Chapter 40: On what grounds? Because you can!

His old man had stealthily paid for his boxing gym tuition, and had paid for the entire year in one go.

This was what Wen Liang told He Tianran.

"How did he find out about this?" He Tianran asked with a puzzled look.

"He mentioned it when he came over to your place to see you last time while we were cooking. He said this was good for you and very supportive. Today he even made a special trip to the boxing gym to see my dad, and my dad praised you."

Wen Liang did not hide anything.

He Tianran muttered softly, "Nosey parker. I still have some savings of my own."

The girl asked knowingly, "What did you say? Speak up."

"Ahem, I mean... they didn't talk about anything else, did they?"

"He just paid the tuition, what else were you hoping they'd talk about?"

"I... well, they probably talked about something, anyway it's not like I can control it..."

For He Tianran, he did not want his life to be excessively interfered with by his father, but when it came to material and financial matters, he indeed could not afford much on his own.

Wen Liang saw through the boy's thoughts at a glance. Thoughtfully sparing him any blow to his self-esteem, she changed the subject.

"Have you figured out your college entrance examination aspirations yet?"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"We are already seniors in high school now, wouldn't it be strange not to ask about this?"

The girl said it as a matter of course. He Tianran raised his head to ponder for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "Haven't figured it out yet. By the way, didn't you say I would become a director and screenwriter? Hiss~ In that timeline of yours, how did I do on the college entrance exams? What school did I end up attending?"

Wen Liang tapped her chin with her finger, lowering her gaze as she recalled: "You underperformed on the exam, scoring only over 540 points, not even reaching the tier-one cutoff. Later, you found a tier-two institution and majored in finance, but you didn't really like it, and then by a twist of fate you entered the screenwriting industry."

"What? Five hundred and forty? Even if I took the college entrance exam right now, I wouldn't score that low."

He Tianran was greatly shocked. He had told He Pingshan that it wouldn't even be strange if his score dropped by a hundred points on the next monthly test, but that was just angry talk. In reality, he studied very hard, and his score goal was very clear, which was to score above 660 or even higher in the college entrance exam next June. This spoiler from the future truly sent a chill down his spine.

Logically speaking, with about ten months left, chasing 50 points shouldn't be an impossible task, so how could he plummet like that?

"Did I have sudden diarrhea in the exam room on the day of the exam, or did someone go crazy and rip up my answer sheet?"

He Tianran eagerly pursued the question, while Wen Liang's eyes flickered slightly.

"Maybe you were just too nervous, and I heard the exam papers for next year's college entrance examination are the hardest in the past decade."

"To be nervous to that extent, just how difficult must those exam papers have been..."

He Tianran said incredulously, and Wen Liang suddenly changed the subject.

"Right, why don't you just take the exam for the Hong Kong City Film Academy with me? The admission score for the directing department is generally set around the tier-two cutoff, it was only four hundred and thirty-something points last year."

Hearing this, He Tianran was somewhat tempted. He loved movies, but that was just a hobby. Prior to this, he had never thought about pursuing this industry, so he had some reservations:

"Your film academy's school exams are in five months, right? You've been studying acting for three years, is it too late for a layman like me?"

Wen Liang nodded earnestly and said with certainty:

"It's not too late. The interview for the directing department doesn't just ask professional questions. For example, the preliminary test is simply a written exam. Let me ask you, what color are Peppa Pig's clothes?"

"...Red, duh."

"Who is the author of *Water Lilies*?"

"Monet, does even need to ask?"

Wen Liang spread her hands: "See? These were actual multiple-choice questions from last year's directing department written exam. I didn't even give you the options, and you answered them yourself."

"Are you kidding me?"

He widened his eyes.

Wen Liang laughed: "It's not all questions like this, some are relatively obscure too. For example, what was the name of Nuri Bilge Ceylan's movie in 2018?"

"Uh... *The Wild Pear Tree*?"

