novellhall Chapter 14 Both Pass the Preliminary Examination
Chapter 14 Both Pass the Preliminary Examination
Zhang Yiming put his glasses back on, securing the temples to his ears.
He shook his head.
"No. He hasn't gone to college yet."
Liang Rubo frowned slightly.
Didn't go to university? Eighteen years old? Was he in his final year of high school?
Zhang Yiming seemed to read his mind and continued speaking.
"He said his original goal was to go to Yenching University's mathematics department and stay on to do research. However..."
"But what? Don't keep me in suspense!"
Zhang Yiming pushed up his glasses again, a gesture he made many times tonight.
"However, it seems there's a new situation now!"
···
Wang Zian drove a brand-new Audi back to the hotel arranged by Zhang Yiming.
The sound of the car door closing seemed particularly muffled in the night.
He greeted the receptionist, took the room key, stepped into the elevator, pressed the floor button, and leaned against the elevator wall.
His face was reflected in the elevator mirror. The hoodie's hood was bunched up behind his neck, his hair was messy, and there was a thin layer of dark circles under his eyes.
These past few days, he's been working non-stop, modifying code, adjusting models, and running data in front of the screen from morning till night. He's really exhausted.
The elevator stopped at his floor with a ding.
He walked to the door, swiped his card, pushed the door open, inserted the card to turn on the power, and threw his backpack onto the sofa.
Without even taking a shower, he kicked off his shoes, took off his coat, and collapsed onto the bed.
Five seconds later, his breathing became long and even.
The city of Beijing outside the window was still brightly lit, with cars flowing endlessly and lights like a river.
But none of this concerns him anymore.
The next morning, it was broad daylight.
Sunlight streamed in through the gap in the slightly ajar curtains, drawing a thin, golden line on the carpet.
Wang Zian groggily opened his eyes, groped around on the bed, and found his phone.
I checked the time and it was already nine o'clock.
Wang Zian put down his phone and stared at the ceiling for about ten seconds.
There was a white, round ceiling light with a thin layer of dust around its edges.
The air conditioner's vent is on the right-hand side, and the angle of the blinds has been adjusted so that the air is blowing towards the ceiling.
He sat up.
He pulled over the unused pillow next to him, stood it upright, handcuffed it behind his back, and leaned it against the headboard.
He picked up the phone again.
To unlock, my thumb unconsciously swiped twice on the screen, then stopped.
If he remembers correctly, today seems to be the day when the results of the preliminary exams for the Beijing Film Academy are released.
Wang Zian stared at his phone screen, his thumb hovering above it, and hesitated for about two seconds.
Then he opened his browser, typed in "Beijing Film Academy Admissions Website", the page loading circle spun twice, and the homepage of the Beijing Film Academy's official website popped up.
Sure enough, the preliminary list was announced.
A red link appears in the homepage's announcement section: "Announcement of the List of Candidates Qualified for the 2016 Undergraduate Admissions Preliminary Examination".
Red, bold, pinned to the top.
The file was small and downloaded in just a few seconds.
He opened the file, and thousands of names were densely packed on the phone screen. The font was so small that he needed to use two fingers to zoom in to see them clearly.
He didn't start watching from the beginning.
Instead, I searched for my exam number. The screen flashed, and the cursor jumped to the middle of the file, where a name was highlighted in blue.
Wang**, candidate number 411····6666, passed the preliminary test.
His thumb continued to slide across the screen.
The list was arranged according to the exam number, and his name was right next to another name.
week*.
Wang Zian looked at the two words, and although one word was hidden, a face appeared in his mind.
With her hair tied in a high ponytail, her almond-shaped eyes were large and bright. She was clutching the manuscript of "To the Oak Tree" in her hand, and her lips were trembling slightly with nervousness.
The exam numbers were next to each other, and the names on the list were also next to each other. Quite a coincidence.
Driven by curiosity, Wang Zian searched for the character "关".
Seeing that there was only one name with the surname Guan, Wang Zian once again felt the real sense of living in the same time and space as this kind of person.
Not through a screen, not through news headlines, not in fragments of memory.
They were on the same list, in the same exam room, and in the same corridor.
Their names and his name were printed in the same PDF file, with the same font and size, and placed side by side.
····
Will you go?
Wang Zian picked up his phone and put it down, then picked it up again.
Wang Zian thought for a moment.
The second interview is tomorrow, but I haven't bought my train ticket yet.
"Don't you want to see what exciting things the second round of interviews will have?"
Wang Jinsong's voice suddenly popped into my memory.
His seduction tactics worked.
Wang Zian started searching for information about what the Beijing Film Academy's entrance exam would cover. He rummaged through materials he had previously received from various art exam preparation institutions.
He looked at it for about ten minutes, then put the phone aside, lifted the covers, and got out of bed.
···
Meanwhile, in Beijing, at Wanliu Garden.
In a large, single-level apartment of over 200 square meters, the living room is decorated in a simple yet elegant style.
The walls are off-white, the floor tiles are light gray, and the floor-to-ceiling windows take up an entire wall.
The curtains are double-layered; the inner layer of white gauze is translucent in the sunlight, like a thin layer of mist.
Several simple paintings hang on the wall. It's hard to tell what they depict, but they just make people feel comfortable.
A large orange sofa sits in the center of the living room.
Zhou Ye was nestled on the sofa in a Dior silk pajama set, the color of which was light pink and had delicate lace trim on the collar and cuffs.
Her hair was loose, draped over the sofa armrest like a small black waterfall.
Her eyes were glued to the phone screen, her thumb scrolling down incessantly.
Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warming Zhou Ye.
There was a faint aroma of jasmine and grapefruit mixed together in the air, wafting out from the rattan diffuser on the coffee table.
"Ahhh! I made it to the second round of interviews!"
She sprang up from the sofa, kicking her legs wildly in the air, her heels slamming against the sofa with dull thuds.
She held her phone above her head, the screen still lit up, displaying the list of those who passed the preliminary auditions from the Beijing Film Academy's official website.
She rolled around excitedly on the sofa, the silk pajamas rustling against the fabric.
"Sis, I made it to the second round of interviews!"
She turned around and shouted towards the corridor, her voice echoing throughout the more than 200-square-meter house.
"Okay, let's hurry up, the intensive review class for the interview is about to start!"
"Oh~!"
Zhou Ye's excitement was dampened by this sentence, but the corners of his mouth were still turned up.
She took her phone down and glanced at the list again.
Her name was highlighted in blue on the list.
Her gaze moved up a line—exam number 411...6666. Wang**.
Zhou Ye stared at those three words, and the corners of his mouth curled up even higher.
"Wang Zian, I knew you could get in too."
She spoke softly, as if talking to herself, or perhaps speaking to the three words on her phone screen.
"I absolutely need your WeChat for this interview!"