Chapter 144 The College Entrance Examination Ends

Lu Yanhe is indeed a very pragmatic person.

If I weren't pragmatic, I wouldn't have traveled through so much time and now spend most of my time studying and retracing my college entrance exam journey.

He kept thinking about a question: how could someone as ordinary as him, with neither genius-level intelligence nor outstanding talent, and without even the motivation to "start over," have encountered such a terrible fate as time travel after finally finishing his college entrance examination and just about to embrace the wonderful college life?

However, regardless of the circumstances, for a question that is destined to remain unanswered, Lu Yanhe only has one thing to do: to strive to live wherever he is, and then strive to live well.

This is human instinct.

Perhaps no one in this world can understand Lu Yanhe's anxiety, urgency, and unease.

Learning ability is the only ability he possesses, taking exams is the only skill he has, and the college entrance examination is the only opportunity he can be sure of getting a good result on his own.

Therefore, he would never give up on this path.

-

In May, the weather started to get hot.

In the final month, as the sprint began, Lu Yanhe's ranking in the grade had reached 22nd.

To get into Zhenhua or Yuming, you need to be in the top five of your grade.

Now, Lu Yanhe only has one more mock exam opportunity left. According to convention, the questions in the last mock exam will not be too difficult, and will be slightly easier than the actual college entrance exam. The main purpose is to relax everyone and allow them to be more relaxed in the college entrance exam.

Lu Yanhe thought to himself that with his current level, he had already entered the top ten in the grade, but whether he had reached the top five, he really didn't know until he actually took the exam.

The main problem is that his rate of progress is too exaggerated.

Even though it took a year to allow the ranking to improve, it still shocked everyone.

This leap is a goal that is difficult to achieve in the eyes of others.

In the final mock exam, Lu Yanhe finally let loose and stopped worrying about controlling his score. He answered all the questions carefully and thoroughly from beginning to end.

This time, Lu Yanhe achieved the third-highest score in the entire grade.

Lin Yu is number one.

Liu Qin was stunned.

The teachers in the grade group were also dumbfounded.

The entire grade was dumbfounded.

Everyone felt that Lu Yanhe's last exam score was his limit.

Then, each time, Lu Yanhe would use a new achievement to tell them that he had no limits.

third?

Third in the entire grade?

Every teacher's gaze towards Lu Yanhe changed.

Who would have thought that such a dark horse would emerge in the class at the very last moment before the college entrance examination?!

The classmates were even more shocked.

It's terrifying to watch a top student rise to prominence right under their noses.

Many people even wondered if they could have achieved the same results if they had worked as hard as Lu Yanhe, since Lu Yanhe was able to improve from over 500th in the grade to third in the grade in just one year.

Is it too late to start trying now?

Many of the gazes directed at Lu Yanhe became filled with jealousy.

-

Once May is over, it will be June.

As the weather gets hotter, Lu Yanhe sweats profusely every time he travels between school and his dormitory.

There was no other way; there was no car to pick me up or drop me off. I had to rely on my own two legs and a rickety, sometimes crowded, and sweaty bus to get to my dream destination.

Before the college entrance examination, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi bumped into each other again at the school gate.

"You're a bit scary now, third in the grade." Chen Siqi looked at Lu Yanhe curiously and asked, "You didn't really travel from another time, did you?"

Lu Yanhe nodded: "Yes, I am a time traveler."

Chen Siqi, on the contrary, gave him the middle finger, interpreting his reaction as "shameless".

Lu Yanhe didn't explain further, he just smiled.

“If you really get into Zhenhua or Yuming, that would be interesting,” Chen Siqi suddenly said. “I look forward to hearing the news.”

Lu Yanhe asked, "And you? Which university are you planning to attend?"

"I don't know." Chen Siqi shook her head. "My family wants me to stay in Yuming, but I want to leave."

Lu Yanhe did not ask why.

He knew without even asking.

Chen Siqi's family clearly wanted to keep her with them.

As for what their plans were, no one knew.

Lu Yanhe didn't ask Chen Siqi what her final decision would be; it was too complicated to explain in a few words.

"After the college entrance examination, is there anything you want to do?" Chen Siqi suddenly asked.

"Me?" Lu Yanhe said, "I guess I'm going to film a movie."

