Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

August 24th marked the last day of filming for "Our Times".

The final scene shows the female lead, Lin Zhenxin, many years later, grown up and walking down the street when she unexpectedly encounters her first love from back then.

The two looked at each other at the street corner, didn't say anything, just smiled, and then passed each other.

This scene has no dialogue; it relies entirely on eye contact and micro-expressions.

Across the street, the male protagonist, played by Luo Jing, stands on the street corner, wearing a black overcoat and holding a cup of coffee.

The two stared at each other for three seconds, the air seemingly frozen. Then they simultaneously lowered their heads, smiled, turned, and walked in opposite directions.

Liu Yifei's figure slowly disappeared from the screen; her steps were steady, she didn't turn around, and her shoulders shrugged slightly, as if Lin Zhenxin was holding back her tears.

"Cut!" Su Yu shouted, his voice a little hoarse, as if something was stuck in his throat.

The set fell silent for a second, and everyone looked at him.

Su Yu stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "Cut! That's a wrap!"

.......

Su Yu was awakened by the sunlight; the bright light made him squint and it took him a while to adjust.

My head hurts like someone is drumming inside it, one beat after another. My mouth tastes bitter, like I have a mouthful of bitter herbs. My throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert; even swallowing hurts.

He turned over and found himself on his bed in the dormitory, his shoes off and the blanket neatly tucked in.

There was a bottle of mineral water next to his pillow, the cap already unscrewed. He picked it up and took a sip, water dripping down his chin and onto the pillow, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

"What time is it?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against glass.

Wang Boxue was sitting at the table, eating a bowl of instant noodles, and said without turning his head, "One o'clock in the afternoon."

Su Yu froze for a moment, then sat up abruptly, feeling dizzy and his vision went black for a couple of seconds before he recovered: "One o'clock? How long have I been asleep?"

"You slept from 10 pm last night until now, fifteen hours. You almost broke my record."

Su Yu rubbed his temples and slowly recalled what happened last night.

At the wrap party, toasts were being made: baijiu, red wine, beer. The ceiling spun around, and then I blacked out.

......

Su Yu got out of bed, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and felt like he had come back to life.

He sat back down at his desk, turned on his computer, and a message popped up on QQ.

It was posted by Liu Yifei, and the time displayed is 10:00 AM today.

He looked at the message, paused his finger on the mouse for a moment, and then clicked on it.

"Su Yu, I'm having a small party at my house tonight. Are you coming? It's my 18th birthday. Please invite Lu Yang and Wang Boxue; Luo Jing, Wang Jia, and Zhu Yawen should also come. I'll send you the address. It's 7 PM, don't be late."

Su Yu stared at the message, stunned for a moment.

Birthday? Liu Yifei's birthday?

He thought for a moment, and in his memories from his previous life, Liu Yifei's eighteenth birthday celebration seemed to have been held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. It was a grand affair, with many big names in the industry in attendance, and the media took a lot of photos.

The message mentions "small gathering" and "my home," indicating significantly different scales.

Could it be because of what he said to Anxi in May? I knew it!

He recalled chatting with Anxi in May, when Anxi said she had "rumors" that Liu Yifei was preparing to hold a coming-of-age ceremony.

Su Yu immediately launched into a tirade: "The scandal from before hasn't even died down, and they're already holding a coming-of-age ceremony? Isn't this just blatant showing off? Don't they have enough dirt on her already? Is her agency out of their minds?"

Anxi didn't say anything at the time, just sent an "Mm". And then nothing more.

Now, the coming-of-age ceremony has become a "small gathering of friends".

Su Yu shook off the thoughts in his mind, called Lu Yang and Wang Boxue, and showed them Liu Yifei's invitation.

"Birthday? Liu Yifei's birthday? I need to buy her a gift!"

Lu Yang sat up in bed, his hair a mess: "What should I buy?"

The three people looked at each other and remained silent for three seconds.

Su Yu slammed his hand on the table, causing a pen on the table to jump: "Let's go, Wangfujing."

......

At 5 p.m., Liu Yifei’s villa was located in an upscale residential area. There were security guards at the gate who verified her identity before letting her in.

Su Yu got out of the car, looked up at the three-story building with a garden, and saw two neatly trimmed pine trees at the entrance.

