Chapter 397: 397: Good Boy and Bad Boy (Requesting Monthly Pass)

“Good morning, classmates. Today we’re going to talk about how to win an Oscar. Next, I’ll tell you about a great story theme that I call ‘Guaranteed Oscar.'”

The School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California doesn’t have general education requirements; students can choose classes across disciplines based on interest, shaping their own future career path. The prestigious Film and Television Production major places a high emphasis on practical professional skills, with few purely theoretical classes. The curriculum is composed of three main parts: comprehensive production, professional focus, and collaborative project courses.

Courses in professional focus are like RPG-style learning skills, with producing refined to market operations, directing to visual expression, and cinematography to film artistry… The other two types of courses involve creating a specified length of film and television works on 16MM film, followed by teacher-led improvement. The major difference is that ‘comprehensive production’ requires a student to complete all categories of filmmaking tasks. Of course, at the beginning of this course, one must first take a month-long foundational theory class, which covers all aspects including screenwriting, production, direction, photography, editing, and sound.

“First of all, the male lead is a Gulf War veteran, and the female lead is a British nurse,” he said.

In the quiet of the morning classroom, many young students looked at the guy standing at the front, some smiling with interest, others cynically minding their own business. Wang Yang was a clever and detestable rascal who, confident in his self-taught filmmaking knowledge, openly criticized these basic theory courses as a “waste of time.”

The tall youth on the stage had medium-length black hair and a green, serious face that couldn’t hide the playful look in his eyes. Looking at the audience, he raised his hand and said loudly, “The male lead lost a leg in the war, but luckily, he’s not Forrest Gump; his name is Gun. After the war, oh please! His girlfriend fell in love with someone else! So he’s very, very angry, very, very GUN! Buddy, it’s your own fault for not being in the Vietnam War, as Asians are easier to bully.”

“Oh…” “Ha ha!” The students’ attention was now focused on him, and many chuckled. Everyone was aware of the difference between the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, and some were surprised, thinking it wasn’t time for ‘South Park’! Of course, the Asian students didn’t mind a little self-deprecating humor. The young man continued his spiel, “But we’re not talking about ‘The Deer Hunter’, whatever—our story is ‘The English Patient’. The female lead, a British nurse named Banana, meets Gun. He’s hot-tempered; she’s gentle and kind, yet they fall in love.”

Banana has connotations of comedians and big hooked noses in slang, and in addition to referencing the female lead Hanna’s name from ‘The English Patient’, the audience also picked up on his sarcasm towards the British.

“Suddenly one day, Banana is diagnosed with terminal cancer and will soon die, yes, my apologies for my Oscar, she became The English Patient.” The young man touched his chest apologetically, and the audience smiled, with a few girls laughing out loud. He continued, “But she didn’t tell Gun, and they continued living together until the day she died, leaving Gun in anguish. Banana was buried, and Gun came to lay flowers at her grave and gave a military salute before leaving… Is this all? Just an ordinary story?”

The young man shook his finger and leaning on the lectern spoke louder to the audience, “In the cemetery, Gun met another woman who claimed to be Banana’s girlfriend! It turns out Banana was a lesbian; she didn’t reject Gun’s proposal and took care of him just to soothe his wounded soul!!”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Ha ha!” The audience burst into laughter, now with an added twist regarding sexual orientation. Without stopping to consider whether Wang Yang might be offending homosexuals, this angle did indeed add many topics and dimensions to the human discussion. The dark-haired youth spoke coldly and firmly, “I forgot to mention, Banana is black; and Gun, he’s Jewish.” The crowd couldn’t help but laugh continuously. The young man frowned and reminded them, “You must be Jewish if you want to get an Oscar.” African American and Jewish students couldn’t help but be amused for a moment.

“You know what the best part of this story is? Argen isn’t fighting for Israel against Palestine but for America against Iraq, which is very politically correct.” Amidst the laughter, the dark-haired boy’s tone was unprecedentedly serious, “Forgot to mention, I’m Jewish.”

