Dream

  In the winter of 2002, Kyoto was colder than in previous years.

  The winter days that had lasted for several months seemed reluctant to leave, and even though it was already approaching March, a light snowfall began to fall again. People on the street came and went, exhaling puffs of white breath with each step.

  Near the Zijing Gate Bridge, in a courtyard of a traditional quadrangle dwelling, a young man with a very delicate face stood still. In this weather where everyone would rather wrap themselves up in all their clothes, he was only wearing a cotton sportswear suit, looking especially thin.

  At this moment, he was posing in the authentic Xingyiquan San Ti Shi stance, standing still in the snow. It seemed as if he wasn't moving at all, but only when one got close could they notice that his body was subtly swaying to a rhythm that was irregular yet utterly natural. Snowflakes fell on him, melting before they even landed, turning into wisps of water vapor that rose back up into the sky.

  "Hooooo..." As the young man let out a long breath, a long sword of air shot out from his mouth and stood still in mid-air, only dispersing slowly with the cold wind.

  The young man's name is Ye Sumang, and he is eighteen years old this year.

  For eighteen years, he was plagued by an unknown headache, and even his grandfather took him to see many famous doctors, but still had no clue, until he learned the Xingyiquan San Ti Shi under an old man, after which the headache gradually subsided.

  So over the past decade or so, he has developed a habit of standing in tree pose for an hour every day.

  The condition was under control and the intervals between episodes were getting longer and longer, which made Ye Sumang almost forget its existence.

  Just two days ago, he came out of the examination room and thought that his gradually improving headache had suddenly exploded. The severe pain made him lose consciousness in an instant. When he woke up, there were many unknown memories in his mind.

  It was as if it were a dream, in which I became a time traveler, shuttling through the tunnel of time, with God's perspective to appreciate the sunrise and sunset, the changing seasons, the passing years, and the vicissitudes of life.

  Memories that came suddenly were gone just as quickly, seemingly sinking into Ye Sumang's mind in the blink of an eye. Only when he occasionally remembered would a certain fragment emerge. However, this time the fusion of memories allowed Ye Sumang to thoroughly get rid of the headaches that had plagued him for over ten years, and even brought him many unexpected surprises.

  He first discovered that his memory had greatly improved, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he could remember everything at a glance. Holding the data book and flipping through it once, he could memorize its contents word for word without missing a single detail, and even accurately locate the required information on which page and line, as if the book were printed in his brain.

  Along with his memory, his sensitivity to art also grew. That dream was like a teacher, letting him learn in an instant what many people can't learn in their lifetime. Literature, painting, sculpture, music, dance, drama and even film, the most familiar to him, were all included.

  For a moment, he felt that all he needed was an idea and he could create many excellent works to the extreme.

  For this sudden change, he was also panicked at first, but gradually he took it as a blessing from heaven.

  After practicing San Ti Shi for a while, Ye Sumang felt an indescribable lightness throughout his body. Thinking that he still had to attend the re-examination tomorrow, he didn't delay and returned to his room to continue preparing for the relevant lessons.

  Ye Sumang took the entrance exam for Kyoto Film Academy, one of the top three film schools in China, and he was aiming to get into the Directing Department, which is the most difficult department to get into among the seven departments of Kyoto Film Academy.

  This is a legendary department that only accepts one in two thousand, this is a legendary department that does not recruit non-elite, and it is also the legendary department that all aspiring directors want to enter most! Originally, Ye Sumang was not very confident about applying for this legendary department, but since the fragmented memories merged into his mind, he brought about a series of changes, and he immediately felt an unprecedented surge in confidence.

  Ye Sumang returned to the house and opened his computer. Since he was applying for the directing department, the next day's exam would be on film and television work analysis and thematic creation, which is also considered one of the most difficult parts of this major. Although Ye Sumang was confident, he wouldn't be blindly optimistic. He still had to make thorough preparations and strive for a perfect score in the re-examination.

  As the familiar Windows 98 startup sound rang out, the small door of the room also opened, and an old man with a woolen hat and a worried face walked in, who was Ye Sumang's grandfather Ye Xian.

  "Su Mang, are you feeling better?"

  "Don't worry, Grandpa, I feel much better now than usual."

  Ye Xian entered the house and Ye Su Mang hastily got up to take his military coat, shaking off the snow on it before hanging it on the clothes rack.

