Chapter 143: The College Entrance Exam Ends

Lu Yanhe truly possessed a very pragmatic personality.

If he weren't pragmatic, he wouldn't have spent the most time since his transmigration focusing on his studies and walking the path of the college entrance exam all over again.

He had been pondering a question: as someone as ordinary as one could possibly be—lacking a genius IQ, possessing no outstanding talent, and not even having the motivation of a "second chance"—how did he, an ordinary person who had finally finished his own college entrance exam and was just about to embrace a wonderful university life, end up suffering the bad luck of transmigration?

However, regardless of how it happened, for a question destined to never receive an answer, Lu Yanhe had only one thing he could do: strive to live on wherever he was, and then strive to live very well.

This was human instinct.

In this world, perhaps no one could understand Lu Yanhe's anxiety, urgency, and unease.

Learning ability was the only skill he had mastered, exams were the only talent he possessed, and the college entrance exam was the only opportunity he could be certain of to achieve a good result through his own efforts.

Therefore, he would never give up on this path.

In May, the weather began to turn hot.

In the final month, having reached the sprint stage, Lu Yanhe's grade ranking had already reached 22nd place.

"Hmm, I agree with your view. You are different from Tu Song; he is truly someone who can sing, while you are just a bit better than a plain, flat voice," Chen Ziyan said bluntly. "Then you can only take the path of acting. With your scholarly student aura, if you were to take the variety show route, you wouldn't be able to completely let go of your dignity. Of course, this is just a plan. Before you become a top-tier star, you cannot abandon any of these three things. The early-stage plan is to first become famous, and the later-stage plan is to find your precise positioning and exert your strength. We are clarifying this now just to have a focus in the early-stage plan."

ID "Rising Ninety Thousand Li": Which university do you want to attend?

Many people were even thinking that if Lu Yanhe could improve from over 500th in the grade to 3rd in just one year, then if they had worked as hard as Lu Yanhe back then, would it have been possible for them to achieve such results?

Is it... still too late to work hard now?

Now they were all just high school students, not simple, impulsive high school students.

To get into Zhenhua and Yuming, one had to at least be in the top five of the grade to have any hope.

"Acting?" Chen Siqi's eyes lit up. "Are you going to be an actor?"

"Alright, I understand."

Chen Ziyan seemed to be about to go to war with Zhou Ping'an.

Li Zhibai said indignantly, "It's not even about what was said; it's just disgusting. She's always late, yet every time she comes over, she hypocritically apologizes to everyone, saying things like there was a traffic jam or previous work was delayed. Sometimes she needs to leave early, and since there are scenes left to shoot, she makes everyone else's scenes stop first so hers can be filmed. I have a belly full of fire I haven't even vented yet, and she, on the other hand, actually told others that I was dragging down the crew's progress. I really want to punch her twice; she's a shameless person."

Chen Ziyan smiled with satisfaction.

He told them in their three-person group chat that Chen Ziyan wanted to treat them to a meal.

It was mainly because his progress speed was too exaggerated.

Chen Ziyan said, "Since you finished your exam today, I'll take you to eat something good. Let's celebrate, at least."

"Oh, Ziyan, giving the young people a lesson?" A woman with short red hair suddenly walked over.

"The director of this drama is quite talented," Chen Ziyan said. "He excels at shooting these urban love stories, especially at making people look very handsome and beautiful. But the female lead of this drama, Meng Li, usually likes to step on the crew's actors to boost herself during the promotional period. You need to be careful about this yourself."

The college entrance exam topic was always a high-traffic subject that guaranteed profit, and Lu Yanhe was a rare celebrity examinee.

There were many curious gazes sizing him up, but Lu Yanhe had already developed the ability to remain indifferent.

"No matter what you do, the greatest significance of this livestream room to your fans is companionship," Chen Ziyan pointed out incisively. "In this era, everyone is becoming increasingly solitary. In the past, people often went out for activities, read books, did problems, ate, drank, and played in groups. It's different now. Because of various reasons, people's time spent alone has greatly increased, especially for those young people living in first-tier cities. Their real-life social interactions are becoming fewer and fewer, yet people need companionship. Your appearance actually invisibly supplements the needs of such a group. Before, it was relatively narrow, aimed at students' needs, but later you can gradually expand to larger companionship needs."

