Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 36 Art Examination (2)

People working in the art field tend to be quite imaginative, and no one thought the Hong Kong director's proposal was particularly abrupt.

But when it comes to the annual art exam, Zhang Huijun is still cautious.

He discussed this with Tian Zhuangzhuang and Xie Xiaojin, saying, "How about we treat this as an additional question and invite Yimou to join the team of judges to inspect the teachers. This will also serve as a way to give these young people some advice."

Since the principal had spoken, everyone agreed. The secretary accepted the task and hurried to copy the manuscript.

Zhang Jianting looked at each other and thought that today's trip was not in vain, as he finally completed the leader's instructions.

The Eagle King's journey north is far from easy. He has to take care of the King of Hell and please the little ghosts.

As Li Shoucheng's son-in-law, Zhang Jianting is now responsible for maintaining all relationships in the Beijing area.

"What's going on?" Xie Xiaojin frowned as he looked at the stalemate in the stands.

The people who had the conflict were none other than Lu Kuan and Liu Zeyu.

The latter had disliked Lu Kuan, who was in the lead, since the first round. He had been enduring it for a long time, just to steal his spot in the performance and deliberately create a conflict.

In the discussion just now, Lu Kuan’s role is that of a migrant worker who has a stomachache and wants to go to the toilet. He will hand his luggage to a girl next to him, and have a plot conflict with the latter, completing the performance parts of both of them.

As a result, Liu Zeyu got there first.

Everyone was dumbfounded. This was not the line or plot that had just been discussed. If they just stood there like this, the performance would be ruined.

Wang Jingsong and others also frowned. They were all veterans who had been immersed in the industry for many years and had served as judges for countless performance competitions and exams.

Even Zhang Huijun, who was a little unfamiliar with the job after becoming a principal, could see that the show was so obvious.

"Director Xie, the college's ideological and moral character must also be strengthened in the future."

"Yes, principal."

Zhang Jianting thought to himself that something was wrong. He didn't expect that this kid was so well-behaved and obedient in front of adults, and looked smart, but had a pig's brain at the critical moment.

Without this incident, it would not be a problem for him to stand out in the four tests based on the test questions he leaked in advance.

He almost bit his back teeth off, and had no choice but to walk aside and whisper a few words to Zhang Huijun.

Zhang Huijun looked at him solemnly, nodded without comment, and did not make any statement.

Some things can be done but not said. He did not receive any notes or hints from his superiors in advance, so even if he knew Liu Zeyu's identity, he had to pretend not to know.

As for the final scoring and results, it is nothing more than coordination and weighing. Isn’t the doctrine of the mean what Chinese people are best at?
Zhang Jianting felt relieved when he saw his expression. The leader's original intention was not to leave any clues, and he just wanted him, a Hong Konger, to quietly lend a helping hand. But now he had exposed all the traps.

However, between two evils, the most important thing is to ensure that this kid can be admitted.

The stage performance paused for more than ten seconds, and Lu Kuan suddenly laughed, "Liu Zeyu, did you drink too much cold water and have a stomachache? You've been farting all morning!"

He pretended to take the luggage from Liu Zeyu. Wang Jingsong couldn't help nodding his head at the performance without physical objects. His basic skills were considered solid.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. This hurdle was finally over, and they wouldn't all be dragged to death because of this bastard's deliberate revenge.

Liu Zeyu didn't expect him to react so quickly.

Hearing him using the lines to scold himself for farting, he disdainfully retorted, "You didn't fart? I don't know what you ate this morning, but it stinks so bad!" Lu Kuan learned to speak authentic Beijing dialect: "What? I let you smell my fart, and you still want the recipe?"

First, He Yanjiang couldn't help laughing, and then the actors around the station all laughed, tacitly performing the plot of mocking Liu Zeyu.

"This kid is quite interesting. Why doesn't he apply to the acting department?" Wang Jingsong said in surprise.

He used his quick wit and humor to turn the situation around quickly and restore the normal order of interpretation. He will get high scores again in this round.

Tian Zhuangzhuang said, "Don't rush to snatch him away. I think Lu Kuan has performed very well before. The directing department is more suitable for him."

This fifth-generation director, who was banned during the golden decade of his career, is about to take up the teaching position and will replace Xie Xiaojin as the department head in three years.

At this time, he must be speaking towards the directing department.

"Hui Jun, this class of students is quite good." Zhang Yimou flattered his old classmate subtly.

Chen Daoming also pointed at Lu Kuan, who had just responded to the situation, and said, "That young man is very smart."

Zhang Huijun nodded and smiled, obviously appreciating Lu Kuan's rescue.

After the performance report, everyone who left the stage looked at the bad apple Liu Zeyu with hatred. He Yanjiang had a hot temper and would not hesitate to fight unless they were told to do so in the examination room.

Liu Zeyu stood aside with a sarcastic look on his face, and a group of peasants were unwilling to associate with him.

The twenty or so candidates had not had a chance to relax before they became nervous due to a notice from the examiner.

Me? Giving feedback on the new screenplay for Zhang Yimou's $3000 million film "Hero"? Crazy, right?
Lu Kuan got the script, and each person had 15 minutes to prepare for reading, 5 minutes for discussion, and 30 minutes for group defense.

The examination is still in the form of a group interview, and experienced candidates can often gain an advantage.

Because everyone's level is about the same, the things they can figure out in a short period of time are very superficial. If you speak first, he will have nothing to say, and the person who speaks last will be very embarrassed.

The defense began soon, and everyone was nervous, except Liu Zeyu, who was confident.

That's right, he was ready to point out some minor flaws and then praise Zhang Yimou's script highly!
Xiao Xiaoxian, the only female candidate today, spoke: "The script isn't quite finished yet, but we can already see the creator's ambition. The plot is full of ups and downs, suspense and surprises, keeping the audience on edge throughout the show."

He Yanjiang continued, "The blind singing girl is the core of the story. She is entangled in the feud between her parents and the emotional entanglement between two men. Every character in the story has a dual or even multiple identity, which turns into a Rashomon of "conspiracy and love."

The remaining candidates spoke enthusiastically, but only Liu Zeyu's combination of praise and criticism aroused the interest of Zhang Yimou and others.

Tian Zhuangzhuang nodded continuously after listening to him. His analysis was very thorough. The artistic quality and plot structure of this script did have a sense of fragmentation, and whether the main plot was a love story or a martial arts story was also worth discussing.

Zhang Jianting's expression looked a little better. He finally got through this part safely. Liu Zeyu received his advice in advance, and the depth and breadth of his expression were unmatched by other candidates.

"Hui Jun, I say the same thing again. This year's students are so outstanding. It seems that Beijing Film Academy will rise under your leadership!"

Zhang Yimou is not just flattering this time. Regardless of the generation of directors, it is their common wish to expand the domestic film industry.

The Beijing Film Academy, the cradle of Chinese film talent, plays an extremely crucial role in cultivating and guiding young directors.

Xie Xiaojin picked up the microphone and reminded: "Candidates who haven't spoken yet, hurry up, there are 7 minutes left."

Lu Kuan quietly looked at the provocative look from Liu Zeyu who was showing off in front of others. He had no time to compete with him and stood up leisurely.

(End of this chapter)