Chapter 37: The Final Exam

"So, Teacher Lin is one of the final exam judges?"

Liu Liu Yifei teased over the phone.

"Little Liu, remember to keep it secret; I only told you." Lin Nan pretended to be serious.

"You're not joking?"

"No!" Lin Nan answered decisively.

"As expected of you. I will keep it secret. It seems someone from our crew went to the re-examination." Liu Liu Yifei said crisply.

"Who?"

"The actress playing Guo Xiang."

Lin Nan's mind jolted, and he realized who it was: Yang Mi! But her name didn't seem to be on today's roster.

"I have a vague impression; I think I saw her once when I visited your set, but I didn't see her today. She must be in the back."

As usual, after chatting for over an hour, Lin Nan ended the conversation and urged Liu Liu Yifei to rest early.

Lin Nan heard Liu's mother's voice on the phone; she sounded quite gentle, as if she said, "Is this Lin Nan?" and then stopped urging Liu Liu Yifei to sleep early.

There are benefits to being a shut-in; at most, they surf the internet. While Lin Nan worked hard like a farmer wielding a hoe, he didn't need to worry too much about someone else seizing the opportunity first.

On the second day of the re-examination, Lin Nan met the co-crew actress Liu Liu Yifei had mentioned: Yang Mi.

Some people are born to be in this circle. At that moment, she looked like a girl next door, with none of the aura of the future "Big Mi Mi," yet she could naturally introduce herself to Lin Nan, stating she was Yang Mi, who played Guo Xiang in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," whom he had met last time at Mount Yandang Mountain.

"I remember you. I wish you success in passing the re-examination."

"Thank you, Lin Dao."

Zhang Zhang Xiaofei, a very hardworking girl from Northeast China, was in the same group as Yang Mi.

"You can go in now." Seeing the previous group come out, Lin Nan said.

On the third day, Lin Nan did not go to the re-examination site because there was a problem with the release permit for "Return to Dust," and someone called Lin Nan over.

This is the benefit of having connections; even if it doesn't pass censorship, they will tell you the reason, rather than making you try your luck repeatedly.

Lin Nan sat in Han Han Sanping's office. "Return to Dust" needed some cuts; certain shots were filmed too closely.

Having just watched it once in the screening room, seven or eight minutes needed to be cut, but fortunately, it wouldn't affect the main storyline.

"Cut these, and there will be no problem." Han Han Sanping said very confidently.

"Your school also spoke up, so the Bureau explicitly said they would approve it for you next time."

Lin Nan could accept this result; this was already good news. Cutting it was fine.

That afternoon, they began performing surgery on "Return to Dust."

The China Film Group's post-production team handled it again, promising to finish within two days at most, because it was just cutting some shot segments, which was far simpler than doing full post-production.

The art exam re-examination was considered over; the Chen Yanxi was very efficient, and on the second day, they began listing the qualified candidates.

Whether one passed or failed was notified via text message, phone call, and email.

Moreover, the final exam date was set for the third day of the third lunar month, so there were only a few days left.

The news that Lin Nan was one of the final exam judges spread.

If another student were one of the final exam judges, they might have been torn apart by criticism.

Fortunately, Lin Nan won the Silver Bear for Best Director, and the media praised the Film Academy's move.

No one would say a Berlin Film Festival Best Director was unfit to be one of the art exam judges; instead, everyone praised the Film Academy's innovation and openness.

If he hadn't won the Silver Bear, even as a major commercial director, Lin Nan might have been questioned by some for serving as a judge.

On the final exam jury list, Lin Nan was ranked last; he was responsible for participating in the scoring session, which was also the most crucial part, feeling like holding a knife in his hand.

Unlike the re-examination, the undergraduate final exam had only about three hundred students left, with only thirty spots available, a ten-to-one ratio.

Physical training and dialogue had specialized teachers to practice with; students entering the final exam had to follow along, and those who made it to the final exam wouldn't fail at this stage.

It was mainly about acting. Lin Nan looked at the teachers' outlines: thematic skits, prescribed situations, improvised skits, impromptu programs... it was much harder than the previous few sessions.

When Lin Nan reached this stage back then, he relied on a solo crosstalk routine, which he had copied; he successfully made several teachers laugh, and combined with his appearance, he finally obtained the ticket to enter.

As the final exam date approached, several teachers happened to meet Lin Nan, and eventually, the conversation turned to "that someone or other," all friends' children or relatives, who were also participating in the final exam...

What could Lin Nan do? If he told them about this, the other teachers would surely have been informed as well.

A society of favors, a culture of circles. Even he, a twenty-one-year-old student, was not spared.

Students who made it to the final exam all had a solid foundation; at this point, those with connections definitely had an advantage.

Lin Nan alone wouldn't affect the result, so why offend people? So, he simply nodded.

The focus of the art exam is always the Chen Yanxi; other majors don't attract as much attention.

On the afternoon of the second, Lin Nan attended the final exam meeting as required, where the leaders above explained the requirements and principles.

On the morning of the third, Lin Nan received a roster, which every judging teacher had.

The final exam no longer blocked candidates as strictly as the first two rounds but gave them some space to improvise freely.

Candidates still entered in groups of five; self-introductions were still mandatory. Candidates with performance experience would state their resumes, mentioning what works they had acted in and who they had acted with, which was an advantage.

Nervousness was inevitable; a boy performing a martial arts flip collided with another candidate, which was an accident.