Lu Yanhe looked at her in surprise, and she also saw Lu Yanhe among the large crowd of examinees.

The two talked about some things, and there was much they did not talk about. They occasionally touched upon topics they wanted to discuss, but when the words reached their lips, they ultimately chose to swallow them back.

"You are all very young, keep working hard. Everything that happens is only temporary; there is nothing you cannot overcome."

"Yeah, if it weren't for this termination agreement, if he really scored over 600 points on the college entrance exam, the buzz probably really wouldn't be containable."

"Is it the lead role?"

Lu Yanhe did not ask why.

This time, Lu Yanhe achieved the third-highest score in the entire grade.

Chen Siqi's family clearly hoped to keep her by their side.

Immediately, someone else said: These few months? You can learn to reach third in the grade in a few months? Is Lu Yanhe too monstrous, or is his school too trashy?

As for what the plan was, no one knew.

When he appeared at the exam site, several media outlets stationed at the entrance chased after him, filming him entering the exam room and scrambling to interview him.

"The lead actor won't give you time or yield scenes. It's not just about the pay, but also the treatment and the time. You are not the lead, you are not famous, so you are the cheaper one," Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe. "You need to adjust your mindset and be prepared to sit on the bench."

"I feel like I have no future in singing," Lu Yanhe said directly. "I have some ideas for writing songs, but singing... with my vocal conditions, it's hard to achieve any special success, right?"

This span, in the eyes of others, was in itself an unattainable goal.

Especially since Lu Yanhe's livestream last night, where he said his goal was Zhenhua and Yuming, it had been posted to social media by many, sparking quite a bit of discussion.

Most parents asked the same question: "How did you do on the exam?"

Lu Yanhe nodded. "I'll ask them."

"You're a bit terrifying now, third in the grade." Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe curiously and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be a transmigrator, would you?"

"No, just a supporting role," Lu Yanhe said. "There aren't many scenes either."

Lu Yanhe had never understood these things. Hearing Chen Ziyan say this, he felt it was strange and asked, "Why? If my scenes aren't scheduled to start for several hours, why not just arrange for me to do my styling later?"

Then, a student from the 13th High School said: Lu Yanhe reached third in the grade in the most recent mock exam; he truly has the strength to sprint for Zhenhua and Yuming.

Even though they were all working in the entertainment industry, they had never encountered anyone who dared to act like such a diva.

"Additionally, I want you to learn how to write scripts," Chen Ziyan said again. "It's not that I want you to really write scripts or become a screenwriter in the future, but I feel you have a creative mindset. Learning this skill will be beneficial for your acting later on."

Many of the gazes directed at Lu Yanhe became filled with jealousy.

Once May passed, it would be June.

Lu Yanhe did not ask Chen Siqi what decision she would ultimately make; it was too complicated to be asked clearly in a sentence or two.

"Okay."

However, what he did not expect was that among the parents waiting for their children to finish the exam at the school gate, Chen Ziyan was actually there too.

Vice Ma Zong was stunned and asked, "What happened to Lu Yanhe?"

"If you really get into Zhenhua or Yuming, then this will be fun," Chen Siqi suddenly said. "Looking forward to the news of your acceptance."

The three of them did not expect to hear these words from Chen Ziyan and were momentarily at a loss for what to say.

"After the college entrance exam ends, is there anything you want to do?" Chen Siqi suddenly asked.

As an artist who didn't participate in the arts exam but instead took the college entrance exam to compete with ordinary students for university, Lu Yanhe was the only one in these years.

Yan Liang was luckier and was assigned to take the exam at the 13th High School.

This didn't even need to be asked; he knew it.

The two chatted for a while and then brought up Chen Ziyan.

This had both advantages and disadvantages.

Third?

In this day and age, not many people like perfect idols.

Finally finished the exam.

Ahead, between heaven and earth, high-rise buildings stood tall, and at the end of the road, a red sun hung halfway in the center.

"Yeah." Lu Yanhe nodded.

Li Zhibai immediately acted as if he had met a kindred spirit, saying, "I told you she wasn't a good person, and sure enough."

