Chapter 9

On July 23rd, two weeks after the college entrance exam (Gaokao) ended, the exam results had already been tallied.

Wang Qinan received a notification to go to his homeroom teacher's office to fill out his college application. Over the phone, the teacher, with a mix of surprise and excitement, told Wang Qinan that his score was very high, and he could be admitted to any university in the country. The exact score was kept confidential, with the teacher saying that he would know when he saw the results posted at school.

Early in the morning, Wang Qinan arrived at the school.

Outside the school gate, it was as bustling as a market, with many students and parents gathered around the bulletin board, discussing the results posted on the wall.

"Your Li Ling did well this time, scoring over 570 points, reaching the first-tier university admission line."

"Not as good as your Xu Shanshan, who scored 648 points, the second-best in the entire school!"

"Ah, don't mention it. My daughter has always been the top student in her class and grade since high school. But in the last semester, she was surpassed by someone named Wang Qinan! He only worked hard for one semester and outperformed my daughter, who had been working hard for three years! The teachers all say Wang Qinan is a true genius, not just smart, but with a memory like a computer. I want to see what kind of monster this Wang Qinan is..."

"Look, that's Wang Qinan, the top scorer!"

"Wang Qinan?! He looks quite refined, definitely the type of a good student!"

Hearing the comments from many parents, Wang Qinan suppressed his excitement and walked straight to where his homeroom teacher was.

Wang Qinan received a red college entrance exam ranking list from his homeroom teacher and found that his score was 675, ranking first on the list!

In the 1997 Gaokao, each subject was out of 100 points, and the science exam consisted of seven subjects, making the full score 700! Moreover, the questions in the late 1990s were more difficult than those in the later "quality education" period. Scoring 675 was already a monstrous achievement.

"Wang Qinan, you did exceptionally well, bringing honor to our class! This score is not only the best in our school but also the top in the entire TJ City!" The homeroom teacher, with an excited expression, patted Wang Qinan on the shoulder and said, "With this score, you can definitely get into Peking University or Tsinghua University without any doubt!"

"Teacher, I don't want to go to Peking or Tsinghua," Wang Qinan said with a smile.

"Not Peking or Tsinghua? How about the University of Science and Technology of China or Fudan University?" the teacher suggested, "But in terms of reputation, Peking and Tsinghua are still the best!"

"I know, but I plan to go to the Beijing Film Academy!" Wang Qinan said with a smile.

"Beijing Film Academy? An art school, how can that be? It's not in the same league as Peking and Tsinghua! Graduates from Peking and Tsinghua have golden bowls, while graduates from art schools, even the most famous ones, might end up unemployed!" the teacher said excitedly, "Moreover, to get into the Film Academy, it's not just about the Gaokao score; the more important part is the art exam, which is taken before the Gaokao!"

"Back in January, I already took the art exam for the Beijing Film Academy and passed the third round. I'm just waiting for the final decision based on my Gaokao score!" Wang Qinan said proudly.

The teacher was taken aback, speechless, realizing that this student, who had only worked hard in the last semester and had jumped from the middle of the class to the top, was very determined.

If he weren't so determined, his learning efficiency wouldn't have been so high...

Well, everyone has their own aspirations!

The Beijing Film Academy is at least a first-tier university and is renowned in the domestic cultural industry.

But usually, students who go to the Beijing Film Academy have average academic scores but high artistic talent. For someone like Wang Qinan, the top science scorer, to choose the Beijing Film Academy is truly rare and a waste of his Gaokao score...

...

More than ten days after filling out the application, the admission notice had not arrived, and Wang Qinan was getting anxious.

It seemed... he had only filled out one application! If something went wrong and the Beijing Film Academy didn't accept him, he would be in an awkward situation...

However, in early August, a phone call broke the peace at home and also relieved Wang Qinan: "Hello, are you Mr. Wang Qinan? We are from the post office!"

"Yes! What's the matter?" Wang Qinan felt a mix of excitement and anticipation.

"In a moment, your admission notice will be delivered. Please be ready to sign for it. Bring your ID and admission ticket; you must verify your identity and sign in person!" the post office staff said.

"Thank you, I understand!" Wang Qinan felt exceptionally excited—finally, my admission notice!

About ten minutes later, seeing the postal van stop at the entrance of the neighborhood, Wang Qinan gave the delivery person a can of cola and a pack of cigarettes. The delivery person, pleased with Wang Qinan's gift, said, "Thank you, sir, have a drink."

"No, no, no..." the delivery person refused repeatedly.

But Wang Qinan left the gifts on the van, and the delivery person reluctantly accepted them.

Following the procedure, Wang Qinan took out his admission ticket and ID to verify his identity, signed the receipt, and finally received the envelope containing the admission notice.

After signing for the mail and seeing the delivery person off, Wang Qinan eagerly opened the envelope and saw the "Admission Notice" inside, which read:

"Dear Wang Qinan,

Congratulations on successfully passing the professional examination and the national college entrance exam of the Beijing Film Academy. You meet our admission criteria. After careful consideration, you have been admitted to the undergraduate program in Dramatic Literature at the Department of Literature, with a four-year study period.

Please follow the instructions on the attached page and report to the Beijing Film Academy on time."

Wang Qinan read the admission notice over and over again, his heart filled with indescribable excitement. Each time he read it, he felt a surge of joy!

The Beijing Film Academy, the gateway to the world of film art!

This unique school has cultivated thousands of renowned directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and actors. The talent it has produced is almost ubiquitous in the upper, middle, and lower levels of the domestic film and entertainment industry!

Especially in the high-end talent, the Beijing Film Academy has the most graduates!

Imagine—Zhang Tielin, Jiang Liwen, Zhao Wei, Huang Xiaoming, Chen Kun, Huang Haibo, Yao Chen, Liu Yifei, Huang Shengyi, and many other stars and famous actors are all graduates of the Beijing Film Academy.

Many well-known directors, such as Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, are also graduates of the Beijing Film Academy.

Others might struggle for years to get into the industry, hoping to be recognized by influential people, just to have a slim chance.

But students from the Beijing Film Academy, after entering, can meet and befriend future stars and influential people without much effort, gaining countless opportunities.

The Beijing Film Academy often sees the phenomenon of "one person becoming famous, and everyone else rising with them," where a rising star or director can bring along many of their classmates and alumni.

In the entertainment industry... the importance of connections and networks often surpasses that of the workplace!

Talent is important, but if no one in the industry helps you or plays with you, your talent is often hard to be discovered. With so many talented people in China, why should your talent be recognized and become famous, rather than that of Uncle Li from the next village?

Thinking about this, Wang Qinan almost drooled.

At lunchtime.

Seeing Wang Qinan couldn't stop smiling, his parents misunderstood.

"This kid, applying to a film academy, I bet it's because there are many female celebrity classmates at the Beijing Film Academy, so..."

"Xiaonian, going to the Beijing Film Academy is fine, just focus on your studies. Don't think about chasing after female celebrity classmates and neglect your studies!"

Seeing his parents scold him, Wang Qinan quickly explained, "You're thinking too much, how could I..."

"Explanation is just a cover-up, and cover-up is the beginning of deception!" his mother, having learned this from a magazine, applied it here.

"Actually, if you can date a female celebrity classmate, it's not a bad thing. But she should have a good character and not attract too much attention," his father said more seriously.

"Ugh, I give up on you... I just got the admission notice from the Beijing Film Academy!" Wang Qinan said, feeling both amused and exasperated by his parents' teasing.

...

PS: First update, thanks to "Don't Cry in June" for the tip.

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