Chapter 172: Jing Tian's Wisdom and Yang Mi's Transformation

"Tian Tian, don't you have any thoughts on this?"

Lu Zheng looked at Jing Tian, who was still mindlessly eating spicy gluten strips, and felt a bit of a headache.

He had scoured the newly announced cast list for *Bodyguards and Assassins* and couldn't find Jing Tian's name anywhere; instead, Liu Yifei had quietly snatched the lead actress role, and he hadn't even heard of her having any entanglements with the Hong Kong Circle.

As for Fan Bingbing, since Wei Jin held shares, it was within reason.

"What kind of thoughts?"

"Liu Yifei got the lead role, and you, you're still here eating spicy gluten strips. Don't you have any thoughts on this?"

Lu Zheng rarely interfered in Jing Tian's affairs, especially since Wei Jin had always been there to protect her, so he couldn't be bothered to step in; Jing Tian was basically in a free-range mode at Starlight Splendid.

"What's so strange about that? That role doesn't have many scenes anyway, and it's an action role. Brother Wei Jin is just doting on me."

Jing Tian didn't mind; it was just a movie, after all, he couldn't possibly find her for every project, not to mention Wei Jin had promised to tailor a big heroine movie specifically for her.

Therefore, Jing Tian wasn't anxious at all; the top priority was to hone her acting skills, otherwise, if she couldn't hold down a role, she would be letting down Wei Jin's good intentions.

As for that insignificant role in *Bodyguards and Assassins*, let others fight over it.

"But even so, you're too calm. Wei Jin is still young, and he can't resist temptation."

Jing's father had entrusted him with looking after Jing Tian; she was still a young girl, and Lu Zheng didn't want to see her get hurt by love, especially since Wei Jin was indeed too flirtatious—a fact everyone in the circle knew.

"Uncle Lu, don't you worry about it. I know what I'm doing."

Jing Tian's tone was very flat, but she had undergone a long period of psychological preparation to come to this realization.

First, Wei Jin was so outstanding that it was normal for some butterflies and bees to surround him; no matter the circle, high-quality men were always favored.

Second, she was still young and had just started her acting career; it wasn't convenient to make it official, nor was it possible to get married right away. Since that was the case, rather than being jealous, it was better to appear magnanimous.

Finally, Wei Jin's physical condition was too good right now, and she couldn't handle him alone, but a man's physical fitness would eventually decline. In a few years, when Wei Jin was older and she reached the age to get married, he would settle down.

However, although that was the future plan, Liu Yifei's appearance still aroused Jing Tian's vigilance; currently, the confirmed wild flowers were only a few.

Ceng Li and Gao Yuanyuan were both much older than Wei Jin, and in a few years, they would be past their prime with no competitiveness; the threat level was one star.

But Liu Yifei was different; not only was she similar in age to her, but she also looked good, so the threat level was tentatively set at three stars.

However, Jing Tian wasn't too worried; she absolutely believed in Wei Jin's feelings for her. Every time he looked at her, the love contained in his eyes seemed to traverse time and space; it was absolutely impossible for it to be fake.

Thinking of this, Jing Tian had already figured out what to do; she had read quite a bit of professional knowledge during this vacation.

For example, *How to Effectively Handle a Boyfriend*, *Art of Husband Management*, *Thirty-Six Secret Tricks to Exclusive Favor*, and so on.

Jing Tian considered her cultivation to be profound and believed she could definitely hold onto Wei Jin; for a moment, a smile actually appeared on her face.

Watching the young girl, who seemed to have something wrong with her brain, Lu Zheng sighed, secretly thinking he couldn't keep up with the times and didn't understand the thoughts of young people at all. —At the end of February, Wei Jin was called back to school; the annual art examination had begun again.

Wei Jin couldn't avoid being drafted as labor either; once he graduated as a Graduate Student, he would be liberated.

This year's art examination was a bit strict, with Literature Department Head Wang Jinsong personally presiding over the examination.