Chen Ziyan smiled slightly, looking at the three young people: "You are all actually still very young, but I must say, since you have entered this industry, you are already in a workplace. No one will treat you as students because of your youth. In the workplace, don't expect others to show you mercy or be lenient. Meng Li being able to find excuses for you and apologize to the crew is already giving you face. Perhaps you will witness even worse and more malicious sides. Not to mention being late and acting entitled, there are times when the entire crew of over a hundred people has to wait for one actor to wake up before they can film. Before they wake up, you can't even call them because they might have a bad temper upon waking."

Vice Ma Zong: "Forget it, forget it. His good grades have nothing to do with us anymore."

Most were questioning Lu Yanhe, the artist, for being boastful.

Lu Yanhe had been livestreaming for so long, and this was the first time he was chatting seriously with everyone.

The livestream chat scrolled instantly.

Their respective living environments had made them unable to face their lives impulsively.

Li Zhibai nodded honestly.

"And you?"

Then, every time, Lu Yanhe would use a new result to tell them that he had no limits.

Lu Yanhe did not explain further, only smiled.

Although Chen Ziyan did not say it explicitly, they all heard the meaning.

The trio, who had been working diligently and conscientiously since their debut but whose popularity had been sliding all the way, looked at each other.

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment and said, "Li Zhibai and Yan Liang said earlier that they wanted to celebrate with me tonight, and I've already made plans with them."

Vice Ma Zong also smiled in relief, nodded, and said, "Finally sent this trouble away."

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet," Lu Yanhe said. "I'll think about this seriously after the exam."

On the day of the college entrance exam, Chen Ziyan personally drove over to pick up Lu Yanhe for the exam.

The era is different, the environment is different, and no one can walk the old path without change.

He said, "I'm a bit restless now, can't focus on reading, everyone keep me company and chat."

The two had different exam locations.

Unbelievable.

"Regarding the livestream room, I have only one requirement for you: think clearly before you say anything, don't ruin yourself because of an inappropriate word," Chen Ziyan reminded. "This is your private plot of land. I don't intend to build a large team to help you operate it. Once there are traces of operation, the positioning and atmosphere of this livestream room will change."

He smiled.

Lu Yanhe thought to himself that with his current real level, he had already entered the top ten of the grade, but whether he had reached the top five, he really didn't know without having taken a real, hard-fought exam.

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang both said it was fine.

She wore large sunglasses, her hands in her trouser pockets, her style completely out of place with the surroundings.

Therefore, Chen Ziyan had been thinking of various ways to pull Lu Yanhe's public image down to a lower level.

Even though he used a year to buffer the improvement of this ranking, it still shocked everyone.

Chen Siqi, on the contrary, gave him the middle finger, interpreting his reaction as "shameless."

Who would dare to believe that at the final moment approaching the college entrance exam, such a dark horse would emerge in the class?!

"If you want to keep doing that livestream room, those are your fans, and the stickiness is very high. Over the year, you have accumulated many fans; it would be a pity not to maintain it," Chen Ziyan said. "Of course, you've finished the college entrance exam, so there's no need to do problems and study later. My idea is very simple: transformation. For example, livestreaming reading, or doing something else, it's all fine. Find a theme to replace studying, but it must also be this kind of theme that conforms to the social mainstream and carries a bit of positive energy."

He put on his headphones.

"Didn't Liu Weian say anything?"

Vice Ma Zong shook his head: "Who knows? Anyway, before she decides, she won't reveal a single hint. Look at Wen Minglan; she was observed silently for several months before being decided upon. Before that, no one even noticed this little girl."

Although she was not the manager for Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, Chen Ziyan knew them very well.

Chen Siqi said, "That's also very good, having things to do."

Zhou Ping'an sat in Vice Ma Zong's office with a smile and said, "Ma Zong, tomorrow once Lu Yanhe finishes the exam, the termination agreement will officially take effect, and he will no longer be an artist of our company."

"Yeah," Zhou Ping'an nodded. "It's just these two days. Tomorrow, once he finishes the exam, I will deliver the termination notice to his hands."

Lu Yanhe said, "My livestream room name has already stated it: the goal is Yuming or Zhenhua. I am not joking."

