humanities category, even if someone hadn't seen her TV dramas, they still knew who she was.

As a true Beijing girl, Yang Mi showed no signs of shyness. She confidently walked up to the stage and greeted everyone, saying, "Hello, classmates. I'm Yang Mi, 19 years old, from Beijing... Let me dance for you all."

It was the first time for Wu Hao to hear Yang Mi speak in real life, and as expected, her voice carried a hint of a nasal tone, soft and tender. Wu Hao really liked it.

Yang Mi wore a white sleeveless dress and performed a traditional dance. It wasn't perfect, probably something she had learned on the spot for a filming project, but it had a certain charm when combined with her outfit. This sparked a chorus of wolf whistles from the male students, and when Yang Mi stepped off the stage, the applause was thunderous, including Wu Hao's.

The next female student performed a similar traditional dance but with much more professionalism. Although the male students applauded enthusiastically, there was still a noticeable difference compared to when Yang Mi was on stage.

It was now Wu Hao's turn. "Hello, classmates. I'm Wu Hao, 17 years old, from Jiangxi..." Although he had been a mature young man in his previous life, Wu Hao knew that when pursuing a girl, one had to be bold and thick-skinned.

So Wu Hao began, "I will be performing the song 'Xi Huan Ni' (I Like You), dedicated to Yang Mi and my fellow male classmates. Please bear with me."

For a southerner, learning Cantonese wasn't difficult, and besides, which 80s kid didn't know how to sing a few standard Cantonese songs by Beyond?

Amidst the teasing from the male students and the cheers from the female students, Wu Hao looked at Yang Mi, who seemed genuinely interested. He began to sing. Why wasn't she feeling shy at all? Wu Hao felt a sense of frustration.

"The drizzle brings a wet dusk to the streets,

Wiping away the rain, I gaze up for no reason..."

Yang Mi showed no reaction, while Wu Hao gazed at her with deep affection.

"I like your captivating eyes,

Your laughter is even more enchanting,

I wish to gently caress you again,

That lovely face..."