Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

Late November in Beijing was unbelievably cold.

Su Yu huddled in his dormitory, wrapped in a military green cotton-padded coat he'd bought from the zoo wholesale market, looking just like a stragglers who'd just retreated from the Korean War.

Lu Yang sat opposite him, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and holding a coffee cup, perfectly embodying the air of an artsy young man.

Su Yu felt that the two of them sitting together resembled a comparison picture titled "A Portrait of the Students at Beijing Film Academy".

"How's your script coming along?"

Su Yu threw a stack of A4 papers on the table and sighed, "I've finished writing it, but I feel like something's missing."

Lu Yang picked it up and flipped through it. Su Yu had written seven or eight short scripts intermittently this semester, including comedies, suspense films, and art films. Most of them were adapted from his memories of his previous life.

This time, he was filming a final project. Both the photography and directing departments had to submit short films, and he didn't want to do a shoddy job.

"What is this 'Black Hole'?" Lu Yang turned to one of the pages and stopped.

Su Yu leaned closer. It was a notebook he had recently come up with, only three pages long, with no dialogue, and the scene was just an office.

The story is simple: An office worker, working late into the night, copied a blank sheet of paper on a photocopier. The photocopier then ejected a sheet of paper with a black circle on it. He discovered that the black hole was real, and he could put his hand inside. So he used the black hole to take snacks from a vending machine and money from a safe. Finally, he tried to crawl into the safe, but the black hole fell down, and he was trapped inside.

After reading it, Lu Yang remained silent for several seconds.

"Where did you come up with the idea for this notebook?"

Su Yu had already prepared his answer: "I dreamed about it."

This excuse is all-powerful; in his previous life, he had seen the 2008 Cannes short film "The Black Hole," a three-minute film with zero dialogue, a masterpiece.

He couldn't remember every single scene clearly, but he remembered the core concepts perfectly: greed, desire, and reaping what you sow.

If this were made, it would be good enough to pass as a final assignment, and even pass as a film at a film festival.

"This script is awesome." Lu Yang rarely used the word "awesome," which meant he genuinely thought it was good. "No dialogue, it tells the story entirely through visuals, the cinematography requirements are very high, how do you plan to shoot it?"

Su Yu unfolded a piece of paper and began to draw a storyboard sketch.

He had learned a little about storyboarding when he was an internet celebrity in his previous life, and he has studied it systematically this semester. Although his drawings look like simple sketches drawn by a high school student, you can understand the general meaning.

"The opening scene features a long shot following the protagonist as he packs up to leave work, then notices the photocopier is still on. He walks over to turn it off and casually prints a piece of paper; a black hole appears."

"The middle section is divided into three progressive segments: snacks, wallet, and safe. The visual language in each segment should vary, progressing from cautious to bold to crazy."

"At the end, he crawls into the safe, falls through the black hole, and the screen goes completely black. A final muffled thud, then the credits roll."

Lu Yang nodded: "What are your thoughts on photography?"

Su Yu thought for a moment: "Handheld throughout, mainly medium and close-up shots, to create a sense of oppression. Use a wide-angle lens for the safe scene to capture that... that feeling of inflated desire."

Lu Yang glanced at him: "Are you sure you're a photography major and not a directing major?"

Su Yu laughed: "I was influenced by the directing department; you become like those you associate with."

........

The two were having a heated discussion when Su Yu's phone rang. It was Wang Boxue calling.

"Su Yu, you and Lu Yang are going out for dinner. I'd like to introduce you to someone."

Who is it?

"You'll see when you get here. It's the hot pot place near the east gate of the school. Hurry up."

Su Yu hung up the phone and exchanged a glance with Lu Yang.

Lu Yang put down his coffee cup, stood up, and put on his coat: "Let's go. Wang Boxue doesn't usually treat people. If he does, it means something's up."

Su Yu chuckled: "You mean..."

"I didn't say anything."

Braving the cold wind, the two walked to the Dongmen Hot Pot Restaurant. Lifting the thick curtain, a wave of heat and the aroma of mutton wafted towards them.

