Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

On August 31, Liu Yifei's first Mandarin album, "Liu Yifei," was released simultaneously in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

Su Yu saw the album at the convenience store downstairs from the company.

He went inside to buy water. On the shelf next to the cashier was a row of CDs. The top cover was a girl's profile, with long hair draped over her shoulders, her head slightly lowered, and her eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes.

Su Yu stood in front of the shelf, holding a bottle of mineral water, staring at the cover for several seconds.

He bent down and picked up a copy from the shelf, turned it over to look at the back. The first song on the tracklist was "A Little Happiness", the third was "Slowly Like You", the seventh was "Waste", and the eighth was "Little Dimples". Below it was written in small print "Duet: Su Yu".

The cashier was a young woman in her early twenties. While scanning the CDs, she glanced at the cover, then at Su Yu, as if she wanted to say something but didn't. Su Yu paid, put the CDs in his bag, and left.

Back in his office, he took the CD out of the bag, placed it on the table, tore off the plastic seal, and opened the CD case.

.......

The album's pre-sale results were available on the first day of release.

Su Yu saw it in the news; pre-sales had exceeded 100,000 tickets.

"Su Yu! Have you seen the news? Liu Yifei's album pre-sales have surpassed 100,000! It hasn't even been officially released yet! What does that mean? Even top-tier singers only sell this much, right?"

Su Yu was writing storyboards for "The Lone Agent," his pen never stopping: "Hmm, I saw it."

Wang Boxue shoved the computer in front of him, the screen displaying an entertainment news article with the headline "Liu Yifei's album pre-sales exceed 100,000, setting a new record for the year's newcomer."

Su Yu glanced at it. "Alright, alright, I saw it. Go out and close the door behind you."

Su Yu put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, took the CD out of the drawer, and put it into the CD player.

In its first week on the market, it sold 270,000 copies in mainland China and 360,000 copies across Asia.

Sony Music probably didn't expect this number either. When a reporter interviewed the president of Sony Music Greater China, the president used the phrase "exceeded expectations."

The media began to use the word "phenomenal" to describe Liu Yifei's crossover. As an actress, her first album sold such numbers, which is extremely rare in the entire Chinese music scene.

Su Yu's name appeared in the headlines several times during this period, along with Liu Yifei's.

Sina Entertainment published a long article titled "Su Yu: A Super Songwriter Whose Talent Was Wasted on Films".

The article lists the songs he has written, including "A Little Happiness," "Blue and White Porcelain," "By the Lake Baikal," and "There is a Kind of Love Called Letting Go," each followed by a bunch of numbers: number of plays, number of downloads, and ranking on the charts.

The last paragraph of the article contained a sentence that made Su Yu slam his laptop face down on the table after reading it, not wanting to read it a second time: "Su Yu's talent in songwriting is beyond doubt, but his singing ability... well, he should just stick to working behind the scenes."

When Wang Boxue saw this sentence, he laughed so hard he lay on the table, pounding it several times: "Huh? That 'hmm' is used so brilliantly. One 'hmm' contains a thousand words."

Su Yu bought Liu Yifei's album himself, one hundred copies.

Su Ting asked him why he bought so many, and he said he was giving them away. Su Ting said he should give a hundred to whomever he was giving them to.

Su Yu said that each employee should receive one, each member of the film crew should receive one, and some should be kept at the company's front desk to be given to people who come to discuss business.

Su Ting glanced at him, her eyes saying, "Are you helping someone boost sales?"

......

Collin Chou called in October, while Su Yu was in the editing room overseeing the color grading of "A Little Thing Called First Love".

Collin Chou's voice carried a subtle apology, as if someone was gently pushing him from behind: "Director Su, this is Collin Chou. The script is excellent, but my schedule is simply too full. I've already signed on for two films in the first half of the year, and my schedule is completely booked. I also can't take on the action choreography role. I'm so sorry."

He paused for a moment, and Su Yu heard someone speaking Cantonese on the other end of the phone, not very loudly.

