Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The plane flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters, and the clouds outside the window were as thick as cotton blankets.

Su Yu leaned back in his chair, covered with a thin blanket, clutching the Golden Bear trophy in his hand, turning it over and over in his eyes. Luo Jing sat beside him, wearing headphones and listening to music, his eyes closed, it was hard to tell whether he was truly asleep or just pretending.

The flight attendant pushed the food cart over, and Su Yu ordered a glass of orange juice. He took a sip, and the sourness made him squint. Before long, Su Yu fell asleep.

Domestically, major portal websites, entertainment newspapers, and entertainment news are all reporting on the 55th Berlin International Film Festival.

Sina Entertainment Headline: "Gu Changwei's 'Peacock' Wins Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival, Chinese Cinema Shines on the International Stage Again"

The third paragraph finally mentions him: "In addition, the short film 'Black Hole' by young Chinese director Su Yu won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film. Su Yu is 19 years old and a freshman in the Department of Cinematography at Beijing Film Academy."

A video report about the Berlin Film Festival was found on the official website of CCTV's movie channel.

In the video, the host reads in a standard announcer's voice: "The 55th Berlin International Film Festival concluded on the evening of the 20th local time. Chinese director Gu Changwei's 'Peacock' won the Silver Bear Jury Prize. In addition, Chinese young director Su Yu's short film 'Black Hole' won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, which is the best result ever achieved by a Chinese short film at the Berlin Film Festival."

The plane landed at Beijing Capital International Airport at around 12:00 noon on February 24th, Beijing time.

Su Yu and Luo Jing, bundled up in bulky down jackets, walked out of the terminal. A gust of cold wind hit them in the face, and they both shivered.

It's snowing in Beijing. The snow is fine and dense, and it feels like tiny ice shards on your face.

The sky outside the terminal was a hazy gray, and the distant apron and runway were shrouded in a vast expanse of white.

"Holy crap, I'm freezing." Su Yu zipped up his down jacket all the way, pulled up the hood, put his hands in his pockets, and curled up like a penguin.

Luo Jing wasn't much better off; his nose was bright red from the cold, and puffs of white breath escaped his lips: "Isn't it this cold even in Berlin?"

"Berlin is cold, but BJ is dry cold; they're different."

The two dragged their suitcases to the taxi waiting area, where the line was incredibly long, winding like a snake.

Su Yu stood on tiptoe and looked ahead; there were at least fifty or sixty people waiting for the bus.

.........

Back in the dormitory, Wang Boxue was already waiting for him.

He snatched Su Yu's suitcase, pulled out the Golden Bear trophy, held it above his head, and spun around the dorm like a gorilla: "Golden Bear! This is the first time in my life I've ever touched a Golden Bear!"

"Be gentle, or I'll fight you to the death!" Su Yu quickly snatched it back.

In the evening, the crew of "The Black Hole" had dinner at a hot pot restaurant outside the West Gate.

It was called a film crew, but it was actually just about ten people: Su Yu, Luo Jing, Wang Boxue, Lu Yang, plus a few junior students who helped with lighting, sound recording, and script supervision, as well as Zhu Rui from the acting department. Wang Boxue had dragged him along, saying he was a family member.

The copper hot pot for mutton hot pot was brought out, the charcoal fire glowing red, and the broth bubbling away.

A table was laden with mutton, cabbage, vermicelli, and tofu.

Su Yu stood up, picked up his beer. He wasn't a big drinker, but he had to drink today.

"Everyone, let me say a few words first." Su Yu cleared his throat, and everyone quieted down and looked at him.

"First of all, thank you everyone. 'The Black Hole' is not just my film, it's the film of our entire crew. Without you all, I wouldn't even be able to carry the lighting rig."

Wang Boxue chimed in from below, "You can't carry it now either!"

Everyone laughed, and Su Yu laughed along with them. Then he continued, "Secondly, the film sold for $250,000. After taxes, I received about $210,000, which is equivalent to about 1.7 million RMB."

The dining table fell silent instantly, everyone's eyes widened, Wang Boxue's chopsticks froze in mid-air, and the mutton fell back into the pot.

"One million seven hundred thousand?" Wang Boxue's voice trembled slightly.

"After taxes, it's about this amount."

Zhu Rui covered his mouth and muttered, "My God." Luo Jing, on the other hand, remained calm, because he already knew about it in Berlin.

Su Yu took out a thick stack of red envelopes from his backpack and handed them out one by one: "2 yuan each, don't think it's too little. I'll give you all a bigger red envelope after my feature film makes money."

When the red envelopes were handed out to everyone, they were all stunned.

Wang Boxue, clutching the red envelope, blushed slightly. "No... Su Yu, this is too much. We're just helping out, you don't need to give us any money."

"Yeah, Director Su, we're just joining in the fun, we can't possibly take your money," one of the junior students also declined.

Lu Yang placed the red envelope on the table, adjusted his glasses, and didn't say anything, but his meaning was clear: he didn't want it.

Su Yu sat down and downed the beer in his glass in one gulp, the spiciness making him grimace.

He slammed his cup on the table, looked at everyone, and said earnestly, "Listen to me."

"When I made this film, I never thought I could win an award, let alone make money. I just thought, it's just an assignment, as long as it passes. You guys didn't cut corners just because it's a student assignment. Luo Jing, you spent ten days in that shabby office. The safe was so small, you crawled in and out dozens of times, bumping your head several times. Bo Xue, you carried the light stand for me until your hands were blistered, without a single complaint. Lu Yang, you watched the monitor for me until your eyes were bloodshot, and you even helped me find a location without asking for a penny."

He glanced around, and everyone fell silent.

"The money this film made wasn't solely due to my abilities. It was all thanks to your help in making it. I wouldn't feel right if you didn't accept this red envelope."

Wang Boxue opened his mouth as if to say something, but Su Yu stopped him with a raised hand.

"Keep it, and stop talking nonsense."

After a few seconds of silence, Luo Jing was the first to pick up the large red envelope, put it in his pocket, and raise his glass: "Director Su, I'd like to toast you."

Then came Wang Boxue, then Lu Yang, and then one by one the senior brothers and sisters.

.........

After receiving all the red envelopes, the atmosphere became even more lively.

The mutton simmered in the pot, beer bottles were opened one after another, and everyone chatted about embarrassing moments during filming.

After a few rounds of drinks, Su Yu's face turned as red as a boiled crab.

He held a glass of beer, leaned back in his chair, squinted, and began to boast.

"I'm telling you, this summer I'm going to make a feature film."

Wang Boxue nearly spat out his beer after taking a sip: "You? A feature film?"

"Yes, a feature film, over ninety minutes long." Su Yu held up a nine with his finger, but it was crooked and unclear whether it was a nine or a six.

Luo Jing asked with a smile, "What are you filming?"

"I haven't decided yet. But... it'll definitely be better than 'Black Hole'." Su Yu's tongue was a little unresponsive.

Lu Yang smiled, a rare occurrence, and pushed up his glasses: "Even more awesome than Golden Bear? Is that Golden Bear's dad?"

Everyone burst into laughter. Wang Boxue stood up, raised his glass, and shouted, "Let's fight again in Berlin!"

"Let's go to Berlin again!" everyone shouted, clinking glasses and spilling beer all over the table.

Su Yu also shouted, then slumped his head onto the table and knew nothing more.

When he woke up again, he was already lying on his bed in the dormitory.

Wang Boxue's snoring came from across the street, ringing rhythmically.