novellhall Chapter 85 This is the power of celebrity!
Chapter 85 This is the power of celebrity!
Friday night.
Chen Xun drove Christine's Mustang to USC.
It's not time to change cars yet!
This car is sufficient for daily commuting!
There's still some time before the screenings start.
A large number of students had already gathered outside the film academy building.
Many people were holding Han Lee's cartoon sign from "2 Broke Girls," and there were even a few boys clumsily trying to spin a coin.
As soon as he appeared, the crowd stirred.
"It's Chen Xun! He really came!"
"Han Lee oppa! Look here!"
"Could you sign my autograph? Just on a coin!"
"OMG! He's even more handsome in person than on TV! Is that even possible?"
……
The flashes from phone lenses and cameras went off in a cacophony of noise.
School security personnel worked hard to maintain order.
Just then!
Lee So-yeon squeezed her way out of the crowd.
She was one of the organizers for tonight and was busy checking the procedures.
When she saw Chen Xun standing by the car, she seemed to freeze, her mouth agape in surprise, her eyes wide open, and the folder in her hand almost slipped to the ground.
"Oppa...?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
She walked quickly forward.
Forgetting all the classmates and cameras around them, they circled around Chen Xun for a while, scrutinizing him carefully, as if they were meeting him for the first time.
"Aigoo, Chen Xun oppa? You're really Chen Xun oppa?"
She spoke in a mix of Korean and English, and was somewhat incoherent due to her shock:
"When was the last time we ate stir-fried pork with chili peppers together in our shared apartment?"
"It's only been six months at most! How did you become so handsome!"
She leaned very close, almost touching him, and pinched Chen Xun's shoulder with her fingers:
"You've definitely grown taller again! I used to be this tall!"
"Your shoulder proportions are absolutely perfect!"
"You weren't like this when we ate Korean fried chicken together! If only I had..."
Lee So-yeon blushed and covered her mouth with her hand, silencing the words that were about to come out.
His face showed a regretful expression, as if he had missed out on a priceless treasure.
Chen Xun almost laughed at her exaggerated reaction.
The favorability rating above Lee So-yeon's head was also jumping wildly!
Good guy!
Chen Xun seemed to see a two-digit number wheel!
The favorability rating is about to break the 90 mark!
There's still no sign of it stopping!
Chen Xun quickly reached out and patted Li Suyan's shoulder, who was infatuated with Li Suyan:
Are we still not allowed into the theater?
"Go in! Of course we'll go in!"
Lee So-yeon then realized what was happening.
The numbers above her head then stopped changing.
A huge number 96 appeared above my head!
Li Suyan quickly signaled to her classmates to clear a path, while she followed Chen Xun as if guarding some rare treasure, unable to resist stealing glances at him as they walked.
The atmosphere in the hall was lively.
Chen Xun was seated in the center of the front row.
Professor Martin Anderson from the Department of Film and Media Studies was sitting next to me.
I had met him before when he made a guest appearance, and I had also taken his class.
He smiled and shook hands with Chen Xun, his voice gentle:
"Chen Xun, welcome back! You're a star student at school now!"
"Professor, you flatter me!"
Chen Xun politely responded and sat down, but he could feel the gazes from all directions and the phones secretly taking pictures.
The screening has begun.
The process involves the audience voting in real time after each short film screening, with the scores displayed on the side of the screen.
The previous films without Chen Xun's participation were mostly art-house or experimental in nature, and had a slower pace.
The hall was relatively quiet.
The short films that were initially screened generally received ratings between 6 and 7.
Chen Xun could hear someone yawning softly in the back row.
Professor Anderson watched intently, occasionally jotting something down in his notebook.
No wonder he's an academic!
Chen Xun looked at the film in front of him.
He discovered that when these films were played, attribute orbs would fall from the actors' bodies when they got excited.
Most of them are gray!
Chen Xun would naturally not give up the opportunity to absorb attribute orbs while sitting down!
[Bland narrative +1]
[Experimental shot +1]
[Artistic dialogue +1]
……
After absorbing these gray light spots, Chen Xun felt that his acting knowledge had only expanded slightly, and his experience bar had hardly changed.
The next film is a dark comedy about an insomniac deliveryman.
He plays a convenience store clerk who receives deliveries late at night and has a vacant look in his eyes.
The atmosphere in the theater changed immediately as soon as the film started.
When Chen Xun appeared on the screen with messy hair and huge dark circles under his eyes, the audience burst into laughter and applause.
The rating instantly soared to 8.9.
Lee So-yeon pinched herself excitedly.
At the same time, Chen Xun saw many gray attribute balls floating in from the stands:
[Comedy Moment +1]
[Character contrast +1]
[A sense of decadence in the performance +1]
……
Although gray is still the most common color, the number has increased significantly.
The situation was similar for the next few films he participated in.
Whether it's the undercover agent in that novella about a policeman and a street thug, or the self-important apprentice in another comedy short film.
Whenever Chen Xun's face appeared on the screen, cheers and laughter would erupt from the audience, and the ratings would invariably soar to 8.5 or higher.
In contrast, films without his participation received much less attention.
Everyone is looking forward to the next short film featuring Chen Xun.
Professor Anderson turned his head, his tone a mixture of admiration and teasing:
"See that, Chen? That's the star effect! Your performance brought extra attention to these works."
"It's realistic, but it's also very effective!"
Chen Xun looked at his slightly immature face on the screen.
He knew in his heart that this was not just due to the celebrity effect.
When he made cameo appearances in these films, although his roles were small, he took them seriously and gave his all, rather than just showing his face.
The accumulation of these attribute balls, along with the system's assistance, gave him a performance ability in front of the camera that surpassed that of ordinary students.
During halftime, when things were a little quieter, Professor Anderson and Chen Xun chatted.
Professor Anderson adjusted his glasses:
"Your career is on a great trajectory lately! I've watched a few episodes of '2 Broke Girls,' and the character Han Lee is very creative; you portrayed him very well."
"You've improved a lot since your last cameo appearance in the short film!"
"It seems that practice is the best way for people to improve!"
Chen Xun smiled but didn't say anything.
Professor Anderson also turned his head to continue watching the short film.
After a while, Professor Anderson seemed to suddenly remember something and casually spoke:
I've always felt it was a real shame that you dropped out of school last year!
"The school currently has a policy that provides support to alumni who have achieved significant success in their industries!"
"Furthermore, your success is positive publicity for USC itself, which makes your dropout status somewhat inappropriate!"
Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
Does this mean they're going to reissue his graduation certificate?
"How about this!"
Before Chen Xun could react, Professor Anderson seemed to have made some kind of decision:
"I'll inquire about this for you. I have some connections in the student disciplinary committee. In your situation, applying to have the disciplinary action revoked and graduating by deducting credits shouldn't be a problem!"
"Professor, thank you so much!"
Chen Xun responded enthusiastically!
With the meat practically offered to him, he had no reason not to eat it!
Moreover, USC's alumni network is a considerable network!
This also resolved one of his concerns.
Dropping out of USC and graduating from USC—they always sound very different!
"You're welcome!"
Professor Anderson waved his hand, a sly smile appearing on his face:
"Consider it an investment the school is making to retain an outstanding alumnus. Remember to come back often to share your experiences and encourage the younger students!"