Chen Ziyan said, "Because the best time must be given to the lead actor, or actors with better fame and higher buzz than you. The lead actor does makeup at eight, you have a scene with the lead actor, and others might have one too, but the scene doesn't know which one to shoot first, it's not decided, so you can only rush early and go to do makeup at seven."

The students of the entire grade were stunned.

After the exam, Lu Yanhe walked out of the exam room with everyone.

Lu Yanhe nodded: "Yeah, I am a transmigrator."

"No problem, don't worry. Yan Liang is a very hardworking child; he has been focused on preparing for the exam these past few months. In the most recent mock exam, he scored over 500 points," Zhou Ping'an said, then suddenly frowned. "If it weren't for Lu Yanhe, we could have operated a 'straight-A student' topic for him after the scores came out. Scoring over 500 points on the college entrance exam is quite rare for an artist."

"I don't know," Chen Siqi shook her head. "My family hopes I stay in Yuming, but I want to leave."

Watching a straight-A student rise right under their eyes was just too terrifying.

He nodded and said, "I also want to continue this livestream room, I just haven't thought about what to do."

Zhou Ping'an's mouth curled up with a bit of sourness. "People have sharp eyes; whoever they pick can be made famous."

Finally, Zhou Ping'an was about to become a thing of the past.

Accepting the security check—hmm, before entering the exam room, one still has to be scanned by someone with a detector to check if one is carrying cheating equipment.

By now, Lu Yanhe only had one last mock exam opportunity left, and according to convention, the questions for the final mock exam would not be too difficult, slightly simpler than the college entrance exam questions, mainly to relax everyone's mood so that everyone could enter the college entrance exam room with a light load.

Now, the buzz was intermittent, and he hadn't officially joined the arena of traffic; Lu Yanhe hadn't been targeted by anyone yet.

"Don't worry, in these matters, she is absolutely a standard good stepmother. She can show her care and concern for me with money; she will definitely do this kind of thing." Chen Siqi's face didn't look so good when she mentioned Liu Weian.

"What?" Vice Ma Zong didn't know what level third in the grade was, but it definitely wasn't bad. He frowned. "His grades are that good?"

"The crew is a place where social hierarchy is very distinct. You are the lead, you are famous, you are the one with unique treatment. On set, everyone prioritizes revolving around you," Chen Ziyan turned to Lu Yanhe and said. "It's the same for you. You are about to shoot 'The Golden Age.' At that time, you will also face these things. It's possible you have to do styling at seven in the morning, and after styling, you start waiting for your scene. Waiting until ten or eleven to start filming is considered smooth. The most terrifying thing is letting you wait, waiting until three or four in the afternoon, and someone comes to tell you that your scene has been moved to be filmed tomorrow."

"Me?" Lu Yanhe said. "I might be going to film."

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized and nodded.

"Okay."

Zhou Ping'an said with some helplessness: "I heard that Lu Yanhe reached third in the grade in the last mock exam at school."

Two "acts of bravery," a livestream room for studying with increasing influence, his own label of a counter-attack and inspiration, and the identity of the original author of "Commemoration," which was made famous by Song Linxin—his public image had already reached the very traditional "great, glorious, and correct" level without anyone noticing.

"Okay."

"And you're talking about that? When the seven members of Fengzhi were handed over to you to manage, besides Cheng Hai and Li Zhibai who still had some popularity, the others were almost becoming civilians," Vice Ma Zong immediately lectured. "You should put some heart into it, properly bring out a first-tier star, don't just focus on earning those few pennies. If you don't produce results, don't expect good seedlings to be assigned to you in the future."

Lu Yanhe asked Chen Ziyan in surprise: "Sister Ziyan, why are you here?"

For the final mock exam, Lu Yanhe finally let go and no longer considered controlling his score, carefully and seriously answering all the questions from beginning to end.

The livestream chat was flooded with question marks, "Holy crap," and "Is this real?"

There would definitely be many media outlets filming outside the exam room.

Zhou Ping'an nodded: "Just learned it in the past year."

After walking out of the exam room, the scene was as noisy as a vegetable market.

Liu Qin was stunned.

