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"Do you even look like a student anymore?!"
University of Southern California, Film School, Dean Thompson's Office.
Principal Dean, hair already turning white, was practically spitting with anger as he slammed the desk.
"All your professors have been complaining about you—either you're cracking jokes with girls during class, or you don't show up at all!"
"Do you even care about the school? About your teachers?"
"What are you, a grade schooler? Do I need to babysit you to make sure you study?!"
Suddenly—
Principal Dean's face went pale. He clutched his chest—his heart condition was acting up.
Panicking, he yanked open a drawer and popped a fast-acting heart pill.
Only then did he start to feel a little better.
"Principal Dean, my dear mentor,"
David—the guy getting chewed out—clicked his tongue a few times as he looked at Dean.
"I get that you're mad, but don't be too mad. You're not young anymore. What if you drop dead from anger—what'll happen to your wife, huh?"
David put on an innocent face. "Let's get this straight—if I don't take good care of your widow, you better not come haunt me in my dreams!"
"You little—" Dean was fuming.
Seeing David's smug, cheeky attitude, he took several deep breaths to calm down.
What could he do? This was his personal apprentice—his handpicked student. At this point, it's not like he could just throw him away.
Who would've guessed that the guy who got crowned University of Southern California's Heartthrob the moment he set foot on campus…
Would turn out to be a director prodigy, rising like a rocket and showing off insane talent at school...
But behind the scenes? This was the real him.
Dean opened a drawer and pulled out a contract, tossing it in front of David.
"It's a spot with the Crimson Tide Skin production crew. I put my old face on the line to get you an assistant director position."
"Yeah, it's just a title for now, but once you're there, you'd better watch and learn. Soak up experience. Build connections."
David chuckled.
"Wow, mentor… you've still got tricks up your sleeve, huh? Didn't know you had that kind of pull. But… are you trying to get rid of me?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Quit the smooth talk. You've got no idea how much power your mentor really has. You little punk have been goofing off so much, your reputation is in the gutter. I wanted to graduate you early just to get you outta here, but even I can't swing that right now."
"Go lay low for a bit. Once you've polished your résumé, I'll work my magic and get you out early. Take your degree and get the hell out."
David picked up the contract, skimmed through it, then pouted. His face said it all: Not interested.
"I'm not going."
Dean exploded. "This is one of the biggest investments in the industry in recent years! You're gonna pass on that? What do you think this is—heaven handing out freebies?! This is your shot!"
"I want to shoot my own film," David said.
"You want what? Are you dreaming? Who the hell's gonna invest in some student who hasn't even graduated?"
David reached into his bag, pulled out a script, and handed it over with a big grin.
"Here, mentor. Take a look. I promise this one's a hit. Worst case, you could invest a little yourself. Let your student make you rich!"
Trying to swindle my retirement fund now?
Dean had a curse word on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it. This kid was shameless. He'd been yelling at him for two years and it hadn't made a difference.
"Lost on Journey... you wrote this?"
David lit a cigarette and passed it over, still grinning. "Take a look. If it's good, just use your network to help me raise a few tens of millions. No big deal."
"A few tens of millions? What do you think this is—cabbage on sale at the corner store?!"
Dean glared at him but, because of the cigarette, still picked up the script.
At first, he didn't care much.
But as he read deeper, he got more and more absorbed—and then suddenly sucked in a breath.
This… this was actually a really good script.
Funny, touching, tightly plotted. If shot well, it had a solid 90% chance of being a hit.
"Where'd you dig this up? You lucky bastard… This'd make one hell of a debut. It's got potential!"
Dean looked genuinely excited now.
The first film a director makes can make or break their career. If it's a hit, future investments come easy. If it flops, they could vanish from the industry altogether.
As his teacher, Dean naturally wanted David to start strong.
After all, this was his prized student.
David just grinned. "All thanks to your great teaching, of course."
Dean blinked. "Wait—you actually wrote this? When did you learn how to write screenplays?"
"C'mon, mentor. You've seen all the stage plays I've done at school—didn't I write every single one?"
"Stage plays and movie scripts aren't the same thing," Dean muttered, letting out a long sigh as he looked David up and down.
He really was satisfied with this kid.
Super talented, great with people—the only flaw was that he was way too carefree.
"Alright, once you finish your time with the Crimson Tide crew, I'll help you find investors for your movie."
"Still gotta go work on Crimson Tide first?"
"This industry runs on credentials. Get some credits under your belt. Once you've got that degree in hand, jumping to director will be much easier."
Dean grumbled, "You think I can just snap my fingers and get people to invest? Even my face can't pull that off alone."
David blinked innocently. "It can't?"
Dean smirked a little, clearly flattered. That compliment hit the sweet spot.
"Even if my reputation's strong, you still need to back it up with skill and experience. Otherwise, it's your face getting slapped—and my butt taking the hit!"
David rolled his eyes. This old man sure acted noble in public, but he could be just as cheeky in private.
"Alright, alright, fine. I'll go."
"Don't embarrass me out there!"
David stood up with a grin. "Relax. I'll make you proud. People'll say, 'Hey, that's Dean's student—no wonder he's amazing.'"
Dean sighed. "If you could just give me less stress, I'd be burning incense in thanks. Go all out. You're the most gifted director I've ever seen. I mean it—go for it."
As David turned to leave, Dean couldn't help but add one more reminder:
"Hey! Out there, it's not like school. I won't be there to cover your ass."
David paused for a second, then replied without looking back:
"Got it."
"....."