Chapter 173 The Old Man's Helplessness
Looking at the two big words on the caller ID on his phone, Zhang Yuan calmed down his excited mood a little and temporarily slowed down his in-depth communication with Cheng Hao in the room.

When I picked up the phone, I heard that familiar voice.

"Hey, Brother Yuan, how are you?"

Shu Chang's voice is just like her appearance and personality, slightly mature, far from her actual age of fifteen or sixteen, and seems as stable and steady as if she is in her twenties.

But Liu Xixi is just the opposite.

So Zhang Yuan had always suspected that all the extra years Shu Chang had gained were borrowed from Xixi...

"I'm fine. I've been a little busy lately and haven't contacted you. I was..."

Zhang Yuan talked to the other party in detail about everything he had done recently and was very patient.

The other party was also happy to listen to her.

Under the night sky and the moonlight, the two of them were in different corners of the imperial capital, connected by words.

"how have you been?"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and asked.

"I..." Shu Chang paused, his tone a little tangled: "Actually, I called you today because I want to hear your opinion on something."

"Well, I'm listening, go ahead."

Zhang Yuan replied steadily. He knew that Shu Chang would come to him to discuss something, so it must be a big deal.

"A while ago, I took part in the retest and written test of the Central Academy of Drama, and passed both."

"Just yesterday, I received the admission letter from the Central Academy of Drama."

For any girl majoring in acting, being admitted to the Central Academy of Drama, and to a regular undergraduate acting class at that, should be a great thing worth celebrating.

Even if you buy a few strings of firecrackers and set them off for an hour or two, it's worth it.

After a long drought comes the rain, an old friend is met in a foreign land, the wedding night is when your name is on the list of successful candidates.

These four things were called the four great joys of life by the ancients, and Shu Chang can now be considered to have passed the imperial examination.

A top student is a top student. She was able to get into the top performing arts school in the country easily as a junior high school student. She was admitted even though she filmed during the day and stayed up late to review at night. It is no exaggeration to call her a genius.

Despite such an achievement, Zhang Yuan did not hear any joy in her tone.

It is even full of entanglement and helplessness.

Zhang Yuan understood in his heart that, as expected, what was supposed to happen would still happen.

If we look at it from a God's perspective, the worst move Shu Chang made in his entire life was refusing to enroll in the Central Academy of Drama.

This is an extremely short-sighted behavior and even a serious strategic misjudgment.

It is equivalent to refusing to join the party in 49.

Not only did he overestimate his personal abilities, but he also underestimated the speed of change of the times.

Shu Chang did not go to the Central Academy of Drama. A few years later, the 85 flowers emerged, and there was no place for her among them.

Even many years later, this person was almost unknown in the entire entertainment industry.

But she had no one to rely on and was dependent on others, so she had to rely on the advice of relatives and aunts who had no idea about the entertainment industry. It was not entirely her fault that she ended up like this.

"She called me now because of this, which means that she has been shaken in her heart."

Zhang Yuan understood immediately. If she was determined, why would she come to discuss it with him?

"Brother Yuan, although I received the acceptance letter, I told you before that my family thinks that the entertainment industry is a job for young people and you can't make a living in it for a lifetime."

"So they wanted me to take a language major, saying I had a talent for languages."

This is true. He discovered this when he was on the set of "The Story of a Noble Family".

Shu Chang was able to communicate with most of the actors in their native dialect in a very short time.

Among the subjects, English is also her strong point, and her family is not wrong about this.

"And recently a film crew found me and offered me a good role and remuneration." Shu Chang said sweetly: "I have a high probability of getting this role, and the film will start shooting in September."

"But at that time, school will also start."

Shu Chang hit the nail on the head.

"The Central Academy of Drama has a rule that you cannot take acting jobs outside during the first year after enrollment."

"So, my family wants me to drop out of school and apply to a 'proper' school next year, so that it won't interfere with my current filming."

In fact, if it were the case in the past, she would not have been so conflicted and would have just done what her family said.

But after chatting with Zhang Yuan on the set of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" last time, she kept thinking about what choice to make after she returned home.

This led to today's phone call.

Oh... Zhang Yuan understood.

He knew the rules of the Central Academy of Drama. The strongest class of 96 in history was also like this. Those big stars of later generations also stayed silent for a whole year before they started taking on acting jobs.

Mei Ting, who couldn't stand it any longer, simply dropped out of school.

The Chinese Academy of Drama is very powerful and we won’t spoil you.

"So your dilemma now is whether you should drop out of school and retake the exam to take acting jobs, so that you can satisfy your family's wishes and make money at the same time."

"Or maybe I just go to school and my family will be unhappy, and I'll waste an acting opportunity, right?"

Zhang Yuan quickly analyzed it clearly.

"Yes, Brother Yuan, what would you do if it were you?" Shu Chang was full of anticipation, wanting to find someone to help him solve this dilemma.

