For Shen Yujing, this month had been incredibly grueling.
During the day, he studied art major courses, and at night, he crammed for his liberal arts exams. He hadn't had a single peaceful night's sleep.
His daily routine included waking up at seven in the morning to practice vocal exercises, and over the course of a month, his poor singing had driven away ten vocal coaches.
However, apart from music, Shen Yujing's performance in other areas was quite outstanding, especially his talent for solo performances.
Although he had never received systematic acting training before, several acting professors were full of praise for his acting skills, saying that with his looks and natural talent, it would be a loss to the entertainment industry if he didn't become a star.
Shen Yujing, who was used to being praised, felt a bit smug and his confidence soared.
The preliminary exam was conducted online via video recording, so Shen Yujing easily passed.
Before he knew it, the day of the second round of the Imperial Capital University's art department entrance exam had arrived.
That morning, Shen Yujing got up early, put on a high-end custom-made suit, and adjusted his hairstyle in front of the mirror.
This was the moment of truth.
Shen Yujing took a deep breath and walked downstairs.
Today, Shen's Father and Shen's Mother were already seated at the dining table, waiting for him to have breakfast together.
Shen's Father glanced over his son and said, "Not bad."
Shen's Mother, unusually enthusiastic, pulled Shen Yujing to sit beside her and said, "Good boy, eat your breakfast. Eat a lot before going to the exam."
Shen Yujing only drank a little porridge. Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, he had no appetite at all.
For the past decade, Shen Yujing's life had been too smooth. Whatever he wanted, he could easily obtain. This was the first time in his life that he had put in 100% effort for something.
He hoped that fate would be kind to him and bring a good outcome.
At the entrance of Imperial Capital University.
Other candidates either came with art exam institutions, teachers, or friends, arriving in groups of three or two.
Standing alone at the entrance of Imperial Capital University, Shen Yujing took a deep breath.
What was there to be afraid of? Shen Yujing had never been afraid of anyone in his life!
Thinking this, Shen Yujing straightened his back and walked in. But as soon as he entered the campus, he got lost.
Shen Yujing followed a boy holding an admission ticket, assuming everyone here was taking the art exam. Then, he ended up at the dance exam venue.
Shen Yujing: "..."
This wasn't going to work. He needed to ask someone.
So, Shen Yujing turned around and walked towards the volunteer at the entrance.
Suddenly, a tall and thin boy approached him. Upon seeing Shen Yujing, the boy paused for a moment. "Shen Yujing?"
Shen Yujing was also taken aback. Who was this?
He stopped, searched his memory, and confirmed that he didn't know this person. He asked, "Do you know me?"
"Of course, you're quite a celebrity at Saint Slee," the boy replied with a smile and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Cheng Kan, a graduate from Saint Slee last year, so I guess I'm your senior."
Shen Yujing's expression remained cold.
Just an alumnus of the same school. Did everyone think they could be his senior these days?
"I saw a post on the high school forum saying you're studying acting too, right?" Cheng Kan said, extending his hand. "Let me introduce myself. I was the third place in the Imperial Capital City acting provincial exam last year and the top scorer in the Imperial Capital University acting entrance exam. I also got admission certificates from the four major art schools. If you have any professional questions, feel free to ask me."
The usually arrogant golden-haired boy's eyes showed a hint of surprise. His gaze toward Cheng Kan had completely changed.
In the next moment, Shen Yujing shook Cheng Kan's hand and smiled, saying, "Nice to meet you, senior."
Cheng Kan led Shen Yujing to the acting exam building and even found a student in charge of exam logistics to help Shen Yujing get in.
During this time, Shen Yujing exchanged contact information with Cheng Kan and learned that Cheng Kan had already signed with an agency and starred in several web dramas as the male lead, gaining some online fame.
When they entered the building, the student leading Shen Yujing asked, "Do you know our Kan God?"
Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Just met. Why do you call him Kan God?"
"You don't know. Cheng Kan isn't the most popular in our year, but he's the most talented in every aspect," the student said, looking at Shen Yujing and smiling. "With your looks, you'll probably be our junior next year. Then you'll understand."
By now, they had reached the second floor. The student stopped talking and handed Shen Yujing over to a leading girl, saying, "Take him to line up."
There were many acting students on the second floor, divided into groups of ten, anxiously waiting for their turn to be interviewed.
Shen Yujing waited for nearly an hour before finally following the line into the classroom.
Each student took turns performing on stage, with teachers seated below, while other students waited on both sides.
In a group of ten, Shen Yujing was the last to perform.
The students in this group were all quite talented, each with their own specialty.
Some had studied opera for ten years, others could play five instruments, and some had been dancing since they were young.
Finally, it was Shen Yujing's turn.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the teachers below exchanged glances.
