Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 3 Preliminary Test
A cold wind blew by, and Gu Xiao hunched her neck, feeling that life was so absurd.

With nearly 6,000 applicants, how could he possibly run into Luo Jin?

Before he could even react, Luo Jin leaned forward with a grim expression, his voice hushed:
"Hey bro, I... I have a bit of an upset stomach. I was in a rush when I left. Could you lend me some tissues?"

Gu Xiao's expression froze.

No wonder they were able to spot him so accurately in the crowd—everyone else had their parents with them, but he was all alone.

He silently took out a tissue from his pocket and handed it over.

Luo Jin thanked him profusely, grabbed a tissue, and ran away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Gu Xiao was both amused and exasperated. Before she could recover, a sudden commotion erupted ahead.

The school gate slowly opened.

The crowd surged in like a tide.

Several students in school uniforms stood at the entrance to maintain order, and occasionally someone held up a sign to help candidates get to their respective examination rooms.

A sense of tension, excitement, and trepidation filled the air.

Infected by this emotion, Gu Xiao couldn't help but become nervous as well.

He looked around as he walked, and when he saw that none of the future stars were among the students in his school, he was a little disappointed, but he quickly came to terms with it.

Besides the acting department, the Beijing Film Academy also has departments of literature, photography, fine arts, and directing. Only a few of them will become famous in the future, so it's normal that you won't see them.

"Acting students, follow me! Remember to bring your admission ticket!"

A girl with a high ponytail held up a list and shouted, causing a stir in the crowd. A large group of candidates followed the girl toward the auditorium.

Gu Xiao followed silently, unable to suppress her emotions:

In his previous life, he had absolutely nothing to do with art. The only connection he had was that he studied painting in high school to pursue girls.

It's absurd that I've traveled through time and space and ended up directly in this top-tier art academy.

The Beijing Film Academy campus is extremely simple, lacking the glass curtain walls and magnificent high-rise buildings common in universities today; instead, it consists of old-style buildings that are five or six stories high.

Several sparrows perched on the bare tree trunks on both sides of the road, chirping incessantly.

"So noisy, so noisy!"

"People! So many people!"

"It smells so good, it smells so good!"

A pleasant smell? Gu Xiao sniffed, looked around, and didn't find anything unusual.

Wait, why would I believe a bird?

Gu Xiao resisted the urge to cover her face, kept her eyes straight ahead, and continued to follow the group toward the auditorium.

……

……

The auditorium was more spacious than I had imagined.

Hundreds of tiered seats were quickly filled with people, and the stage and giant screen in front attracted the attention of all the candidates.

The senior student in charge of guiding the class stood in front of the podium, her voice coming through the microphone:
"Please keep quiet. Staff will verify your admission ticket and ID. After verification, the large screen will display your exam number in batches, and you will be led to your designated exam room by a senior student."

The scene fell silent instantly.

A silent tension simmered in the air. Gu Xiao, sitting in the back row, noticed the girl in the front row taking deep breaths and the boy next to her moving his lips slightly as he silently recited his script.

It took him a few minutes to spot Luo Jin.

At that moment, the other person was engrossed in tidying up their clothes, smoothing their dark gray sweater over and over again, completely unaware of the slightly disgusted look in the eyes of the girl next to them.

Seeing this, Gu Xiao also took out the prepared manuscript and began to study it.

Although he was just going through the motions, he still studied the art exam rules out of respect.

In general, the entrance exams for the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy are divided into three parts: preliminary exam, second exam, and third exam.

The initial elimination rate reached 80%, and only about 1000 out of 6000 art students could advance to the next round. The assessment content was extremely simple: self-introduction, recitation, and a group skit.

Based on the analysis of the exam questions, the first two items mainly assess the candidates' demeanor and language expression. As for the group skit, with less than a minute of rehearsal time, it's impossible to polish any brilliant content; as long as the performance is natural and logical, it's fine.

"Daring to act is more important than knowing how to act," Gu Xiao silently concluded to herself.

After saying that, he couldn't help but laugh at himself:

I'm just a free kill, why bother with all this?

Time ticked by, the number of people in the auditorium dwindled, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Several art students began to fidget and become restless.

Gu Xiaoting, who has had multiple job-seeking experiences, understands.

The feeling of waiting for judgment would make even adults tremble, let alone these teenagers, most of whom were seventeen or eighteen years old and still had a childish look on their faces.

Each time the list is announced, it draws a collective gasp and countless focused gazes.

Those whose names were called felt as if they had been granted a pardon and left with light steps, while the rest fell into a deeper silence and anxiety after a brief commotion.

"Tsk, youth is wonderful."

Gu Xiao sighed to herself in a self-important tone.

For someone like him, who was tormented by the workplace and ultimately forced to give up and join the ranks of those taking the civil service exam, this naiveté is not laughable; on the contrary, it evokes a sense of inexplicable envy.

Just as this anxiety was brewing, the staff behind the podium picked up another list.

"Candidates whose exam numbers are called next, please follow me to exam room number three."

"0208103, 0208115, 0208120"

Gu Xiaoman listened absentmindedly until a number entered her ears.

".0208127."

That's his exam number.

Gu Xiao stood up, straightened the wrinkles in her clothes from sitting for so long, and walked towards the door along with dozens of other candidates whose numbers had been called.

As he passed Luo Jin's row, he noticed the look Luo Jin gave him, a mixture of encouragement and sympathy that said, "It's your turn."

Gu Xiao nodded almost imperceptibly and walked towards the teaching building under the guidance of the instructor.

……

……

In a small classroom, several wooden tables were pushed together to form a long table, and five examiners sat behind them.

Thick stacks of documents were piled on the table, and each examiner had paper and pen in front of him. The strong aroma of tea wafted through the classroom.

There were five examiners. The one in the center was a middle-aged man wearing a turtleneck sweater, with a serious expression, occasionally looking down to write.

The man and woman on the left and right sides are slightly younger. The man wears square glasses and has a cold gaze, giving people a sense of authority without anger.

The remaining two were younger, with relatively easygoing expressions, and occasionally whispered to each other.

Bulky video cameras were placed in the corners on both sides, their lenses coldly pointed at the center of the examination room.

With a knock on the door, the guide led a dozen or so boys and girls into the classroom, and the five examiners immediately turned their attention to them.

It would have been better if they hadn't looked. Once they did, most of the students who came in looked away, and some even became unnatural in their movements.

Several examiners shook their heads inwardly, and the chief examiner, Huo Xuan, had even sentenced several of the students to death.

No matter how talented someone is, if they don't even have the courage to face an audience, then that person is simply not suited for performing.

With a command from the recorder at the desk, the exam officially began.

The whole process was extremely fast. After a one-minute self-introduction, candidates immediately began reading aloud. Most candidates were stopped after reading only two or three sentences, and the longest one person read was only five sentences.

An awkward atmosphere filled every corner of the classroom, and the sound of ballpoint pens scratching paper was particularly jarring.

Just as the student was about to break down, a young man wearing a white crew-neck sweatshirt walked out, his confident and composed voice echoing in the classroom:

Hello, teachers!
"I am candidate number 0208127, Gu Xiao, and I am 17 years old."

(End of this chapter)