Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

On July 1st, the sky over Beijing was an unbelievably blue.

Su Yu woke up at 5:30 in the morning, not because he was nervous, but because Wang Boxue's alarm clock went off again.

This time, Wang Boxue didn't press the button. Instead, he jumped out of bed, stood barefoot on the ground, clenched his fists, and took a few deep breaths like a boxer entering the ring.

"What are you doing?" Su Yu was woken up by him and squinted at him.

"Warm-up, we can't afford to mess up today."

Su Yu rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head: "You can warm up all you want, but don't shout slogans. It's only 5:30, let me sleep a little longer."

"Sleep? What are you sleeping for? You're the director! The director has to be the first one here!"

Su Yu sighed and got out of bed.

The opening ceremony was scheduled for 9:00 a.m., under an old locust tree on the Beijing Film Academy campus.

Su Yu chose this place for his own reasons: it was convenient, he didn't need to rent a venue, and the tree had appeared in many movies, so it was considered a place with a spiritual aura.

When Su Yu arrived, Lu Yang was already setting up the scene.

A long table, covered with a red cloth, was set with an incense burner, fruit, and roast suckling pig.

"Yang-ge, what time did you arrive?" Su Yu walked over and saw that Lu Yang's shirt collar was already soaked with sweat.

Lu Yang adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "Six o'clock."

Su Yu glanced at his watch; it was only 7:20.

People arrived one after another. First, Wang Boxue led his photography team, carrying equipment cases, and walked over in a grand procession.

Then came Sister Zhou from the recording team, who strolled over slowly, holding a cup of soy milk in her hand.

Next came a few junior female students from the costume and prop department, chatting excitedly. When they saw the roast suckling pig on the offering table, one of them whispered, "I really want to eat it," and was glared at by her senior sister.

Luo Jin arrived at 8:30.

He was wearing a white polo shirt, and his hair was styled with hair gel, making him look much more energetic.

He walked up to Su Yu and looked Su Yu up and down; a faded black T-shirt, khaki cargo pants, and flip-flops that he had worn for months.

"Director Su, are you going to start filming dressed like this?"

Su Yu looked down at himself: "What's wrong? You seem fine."

"When reporters come and take pictures of you, are you going to wear this to the news?"

Su Yu thought about it and agreed that it made sense, but it was too late to change. He tucked his T-shirt into his pants to at least look neater.

.......

At 8:45, a black minivan pulled up beside the playground.

Liu Yifei got out of the car, wearing a blue sleeveless dress, with her hair down and light makeup on.

She was followed by her assistant and makeup artist, the three of them walking in a row, like a military parade formation.

Su Yu greeted her with a smile, walked up to Liu Yifei, and smiled, "Senior sister, you're here."

Liu Yifei glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his T-shirt for a second, her lips twitching slightly before she quickly regained her composure.

Her tone was indifferent, devoid of emotion: "Hmm, you're not late, are you?"

"No, no, the timing is perfect."

(His T-shirt is so old! The collar's all loose. This is what he's wearing for the opening ceremony today, when reporters came? Does this guy have some kind of misunderstanding about the word "image"? But... he actually looks quite sharp in cargo pants. Wait, what am I thinking? Calm down, calm down.)

Liu Yifei finished speaking in her mind, her face expressionless, she simply nodded slightly, and then walked towards the offering table.

Su Yu stood there, feeling that Liu Yifei's gaze at him earlier was a little strange. He shook his head and followed her.

At 9:00 AM sharp, the opening ceremony officially began.

Incense smoke curled from the offering table, and the skin of the roast suckling pig glistened in the sunlight.

Su Yu stood at the front, next to Liu Yifei and Luo Jin; Lu Yang, Wang Boxue, Zhu Rui, Senior Sister Zhou and others stood in the back rows.

Su Yu took out a lighter from his pocket, lit three incense sticks, held them with both hands, and bowed three times to the offering table.

As he prayed, he silently prayed: "Gods and ancestors, please bless 'Our Times' to go smoothly and without any mishaps."

He placed the incense sticks into the incense burner and stepped back. Liu Yifei stepped forward, took the incense, and gracefully bowed three times.

Her expression was devout, and for the few seconds she closed her eyes, her eyelashes looked like two small fans in the sunlight. Su Yu watched from the side, thinking to himself: This girl is beautiful even when she's praying; it's truly unreasonable.

After Luo Jin finished praying, Wang Boxue leaned close to Su Yu's ear and whispered, "What were you muttering when you were praying? I heard you muttering something."

"I said, 'Don't cause any trouble.'"

"You're telling God not to cause trouble? Do you think God understands?"

"God is omnipotent and can understand any dialect."

.......

A row of reporters, about seven or eight people, stood next to the offering table, carrying cameras and holding microphones.

They were all media outlets cooperating with China Film Group. Su Yu didn't recognize most of them, but one face looked somewhat familiar—Lin Xi, the female reporter from CCTV's movie channel.

She stood at the front, holding a microphone, with the cameraman next to her.

Su Yu nodded to her, and Lin Xi returned a smile.

After the ceremony, Su Yu was surrounded by reporters.

Seven or eight microphones were shoved in front of him, and he instinctively took a half step back, almost stepping on Wang Boxue's foot.

"Director Su, this is your first feature film. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

Su Yu cleared his throat, a standard smile on his face. "I am honored. Thank you for the school's support, thank you for China Film Group's investment, and thank you to senior students Liu Yifei and Luo Jin for joining us. I will do my best to make this film well and live up to everyone's expectations."

He had rehearsed these words in his mind several times, and he spoke them fluently and naturally, without making a single mistake.

Another reporter asked, "Director Su, you're only twenty years old, just finished your freshman year of college. Do you think you can handle a feature film?"

Su Yu's smile faded, and his tone became more serious: "Age is not a problem, ability is; I have confidence."

Lin Xi raised the microphone: "Director Su, how did you and Liu Yifei's collaboration come about?"

Su Yu glanced in Liu Yifei's direction; she was being interviewed on the other side, her light blue dress standing out in the sunlight.

"My senior colleague read the script, thought it was good, and agreed to take it. She's a very professional actress, and I'm very grateful to her."

The interview lasted about twenty minutes. After the reporters left, Su Yu walked to the offering table, looked at the roast suckling pig, and swallowed hard.

Wang Boxue suddenly appeared from the side, holding a fruit knife: "Want a piece?"

"This is offered to the gods, how dare you eat it?"

"God can't possibly finish all that food. Besides, God doesn't eat human food, so let's help God with his burden."

Su Yu thought about it and agreed. He took the knife, cut a small piece of meat from the suckling pig, and put it in his mouth.

The skin is crispy and the meat is tender; it tastes good.

He handed the knife to Wang Boxue: "Cut one piece for Lu Yang, and another piece for Senior Sister Zhou. As for Liu Yifei... never mind, she probably won't eat this."

Wang Boxue chuckled and took a knife to cut the meat.

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