I had seen it in the news in my past life, but now that it's standing in front of me, I truly understand what "the home of a rich person" means.

Wang Boxue's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape: "This...this is Liu Yifei's house?"

"Villas, rich people all live in these." Su Yu pretended to be calm, but he was also amazed.

I rang the doorbell, and the door opened.

A round-faced girl stood at the door, with two dimples when she smiled. She was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, and looked very casual.

Su Yu recognized her: Shu Chang, Liu Yifei's best friend; Su Yu had seen her on Douyin in his previous life.

"You must be Su Yu, Lu Yang, and Wang Boxue, right? Come in quickly, Qianqian is changing clothes upstairs." Shu Chang stepped aside to let them in, her gaze lingering on Su Yu's face for a second longer.

The living room is large and decorated in a European style, with a beige sofa and a large bouquet of lilies on the coffee table.

Several people have already arrived: Luo Jin, Wang Jia, Zhu Yawen, and Jiang Yiyan.

Luo Jin smiled and waved, "Director Su, please sit here!"

Su Yu walked over and sat down. He looked around and saw a man in his fifties standing in the corner of the living room, dressed in casual clothes and with a calm demeanor.

Liu Yifei wore a sleeveless white dress and had her hair tied in two braids, looking much more refined than on set.

She walked up to the man and said, "Su Yu, this is my godfather, Uncle Chen."

Chen Jinfei's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds: "You're Su Yu? Qianqian often mentions you."

Su Yu smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Chen."

Su Yu knew that this was the man who had caused Liu Yifei a lifetime of scandals and negativity in her past life—the man who rose to prominence by relying on Liu Yifei's uncle!

Liu Yifei's mother, Liu Xiaoli, came out of the kitchen with a plate of fruit. She was wearing a light pink loungewear set, her hair casually tied back, and she smiled as she invited everyone to eat the fruit.

Su Yu took a strawberry, popped it into his mouth, and mumbled, "Thank you, Auntie."

As Shu Chang came out of the kitchen, she glanced at Su Yu again as she passed by, this time with an even more obvious look in her eyes.

Su Yu finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "Shu Chang, do you know me?"

Shu Chang paused for a moment, then smiled, her dimples deepening: "I know you. Aren't you Su Yu? I read your 'Black Hole,' it's very good."

Shu Chang didn't leave immediately, but sat down in the empty seat next to Su Yu, as casually as if she were in her own living room.

"Su Yu, what do you like to do when you're not filming?" Shu Chang asked, tilting her head as if chatting with an old friend.

"Sleep, catch up on sleep. Filming is so tiring, all I want to do when I'm resting is lie down."

Shu Chang smiled, her dimples deepening: "Can't you have some healthy hobbies? Like playing ball, hiking, or watching movies?"

"Watching movies counts as work; our major requires us to analyze films. I can play ball, but I'm not good at it, and Wang Boxue thinks I'm terrible."

Shu Chang asked again, in a casual tone, "So what kind of girl do you like? I can introduce you to someone."

Su Yu was drinking juice when he almost choked.

He put down his cup and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Just chatting. You're twenty years old already, there are so many pretty girls at the Beijing Film Academy, haven't you found one you like?"

Su Yu scratched his head and thought about it seriously: "Hmm... good personality, easy to talk to, not too pretentious. As for looks... it depends on the feeling."

Shu Chang wrinkled her nose, leaned forward half an inch, and lowered her voice: "Your requirement is too vague. How do you define 'being able to chat'?"

Su Yu organized his thoughts, "It just means being able to keep up with what I'm saying. I'm a bit of a chatterbox, and sometimes I can be a bit sharp-tongued. If you can't keep up, or if you get angry after you do, then we can't have a proper conversation. Also, don't worry too much about how you look. I don't like people who have to maintain a perfect image all the time; it's too tiring."

Shu Chang's eyes lit up, like two light bulbs being turned on; a playful smile played on her lips: "So you don't like the fairy-like type?"

Without much thought, Su Yu blurted out, "The fairy-like type is fine to look at, but forget about living with them."

Liu Yifei was drinking juice across from him when she heard this and almost spat it out.

She forced it down, choked twice, her face turned bright red, and she coughed several times while covering her mouth.

Wang Jia quickly handed her a tissue, which she took and used to cover half of her face.

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