Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The post-production of "The Black Hole" was more grueling than the filming itself.

Su Yu spent five whole days in the editing room, including two all-nighters.

I watched those eight minutes of footage over and over again every day, until I could recite every frame of it with my eyes closed.

Wang Boxue said he was going crazy, Su Yu said it was called striving for perfection, and Lu Yang added from the side: "You two stop arguing, this is called obsessive-compulsive disorder."

The only place that needed special effects was the black hole's penetration effect.

When the protagonist's hand reaches into the black hole in the photocopy paper, the scene needs to create the visual illusion that the hand disappears into the paper.

Su Yu initially thought the special effects would be complex, but the senior student in charge of CG glanced at it and said, "That's it? Just wrap your arm in a black cloth, and then cut it out in post-production, right?"

Su Yu slapped his forehead. "That's right, how come I didn't think of such a simple method?"

Two days later, the special effects were completed.

The effect was surprisingly good. When Luo Jing's hand reached into the black hole, the arm in the picture was swallowed up as if by a piece of paper, clean and neat, without any flaws.

......

On December 28th, Su Yu copied the finished film onto a disc, labeled it "Black Hole," and credited it to Su Yu as director, cinematographer, editor, and lead actor, Luo Jing.

He stuffed the CD into his schoolbag and excitedly went to hand in his homework to his homeroom teacher.

Over the next few days, Su Yu entered a complete "salted fish" mode.

It's the end of the semester, all the assignments are due, but the exams haven't started yet.

He sleeps until he naturally wakes up every day, eats lunch at the cafeteria, helps out on Wang Boxue's film set in the afternoon, and watches movies in his dormitory at night.

Wang Boxue's short film is a love story about a boy who has had a crush on a girl for three years. On graduation day, he finally mustered up the courage to confess his feelings, only to find that the girl had also had a crush on him for three years.

After reading the script, Su Yu muttered, "This is like an idol drama."

Wang Boxue said with a smile, "What's wrong with idol dramas? Audiences love watching them."

Su Yu thought about it and found he couldn't refute it.

.........

A few days after New Year's Day, Su Yu received a phone call.

"Su Yu? This is your counselor, Li Wei. Please come to my office."

Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. When a counselor calls a student to the office, there are usually only two possibilities: either it's good news or it's bad news.

He hasn't been fighting, failed any courses, or owed tuition fees lately, so that shouldn't be a bad thing, right?

He changed into a clean pair of pants and jogged to the office building.

Su Yu was stunned when he pushed open the door to the counselor's office.

There were four people sitting in the room: counselor Li Wei, class teacher Zhang Ying, photography department head Mu Deyuan, and directing professor Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, the Tian Zhuangzhuang who directed "The Blue Kite".

The representative figure of the Fifth Generation of directors is now sitting in front of him, wearing a dark blue jacket, with gray hair and an expression as calm as a still pond.

Su Yu instantly stood up straight, his smile as bright as a chrysanthemum.

"Hello, Teacher Mu, Teacher Tian, ​​Teacher Zhang, Teacher Li."

Mu Deyuan glanced at him, looked him up and down, and smiled.

"Su Yu, I called you here to talk to you about something. Your short film 'Black Hole' has been seen by the department and the university, and they think it's quite good."

Su Yu was secretly delighted, but feigned composure and said, "Thank you, teacher."

"Don't thank me yet. I've discussed it with Professor Tian, ​​and we're planning to submit this film to this year's Berlin Film Festival for the short film section. We'd like to ask for your opinion."

Su Yu's mind went blank for a moment.

The Berlin International Film Festival. One of the three major European film festivals.

Should we submit his film to a competition?

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that his tongue seemed to be tied in knots.

After holding it in for several seconds, he finally managed to blurt out, "I have no objection."

"this one?"

Su Yu quickly added, "What I mean is, I'm very honored! Thank you to the school and teachers for their trust! I will definitely continue to work hard and live up to everyone's expectations!"

Tian Zhuangzhuang smiled and said, "I've seen the film. It's three minutes long, with zero dialogue, a complete concept, and well-executed. The cinematography is good, and the pacing is also excellent."

Su Yu was so flattered by the praise that he almost said, "Teacher Tian, ​​you flatter me," but he held back.

He reminded himself, "You are Su Yu now, a humble and cautious freshman. Don't get carried away."

Mu Deyuan then mentioned a few more points to note, such as copyright issues and authorization letters.

Su Yu noted them down one by one, nodding repeatedly.

........

When Su Yu came out of the office, he stood in the corridor for a full half minute to make sure no one was around, then clenched his fist and silently swung it.

His work, Su Yu's, is going to Berlin.

In his previous life, when he was driving for Didi in Shenzhen, he had never even been to the Beijing International Film Festival.

Su Yu forced himself to calm down and jogged back to his dormitory. When he opened the door, Lu Yang and Wang Boxue were both there.

"I have some news to announce." Su Yu stood in the middle of the dormitory, hands on his hips, trying to make his expression look less smug.

Wang Boxue glanced at him: "Did you win the lottery?"

"That's even better than winning the lottery." Su Yu took a deep breath. "My film is going to be submitted to the Berlin Film Festival."

The dormitory was silent for half a second; then Wang Boxue sprang from his bed: "What did you say?!"

