Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

In the afternoon, the news was published on the portal website.

Su Yu was browsing his computer on set when he saw the headline on Sina Entertainment: "Shu Yu, the youngest Golden Bear winner at Berlin, begins filming for his feature film 'Our Times,' with Liu Yifei joining the cast."

The accompanying photo shows Su Yu standing in front of an offering table, holding incense sticks, with a serious expression, like a high school student drawing lots at a temple.

He stared at the photo for a few seconds and felt that his face was a little swollen, probably because he hadn't slept well last night.

Wang Boxue leaned over and took a look: "You look like a wanted criminal in this photo."

"You're the wanted criminal." Su Yu closed the webpage and stopped looking.

.....

For the first scene after filming started, Su Yu chose a simple one: the female lead, Lin Zhenxin, was secretly watching the school heartthrob, Ouyang Feifan, in the classroom.

The scene takes place in an old classroom at the Beijing Film Academy, with wooden tables and chairs, mottled walls, and frosted paper pasted on the windows, through which sunlight shines in, creating a soft halo.

This scene has no dialogue; it relies entirely on the actors' expressions and eyes.

Su Yu thought this scene was simple, and it would be a good opportunity for Liu Yifei to get a feel for it.

As a result, nine takes were rejected.

By the ninth point, Su Yu finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He slammed the script on the table with a loud "thud," and the entire classroom fell silent. Everyone stared at him, even Liu Yifei was taken aback.

Su Yu stood up, walked up to Liu Yifei, and looked rather unpleasant.

His voice wasn't loud, but every word was laced with anger: "Senior, I know you're a big star and have acted in many dramas. But the female lead in this drama isn't Wang Yuyan, nor is she Little Dragon Girl. She's just an ordinary high school girl. She gets acne, she hunches over, she peeks at boys, and she writes their names in her diary. Your portrayal... doesn't match."

The atmosphere in the classroom froze instantly.

Wang Boxue huddled behind the camera, barely daring to breathe. Lu Yang remained expressionless, while Luo Jin kept his head down, pretending to read the script. Zhu Rui covered his mouth, his eyes wide with shock.

Liu Yifei sat there, her expression changing from surprise to grievance, and then from grievance to stubbornness.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she didn't cry. She looked at Su Yu, her lips moved slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.

Su Yu took a deep breath, turned around, and said to everyone, "We won't film the female lead's scenes today; we'll film Luo Jin's scenes first. Senior Sister..."

He glanced back at Liu Yifei and said, "Go back and think about this role. We'll film your scene tomorrow."

Su Yu picked up the script and storyboards, and walked out of the classroom without looking back.

Wang Boxue and Lu Yang exchanged a glance. Lu Yang stood up, patted Wang Boxue on the shoulder, and followed him out.

......

Liu Yifei and her assistant were left in the classroom. The assistant stood in the corner, holding a thermos, unsure whether to go over.

Liu Yifei sat at her desk, head down, her finger tracing circles on the surface. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, then she looked up and glanced at Luo Jin.

Luo Jin put down his script, stood up, and walked over to her. His tone was gentle: "Qianqian, don't take it to heart. Su Yu is a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted person. He's probably just too eager for his first feature film."

Liu Yifei shook her head, her voice soft: "He's right, I really didn't act convincingly."

Outside the classroom, Su Yu leaned against a locust tree, his hands in his pockets, his face looking like he had swallowed a fly.

Lu Yang stood opposite him, and Wang Boxue squatted beside him. The three of them remained silent for a while.

Wang Boxue spoke first: "Su Yu, weren't you a bit too harsh just now? That's Liu Yifei, and you talked about her in front of so many people..."

"I know," Su Yu interrupted Wang Boxue, his voice a little muffled, "but I have no choice. We filmed this scene nine times, and none of them were right. I can't let the whole production fall apart just to save face for her."

Lu Yang pushed up his glasses: "You're right, but the approach could be a little gentler."

Su Yu was silent for a few seconds, then took out his phone from his pocket, scrolled through his contacts, and put it down again.

"Never mind, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

.......

By the time we finished work, it was completely dark.

Su Yu dragged himself back to the dormitory, looking like a salted fish that had been dried in the sun for three days.

He threw his camera bag on the ground, then collapsed onto the bed, which creaked loudly.

Wang Boxue returned ten minutes earlier than him. He had already finished showering and was sitting at the table applying face cream, his face covered with a layer of white face cream, making him look like a clown preparing to go on stage to perform.

