February 15, 2002

9 o'clock sharp

Looking at the three large yellow stone pillars in front of me, with the six large red characters "Beijing Film Academy" written on them, and two stone lions sitting next to the main gate of the Beijing Film Academy.

The entrance to the Beijing Film Academy was already packed with people, mostly young men and women, the air thick with youthful energy. Today was the day for the academy's admissions process. Four teachers—three men and one woman—emerged from the entrance and began maintaining order among the young applicants.

"Everyone, line up and take out your admission tickets."

"Enter in order, one by one."

At this moment, a handsome young man with sharp features, bright eyes and eyebrows, who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, walked to the main gate of Beijing Film Academy carrying a black backpack.

His appearance instantly stirred feelings of excitement in the young girls present; after all, spring had arrived, the season of vibrant life. The hearts of the young men and women began to flutter.

"What a handsome young man! (⊙o⊙) Wow."

"Yes, yes, and her outfit is really cool. She has a great figure."

"(⊙o⊙) Wow, Mom, I'm in love! The air at Beijing Film Academy is really different; I feel like I can breathe so easily now."

"Damn, lady, even lust shouldn't be like this. And your breathing difficulties are because of the smog."

...........

At this moment, several teachers from the Beijing Film Academy also noticed this outstanding young man, and their eyes immediately lit up with a different kind of light. The teachers exchanged glances and talked to each other.

"What a promising talent! He looks a lot like John Lone, and has an ethereal quality. This is truly a gem!"

But what the boy said next almost made the teachers faint.

"Damn, this is the Beijing Film Academy? Why is the gate so ugly, it looks like a pile of poop."

Just then, the boy's phone rang.

Men, cry, cry, it's not a sin.

Even the strongest person has the right to feel tired.

Behind a smile may lie only heartbreak.

Why be so startled and embarrassed?

Men, cry, cry, it's not a sin.

The call was connected.

"Hey, Mom? Yeah, I'm at the entrance of Beijing Film Academy. Okay, I know. By the way, Mom, the color of the gate to Beijing Film Academy is weird, it looks like poop. I want to go to the Central Academy of Drama, and the girls at Beijing Film Academy don't seem to be very pretty. Okay, that's settled. Mom, I'm going to the Central Academy of Drama now."

The boy hung up the phone and prepared to turn and leave.

"Teacher Wang, this kid is leaving. You need to go and persuade him to stay. We can't let the Central Academy of Drama snatch such a promising talent away."

When several teachers from the Beijing Film Academy saw that the young man was about to leave, they quickly pushed out a bald man to stop him.

"Hey classmate, wait a minute, don't go! Why go to the Central Academy of Drama? The Beijing Film Academy is the best film school in China. Let's talk, classmate. What's your name?"

A middle-aged man with glasses, a bald head, and sharp eyes grabbed the boy. The boy began to struggle, but the middle-aged man was no pushover, and the boy was at a disadvantage in terms of weight.

"Uh, big brother, let go. I'm in a hurry to get to the Central Academy of Drama for my exam. Let go."

The middle-aged man looked at the boy with a smile: "Forget about the Central Academy of Drama. Weren't you the one who was slandering the Beijing Film Academy just now? You were spouting nonsense. Kid, just come with me to take the Beijing Film Academy exam. You can forget about leaving. Otherwise, I'll just cancel your art exam. Let me tell you, I know the admissions office at the Central Academy of Drama very well."

The young man remained unfazed by the middle-aged bald man's threats, which made the middle-aged man admire the young man even more.

"No, bro, what's with all this bragging? Who are you? Pulling and tugging like this in broad daylight, what are you trying to do? Are you some kind of young buddy who's trying to assault someone? It's not good if people see this, so listen to me and let go."

The middle-aged man's face darkened: "Don't give me that witty talk, kid. My name is Wang Jinsong. I'm a teacher in the acting department at Beijing Film Academy, a professor and acting instructor at the Beijing Film Academy, and the vice chairman of the Beijing Film Academy's labor union. You'd better come with me to take the exam now, or you can forget about your acting dream."

The boy was a little confused by what the middle-aged man said.

"Wow, so many titles. Wow, that's impressive. But, bro. Uh, teacher, I never wanted to be an actor."

Wang Jinsong was instantly dumbfounded: "You came to the Beijing Film Academy to take the entrance exam, what else would you be if not an actor?"

The young man flashed a bright white smile at Wang Jinsong: "Of course I want to be a director! I never intended to be an actor in the first place. I wanted to be a director. My goal is to... uh, no, to revitalize the Chinese film industry."

Wang Jinsong narrowed his eyes: "Kid, you've got a slip of the tongue, haven't you? 'Unspoken rules,' you're thinking about that at such a young age. Come with me, or I'll make you regret it. You think I can't handle you?"

After saying that, Wang Jinsong grabbed the boy by the collar and headed towards the gate of Beijing Film Academy.

The boy started howling.

"Help! A teacher from Beijing Film Academy is forcibly taking a man from the village!"

"Someone save me! This bald guy is trying to seduce me!"

"Help!"

The boy's ramblings became increasingly outrageous, so Wang Jinsong quickly covered his mouth. Looking at the boy with a dark expression, he thought, "What kind of scoundrel is this?"

At this moment, the other teachers also came over and looked at the boy, speechless. What kind of weirdo was this, shouting and yelling so pitifully, it was truly heartbreaking, like snow falling in June. They quickly covered Chen Fang's mouth and told him that if this young man kept howling, the reputation of Beijing Film Academy would be ruined.