412 The CPA Exams

In another state or town, there might have been fewer candidates, but Qin Guan was sitting in a crowded classroom. That was the power of New York as a financial center.

As the only Asian examinee in the room, Qin Guan made a bad impression on the American elites wearing formal clothes and leather shoes.

Asians were good with numbers. That was known all over the world. Besides, they were attentive and had a big advantage when applying for a job at a giant accounting firm.

He must be a strong opponent.

The seats were fixed to 60, but would be rearranged during the next session. The atmosphere was quite serious.

Qin Guan didn’t say anything. He just found his seat by looking at his number and waited silently for the long battle to begin.

The bell rang and the papers were distributed. All the candidates began to answer the questions.

The atmosphere was getting weird. The sound of swift writing was the only thing heard in the quiet room.

Gradually, the eyes of all the elites turned to the Asian boy, who was working hard on his exam paper.

Under the cover of his perfect looks, Qin Guan had bared his teeth like a demon. He was ticking multiple choice answers at a high speed. The paper seemed as simple as picking cabbages at the market for him.

At first, people thought he was just doodling on his paper distractedly, but soon they realized he was answering the practical questions.

He was like a general on the battlefield, the papers and pens at his command.

Everyone else was questioning their lives and abilities. Am I mediocre? How come he is so good at things I find difficult? A girl wearing glasses had been in PWC for two years as an assistant accountant. This was the first time she was doubting herself.

How can an employee of a giant accounting firm be inferior to a student?

It was easy to tell that Qin Guan was a student. He was the only one wearing jeans in the room.

Even the invigilators were stupefied. Are there any "1+2=3" questions on the paper?

Two hours later, the Asian boy stopped writing. He let out a long breath and looked around at the surprised people staring at him. He grinned happily, baring his white teeth.

The invigilator suppressed the impulse to warn him.

Qin Guan started knocking on his desk out of boredom. If looks could kill, he would have died already. When the invigilator cast a warning glance at him, Qin Guan found another method to kill his time.

In the next two hours, everyone got exhausted. One hour seemed like a day for them. When the bell rang, everyone let out a breath of relief.

Qin Guan went out with his books, smiling to himself. He intended to weed out as many opponents as possible.

"Hey, wait a minute, sir..."

The girl sitting next to him was talking to him. She must have suffered a lot because of him. What's the matter? Wanna quarrel with me? 

"Excuse me, sir, but… Are you applying to the four giant accounting firms?"

Qin Guan blinked. He saw a small steel plate on her chest, with the logo PWC [1] on it.

"Don't worry, I’m not applying there."

Qin Guan left without looking back. Better not trouble her.

The girl flushed and let out a breath of relief, patting herself on the chest.

Thank god he is not interested in my firm. A guy with such a high IQ and a bad temper can cause earth-shaking changes in a firm. He is so handsome though...

After his exam, Sister Xue returned from Los Angeles in a happy mood.

Director Zhang's group had flown back to China. Zhang Weiping would be dealing with their affairs with the American companies. Sister Xue had come to say goodbye to Qin Guan. She would be coming back again in March, when the Oscar award ceremony would be held.

"Your achievements in Los Angeles?" Qin Guan asked, reading through a thick pile of paperwork.

Sister Xue showed off proudly. "I spent three days visiting any film companies and agents that would have me. I left your resume everywhere. I also asked Miramax to help you register in the Screen Actors Guild. You have to cooperate with them. Asian stars are rare in the US. I’m looking into your further development. You have to be strict with script selection. They will be monitoring the scripts closely. You cannot act first and report afterwards."

Qin Guan saw Ancestor Xue off like a good boy. He didn’t know that his popularity in China was increasing at a surprising speed.

In fact, ever since he had left, he had been away from the mainstream Chinese media. Naturally, people couldn't find news about him easily. At the end of the year though, he was popular again, which made the Taiwanese grind their teeth.

The reason was simple, yet funny.

Thanks to "Meteor Garden", a popular idol drama from the mainland, handsome men were trending again in Asia.

Thanks to its combination of campus life, powerful bosses, Cinderella stories, romance and love triangles, the campus idol drama was becoming popular among students. The four main heroes, known as F4, had attracted the attention of Chinese girls.

Male stars in China were retreating before them. Besides, fans were always fickle with their affection. The four boys could be seen everywhere, including on TV series, magazines, entertainment programs and CDs. In the girls’ dreams, they were four charming princes.