"Filming?" Chen Siqi's eyes lit up. "You're going to be an actress?"

"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.

"The main character?"

“No, just a supporting role,” Lu Yanhe said. “He doesn’t have many scenes.”

Chen Siqi said, "That's good too, at least I have something to do."

"And you?"

“I don’t know. They said I could travel abroad after I finish my exams, but I don’t want to go. It’s so boring. My dad always thinks that letting me travel abroad is a wonderful gift. He’s always thought that way since I was little. It’s so boring.”

"Didn't Liu Wei'an say anything?"

"Don't worry, she's definitely a good stepmother in these matters. She can show her care and concern for me with money. She'll definitely do that." Chen Siqi's expression darkened when she mentioned Liu Wei'an.

Lu Yanhe wondered if Chen Siqi's lack of interest in traveling abroad was also related to her not wanting Liu Wei'an to feel comfortable.

He said, "Things will be different once you get to college. If you're really unhappy with your situation, it might be an opportunity to become independent."

The two talked about some things, but there was also a lot they didn't talk about. They occasionally touched on topics they wanted to discuss, but ultimately chose to swallow their words back.

They are just high school students now, but not naive, impulsive high school students.

Their respective living environments have prevented them from impulsively facing their own lives.

Therefore, their conversation was ultimately superficial, only touching on what could be said and remaining silent about what couldn't be expressed. Occasionally, a tacit understanding would be revealed in their eyes, but it would vanish in an instant and end without a trace.

-

This was Lu Yanhe's last live stream before the college entrance examination.

He said, "I'm a bit restless right now and can't concentrate on my books. Let's chat for a bit."

The comments section instantly started scrolling.

This is the first time Lu Yanhe has been seriously chatting with everyone after live streaming for so long.

ID "Soaring to Nine Thousand Miles": Which university do you want to apply to?

Lu Yanhe said, "My live stream name already indicates that my target is either Yuming or Zhenhua. I'm not joking."

A bunch of people were spamming question marks, "Holy crap," and "Really?" in the comments section.

incredible.

Then, a student from No. 13 Middle School said: Lu Yanhe ranked third in the grade in the most recent mock exam. He really has the ability to strive for Zhenhua and Yuming.

More people are using sensational headlines.

Some people said it was the first time they had known Lu Yanhe had such good grades.

Immediately someone said, "No, no, no, Lu Yanhe's previous grades were indeed not very good; he only achieved them in the last few months."

Immediately, someone else asked: "In just a few months? He got to third in the grade in just a few months? Is Lu Yanhe just too monstrous, or is his school just too rubbish?"

The students at No. 13 Middle School protested: "Although our school may not be considered a top-tier prestigious school, it's still a legitimate No. 13 Middle School. Every year, we have students who get into Zhenhua and Yuming schools, okay?!"

A fierce battle erupted between the various factions in the live chat.

Lu Yanhe said, "Everyone, don't argue about this. My goal is Zhenhua and Yuming, but I don't know if I can get in. I'll just do my best. Anyway, I've been working hard towards this goal for the past year, and now it's time to see the results."

He smiled.

These were the words Chen Ziyan had instructed him to say.

Chen Ziyan said that just in case, this must be said in advance. If he really doesn't pass the exam, and seven or eight years later, this matter is suddenly brought up again to smear him, saying that he initially established the image of a top student who "passed the entrance exams for Yuming and Zhenhua Universities," but it backfired. Who can say for sure what will happen?

The entertainment industry's biggest fear is creating a high-class persona—unlike the environment twenty years ago, now celebrities and artists value being down-to-earth. The more authentic and human they are, the better they can adapt to this era of mass entertainment.

In the past, celebrities took the "legendary" route; now, 99% of celebrities have to take the "internet celebrity" route.

Times have changed, circumstances have changed, and no one can simply follow the old path unchanged.

Therefore, Chen Ziyan has been trying various methods to lower Lu Yanhe's public image.

There's no way around it; this kid has cultivated a very positive public image over the past year.

Two acts of "heroic deeds," an increasingly influential live-streaming learning platform, his own inspirational story of overcoming adversity, and his identity as the original author of "Remembrance," which was popularized by Song Linxin, have all contributed to his public image reaching a very traditional "glorious and righteous" level without him even realizing it.

