Chapter 133: Three-Person Trip and Beijing Film Academy Art Exam

Wei Jin felt as if something extra had appeared in his brain, or perhaps it should be said that something was already there, only it could only be perceived when entering a very deep sleep.

Unable to figure it out for a moment, Wei Jin didn't dwell on it, secretly telling himself to find time to get a check-up.

Turning his head and seeing Jing Tian leaning on his shoulder like a little cat, a smile appeared on the corners of Wei Jin's mouth.

Just quietly admiring the beauty in her spring slumber like this, Wei Jin's heart was tranquil as never before, and his eyes were filled with love.

Seeming to sense the man's gaze, Jing Tian slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was the face that had appeared in her dreams so many times.

"Tian Tian, are you awake?"

Looking at the sleepy-eyed Jing Tian, Wei Jin couldn't help but flick the young girl's delicate nose.

"Mm, Brother Wei Jin."

Having just experienced womanhood, Jing Tian was full of reliance on Wei Jin; she adjusted her sleeping posture and buried her head in Wei Jin's chest.

"If you're awake, let's get up. You must be hungry, right?"

During last night's great battle, Wei Jin had already held back quite a bit, but the young girl's body was weak and ultimately unable to withstand the exertion, leaving her drained of energy.

"I don't want to get up. Just let me hold you, okay?"

Thinking of her bold actions last night, Jing Tian's face flushed with shyness, but she didn't regret it at all.

"Little lazybones, the sun is almost shining on your butt."

"No, hold me for ten more minutes, no, half an hour."

The two of them lingered in bed like this for nearly another hour, their gazes toward each other almost stringing together. —Foreseeing the media pursuit and public opinion frenzy after returning to the country, Wei Jin took the two beauties, one big and one small, to start traveling around North America, and Jing Tian also took this opportunity to promote her songs everywhere.

Thanks to the live performance at the Oscar awards ceremony, the song's popularity grew even higher. In just a few short days, its ranking continued to rise, aggressively breaking into the Billboard top five, and it looked like it even had a chance at the top three.

Of course, reaching the top was out of the question; even the Warner Era had never entertained this unrealistic thought. In the history of Billboard, no Asian Singer had ever reached the top; the resistance involved was unimaginably great.

However, even so, Jing Tian was very happy, and consequently, her complaints about Wei Jin were much fewer. The young girl had always wanted to live in a world for two, but since Ceng Li followed along the whole way, she didn't find it easy to say much.

Although she had never asked about the relationship between Ceng Li and Wei Jin, Jing Tian was not a fool; she could feel it from the tacit understanding between the two. However, she was now like an ostrich, burying her head deeply in her own wings, forcing herself not to think about it, leaving everything to time.

Ceng Li, on the other hand, had already thought it through very clearly. No matter what, as long as Wei Jin still had her in his heart, she would never leave Wei Jin, even if they couldn't reach a proper conclusion, and many times she was even accommodating toward Jing Tian.

Wei Jin didn't have a particularly good solution for this, but he became increasingly protective of Jing Tian and Ceng Li.

The three of them spent a fairly harmonious vacation in this somewhat strange atmosphere—as one of the three most prestigious art institutions in the country, Beijing Film Academy had many students harboring entertainment industry dreams applying every year. Coupled with the frequent good news from Wei Jin over the past two years, Beijing Film Academy's reputation completely surpassed the other two.

The number of applicants to Beijing Film Academy this year surged by one-third compared to previous years, reaching as high as thirty thousand, setting a new historical record.

Yet the admissions brochure published by the school only accepted fewer than 800 people, and that was even counting the vocational classes.

It is conceivable how fierce the competition among candidates was; calling it a thousand troops and ten thousand horses crossing a single-plank bridge was no exaggeration.

This year, the art exam for Beijing Film Academy had its registration deadline at the end of February, and the subsequent first-round interviews and second-round interviews followed one after another, almost seamlessly connected.

However, it was already at the final round, and there were not many candidates left.

Wei Jin returned to the country in early March. Since he was back, he could no longer dodge the school's summons; the school had arranged for him to participate in the art exam long ago.

Early in the morning, Wei Jin's car arrived at Beijing Film Academy. The security department still had the same old acquaintances; after exchanging greetings, they quickly let his car pass.

"Is that Director Wei Jin's car? He's only just back now?"

The candidates fortunate enough to enter the final round chased Wei Jin's car with their eyes until it was out of sight.

"Director Wei won an Oscar Little Gold Man this time. I wonder if I'll be able to be his junior sister."

The Director Department of Beijing Film Academy could be said to be in high spirits during this period: first, there was alumnus Wang Quanan winning the Berlin Golden Bear, Department Head Tian Zhuangzhuang capturing the Berlin Silver Bear, and later, Graduate Student Wei Jin winning the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film Little Gold Man.

For a time, they were unrivaled in the spotlight, and many students and teachers in the Director Department walked with a spring in their step.

"Where's the Little Gold Man? Let me see it?"

Back when he was an undergraduate, Teacher Jiang Wei was like this, and now that he had transferred to the Graduate School, he hadn't changed a bit.

"It's here, it's here. Isn't this about to be sent to the exhibition hall? You're the one getting your hands on it first."

Wei Jin handed the Oscar Little Gold Man to Jiang Wei, and the latter took it into his hands cautiously.