Many candidates finished their talents relying on muscle memory, but their brains might have been half-blank.

Lin Nan noticed Zhang Zhang Xiaofei, an ordinary girl singing very seriously; her state was excellent, much more relaxed than many others.

He gave her a slightly above-average score; who could have thought she would eventually overtake others on a curve and become famous for her skit.

After this group left, several teachers briefly discussed the first half of the session. Zhang Zhang Xiaofei's score was decent, mainly a result of comparison.

"That boy was good, he just couldn't control his mindset."

"That girl was great, classical dance..."

Flaws and strengths were clearly visible in the eyes of these teachers.

Lin Nan also chimed in from time to time; the few candidates who had received special consideration, everyone tactfully refrained from mentioning it.

Lin Nan figured that these few candidates who had received special consideration might not necessarily get a spot — the consideration was only discretionary.

Plenty of students in this batch had solid skills; if they crushed you by sheer ability, you had nothing to say.

If you can't make it, go to the vocational class — anyway, you've got connections, right? Getting roles and joining crews in the future shouldn't be hard.

Lin Nan spotted Yang Mi — in this group she was the most experienced one, a child star who had already acted in several productions, and she carried herself with poise and grace.

"Hello, teachers, I'm candidate 312, Yang Mi…"

True to someone who had acted before, posture and lines were no problem for her.

When it came time for the drawn-lot performance, she drew the song "Nan Ni Wan"; Lin Nan had no particular interest in these songs, but he listened carefully all the same.

It was just that toward the end of her singing, Yang Mi's expression was off, and even the students beside her glanced her way.

A few teachers nodded and smiled subtly.

When the oral interview segment came around — that is, the judges chatting with the students and asking some common-sense questions — Lin Nan finally understood: Yang Mi had gone off-key in the latter part of her song.

"I haven't really sung much before…," Yang Mi answered.

"Your resume is very impressive — child star debut, 'Tang Ming Huang,' 'Wu Zhuang Yuan'… Do you already have an agency?"

"Yes, teacher."

Lin Nan suddenly felt playful. "Has Guo Xiang's part wrapped?"

This was the first time since the final exam that Lin Nan had taken part in the oral interview segment; the other teachers were momentarily stunned, having originally assumed Lin Nan wasn't planning to participate in this segment and was going to slack off and just give scores.

Hearing Lin Nan's question, Yang Mi instantly perked up. "Already wrapped. My part wasn't big, and the crew is about to wrap too, Lin Dao."

Lin Nan nodded. "I heard Mr. Jin and Producer Zhang had very high praise for your Guo Xiang. I look forward to you being even more outstanding in the future."

"Thank you, Lin Dao." Yang Mi broke into a smile.

Looking through Yang Mi's preliminary and secondary exam scores, they were all at the top; even though she went off-key in the song, it wouldn't affect her results — the ending was destined to be a good one.

As the group left the exam room, a teacher remarked, "Candidate 312 is very impressive — even though she went off-key singing, we still managed to smooth it over for her. Great composure, wonderful resume…"

Everyone else nodded; being able to play a supporting role in "Shen Diao" already said it all.

A high score was unavoidable. Lin Nan put pen to paper and gave a high mark — her ability to adapt was strong, her fundamentals solid; probably because she'd been on set since childhood, her stage presence was steady, not the least bit stage-frightened, which made her stand out.

He glanced at the scores the other teachers had given — none were low. If he remembered correctly, this one was indeed the top scorer in the arts exam.

The two-day final exam ended; from here on it had nothing to do with Lin Nan.

The copyright transaction for "Return to Dust" had come through, and the company finance department was very busy — some paperwork still needed Lin Nan's signature.

The second application for a release permit, no surprises, was approved by the General Administration; what remained was setting the release date and the early promotional work.

China Film was in charge of distribution and marketing, and discussed with Lin Nan about taking their share out of the box-office earnings.

Lin Nan was surprised by China Film's move — they had that much faith in him? Everyone else just took money and did the job. Because releasing a film is a gamble — who knows if it'll make money? Losses happen more often than not, especially with this kind of subject matter.

He agreed to China Film's proposal; Lin Nan had never been very confident about the domestic box office to begin with. With this kind of story subject, the market would generally give you reputation and praise — box office excluded.

The release date was finally set for July 1st.

No sooner had Lin Nan found a moment of leisure than a call came through to the school — the Olympic opening ceremony was soliciting creative proposals!

The biggest international event since the millennium was the '08 Olympics. Everyone was gearing up, waiting for this one chance.

Directors big and small across the country, especially those in the art-film circle, had all received invitations.

Although Lin Nan was young, in terms of achievements he met the entry requirements — his ranking was even among the top.

Director Tian Tian Zhuangzhuang led the team; Lin Nan and several working veteran directors all went.

"Mr. Tian, I feel this whole thing shouldn't have called me — I'm a frail body, how could I shoulder this burden? Even playing a supporting role feels shaky." Lin Nan trailed behind the group, speaking with a helpless look.

What he got in return was everyone's laughter. "Still no girlfriend, huh? Already shaky? Bringing glory to the ancestors, serving country and people — how can you shrink back? Not being selected is one thing; backing out and slipping away is another."

The elder earnestly lectured Lin Nan, who could only swallow his pride, bow his head, and admit fault.

The Olympic Committee along with the departments of culture, sports, and others — all were big shots. It was Lin Nan's first time seeing so many great directors gathered together.