"These are all extreme cases, rarely encountered, but you will definitely encounter them," Chen Ziyan smiled and looked at Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai. "In the future, he won't be under Zhou Ping'an's management with you two anymore. I heard you made plans today, so I specifically invited you all to come over together. I also have something to say to the three of you. This is not an ideal, fairy-tale world. As people grow older and gain more experience, they get closer to someone. So, I want to say, no matter what happens in the future, the bond you three have from fifteen to eighteen is precious, perhaps even the most precious period of your lives. You will understand in the future, cherish it well, and don't give up."

The students of the 13th High School were not having it: Although our school can't be called a top-tier prestigious school, it is at least a proper 13th High School. Every year, students get into Zhenhua and Yuming, okay?!

The livestream chat was a battlefield.

He did not intend to accept any interviews.

"What did she do to you?" Chen Ziyan asked.

The grade-level teachers were also stunned.

The sunset is beautiful because it will still rise in the east after setting in the west.

Li Zhibai's first drama had already wrapped up.

"You just finished filming 'Accompany You to the End of the World'?" Chen Ziyan even knew what drama Li Zhibai was filming, which left Li Zhibai stunned, thinking to himself what kind of virtue or ability he had to be noticed by a big shot like you.

"Then call them along," Chen Ziyan said. "I also have something to tell you."

Vice Ma Zong asked: "Yan Liang got into Jingyi, is his cultural score okay?"

"We will cherish it," Li Zhibai thought to himself. He was the oldest among them, so he took the lead. "Yan Liang and I are actually very happy that you can sign Lu Yanhe."

Someone immediately said, no, no, no, Lu Yanhe's previous grades were indeed not very good; it was all learned in these few months.

"Okay." Lu Yanhe also smiled.

Linyu was first.

The livestream room was lively, and someone asked: "Then after the college entrance exam ends, will this livestream room continue? This past year, I've been following you to study and read every day, and I've gotten used to it. If you don't continue this livestream, it feels like there's no meaning to it."

Everyone felt that the score Lu Yanhe achieved last time was already his limit.

Therefore, their conversation this time was ultimately just a shallow touch; they said what could be said, remained silent about what could not be spoken, and occasionally revealed a tacit understanding in their eyes, which vanished in a flash and ended without result.

Before the college entrance exam, Lu Yanhe's final livestream.

Chen Ziyan had instructed him to say this.

More people were using the "shock" style.

It was a bit congested, but Chen Ziyan was not in a hurry.

"I reckon Zhou Ping'an will come to find you either tonight or tomorrow to officially terminate the contract with you. You just terminate the contract with him and follow the procedure," Chen Ziyan said. "After the previous contract ends, we will officially sign the subsequent contract."

He did not expect Chen Ziyan to still pay attention to his livestream room.

Before the college entrance exam, Lu Yanhe ran into Chen Siqi at the school gate again.

Lu Yanhe entered the exam room and found his exam room.

Stars of the past took the "legendary" route, while 99% of stars now have to take the "internet celebrity" route.

If possible, Chen Ziyan did not want Lu Yanhe to take this path. The reason was simple: it was easy to be looked down upon, and one mistake could lead to a disaster.

Lu Yanhe asked: "And you? Which university are you preparing to attend?"

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

He had originally been bursting with complaints to vent to them tonight, but since Chen Ziyan joined the dinner, no matter how many complaints he had, he had to keep them to himself and behave.

"Your manager doesn't know yet that I will sign Lu Yanhe over. Once he knows, perhaps there will be conflict," Chen Ziyan said. "If there is conflict between Zhou Ping'an and me in the future, that is my conflict with Zhou Ping'an, it has nothing to do with you. This is what I want to say."

Lu Yanhe was not that lucky; his college entrance exam location was not drawn at his own school, so he went to the 10th High School next door.

In front of Chen Ziyan, a manager with a legendary reputation, none of them dared to act out.

Chen Ziyan heard him say this, her expression normal. "It's normal to be angry when encountering such things in your first time acting, but actually, this phenomenon is too common; it doesn't even count as anything."

Chen Ziyan said that just in case, this had to be said upfront. If he really didn't get in, and seven or eight years later, someone suddenly dug this up to smear him, saying he set up a "straight-A student" persona of "applying to Yuming and Zhenhua" but failed, who could explain this clearly?

Third in the entire grade?

The gaze of every teacher looking at Lu Yanhe had changed.

She smiled and raised her hand, waving at him.

