Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

Just after New Year's Day, Su Yu received a phone call.

It was China Film Group that called, saying that the finished film of "Our Times" has passed censorship.

When Su Yu went to the Film Bureau to get the review opinion, he was filled with anxiety.

In his past life, he had heard too many stories of films being "cut out" without a second thought, some so badly edited that even their own mothers wouldn't recognize them. He sat in the taxi, tapping his fingers on his knees the whole way.

In the review department's office, a middle-aged man wearing glasses handed him a feedback form, saying in a flat tone, "It's been cut three times. Go back and revise it, then resubmit it."

Su Yu took the feedback form, looked up at the middle-aged man, and asked, "That's all?"

That's all.

Su Yu folded the feedback form, stuffed it into his pocket, and took a deep breath as he stepped out into the hallway.

He thought it would take at least thirty cuts.

He took out his phone and sent Wang Boxue a message: "It passed the review. Three cuts were made."

Wang Boxue replied: "Three knives? Did you treat them to dinner?"

Su Yu replied, "I didn't even offer them a drink of water."

"That must be because they watched the film and thought there wasn't much to edit."

........

On January 5th, Su Yu went to China Film Group.

This time, I met with Han Sanping to discuss the release date.

When Su Yu arrived, Han Sanping was standing by the window making a phone call. His voice was soft, and his tone was a little urgent.

Su Yu waited at the door for a while. Han Sanping hung up the phone, turned around, glanced at him, and pointed to the sofa: "Sit."

Su Yu sat down, took a folder out of his bag, opened it, and pushed it in front of Han Sanping: "President Han, this is the final version of the film. It's been approved."

Han Sanping took the folder, flipped through it without reading the contents, closed it, and placed it on the table: "When do you want to go?"

Su Yu moved forward half an inch: "May Day holiday."

Han Sanping raised an eyebrow slightly, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers twice on the armrest: "May Day release? Do you even know how many films are released during May Day?"

"I know." Su Yu smiled and rattled off a list of films, "Daisy, starring Jun Ji-hyun, a Korean film. The Barber, Chen Yifei's posthumous work. The God of War Returns, starring Huang Shengyi. There are a few other smaller films, nothing to worry about."

Han Sanping glanced at him, a faint smile playing on his lips: "You seem to know a lot about these films?"

Su Yu remained expressionless: "I did my homework."

Han Sanping picked up a pen from the table, wrote a few words on a sticky note, and pushed it over: "Copy, I'll give you three hundred. Is that enough?"

Su Yu looked at the number and did some mental calculations. Three hundred copies, covering almost half of the country.

He thought for a moment and then spoke again: "Mr. Han, I'll put up one million for the publicity myself. If you add another hundred copies, making four hundred, and we can roll it out nationwide, our chances of success will be much greater."

Han Sanping stared at him for two seconds, his smile conveying a sense of "you've got guts, kid."

"Okay, one hundred copies, I'll add them. Aside from the basic publicity and distribution, you'll handle the rest yourself; China Film Group won't interfere."

Su Yu stood up and bowed slightly: "Thank you, President Han."

Han Sanping smiled and waved his hand: "No need to thank me. If the film sells well, everyone will benefit. If it doesn't sell well..."

He paused for a moment, looked at Su Yu, and said, "Consider the one million you paid yourself as tuition."

Su Yu smiled and said, "Then I'll try my best not to pay this tuition fee."

.......

On January 10th, Su Yu flew from Beijing to Yichang.

As the plane landed, I looked out the window at the hazy sky, similar to Beijing, but with more mountains.

He took a bus from Yichang back to Jingzhou. The bus was full of people going home for the Spring Festival, carrying large and small bags, and their voices rose and fell.

Su Yu sat by the window, with earphones in his ears, playing "A Little Happiness".

By the time they arrived in Jingzhou, it was already dark.

Su Yu dragged his suitcase home. The streetlights cast a dim yellow light on the ground, making it look like a layer of orange juice had been sprinkled on it.

In the distance, he saw the loquat tree in front of his house, bare and swaying in the wind. Li Xiulan stood at the door, wearing an apron, wiping her hands on it. Seeing him, she asked, "You're back?"

"Mom, I'm back." Su Yu dragged his suitcase inside. As he changed his shoes, he smelled the aroma of pork rib and lotus root soup wafting from the kitchen, and his stomach rumbled.

Li Xiulan smiled and said, "Are you hungry? The food will be ready soon."

Su Jian'an came out of the living room with a newspaper in his hand, glanced at Su Yu, and said, "You're back."

"dad."

"Okay, let's eat."

Su Jian'an's style of welcoming was always the same; Su Yu was already used to it.

