Huayu: This director is pretty strong.

Chapter 2 Graduation Project

Su Wan was easy to coax, and after hearing Chen Yan's assurance, she stopped worrying about the issue.

"What's the story? Give me a little hint."

As they walked out of the Beijing People's Art Theatre's small theater, a cool evening breeze blew. Su Wan linked arms with Chen Yan, asking him questions all the way.

In 2000, Beijing's streets weren't as tall as they used to be. The streetlights were dim, bicycle bells jingled, and most taxis were red Xiali cars, exuding a nostalgic and down-to-earth atmosphere.

Chen Yan held her hand, feeling the warmth from her palm, and felt incredibly at ease.

Reborn, even the air feels fresh.

I won't tell you.

He deliberately raised an eyebrow, "Come visit the set again on the day filming starts and bring me a boxed lunch."

"You're still keeping me in suspense!" Su Wan stood on tiptoe and reached out to tickle him.

Chen Yan laughed and dodged away, then pulled her into his arms: "It's a story about a convenience store night watchman. It's a little scary, and a little tear-jerking."

"Wow!"

Su Wan's eyes lit up even more. "Tell me more, I love this kind of exciting stuff!"

Just then, a Xiali (a type of Chinese car) stopped in front of us, and the driver leaned out and asked, "Are you going or not?"

"Let's go to the Central Academy of Drama."

Chen Yan pulled Su Wan into the car. He spoke fluent and natural Beijing dialect. After four years at the Beijing Film Academy, he had long since become a part of the city.

In the car, Chen Yan slowly told her the story of "The Night Watchman".

The male protagonist, Xiao Cheng, is a night watchman at a 24-hour convenience store. He is introverted and doesn't like to talk. His only pleasure is watching the strangers who come and go late at night and secretly noting down their stories.

He is earnest, meticulous, and gentle; he would leave hot milk for students returning late and hot tea eggs for white-collar workers working overtime.

No one knew that he was a survivor of a fire, orphaned, and carried deep trauma in his heart.

One night, a man covered in blood broke into the convenience store, took him hostage, and demanded that he help him clean up the marks on his body and forbade him to call the police.

The man had a secret hidden in his trunk and a gun with him.

Xiao Cheng appears compliant on the surface, but inside he is frantically plotting his escape. However, during their interactions, he discovers that this "thug" is not bad at all, and is even secretly protecting him.

Meanwhile, police quietly surrounded the convenience store.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Xiao Cheng recalls his long-buried memories.

Ending: The convenience store lights suddenly went out.

Gunshots.

black screen.

Leave blank space.

The real subplot is hidden within the lens—

The criminal is his redemptive personality; there are other hidden stories behind the fire back then, and he has been trapped in the darkness of his childhood, never able to escape.

So-called kidnapping is just the beginning of self-redemption.

"..."

Su Wan listened, holding her breath, until the story was finished, then gently covered her mouth: "That's amazing... Chen Yan, your script is incredible!"

The driver in the front seat couldn't help but glance at them in the rearview mirror and muttered, "This story is giving me the creeps..."

Chen Yan smiled but remained silent.

This was just a small test he casually pulled out.

His mind is filled with the secrets to creating hit shows, market trends, audience tastes, and countless good stories that have been buried or missed for the next twenty years.

The car drove to the entrance of the alleyway leading to the Central Academy of Drama, but the road was too narrow to drive in.

"I've arrived."

Su Wan unbuckled her seatbelt, reluctant to leave, "I'll come find you for a late-night snack after rehearsal tonight."

"Okay." Chen Yan nodded. "Be careful, and text me when you arrive."

After watching Su Wan run into the alley, Chen Yan said to the driver, "Driver, go to Hepingli Community."

He and Su Wan rented a house outside.

In 1999, a two-bedroom apartment in a residential complex cost 1,800 yuan a month, which was considered a luxury in 2000.

Tuition fees, equipment, rent, living expenses, dating expenses—

He relies entirely on his parents for financial support.

Otherwise, where would a student who hasn't even graduated get so much money?

Chen Yan didn't feel ashamed at all.

What's wrong with sponging off your parents?

Having elderly parents to rely on is a blessing.

In the second half of the year, when Lao Chen's building materials factory is demolished and the compensation money comes through, he will take the awards for "The Night Watchman" and his next short film "Silent Testimony" to Lao Chen to "beg for alms".

