Chapter 37: "How could girls ever be as much fun as games, novels, and movies?"

Dilraba covered her mouth, staring at Chen Jin in disbelief.

Although she had already learned from Dilmurat that Chen Jin had achieved excellent results in the preliminary round of the Central Academy of Drama’s art examinations, she had never imagined that he would rank first!

She easily grasped the focus of the exclamation she had just heard and couldn't help but ask, "Are you... also first at the Beijing Film Academy?"

"Yeah, that's right!"

Chen Jin nodded casually, acknowledging his ranking while facing the incredulous stares of countless parents.

That's right, first!

He was very familiar with those two Chinese characters. Qin Junjie was third, and the person in second place was another girl—Qiao Xin. Why did he say "another"? Because the runner-up at the Beijing Film Academy was also a girl. This Qiao Xin seemed to have been mentioned in future autobiographical films, though Chen Jin couldn't quite recall the details.

This was actually quite normal; the Central Academy of Drama had produced many famous actors in its performance department. In terms of acting skills, its graduates were indeed stronger than those from the Beijing Film Academy or the Shanghai Theatre Academy, let alone other art schools. It was the premier brand for performance programs in the country for a reason.

Chen Jin's top choice was, in fact, this very major.

"First again?"

Empress Su, as she was jokingly called, finally reacted, her voice rising. Chen Jin felt her act was a bit over-the-top and hurriedly said, "Mom, keep it low-key!"

"Oh, oh, was my acting not convincing enough?"

"What do you think?"

"Haha!"

Dilraba was amused by their exchange. The mother and son were hilarious. Dilraba had also passed the preliminary round, though her ranking was quite low, appearing near the bottom of the second page, close to 200th place. She seemed to have known this beforehand, so she didn't show much surprise.

"Congratulations, Chen Jin's mom!"

"Your son is truly impressive, ranking first at both the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama!"

"How did you raise him?"

"..."

Many parents crowded around to ask for advice. This time, Su Wanyu was much more humble; the last time, it was because she was experiencing the "other people's child" phenomenon for the first time and was too excited to handle it gracefully. This time, while still happy, she had at least gained some experience.

"Thank you!"

"We didn't really do anything special; the child is just talented on his own!"

"Parental support is the most important thing!"

Chen Jin: "..."

That was indeed humble, but not by much. Besides, he didn't really get much "support"—he had earned these results himself! How could she take all the credit?

"Next up is the secondary round!" Chen Jin looked toward the performance building of the Central Academy of Drama.

The secondary round at the Central Academy of Drama also consisted of poetry recitation and performance. However, unlike the group performance test in the preliminary round, this performance would be individual. It would be an improvised performance based on a prompt, allowing for free expression, and one could also showcase individual talents. The poetry recitation would no longer be poems, but excerpts from novels or prose, serving as a further assessment of the candidates' fundamental skills in voice, stage presence, movement, and performance. The elimination rate was 50%; nearly half of the students would not make it to the final third round.

The Beijing Film Academy's secondary round was much simpler: poetry recitation plus talent. Chen Jin wasn't worried about this; the final third round at both schools would be the true test of skill.

Soon, the crowded grounds outside the Central Academy of Drama began to clear as parents and candidates dispersed. The most devastated were those who had failed at both the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama. This basically meant their hopes for art school that year were gone; they would either have to repeat a year or take the standard college entrance exam. In reality, however, many of these art candidates had terrible grades in academic subjects. They were effectively illiterate in academia and could barely get into a junior college, let alone a university.

Chen Jin, who was considered a "tail-ender" in his class, was actually quite good compared to other art candidates. After all, his only weakness was English, while his math and Chinese scores were above average at his provincial key high school. Many other art candidates had mediocre scores across the board, averaging 50 points or even lower—though this varied by province. Jiangsu province, for instance, had higher standards than the national average. Last year, 188 points could get you into the Central Academy of Drama, while the Beijing Film Academy required 180+. However, the total possible score in Jiangsu was only 480.

