Chapter 2

Two weeks later, in the afternoon, Zhang Ran, carrying his suitcase, walked out of Anzhen Hospital.

Zhang Ran’s relationship had not yet been transferred to the Beijing Film Academy, so he could not be considered a member of the academy. Since his injury was self-inflicted, it could not be classified as a work-related injury, and he had to bear the medical expenses himself. The treatment at the municipal hospital for so many days, along with the hospitalization fees and various other medication costs, amounted to an astronomical figure. The nurse at the counter took more than ten minutes just to calculate the charges, which drained all the savings he had accumulated in the United States.

Truly, after years of hard work, one fall sent him back to the starting point!

Fortunately, Zhang Ran had fully integrated the memories of the Zhang Ran from the Beijing Film Academy. These memories seemed to have become part of his life experiences, and whenever he thought about them, they would naturally surface in his mind, crystal clear.

During these days, Zhang Ran had also figured out his path. He still wanted to make movies.

Of course, this was very difficult. It was 2001, the lowest point for Chinese cinema. At this time, Chinese cinema had not yet entered the era of commercial films. It wasn't until the end of 2002 that Zhang Yimou's "Hero" would revolutionize the industry, ushering in the commercialization of Chinese cinema. Apart from a few directors like Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang, most films were losing money, and there were very few people willing to invest in making movies.

In such a situation, the possibility of a new director obtaining investment was almost zero. The first films of new directors in China were mostly funded by their own efforts. Jia Zhangke's "Xiao Shan Hui Jia" was funded by his photography group; Ning Hao's "Xiang Huo" was funded by the money he earned from shooting advertisements; Li Yang mortgaged his house to fund "Blind Mountain."

Actually, it wasn't just in China; it was the same worldwide. Without fame, why would anyone believe in a newcomer? Reincarnated individuals are not gods; they can't just lie on the ground and expect to achieve greatness!

Compared to this, entering the Beijing Film Academy was truly the best choice. The Beijing Film Academy had two significant advantages: first, a vast network of connections. In the entire film and television industry, from film production to distribution, every link had the presence of Beijing Film Academy alumni. It's no exaggeration to say that the Beijing Film Academy dominated half of China's film industry, and becoming a teacher at the academy meant having a vast network of connections. Second, the academy had its own film studio—the Youth Film Studio. The purpose of the Youth Film Studio was to provide students with practical training opportunities and to give teachers the chance to practice. As a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, Zhang Ran naturally had the opportunity to make films, which was much easier than trying to secure funding outside.

The sun overhead spewed toxic flames, scorching the scalp and emitting a faint smell of burning. Zhang Ran suddenly remembered the situation when he graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2006 and came to the capital to make a name for himself. It was also August, and the sun was just as scorching. At that time, Zhang Ran was full of hope, thinking there were endless possibilities, but he was ultimately sent to hell by a single word from Feng Xiaogang.

But this time was different. Zhang Ran was no longer a naive young man just starting out. He had the memories of the next 14 years and the knowledge of two lifetimes. He believed he would not fail this time!

Zhang Ran took a deep breath, the scorching air almost scalding his lungs. He raised his hand to hail a taxi and got in.

"To the Beijing Film Academy!"

This time, Zhang Ran was very careful as he went upstairs, fearing that the tragedy would repeat itself. However, a smart person wouldn't fall in the same place twice. He smoothly arrived at the office of the Dean of the Acting Department and met Professor Chen Jianfeng, the dean.

Chen Jianfeng was in his fifties, not tall, with a lean face, but his eyes were sharp and seemed to see into one's soul.

He pointed to the chair opposite him and smiled, "Come, sit down. How is your health? Have you fully recovered? If not, don't rush to leave the hospital. Health is the capital of revolution; you can't be careless!"

"Thank you, Dean!" Zhang Ran sat down in the chair opposite Chen Jianfeng, looking helpless, "I've been fully recovered for a long time. If the hospital hadn't insisted on observing me for a few more days, I would have been discharged long ago!"

Chen Jianfeng nodded slightly, "Regarding your work, the party committee has already discussed it. You will be responsible for teaching the acting course for the 01 undergraduate class and will also serve as the class advisor. Do you have any thoughts on this arrangement?"

Zhang Ran frowned. Being a class advisor and an acting teacher would leave him less time for other things, but he still nodded, "Thank you for the trust the school has placed in me. I will do my best to do my job well. However, I have no experience in teaching, and I'm afraid I might make mistakes."

Chen Jianfeng seemed to see through Zhang Ran's thoughts and said earnestly, "Lack of experience is not a problem. All teachers have gone through this. The key is to be dedicated and genuinely care for the students. I have seen your abilities; you must believe in yourself!"

He paused and looked at Zhang Ran seriously, "Zhang Ran, you were recruited by me, and many eyes are on you. You must not slack off in your work. You must be diligent and teach the students well!"

"Dean, rest assured. Since I chose to come to the Beijing Film Academy as a teacher, I am prepared to teach and nurture students!" Zhang Ran felt that Chen Jianfeng's words were a reminder and responded affirmatively.