Wei Jin didn't participate in the first few rounds, but he heard the elimination rate was very high, reaching 70%. Several people who originally tried to pull strings were knocked down; it seemed Department Head Wang was determined to suppress this crooked trend and improve the quality of the students.

Today was the final round, and Wei Jin was also sitting in the examiner's seat, but his mind was made up—he was just here to go through the motions.

However, it was somewhat comical that he didn't intend to kill anyone, yet people were failing because of him; quite a few people were so nervous upon seeing him that they made mistakes and were directly passed over.

"Wei Jin, do you see any promising seedlings?"

Department Head Wang said this hoping Wei Jin would judge the level of the students from a director's perspective.

"That Pan Zhilin, she has a bit of spirit, and her acting rhythm is good. As for the rest, hmm... how should I put it? Their acting styles all seem to be from the same mold; could it be they all came from the same training class? I heard that quite a few acting teachers are working part-time outside..."

Pan Zhilin was that Bai Ling from *Glorious Era*, and also starring were Zhang Yi and Zhang Juanyi.

In his past life, Wei Jin had watched this drama from beginning to end; a perfectly good mainstream TV series was turned into a comedy by a few actors—it was simply too funny.

As for the other candidates, Wei Jin really didn't see many who would make a name for themselves in the future; the quality of this year's intake was worrying.

"You kid, you really dare to speak your mind. However, there is a bit of that trend; it seems it's time to knock them down a peg."

Department Head Wang didn't say anything more, but the expression on his face showed that he was not calm inside.

The other teachers accompanying the exam on the side looked a bit distracted; it seemed they would have less income in the future. —After wasting a day with the teachers, Wei Jin took the time to head toward the Literature Department; Cao Baoping insisted on seeing him after hearing he had come to participate in the art examination.

Along the way, many students greeted him, but no one dared to come up to chat, though there were still exceptions.

"Senior Brother Wei Jin, how do you have time to come to school today?"

Looking at Yang Mi, who had completely changed, Wei Jin couldn't believe his eyes, staring straight at her. "Cough, Senior Brother, I had my wisdom teeth removed, and I've had a second growth spurt..."

Regardless of whether others believed it or not, the expression on Yang Mi's face was very calm.

"Oh, I see. That's good."

It was the familiar taste; looking at her like this was much more pleasing to the eye. As for whether it was true, Wei Jin didn't have the heart to pursue it—could it be he should play around with her? "I just finished the art exam and am going to find Teacher Cao now. See you later."

Wei Jin originally had no intention of continuing to chat with her and was just about to leave when he didn't expect Yang Mi to actually follow him.

"Senior Brother, let me take you there; you rarely come to school and might not find it."

Yang Mi's words made Wei Jin laugh; Beijing Film Academy was only this big, could he really get lost?

However, Wei Jin didn't refuse; it was just a stroll around the school anyway, to see what she was up to.

The Beijing Film Academy campus was small, and as they were about to reach the destination, Yang Mi couldn't help it anymore: "Senior Brother, I heard your company also invested in *Chinese Paladin 3*. Is that true?"

Just after the Spring Festival, Tangren released news about *Chinese Paladin 3*; the *Chinese Paladin* filmed in 2004 had been recognized by many viewers over the years and was regarded as a masterpiece.

Every character in the drama had their own story and their own brilliance, and it had also made many actors famous.

From the content released by Tangren, the male lead was already confirmed to be Hu Ge, and the second female lead Zixuan was confirmed to be Zhang Li; the other roles were not yet determined.

However, Zhang Li was an artist under Wei Jin; it wasn't hard to guess how she got the role. In recent years, there were too many dramas invested in by Wei Jin Company.

Wei Jin understood in his heart; so this was the idea she had. She was truly worthy of being "Big Power"; her ambition was indeed strong.

"Mm, I invested a little."

"Then Senior Brother, do you think I have a chance?"