The store was packed with students from the Beijing Film Academy; their voices, laughter, and clinking glasses mingled together, making it as lively as a market.

Wang Boxue sat by the window and waved to them from afar.

Su Yu walked over and found a girl sitting opposite him. She had long hair, a round face, and two shallow dimples when she smiled.

"This is Zhu Rui, from the Acting Department, class of 04," Wang Boxue introduced, a subtle hint of pride in his voice. "This is Lu Yang, a graduate student in Directing. This is Su Yu, from the Cinematography Department, my roommate."

Zhu Rui stood up and greeted the two of them with a poised and confident demeanor.

Su Yu glanced at her, with only one thought in his mind: Good heavens, Wang Boxue, that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, has actually betrayed the revolution.

.......

The four of them sat down and ordered a table full of dishes.

The copper pot was brought out, the charcoal fire glowing red, and the broth bubbling away. Wang Boxue and Zhu Rui sat together, glancing at each other every now and then, their lips curling into the silly smiles of newly in love.

Su Yu saw it all and felt a pang of jealousy.

Lu Yang remained calm, picked up a piece of mutton with his chopsticks, dipped it in sesame sauce, and ate it slowly and deliberately.

He has a girlfriend who is in the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy. Their relationship is stable, and they often show their affection in the cafeteria.

Su Yu suddenly realized a serious problem: of the three people in the dormitory, Lu Yang had a girlfriend, and Wang Boxue now had one too, so he was the only one who was single.

This isn't right.

Although Su Yu had many relationships in his previous life, and was even more active as an internet celebrity, he is still a virgin in this life.

At nineteen, in the prime of youth, with hormones surging, how can you feel balanced seeing others in pairs every day?

He's at the Beijing Film Academy, the best film school in China, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women. Cinematography and directing are their top-tier programs; logically, he shouldn't be single.

Su Yu mentally performed a SWOT analysis for himself:

Advantages: I am a photography major at Beijing Film Academy, a future photographer, talented (in my opinion), have savings (although most of them are in stocks), and have a driver's license (although I haven't bought a car yet).

Disadvantages: Above average appearance but not top-tier, height of 178cm is not outstanding, clothing style is average (zoo wholesale market style), too talkative (easy to make people laugh but not necessarily liked).

"Su Yu, what are you thinking about? The meat is overcooked." Wang Boxue's voice pulled him back to reality.

Su Yu looked down and saw that the mutton on his chopsticks had been cooked into a shoe insole.

"Nothing, just thinking about my final assignment," he lied without batting an eye.

Zhu Rui asked curiously, "What's the final assignment for your photography department?"

"Make a short film, write the script yourself and direct it yourself."

"What genre is it?"

Su Yu briefly explained the story of "The Black Hole," and Zhu Rui's eyes lit up: "This is so interesting! Have you found any actors yet?"

"Not yet." A thought suddenly flashed through Su Yu's mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

Zhu Rui volunteered: "Do you want me to introduce you to some people? A lot of students in the acting department want to act in productions."

Su Yu politely thanked him, but in his heart he was thinking: Find actors? Who can I find?

On the way back to the dormitory after dinner, Su Yu deliberately lagged behind a few steps and walked side by side with Lu Yang.

"Senior Brother Lu, do you think I should find a girlfriend?" Su Yu asked.

Lu Yang glanced at him and pushed up his glasses: "Why did you suddenly think of this?"

"I just feel like if you don't have a relationship during your four years of college, it's like you've wasted your time."

Lu Yang laughed: "What's your rush? Cinematography and directing are the top programs at Beijing Film Academy. When you join a film crew, you'll be surrounded by actors. Are you worried about not having opportunities?"

Su Yu thought about it and realized it made sense.

Male students majoring in photography and directing hold real power on film sets.

As a director of photography, if you want to talk to the actress a few more times, isn't that a piece of cake?

But then I thought about it again, and realized that I'm not even a photography assistant yet, so it's too early to be thinking about these things.

Su Yu decided to put aside the idea of ​​finding a girlfriend for the time being, focus on finishing his final assignment, and then achieve financial freedom; everything else was secondary.