Chapter 120: Silent Partings

Writing a thesis was exhausting enough, and now he was expected to write a speech too?

Wu Xiang felt that improvising on the spot would be better. At this point, the mere sight of a computer made him want to vomit, and touching a keyboard brought tears to his eyes.

Still, he was a genius, wasn't he? The effect was quite good, ha ha...

"What did you say? It couldn't be that ridiculous, could it?"

Wu Xiang had just finished inspiring all the students of the Class of '97 at the Film Academy. The moment he stepped out of the auditorium, his phone rang. It was none other than Yu Dong.

But this wasn't good news. Yu Dong informed Wu Xiang that the theatrical run of *First Intimate Contact* in Japan had been cut short.

And the reason? It was absolutely bizarre.

The film featured many "aesthetic" backgrounds. Since it was shot in Beijing, Wu Xiang had tried his best to select beautiful and high-end locations for his shots. Of course, the McDonald's scenes were just what they were, but the perfume-buying sequence and several other scenes were filmed in prime locations.

This caused dissatisfaction among many Japanese viewers. Their argument was that this clearly didn't represent the "real" Beijing—it was obviously embellished!

"It's not authentic," they claimed. "It doesn't reflect the actual situation." And so, once they were dissatisfied, they immediately took to the streets to protest and demonstrate.

To be honest, there weren't many of them—after all, they weren't all lunatics. But don't underestimate them; they were adept at causing a stir. While the majority felt it was no big deal, they chose to remain silent. This was the typical way of life in the island nation: most people didn't express opinions, but those who were loud and disruptive could represent a significant portion of the discourse. If there was a benefit to be gained, everyone would share in it, but if there were only downsides, they would immediately distance themselves, claiming, "That has nothing to do with me; I wasn't part of the protest," washing their hands of it completely.

Fukasawa Kazuo, under pressure, had no choice but to bow to the demands. That’s democracy, after all.

*First Intimate Contact* had to end its run in Japan early. The film had been in theaters for a total of two weeks, grossing 500 million yen.

Not bad, actually. 500 million yen was about 5 million US dollars. According to their profit-sharing agreement, Wu Xiang would pocket over 2 million dollars. That was a pretty good deal.

Although it was a pity, Wu Xiang understood the nature of the Japanese people; these guys liked living in their own world.

Overall, Wu Xiang was satisfied. It seemed that the export market was indeed hard to crack, with too many barriers. However, with the success of this film as a reference, they could certainly replicate the model in other regions.

The first place that came to Wu Xiang's mind was Southeast Asia, especially Vietnam. Don't let the fact that it was poor and often at odds with them fool you; in reality, many Chinese film and television works were very popular there—*My Fair Princess* was a prime example. Wu Xiang also knew that in the future, domestic online games would dominate the Vietnamese market.

"How about we try a bit of cultural infiltration?" he mused.

Just as Wu Xiang was contemplating how to infiltrate, how to carry it out, and how to throw his weight around afterward, someone pulled him aside.

"Come on, you lanky pole! Let's take a photo together!" It was none other than Di Ni, Hai Qing’s best friend.

Hai Qing couldn't exactly come over to pull him—given her personality, she had to treat Wu Xiang like an invisible man on an occasion like this.

"Aren't you guys from the acting class? Wouldn't it be awkward for me to join in?" Wu Xiang was being honest; graduation photos were usually taken class by class.

"Our class is already done. What, you're a big celebrity now and don't care to take a picture with us?" Di Ni said, hands on her hips.

"How could I dare!" Wu Xiang naturally wouldn't put on airs, especially since he could get a photo with Hai Qing.

They went to the famous small pyramid at the Film Academy, where Wu Xiang, given his height, had to stand in the back row.

"Here we go, here we go!"

"Smile!"

"One, two, three, cheese!"

Nobody would ever know that this photo was the only one of Wu Xiang and Hai Qing together at the Film Academy. The ones Ning Hao had taken earlier had been humanely destroyed. In this photo, neither of them dared to look at the other.

"Say, lanky pole, your girl gave up the chance for a guaranteed postgraduate spot. If she doesn't make it big in the entertainment industry, you're going to be a real jerk," Di Ni said after the photo, not letting Wu Xiang off the hook and dropping a piece of important information.

A guaranteed postgraduate spot?

Wu Xiang hadn't heard Hai Qing mention that. He hadn't paid attention to it, either—he was a reincarnator, after all. He knew Teacher Hai’s future achievements would be significant, and he’d never heard of her getting a master’s degree.

"Don't you worry about that! I have plenty of resources; how could I let my woman suffer?" Wu Xiang patted his chest immediately. He was a director; he had the advantages.

"That's good. But I'll say this first: if our little Huang is bullied by you, us sisters won't let you off!"

"Rest assured!" Wu Xiang promised immediately. "By the way, aren't you acting? You studied performance and aren't going to act?"

"Look at my figure—what could I play?" This was an objective fact. Di Ni had the build of a "heavyweight" at the time, and that wasn't something one could just shed. However, she wasn't someone who would be unemployed upon graduation. "I'm staying at the school to be a teacher."

"A teacher?" Wu Xiang was surprised.

