Chapter Four: Unexpectedly, the Top Scholar

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, the city of Yanjing was deep into the height of summer.

“Hello, I am a freshman of the class of ‘97, here to register. My name is Wu Xiang.”

Having survived a twelve-hour train journey that felt like a nightmare, Wu Xiang, who had successfully passed the college entrance examination, finally stood at the gates of the Yanjing Film Academy. He carried two large bags, dressed simply in a T-shirt and long shorts that hardly matched his two lanky legs, swaying unsteadily. There was no helping it—the weather was truly scorching, and those old green trains had no air conditioning.

“Hello there, new classmate! I’m Sun Li, your senior. Come on, don’t just stand there—help him out!” Sun Li sized up Wu Xiang’s slender frame with some concern and promptly called others over.

Wu Xiang recognized Sun Li; he knew that one day she would appear in many films and TV dramas, though she would never become a major star. Her husband, however, was no ordinary man. Eventually, this senior would marry a teacher from the academy—one not particularly old, but certainly talented, a triple threat in film, music, and television, and a teacher at the academy: Huang Sanshi.

“Wu, which department are you in? Can I see your admission notice?” Seeing Wu Xiang a little bewildered, Sun Li’s warmth shone through. She had seen plenty of country kids like him before.

“Oh, hello, senior. Here’s my admission letter.” Wu Xiang hurriedly composed himself. To be honest, he’d daydreamed about this moment—what if the person picking him up was Jiang Qinqin, or Zhao Wei? That would be wonderful. But he understood; they were probably busy filming.

“Oh, you’re in the Literature Department! Wu Xiang, a real talent! Don’t forget your senior when you have a good script.” Sun Li was exuberant, and the atmosphere was pleasant.

“Senior, don’t tease me. I’m no prodigy. That title…” Wu Xiang tried to be modest, but Sun Li interrupted him immediately.

“You’re being too modest! Excessive humility is arrogance... Wait, you don’t know?”

Sun Li’s words confused Wu Xiang. “Senior, what do you mean?”

“Oh my, you really don’t know? You’re the top student of the Literature class!” At that moment, Sun Li looked at Wu Xiang as if he were an alien.

“What!?” Wu Xiang was stunned.

The Literature class was really just the Literature Department, and only those who knew the details called it a class. That year, the department admitted just eighteen students—one class. Wu Xiang would only learn this later. But how did he become the top student?

“You really don’t know? You, Wu Xiang, are the number one in the Literature class of ‘97.” Sun Li finally believed that her junior had no clue.

Wu Xiang truly didn’t know. After finishing the third exam, he immediately returned home. He had important things to do: work on his novel idea, and review high school knowledge. If he didn’t graduate and get his diploma, his admission to the Film Academy would mean nothing—they wouldn’t accept him.

“Wow, another top student! Let me see.”

“The last one was so good-looking, but this one—my goodness, he’s so skinny, like a walking skeleton.”

A group of seniors came over to join the excitement and subjected Wu Xiang to a merciless inspection.

“Shoo, shoo…” Sun Li was annoyed. Look at these guys—no sense of decorum. “Stop making a scene! Go cool off somewhere else!”

“Hey! What’s this? You just called us to help, and now you’re kicking us out. Fine, goodbye!” The troublemakers retreated, and given Wu Xiang’s lack of charm—a scrawny, awkward country boy—the crowd dispersed like startled birds.

“Honestly! Look at yourselves, do you have any dignity as seniors?” Sun Li could only shake her head at her classmates.

“It’s nothing, really.” Wu Xiang, new and overwhelmed, could only keep his head down.

Sun Li felt a bit embarrassed. “Don’t mind them. They’re just hormonal youths. I have faith in you, though.”

Wu Xiang could only smile sheepishly and rub his head.

“Freshmen arriving! Why is everyone so lazy?” Sun Li glanced at Wu Xiang’s thin frame—he really needed help.

“Senior, I’ll be fine, really.” Wu Xiang tried to decline; after all, he wasn't a female student.

“You’re sweating buckets. Take a break.” Sun Li wouldn’t hear of it.

“Coming, coming.” Finally, someone arrived, speaking with a lazy tone, muttering, “I knew nothing good would come of my turn. Others get beauties, I get a skeleton.”

“What are you saying? Nonsense!” Sun Li shot him a look of disdain—how could he judge someone by appearance?

Wu Xiang kept smiling, but he no longer refused his senior’s help.

“Hello, classmate, I’m your senior. Your dormitory is East Building, Room 307. Follow me.”

