"Good girls are definitely not to be missed. If you get one, you have to cherish her."
"But bad girls shouldn't go to waste, either. Wasting something is shameful."
"Of course, as a man of taste, I can't just settle for anything."
Zhang Yang reaffirmed his code as a man to himself.
Then he stopped fooling around and changed the subject, talking with Teacher Jiang about serious matters and making clear his determination to enter the entertainment industry.
[Old Jiang]: You're well suited to studying the arts, which is why I've always recommended you join Shanghai Art Center. But with your looks and personality, becoming a star in the entertainment industry would be a promising path, too. Since you've made up your mind, Old Wang and the rest of us will support you.
[Xiao Yang]: Thank you, my dear teachers, for understanding. I'll be counting on you to look out for me in the future.
[Old Jiang]: You, honestly. At most, we can put you in touch with some alumni. If you make enemies in the entertainment industry, there won't be much we can do to help. If it comes to that, come back to school, get your master's, teach, and then join Shanghai Art Center.
[Xiao Yang]: Don't worry, Teacher Jiang. I won't let you down. I'll make you proud.
"Teachers are those who pass on the way, teach their students, and clear up their doubts?"
"Finding a good teacher is better than having some parents."
Zhang Yang was touched by Jiang Mei's words. Some promises weren't made lightly.
Jiang Mei had practically said outright, "We'll help you along the way in the entertainment industry. If you make it, great. If you don't, come back to school and quietly become an artist."
Well, then. Becoming an artist was the fallback plan?
All he could say was that talent was a wonderful thing—and he had it.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
After giving it some thought, Zhang Yang began working on the script, completely absorbed.
He created a folder and named it: Detective Chinatown.
There were plenty of reasons to choose this script. To sum it up: low cost, high returns, a chance to make stars, a chance to grow the company, and a film series that could keep going for years!
He didn't plan to touch projects that were too close to the present. Although he knew when they would be released and how well they would do, he wasn't necessarily sure how long their preproduction had taken. He could easily end up clashing with them and creating needless trouble.
Chen Sicheng started working on the first Detective Chinatown film in early 2015. He might have come up with the idea and started refining and preparing it a few years earlier, but there was no way that had happened yet.
His plan was to first set up a company and register the related Detective Chinatown rights, then find a suitable production team to work with. He'd cast capable actors who would become popular in the future but weren't well known yet, and shoot all twelve episodes of the web series first. That would be borrowing a chicken to lay an egg.
With the web series as a foundation, the IP would already have an audience. That way, the first movie wouldn't end up with the best reviews in the series but a poor box office.
Though if things moved fast enough, he could keep the whole thing to himself.
He tentatively planned to shoot the first film in the series in 2013 and release it during the 2014 Spring Festival season. The 2015 Spring Festival season was also an option, since both periods were crowded with terrible films.
In 2012, there was Lost in Thailand; in 2013, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. Both eventually earned over a billion yuan at the box office. Yet the Spring Festival seasons of 2014 and 2015 saw a flood of terrible movies, without a single domestic film earning a billion.
2015 was the year the box office really took off, and the 2016 Spring Festival season brought The Mermaid, a blockbuster that earned over three billion. That showed just how much potential the box office had.
Besides Detective Chinatown, Zhang Yang also planned to bring Sheep Without a Shepherd forward.
He'd also think about whether he could fit the movie into the Detective Chinatown universe.
While Zhang Yang was immersed in work, Reba finally got out of class.
"Teacher, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention in class today." Reba found Jiang Mei and sincerely apologized.
Jiang Mei pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'll let it go this time. Someone pleaded your case."
Pleaded her case?
Reba was briefly confused.
She was just an ordinary first-year student. Who would plead her case?
"Was it Senior Zhang Yang?" Reba guessed quietly.
Confused didn't mean stupid. After thinking it over, she couldn't come up with anyone else.
"It was him." Jiang Mei nodded. "He said it was because of him that he couldn't exchange the textbooks with you in time, so it was understandable that you got distracted."
Reba felt a warm glow inside. Her senior was pretty considerate, after all.
"I was at fault, too. I'll be more careful next time." Reba promised Jiang Mei earnestly, then left with a few of her roommates.
Ding!
Time always flew by when you were immersed in work.
Just as Zhang Yang had nearly finished the outline, his phone, lying beside him, chimed with a text notification.
[Junior Reba]: Senior, I'm back at the dorm. Thanks for speaking up for me.
[Senior Zhang Yang]: I was just telling the truth. I didn't want my good intentions to backfire.
[Senior Zhang Yang]: Junior, I don't think I've ever asked your name.
[Junior Reba]: Dilraba Dilmurat. You can just call me Reba, Senior.
[Senior Zhang Yang]: So you're Reba! My roommates have told me about you—the new campus belle.
[Junior Reba]: I'm no campus belle. You're the famous campus heartthrob, Senior. You even made the top ten on the all-time campus heartthrob rankings.
[Zhang Yang]: Maybe it's because most of the people voting are current students, and I'm still at school, so I have an advantage. By the way, what's your QQ number? I'll add you so we can chat online.
[Reba]: X55XX6X89
After replying, Reba immediately climbed out of bed, sat down at her desk, and logged into QQ on her laptop.
Seeing her like that, Yuan Bingyan teased her. "Reba, have you fallen for our senior?"
In the past, Reba had always politely turned down anyone who approached her or asked for her contact information.
Even when she gave someone her contact details for one reason or another, she'd either firmly reject them or give them the cold shoulder.
This was the first time she'd sat around waiting for a reply.
"Don't be ridiculous. Senior helped me today and let me show off. I just want to thank him." Reba instinctively tried to explain. Perhaps she felt that wasn't enough, because she continued, "Teacher Jiang thinks so highly of him, so he must be talented. We can ask him for advice if we have any questions."
"He's already signed with an entertainment company. If we want to enter the entertainment industry someday, we can ask him for advice, too."
Watching her talk on and on, Yuan Bingyan put on a grave expression. "You're not Reba. Reba would never say all that. Quick, tell me who you are!"
Reba: "..."
On the other side, Zhang Yang and Reba added each other on QQ. They chatted for a while before he took the initiative to end the conversation.
When talking to someone of the opposite sex, being too enthusiastic could make you seem like a simp or put you in the weaker position.
During their conversation, he'd subtly asked what Reba had been doing when the Opportunity Point came through.
He learned that Reba had shown off a little with his notes, and that Jiang Mei had publicly praised him.
"So did I get the Opportunity Point because Old Jiang praised me, or because Reba showed off?"
"Or did Old Jiang praising me make Reba think something?"
Zhang Yang thought it over but didn't rush to a conclusion.
Just then, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Hu Ge.
"Hello, Old Hu."
"A cameo?"
"Sister K arranged a supporting role for me, playing Zhao Kuangyin?"
Zhang Yang was a little surprised.
Was my mouth blessed or something?
Before you continue