“Hahaha!” There was a commotion of loud laughter and some unamused hissing from the crowd while the young man on stage mimicked accepting an Oscar statue, happily thanking, “Thank you! Thank you to the Academy, thank you everyone, I’m so thrilled to get this award today…”

The English Patient, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List… the guy had linked them all together, poking fun at some of the Oscars’ quirks. Yet after the laughter had subsided, no one clapped or cheered him on. The guy was a rascal, and words from a rascal might indeed hold malice. So even though Wang Yang’s humor was not criticized, his reputation took a significant hit; soon after, another big hit.

Theoretical foundations will always be just that, and making movies requires hands-on abilities. However, many students who had not even become adept at loading film were forced to start using cameras to shoot comprehensive production assignments, resulting in numerous operational errors, focus mistakes, and exposure problems. Wang Yang’s difficult personality was immediately exposed—he refused to deal with any classmates’ requests for help. During group assignments, almost no teams were willing to invite him to join, and he could hardly find anyone for his own group.

One group, captivated by his directing talents, made up their minds to endure his foul temper and asked him to take the helm. The assignment was well done, and it received praise from the professor in class, but who knew how much trouble they had endured! One day, the guy even made a girl in the group, who was both the art designer and an actress, cry on the spot.

“If YOUNG-WANG ever becomes a director, he’ll definitely be the one with the worst temper in Hollywood.” “YOUNG-WANG is here! Quick, let’s go!” “He’s a jerk!!”…

The legend of Amazing Yang had become one of the many stories circulating in the University of Southern California’s Film School; his short 5-10 minute assignments also turned into revered artifacts. Nancy Reno actually regretted not being in the same class as Wang Yang to witness his bad-boy antics; by the time she got to know him, he had already reverted to being a good boy. Remembering all this, Nancy smiled and continued sorting through the shot list for 500 Days of Summer, planning for the next day’s shoot—it was almost time to start filming!

“Hahaha—” In the bright and elegant café, Natalie and Jessica both broke out into huge laughter, their charming, amused expressions making it clear that, although one was Jewish and the other’s father was a retired military man, it was just too funny! Pointing to her chest, laughing loudly, Natalie said, “I’m the Jewish one here!” Jessica, as if asking a question in class, raised her hand in his defense, “Why would they hate you? You’re really funny.” Natalie nodded in agreement, “You’re cool, MAN, you’re cool! You shouldn’t take it seriously!”

Indeed, his words weren’t really offensively targeting anyone, and if he were to say this on the Oscars stage now, they might even become a classic quote that people would talk about for years. (Back in 2007, the 79th Academy Awards host Ellen DeGeneres said, “Without blacks, Jews, and gays, there would be no Oscars.”)

However, back then, he was utterly a crazy villain, truly amusing. Wang Yang shrugged nonchalantly, “If you had heard Wang Yang from that time say these words, you definitely wouldn’t laugh.” Jessica quickly exhibited the emotional side of a pregnant woman, her eyes widening as she insisted, “No! I would have laughed!” Natalie hesitated slightly before raising her eyebrows, “Maybe.” Wang Yang shook his head with a smile of resignation, “This is not a police investigation. Back then, I was just a bad boy, and not laughing would have made you a good girl.”

“Really?” Jessica said, puzzled, as she touched her belly where the baby was kicking. Wang Yang leaned in close to her, then glanced at Natalie on the other side, his voice mysteriously saying, “Yes, a bad boy! You wouldn’t believe how annoying I was back then. I couldn’t find anyone to help with assignments, and even if I did everything myself, I still needed actors!” Jessica again spoke urgently, “Then you should have come to me! I like bad boys!” Wang Yang laughed and glared at her, “If that had been the case, you probably would have been scolded to death by me.” Jessica playfully rotated her eyes, refusing to admit her acting was poor.