"What are you surprised about? Do you think everyone is as unfocused as you? We are all good students. Your girl got a guaranteed spot, and Zeng Hui went to the Communication University to teach. How about that? Envious, aren't you?!"

So, he had stumbled into a world of overachievers. Wu Xiang was speechless, primarily because he hadn't noticed it before.

"So, what do you teach?"

"I'm leading the vocational class."

"A vocational class?" Wu Xiang didn't expect that. The female classmate before him was to be Huang Bo's future teacher.

That's right, Huang Bo had been admitted to the Film Academy, but not to the undergraduate program—it was vocational. There was no helping it; his age and academic background were what they were. He had no chance at the undergraduate level, so this was already great—why ask for more?

Wu Xiang thought to himself that the world was indeed a strange place.

After that, Wu Xiang was dragged into many more photos. When there was truly nothing left to photograph, it was time for a meal.

A graduation banquet was mandatory.

Who was going to pay?

Wu Xiang had dreamed of everyone splitting the bill, but that dream was quickly shattered. As the biggest big spender among the students, if he didn't bleed a little, it wouldn't work.

He decided to host them, but it had to be somewhere decent. The "Little Sichuan" place wouldn't cut it. He wanted somewhere a bit more upscale, but he hadn't booked a table at a place like Bianyifang. Eventually, they found a fairly large hotel near the school and rented out an entire floor.

*Sigh*, another hit to his wallet. And this time, the students were experienced. Everyone said, "You better withdraw some cash first; don't end up unable to pay when you're drunk."

Fine, he had to submit!

"Come, brothers, we have to have a drink!"

"Right!"

"Say, Xiangzi, you drank with him, are you not going to drink with me?"

One had just left, and another came. Wu Xiang wondered, *Who are you?* He really had no idea, but since they were here, he couldn't be rude.

"Fine! Bottoms up!"

It was graduation, and everyone was partying. Wu Xiang tilted his head back and drank.

"I say, Xiangzi!" There were too many people coming to toast him, and the teachers' table was quiet. Huang Bo felt his buddy was getting a bit too excited, so...

Why not get even more excited?

Huang Bo said, "Stop drinking!" and shouted to everyone, "Everyone, stop forcing him!"

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Yeah, why are we here if not to drink?"

Some people were immediately unhappy, though they were just joking; everyone liked the excitement.

"Everyone! I'm not protecting him. Whether he gets drunk or not has nothing to do with me. What I mean is, we are university students, and we're graduating today. With so many teachers here, shouldn't we show the spirit of new-era university students?"

What was Huang Bo getting at? Everyone was confused.

He continued, "This guy, Wu Xiang, although he has many nicknames—the 'Lanky Pole,' the 'Iron Rooster,' and so on—I've helped him accept those."

"Hahaha..." They laughed. Since when was there someone who helped you accept your own insults?

"But, this guy has another nickname: a talent, a great talent! Today, let's make him compose a poem for us. It has to fit the occasion, and it has to be good. How about it?" That was Huang Bo's plan.

"Great!"

"Come on, great talent!"

The students started to egg him on, and the teachers were amused. Teacher Huang San-shi laughed, "Wu Xiang, I've long heard you're talented. Don't hide it anymore; come on, show us what you've got."

"Hahahaha..."

*Oh, great, show off,* he thought. *Fine!*

Wu Xiang raised his glass and stood up, turning to face everyone to express his "hatred"—well, he was smiling.

"Alright, since the challenge is set, I can't be a coward. Just a poem? Cao Zhi composed one in seven steps; how about I compose one in the time it takes to finish a cup of wine?"

"Great!"

"If you can actually do that, that would be awesome!"

Those who knew their stuff realized how difficult that was, but Wu Xiang immediately said, "I'm taking a shortcut. Heh heh, I'm borrowing from Su Dongpo’s 'Nangxiangzi.' But Su Dongpo’s mood was one of sorrow at parting. I have no sorrow, and I hope none of you do either. Listen closely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Xiang gulped down the wine in his glass.

Everyone was a bit shaken, feeling that Wu Xiang had a sudden air of boldness. Wu Xiang recited loudly:

"Clouds and sea, the edge of the sky,
Both vast and distant!
Achievement attained, name secured!
Returning home!
Drunk and laughing with you for ten thousand rounds,
Not a word of parting sorrow!"

Originally a poem heavy with the sorrow of departure, under Wu Xiang’s rhythmic and cleverly punctuated delivery, the meaning changed instantly. It wasn't just positive and uplifting—it carried a sense of heroic spirit!

It couldn't be denied that others had adapted it, but Wu Xiang's version was even simpler.

"Bravo!"

"Truly a talent!"

Applause rang out.

"Indeed a talent! Teacher will have a drink with you!" Huang San-shi was also struck by the poem and, casting aside his status—he wasn't that old himself—drank down his glass.

"You flatter me, you flatter me..." Wu Xiang had no choice but to drink as well.

Once the poem was finished, despite the agreement not to force him to drink, the pouring became even more aggressive!

With teachers present and so many people, Wu Xiang couldn't back down. He drank every glass that was offered.

After a series of gulps, gulps, and more gulps... Wu Xiang didn't know anything else.