.......

Su Yu was busy during the period leading up to the Spring Festival.

Besides writing screenplays, he spends all his time watching the stock market.

The money from the last ringback tone investment was used to invest in A-shares, and this time, another dividend of over 50 million yuan from the mobile ringback tone distribution has arrived in my account.

Su Yu looked at the numbers on the bank's text message, sat up in bed, and rubbed his eyes.

He doesn't plan to spend the money; he plans to continue buying Tencent shares.

He contacted Manager Wang, who had helped him open his Hong Kong stock account. When Manager Wang answered the phone, his tone was much warmer than before: "Mr. Su, are you going to add to your position again?"

"Yes, buy Tencent."

"How many?"

"Around fifty million, can you check the current stock price for me?"

Manager Wang typed a few words on the phone: "The average price is HK$9.30 per share. Mr. Su, are you sure? This price is quite a bit higher than when you bought it last time. You bought it for HK$3.70 last time, right? It's doubled."

Su Yu leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the table: "Buy it, fifty million, no leverage, buy as much as you can."

Manager Wang paused for two seconds, then said, "Okay, Mr. Su, I'll place the order for you."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu did some mental calculations.

He currently holds Tencent stock, and with the new purchases, he now holds a total of just over seven million shares.

........

Su Ting returned two days before Lunar New Year's Eve.

Su Yu was writing a script in his room when he heard the sound of suitcase wheels rolling on the ground downstairs, followed by Li Xiulan's voice: "You're back? You've lost weight."

"Mom, you haven't lost weight, you've gained two pounds," Su Ting's voice came from downstairs, tinged with laughter.

Su Yu put down his pen, walked out of the room, and stood at the top of the stairs looking down.

Su Ting was taking things out of her suitcase and placing them one by one on the coffee table: two bottles of red wine, a scarf, and a few pieces of clothing.

Su Ting looked up and smiled at Su Yu: "Xiao Yu, come down and help."

Su Yu walked down, took the bag from her hand, and weighed it in his hand: "Sis, you brought too much stuff."

"It's not much, just the scarf and clothes I bought for you. Try them on."

Su Yu changed into a scarf and clothes; they were soft and warm. He looked in the mirror in the entryway and felt he looked like an old cadre.

Su Ting stood to the side, arms crossed, tilting her head to look: "Not bad, much better looking than your military green cotton-padded jacket."

.......

In the evening, Li Xiulan cooked a large table of dishes.

After dinner, Su Ting helped Li Xiulan clear the table. Su Yu sat on the sofa watching TV, flipping through several channels, but nothing interesting happened. Su Ting came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands, and sat down next to Su Yu.

"Xiaoyu, when is your movie coming out?"

May Day.

"May Day? That's almost here!" Su Ting leaned back on the sofa, turning her head to look at him. "Nervous?"

"A little, but it's okay."

Su Ting laughed and patted his head: "You've always been stubborn since you were little. When you were a kid, you always said 'it was okay' during exams."

Su Yu shrank back as his head was patted: "Sis, I'm twenty-one now, don't pat my head."

"What's wrong with Twenty-One? Twenty-One is also my younger brother."

Su Yu smiled and didn't refute. Su Ting withdrew her hand, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.

After a moment of silence, Su Yu spoke.

"Sis, I have something to tell you."

Su Ting turned to look at him, leaning back on the sofa. "Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"

Su Yu leaned forward half an inch, resting his hands on his knees: "Sis, I'm juggling school, stocks, and movies at the same time, and I'm too busy. I'd like you to come and help me."

Su Ting turned her head to look at him: "What can I do for you?"

"Start a company." Su Yu's voice wasn't loud. "If 'Our Times' is a success after its release, I plan to start a company. I'll do film and television production, copyright acquisition, and investment. I need someone trustworthy to help me manage the finances and operations."

Su Ting stared at him for a few seconds, then a slow smile crept onto her lips: "Are you trying to turn your sister into your hired hand?"

"You're not an employee, you're a partner," Su Yu said. "You provide the brains, I'll provide the money, and I'll give you 2% of the shares."

Su Ting smiled, reached for the apple on the coffee table, and took a bite.

"I haven't even worked here for a full year. If I resign now, will you pay the penalty for breaking the contract?"

"I'll pay."

Su Ting took another bite of the apple, chewing very slowly, as if she were making a very important decision.

"If your movie is successful, I'll quit my job and come help you. If it doesn't..." She paused, "you should just focus on your studies, and we'll talk about it later."

Su Yu smiled and extended his hand. "Okay, it's a deal."

Su Ting reached out her hand and gave him a high five. "It's a deal."