Wang Yang clarified, “You know, USC is a private university, and tuition is very high. Thanks to the restaurant, but after paying tuition fees, I’m broke, and for each group assignment, the school only provides 1200 feet (365 meters) of 16mm film. For night and indoor scenes we use Kodak 7218, for day and outdoor scenes Kodak 7201, which makes the budget incredibly tight. So, if you don’t have personal funds, each time an actor NGs, you feel like beating them up… And then there’s a school rule that the director is responsible for everyone’s breakfast and lunch. Oh my god, why not just require the director to cook themselves? I wanted to buy a DV and other private filming equipment, so I had to get a job…”

High tuition, along with the cost of miscellaneous photography expenses, had led him to actually make some of his fellow students, who worked as extras, cry several times. Reminiscing about that time on campus, Wang Yang smiled and took a sip of coffee, his resolve to direct “500 Days of Summer” growing stronger. Why had he become so dislikeable back then? What was that force? The power of a broken heart? Why had he, like Tom, gone so crazy…

“Hey buddy, you even worked part-time jobs, sounds like you were a good boy!” Natalie praised admiringly; she was already quite wealthy during her time at Harvard and couldn’t fathom that feeling. Jessica proudly patted Wang Yang’s shoulder and said with a smug smile, “He was the perfect combination of a good boy and a bad boy.”

“Haha! Thanks,” Wang Yang chuckled, his thoughts drifting back to those bad boy days, slowly saying, “About those things, it wasn’t just ‘I am Jewish.’ Sometimes, you just know it’s not quite right to say certain things, you’re aware they’re taboo, and actually, you don’t want to say them, but you end up saying them anyway. It’s a peculiar emotion. First, you know that in this country, some people can say things that insult Asians or use certain words without much consequence. They almost don’t consider it offensive, maybe even a tease; but if you say other things, it could easily spell trouble.”

Jessica pursed her lips slightly, “It’s the same for Latinos.” Natalie frowned and questioned, “Jewish people are a lot better off now, maybe, so what then?”

Wang Yang gathered his thoughts, reflecting on his and Tom’s mindset, and analyzed somewhat entranced, “I’m not talking about racism, but the reason for the change. It’s probably about venting, indulgence! Coming to a new environment in Los Angeles, I knew no one, and no one knew me. And what if they did? Who cared? On one hand, you want to become the exact opposite of what you aspire to be. To break from the past. No her, then no her, I don’t care about anything anymore! I am a new Wang Yang! On the other hand, you’re agonizing over what you really want to become.”

“The change from pain… It’s a test for others, for the world, for yourself,” Wang Yang nodded in self-acknowledgment, having found the emotion he was seeking, “‘500 Days of Summer’ is not just about love or about women, but also about a man’s reacquainting with himself.”

“You’re right! Obviously,” Jessica agreed, nodding repeatedly even though she didn’t quite understand, while an unstoppable murmur ran through her mind, “That Helen is despicable! Damn Helen, ah, heavens—how could she make Yang so sad and miserable? But without that silly woman’s departure, would I have had a chance?… No way! Why is Yang so fixated on Helen? Is she beautiful? Can she take care of him? Does she know how to make him happier!? Damn Helen—!!”

“Yeah, I get what you’re saying,” Natalie nodded too, Tom’s way of breaking with his past was to go crazy, like a coin flipped to its other side. Then he came to recognize himself again, questioning why he lost Summer, what was the nature of his relationship with her, and ultimately what he wanted to be. Was it a bad boy or a good boy? A greeting card writer or an architect? As she lifted her cup of coffee and took a sip, she said, “From a sociologic perspective, some people’s crazy and outrageous behavior is because they want to draw attention and care, even if it earns them ridicule and reprimand.”

She wore a mischievous smile, looking into Wang Yang’s eyes, and said with a laugh, “He doesn’t not care about what others think, on the contrary, he cares a great deal! His craziness probably comes with thoughts like, if she knew what I’m like now, would she worry about me? Would she be heartbroken for me? Would she come back to me?”

