Chapter 45

"Student Xia Hou Zhongying, I am not trying to deny your determination and spirit to make a movie, but as a newcomer who has never been exposed to this field before, aren't you worried that no one will be willing to spend money to watch your movie in the cinema?" A reporter asked from the audience: "Or are you worried that no cinema will be willing to screen your movie?"

"No, no, no, Mr. Reporter, I think you might not have paid attention to what I said just now," Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled.

Some students in the audience couldn't help but laugh.

Indeed, the reporter had not paid attention to Xia Hou Zhongying's speech. He was sent here because of the close relationship between the newspaper and S.M, and he was a bit resentful. He thought, what's the point of interviewing a few kids playing around? But the newspaper gave him a task, and he didn't dare not come. He just wanted to ask a few random questions and write a perfunctory article to get the job done.

When Xia Hou Zhongying asked him, and the students laughed at him, the reporter's face turned bright red. He had stood up to ask a question without even knowing what the movie was about, and he had made a complete fool of himself. Even his colleagues from the newspaper, who had come with him, couldn't bear to see him embarrassed and deliberately turned their heads away, pretending not to know him.

"The movie we are going to shoot is not a real movie, but a short film, which means it's not a very long movie," Xia Hou Zhongying explained after laughing a couple of times. "We don't plan to screen it in cinemas, but rather through the internet. It's not a commercial movie. To put it simply, it's more like a public service film. That's why the school is willing to support us without charge. Do you understand now?"

"Ah, I see, thank you!" The reporter thanked him and quickly sat down, feeling too embarrassed to speak again after such a big blunder.

"Student Xia Hou Zhongying, from what you said just now, you mentioned that your movie is not for profit. I would like to ask, where does your funding come from? Did you pay for it yourselves? Would your families agree with that?" Another reporter stood up and asked.

"Our families support our actions, but they don't support us paying for it ourselves," Xia Hou Zhongying said. "At first, I wanted to put in some of my own money, but after my father found out, he cut my living expenses to a quarter of what they were and told me that using family money to make a movie is not right. If we really want to do it, we have to rely on our own efforts."

Xia Hou Zhongying's self-deprecating story made the audience laugh, and even the reporter who asked the question couldn't help but laugh. He continued, "So where does your funding come from?"

"Our funding mainly comes from sponsorships. Our school, Kent, has already agreed to sponsor part of our expenses, and we will continue to seek support from other companies in society to cover the remaining gap," Xia Hou Zhongying answered.

"Principal Li Yinghai, I would like to ask you, what is the reason your school is willing to sponsor students making their own movie?" The reporter nodded after hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's answer and then asked the vice-principal.

"Regarding this matter, our school has given it serious consideration," Vice-Principal Li moved the microphone closer to his mouth and answered. "After reviewing Xia Hou Zhongying's proposal, we felt that his idea is very good and worth supporting. In recent years, we have noticed that our Korean students are becoming increasingly restless and under more pressure, with the student suicide rate continuously rising. This is a cause for concern. The content of the movie Xia Hou Zhongying plans to shoot reflects the positive side of students and can serve as a warning and guide. This is why we support him in making the movie."

"As educators, we should not just educate the students in our school, but all students in Korea," Vice-Principal Li continued with a concerned expression. "Any meaningful action that can be done for the students of our country, Kent is willing to fully support."

Vice-Principal Li's speech received enthusiastic applause from the audience. Xia Hou Zhongying was deeply impressed. What a talent, he could even link a sponsorship to national righteousness. His words were so righteous, comparable to politicians who hold anti-corruption banners while taking bribes.

"Principal Li Yinghai, as I understand it, one of the cast members is your daughter," the reporter continued. "Is there any reason your school supports them so much?"

Vice-Principal Li was immediately frustrated. This was a case of being hit while lying down. His daughter joining the cast wasn't entirely unrelated to him, but it was Xia Hou Zhongying, the little rascal, who used this to get her involved. Do you think I wanted her to join?

This was a difficult question to answer. Even if he said no, would anyone believe him? Vice-Principal Li felt very aggrieved.

"Let me answer this question," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and took over. "Li Lixiu joined the cast after we had already reached an agreement with the school. There is no reason that the school supports us because Li Lixiu is the vice-principal's daughter."

"Student Xia Hou Zhongying, why did you choose Li Lixiu?" The reporter, not believing there was no ulterior motive, continued to dig deeper. This was their instinct as paparazzi, hoping for more explosive news to attract the audience.

"Because she is my classmate, and we are familiar with each other, which allows for better cooperation during filming. Next question," Xia Hou Zhongying smiled and answered, not wanting to let the reporter continue on this topic.