This has both advantages and disadvantages.

If possible, Chen Ziyan did not want Lu Yanhe to take this path, for no other reason than that it would easily be looked down upon and could easily backfire.

These days, not many people like perfect idols.

If Lu Yanhe hadn't been so relatively unknown, and if Chen Ziyan hadn't tried her best to suppress his popularity, he would probably already be targeted with negative rumors.

Currently, the buzz is intermittent, and Lu Yanhe hasn't officially entered the arena of online traffic yet, so no one has targeted him.

The live stream was bustling with activity when someone asked, "Will this live stream continue after you finish your college entrance exam? I've been following your study and reading routine every day for the past year, and I'm used to it. If you don't continue this live stream, it feels like it won't be very interesting anymore."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

He hadn't really thought about that question.

Should this live stream continue?

After the college entrance examination, he definitely won't study and do exercises every night like this anymore.

"I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet," Lu Yanhe said. "I'll think about it seriously after the exam."

-

On the day of the college entrance examination, Chen Ziyan personally drove over to pick up Lu Yanhe and take him to the examination venue.

Lu Yanhe wasn't so lucky; he wasn't assigned to his own school as his exam site and ended up at the neighboring No. 10 Middle School.

When he appeared at the examination hall, several media outlets stationed at the entrance chased after him, taking pictures of him entering the examination hall and vying to interview him.

College entrance exam-related topics have always been a sure-fire way to generate high traffic, and Lu Yanhe is a rare star candidate.

In particular, Lu Yanhe's live stream last night, in which he said his target was Zhenhua and Yuming, was posted on social media by many people and sparked considerable discussion.

Most of the comments questioned Lu Yanhe's boastful and arrogant attitude.

Among celebrities, Lu Yanhe is the only one who, despite his celebrity status, doesn't take the art exams but instead takes the national college entrance examination (Gaokao) to compete with ordinary students in university entrance exams.

Yan Liang was lucky; he was assigned to the No. 13 Middle School entrance exam.

The two people took the test at different locations.

Lu Yanhe entered the examination hall and found his examination room.

Many curious gazes fell upon him, but Lu Yanhe had developed the ability to remain unmoved.

Security checks – well, before entering the exam room, you'll have someone scan you with a detector to check if you're carrying any cheating devices.

After that, I went straight in and sat down to wait for the exam to start.

-

Star Entertainment Agency.

Zhou Ping'an sat in Vice President Ma's office with a smile and said, "President Ma, once Lu Yanhe finishes his exams tomorrow, the termination agreement will officially take effect, and he will no longer be an artist in our company."

Vice President Ma also smiled in relief, nodded, and said, "Finally, we've gotten rid of this trouble."

“Yes.” Zhou Ping’an nodded. “It’ll be in the next couple of days. Tomorrow, as soon as he finishes his exam, I’ll deliver the termination notice to him.”

Vice President Ma asked, "Yan Liang got into Beijing Arts University. Will his academic scores be fine?"

“No problem, don’t worry. Yan Liang is a very hardworking kid. He’s been focusing on preparing for the exam for the past few months. He even scored over 500 points in the most recent mock exam.” Zhou Ping’an said, then suddenly frowned. “If it weren’t for Lu Yanhe, we could have created a topic about him being a top student after the scores came out. Scoring over 500 points in the college entrance exam is very impressive for an artist.”

Vice President Ma was taken aback and asked, "What happened to Lu Yanhe?"

Zhou Pingan said somewhat helplessly, "I heard that Lu Yanhe ranked third in the grade in the last mock exam at school."

"What?" Vice President Ma didn't know exactly what level the third-ranked student in the grade was, but he was certain that the student was quite good. He frowned. "His grades are that good?"

Zhou Ping'an nodded: "I learned it over the past year."

Vice President Ma: "Never mind, his good grades have nothing to do with us."

"Yes, if it weren't for this termination agreement, and he really did score over 600 on the college entrance exam, the buzz would have been unstoppable."

The two chatted for a while and then brought up Chen Ziyan's matter again.

"Chen Ziyan has hired Tu Song and Wen Minglan in the past six months, why hasn't she decided on a third person yet?" Zhou Ping'an asked. "Didn't she say before that she was planning to take three people with her at the same time?"

