Chapter Summaries

After waking in a hospital, Wei Jin learned that he had entered the body of a Beijing Film Academy student who had died in a car accident, and began adjusting to his new life in 2003. He recovered enough to meet Zeng Li and his father, then started planning his future as a transmigrator.

• Wei Jin woke briefly, absorbed fragments of the original owner's memories, and fainted again before the doctor assured Teacher Wei that he would recover.
• Wei Jin woke later and pieced together how he had died in 2003 and been replaced by a soul from 2023.
• Wei Xingbang arrived and comforted Wei Jin, while Zeng Li apologized for the accident that had injured him.
• Wei Jin recognized Zeng Li, praised her acting, and flirted with her as the doctor said he would need about a month in the hospital to recover.
• Zeng Li left after promising to return the next morning, and Wei Jin talked with Wei Xingbang before planning his future.

After confirming he had returned twenty years to his original world, Wei Jin planned to use his foreknowledge to make money and began writing a wuxia novel for newspaper serialization. As Wei Xingbang prepared to leave to care for Wei Jin’s injured uncle, Zeng Li offered to look after him.

• Wei Jin confirmed he had returned to his original world twenty years in the past and flirted with Zeng Li while asking her to help him find a newspaper contact.
• Zeng Li arranged a serialization opportunity at the Capital Evening News, and Wei Jin chose to write Snowstrider for the wuxia-loving market.
• Wei Jin wrote more than eight thousand characters, and Zeng Li delivered the manuscript to her childhood friend Lin Xue, who said it could be reviewed that day.
• Wei Jin planned to use his writing income and his knowledge of Greece’s 2004 European Championship victory to make money.
• Wei Xingbang learned that his eldest brother had been injured in a fall and prepared to leave the hospital; Zeng Li offered to care for Wei Jin.

Zeng Li became Wei Jin’s hospital caregiver, and their awkward closeness turned into an intimate routine as they spent several nights together. As she cared for him, Wei Jin began writing again after Lin Xue told him Snowstrider’s serialization was being well received.

• Zeng Li agreed to care for Wei Jin, and Wei Xingbang left on a trip that night.
• While helping Wei Jin use the bathroom, Zeng Li felt awkward, and Wei Jin impulsively kissed and held her after they returned to his bed.
• Wei Jin apologized in the dark, and he and Zeng Li stayed up talking about their lives and his memories of being trapped in darkness while unconscious.
• Zeng Li agreed to let Wei Jin hold her while he slept, and after several nights together they grew increasingly close.
• Lin Xue told Wei Jin that Snowstrider had begun serialization successfully, so he started typing again while awaiting a chance to renegotiate his manuscript pay.

Wei Jin negotiated a higher serialization rate for Snowstrider and planned how to spend his manuscript fees after leaving the hospital. His unusually rapid recovery and growing strength continued to puzzle him, and the chapter ended with him and Zeng Li heading to view rental properties.

• Lin Xue offered Wei Jin 200 yuan per thousand characters for Snowstrider, and he agreed to the newspaper's serialization plans.
• Lin Xue teased Zeng Li about her closeness with Wei Jin, then gave him payment for his earlier installments.
• Wei Jin told Zeng Li he planned to buy a phone and computer and rent an apartment, while joking about moving in with her.
• Wei Jin persuaded his father not to fly over to care for him, and he noticed his memory and physical strength improving as he stayed with Zeng Li.
• Wei Jin was discharged on July 18 with 13,000 yuan in manuscript fees, and he and Zeng Li drove to view three properties.

Wei Jin and Zeng Li searched for an apartment and found one in Lianhuachi, owned by Gao Yuanyuan, whom Wei Jin recognized as the actress who played Zhou Zhiruo. After moving in together, Wei Jin embraced Zeng Li, but she left him with the dirty dishes after dinner.

• Wei Jin and Zeng Li rejected several apartments before meeting Gao Yuanyuan at her Lianhuachi apartment.
• Wei Jin blurted out that Gao Yuanyuan had played Zhou Zhiruo, making her and Zeng Li laugh.
• Wei Jin approved of the apartment, and he and Gao Yuanyuan signed a rental contract and exchanged phone numbers.
• Wei Jin and Zeng Li moved in, and Wei Jin hugged her from behind and told her the apartment already felt like home.
• Zeng Li bought groceries and cooked for Wei Jin, then hurried away after dinner and left him to wash the dishes.

