Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

Downey was helped out of the coffin, and this take was rejected again.

It wasn't that the lines were wrong, it was that the emotions were off.

What Su Yu wanted was not "acted fear," but "despair that seeped from the very marrow of one's bones."

Donnie's expression wasn't good; it wasn't anger, but the frustration of being repeatedly rejected.

He stood beside the coffin, his hands supporting the edge of it, his head bowed, his shoulders rising and falling slightly.

"Su, I don't know how to give you that feeling." Donnie's voice was low, and he didn't look up.

Su Yu stood next to him with his hands in his pockets, thinking for a long time.

"Tony, you don't need to think about that. Just remember one thing: you're trapped in a coffin right now, unable to get out, nobody knows where you are, your phone is almost out of battery, and your oxygen is running out. You're not acting; you *are* him."

Donnie looked up at Su Yu, his eyes bloodshot. He suddenly smiled, but the smile was brief.

Are you an experiential learner?

Su Yu chuckled. "I'm not from any particular faction. I just knew that before you can fool the audience, you have to fool yourself first."

Donnie paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "One more take, this time put the lid on. Really put it on, completely airtight. I want to know what it feels like inside."

Su Yu stared at him for a moment, analyzing his gaze, and thought to himself that this man was truly ruthless to himself.

Then, the prop master put the lid on. The moment the coffin lid closed, Su Yu heard Donnie's breathing become heavier inside.

It wasn't a performance, it was instinct; the outside light leaked in through the vent, like a tiny eye.

Su Yu squatted down beside the coffin, bent over, and said into the ventilation hole, "Tony, if you don't think it's working, knock twice. I'll let you out."

Su Yu stood up, walked behind the monitor, waved, and called over the on-site emergency personnel.

Two doctors in white coats stood beside the coffin, holding medical instruments, their expressions even more tense than Su Yu's.

There was also a psychologist, a short-haired woman in her forties, holding a folder in her hand, with a blank expression.

Su Yu told her to "keep an eye on his condition," and she nodded.

The script supervisor raised the clapperboard: "Buried Alive, Scene 48, Scene 3." *Snap*

.....

That evening, Su Yu returned to the hotel and, lying in bed, calculated the time difference before sending a message to Liu Yifei.

Su Yu rolled over and lay face down on the bed, placing a pillow under his chin and his phone on the pillow, the blue light from the screen illuminating his face.

Liu Yifei was still rambling on about the "Double J Project," talking about how many trips her mother and Uncle Chen had made and how many people they had met recently. Su Yu listened, his finger unconsciously drawing circles on the bed sheet.

"Tell me, what exactly is this 'Double J Project'?" Su Yu turned the phone around and put it to his ear.

Liu Yifei's voice came through the receiver, carrying a conflicted mix of excitement and caution. "They say it's Jet Li and Jackie Chan. They've never appeared on screen together in a movie before. Do you know what that means? The highest lineup of martial arts stars in the history of Chinese-language cinema. The production company is American, and they're supposedly looking for a Hollywood director. My mom said if I can land this role, it'll open a door to Hollywood."

Su Yu listened, hummed in response, and went over the information in his mind without saying anything.

Jet Li and Jackie Chan have been working in Hollywood for over a decade, but they've never faced off in a film. If this project succeeds, it will not only cause a stir in the Chinese-speaking world, but the North American market will also be eager to buy it.

"Huayi Brothers was involved too, right?" Su Yu asked.

"Yes, Huayi is the domestic partner. Wang Zhongjun and Wang Zhonglei both came forward. It's said that they attach great importance to this project and have invested a lot of money." Liu Yifei paused for a moment, as if hesitating whether to continue.

"Su Yu, do I have a chance with this role? If I audition, will they think I'm Chinese and not international enough?"

When Su Yu heard the name "Huayi", something suddenly flashed through his mind.

Fragments he'd seen on TikTok in his past life began to surface, like oil slicks on water, impossible to push back down. He turned over, staring at the ceiling, his hands behind his head. The fragments pieced together, forming a blurry outline.

He recalled seeing some rumors about Liu Yifei and Huayi when he was scrolling through Douyin in his previous life.

He didn't remember the specifics clearly, but he did recall that after "The Forbidden Kingdom," Liu Yifei didn't take on any domestic roles for a long time.

Some say she voluntarily reduced her workload, others say she was sabotaged. He wasn't in the industry at the time, so he just scrolled past the post without paying any attention. But now, thinking about it, the timing was too coincidental.

