Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The next morning, Su Yu sat at his desk.

He opened his notebook, reviewed the key points he wanted to make, and then mentally rehearsed the conversation, feeling like a recent graduate preparing for a job interview.

"Su Yu, what are you muttering to yourself?" Wang Boxue poked his head out from the top bunk.

"Simulated negotiation"

"Who are you negotiating with?"

"Teacher Mu."

Wang Boxue shrank back and mumbled under the covers, "Then you can do the simulation. Good luck."

Su Yu lingered in his dormitory until nine o'clock, figuring that Mu Deyuan should have arrived at the office by then, before finally getting up and leaving.

The head of the photography department's office is on the third floor of teaching building number three, at the end of the corridor.

When Su Yu reached the door, it was half-open. Mu Deyuan was sitting behind his desk reading documents. Several photography albums were spread out on the desk, and there was a half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray next to him.

Su Yu knocked on the doorframe and poked half his body in: "Teacher Mu, is this a convenient time?"

Mu Deyuan looked up and glanced at him over the top of his glasses, his expression saying, "What are you doing here again, you little brat?"

He put down the documents in his hand, leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms over his chest: "Come in, what is it?"

Su Yu walked in and sat down in the chair opposite the desk.

He placed the file folder on his lap, not in a hurry to open it, but first organizing his thoughts.

Mu Deyuan didn't urge him, but just looked at him and waited for him to speak.

"Professor Mu, I recently wrote a feature film script, a youth film, and I'm planning to start filming this summer." Su Yu took the script out of the file folder and handed it to him with both hands. "I'd like to ask you to take a look."

........

Mu Deyuan took the script and flipped through the title page, "My Teenage Years," written by Su Yu.

He didn't open the script, but instead placed it on the table and tapped the cover with his finger: "Feature film? You're only a freshman, what are you going to do with feature films? Focus on building a solid foundation first."

Su Yu leaned forward slightly, placing his hands on his knees. "Teacher Mu, I know I'm only a freshman; I've been writing this script for half a year and revised it more than a dozen times. Some of the actors have already been cast. The female lead is Liu Yifei, a senior from the acting department, and the male lead is Luo Jing, a senior from the acting department. The crew is the same one that filmed 'The Black Hole,' plus some newcomers."

Mu Deyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly. His gaze swept across Su Yu's face, as if judging whether the kid was bragging.

Su Yu met his gaze without flinching.

"Liu Yifei? She agreed?" Mu Deyuan's tone carried a hint of doubt.

"I agree." Su Yu said this with great confidence, because he had Liu Yifei's QQ chat history as proof, although in that chat history Liu Yifei only replied with a single word, "okay".

Mu Deyuan opened the script and started reading from the first page.

Su Yu sat opposite him, barely daring to breathe, his eyes fixed on Mu Deyuan's expression.

Mu Deyuan read the script very quickly, turning the pages one by one, occasionally pausing at a certain section, frowning as he thought about it, and then continuing to turn the pages.

After flipping through the script for about ten minutes, he closed it, took off his glasses, and slowly wiped them with a glasses cloth.

"The story is alright, it has a business appeal." Mu Deyuan's tone remained indifferent. "What do you want me to help you with?"

Su Yu smiled and moved forward half an inch, lowering his voice slightly: "Teacher Mu, I would like to apply for funding from the school's Youth Film Studio; I would also like to display the Youth Film Studio's sign."

Mu Deyuan paused for a moment while wiping his glasses, then slowly put them back on and looked at Su Yu again.

His gaze held an admiration, yet it was also as if he were scrutinizing a young man who was ignorant of his own limitations.

"Do you know what the funding criteria are for the Youth Studio?" Mude asked with a smile.

"I know. The script needs to be thought-provoking, artistic, and entertaining, and the main creative team should consist primarily of teachers and students from our school..." Su Yu counted on his fingers, one by one, like a primary school student reciting a text.

Mu Deyuan raised his hand to interrupt him: "Alright, alright, stop memorizing. Do you meet all of these criteria?"

Su Yu nodded; Mu Deyuan leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers twice on the armrest, then suddenly stood up, picked up the script on the table: "Let's go."

"Where to?" Su Yu was taken aback.

"Go to the principal's office. I can't make that decision by myself." Mu Deyuan had already reached the door, but he turned back to look at him. "What are you standing there for? Follow me."

Su Yu hurriedly packed up the file bag and jogged after him.

.......

The principal's office is on the fourth floor of the administration building. The door is twice the size of Mu Deyuan's office, and there is a bronze plaque hanging on the door that reads "Principal's Office".

Mu Deyuan knocked on the door, and a steady voice came from inside: "Come in."

When Su Yu pushed open the door, his heart was beating faster than when he went on stage to accept an award at the Berlin Film Festival.

The principal, surnamed Zhang, was in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and was sitting behind his desk reading documents.

He saw Mu Deyuan come in, took off his glasses, and smiled: "Old Mu, what brings you here?"

Mu Deyuan placed the script on Principal Zhang's desk and gestured towards Su Yu with his lip: "My student, Su Yu, the one who directed 'The Black Hole.' He wrote a feature film script and wants to apply for funding from the Youth Film Studio."

Principal Zhang glanced at the script cover, then at Su Yu, his gaze carrying a gentle warmth characteristic of an elder.

He took the script, but instead of reading the contents, he first glanced at its thickness before slowly starting to read from the first page.

He read the script much more slowly than Mu Deyuan, pausing for a long time on each page and occasionally circling a passage.

Su Yu stood in front of the desk until his legs ached. A full twenty minutes passed before Principal Zhang finally closed the script.

He took off his gold-rimmed glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, and then looked up at Su Yu.

"I've read the script; it's a coming-of-age film about an ordinary girl's unrequited love. The subject matter isn't new, but the angle is good, and it has a realistic feel." Principal Zhang's voice wasn't loud. "Have you cast the actors yet?"

Su Yu stood ramrod straight, as if being called upon by the drill instructor during military training: "The female lead is Liu Yifei from the 02 acting class, and the male lead is Luo Jing. Other roles will also be filled by students and graduates of our school."

Principal Zhang nodded, flipped through the script again, and stopped at the last page.

He was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at Su Yu with a slight smile: "The school can support your script. The Youth Film Studio will invest 300,000 yuan and sponsor it. Also..."

He picked up the phone on the table, dialed a number, waited a few seconds, and said, "Connect me to Han Sanping's office."

Su Yu's ears perked up. Han Sanping? Han Sanping of China Film Group?

The call connected, and Principal Zhang's tone became more casual: "Sanping, it's me, Lao Zhang. I want to ask you something. Does China Film Group have any plans to support young directors this year?... Yes, I have a student here, a freshman, who just won the Berlin Golden Bear for Short Film and is now planning to make a feature film... Okay, wait a moment."

Principal Zhang took a notepad from his drawer, wrote a line, and handed it to Su Yu: "This is Han Sanping's secretary's phone number; I've already spoken to him, so you can contact him directly. It would be best if China Film Group were willing to invest. If not, you can look for other companies yourself."

Su Yu took the note and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Principal Zhang! Thank you, Teacher Mu!"

Principal Zhang waved his hand, "Don't thank me too soon. I won't take responsibility if the film isn't good."

After leaving the principal's office, Su Yu stood in the corridor for a full half minute, and after confirming that no one was around, he silently clenched his fist.

Mu Deyuan walked ahead without turning his head, but his pace noticeably slowed down.

"Thank you, Teacher Mu." Su Yu caught up with her.

Mu Deyuan didn't stop, but simply said, "Don't embarrass the photography department."

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