Huayu02 started by making films.

Han Yi looked around the three-bedroom apartment and began assigning tasks:

"Xiao Zhao, put the saw, nails, and claw hammer you bought into the north-facing bedroom, and set them up on a table. Cover the windows with newspaper to keep out all the light."

"Da Gao, thoroughly clean the hallway and make it look even older. Stuff some sawdust into the crack of the door to the south-facing bedroom; I want it to only be able to open halfway at most."

"Old Du, plan the camera positions according to my storyboard and mark the positions in advance."

He took out the storyboard he had drawn the night before from his bag and handed them to the three men one by one. Then, his tone turned serious, and he said solemnly:

"Du Zhe, Zhao Bin, Gao Qiang, I know you might think to yourselves that this short film is just something I made for fun. But let me tell you, since you all got into the Beijing Film Academy, each of you is aiming for the position of director."

There are far more applicants than available spots at school, and even fewer opportunities for hands-on filming. I'm paying you all to come, so consider it gaining experience or taking advantage of me, but you must do everything I ask of you properly. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility; but if this short film actually gets nominated…”

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, his voice low but clear: "I will include every single one of your names in the end credits."

The room fell silent. Han Yi straightened his back, releasing the confidence and sense of control he had accumulated in his past life. His gaze was piercing, and his tone brooked no argument:

"In short—I will not keep this glory to myself."

The atmosphere instantly ignited. Excitement lit up the faces of all three, and Du Zhe was the first to speak: "Director Han, don't worry! Feature films and short films are all films. You're the director, and I'll listen to you completely on set. I absolutely won't let you down!"

Xiao Zhao then clenched his fist and flexed his biceps: "Director Han, you can use this 100-plus pounds of meat as you please!"

Da Gao glanced at the two of them, hesitated for a long time, and finally blurted out, "Director Han, me too!"

Seeing that he had achieved his goal of establishing his authority, Han Yi smiled and laughed loudly:

"Great, that's very energetic! — Now, let's get to work!"

The group immediately got to work with great enthusiasm, sweeping and cleaning up the trash, each doing their assigned task. Han Yi walked into the innermost south-facing bedroom and looked around. The room was spacious and had a good view, which suited him well since he didn't want to stay in the dormitory anymore.

He then went to check the bathroom, where a water heater and washing machine were readily available. He called Du Zhe aside and said, "Old Du, how much does this apartment cost per week? Ask the landlord for me; I'd like to extend the lease for a few more months."

"Huh? Brother Yi, you're not going back to the dorm?" Du Zhe asked in surprise.

"Don't ask so many questions, just go and take care of your business."

"Okay, the landlord also lives in this neighborhood, I'll go find him now."

After Du Zhe finished speaking, he ran out and returned shortly after with the landlord. They quickly settled the matter: a three-month lease for a total of four thousand five hundred. Han Yi didn't have enough money, so he went to the bank.

It wasn't until after 10 PM that they finally finished packing up. Han Yi called to the others, "I'm really sorry, brothers, I'll have to trouble you guys to help me move my dorm room. Lao Du, could you bring the equipment back with you? I've already paid Teacher Yuan for the film, just make sure everything's okay. After we're done, I'll treat everyone to hot pot at Donglaishun!"

"Director Han, you're being too polite!"

"Exactly! I'm counting on working for you from now on!"

……

The group drove the van back to the Beijing Film Academy. Du Zhe took Da Gao to the photography department to pick up equipment and film, while Han Yi and Xiao Zhao packed their luggage: sheets, blankets, washbasins, clothes, and a large suitcase.

It wasn't until we started moving that we realized how much stuff we had. The van couldn't fit it all in one trip, so we had to make two trips. First, we sent the equipment back to Jimenli, and then we took Han Yi's personal belongings over on the second trip.

By the time they finished their work and arrived at Donglaishun, it was exactly noon.

The four of them ordered a copper hot pot, and devoured all the tenderest parts of the lamb, including the chuck, large three-pronged cut, small three-pronged cut, chuck roll, and cucumber strips. After mixing the sesame sauce, they ate with great relish, sweating profusely amidst the steaming heat.

After the meal, everyone went their separate ways, agreeing to start filming at eight o'clock the next morning. Han Yi went to see Teacher Dai again, asking him to call Jiang Wu and clarify the filming location.

In the afternoon, Han Yi woke up in his newly rented room and looked at his messy luggage, feeling a headache coming on.

"It's time to find a wife, otherwise I'll get bored cleaning by myself," he muttered to himself as he lay in bed.

"well--"

With a sigh, Han Yi got up and went into the bathroom. He turned on the water heater, filled two basins with hot water, and wiped his bedroom inside and out, mopping the floor until it was spotless. Then he thoroughly cleaned the kitchen and bathroom as well.

After finishing these tasks, Han Yi opened the window to let in some fresh air. It was still early outside, and the sun was shining brightly.

"Wait, did I forget something?" He sat in the living room chair, frowning, looking around. Everything that needed to be prepared was there. Suddenly, a ray of sunlight shone through the glass, and he suddenly remembered that he was still a student.

"It's Friday today, I have class this afternoon!"

Han Yi rushed back to his bedroom, grabbed his backpack, and ran out, locking the door behind him. He jogged all the way to the Beijing Film Academy. Finally, he stepped into the classroom just as the class bell rang.

He sat down in the seat he remembered. His female classmate, Chen Chen, glanced at him and asked curiously in a low voice, "You're Han Yi, right?"

Han Yi turned and glanced at her—a round-faced girl with glasses, not his type. He nodded: "It's me. What's up?"

"I heard you're making a movie?"

At this moment, the teacher walked in, opened the book, wrote a line in the blank space with a pencil, and gently pushed it in front of Han Yi.

Han Yi glanced at it and replied, "It's not a movie, just a short film."

"A short film is still a film, and isn't a rotten egg still an egg?"

Han Yi stared at the message, speechless. Where did this girl come from? He didn't recall ever meeting her in his past life. He picked up his pen and replied, "Get to the point."

Chen Chen seemed to realize she had said something wrong and quickly erased the previous line. Only then did Han Yi notice that she had been using a pencil.

"I'm Chen Chen from the Academy of Fine Arts, majoring in character design. I heard from a classmate that you're making a movie, and since your literature department has a class this afternoon, I came to audit it and wanted to ask if your film crew needs a makeup artist."

After reading the message, Han Yi understood; so this person was looking for work. He looked down and wrote, "Who told you that?"

"Last night, the whole school was buzzing with the news that a freshman in the Literature Department named Han Yi was going to make a movie, starring Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu."

Han Yi guessed that it was probably Du Zhe, Xiao Zhao, or Da Gao who leaked it, but he didn't care, since filming would officially start tomorrow anyway.

What did the other students say about me?

"Some people think you're bragging, but after Du Zhe picked up his equipment from the photography department this morning, nobody's been talking about it anymore. Anyway, let's not talk about that. Does your crew actually need a makeup artist? I've been studying for two years now, can I come help out at your place?"

Based on the principle of "why not take it if it's free", Han Yi replied, "Yes, meet at this address at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Bring your own cosmetics."

"Okay, okay! I have all my cosmetics now, (*´∀`)~"

Chen Chen added a playful emoji after the last sentence. Han Yi looked at it and couldn't help but smile.