novelraw Chapter 65 Don't be afraid, your senior brother will back you up
Chapter 65 Don't be afraid, your senior brother will back you up
Tian Xiwei's voice message, 47 seconds long.
Song Ze leaned against the passenger seat and opened the app.
Rain pounded against the car window as Jam Hsiao's car turned the corner.
Tian Xiwei's voice has a very heavy nasal tone.
"Senior, the counselor called out at the grade-level meeting that first-year students are strictly prohibited from taking on outside acting roles or participating in any television program recordings without permission. Violators will be punished with a disciplinary record, or even expelled."
She sniffed, her voice trembling.
"I finally got the partner position, and I don't want to give it up. But I'm afraid to. Senior, what should I do?"
The audio connection dropped.
Song Ze stared at the gray voice bar on the screen and tapped his thumb twice on the steering wheel.
drop out.
Anyone would be terrified in that situation.
Tian Xiwei was only a freshman in college. She went from being an ordinary person to joining the lineup of partners on "Singer". Her school issued an ultimatum, blocking her path.
Song Ze did not reply to the voice message.
type.
"Don't cry, wait for me at the north gate of the school at 8:30 am on Saturday."
Add another one.
Don't eat too much for breakfast.
Tian Xiwei replied instantly with a crying face and an "okay".
Song Ze locked the screen and dialed Zhang Juan's number.
It made two sounds.
The voice on the other end sounded tired: "Xiao Song, I just lay down."
"Sister Juan, can you help me look something up?"
"……explain."
"The Shanghai Theatre Academy's regulations and supplementary clauses regarding special approvals for artistic practice. Please compile all past exception cases and send them to my email along with the application process."
Zhang Juan remained silent for three seconds.
"You signed a freshman for the company, and now you're going to go against the school on her behalf? Song Ze, did you enter the industry too early and become a father prematurely?"
"Sister Juan, please."
"Okay, I'll get it done tonight."
The email arrived at 11:40 PM.
Song Ze glanced at it.
Turn off your phone and go to sleep.
Saturday, 8:20 a.m.
Outside the north gate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, Song Ze rolled down the car window.
Tian Xiwei was already standing at the door, carrying a backpack, her eyes red-rimmed.
Upon seeing his car, he jogged over and opened the passenger door.
"Senior brother."
"Get in the car."
Instead of going to the administration building, he turned into a coffee shop on a back street.
Two Americanos and a strawberry cake were pushed in front of Tian Xiwei.
"eat."
Tian Xiwei was stunned: "I have no appetite."
"Let's eat first. If I faint from low blood sugar, I'll have to make another trip to the hospital."
Tian Xiwei pouted and obediently forked a piece of cake.
While he was looking through the documents Zhang Juan had sent him, Song Ze took the opportunity to look through them.
The Shanghai Theatre Academy had one case in 2009 and one case in 2013.
All of these projects involved students and were specially approved.
The clause is hidden in Article 7 of the appendix to the "Regulations on the Management of Student Art Practice".
"Projects recognized as national-level or industry-level S-class projects may be subject to special practical arrangements approved by the department head."
enough.
He put away his phone and glanced at the person opposite him.
The cake was all gone, only the cream crumbs remained.
"Let's go see your department head."
Tian Xiwei put down her fork and straightened up.
"Now?"
"Or should we wait until he retires?"
The third floor of the Performing Arts Department office building.
The sign reads "He Yan".
The door was half-open.
Song Ze knocked three times.
"Enter."
The office was filled with books and award certificates.
A man in his fifties sat behind his desk, reading glasses perched on his nose, reviewing documents.
He Yan looked up, glanced at Song Ze, and then looked at Tian Xiwei who was huddled in the back.
"Tian Xiwei?"
"Hello, Teacher He."
"The person next to you?"
Song Ze began, "Director He, I am Song Ze from Xingyao Entertainment, the person in charge of Tian Xiwei's contracted company. I'm here to discuss her participation in the recording of Hunan TV's 'I Am a Singer'."
He Yan took off his reading glasses and placed them on the table.
I opened the drawer and pulled out a blue-covered school rules handbook.
Snapped.
Slap it on the table.
He turned to a page and pointed to a line with his index finger.
"First-year students are not allowed to participate in any commercial performances or program recordings without approval during their time at the university. This rule has remained unchanged since the university was founded."
He pushed the manual over.
"I don't care what level of programs are out there. Freshman year is when you lay the foundation. If the foundation isn't solid, it'll just be a castle in the air. I understand you signed people early. Schools have their rules."
Tian Xiwei stood behind Song Ze, her hands clasped together, her head bowed low.
Song Ze didn't move.
He pulled three A4 sheets of paper from the file bag and placed them neatly in front of He Yan.
"Director He, I agree with what you said. But there is a supplementary clause in Article 7 of the appendix to your manual."
He Yan stopped moving.
Song Ze pointed to the line of text highlighted in yellow on the printed document.
