Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

Three days after the college entrance examination ended, Su Yu made a decision: to enroll in a driving school.

This decision wasn't made because he loved driving, but because he did the math.

In 2004, it was cheap to get a driver's license. The registration fee in Jingzhou was only a little over two thousand yuan. But when he went to Beijing, it would cost at least three or four thousand yuan.

Besides, what if I want to rent a car and go out for fun during my four years of university? What if I need to drive for work later? I can't just come back to take the test when that time comes.

Su Yu found a driving school on the outskirts of the ancient city. The enrollment fee was 2,200 yuan, and the school offered a guaranteed learning experience with a one-month license.

The coach was a driver in his fifties named Zhou. He smoked so much that his teeth were yellow, and he spoke in a voice loud enough to deafen people.

"You're Su Yu?" Coach Zhou looked him up and down. "Did you finish the college entrance exam?"

"Yeah, I just finished the exam."

"Okay, meet at the training ground at six o'clock tomorrow morning. Don't be late, or I won't teach you."

Su Yu nodded, thinking to himself, "Six o'clock it is. Back in high school, I got up at 5:30. Who's afraid of who?"

The next morning, Su Yu appeared at the training ground on time.

Coach Zhou, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, pointed to a dilapidated Santana: "Get in, let's practice reversing into a parking space first."

Su Yu had driven for over a decade in his previous life, from vans to Didi Chuxing cars; what kind of car hadn't he driven?

Let alone reversing into a parking space, he could drive through the narrow alleys of Shenzhen's urban villages with his eyes closed without even breaking a sweat.

Now he had to pretend he knew nothing, nervously sit in the driver's seat, grip the steering wheel with both hands, and sit stiffly like a robot.

"Release the handbrake, shift into reverse, and slowly release the clutch," Coach Zhou instructed from the side. "Look in the rearview mirror, yes, just like that..."

Su Yu deliberately drove the car erratically, veering half a meter off course when reversing into the parking space. Coach Zhou slapped him on the shoulder: "Where are your eyes? Watch the line! Watch the line!"

"Coach, I'm nervous."

"What are you nervous about! You're here to learn to drive, not to go on a blind date!"

Su Yu suppressed a laugh and continued to play the role of a "newbie".

He needs to take it slow and not act too proficient all at once, otherwise he won't be able to explain it.

Fortunately, although he was a good driver in his previous life, his muscle memory had become much more blurred after the transmigration. In addition, this body didn't know how to drive, so he just needed to control himself and not drive too smoothly.

.......

Besides learning to drive, Su Yu spends most of his time at home.

On the table in his room was a book, "Fundamentals of Screenwriting," which his sister, Su Ting, had sent back from Shanghai.

Su Ting is interning at a securities company in Shanghai and is usually extremely busy. When she learned that her younger brother wanted a book on screenwriting, she made a special trip to the bookstore, bought this screenwriting tutorial, and sent it back with a note: "Photography majors also need to learn storytelling. Don't just know how to press the shutter button; your brain needs to keep up too."

Su Yu smiled when he saw the note. His older sister always spoke bluntly and without reservation.

In his previous life, when Su Yu was an internet celebrity, he filmed many short videos, some of which he wrote the scripts for himself, and some of which were produced by a team.

He knows the importance of a good story to visuals. No matter how beautiful the shot, without content to support it, it's just a pretty wallpaper; the most obvious example is the Palme d'Or winner!

He had never systematically studied screenwriting, but now that he had the time and this crash course textbook, he decided to give it a try.

Anyway, there are still two or three months before university starts, so I'm just killing time.

Every afternoon, Su Yu would sit at his desk, open the book "Fundamentals of Screenwriting," and start studying it from the beginning.

This book is written in a simple and easy-to-understand style, explaining everything clearly and logically, from story structure and character development to dialogue writing and plot design.

He took notes of key points in his notebook as he read, and occasionally drew mind maps.

After studying for a few days, he began to try writing some short scripts.

In the days that followed, Su Yu maintained a pace of writing one short script every day.