The male teacher on the far left with glasses said, "This face is promising."
The slightly overweight male teacher on the right also agreed, "After sitting here all morning, we finally have a good candidate."
Only the main examiner in the middle, Director Yang, remained motionless. She was a beautiful and elegant woman in her thirties. She looked up at Shen Yujing and said, "First, introduce yourself."
Shen Yujing bowed to the teachers and said, "Hello, teachers. My name is Shen Yujing. I'm eighteen years old, one hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, and I come from Saint Slee Academy."
"Wait a minute, Saint Slee?" Director Yang interrupted Shen Yujing. "I've heard that the students at this school are either very wealthy, very noble, or exceptionally talented. Which one are you?"
Shen Yujing honestly replied, "I'm the kind who lives off my family's wealth and waits to die."
"Pfft—" The male teacher with glasses laughed, then immediately apologized, "Sorry, Director Yang. Please continue."
Director Yang looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "The wealthy type, huh? But this year, we haven't received any notice to give special treatment to any candidate, nor have we heard that the price of admission certificates has been inflated."
The two male teachers both showed anxious expressions—
Director Yang! Such confidential matters shouldn't be discussed in front of the students!
Director Yang continued to ask, "So why do you want to study acting? If you want to be an actor, wouldn't it be easier to just enter the entertainment industry with your family's wealth?"
Shen Yujing looked into the female teacher's eyes and said seriously, "Because I've been living off my family for too long. I want to try hard for something I like once."
This reason was acceptable.
Director Yang nodded and tapped her pen on the table, saying, "Continue. You can decide the order of vocal, lines, body, and performance yourself. Let me see the results of your efforts."
Before coming to the exam, Shen Yujing's vocal coach had advised him that if he could choose the order, he should put vocal performance in the middle.
Putting it at the beginning would leave a bad first impression if his singing was terrible, and putting it at the end might leave a lasting negative impression if his acting wasn't good.
He first performed a simple line, which was quite good.
Next, he chose to perform sword dancing instead of the usual dance performance. His powerful and elegant moves impressed the teachers below.
The slightly overweight male teacher directly praised, "This skill is impressive. You probably won't need a stunt double for action scenes in movies."
Finally, it was time for the vocal performance. Thinking about singing, Shen Yujing felt a bit uneasy.
This led to his already terrible singing becoming even worse, completely off-key.
The three teachers below: "..."
The other students waiting on the sides: "!!!"
One girl who had been blushing after being impressed by Shen Yujing's looks earlier now covered her ears in pain.
When she got back, she was going to post on her social media—
Even handsome guys aren't perfect!
The originally appreciative chubby male teacher fell into deep thought, his voice trembling as he said, "Well... singing isn't everything. Acting is what really matters for an actor..."
The bespectacled male teacher chimed in, "Exactly. This kid has great potential. His looks are outstanding; we haven't seen such a striking candidate in the past two years. If we don't grab him, what if he becomes famous in another school?"
"The rules of the exam are clear," Director Yang responded. "Having a weak area is acceptable, but being this extreme is not." He then glanced at the bespectacled teacher and added, "Besides, if he becomes famous, so be it. Many celebrities don't need a college degree. We're a performing arts program; we need actors."
With that, Director Yang directly crossed out Shen Yujing's name.
The two male teachers exchanged glances, knowing full well that this meant Shen Yujing was out of the running.
Yang Yuan had never liked Shen Yujing, not from the moment he walked into the room.
A student from Saint Slee? From a wealthy family?
If that were the case, why not just spend money to debut in the entertainment industry? Why come to their esteemed institution to compete with ordinary students for a chance to succeed?
Yang Yuan had seen too many like him—politely calling her "Teacher" on the surface, but behind the scenes, a single phone call could manipulate the rankings of the arts exam, completely undermining the fairness of the test.
She detested such students, for they never took their studies seriously. Their sole purpose for attending school was to attach a prestigious alumni title to their name, which she found utterly despicable.
As a teacher, she held such students in the lowest regard.
At that moment, Shen Yujing's vocal performance finally came to an end.
He stepped forward and drew a slip of paper from the box in front of Yang Yuan, which would be the topic for his next solo performance.
As Shen Yujing approached, the chubby male teacher couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
With a face like his, even if he couldn't sing, he could still be made into a star. If only he could be nurtured under his guidance, within two years, he would undoubtedly become the next big thing in the entertainment industry.
What a pity... what a pity.
Shen Yujing felt his performance today was flawless. Completely oblivious to the torment his singing had caused the teachers, a slight smile even crept onto his lips.
Until he opened the slip of paper in front of him, revealing the topic for his solo performance.
There were only three words—
【Gorilla】
Shen Yujing: "......?"