"Your problem now is, go to school or drop out, it's one or the other, right?"

"Yes."

"If it were me, I would choose 'or'."

"Ah?" Shu Chang was stunned for a long time, not understanding at all.

"Your problem is that you only gave yourself two options when thinking about this." Zhang Yuan actually felt sorry for the girl who had no one to rely on, so he decided to help her.

"In fact, there is another option between attending school and dropping out, which is called taking a leave of absence."

"You can keep your student status and look for a job while you can. Use this time to think carefully about what you should do."

"Can I take a leave of absence from school?" Shu Chang asked doubtfully.

"The worst consequence of taking a leave of absence is being expelled from school. Is that any different from you dropping out on your own?"

"Doing this will at least give us some buffer time," Zhang Yuan analyzed.

After hesitating for a while, he gave an uncharacteristically accurate opinion: "But if it were me, I would not give up the opportunity to study at the Central Academy of Drama."

Shu Chang was silent for a while.

She had observed for a long time and knew that Zhang Yuan almost never gave accurate advice to others.

If you give something well, you may not be thanked, but if you give something wrong, you may be blamed.

But now, he gave it.

"Okay, I understand!" Shu Chang felt much better and smiled.

[Received thanks from Shu Chang, acting skills +1, performance talent +1! ]

Putting down his phone, Zhang Yuan stood in the yard for a while.

He didn't know whether the other party would listen, nor did he know whether his words could really change her fate.

Hope she is okay.

"I was wondering why you didn't come back to the room for such a long time." Cheng Hao's delicate voice came from behind: "So you were talking on the phone with someone."

"Who is it?" Cheng Hao asked casually, playing with the ends of his hair with his index finger.

"Shu Chang, she's enrolled in a drama class in high school, and we'll be classmates in the future."

"Oh, that's great!"

Hearing that it was Shu Chang calling and that he was from the Central Academy of Drama, Cheng Hao immediately replied excitedly, but soon narrowed her seductive eyes again.

"You won't be with her too?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? She's not even 16 years old. It's illegal!" Zhang Yuan quickly replied.

"So what you're saying is that if it's not against the law, you'll do it?"

When women encounter this kind of problem, they are particularly good at finding language loopholes and drawing inferences from one example to another.

"She just came to me for advice. Her family doesn't support her going to the Central Academy of Drama."

"Her family members are crazy?" Cheng Hao criticized bluntly, "They are sick. They want her to get into Tsinghua University and Peking University instead of the Central Academy of Drama."

"I also said that she should take a temporary leave of absence and think about it for a while, and not rush to drop out."

"Yeah." Cheng Hao smiled and nodded, thinking that Zhang Yuan did a good job. "I'm tired." She waved to Zhang Yuan again.

"I know, come here!"

……

There was nothing to say all night, and it was dawn the next day.

Cheng Hao was combing her long black hair beside the table in the room, while Zhang Yuan was still sleeping soundly.

Cheng Hao walked up to him and pulled his nose, but he slapped it away. He then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

She still had some things to do, so she took time out to come here yesterday. Now, early in the morning, she has to leave.

I originally didn't want to disturb him anymore, so I planned to tiptoe out and send him a text message to say goodbye.

But I saw his backpack in the corner.

When I saw the backpack, I thought of the pink and green underwear inside.

Thinking of the pink and green underwear, she felt that there was a little green on the top of her head.

I know that the two of them have never officially established a relationship, but I still can't help being angry.

As she was getting angry, she came up with a plan...

After a long time, Zhang Yuan woke up when Brother Qian knocked on the door.

"Yuan, I've contacted Mr. Yuan Kuocheng for you. You can go there later. I'll give you the address."

"Okay!" He got up quickly and prepared to wash up, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a hint of bright red next to his pillow.

Turning his head, he saw a bright red lace bra lying quietly next to his head.

"Looks familiar?" Zhang Yuan picked it up: "Isn't this the one I took off in a second last night?"

If you look closely, you can see two large, flamboyant characters written in black pen on the inside.

"Good job."

Hey, this character has obviously been practiced. It is much better than Fan Bingbing’s “shit, piss, piss”.

Zhang Yuan understood immediately that Cheng Hao was so angry that he even started to compare himself with others.

You have to leave me some souvenirs too.

Zhang Yuan took out Fan Bingbing's dress from his bag and compared them.

"It seems that Fan Bingbing is a little bigger..."

"This is red and this is green. If there's another yellow one, I can pick it up with a pole and go to the intersection to direct traffic."

Open the wardrobe, pull open the drawer, and hide the "trophies" in the innermost part.

Zhang Yuan then began to wash up.

After having breakfast, or lunch, he took the address given by Brother Qian and staggered out the door.

Mr. Yuan Kuocheng's hometown is YK City, Liaoning Province.