This lazy fellow had long hair with an artistic flair—not quite braided, but it draped over his shoulders. Even so, his magnetic voice and distinctive uneven eyebrows gave him away.

Chen Kun! Wu Xiang hadn’t expected to meet such a future star so soon. Seeing him in person was a thrill.

Wu Xiang tried to suppress his fanboy instincts, but judging by the earlier comment, this guy was clearly in his youthful rebellious phase.

The dorm wasn’t far—just a few turns and up to the third floor. Wu Xiang’s new battlefield awaited.

“Well, I’ve helped you as much as I can. See you.” Chen Kun dropped Wu Xiang’s bags on the floor and hurried off, as if afraid to miss the chance to meet pretty female freshmen.

“Wait, Senior Chen, don’t rush.” Wu Xiang put down his own bags, but his words stopped Chen Kun in his tracks.

“You—how did you know my surname?” Chen Kun was astonished. He hadn’t said a word to Wu Xiang the whole way, so how did this kid know his name?

Seeing his goal achieved, Wu Xiang sat on his bed with a calm air. “If I told you, Senior Chen, you wouldn’t believe it. Better go meet those pretty classmates.”

“You’re a strange one. Tell me clearly: how did you know my surname? Did you investigate me?” Chen Kun refused to leave, determined to get an answer.

“Heh, Senior Chen, why would I investigate you?” Wu Xiang answered honestly.

Chen Kun thought about it—he had no secrets, so who would bother investigating him? “Are you from my hometown? From Chongqing?”

“I’m from the northeast. You can check my registration details.”

“Did you take the Film Academy exam last year?”

“I’m a fresh graduate this year.”

“Well, this is odd…” Chen Kun couldn’t figure it out—how did his junior know his surname?

“Doesn’t Senior Chen believe I’m your destined benefactor?” Wu Xiang now looked like a fortune-teller, missing only a fan in hand.

“Stop with the nonsense—I don’t believe in superstitions!” Chen Kun affirmed his scientific stance.

Wu Xiang thought to himself: no wonder this guy would one day play Qian Xuesen. But his desire to tease Chen Kun only grew. “Senior, not only do I know your surname, I know your full name—Chen Kun, isn’t that right?”

“Wow?!” Now Chen Kun was even more surprised—Wu Xiang knew his full name.

“Not only that, I can tell, Senior Chen, that you currently feel some obstacles in your heart. You think you’re not cut out for acting and want to pursue something else, am I right?”

Wu Xiang’s words struck Chen Kun like thunder.

“How did you know!” Chen Kun was almost frightened, feeling as if he were utterly exposed before his junior.

Of course, Wu Xiang had no such intentions—he didn’t care for soap operas or melodrama. But he’d already used up all the information from online encyclopedias and felt he’d teased Chen Kun enough; it was time for the big reveal.

“Heh, it’s all just deduction. But don’t worry, Senior, my calculations aren’t mystical—I believe in Marxism and Mao Zedong Thought, not old superstitions.”

“So tell me, how did you deduce it?” Now, Chen Kun wasn’t afraid; he was intrigued. His junior seemed to have some skill.

“It’s simple.” Wu Xiang gestured as if fanning himself. “To get into the Film Academy, I studied lots of information about it, including past top students. Senior Chen, you were the highest scorer in the third exam last year, right?”

“That’s true!” Chen Kun didn’t shy away—it was his honor. But, “How did you know the top scorer was me? There aren’t any photos of me circulating.”

That was the crux, but Wu Xiang was ready. “Think about it: the top scorer in the third exam, how dazzling! After a year, your classmates are off filming, some even nominated for major awards, but you remain unknown. You must have some frustration in your heart. So really, everything I said was just a guess, heh…”

At that moment, Wu Xiang seemed like a reincarnated Zhuge Liang, or perhaps a Di Renjie without the mustache.

“What?!” The result left Chen Kun stunned, but Wu Xiang continued.

“To be the top scorer, you must be handsome. I saw Senior Chen and immediately sensed the aura of a dragon among men.” Wu Xiang explained as he flattered.

“You flatter me, you flatter me…” Regardless of gender, everyone loves compliments about their looks.

“Also, Senior Chen, you have a melancholy air, clearly someone with unfulfilled ambitions, a pearl cast before swine. So I was certain I was lucky to meet last year’s top scorer, you.”

“Heh, hahaha, not at all.” Chen Kun was so embarrassed by the praise that his attitude toward Wu Xiang improved considerably.