The status of the two was completely unequal; Yang Mi only felt that all her skills couldn't be used, and the rhythm of the conversation was entirely in Wei Jin's control, forcing her to express her intentions directly.

One had to know that with the success of *Chinese Paladin 1*, this drama would at least be a high-quality production, and it might even be another hit.

Yang Mi naturally did not want to miss out, but Rongxinda had limited strength and could not reach Tangren, which was far away in Shanghai, so she thought of coming to Wei Jin to try her luck.

In fact, how could Yang Mi not know that Wei Jin was an arts examination examiner; she had been specifically lying in wait for him here for the past few days.

"Do you have an open schedule? Isn't Dream of the Red Chamber about to start filming?"

"Not yet. The director keeps saying it's almost time, it's almost time; I've been waiting until I'm molding."

Speaking of this, Yang Mi also had some resentment; it had been delayed for over a year back and forth, and her spirit had been worn away.

Hearing this, Wei Jin also felt that Li Shaohong was being a bit arrogant; for the old version of Dream of the Red Chamber, they invited university professors to give lectures and study the script, spending months or even half a year to let the actors get into character.

She, on the other hand, was doing the opposite; the crew was about to start filming, yet the actors were still running around everywhere.

But then again, it was said that Li Shaohong hadn't even read the original work; it was a case of ignorance being fearless, so it was no surprise she ended up filming a "Ghost Mansion Dream."

"Double-booking roles is not a good habit, and besides, I can't make decisions for Miss Cai."

At this moment, Wei Jin's tone was already somewhat impatient; he really disliked actors who double-booked roles, let alone Yang Mi, with whom he had no personal ties. Furthermore, Wei Jin understood Tangren's style and Miss Cai's habits: for all their television dramas, they prioritized their own people, and only when there was truly no one suitable would they consider outsiders; this was also one of the reasons why Tangren had never been able to integrate into the Mainland China film and television circle.

Of course, sometimes they would use external auditions to attract attention, but that was another matter entirely.

Although Wei Jin was an investor, he had already intervened in one role, and this was the limit of what Tangren could tolerate; Yang Mi had clearly miscalculated. "It won't be a problem, Senior Brother; my scenes in Dream of the Red Chamber are not many, and the schedule can be coordinated."

Seeing that Wei Jin's tone was unfriendly, Yang Mi was also a bit dumbfounded; she didn't want to fail to get any benefits and end up offending this great deity instead.

However, Wei Jin had no intention of paying attention to her; he only left behind a "take care of yourself" and walked away quickly. "Hello, Teacher Cao, Teacher Xue is here too?"

It was Wei Jin's first time coming to the Literature Department, and he didn't know the other teachers, so he just nodded to acknowledge them.

"Wei Jin, I have failed your good intentions this time."

Cao Baoping knew that Wei Jin had put in a great deal of effort for this nomination, and since they ended up empty-handed, he felt a bit embarrassed.

"Teacher Cao, what are you saying? The copyright sold quite well, didn't it? This trip wasn't in vain."

The overseas copyright for this film sold for 1.2 million USD; after deducting the expenses for the trip to Europe, the remainder basically covered the costs, and Wei Jin had nothing to be dissatisfied about.

"In addition, in the future, if the teachers of the Literature Department have any scripts, feel free to apply to the foundation; if the budget is not enough, you can all come to me."

These words from Wei Jin made all the teachers in the office somewhat excited; after the incident with Cao Baoping, they had feared that Wei Jin would become even more cautious, but they hadn't expected him to be so generous.

For a moment, the gazes many teachers directed at Wei Jin were filled with gratification; he was truly an outstanding student of their school.

"Ahem, Wei Jin, I actually do have a script here; would you like to take a look?"

Wei Jin took the script handed over by Teacher Xue and saw the four large characters on the cover: Ocean Heaven. Today's third update, I earnestly request all book friends to provide subscriptions, follow-up reads, collections, monthly tickets, and recommendation tickets. You must flip to the last page for the follow-up read, thank you everyone! (End of chapter)