Wei Jin spent two weeks writing while Zeng Li rehearsed, then celebrated his twentieth birthday with her on a date at Beihai Park. Their romance deepened, and the chapter ended the morning after they spent the night together, with Wei Jin puzzled by something he could not understand.

• Wei Jin bought a laptop, arranged broadband, and began writing while Zeng Li rehearsed with the performing arts troupe.
• After half a month apart, Wei Jin and Zeng Li met on Qixi and spent the afternoon taking pictures and strolling through Beihai Park.
• Wei Jin and Zeng Li kissed by the lake, then went home together and shared a candlelit birthday dinner.
• Zeng Li stayed the night and the two became intimate; the next morning, Wei Jin made breakfast while pondering something he could not understand.

Wei Jin discovered that his memory and physical fitness improved with the quality of his sleep, and he used several days of tests to confirm the pattern. As Snowstrider gained popularity, a publisher approached him about releasing the novel, bringing the royalties he had hoped for closer.

• Wei Jin noticed that his strength and memory had improved after a night of unusually good sleep and suspected that sleep quality was responsible.
• Wei Jin traced the changes to the period when Zeng Li began staying with him and decided to keep observing rather than act on the unexplained effects.
• Wei Jin and Zeng Li grew closer, spending several days together while he continued testing his memory and physical fitness.
• Wei Jin confirmed that better sleep improved his memory, endurance, strength, lung capacity, and muscles, and he classified his current abilities as comparable to a professional athlete.
• Snowstrider became increasingly popular, and a publisher approached Wei Jin on the eve of the new school term to publish the novel.

Wei Jin sold the publishing rights to Snowstrider to Shen Haobo for a generous advance and royalties, then began school and planned how to build a filmmaking career. As he realized his learning and memory had improved, he considered making money through music and resolved to help Zeng Li find more opportunities.

• Wei Jin and Shen Haobo agreed to publish Snowstrider, with a 300,000-yuan advance, a ten percent royalty, and payment per thousand characters.
• Wei Jin told Zeng Li about the deal, and she shared his pride in his success.
• On the first day of school, Wei Jin met Zhang Jiandong and arranged to live off campus.
• Wei Jin discovered that he could learn quickly and store memories as images, and he began considering how to use the ability to reproduce films he had seen.
• Wei Jin decided to study music theory and pursue ringback-tone profits to fund his filmmaking plans and help Zeng Li's career.

Wei Jin recruited Huang Bai to sing his new song and presented his script for Buried Alive to his teachers, who supported his plan to direct it for the Berlin International Film Festival. The department head assigned Jiang Wei to produce the film as Wei Jin prepared to assemble a crew.

• Wei Jin approached Huang Bai and invited him to record Who Do You Really Love for a fee and a share of performance income, while retaining the copyright.
• Wei Jin and Huang Bai agreed to sign a contract at the recording studio the next day and became friendly over tea.
• Wei Jin showed Jiang Wei his script, Buried Alive, and Jiang Wei praised it before Zhang Jiandong read it and asked whether it was registered.
• Wei Jin showed Zhang Jiandong his completed storyboards and explained his plan to shoot in October and finish post-production by early December for the Berlin International Film Festival.
• Zhang Jiandong took Wei Jin to meet department head Xie Xiaojin, who supported the project and assigned Jiang Wei to produce it.

Wei Jin finished arranging the release of his song and prepared to make his first movie, "Buried Alive." After finding a filming location and learning his song had become a hit, he began considering actors and asked Zeng Li to contact Qin Hao for an audition.

• Wei Jin and Huang Bai arranged for Tianyu Records to distribute their song, then celebrated until Huang Bai got drunk.
• Wei Jin told Zeng Li about his book sales, song release plans, and the estimated costs of making "Buried Alive."
• Wei Jin and Zeng Li searched the outskirts of Beijing for a filming location, and Wei Jin found one after three days.
• Wei Jin heard "Who Do You Really Love" playing on the radio and learned that the song had become popular and Huang Bai's singing fees had risen.
• Wei Jin considered Fu Dalong for the lead role but ruled him out after Zeng Li said he had pursued her, then asked her to contact Qin Hao about auditioning.