"Once a project is recognized as a national-level or industry-leading S-level project, students can submit a special approval application to their department, which will be implemented after approval by the department head. In 2009, second-year students from your school's Performing Arts Department participated in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, following this process. In 2013, first-year students from the Directing Department participated in a project for the National Theatre of China, which was also approved through special approval."
"Young man, of course I know the terms. But can a variety show be the same as a national-level project? Variety shows are exhausting. Throwing undeveloped newcomers in front of the camera will wear down their talent, and they won't even be able to deliver their lines properly when they come back."
He waved his hand.
"And if I may be frank, I've never heard of Xingyao Entertainment. If something really happens to a company of that size, can you really protect the students?"
Tian Xiwei shrank her shoulders.
Song Ze's posture remained unchanged.
He took his phone out of his pocket.
"Director He, I'd like to introduce you to someone."
He made the phone call in front of He Yan.
Press speakerphone.
Place it on the table.
Doodle.
"Feed?"
Yang Mi's voice came through the phone, sounding languid and sleepy.
"Honey, I'm in the office of the head of the acting department at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Our partner, Tian Xiwei, is participating in the recording of 'Singer,' but the school is holding up the approval process."
Yang Mi scoffed.
"What era are we living in? Stop working in isolation. Hold on, give me thirty minutes."
The phone hangs up.
He Yan stared at the phone on the table, then looked at Song Ze.
"Young man, you think a simple phone call can solve this?"
Song Ze did not respond.
I leaned back in my chair and waited.
The office quieted down.
Tian Xiwei dared not utter a sound.
He Yan put his reading glasses back on and continued to review the materials, occasionally glancing up at them.
ten minutes.
The red landline phone on the right side of the desk rang.
He Yan stopped writing.
That's the direct line from the dean's office; only the school leadership calls that.
He answered the call.
"Hello, this is He Yan."
The next second, he sprang up from the chair, his back straight.
"Mr. Lou! Hello, hello!"
Song Ze couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the phone.
He Yan nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes."
"You're right."
"I understand, I understand."
Two minutes later, the call ended.
He stood there for several seconds.
Sit down again.
Cough once.
"Um, Mr. Song."
The way we address each other has changed.
"Rules still need to be in place. Special permission is acceptable, but there can't be no constraints at all."
This is what Song Ze was waiting for.
Connect immediately.
"Of course. My plan is this: From Monday to Wednesday, Tian Xiwei will attend all her professional and general education classes at school without missing a single one. From Thursday to Sunday, she will fly to Changsha for training and rehearsals. This recording will be submitted to the department as a school-enterprise collaborative art practice project, and a complete practice report will be submitted after the project is completed. Adding an S-level project collaboration to the Shanghai Theatre Academy's resume will also be a plus for your department's academic evaluation."
He Yan pondered.
I tapped my fingers on the table a few times.
"Okay. But I have a bottom line. You must submit a practical report of no less than 10,000 words at the end of the semester, and your total grade in professional courses and general courses cannot be lower than the top 50% of your grade. If you can't do that, you'll be stopped immediately."
Tian Xiwei looked up suddenly, her eyes lighting up.
His lips moved, as if he was about to speak.
Song Ze's hand came out to block her way.
Tian Xiwei was stunned.
Song Ze stared directly at He Yan.
"Director He, the first 50% is too low."
He Yan was taken aback.
"According to the agreement I signed with her, her final grades must remain in the top 30% of her grade. If she falls below that, you don't need to tell her to stop; I'll personally escort her back from the film set to class."
The office was silent for two seconds.
He Yan looked at Song Ze, then at Tian Xiwei, who was staring wide-eyed beside him.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Song Ze turned his head. "And you?"
Tian Xiwei bit her lip and nodded emphatically.
"I can."
He Yan stared at the two of them for a long time.
I opened the drawer and took out the approval form and the official seal.
"Sign it."
I walked out of the office building.
Tian Xiwei's legs went weak and she almost squatted down.
"It's over, it's over, it's over."
She jumped up, wanting to hug Song Ze.
Song Ze slapped her on the forehead and pushed her half a meter away.
"Pack your bags, it's non-stop starting Sunday. If you fail, you'll be sidelined until you graduate with your master's degree."
Tian Xiwei covered her forehead and grinned.
"No, absolutely not."
Song Ze waved his hand and turned to walk towards the parking lot.
I got back into the car and dialed Yang Mi's number.
"Honey, it's all done. Thanks."
Yang Mi laughed on the other end of the line.
"Song Ze, you owe me more and more favors. How do you plan to repay me?"
Song Ze didn't respond.
He paused for a moment.
"Honey, I have a question for you. There's a guy named Chen Weike, whose English name is Victor Chen, who runs a fund registered in the Cayman Islands. The actual controller is a shell company. Have you heard of him?"
Yang Mi's laughter stopped on the other end of the phone.
There was a full four seconds of silence.
"...Where did you hear that name from?"