“Hahahaha!” Wang Yang burst into laughter, looking down to avoid her gaze before looking back up, feeling as if this woman had seen right through him. Had he really thought like that? Probably. Wang Yang said, smiling, “A little bit, I guess, that’s what drives your subconscious… But it’s all in the past! They’re long gone.” He squeezed Jessica’s right hand with his left, changing the subject with a puzzled voice, “What’s taking Joseph so long? He needs to hear this, and later we’ll have to tell him all over again…”

Upon hearing Natalie’s words, Jessica felt even more dejected. Oh my! Now she wanted to give Helen a good pounding! Yang was so popular with the girls, and yet he was made to feel so pitiful because of Helen… Ah! Feeling the warmth of his hand, Jessica’s smile softened considerably, no longer as stiff as before.

“Yang, seriously, I’m looking forward to ‘The Amazing Director’ even more now. I’m sure they’ll include this part in the film.” Natalie couldn’t help but chuckle, since she had never met the bad boy version of Wang Yang, seeing him on the big screen would be nice.

“No!” Jessica said, not finding it amusing, “I’m afraid they’ll portray Yang as really mean at the beginning and only starting to reform after being fired.” Natalie frowned slightly, “I don’t think so? Helen dumping him is clearly a key point.” Jessica gave her a blank stare, correcting seriously, “It’s not Helen who dumped him; they messed it up.” Natalie nodded indifferently, “OK.” Jessica continued the previous topic, earnestly saying, “I’ve analyzed many possible plot patterns of ‘The Amazing Director’, there’s that one, and also…”

Jessica rambled on about various possibilities, Natalie nodded now and then in agreement, occasionally glancing at her, to see how impressive Jessica was! Wang Yang just smiled and nodded silently, not joining in their discussion, because he had heard her talk about these findings yesterday, and there was even the classic “lovers’ quarrel” scenario, with Helen’s family and the Wang family as enemies, their love thwarted by family feuds, she must have referred to the 36 dramatic situations proposed by Georges Polti…

“I’m too worried about this, Yang and Helen really screwed up.” Discussing the possibility of the lovers’ quarrel scenario, Jessica couldn’t help but feel anxious before chuckling at the thought, “But they wouldn’t go that over-the-top, right?” Natalie shrugged, “I definitely wouldn’t, this isn’t ‘Romeo and Juliet’, don’t worry…”

“Ahem! We really did screw it up—” Wang Yang thumbs-up supportively, that’s just how this woman is, not jealous of his scandal-related fling, only jealous of his ex-girlfriend, originally everyone was married and it was all fine, but then ‘The Amazing Director’ stirred up the waters again. He put his arm around her shoulders, laughing, “Then I met you, and everything changed for the better! I’m actually grateful for that time because it made things develop this way, you understand?” Jessica felt warmth inside and her face naturally beamed with a smile.

As she watched the sweet couple, Natalie quickly rolled her eyes, not quite sure what to say. After thinking for a moment she said, “Let’s talk about Summer, it’s been all Tom up till now, and I don’t fully understand Summer.” She complained, “I don’t even know if she’s a vegetarian!”

“You two go ahead and talk.” Knowing they were likely to bring up Helen, Jessica didn’t want to hear anymore, lest it spoil her mood and affect the baby’s sleep quality. She picked up her handbag and stood up, “Yang, Nancy, I’m going shopping, bye!” Wang Yang told her, “Okay, be careful, bye!” Jessica walked a few steps away, then turned back, pressed her left hand to her lips, and threw a kiss, Wang Yang smiled and winked at her, waving goodbye, and Jessica walked away with a lively step.

Natalie propped her chin with one hand, such a cute, sexy, and likable woman… unlike Summer.

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PS: Seeking monthly tickets to surge up the charts! (