Wei Jin met Qin Hao to audition him for Buried Alive and hired him as the lead after being impressed by his performance. After dinner with Zeng Li’s classmates, Wei Jin sang his song at karaoke while Hu Jing took Zeng Li away for a private talk, leaving him alone.

• Wei Jin met Qin Hao with Zeng Li, gave him the Buried Alive script, and asked him to audition for the lead role.
• Qin Hao impressed Wei Jin with several emotional scenes, agreed to keep his schedule clear before December, and accepted a fee of ten thousand.
• Wei Jin, Zeng Li, and Qin Hao had dinner with Hu Jing, who teased Zeng Li about her relationship with Wei Jin and chatted about their classmates and work.
• Hu Jing questioned Wei Jin about how he won Zeng Li over, and he promised not to mistreat her.
• Wei Jin sang “Who Do You Really Love” at karaoke, and Hu Jing left with Zeng Li for a heart-to-heart, leaving Wei Jin alone.

Wei Jin comforted his heartbroken landlady, Gao Yuanyuan, after she discovered her boyfriend Zhang Yadong cheating, and they fell asleep together on the sofa. Later, Wei Jin began filming Buried Alive, where Qin Hao pushed himself through demanding coffin scenes as Jiang Wei and Ning Hao watched Wei Jin direct with surprising confidence.

• Wei Jin found Gao Yuanyuan drunk and crying in his apartment, and she told him Zhang Yadong had cheated on her again.
• Wei Jin comforted Gao Yuanyuan, who flirted with him and asked him to hold her; she fell asleep in his arms, and they spent the night together on the sofa.
• Wei Jin received a 350,000-yuan royalty payment as Snowstrider sales and ringback tone downloads continued to rise.
• Wei Jin began filming Buried Alive on the nineteenth, with Jiang Wei producing and Qin Hao playing the lead role.
• Qin Hao repeatedly filmed scenes inside a specially built coffin, using water and an airtight setup to portray suffocation and panic; Wei Jin had emergency medical staff on set.
• Ning Hao and Jiang Wei were surprised by Wei Jin's assured directing and his clear vision for the shots.

Wei Jin wrapped filming Buried Alive and turned his attention to post-production before meeting Huang Bai, who asked to join his studio. Wei Jin officially opened Wei Jin Fengliu Studio, signed Huang Bai as its first artist, and then prepared to deal with matters at home.

• Wei Jin announced that Buried Alive had wrapped after three weeks of filming, and Qin Hao thanked him for the opportunity and agreed to see a psychologist.
• Wei Jin held a wrap banquet, then oversaw the film’s post-production while Zeng Li remained away.
• Huang Bai asked Wei Jin whether he should focus on singing or acting, and Wei Jin suggested he could pursue both.
• Huang Bai proposed signing with Wei Jin, and the two agreed on a five-year management contract with a thirty-seventy split in Wei Jin’s favor.
• Wei Jin opened Wei Jin Fengliu Studio, signed Huang Bai as its first artist, and gave him several hit ringback tone songs.
• After handling the studio, Wei Jin began preparing to sort out matters at home.

Wei Jin reconciled with Zeng Li after explaining the hair she had found on his sofa, then reflected on his growing success and offered to support her acting career. By early December, his earnings were nearing eight million, and he resolved to help Zeng Li become a great actor.

• Wei Jin called Zeng Li and went to her home after she asked him to come over.
• Hu Jing encouraged Zeng Li to talk things through with Wei Jin and gave her advice about handling future temptations.
• Wei Jin reassured Zeng Li, explained that the hair belonged to Gao Yuanyuan, and made her apologize for doubting him.
• Buried Alive finished post-production, Snowstrider sold over a million copies across its first three volumes, and Wei Jin's ringback tone and music earnings brought his savings close to eight million.
• Wei Jin asked Zeng Li to stay home, but she said she wanted to pursue acting and become a great artist.
• Wei Jin promised to support Zeng Li's career and help her become a great actor.