Lu Yang dropped his pen. He bent down to pick it up, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "Berlin? Which Berlin am I thinking of?"

"Which Berlin is it? Of course, it's the Berlin in Germany."

Wang Boxue rushed over and grabbed Su Yu's shoulders: "You're not kidding, are you? Really?"

"Teacher Mu told me this himself, and Teacher Tian Zhuangzhuang was also present."

Wang Boxue released his grip, took a step back, and looked at Su Yu with a re-examining gaze: "You kid... not bad."

Lu Yang leaned back in his chair and, unusually, smiled: "Congratulations, this is truly a good thing."

Su Yu felt a little embarrassed by their stares and scratched his head: "It's just a competition entry, not an award, so don't get excited."

"Sending it to a competition is already incredibly impressive!" Wang Boxue slammed his hand on the table. "You're a freshman, and your assignment is sent to Berlin. Do you know what that means? It means you're not human, you're a god."

"Alright, alright, stop flattering me. How about I treat you to a meal?"

Wang Boxue's eyes lit up. "You said it yourself. Hot pot with mutton."

"Let's have a hot pot."

.....

That evening, the three of them ate at a hot pot restaurant near the east gate of the school, spending over two hundred yuan.

Wang Boxue devoured three plates of meat by himself, Lu Yang drank two bottles of beer, and Su Yu paid the bill.

On the way back to the dormitory, Wang Boxue put his arm around Su Yu's shoulder and said drunkenly, "Su Yu, if you become a big director in the future, don't forget your brother."

Su Yu said, "Don't worry, I won't forget; I'll have you carry the camera for me then."

Wang Boxue: "...You have such a narrow mindset."

That night, Su Yu lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

He picked up his phone, opened QQ, and sent Anxi a message: "Are you there?"

Anxi's profile picture was lit up, and she replied instantly: "Yes, what's up? You're up in the middle of the night, missing me?"

Su Yu: "Dream on. I have something to tell you. Hold on tight."

Anxi: "I'm lying down, you go ahead."

Su Yu took a deep breath and typed: "My short film has been submitted by the school to the Berlin Film Festival."

Anxi sent an ellipsis, followed by an exclamation mark.

Su Yu: "How about that? Awesome, right?"

Anxi: "Really? You're not kidding me?"

Su Yu: "I'd be a dog if I lied to you."

Anxi: "Woof."

"...Why don't you play by the rules?"

Anxi sent a laughing emoji, "Okay, okay, just kidding. Really? The Berlin Film Festival? Your three-minute short film?"

Su Yu: "Yes, that film, 'The Black Hole.' The teacher said it was well-made and suggested we submit it for a competition."

Anxi: "My God! Su Yu, you're amazing! I'm going to set off firecrackers for you!"

Su Yu, flattered by her praise, started boasting: "Of course! Let me tell you, this is just the beginning. I'll first go to Berlin to scout things out, then go to Cannes to win an award, and finally win the Golden Lion at Venice. A grand slam of the three major film festivals, have you ever heard of that?"

Anxi sent a "Wake up" emoji: "You haven't even submitted a single film for competition, and you're already dreaming of a grand slam?"

"Everyone should have dreams, what if they come true?"

Anxi: "What you're doing isn't a dream, it's a fantasy."

"What's wrong with fantasizing? Fantasizing is also a kind of dream. Let me tell you, when I win the Golden Lion Award, I'll treat you to dinner."

Anxi: "Didn't you say you'd treat me to a big meal? Last time you said you'd treat me when I got back to Beijing, and now you've changed it to winning the Golden Lion Award? Your standards for treating me are way too high!"

Su Yu felt guilty: "Then...then I'll treat you when you get back to Beijing, regardless of whether you win an award or not."

Ansie: "That's more like it. But seriously, if you really go to Berlin, remember to bring me a gift."

Su Yu: "What do you want?"

Ansie thought for a moment: "Berlin Bear? I think they have those over there. The small kind, the kind you hang on your bag."

"Okay, I'll bring you a dozen."

Anxi sent a happy emoji, then sent another message: "Su Yu, I'm serious, you're really amazing. The Su Yu I know went from being a small-time hater to a big director going to the Berlin Film Festival, I think it's incredible."

Su Yu felt a little embarrassed by her words: "I'm not a big director yet, just a freshman in college; keep a low profile, keep a low profile!"

Anxi: "It was bound to happen sooner or later. You, though you're talkative, arrogant, boastful, and unreliable..."

Su Yu: "Are you praising me or insulting me?"

Anxi: "I haven't finished yet; but you're talented, and you're especially cool when you're focused on something."

Su Yu stared at the words "exceptionally handsome" for two seconds, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He quickly suppressed the thought and typed, "You've never even seen me, how do you know I'm handsome?"

Anxi: "I'm just guessing. If I'm wrong, I'm just blind."

Su Yu: "...You win."

Anxi sent a smug emoji and said, "Okay, that's enough. I have to get up early for work tomorrow. You keep dreaming about your Grand Slam. Goodnight, future great director."

Goodnight, little rich girl.

Anxi sent a moon emoji, and her profile picture went gray.

Su Yu placed his phone next to his pillow and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Berlin.

Berlin!

He turned over, pulled the blanket over his head, and laughed silently in bed for a while.