"Su Yu, you haven't paid me for today's lunch yet," Wang Boxue said, slapping his face as he spoke, his voice muffled by the face cream.

Su Yu pulled out his wallet from under his pillow, took out three hundred-yuan bills, and waved them in the air.

As Wang Boxue came over to collect the money, he glanced down at him and said, "You don't look too good. Did you scold Liu Yifei too harshly today, and are you feeling guilty about it?"

"No." Su Yu stuffed his wallet back under his pillow, turned over, and faced the wall. "I'm just tired. Don't ask me anything."

Wang Boxue shrugged, took the money, and left.

.......

Lu Yang was still in the editing room and hadn't returned, leaving Su Yu alone in the dormitory.

He stared at a stain on the wall for a long time, then sat up and turned on his computer.

The QQ login screen popped up. He paused for a moment on the keyboard while typing his password, then continued typing.

Anxi's profile picture was lit up, flashing like a signal light urging him to go online.

Su Yu opened the chat window, hovered his fingers over the keyboard for two seconds, and then began typing.

He typed very slowly, pausing to think after each sentence, as if considering whether he should say so much.

But today he had a lot to say, and he felt uncomfortable if he didn't say it.

"Anxi, I have something to tell you. I scolded Liu Yifei today, in front of the whole crew."

The other end replied instantly, and a message popped up next to Anxi's profile picture: "?? You insulted my idol? Are you out of your mind?"

Su Yu leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, eyes fixed on the screen. He thought for a moment, then began sending messages one by one.

"I'm not criticizing, I'm pointing out the problem. Her acting was just so unrealistic. Senior, Lin Zhenxin is an ordinary high school girl, not Wang Yuyan. She slouches in class, leans on her desk, and draws little figures in her textbooks. Guess what she does?"

Anxi: "What's wrong?"

Su Yu: "She sat up straight, then bent over slightly. Just a tiny bit, about five centimeters, and I almost died on the spot."

On the other end of the computer screen, Liu Yifei sat cross-legged on the sofa in her apartment, with her laptop on her lap.

When she saw the words "almost died on the spot," her lips twitched, and her fingers flew across the keyboard: "Maybe it's because it's their first time playing this kind of role, and they're not used to it. Can't you just say it nicely? Why do you have to yell at them in front of the whole crew?"

Shu Chang sat next to her, holding a magazine. She flipped through a couple of pages, then put it down and leaned over to look at the screen. Liu Yifei turned slightly, blocking half of the screen.

Shu Chang rolled her eyes: "What are you blocking? It's not like I haven't seen your chat before."

Liu Yifei ignored her, her eyes fixed on the screen, waiting for Su Yu's reply.

Su Yu replied: "I explained it properly, I explained it nine times. Anyway, I got angry on the ninth time."

"You're famous? How did you become famous?"

Su Yu: "I slammed the script on the table, and with a 'bang,' the whole classroom went silent..."

Liu Yifei stared at the screen, her fingers unconsciously gripping the corner of the cushion.

Shu Chang peeked out from the side, and this time Liu Yifei didn't have time to block her view. Shu Chang saw the words and gasped: "He said your acting wasn't convincing? In front of the whole crew?"

Liu Yifei bit her lip, didn't say anything, and continued to look at the screen.

Su Yu was silent for a few seconds, his typing fingers slowing down: "I don't know if I did it right or wrong, I was really anxious at the time. I turned on the camera, shot nine takes, and spent an hour shooting, wasting an entire roll of film. Do you know how expensive film is? My budget couldn't afford to go through that kind of ordeal."

Anxi: "You're just worried about your film?"

"I'm the director, I'm responsible for the whole production. If she doesn't act well, I can teach her gradually. But she's stuck in that 'Liu Yifei' persona and can't let go of it, how can I teach her?"

Liu Yifei looked at the line of text, tapped her fingers on the keyboard, and then stopped.

She hugged the cushion tighter, rested her chin on it, stared at the screen, and looked as complicated as if she were solving an advanced math problem.

Shu Chang, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to pat her on the shoulder: "What he said makes sense. You've been too prim and proper for too long. From your debut until now, you've always played fairies, rich ladies, and noblewomen. It's normal that you're not used to playing an ordinary girl all of a sudden."

Liu Yifei took a deep breath, tossed the cushion aside, placed her hands on the keyboard, and typed: "So how do you think she should act? Be specific, and I'll pass it on to her. I have connections."

Su Yu paused for a moment when he saw the words "I have channels"; his suspicions were now largely confirmed, and sure enough...

He thought for a moment but didn't press for details. Instead, he typed a reply carefully.

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