Vice President Ma shook his head: "Who knows? Anyway, she won't let anything slip before she makes a decision. Look at Wen Minglan, she quietly observed for several months before making a decision. Before that, no one paid any attention to this little girl."

Zhou Ping'an's lips curled up with a hint of sourness. "They have a sharp eye; they can make anyone they like famous."

"And you're still talking about that. Back when Fengzhi had seven people under your management, only Cheng Hai and Li Zhibai still had some popularity. The others were almost washed up and became nobodys." Vice President Ma immediately reprimanded, "You should have some sense. You should have properly trained a top-tier star instead of just focusing on making a pittance. If you don't produce results soon, don't expect any good talents to be assigned to you in the future."

Zhou Ping'an immediately sighed and said, "President Ma, is it because I don't want to manage them properly? The company insisted on making them singing and dancing idols, even though there is no such performance stage or market system in China. They have no way to use their energy. I suggested that they act in movies and sing, but the company said that it did not fit their positioning and disagreed. What could I do?"

This is also why Fengzhi's popularity plummeted in less than a year after his debut. Without a stage or exposure, who can withstand such a drain?

-

After finishing his last exam, English, Lu Yanhe breathed a sigh of relief.

The exams are finally over.

There weren't any tricky or unusual questions; almost all of them were within the target range, including the humanities section. He was relatively confident in politics and geography, but history... Lu Yanhe thought about those questions, and to be honest, he wasn't confident either. He'd just leave it to fate.

After the exam, Lu Yanhe walked out of the examination room with everyone else.

He put on his headphones.

There will definitely be a lot of media filming outside the examination hall.

He does not intend to give any interviews.

However, to his surprise, Chen Ziyan was among the group of parents waiting for their children to finish their exams at the school gate.

She wore large sunglasses and had her hands in her pockets, looking completely out of place with her surroundings.

Lu Yanhe looked at her in surprise, and she also saw Lu Yanhe among a large group of examinees.

She smiled, raised her hand, and waved to him.

After leaving the examination room, the scene was as noisy as a vegetable market.

Most parents asked the same question: "How did you do on the exam?"

Lu Yanhe asked Chen Ziyan in surprise, "Sister Ziyan, what brings you here?"

Chen Ziyan said, "You finished your exam today, let me take you out for something nice to celebrate."

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment and said, "Li Zhibai and Yan Liang said they wanted to celebrate with me tonight, and I've already made plans with them."

“Then let’s call them all together,” Chen Ziyan said. “I also have something to tell you.”

Lu Yanhe nodded. "I'll ask them."

He told the three of them in a group chat that Chen Ziyan was going to treat them to dinner.

Both Li Zhibai and Yan Liang agreed.

Chen Ziyan sent the address to Lu Yanhe and asked him to pass it on to them. She then got into the car with Lu Yanhe.

There was some traffic, but Chen Ziyan wasn't in a hurry.

"The college entrance exam is over, and there are a few things I need to finalize with you," she said. "First of all, it's about your live stream."

Lu Yanhe was taken aback.

He didn't expect Chen Ziyan to be paying attention to his live stream.

“If you want to continue your live stream, you have a lot of fans, and they are very loyal. Over the course of a year, you have accumulated a lot of fans, and it would be a shame not to continue it,” Chen Ziyan said. “Of course, you have already finished the college entrance examination, and there is no need to do exercises or study anymore. My idea is very simple: transform your life, such as live streaming reading, or doing something else. Find a theme to replace studying, but it must be a theme that conforms to the mainstream of society and has a positive message.”

Lu Yanhe himself was also reluctant to give up this live streaming room. He had been streaming it seriously for a year. Although he hadn't made much money, he had made many friends, including He Lan, the "beautiful girl Lanlan." They would chat from time to time. If it weren't for this live streaming room, he might never have been able to contact them again.

He nodded and said, "I also want to continue running this live stream, but I haven't figured out what to do yet."

"No matter what you do, the greatest significance of your live stream for your fans is companionship." Chen Ziyan pointed out the greatest significance of Lu Yanhe's live stream incisively. "In this era, everyone is becoming more and more independent. In the past, people often went out together to do activities, read books, do exercises, eat, drink and have fun in groups. Now it's different. For various reasons, people spend a lot more time alone, especially young people living in first-tier cities. They have less and less real-life social interaction, but people still need companionship. Your appearance has actually filled the needs of such a group of people. Before, it was relatively narrow, targeting the needs of students. In the future, you can gradually expand to meet the greater need for companionship."