With awards to back it up and future predictions to make, the success rate is practically guaranteed.

He doesn't want much, just 1.5 million.

That's enough to make a low-budget feature film.

Moreover, he had something even more important on his mind.

In her previous life, Su Wan's father was diagnosed with early-stage stomach cancer in the spring of 2001. Her family kept it a secret from her for fear of affecting her graduation play and the Beijing People's Art Theatre's recruitment, and only told her in the fall.

To raise money for her father's treatment, Su Wan reluctantly resigned from her stable job at the Beijing People's Art Theatre and took on a commercial drama, which took a whole year to film, leaving her unable to spend much time with her father.

Although the surgery was successful, she carried that regret for the rest of her life.

In this life, Chen Yan will not let the tragedy repeat itself.

Old Chen had already prepared 400,000 yuan for him, saying it was for the down payment on a house in Yanjing after graduation.

Chen Yan did not touch the money.

But he could "borrow" it in advance, and in his own name, quietly arrange the best examinations, the best doctors, and the best hospital rooms for Su Wan's father.

Without hurting the girl's self-esteem, without disrupting her life, and without being able to firmly protect the person she cares about most.

For those who have been reborn, problems that money can solve are not problems at all.

A life without regrets, a lover who is no longer missed – that is the meaning of living a second life.

Pushing open the door to the rented room, the familiar furnishings rushed towards him, and Chen Yan's eyes welled up with tears.

The walls were simply painted with white putty; there was no false ceiling, no complicated decorations, just a cement floor, and an old-fashioned ceiling fan hanging in the living room, creaking loudly.

In the restaurant, there was a small wooden table, and the walls were covered with photos of him and Su Wan: at the Great Wall, on the playground of Beijing Film Academy, at the entrance of Central Academy of Drama, and during the curtain call of a play.

The living room has an old wooden sofa, opposite which is a 34-inch Changhong color TV, below which is a BBK VCD player, and next to it are hundreds or thousands of DVDs.

It features classic Chinese and foreign films, including art films, commercial films, suspense films, and crime films—everything you could want.

Half genuine, half pirated.

These are all his treasures.

Chen Yan never intended to copy anyone's path.

Having endured 22 years of harsh treatment in the industry, he had long seen through it all: art films win awards, commercial films make a living.

We must grasp both aspects firmly.

In 2000, the academics looked down on commercial films, believing that making commercial films was cheap, vulgar, and a sign of bowing to capital.

Chen Yan wasn't pretentious at all.

It's foolish not to make money when you can.

But his strategy is clear:

First, submit the short film to the relevant sections of the three major European film festivals to gain artistic recognition;

Then use low-budget commercial films to open up the market and earn your first pot of gold;

Ultimately, by holding capital and the power of discourse, one can make the works they truly want to make.

Having figured everything out, Chen Yan immediately went into the small study.

Open Word and start writing.

He personally filmed and directed the film, and every shot was etched in his mind, allowing him to write the script fluently and without any hesitation.

Having filmed for twenty years in his previous life, scripts of this caliber are as easy for him as drinking water or eating.

After an unknown amount of time, a soft body touched his back.

"Ah!" Chen Yan snapped back to reality.

"Hehe, were you scared?"

Su Wan smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "It's already past ten o'clock, and you haven't eaten a single bite. Are you trying to starve yourself?"

Chen Yan looked at the bottom right corner of the computer screen and saw that it was indeed 22:10.

He's been writing since he got back this afternoon, and hasn't even had a sip of water.

"I got too engrossed in writing."

He closed the document, turned around and hugged Su Wan. "How did you get here? Was the alley dark?"

"I went with my classmates."

Su Wan nuzzled his shoulder, her gaze falling on the screen. She froze instantly. "My God... you wrote so much this afternoon?"

It features over 120 shots, with clear scene divisions and meticulous detail.

"When inspiration strikes, it's unstoppable," Chen Yan said with a smile.

My stomach rumbled loudly at an inopportune moment.

I haven't eaten a single grain of rice since noon.

"I knew it."

Su Wan pulled him outside, saying, "I bought tomatoes, eggs, and noodles. I'll make you tomato and egg noodles."

Chen Yan leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching the girl skillfully wash vegetables, boil water, and cook noodles. The light fell on her hair, making her look incredibly gentle.

All the suffering, regrets, and grievances of my past life vanished in this moment.