Some are adapted from anecdotes from a previous life, some are original, and some are restructured based on movie plots.

His writing wasn't great, but it was better than before. He didn't even know what a script looked like before, but now he at least knows what a "three-act structure," "plot points," and "character arcs" are.

He also jotted down a lot of inspiration in his notebook: some were trending topics from his past life, some were movies that would become hits in the future, and some were stories that he felt he might be able to make in his lifetime.

These inspirations are scattered, like a pile of building blocks, waiting to be assembled into a house someday.

Su Yu locked these things in a drawer, making sure no one saw them.

.....

It was late June. One day, Su Yu finished his driving practice and went home. He turned on his computer and, as usual, browsed the news.

On Sina Entertainment's homepage, a striking headline popped up:

"The Condor Heroes Casting Controversy: Liu Yifei auditioned for the role of Little Dragon Girl, and was once rumored to have been dropped from the cast"

Su Yu clicked in and saw that the news said the casting for Zhang Jizhong's version of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" had entered a heated stage, with the choice of Xiaolongnu being between Liu Yifei, Zhou Xun, Jiang Qinqin, and Sun Li.

Recent reports suggest that Liu Yifei has been rejected by the production team and eliminated from the competition due to her young age and lack of "street smarts."

Su Yu raised an eyebrow and continued scrolling down.

Another news item is about Yang Guo: "The competition for Yang Guo intensifies: Huang Xiaoming vs. Nie Yuan, public costume fitting sparks fan wars."

The comments section is already abuzz with arguments between the two fan groups. Some say Huang Xiaoming is more in line with the original character, while others say Nie Yuan has more charisma. Still others are making sarcastic remarks like, "Whoever gets the role will become famous, since it all comes down to Jin Yong."

Su Yu leaned back in his chair, stared at the screen for a few seconds, and slowly a smile crept onto his lips.

He had seen these news reports in his previous life.

The casting for the 2004 TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was the biggest scandal in the entertainment industry at the time.

From the initial casting to the final casting, the hype lasted for more than half a year, with new developments almost every month.

All that talk about Liu Yifei being kicked out, Zhou Xun playing Xiaolongnu, and the choice between Jiang Qinqin and Sun Li—it all seems like a setup now.

In his previous life, Su Yu would just watch these news stories as entertainment, but things are different now.

He was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy and is about to enter the industry. Moreover, there is a netizen named Anxi who keeps mentioning Liu Yifei to him every day.

He thought for a moment, then opened QQ and sent a message to Anxi: "Did you see the news? It seems like Liu Yifei's role as Xiaolongnu has fallen through?"

Anxi replied almost instantly: "I saw it too, and I'm very sad."

Su Yu: "Do you think she can act?"

Anxi: "Of course I hope she can play the role, but the decision isn't in my hands."

Su Yu chuckled and typed: "I'll bet you, this role will definitely go to Liu Yifei in the end."

Anxi sent a question mark: "Why? Didn't the news say she was eliminated?"

Su Yu leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and began his performance.

"Let me analyze this for you. First of all, do you know who Liu Yifei's godfather is?"

Anxi replied after a few seconds: "I know, Chen Jinfei; so what?"

"Do you know what the relationship is between Chen Jinfei and Zhang Jizhong?"

Anxi sent an ellipsis, indicating that she didn't know.

Su Yu continued typing: "Chen Jinfei owns a company called Hongxingwu, which is Liu Yifei's agency. Zhang Jizhong has shares in this company; I heard it was given to Zhang Jizhong for free, which basically means their interests are tied together. Zhang Jizhong used Liu Yifei when he filmed 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,' and the results were excellent. How could he not use her when he's filming 'The Return of the Condor Heroes'?"

Anxi said, "But the news said that the production team felt she was too young and not suitable for the role of Little Dragon Girl."

