Chapter 39: Good Movies

Li Er nodded slightly and said, "In this regard, I truly hope that you, as parents, can understand and support my wishes as a teacher. It’s not that I don’t want Chen Nuo to make money; people have to live, and they certainly need an income. Being an actor doesn't mean he has to become an ascetic monk. However, there are some kinds of money that shouldn't be earned, because sometimes, once the floodgates are opened, they cannot be closed. I have been in this industry for many years and have seen many such cases. How many people achieve fame at a young age only to become obscure later? That is because they cannot control themselves in the face of temptation and gradually sink. In this regard, I hope you will supervise Chen Nuo and keep a close eye on him."

After leaving Li Er's home, the family of three didn't speak for a while, walking slowly through the cold wind of Jingcheng.

After exiting the gate of the residential compound, the first thing Chen Bi said was: "Have you thought it through? Do you really want to follow this path in the future?"

For Chen Nuo, this question was not really a question at all.

He had waited so long, only to finally discover that he possessed a certain talent, and because of that, he had gained recognition from many people. For him, this was an unprecedented feeling.

Chen Nuo didn't know what the future would hold, but his answer now was only one—

"I've thought it through. I want to give it a try."

Chen Bi was silent for a moment and said: "This path is not easy to walk. I see you getting beaten up and digging in the mud in movies, exposed to the wind, sun, and rain. I see that you’ve turned several shades darker and lost quite a bit of weight. Actually, when it comes down to it, you won't earn much money in the end. There is no great need for you to suffer like this; our family doesn't need you to risk your life for this. The admission score for the Film Academy is low; just go in and get a diploma, there is no need to really become an actor."

"If you don't want me to be an actor, then why did you buy me such a good car?"

Chen Bi suddenly got angry and said loudly in his dialect: "I bought you a car because I thought you had become sensible, knew how to work hard to earn money, and were showing promise. I thought you were shooting those movies where you just walk around. How could I have imagined you were going to dig tunnels and get slapped and kicked by others? What era is this? Are you still acting in Tunnel Warfare or Mine Warfare? Didn't you see how much your mother's heart ached for you, and how miserably she was crying just now?"

"Those are all fake; I’m getting hit by others, not by you. Everyone is just pretending to hit, it doesn't hurt. As for being dark or thin, that’s all done with makeup. Mom, don't listen to Dad. He treats the fake as real every single day, and thinks he's a know-it-all who understands everything, but in reality, he doesn't understand anything."

"You..." Chen Bi was so angry he couldn't speak, rolled up his sleeves, and wanted to get physical right then and there.

Pan Chengrong shouted: "What are you doing? Our son is so grown up, and you still want to hit him? Do you want to hit me along with him? Once you've beaten us to death, you can go find someone else."

Chen Bi suddenly lost his steam and said: "The son is right here, what are you saying? We are talking about his affairs, don't drag other things into it."

After shouting at Chen Bi, Pan Chengrong turned to Chen Nuo and said: "But son, Mom also wants to advise you. I see that you are truly working hard filming movies. You don't need to push yourself this hard. Why don't you go to college and come back to take over your father's business?"

Chen Nuo shook his head, "No, I want to do my own thing."

Pan Chengrong said to Chen Bi: "Old Chen, our son says he wants to rely on himself, what do you say to that?"

Chen Bi sneered: "Rely on himself, heh, that sounds nice, but I don't know if he can actually do it or if he can persist."

Pan Chengrong frowned: "Speak properly to me, don't force me to lose my temper."

Chen Bi coughed and said: "As a man, if you want to go out and forge your own path, Dad will certainly support you. However, I hope you won't give up halfway. If you are going to do something, you must persist to the end. Even if you make a mistake, it doesn't matter; what I fear is that you will give up halfway through."

Pan Chengrong nodded with satisfaction and said: "Son, what your dad said is also what Mom wants to say. Go and forge your path, your father and I both support you. It doesn't matter if you make a mistake; we are both your solid backing."

Chen Bi and Pan Chengrong did not know that they wouldn't be able to be that solid backing for much longer, and what Chen Nuo was thinking about now was how to become their solid backing as soon as possible.

The couple stayed in Jingcheng until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, then flew back to Xichuan.

Chen Bi had to meet with his superiors after the holiday, and Pan Chengrong had originally planned to stay with Chen Nuo until he finished his exams, but after being persuaded by Chen Nuo, who said he couldn't focus on his exam preparation with her here, she went back with Chen Bi.

The preliminary exam for the Film Academy was on February 9th, the first day after the New Year. Li Er had roughly explained the specific details of this entrance exam to him. Actually, it was all in the admissions brochure, which was more or less the same every year.

There were three rounds of exams in total.

The preliminary exam the next day was a simple self-introduction plus a poetry recitation of about half a minute. According to Li Er, it was very simple; as long as you didn't have an accent and your appearance had some characteristics, you could pass.

So, the night before, Chen Nuo found a movie to watch.

Since he had chosen to try being an actor, he decided to do some remedial work and find some good movies to study.

He called Li Er to ask. Li Er, feeling deeply gratified, introduced him: "Bresson, Orson Welles, Kurosawa, and Ingmar Bergman—I suggest you watch all the movies by these few people. Bresson is a master of minimalism, Orson Welles is the founding master of non-linear narrative structure, and Ingmar Bergman is even more impressive; he could be called the godfather of modern cinema. As for Kurosawa, what Asian filmmaker hasn't watched Kurosawa? Once you've watched their movies, you can consider yourself to understand film. As for acting, you don't need to watch or learn from others; just be yourself."

Chen Nuo was left confused: "Uh, Teacher Li, you said Bu... what-son?"

"...Bresson."

"Boss, do you have any films here called something-less-on... Teacher Li, what did you say?"

"...Bresson."

"Oh right, Bress-something, do you have... Teacher Li, the boss says he doesn't have it."

Chen Nuo didn't know why Li Er had suddenly hung up the phone without a word.

With no other choice, he asked the boss who rented out DVDs to recommend a good movie to him.

The boss glanced at him and pulled a disc without a cover out of the cardboard box he was sitting on, "The deposit for other films is 20, this one is 50."

Chen Nuo said: "Besides this kind of good movie, rent me another one of those good movies..."

The boss gave him another deep look, pulled open the drawer in front of him, took out another one, and handed it to him.

*Happy Together*.

Looking at Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung on the cover, he decided right then and there to rent this one. Learning from superstars, you can't go wrong.

Thus, when Yang Mi opened the door and entered the room, the TV in the living room was playing some scenes from the movie.

Chen Nuo had been yawning, but hearing the door open, he was startled. Turning back to see it was her, he asked in surprise: "Hey, why did you come over today?"

Yang Mi looked at the images playing on the TV screen, her expression shifting, and said: "Sorry, did I disturb you?"

He was almost disturbed, but fortunately, he had just changed the disc.

(End of chapter)