Su Yu held his phone, staring at the screen on the computer, thinking to himself, "Your schedule is too tight. I understand what you're saying on the other end of the phone."

Wang Boxue peeked out from behind the color mixing console: "What's wrong? Aren't you going to answer?"

"They look down on me." Su Yu pronounced those four words very softly, without much expression.

Wang Boxue pulled his head back in, then poked it out again after two seconds: "Then find someone else, there are plenty of actors; it doesn't have to be Collin Chou."

Su Yu nodded without saying anything more. He picked up his phone, found the number of Daniel Wu's agent (recommended by Han Sanping), and dialed it after thinking for a dozen seconds.

His voice was as polite as if he were greeting a client: "Director Su, hello, it's an honor to meet you."

Su Yu didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to the point about the project and his idea of ​​casting Daniel Wu as the male lead.

The other party said, "Please wait a moment, let me check Daniel Wu's schedule," and hung up the phone.

About an hour later, the other party called back.

"Director Su, Daniel Wu is very interested in the script outline. As for his fee, it's five million."

Su Yu held his phone and did the math. Daniel Wu's film salary in Hong Kong is normally around three million.

Five million, two million more. He placed the water glass on the table, the bottom of the glass making a soft "click" sound as it tapped against the surface.

His tone remained unchanged, still indifferent: "Five million? Mr. Wu, are you that expensive now?"

There was a professional laugh on the other end of the phone. "Yan Zu's schedule is quite full lately, and his filming fees will be based on market rates; moreover, he will be joining the cast of 'Blood Brothers' at the end of November, so time is very tight."

In the following days, Su Yu contacted several actors he felt were suitable, but some had scheduling conflicts, and others had too high a fee.

Su Yu left the lottery winnings directly in his overseas account, and with the release of Liu Yifei's album, the revenue share from ringtones rebounded.

Su Yu closed the script and threw it into a drawer. He then called Han Sanping and Lu Zheng, deciding to temporarily put the project on hold, and both of them expressed their understanding.

.......

In October, Hunan TV called, and Su Yu was watching the finished product of "A Little Thing Called First Love".

The call came from someone claiming to be from the Golden Eagle Awards directing team. The voice was very polite: "Director Su, hello, we are from the Hunan TV Golden Eagle Awards directing team. We would like to invite you and Ms. Liu Yifei to sing 'Little Dimples' together at the closing ceremony. Would that be convenient for you?"

Su Yu stared at the computer screen, his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder.

Su Yu said "Not convenient" into the phone, his voice soft but crisp.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, probably not expecting such a direct rejection. Then, the voice adjusted its tone, becoming a little more enthusiastic, "Director Su, the Golden Eagle Awards is the biggest television festival in the country. Your duet with Ms. Liu Yifei, 'Little Dimples,' will be very helpful in promoting your new film..."

"I'm currently preparing for a film and really can't make it. Thank you for the invitation."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yu stopped thinking about it. He didn't know if the production team had contacted Liu Yifei later.

On the day of the Golden Eagle Awards, Su Yu sent Liu Yifei a congratulatory text message, which she replied very late.

......

Su Yu contacted David in the United States, who was introduced by Liu Yifei's uncle; David is a well-known broker in Hollywood.

In late November, David's reply arrived.

Su Yu was in the post-production room overseeing the final scene when his assistant walked up to him with a laptop. On the screen was an email in English.

Su Yu's English was only so-so, but he could roughly understand the meaning. "Su, Lionsgate is very interested. They saw the two script outlines you attached and are very interested. They hope you can come to Los Angeles in December for an interview."

After finishing work that evening, Su Yu sat alone in his room and read the email over and over again.

He leaned against the headboard, staring at the dim bedside lamp on the ceiling for a while, then sent Su Ting a message: "Sis, help me get a US visa. I'm going to Los Angeles in December."

Su Ting replied instantly: "Where are you going?"

Su Yu typed three words: "Let's talk business."

Su Ting replied with just one word: "Okay".