Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The lawsuit caused a huge uproar in the entertainment industry. It wasn't just a normal "Oh, someone's suing" kind of uproar; it was a massive "Holy crap, this guy's serious!" kind of uproar.

People in the industry are talking about it over tea and after meals: that sophomore at the Beijing Film Academy made a youth film, and because the female lead was slandered, he directly sued Tianya and Song Zude, and even filed a criminal private prosecution.

Some say he's young and impetuous, others say he's fearless and naive, and still others say it's just a publicity stunt to generate buzz for the movie's release.

When Su Yu saw the term "hype" on his phone in the office, he stared at the screen for three seconds, then said to Wang Boxue, "They say I'm doing hype."

Wang Boxue was eating a boxed lunch, his chopsticks holding a piece of braised pork, oil dripping onto the table: "Who cares what they say, as long as the popularity goes up."

Su Yu thought about it and realized that it made sense.

Regardless of what others say, the popularity of "Our Times" has indeed increased.

It wasn't the kind of rigid, unfiltered hype; it was the kind of hype fueled by emotion. Some people supported Liu Yifei, some supported Su Yu, and some were simply curious to see what this movie, which featured a director who "swears," was about.

The online discussion gradually shifted from "Should Su Yu have cursed people?" to "When will the movie be released?", then to "Have you seen the trailer?", and finally to "Go see it on May Day."

After the Sina interview was published, Su Yu's quote, "The person who wronged you knows better than anyone how wronged you are," was forwarded everywhere. Some people made it into their signature, some wrote it as the pinned post on their QQ space, and some printed it out and pasted it on their workstation partition.

The sentiment in the comments section is slowly shifting. Initially, some people said Su Yu was too violent, but later more and more people began to agree with his statement, believing that the prosecution was the right thing to do and that the rumor-mongers should pay the price.

One netizen's comment was pushed to the top: "I checked the sentencing standards for defamation. If it causes serious consequences, the penalty is imprisonment for up to three years. Song Zude has really bitten off more than he can chew this time."

Another netizen commented, "It's not an iron plate, it's a steel plate. The kind with barbs."

Less than three days later, the authorities summoned Tianya for a meeting.

Su Yu didn't know the specifics of the meeting, but Tianya acted quickly, completely deleting all the posts spreading rumors about Liu Yifei. They didn't just delete a few; they uprooted them entirely, including old posts from several years ago.

Then, an apology letter was pinned to the top of the official website homepage, titled "Apology Statement," and signed by the Tianya Community Operations Department.

Su Yu clicked in and took a look. The apology letter was written in a very official style: "The review was not strict enough, which caused trouble to users. We sincerely apologize." The letter did not mention Liu Yifei's name or "Our Times" at all.

......

Then, even more explosive news came.

On the same day, the industry and commerce administration and tax authorities issued announcements: Recent market sampling surveys revealed serious issues with the production and sale of counterfeit goods by Song Zude Company. The company was also found to have evaded taxes, and relevant departments have launched investigations. The announcements were worded very formally, but everyone understood the implication: this man is finished.

The entire internet was in an uproar. Media outlets that had previously been observing the situation began to follow up with reports, and the entertainment headlines on major portal websites changed from "Su Yu filed a lawsuit" to "Song Zude's company is under investigation."

In the comments section, some people gloated, some analyzed the case, and some started digging up Song Zude's past "dark history".

Su Yu scrolled through the comments, feeling quite calm.

Su Yu leaned back in his office chair and thought for a long time.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Su Ting: "Sis, come over here for a second."

Su Ting walked over from the next office, sat down opposite Su Yu, and crossed her legs with a smile. "What's up?"

Su Yu turned the computer screen towards her; it displayed announcements from the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Tax Bureau.

His finger tapped on the mouse. "Sis, guess how quickly this was resolved?"

Su Ting picked up her coffee, took a sip, and her gaze swept over Su Yu's face. A slight smile played on her lips. "You mean the document you handed me?"

Su Yu shook his head, placing his hands crossed on the table. "I did submit my materials, but the review process takes time. Normally, it would take at least half a month. It's only been three days, and I've already been summoned for questioning, had the posts deleted, apologized, and had the industry and commerce bureau and tax authorities involved—all in one go. This is beyond my capabilities."

Su Ting raised her eyebrows slightly, leaned back in her chair, shifted the position of her crossed legs, and rested her left hand on the armrest. She looked at Su Yu, waiting for him to continue.

Su Yu tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice. "I guess Liu Yifei's family pulled some strings. Her dad has connections; he can speak to CCTV and Sina. Her mom's connections aren't simple either. With both families working together, things will be done quickly."

Su Ting put down her coffee cup, crossed her hands on her knees, and looked at her with the scrutiny of an older sister looking at her younger brother.

She stared at Su Yu for two seconds, then smiled, a smile that held a deeper meaning. "You're so concerned about her affairs, shouldn't her family give you a push?"

Su Yu paused for a moment, then swallowed his words when he saw Su Ting's ambiguous smile.

Su Ting stood up, picked up her coffee cup, walked to the door, and glanced back at him: "Xiao Yu, if you really think her family helped, then call them and thank them; don't just guess in your heart."

As the buzz continued to rise, Han Sanping made a phone call to Su Yu.

When Su Yu answered the phone, Han Sanping's voice was several octaves higher than usual, "Su Yu, add two hundred more copies. Six hundred in total, enough to fill half of the theaters nationwide."

"Mr. Han, is there enough time?" Su Yu stood by the window, looking at the willow catkins outside.

"There's still time. China Film's print studio is already working overtime. Keep up with the publicity on your end, don't let things fall apart."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu stood by the window. More and more willow catkins drifted outside, like a snowfall that shouldn't have happened in spring.

.....

May 1st, Labor Day.

Beijing: Sunny, no wind.

Su Yu woke up at seven in the morning, not because of the alarm clock, but because he couldn't fall back asleep.

He lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Wang Boxue was still asleep, snoring rhythmically from across the room.

Su Yu picked up the computer, opened the online ticketing page, found "Our Times," and selected the earliest showing at 9:30 AM at the cinema near the Beijing Film Academy.

He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on a clean T-shirt, jeans, and white canvas shoes.

The cinema is small, with six screens. "Our Times" was shown in two of them, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

When Su Yu arrived, there were already a few people scattered around in the lobby. He bought a Coke and a bucket of popcorn and went into the theater.

The ninth row, right in the middle, has a great view.

The theater was about 60% full, mostly with young people, including couples, girlfriends, and some people who came alone.

The movie lasted for nearly two hours. Su Yu sat in the middle of the ninth row, watching those familiar scenes on the screen: peeking in the classroom, chance encounters on the playground, sharing an umbrella in the rain, and reunion after many years.

He has watched the rough cut, fine cut, color-graded version, and audio-mixed version countless times, and he knows every frame by heart.

Sitting in a movie theater, watching with dozens of strangers, feels different.

The girl next to me sniffed softly when the female lead said, "Actually, I've known you for a long time." A boy in the front row laughed loudly when the male lead was hit; the girl next to him nudged him.

When the end credits came on, the lights in the theater came on.

Su Yu remained seated, watching the words "Director Su Yu" appear on the screen. People around him were packing up their things, their voices and footsteps mingling together.