But now I’m older and my health isn’t that good, so I need to go to the hospital often.

In addition, it is more convenient to record programs in the capital, so he will stay in the capital for half of the year to work and see a doctor.

According to the address, we arrived at an old residential building in the city center.

This place was arranged by Mr. Yuan's apprentice, a female apprentice named Wang Wenhua.

This Sister Wang is the host, producer and director of CCTV's "Quyi Zatan" program, which was very popular in the 90s.

Although they were called apprentices, Mr. Yuan actually never formally accepted any disciples in his entire life. They were all just nominal ones.

This also resulted in the Yuan family lineage being almost extinct after his death.

Except for his own daughter Yuan Tian, ​​no one else in the Yuan family was engaged in storytelling.

Climbing up the weather-beaten stairs of the old building, which had potholes on the corners, Zhang Yuan arrived in front of a house on the third floor and knocked on the door with his fingers folded.

"I'm Zhang Yuan, a junior, and I've come to visit you specially." After knocking on the door, he introduced himself without waiting for the other party to respond, to show his respect for his senior.

Ding-dang, clang!
After he opened his mouth, he heard a commotion in the house, as if something had been knocked over.

Zhang Yuan thought to himself, isn't this old man too unstable?
Creak... The old wooden door was opened with a teeth-grinding sound. It was obvious that the hinges were old and lacked lubrication.

An old man with slicked back hair, a wide mouth and nose, and kind eyes came out, raised his eyes to look Zhang Yuan up and down.

"Haha, I told you that hearing about someone is not as good as meeting them in person. You look much more energetic than on TV." Mr. Yuan smiled and gestured, making way for him and indicating that he should go inside to talk.

"Thank you Mr. Yuan for the compliment."

He walked into the house with confidence.

This is an old two-bedroom apartment with a small living room. There is a partition between the living room and the kitchen, which is painted with light green primer and consists of a half wall and wooden-framed glass.

"sit."

There are two chairs in the living room, placed side by side.

After the old man sat down, Zhang Yuan took his position carefully, with his back straight. He did not sit fully, with his buttocks only resting on the front third of the chair.

Yuan Kuocheng glanced sideways.

rule!

There are not many young people who are so well-behaved these days. Most of them are either too cautious or too indulgent. It is rare to find someone who is just right.

"I've listened to the programs you recorded on radio and television. The basics are good and the angles are novel. I heard from the station that you are quite popular among young girls."

The old man said casually.

"They probably aren't here to listen to books." Zhang Yuan replied with a smile.

"Haha, you do understand." The old man was a little surprised at his honesty, but he appreciated it. At least he wasn't pretending.

How could young girls be interested in listening to stories? It’s all about looks. This truth has never changed. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be those so-called “Deyun girls” in later generations.

"Don't worry about the means, as long as it can attract young people." Mr. Yuan is worthy of being the first innovator in the storytelling world, and his ideas are avant-garde.

"Those male audiences who listen to the drums are also there for the pretty girls in cheongsams."

“As long as the audience likes to watch it.”

As he spoke, the old man glanced towards the inner room, then chuckled and said, "Pingshu is an old form. If we don't add something new, there will be no new audience."

“I think it’s great that you want to innovate.”

"Thank you for the compliment, senior. I don't deserve it. It's all nonsense."

"Hey, I see you're not talking nonsense, you're obviously well-trained. I see you came prepared."

Then the old man chatted with Zhang Yuan about many anecdotes in the storytelling world and also gave him some tips on techniques.

They were having a nice chat, but Zhang Yuan noticed two suspicious points.

First, Brother Qian said that the old man came to the theater to find him twice, so there must be something urgent. Why would he just sit there and chat?

Second, he noticed that the old man would glance towards a room from time to time.

Zhang Yuan remained calm, and continued to observe while chatting with his excellent hearing.

He was sure that there was someone in the room, eavesdropping on their conversation.

But the old man didn't mention it, and what they were talking about was not confidential, so he pretended not to know and kept his composure.

"Oh, we've been chatting for so long, you must be thirsty," Mr. Yuan suddenly interrupted the conversation.

"Hey, little lion, help me make some tea!"

"Hey!"

At this moment, a low response came from the room where someone was.

The door was gently opened, and a thin figure came out from inside, taking small steps and quickly passing in front of the two people.

When passing by Zhang Yuan, he lowered his head and glanced at him, then immediately turned his head away and quickened his pace.

"This person..." Zhang Yuan raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment: "He looks a little familiar."

After a few seconds, his brows relaxed and he completely recognized the person's identity.

Now, the girl called "little lion" by Yuan Kuocheng is just an unknown pretty girl.

In the future, she will become famous all over the country.

Golden Eagle Goddess, one of the Four Little Flowers, these are just some of her titles.

Her name is Liu Shishi.

……

(End of this chapter)