"That's just hype." Su Yu typed quickly. "Think about it, such a big IP as 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' wouldn't it be so boring if they just cast Liu Yifei directly? Now they've released the news that she's out, and then they've brought up names like Zhou Xun, Jiang Qinqin, and Sun Li, and the netizens will explode, right? Once the netizens explode, the hype will go up. Once the hype goes up, the rights will be easier to sell. After the hype has gone on for a while, they'll announce that Liu Yifei will play Xiaolongnu, thus securing the role and getting plenty of attention. That's killing two birds with one stone."

Anxi was silent for a few seconds, then sent a message: "You mean, all these news reports are fake?"

"Not all of it is fake, but most of it is a smokescreen." Su Yu thought for a moment and then added, "Zhou Xun, Jiang Qinqin, Sun Li, they're all just used to generate buzz. Think about it, is Zhou Xun's appearance suitable for playing Xiaolongnu? Is Jiang Qinqin's age suitable for playing the aunt? Sun Li isn't famous yet, can she carry the role of Xiaolongnu? To put it bluntly, these people are just there to make up the numbers."

Anxi sent a "thinking" emoji.

Su Yu felt he hadn't said enough, so he added, "That's what you call 'bringing your own money to the production team.' Liu Yifei has a sugar daddy backing her up; this role was tailor-made for her. All that auditioning and being rejected is just an act for outsiders."

This time, Anxi took a while to reply: "How do you know so much?"

Su Yu smiled but didn't answer directly: "I found it online and did my own analysis. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

Anxi replied with "Okay".

Su Yu had originally planned to stop there, but when the conversation turned to Liu Yifei's godfather, Chen Jinfei, a flood of memories from his past life suddenly came to mind. Those memories were like water bursting from a dam, unstoppable.

He thought for a moment, then typed another line: "But to be honest, I don't think Liu Yifei's godfather is a good person."

Anxi replied quickly this time: "Why do you say that?"

Su Yu: "Think about it, a middle-aged man, adopting a young girl as his goddaughter and spending so much money to promote her, what do you think he's after?"

Anxi sent an ellipsis, seemingly unwilling to continue the conversation.

But Su Yu couldn't stop himself. In his previous life, he had read too much gossip about Chen Jinfei and Liu Yifei online. Although he couldn't tell what was true and what was false, as a "veteran hater," he felt it was his responsibility to share these "analyses."

"Either they coveted Liu Yifei and her mother's beauty, or they wanted to tie Liu Yifei down and use her as a cash cow once she became famous. In any case, it certainly wasn't out of any pure care."

Anxi remained silent for an even longer time this time.

Ignoring the other person's silence, Su Yu continued, "And I dare predict that the media and haters will definitely hype up the relationship between the three of them. Just think about it, a sugar daddy, a young and beautiful female celebrity, and a still-attractive mother—this combination is too easy for people to misunderstand. If Liu Yifei doesn't handle it well, this matter could ruin half of her reputation."

Anxi finally replied with just four words: "You're overthinking it."

Su Yu: "I didn't think too much about it. It's human nature. That's how the entertainment industry is. The more famous you are, the more people will be watching you. Liu Yifei is only sixteen or seventeen years old now. Once she comes of age, these things will definitely be brought up again."

Anxi didn't say anything.

Su Yu added insult to injury: "There's something else I've been wanting to complain about for a while now. Liu Yifei and her mother are both American citizens, right? What were they thinking? A Chinese person going to become an American. Now that China is developing better and better, and the market is getting bigger and bigger, they've changed their nationality. If I were Liu Yifei, I would definitely change my nationality back when I turned eighteen, otherwise I'd be in big trouble later."

Anxi sent a question mark: "What trouble?"

Su Yu: "Think about it, Liu Yifei's father is supposedly a diplomat, right? His ex-wife and daughter obtained US green cards and citizenship. If this gets out, it will definitely affect her father's promotion and career. The diplomatic system values ​​stance and loyalty above all else. What does it mean if someone in the family becomes a US citizen?"

Anxi remained silent this time.

Su Yu waited for half a minute, and seeing that there was no reply, he sent another message: "Of course, these are all just my guesses; maybe they don't care about these things at all."