Su Yu took the phone away from his ear, flipped it over in his palm, and then put it back to his ear: "Qianqian, I have a question for you. Has Huayi contacted you, wanting to sign you?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"How did you know?" Liu Yifei's voice changed tone, from excitement to surprise, like someone walking on flat ground suddenly stepping into a pit.

Su Yu didn't answer, waiting for her to continue.

Liu Yifei hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice, "They have approached us. Wang Zhonglei spoke with my mother personally, saying that Huayi Brothers could give me the best resources and that they would make me an international superstar. My mother hasn't agreed yet."

Su Yu recalled some rumors he had heard in his previous life, saying that Huayi had a bad reputation in the industry, and some people called it "the nightclub of the Chinese entertainment industry," or the harem of the rich. At the time, he thought such claims were too exaggerated, but now that he was in the industry, he knew that there's no smoke without fire.

"So they just let it go like that? They haven't contacted you again?" Su Yu kept his voice calm, not letting his emotions show through his tone.

"They contacted them twice more. Once by phone, and once through a middleman. My mother and godfather are currently considering it..."

Su Yu closed his eyes and went through those fragments of his past life again. In his past life, he was scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) and saw someone say that Liu Yifei had been blacklisted by Huayi Brothers.

He didn't know what "soft ban" meant at the time, but he understood after watching more videos; if you're not banned, you basically won't have any resources in the Chinese entertainment industry; to put it bluntly, you can stay in the industry, but nobody will associate with you.

A while ago, I saw a post saying that Huayi went bankrupt and was heavily in debt. The two Wang brothers were restricted from high-level consumption, Wang Zhongjun sold paintings to pay off the debts, and Wang Zhonglei made a living by live streaming.

.....

Su Yu opened his eyes and connected those things in his mind: Huayi wanted to sign Liu Yifei, but Liu Yifei didn't, and Huayi was unhappy.

They might be unhappy, but they couldn't do it openly, since Liu Yifei had An's father backing her. But "Double J Project" was different; it was a co-production, and Huayi Brothers was the domestic partner, so they had a say.

Su Yu switched the phone to his left hand and slowly organized his thoughts: "Qianqian, I need to tell you something. Don't ask me how I know. Just listen to me."

Liu Yifei gave a soft "hmm" on the other end of the phone, and Su Yu could feel her breath very close to his.

Su Yu slowed his speech, "If you want to pursue the 'Double J Project,' I won't stop you. It's definitely a stepping stone, a way to get into Hollywood. But you need to be careful. Huayi Brothers is the domestic partner for this project. They have some say in casting, but not much. If they ask you to sign anything, or anything else, don't agree on the spot."

Liu Yifei's voice came through the phone, tinged with uncertainty: "Do you think Huayi would use this role to blackmail me? They wouldn't, would they? Wang Zhonglei seems quite amiable."

"Anyway, just remember this: Huayi Brothers has absolutely no say in the roles for this film; I heard this from someone at Lionsgate, they were the ones who handled the distribution of this movie."

.....

The filming of "Buried Alive" was so fast that Su Yu felt it was unreal.

The filming period lasted ten days, three days ahead of schedule.

Su Yu glanced around; the faces had gone from unfamiliar to familiar in the past ten days, and he could now call out each person's name.

"It's a wrap! Thank you everyone for your hard work these past two weeks."

The moment he finished speaking, a sparse round of applause broke out on set, someone whistled, Thomas took off his headphones and hung them around his neck, and gave Su Yu a thumbs up.

Donnie stood beside the coffin and led the applause.

Su Yu stood there, listening to the applause, and suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Is that all? Ten days later, a feature film has already been completed; no one would believe that this speed is incredible.

Donnie's steps were a little unsteady, his complexion was still not good, his lips were chapped, and the dark circles under his eyes were so thick that it looked like he had been punched twice.

"Director, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Downey's voice was hoarse and even lower than before he joined the crew. "This film is completely different from anything I've done before; it's very special."

Su Yu looked at him, a hint of worry in his heart. "Donnie, go back and adjust properly; once the post-production is finished, I'll send it to Berlin. If all goes well, you'll need to come to Berlin with me in February."

Downey paused for a moment, then said, "Thank you, Director. I'm ready to answer your calls or emails anytime."

After saying that, he let go of her hand, turned around and took two steps, but his steps were still a little unsteady.

Watching his retreating figure, Su Yu suddenly called out to him, "Donnie, just to be on the safe side, I advise you to talk to your doctor again to make sure there are no mental health issues."

Donnie turned and nodded. "Thanks, I'll go."