Lu Yanhe nodded.

"Regarding the live stream, I only have one request for you: think carefully before you speak, and don't ruin yourself with an inappropriate remark," Chen Ziyan reminded her. "This is your own space, and I don't plan to build a large team to help you manage it. Once there are signs of management, the positioning and atmosphere of this live stream will change."

"good."

"Next is about your future development. You only have one thing to do for the next two months: film 'The Golden Era,' and then you'll be going to university." Chen Ziyan said, as she suddenly accelerated, overtaking several slow-moving cars and finally leaving the congested area. "You'll definitely be working and studying at the same time. The key is your development plan for these four years. How should we design it? Although I told you before that your career depends on me, I also want to hear your own thoughts. Do you have any priorities? Singing, acting, recording variety shows, or something else?"

“I don’t think I have a future in singing,” Lu Yanhe said directly. “I have some ideas for songwriting, but as for singing… with my voice, it’s unlikely I’ll achieve anything significant.”

“Yes, I agree with you. You are different from Tu Song. He can definitely sing. You are just a little better than Da Bai’s voice.” Chen Ziyan said bluntly. “Then you can only take the path of acting. With your student-like, bookish air, if you were to go into variety shows, you couldn’t completely lower yourself. Of course, this is just a plan. Before you become a popular star, you can’t give up any of these three things. The initial plan is to become popular first, and the later plan is to find the right position and exert your strength. We’ve made it clear now, but we need to give some emphasis to the initial plan.”

"good."

“In addition, I want you to learn how to write scripts,” Chen Ziyan said. “I don’t mean that you should actually write scripts or become a screenwriter in the future. I just think that you have creative thinking, and learning this skill will be beneficial to your acting later on.”

"good."

Chen Ziyan smiled with satisfaction.

“I reckon Zhou Pingan will come to you either tonight or tomorrow to formally terminate the contract. Just terminate the contract with him and follow the procedure,” Chen Ziyan said. “Once the previous contract is finished, we’ll formally sign the next one.”

"Okay." Lu Yanhe smiled as well.

Finally, Zhou Ping'an is going to become a thing of the past.

Ahead, between heaven and earth, towering buildings stand tall, and at the end of the road, a red sun hangs halfway in the middle.

The sunset is beautiful because it rises again in the east after it has set in the west.

-

Li Zhibai's first film has finished filming.

He had a lot of complaints he wanted to vent to them tonight, but then Chen Ziyan joined him for dinner, so he had to keep his rant to himself and just behave.

None of them dared to act recklessly in front of Chen Ziyan, a manager with a legendary reputation.

Although she wasn't Li Zhibai and Yan Liang's agent, Chen Ziyan knew them very well.

"You just finished filming 'Take You to the End of the World'?" Chen Ziyan even knew what Li Zhibai was filming before, which left Li Zhibai completely bewildered. He wondered what he had done to deserve the attention of such a big shot as her.

Li Zhi nodded obediently.

“The director of this show is quite talented,” Chen Ziyan said. “He is good at shooting urban love stories, especially at making people look handsome and beautiful. However, the female lead of this show, Meng Li, usually likes to step on the actors in the crew to promote herself during the promotion period. You should be careful about this.”

Li Zhibai immediately felt like he had met a kindred spirit and said, "I knew she wasn't a good person, and I was right."

"What did she do to you?" Chen Ziyan asked.

Li Zhibai said angrily, "She didn't say much, but she was disgusting. She was always late, and every time she came, she would pretend to apologize to everyone, saying that there was a traffic jam, that previous work was delayed, that sometimes she had to leave early, and that there were still scenes to be filmed. She would make everyone else stop filming and film her scenes first. I was already furious, and she actually told others that I was slowing down the crew's progress. I really wanted to punch her a couple of times. She's shameless."

Hearing him say that, Chen Ziyan remained calm and said, "It's normal for you to be angry when you encounter something like this since it's your first time acting. But actually, this kind of phenomenon is too common and it's not even a big deal."

"Nothing much?"