After finishing, he went straight in, sat down, and waited for the exam to start.

Star Entertainment Talent Agency.

The three young people had also been debuted for three years, especially Li Zhibai and Yan Liang, who actually had work intermittently and always felt they were already familiar with this industry. They didn't expect that just this small matter on the crew would leave them stunned.

"I don't know. They said I could travel abroad after the exam, but I don't want to go either; it's very boring. My dad always thinks that letting me travel abroad is a great gift. It's been like this since I was a child; it's very boring."

He said: "After you get into university, everything will be different. If you are really dissatisfied with your situation, perhaps it is an opportunity to become independent."

"Next is the matter of your subsequent development. You only have one thing to do in the next two months: shoot 'The Golden Age.' Then, you will be in university," Chen Ziyan said, while suddenly accelerating, overtaking the few dawdling cars in front, and finally leaving the congested section. "You will definitely be working while attending school. The key is how we design the development plan for these four years. Although I told you before that your career must listen to me, I also want to hear your own thoughts. Do you have anything you want to focus on? Singing, acting, recording variety shows, or what?"

Lu Yanhe said: "Everyone, don't argue about this. My goal is Yuming or Zhenhua, but whether I can get in, I don't know either. I'll just try my best. Anyway, this past year, I really have been working hard towards this goal. Now it's time to see the real results."

There were no tricky or weird question types; almost everything was within range, including the liberal arts comprehensive. He had more confidence in politics and geography, but history... Lu Yanhe thought about those questions, to be honest, he wasn't confident either, so he'd leave it to fate.

The classmates in the class were even more shocked.

Zhou Ping'an immediately sighed and said: "Ma Zong, is it that I don't want to manage them well? At the beginning, the company insisted on positioning them as singing and dancing idols. Clearly, there is no performance stage or market system for this in the country, so there was nowhere to exert their energy. I said let them go film and sing, but the company said it didn't match the positioning and didn't agree. What could I do?"

No way, this kid's public image had been set too upright over the past year.

After the college entrance exam, he definitely wouldn't be reading and doing problems every night like this anymore.

He really hadn't thought about this question.

"The college entrance exam is over, there are some things that need to be finalized with you," she said. "First is the matter of your livestream room."

Someone said, it's the first time knowing Lu Yanhe's grades are so good.

Should this livestream room continue to be run?

This is also the reason why Fengzhi's popularity plummeted less than a year after debut. There was no stage, no exposure; who could withstand such consumption?

After finishing the last subject, English, Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.

If it weren't for the fact that Lu Yanhe wasn't really famous, plus Chen Ziyan trying her best to help him suppress the buzz, he would probably have been targeted for black material by now.

"Doesn't count as anything?"

"Chen Ziyan took Tu Song and Wen Minglan in the past six months, why is the third person so late to be decided?" Zhou Ping'an asked. "Didn't they say before that she was preparing to manage three people at the same time?"

Lu Yanhe wondered if Chen Siqi's lack of interest in traveling abroad was also related to not wanting to let Liu Weian have her way.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and Lu Yanhe would break into a sweat every time he walked between the school and the dormitory.

Lu Yanhe himself couldn't bear to part with this livestream room. He had livestreamed seriously for a year. Although he didn't earn much money, he met many friends, including "Beautiful Girl Lanlan" He Lan and others. Everyone chatted from time to time. If it weren't for this livestream room, he might never have been able to contact them again.

The entertainment industry is most afraid of setting a high-and-mighty persona—different from the environment twenty years ago, celebrity artists now emphasize being grounded. The more real, the more human, the more they can adapt to this era of big entertainment where everyone is having fun.

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were stunned.

Chen Ziyan sent the address to Lu Yanhe, asked him to forward it to them, and took Lu Yanhe into the car herself.

No way, without a car to pick him up, he could only rely on his own two legs and a rickety, sometimes crowded and sweaty bus to walk toward his dreamland.

She wore a pair of glasses, black stockings, and a tight-fitting skirt, looking overbearing.

"He Yingzi, you're back?" Chen Ziyan showed an expression of surprise.

This woman named He Yingzi smiled slightly and said: "You've come back to manage a newcomer, how could I not come back?" ===== CHAPTER 144 =====