Anxi's profile picture did not flash.

Su Yu checked the time; it was already 11 p.m. He assumed An Qian had gone to take a shower or go to bed, so he didn't pay any attention, turned off his computer, and went to sleep.

.......

The next day, Su Yu opened QQ, but there were no new messages from An Qian.

There was none on the third day either.

The fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day... a whole week passed, and Anxi's profile picture remained gray and never flashed.

Su Yu didn't pay much attention at first, thinking that the other person might be busy with something.

A week later, he vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

From the day he met Anxi, she never went more than 24 hours without replying to messages. It was as if she lived on QQ, always online.

Now look what's happened, they've simply vanished into thin air.

Su Yu scrolled through the chat history, reviewing what he had said that day. He read it again and couldn't help but frown.

Criticizing Liu Yifei's acting skills and Wang Yuyan's romantic obsession is fine; Anxi herself joined in the criticism. But this time, what he said seemed a bit excessive.

Saying that her godfather had ulterior motives, that the mother and daughter were worshippers of foreign things, and that their nationality affected her father's career; these kinds of remarks would make even a passerby uncomfortable, let alone Anxi, a "veteran fan".

"Was I too harsh?" Su Yu muttered to himself.

He thought for a moment and sent Anxi a message: "Hey, little rich girl, are you still there? Are you angry? I was just saying, don't take it seriously."

The message was sent out, but it disappeared without a trace.

A few days later, Su Yu sent another message: "Anxi? You didn't really disappear, did you? If you don't reply to my message soon, I'll consider your 10,000 yuan as gone, and I won't return it."

There was still no reply; Su Yu shrugged, not paying much attention.

To be honest, he was happy to have some peace and quiet when Anxi didn't chat with him.

He's been very busy lately, practicing driving, writing scripts, and researching future investment plans. Ironically, having one less person to chat with has made him more efficient.

Besides, he had already received the 10,000 yuan from Anxi, so he didn't owe her anything.

Su Yu dismissed the thought and continued living his life.

At the driving school, he has already practiced up to the second stage of the driving test.

Although Coach Zhou has a loud voice, he teaches very well. Su Yu has gradually gone from a "newbie" to a "near-newbie" and can handle reversing into a parking space, parallel parking, and hill starts.

Coach Zhou rarely praised him, saying, "You've improved quite quickly, much better than those who have been practicing for a month and still can't get it right."

Su Yu humbly replied, "It's all thanks to the coach's excellent teaching."

........

In early July, Su Yu passed his driving test (Part 3) smoothly.

Su Yu opened QQ, found An Qian's profile picture, and sent a message: "Did you see the news? What did I say? Zhang Jizhong announced a nationwide search for Little Dragon Girl."

The message was sent out, but it went unanswered.

Su Yu looked at the grayed-out profile picture and suddenly found it a little funny. Was An Qian angry with him, or had something happened to her?

Forget it, I don't want to.

He shut down his computer, picked up his screenwriter's notebook from the table, flipped to the latest page, and wrote a title on it:

"The Self-Cultivation of a Hater"

This was a short script he was preparing to write, about a hater who accidentally became his idol's assistant, only to discover that the idol was actually a very nice person. The story was cliché, but Su Yu found it quite interesting.

When he was writing the third page, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Su Yu picked it up and saw that it was a QQ message.

Anxi.

There was only one sentence: "Su Yu, you can be really annoying sometimes."

Su Yu paused for a moment, then smiled.

He replied, "Then why did you message me?"

Anxi: "I can't let that ten thousand yuan go to waste."

Upon reading this sentence, Su Yu suddenly realized that An Qian was much cuter than he had imagined.

He typed: "Okay, then keep spending. But next time you don't like what I'm saying, just say so. Don't play the disappearing act. I thought you'd been abducted by aliens."

Anxi sent an eye-rolling emoji. Su Yu stared at the emoji for a few seconds, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind...

He didn't ask; some things are better left unasked.