Chen Jianfeng nodded, "To be honest, in terms of acting, our Beijing Film Academy lags behind the Central Academy of Drama. New ideas are always brought in by the Central Academy of Drama. In the early 1980s, Zhou Caiqin brought the Expressionist style from Britain to the Central Academy of Drama. In recent years, Jiang Ruoyu returned to the Central Academy of Drama and brought back the Method Acting style. As for our Beijing Film Academy, we have always followed the Central Academy of Drama! No matter what others think, as the dean of the Acting Department, I cannot accept this! I hope that our Beijing Film Academy can come up with its own ideas and explore a path unique to us!"

Zhang Ran immediately felt the pressure. He had come to the Beijing Film Academy for its network and resources, hoping to use the platform to quickly start his film career. Of course, he was also prepared to be a teacher and planned to teach the students well. However, now Chen Jianfeng not only wanted him to teach but also to explore a new path for the Beijing Film Academy. He felt the pressure was a bit too much and smiled bitterly, "Dean, you're putting a heavy burden on me!"

Chen Jianfeng laughed, "Young people need to be given responsibilities and need to push forward. I, an old man, have the heart but not the strength. Don't be afraid of making mistakes or failing. In teaching and research, no one is perfect. The school supports exploration and innovation!"

What could Zhang Ran say? He could only stand up straight and say, "I will apply what I learned abroad to my teaching and do my best to teach the students well. I will also strive to make contributions in theoretical research!"

Chen Jianfeng was very satisfied with Zhang Ran's response and took out a key and a teacher's meal card from the drawer, "You just returned from abroad and don't have a place to stay, so you will live in the school's single dormitory. Here is the key. This is the meal card for the school cafeteria; you can recharge it. Our school cafeteria is quite good! Take a couple of days to settle in and get the necessary equipment. If you have any difficulties in your life, you can report them to the school, and we will help you solve them!"

"Thank you, Dean Chen. I wonder if my teaching assistants are here? If I have time, I would like to meet them and communicate early so that there won't be any problems when school starts." Zhang Ran took the key and meal card and put them away.

Chen Jianfeng looked at Zhang Ran with approval. Many returnees from abroad were arrogant and couldn't get along with their colleagues, but Zhang Ran knew how to communicate with his colleagues from the start, which was beneficial for his work: "The school has assigned you two teaching assistants. One is a graduate who stayed to teach after completing his undergraduate studies last year, and the other is a current graduate student. I will call them over, and you can meet each other."

Saying this, he picked up the phone on his desk and dialed, "Zhou Zheng, come to my office, and bring Li Xinyue along."

After hanging up, Chen Jianfeng began to introduce the teaching at the Beijing Film Academy.

At the Beijing Film Academy, acting classes were typically taught by one main teacher and two teaching assistants. During the acting class, the main teacher stood in the middle, and the students lined up on both sides. The main teacher was responsible for lecturing, while the two teaching assistants were responsible for correcting the students' performances. Famous teachers often didn't even give lectures directly; they only focused on the big picture, setting the teaching plan, and the rest was handled by the teaching assistants.

Many people knew that Huang Lei was a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy and was supposed to teach acting, but he had to shoot many TV series every year, which clearly conflicted with his teaching schedule. Many people wondered how students could learn well when Huang Lei was always shooting.

The reason was that Huang Lei only regularly set the teaching progress and gave tasks and standards to the teaching assistants. The actual teaching content was mostly handled by the teaching assistants, giving Huang Lei ample time to shoot.

Before Chen Jianfeng could finish his introduction, there was a knock on the door.

A man and a woman entered. The man was around 24 or 25 years old, not particularly handsome, but clean and bright, with a literary flair, a type that female intellectuals liked. The woman was around 22 or 23 years old, very pretty, with a tall and slender figure. Her white shirt and black pants made her look very professional and efficient.

Zhang Ran knew his teaching assistants had arrived, stood up, and smiled, "My name is Zhang Ran. I am a new teacher at the Beijing Film Academy this year. Please take care of me."

Seeing Zhang Ran's humility, Chen Jianfeng nodded inwardly and introduced him, "Let me introduce you. Zhang Ran, a master's graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, is a young talent we have newly introduced this year. He will be responsible for teaching the acting course for the 01 undergraduate class, and you two will be his teaching assistants."

Hearing that Zhang Ran was a master's graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles, the two were surprised.

Nowadays, many Chinese people wanted to go abroad, and many celebrities had become foreigners. Graduates from the film program at the University of California, Los Angeles, mostly stayed in the United States, and it was very rare for them to return to China. Moreover, the Beijing Film Academy rarely introduced teachers from outside, and even those who returned from abroad were usually sent by the academy itself.

Chen Jianfeng introduced the two to Zhang Ran. The man was Zhou Zheng, a graduate student under Chen Jianfeng, who had completed his undergraduate studies at the Sichuan Normal University Film and Television College. The woman was Li Xinyue, a graduate of the 96 undergraduate class, a classmate of Huang Xiaoming and Zhao Wei, who had stayed to teach at the academy last year and had taught a year of training classes.

After Zhang Ran and the two assistants got to know each other, Chen Jianfeng said, "Zhang Ran just returned from abroad and is not familiar with the school. You should help him more. He will be staying in the single dormitory and might not know where to go. Take him to settle in!"

"Dean, leave it to us!" Li Xinyue smiled and then looked at Zhang Ran warmly, "Teacher Zhang, let's go!"

"Dean, we'll be on our way!" Zhang Ran said to Chen Jianfeng and walked out of the office with his two assistants, heading towards the single dormitory for teachers.

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