Every time he won an award, Wei Jin would send a replica back to the school, and this time was no exception; there were already many of his honors in the exhibition hall.

"Hey, this is just a replica, Teacher Jiang, you don't need to be as careful as if you're taking care of your son."

"Go to hell, what do you know? I haven't even seen the real thing yet. So what if it's a replica? Is there one in the country?" Ignoring Wei Jin's banter, Teacher Jiang's gaze was now focused on the Little Gold Man, and after a moment, he said with some reluctance:

"Alright, go ahead and send it over, and let your mentor see it too."

When he arrived at Tian Zhuangzhuang's office, his mentor was watching "Ming Dynasty" on the computer.

"You're back. Sit down, make your own tea if you want. You say, with such a good show, why aren't the ratings high?"

"The acting of the several teachers is fine, and the script is top-notch. It might need some time to accumulate before the audience can understand it. Aren't many classics like that?"

Wei Jin continued after his teacher's words.

"Mm, that's also true. Temporary success or failure isn't important; classics are always those that have stood the test of time. Wei Jin, as long as you understand this principle, that's very good."

Tian Zhuangzhuang was worthy of being a big shot in the film and television circle for decades; he had seen too many ups and downs in the circle. He didn't want his prized student to achieve success overnight and become arrogant, so he offered some guidance. Who would have thought that Wei Jin was even more clear-headed than he imagined, which greatly comforted the old man's heart.

"I will always keep the teacher's teachings in mind, and I will naturally not be arrogant or complacent, nor will I stop moving forward."

Wei Jin felt very fortunate to have met such a teacher who was wholeheartedly thinking of him, and his attitude was very respectful.

"Mm, since you're back, go sit at the art exam site. Many previous students have also been invited back to help this year. Now you are also a signboard for the school; don't be stingy where you can lend a hand."

"Teacher, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Since he had promised, Wei Jin didn't think about avoiding it. The school had the grace of nurturing him; what was wrong with using his own name? As for which major's art exam site to go to, Wei Jin was, of course, going to the Acting Department to see the green, youthful looks of future stars during their art exams. Not to mention, he even had a little expectation in his heart, just not knowing if there were any styles he favored. —Walking in the school, Wei Jin was more popular than the Dean; there were so many people greeting him, and the key was that he still had to respond with a smile.

The Acting Department's site had the largest number of people, lined up for a long way; it seemed the quality of this batch was still okay.

"I was wondering who it was. Congratulations, Great Director Wei."

Wei Jin saw Wang Luodan at a glance; she was with a few others who looked a bit familiar, who should be there to help.

"Are you here to help? It's about to start, come and lend a hand."

The others present were a bit envious, thinking the two had a very good relationship.

This person Wang Luodan had a bit of a "get-acquainted-quickly" vibe. Wei Jin had only met her a few times at school and chatted a few words when graduating; there was no deep friendship at all.

Wei Jin was also left speechless by her, and could only respond with a few words:

"Mm, the teacher asked me to come over to be an examiner."

"Wow, we are all just helping out by acting in scenes, but you, on the other hand, have gone straight to being an examiner."

Wang Luodan and several others were all very envious; the status difference was indeed real.

"You all carry on, I'm going in first."

Wei Jin flipped through the roster; it seemed there were indeed a lot of people this year.

Wei Jin walked into the audition venue; a teacher from the Acting Department waved at him, and there were still several empty seats for examiners.

Wei Jin smiled and greeted them, then sat down and took a look at the candidates preparing for their auditions.

There were quite a few people in this batch who had already made a name for themselves; right in front of him were two, Kan Qingzi and Tan Songyun.

The style of the Acting Department was the same as ever, perhaps even more extreme; those who were good-looking were clearly favored.

However, it seemed that due to Wei Jin's influence, the performances of several people were a bit off. After all, Wei Jin's reputation was currently at its peak, and the little newcomers were bound to be overly excited upon seeing him.

"Wei Jin, it seems it was the right choice to have you come as an examiner. Just by you sitting here, the candidates' psychological resilience is put to the test."

After this group of candidates left, several teachers began to tease Wei Jin.

"You teachers are joking. That group just now was actually not bad, but we shouldn't just look at their faces, right?"

There were two just now who clearly felt good, but because they looked slightly more ordinary, they were crossed off; Wei Jin couldn't quite understand it.

"I'll pay attention next time; there will be other opportunities in the future."

The teachers looked at each other, seemingly not expecting Wei Jin to have an opinion.

Wei Jin didn't intend to delve deeper; this was normal. If the entertainment industry didn't look at faces, what would it look at? But if it continued like this, Beijing Film Academy would only ever produce stars.

It was like this every year; unless an ordinary candidate was truly exceptional, those with connections would always be better than those without, and those who looked good would always be better than those who didn't.

For the subsequent auditions, Wei Jin didn't plan to say much more. He made up his mind that if he were to be an examiner in the future, he would only agree if he were given the authority; otherwise, it really felt like just going through the motions.

Adopting a laid-back attitude, Wei Jin saw the next group of candidates, and there were actually some he recognized: Shuang Zi and Chai Biyun.

He looked at their resumes—ho, they were half a year away from sixteen; fame really must be sought early. It was just hard to say how long they could stay popular. First update of the day, I humbly request all readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, and bookmarks. Thank you all! (End of chapter)