"Student Xia Hou Zhongying, can you tell us about the content of the movie you are shooting?" Another reporter stood up and asked.

"I can't reveal the specific content, but I can tell you that the main content of the movie involves family, teacher-student relationships, and friendship," Xia Hou Zhongying answered.

"Then what is the name of your movie? Can you tell us that?" The reporter continued.

"Sure, the movie is called 'Green Apple Paradise,'" Xia Hou Zhongying answered.

The cast members were taken aback by Xia Hou Zhongying's answer. They knew the script was still not finalized and thought this question would be difficult for him to answer, but he unexpectedly revealed the movie's title.

"Green Apple Paradise?" The reporter nodded and asked, "Can you tell us why you chose this name?"

"Sure, there's no problem with that," Xia Hou Zhongying nodded and said, "In Western fables, Adam and Eve created humanity because they ate a ripe apple..."

Before Xia Hou Zhongying could finish, the audience burst into laughter.

"... A green apple, literally, is an unripe apple, symbolizing students or children who are not yet adults," Xia Hou Zhongying chuckled. "Green Apple Paradise means a paradise for students. For us students, school should not just be a place for learning but also a paradise."

"Hmm, this rascal is quite good at making things up," Vice-Principal Li thought to himself after hearing Xia Hou Zhongying's explanation. And the name was indeed well-chosen, fitting the theme of youth and campus life.

The reporter nodded. He was also sent here and asked two questions before nodding and sitting down.

After the reporter sat down, another reporter stood up and asked, "Student Xia Hou Zhongying, I noticed that all the actors in your movie are newcomers. Do you think they can perform their roles well?"

"Why do you think they can't?" Xia Hou Zhongying countered.

"Because they are all newcomers. Apart from seven girls who are trainees from an agency, the rest are students who have never been involved in this industry and have never taken any acting classes," the reporter said. "Actors need long-term training to perform their roles well. Do you think your actors can do that?"

This was a tricky question, and the cast members were very nervous. Being questioned by the reporter made them uncomfortable, but no one dared to stand up and say they could do it, as several of them had never taken any acting classes, and even the S.M trainees lacked confidence.

Vice-Principal Li also thought this was a bad question. A poor answer could cause a lot of trouble. He was secretly worried for Xia Hou Zhongying, hoping he wouldn't make a mistake.

Xia Hou Zhongying didn't answer immediately but chuckled a few times, making Zheng Xiuyan want to punch him for still having the nerve to laugh at this point.

"I don't need my actors to play anyone else," Xia Hou Zhongying answered.

Xia Hou Zhongying's response left everyone on stage and in the audience stunned. It was such an unexpected answer.

"Why?" the reporter asked.

"We are shooting a campus youth movie. Their roles are students, and they just need to be themselves. Since they are all students, why should they play someone else?" Xia Hou Zhongying replied.

As soon as Xia Hou Zhongying finished speaking, the audience burst into thunderous applause, with continuous cheers. His answer was excellent.

The reporter couldn't help but admire Xia Hou Zhongying's quick wit. Regardless of the actors' skills or the quality of the future movie, his answer was of high quality. Students just need to be themselves, which is a natural performance.

Vice-Principal Li breathed a sigh of relief. This kid's answer was indeed brilliant, leaving no room for criticism.

The cast members were also deeply impressed by Xia Hou Zhongying's response, their admiration like a continuous flow of water.

The reporters then asked a few more questions, and Xia Hou Zhongying answered them systematically.

The media friendly with S.M also asked a few questions to Zheng Xiuyan and others. With Xia Hou Zhongying's earlier groundwork, the girls answered without any major mistakes. If there were questions they couldn't answer, they would defer to Xia Hou Zhongying.

Despite his young age, Xia Hou Zhongying was very slick and didn't let the reporters catch any loopholes. In the end, the reporters, known for digging up private information, couldn't get much inside information beyond the title of students self-funding and self-shooting a movie, which was somewhat attractive.

The reporters were at a loss about how to write their articles. If they wrote praise, what if Xia Hou Zhongying's movie turned out to be a flop? That would be a big embarrassment. If they wrote that Xia Hou Zhongying and his team were overestimating themselves, they had good relationships with S.M and Kent, and they couldn't undermine them.

Especially for the media with good relationships with S.M, if they mishandled it and strained their relationship with S.M, they would lose many news topics, which would affect their newspaper sales.

In the end, the reporters had to write neutral articles, praising Xia Hou Zhongying and his team's spirit while expressing doubts about the quality of the movie.

Regardless of the reporters' frustration, the press conference was a success. The students of Kent were satisfied with their curiosity being satisfied and had a topic to boast about to others. Two days later, Kent finally returned to its normal teaching atmosphere.

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