In regions like the Northeast, where the total score was 750, one could get into these top schools with less than 200 points, which is why those schools had so many students from that region. Then there was the capital, Beijing, where admission requirements were higher. Last year, the Beijing Film Academy required 275 for both liberal arts and science students, while the Central Academy of Drama required 283 for liberal arts and 273 for science, with a mandatory minimum of 35 in English!

Therefore, for many students who had "studied art for years," this was their only path. If they failed both schools, they either had to try again the next year or settle for lesser schools, like the Nanjing University of the Arts or some obscure private art institute. Otherwise, they would be at a huge disadvantage in the standard college entrance exam.

"Sigh, those poor children who didn't get in!" Su Wanyu looked at the candidates nearby who were crying or being scolded by their parents, a hint of melancholy on her face. She felt a sense of empathy; if Chen Jin had to take the standard college entrance exam, would he be facing the same scene?

"Mom, there's nothing to pity about them!"

"The ones who are truly pitiful are the ones who fail the second or third rounds!"

Chen Jin was actually more affected by this than Su Wanyu. In the future autobiographical film, his former self had participated in these exams time and time again, failing repeatedly, never achieving that miracle of success. He even reached the third round once, only to fail the standard college entrance exam—that was the most miserable fate of all. Failing the preliminary round was nothing compared to that.

"Right, right, so we can't let our guard down!"

"This is just the beginning. Don't worry, son, Mom supports you!"

Su Wanyu changed her previously wavering attitude. For the first time, she felt that her son's choice to pursue art might actually be better than the traditional academic route. If he could really get into the Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama—one the top performance school and the other the top directing school in the country—that would certainly be better than a non-211 university!

"Dilraba, let's go too!" Dilmurat said to his daughter, this time in Mandarin.

"Okay!"

"Goodbye, Chen Jin, see you at the secondary round on the 7th!"

"Okay!" Chen Jin waved to Dilmurat. "Goodbye, uncle!"

"Yes, goodbye!"

Dilraba was chatting enthusiastically with Su Wanyu, who was beaming. Su Wanyu's biggest regret in life was likely not having a daughter, so she felt an inexplicable affection for pretty girls. She stared at the departing Dilraba for a long time.

"Mom, that's enough, they're gone!"

"Where are we going? Want me to show you around the city?"

Chen Jin stood with his hands in his pockets. Su Wanyu sighed and looked at him seriously. "Son, is there a girl you like at school?"

"Don't you know if I have one?"

"How would I know who you like?"

"That settles it, then! It means there isn't one."

"You've been in high school this long, and you've never had a secret crush on anyone?!" Su Wanyu was skeptical.

"Girls aren't as fun as video games, novels, and movies!"

Chen Jin didn't have time for those things, let alone the inclination to observe the girls in his class. Besides, weren't the girls at the art exam much better than those so-called 'class beauties' back home? It wasn't that his school lacked pretty girls, but compared to the candidates he'd seen over the past few days, the quality was significantly higher. High school girls were still quite conservative in their style.

"You're not even as good as your father!"

Chen Jin: "..."

"I don't even know what you use that phone I bought you for, sigh..."

Su Wanyu was anxious on his behalf. Chen Jin finally understood—she was upset he hadn't asked for Dilraba's number.

"Her dad is watching like a hawk, maybe next time..."

Chen Jin made an excuse. In truth, he wasn't an assertive person—he was what you might call "shyly passionate." Dilraba was pretty, yes, but not to the point where Chen Jin felt the need to pursue her. If she were to make a move, he might consider it. Ultimately, he appreciated her, but his heart hadn't been stirred.

"You're not doing anything wrong, what would happen if you just got her contact info?"

"Mom, that's easy for you to say. If you were her mother and saw some guy asking your daughter for her number, what would you think?"

"What are you talking about? What guy?"

"Just tell me, what would you think?"

"Can't you do it secretly?"

"How secretly? Tell me, with all these people around, should I pull her aside and ask?"

"You're such a blockhead!"

Su Wanyu was truly frustrated. They were still bickering as they reached the school gate. Suddenly, the side door of a commercial van slid open, and a short-haired, middle-aged woman in glasses, looking very professional, stepped out.

"Chen Jin?"

She called out softly, a professional smile on her face.