  Ye Xian looked at Ye Sumang, who was radiant with a healthy glow, and indeed had a full spirit. He didn't ask much more, after all, for over a decade, Ye Sumang had often been ill, so his mental endurance had long been tempered. As long as his little grandson felt that he was physically fine, then basically nothing would go wrong.

  "I've already eaten lunch, this is a boxed meal brought back from the factory, you can have a bite, and I'll go to the market tonight to buy a chicken and make soup for you." Ye Xian took out an iron rice box from his bag and handed it to Ye Sumang. This kind of rice box was made by the film studio itself with the help of the military factory.

  Although it has been used for a long time, the iron box looks a bit concave, but the quality is really good. After covering the lid, the hot air is difficult to dissipate, and you don't have to worry about the soup flowing out. If you don't consider the appearance, it's absolutely the best choice for carrying food outside.

  Ye Su Meng opened her lunchbox and found only two small dishes inside: a potato shreds dish and a cabbage slice dish, which looked very plain.

  "Is Grandpa's movie studio going to switch to raising livestock?"

  "How come you're asking this?" Ye Xian was somewhat perplexed.

  "How did you prepare so many vegetables and radishes? Aren't you raising rabbits?" Ye Sumang picked up a piece of vegetable leaves, smiling playfully.

  "You little stinker! Asking for a beating." Ye Xian was originally still worried, but seeing Ye Su's mischievous look with the vegetable leaves, he couldn't help but laugh and used his hat to knock on his head.

  However, soon a worried look crept back onto his face, and after some thought, he seemed to complain as if muttering to himself about the origin.

  "Alas, the film studio's performance is not good. Since the country stopped buying films, the things we've shot in the past two years haven't sold for much money. The studio's accounts have been in deficit for two years. The place that earns the most income is actually that small cinema hosting filming crews to make some money, but how much can that be? Now the factory hasn't paid wages for two months, and I heard that recently there will be a rectification from above. If this is true, I'm afraid our studio will completely disappear in a few months."

  Hearing her grandfather's sighs, half-explanatory and half-complaining, Ye Sumang couldn't help but pause for a moment. The prosperous years of the film factory were still vivid in her mind, how could it be over just like that?

  After careful consideration, Ye Sumang still managed to find a clue.

  Since the state introduced measures two years ago to no longer contract out national film studios' productions, Kyoto Film Studios, a studio with a strong artistic style, naturally encountered what is known as "difficult production".

  Compared with numerous award-winning films shot in Hong Kong, these art-house films mostly failed to win favor from film investors.

  The movie was made but not sold, how embarrassing is this experience for an old film studio with a glorious history? No wonder Grandpa always looked worried when he came home recently, sighing from time to time, and sometimes staring blankly in the direction of the Beijing Film Studio.

  Looking at Ye Sumang frowning, seemingly thinking about something, Ye Xian patted his shoulder and smiled: "This is an adult's business, you little kid don't meddle. You just focus on getting this art exam right!"

  Ye Su slightly curved her crescent-shaped smile, without responding, just nodded and sat back in front of the computer. Although a movie was playing in front of her, she couldn't concentrate on it anymore.

  Childhood paradise is about to be destroyed in the progress of society, perhaps it's the alternation of prosperity and decline, but he can't help feeling a sense of sadness. His mind is also trying his best to think of ways to revive the film factory. After thinking for a long time, it seems that there is only one way, which is to make movies, and they must be very popular ones.

  After the fragments of memory merged, he had excellent ideas in his mind that could be taken out to make a script. However, considering the current situation of Beiyin Factory, he had to plan the creation of the script within a certain range, that is, to minimize the cost output as much as possible.

  There are only three main points where a film wastes money, namely the actors' salaries, the cost of setting up scenes, and finally the promotional expenses. Ye Su's thoughts turned over, step by step matching the inspiration in her mind, striving to form the best combination.

  Before she knew it, a day had passed and Ye Sumang still hadn't come up with a satisfactory plan. But time was still on her side, and for now, the most important thing was the upcoming exam.

  On the second day, at 5:00 in the morning, as usual, Ye Sumang got up on time and stood still for a while. Then he bought breakfast and called his grandfather to get up, washed and had breakfast, and took a look at his textbook. It wasn't until it was almost time for the exam that he leisurely packed his bag and headed to Kyoto Film Academy.

  All the way, Ye Sumang didn't have a bit of tension, only excitement for the upcoming exam, because his dream was about to take an important step.