“The film crew is a place where there’s a very clear hierarchy. If you’re the lead, if you’re popular, you’re in a class of your own. Everyone on set will revolve around you first.” Chen Ziyan turned to Lu Yanhe and said, “It’ll be the same for you. You’re about to film ‘The Golden Era,’ and you’ll face the same things. You might have to get your hair and makeup done at seven in the morning. After that, you’ll start waiting for your scenes. If filming can start at ten or eleven, that’s considered lucky. The worst thing is that you’re kept waiting until three or four in the afternoon, and then someone comes and tells you that your scenes have been moved to tomorrow.”

Lu Yanhe had never heard of these things before, and when he heard Chen Ziyan say this, he found it strange and asked, "Why? If my scene is not going to start filming for several hours, why not just schedule me to get my makeup done later?"

Chen Ziyan said, "Because the best time is reserved for the lead actors, or actors who are more famous and have more popularity than you. The lead actors will be getting their makeup done at eight o'clock. You will have a scene with the lead actor, and others may also have scenes. But you don't know which scene will be filmed first on set. Since it's not decided, you can only go early and get your makeup done at seven o'clock."

The three young men have been in the industry for three years, especially Li Zhibai and Yan Liang. They have been working on and off and always thought they were familiar with the industry. They never expected that such a small thing on the set would leave them completely bewildered.

“The lead actors won’t give you time or roles, not just in terms of pay, but also in terms of treatment and time. If you’re not a lead actor and you’re not famous, you’ll just be the cheapest one,” Chen Ziyan told Lu Yanhe. “You need to adjust your mindset and be prepared to sit on the sidelines.”

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized what he meant and nodded.

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Ziyan smiled slightly and looked at the three young people: "You are all still very young, but I must say that once you enter this industry, you are already in a workplace. No one will treat you like students just because you are young. In the workplace, don't expect others to go easy on you or be lenient with you. Meng Li can still find some reasons and excuses for you to apologize to the crew, which is already giving you face. Maybe you will see a worse and more vicious side. Not to mention being late with a straight face, there was a time when hundreds of people in the crew waited for an actor to wake up before they could film. Before he woke up, they couldn't wake him up because he would be grumpy in the morning."

The trio, who had worked diligently and conscientiously since their debut but whose popularity had been steadily declining, looked at each other in bewilderment.

They've both worked in the entertainment industry, but they've never encountered anyone who dares to act like such a diva.

“These are all exceptional individuals, rare to encounter, but you will definitely meet them.” Chen Ziyan smiled, then looked at Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai, “He will no longer be working under Zhou Ping’an with you two. I heard you made an appointment today, so I specially invited you all here because I have something to say to the three of you. This is not an ideal, fairytale world. As people grow older and gain more experience, they become closer to each other. So, I want to say that no matter what happens in the future, the relationship you formed from fifteen to eighteen years old is precious, perhaps even the most precious relationship in your lives. You will understand this in the future, so cherish it and don’t give up.”

Lu Yanhe and the other two were surprised to hear Chen Ziyan's words and were speechless for a moment.

“We will cherish it.” Li Zhibai thought to himself that he was the oldest among them, so he took the lead. “Yan Liang and I are actually very happy that you were able to sign Lu Yanhe.”

“Your agent doesn’t know I’m going to sign Lu Yanhe yet. Once he finds out, there might be conflicts,” Chen Ziyan said. “If there are any conflicts between Zhou Ping’an and me in the future, those are between Zhou Ping’an and me, and have nothing to do with you. That’s what I wanted to say.”

Li Zhibai and Yan Liang were both dumbfounded.

Although Chen Ziyan didn't say it explicitly, they all understood what she meant.

It seems that Chen Ziyan is about to go to war with Zhou Ping'an.

"You are all very young, keep up the good work. Everything that happens is only temporary, and there is nothing that cannot be overcome."

"Oh, Ziyan, giving a lesson to young people?" A woman with short red hair suddenly walked over.

She wore glasses, black stockings, and a tight-fitting pencil skirt, and looked domineering.

"He Yingzi, you're back?" Chen Ziyan asked with a surprised expression.

The woman named He Yingzi smiled slightly and said, "Since you've come back to mentor the newcomers, how could I not come back?"

(End of this chapter)