[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-27":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321016,4540,"Chapter 27: Spread","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-27",27,"\u003Cp>Xie Xiaojing glanced at Huang Lei beside her, then at Wu Yuchen, who stood respectfully before her, and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Invite us to watch? So confident?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Xiaojing was the homeroom teacher and lead instructor of the 1995 Directing Class, as well as deputy head of the Directing Department at Jingying; in the future, he would become department head, vice president of the school, and head of the Youth Film Studio — an absolute pillar of Jingying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also a classmate of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, but after graduation, he chose a different path and stayed on to teach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long known about Wu Yuchen’s short film project — he had approved all his leave requests, not just because Huang Lei vouched for him, but because he himself wanted to see what this freshman, so full of ideas from day one, could actually produce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, whether or not the film got made was a good thing either way: if made, it would be a successful practical experience for the student; if not, it would temper his arrogance and force him to settle down and learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xie Xiaojing hadn’t expected Wu Yuchen to be this confident — inviting faculty to attend the public screening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Xie, I won’t say it’s great, but at the very least, my short film is no worse than any senior graduation film from the Directing Department over the years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen declared with certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ha! A freshman, only two months into his first year, dared claim his film was better than past senior graduation works — that was outright audacious!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the youthful, brash Wu Yuchen, Xie Xiaojing smiled — he didn’t mind at all. Who hadn’t been young once?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Chen Kaige was in school, he was far more reckless: his assignments were all written in classical Chinese, he openly challenged professors in class, and left his classmates stunned — who could compare to Kaizi?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet didn’t he, just two years after graduation, make his debut with “Yellow Earth,” and two years later produce “Farewell My Concubine,” a masterpiece that made him world-famous and now stands as a leading figure in Chinese cinema?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Audacity isn’t the problem — it’s whether you have the talent to back it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Xiaojing nodded: “Fine, I accept. I’ll reserve the screening room for you, summon the faculty — let’s see if you can handle tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingying wasn’t large — a whisper could spread fast, especially when the film group of over twenty people went around spreading the news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Public screening tomorrow night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who is this? He hasn’t even reached senior year yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? The director is a first-year freshman?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are new students this arrogant now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve got to give him a proper scolding tomorrow — teach him what humility means!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The news reached upperclassmen and exploded like a firecracker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Public screenings at Jingying weren’t easy to survive — every year, senior students were driven to tears by their junior peers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yimou once said that every time he returned to Jingying with a film, he was nervous — because back when he was a student, he’d been a fiery critic who’d made more than one senior cry, so he knew exactly how bitter it felt when the tables turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Jiang Qin had also learned that “Car 44” would be publicly screened at school tomorrow — she’d been told in person by Qi Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Chen Shasha clicked her tongue: “Wu Yuchen’s got balls made of steel!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Qin was also surprised — she hadn’t expected Wu Yuchen to dare a public screening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She and her classmates had already witnessed the combat power of Jingying’s critics — they’d once bullied a senior into staying in his dorm for a week, refusing to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Shasha turned to ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qin Qin, how’s your movie actually turning out? You never tell me — it’s screening tomorrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Qin shook her head: “I… I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the lead actress — you don’t know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since returning, Jiang Qin had held her breath, refusing to contact Wu Yuchen or even watch the final cut — how could she know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It… should be okay…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though angry at Wu Yuchen, Jiang Qin still admired his talent — if he dared a public screening, he must have confidence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yin Qiaoqiao, standing beside her, sensed the lack of conviction in her voice and said to Jiang Qin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qin Qin, maybe you shouldn’t go tomorrow — if the film flops, you, as the lead actress, won’t escape being scolded too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Qin, already uneasy, now felt a surge of defiance — the film hadn’t even screened yet — why assume it would fail?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going. No lead actress skips her own premiere!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we get scolded together, so what? Big deal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying it out loud made Jiang Qin feel lighter. At the same time, she was intensely curious — how had her performance turned out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the thought of facing that annoying Wu Yuchen tomorrow made her pout — though days had passed and her anger was fading, the memory of that arrogant man still stirred something inside her: irritating, repulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day passed quickly. Starting at six p.m., students began streaming into the screening room; by six-thirty, the large hall was nearly full, yet more kept arriving, cramming into aisles and back rows — the audience buzzed with chatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Members of the film group, watching the scene below, began to feel uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 6:45 p.m., several professors arrived together and took seats in the front row — someone finally couldn’t hold back: “Lao Jia, look — isn’t that Vice President Hou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zhangke turned to the center of the front row: a middle-aged man with glasses was chatting with Xie Xiaojing — it was Hou Keming, current vice president of Jingying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even school leadership came?! What if…?” someone swallowed hard, face grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No ‘what ifs’!” Jia Zhangke cut in. Though his own heart was tight, he knew they couldn’t panic now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Wu Yuchen stepped forward and declared firmly: “Relax, I’ve got this. I’m the director — whatever happens, I take the blame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words calmed many, bringing steadiness to the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Qin, standing to the side, watched Wu Yuchen — she thought he seemed surprisingly responsible. But when his gaze turned to her, she turned her face away coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Sun Honglei looked at Duan Long, standing silently: “Hey Duan Long, with all these people — you’re not nervous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Long glanced at him and muttered: “It’s not Central Drama Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Honglei slapped his back:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re an idiot! If this bombs, we’ll be humiliated at Jingying — imagine how they’ll roast us back at school!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duan Long stumbled backward, barely keeping his balance.\u003C\u002Fp>",1135,"2026-06-20T16:09:29.273Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a86d82bbc847120a9d5e96f4a75e14775ead0608c3e266a454570a95a7d053d9","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-28","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-26",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]