He Tianran wasn't quite sure. He usually paid attention to film festivals so he had a slight impression, but that was news from a few years ago.

"That's right. The questions in the preliminary test of the directing department generally summarize recent films, current politics, and daily hotspots, mixed with a lot of niche literature, art, and even ACGN knowledge. I think for this step, relying on your usual accumulation is enough to get a pretty good score."

"Really that simple?"

"No way!" Wen Liang shook her head, pouring cold water on him: "There are four rounds of exams, this is just the preliminary, and the pass rate is quite high. After that, the second round is an interview to answer questions, seeing if you have the potential to be a director; the third round is story conception, testing your ability to tell a story; the fourth round is very arduous, lasting three days through the whole process from creation to rehearsal and hitting the stage."

"...Hearing you put it like that, I'm suddenly relieved. Otherwise, for those of us who have studied diligently through windows and desks for all these years, seeing you art students score three or four hundred points and still get into a tier-one university is truly hard to swallow."

"Hehe~" Wen Liang raised an eyebrow and said, "How about it, Director He? Do you want to give it a try? I think you have very high talent! This time you can hit the goal in one step, without having to take many detours before entering the industry like I did before my rebirth."

He Tianran hesitated: "This matter... I need to carefully ponder it."

"Mm, you should think about it carefully. But if you decide to do it, I will help you."

Wen Liang stretched lazily and said languidly.

"Your proposal, if it's really feasible, should be considered... changing my destiny, right?"

He Tianran said in a daze. At this moment, for the first time in his nearly seventeen years of life, he truly and tangibly felt the crossroads beneath his feet, and the one who had brought him here was a girl who had already walked through a lifetime once.

"I just hope you can live a better life. Even if you don't want to do this, I will respect your wishes, because after all, this is your life."

Seeing He Tianran's tangled expression, Wen Liang said softly. She reached out, wanting to stroke the boy's head, only for him to suddenly step back.

"Hey, last time you patted my head in front of Boss Park and I let it slide, but a girl's butt and a boy's head are not meant to be casually touched. Besides, didn't you use this head-pat kill backwards?! Shouldn't it be me patting your head?!"

Not wanting to let the atmosphere become too heavy, He Tianran joked, making a gesture to pat her head. Wen Liang giggled and didn't dodge, instead leaning a bit closer, while the boy's hand hung in mid-air, unable to bring itself down, and he could only awkwardly pull it back.

"Ahem, if you really want to help me, just tell me the college entrance exam answers directly. Wouldn't it be better for me to become the top scorer and get into Tsinghua or Peking University instead of this?"

Knowing full well this would be his reaction, Wen Liang snorted through her nose, shaking her finger as she said:

"Didn't you tell me about the butterfly effect? I'm already giving you a suggestion, and you still want the college entrance exam answers? Even if you got in that way, it wouldn't be your own strength, wouldn't the danger be even greater?"

"Then do you think I can get into the film academy? My dad even derided me yesterday, what on earth makes me think I can..."

Wen Liang asked curiously, "Did your dad really say that?"

He Tianran nodded and muttered, "Yeah, he told me to ask myself why I deserve to do something before doing it, and if I can't figure it out, then don't do it. Anyway, regarding all this you said, although I'm interested, but... I still haven't figured out why I deserve it."

"You remember your dad's words so firmly, yet you completely forget me, a prophet returned from the future!"

"Huh?"

"Why do you deserve it? Because you can, you big! Dummy!"

Wen Liang was furious. She raised both hands and began kneading He Tianran's cheeks left and right. His face was kneaded like a lump of dough, which was even worse than having his head patted just now...

He Tianran was so manhandled that he didn't dare to speak, until Wen Liang suddenly stopped her hands and uttered:

"By the way, the first question of the math test is option C."

With a crooked mouth, the boy squeezed out a single syllable with difficulty: "Huh?"

"The college entrance exam answers, duh. That's the only one I remember."

"..."