Tabula Rasa

A mixture of excitement and nervousness came rushing through Zhen Wei's body. Her eyes shimmered as she roamed her sight on the entirety of the building before her. It had a modern architecture and a couple of big posters were put up on one side of the wall on the building. How nice it would be to have a poster of her own one day, she sighed. Clearing her thoughts, she urged herself to ready for her first day of work.

Zhen Wei walked towards the entrance of Stardom Entertainment and faced the woman on the front desk. She smiled and asked, "I am Zhen Wei. I am here to officially start my training under Zhai Yao Hua. Where do I find him?"

The woman smiled apologetically. 'She's the eighth trainee this month.'

Zhai Yao Hua was the head manager. All of the managers in training were under his wing. Apparently, this month, a lot has undergone his training and wasn't lucky enough to overcome it. Hence, Zhen Wei was the eighth trainee for this month, the other seven who were ahead of her got dismissed not even having the chance to handle an artist.

Zhai Yao Hua had marked his name in the entertainment industry when he was still in his 20's. Five years had passed and he was already in his early 30's and is still widely known across the country for his formidable accomplishments. He had a stern and oppressive image, partnered with his sharp tongue. You can say that a lot of trainees and artists had cried their eyes out because of him. It is also because of his guidance that Stardom Entertainment had a few excellent managers and artists, especially those who went through him.

"You can look for him at his office, it's on the tenth floor, right-wing." The lady on the front desk answered politely. She had been stationed at the front desk for more than a year already and she can't even keep track of how many had gone to tell her that they were new trainees. Those people end up not showing their faces in less than a month. The lowest survival rate was three days and two weeks is the highest.

'She looked quite well, she might able to last for 1 week at most.' The lady thought, casting another glance at Zhen Wei who was already walking straight to the elevator.

People in the building were busy. It was this month that they need to work their hardest to promote the movie that was produced for the upcoming Film Fest that will be held in just the corner of the month.

The marketing department was burning their brain cells thinking of better strategies to promote the film, they were mostly one of those departments who often don't have enough room for rest. The PR team had their fair share of load too.

Zhai Yao Hua had his secretary stationed outside his office. "Good morning, I'm Zhen Wei. I'm here to report on my first day of training." Zhen Wei flashed a small smile as she introduced herself. The secretary looked up, the corner of her mouth curving into a smile.

"Good day! I'm Abigail Lin, Zhai Yao Hua's secretary. Here's your ID, miss Zhen Wei." She said in a cheerful voice. Zhen Wei guessed she was in her early 20's. She had tan skin, a petite body, and doe-eyes that went well with her facial features.

"Thank you." She said in gratitude as she received the ID in her hand. She glanced at the ID in her hand and can't help but feel slightly overwhelmed. She's finally taking her first steps in the industry she wanted to work in the most. She decided to do things nice and easy, taking her time, if it required small baby steps she'll happily do so if it meant she'll be successful one day.

"Mr. Zhai is still in the meeting as of now. Please make yourself comfortable." Abigail Lin ushered Zhen Wei towards a chair in one corner of the room. Zhen Wei thanked her as the latter asked her, "Would you like coffee, juice or tea?"

"Tea would be nice, thank you." She replied with a smile. She refrained from having coffee as usual because it might add more to her nervousness.

Abigail nodded and went to fetch her a drink. She couldn't help but ask herself if how long would the trainee who showed up today be able to hold on. The woman named Zhen Wei is quite the unusual type she frequently encountered. She looked calm, she must have a good composure.

Abigail sighed, her thoughts have been wandering too much. The lady might not be able to hold on once she met Zhai Yao Hua. Even she went through a narrow that seemed like a needle's hole just to get where she is right now and earn his favor. Abigail shook her head in pity towards Zhen Wei. She was able to look at her resumé and she knew Zhen Wei hadn't had any experience in the industry. Aside from being a licensed psychologist, she hadn't had any prior experience in this field.

Abigail can't help but think that Zhen Wei is still naive. The industry itself is vast. Even though there are countless doors for opportunities still there are also who are willing to dirty their hands if you try to claim the limelight for yourself.

"Here's your tea." She carefully placed the tea on the center table and went back to her corner. Abigail went back to work but she took glances on Zhen Wei occasionally. She can't help but praise her for being composed so far. She has waited for almost three hours already and had enough time on her plate but she chose to remain on her seat and wait patiently. Others might come and pester her for more details about Zhai Yao Hua and inquire about the things that he fancies to win him over. Some of them also tried to get close to her to curry her favor but the latter seemed to ignore the golden opportunity served to her in a plater. Instead, she chose to wait patiently and not even asked once when would Zhai Yao Hua show up.

Abigail seemingly started to evaluate Zhen Wei for her patience. 'You deserve a point for your patience. Well, that's just for now. Who knows you might go running away with your tail in between your legs.' She thought, shrugging her shoulders.

After a while, the office door opened and a man in his early thirties came in with his face stern as per usual. Zhai Yao Hua's long legs strode across the floor and his gaze landed on Zhen Wei who stood up and gave a bow.

"You must be the new trainee. Come with me inside the office." He ushered as he pointed his chin on a door to another room. Zhen Wei simply nodded and grabbed her purse.

Zhai Yao Hua diverted his gaze to his secretary. "Ms. Lin, kindly bring her portfolio and serve us coffee." He said and walked his way towards his office without waiting for another word.

Zhen Wei followed behind him swiftly. Zhai Yao Hua seated himself on a sofa and told Zhen Wei to take a seat across him. She was quite nervous but she managed to compose herself in front of him.

A few months ago, Zhen Wei had already done her research about Zhai Yao Hua and some other influential people in the industry. Initially, she knew about his accomplishments and his well-known temper. One of her reasons why she also chose to apply in Stardom Entertainment. She believed that if she was able to gain recognition and teachings from Zhai Yao Hua, she would be able to create a strong foundation for herself in her chosen path for her career. In her list of influential people that she needed help within shaping her dreams in stepping into the limelight, she has already deduced them. Zhai Yao Hua would be her first step, the first person that she needed to conquer to gain connections with the second person she had in mind.

Zhen Wei was completely aware of her standing at the moment. She was also aware that the industry she stepped into is not a place where a weak person should dwell with. If one seeks to be on the limelight, it's either you do the process systematically, not skipping a step to create a firm foundation for oneself or make use of one's connections and go through the backdoor. Obviously, Zhen Wei couldn't be the latter. Even if she had the connections, she knew that even if she succeeded in having a place for herself in the industry, she won't make it that long. It's like boosting yourself in exchange with half of your career's lifeline. In this industry, those who survived are the fittest. Plus, using the backdoor isn't something that would benefit her thoroughly. Doing it one step at a time will gain her lots of lessons along the way is what she believed in.

If she truly wanted something, then it is worth the sweat and blood she will be exerting through effort.

If she needed to be like a tabula rasa[1], she is more than willing to do so. If it meant that she will be soon filled with learnings and gain connections by herself through these influential people she had in her mind.

She knew that to attain knowledge and solid standing in the entertainment industry, one should have a sense of experience.

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[1] Tabula rasa (also known as "blank slate") is the theory that individuals are born without built-in mental content and that therefore all knowledge comes from experience or perception.