From American Internet Celebrity to God Among Men

8: Chapter 8: The Consultant, the Contract, and a Chance SongThe palm trees on the University of Southern California campus looked a bit wilted under the scorching California sun, but the Roman-style stone building near the fountain plaza was cool and pleasant. Alex sat in the small office of his academic advisor, Ms. Emily Chen, feeling like an intern waiting for an interview, even though all that lay before him was a blank course schedule.

Ms. Chen was in her forties, with an Asian face, wearing rimless glasses, and sporting a professional yet slightly scrutinizing smile. ”So, Alex, welcome to USC. I see your intended major is ’Communication,’ a very good choice. Could you tell me why you chose this? And what are your initial plans for college life?” She flipped through his file, her eyes skimming quickly over the note about his ”parents’ passing,” her expression softening with a hint of imperceptible warmth.

Why choose Communication? Because it was the most convenient major to cover up all his future ”creative” and ”influential” activities. Plans? His real plans were in the YouTube backend and the system interface, which he couldn’t talk about.

”I’ve always been interested in media and content creation,” Alex said, sitting straight, his tone sincere. Thanks to the [Basic Social Intuition] he had just redeemed, he could subtly adjust his posture and tone to better fit the image of a serious freshman. ”I feel that Communication can provide a relatively comprehensive theoretical foundation. As for plans... I hope that while doing well in my major courses, I can have opportunities to engage in some practical work, such as participating in campus media or trying out some personal creative projects.” He intentionally kept it vague, leaving room for interpretation.

”Very good ideas.” Ms. Chen nodded, marking the form. ”USC has very rich resources in this area. The requirements for the Communication major are quite flexible, but core courses must be guaranteed. I suggest you don’t take too many courses in your first semester, focusing mainly on adaptation. ’Introduction to Communication,’ ’Media Writing,’ and ’Fundamentals of Visual Communication’ are very good starting points. In addition, for general education requirements, for the ’Arts Practice’ credit, you could consider the course ’Introduction to Digital Media Production.’ It fits your interests well and you can also learn practical skills.”

The courses she recommended were standard and not too burdensome. Alex noted them down while quickly evaluating. These courses took up a manageable amount of time, and some content might even overlap with what he was already doing (like Visual Communication and Digital Media Production), which might, in turn, provide him with some theoretical support and proof of ”learning outcomes.”

”Also,” Ms. Chen pushed up her glasses, ”considering your personal situation, if you encounter any difficulties in your studies or life, be sure to contact me or the Student Services Center in a timely manner. The school has some targeted support programs.” Her tone was cautious, but her intentions were good.

”Thank you, Ms. Chen. I will.” Alex displayed moderate gratitude. He had successfully shaped the image of a freshman who had ”suffered a setback but was positive and goal-oriented.” This layer of protective camouflage seemed even more solid now.

After finalizing his course schedule, he walked out of the cool teaching building and plunged back into the heat wave. His student status was temporarily settled; next was the time to fulfill his commercial commitments.

He drove his BMW, carrying the full set of gear from Horizon Outdoors, to a stretch of coastline at the northern end of Santa Monica Beach that had relatively few tourists and was covered in black reefs. The afternoon sun was scorching, and the sea breeze was strong. He set up his tripod and the newly purchased portable camera (bought with the advance payment from Horizon Outdoors) and put on that dark grey shell jacket.