Huang Bai’s album became a major hit, and Wei Jin celebrated with him and their partners after learning that his film had been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival. Wei Jin left the evening convinced that his campaign through the entertainment industry had begun.

• Huang Bai released For Love, and the album’s songs topped charts and made him famous as the King of Heartbreak Songs.
• After New Year’s Day, Huang Bai and Xiao Ou invited Wei Jin and Zeng Li to dinner to thank Wei Jin for supporting Huang Bai’s career.
• Huang Bai told the group that paparazzi had driven him and Xiao Ou to move to Beijing, and he discussed his rising performance fee with Wei Jin.
• Wei Jin received a call from Teacher Jiang confirming that his film had been selected for the Berlin International Film Festival and that the organizers had invited them to the opening ceremony.
• Wei Jin called Qin Hao after dinner to share the news and tell him they would travel from Beijing together after the New Year.

In early 2004, Wei Jin expanded his studio into television production by hiring Chen Zhiming and investing in Chinese Paladin. After returning from his hometown and continuing Snowstrider, Wei Jin prepared to leave for Berlin with the film crew.

• Wei Jin met Chen Zhiming, impressed him with the studio’s earnings, and hired him to lead its television drama work.
• Wei Jin asked Chen Zhiming to handle public relations in Berlin and negotiate an investment in Shanghai Tangren’s game adaptation.
• Wei Jin returned to his hometown for the Spring Festival, visited his father and uncle, then went back to Beijing to visit his teachers and write Snowstrider.
• Chen Zhiming secured a ten percent share in Chinese Paladin for three million, making Wei Jin Fengliu Studio an investor in the drama.
• Wei Jin continued writing until the crew gathered to leave for Berlin.

Wei Jin and the Buried Alive team arrived in Berlin for the film festival, where the film had entered the main competition. While exploring the city, Wei Jin ran into Gao Yuanyuan at a bar and brought her back to his hotel after she got drunk.

• Wei Jin, Jiang Wei, Ning Hao, Qin Hao, and Chen Zhiming arrived in Berlin and met festival staff member Fischer at Tegel Airport.
• The team checked into their hotels, then split up to pursue their own plans for the evening.
• Wei Jin explored Potsdamer Platz and stopped at a bar, where he saw two men bothering a woman who turned out to be Gao Yuanyuan.
• Wei Jin and Gao Yuanyuan drank together, and he learned she had come abroad to escape Zhang Yadong's pestering.
• Gao Yuanyuan passed out, so Wei Jin brought her to his hotel room and stayed when she asked him not to leave.

Wei Jin spent several days networking at the Berlin International Film Festival while Gao Yuanyuan stayed with him after their night together. Buried Alive premiered to a packed audience and received enthusiastic applause, leaving Qin Hao excited by its reception.

• Gao Yuanyuan moved into Wei Jin's hotel room in Berlin and said she regarded him as a younger brother.
• Wei Jin attended festival receptions hosted by Howard and built goodwill with filmmakers, distributors, and jury members.
• On February 10, Wei Jin, Qin Hao, and the other principal creators walked the red carpet for Buried Alive's premiere.
• Wei Jin and Qin Hao watched the premiere together, and Qin Hao admitted he felt nervous about seeing his work at a festival.
• The audience and media applauded Buried Alive for a full minute, and the principal creators went onstage to thank them.

Wei Jin and the Buried Alive team waited to learn whether the film would win an award at the Berlin International Film Festival. Wei Jin received the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award and went up to the stage to accept it.

• Jiang Wei told Wei Jin that distributors had offered more than 1.3 million US dollars for Buried Alive, and Wei Jin chose to wait for the festival results before selling the rights.
• Wei Jin reassured the Buried Alive team as they anxiously waited for an invitation to the closing ceremony, then told them the organizers had invited them.
• Wei Jin, Gao Yuanyuan, and the rest of the Buried Alive team walked the red carpet and took their seats at the awards ceremony beside the team behind 20 30 40.
• Frances McDormand and the jurors presented the main competition awards, and Wei Jin won the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award for Buried Alive.
• Wei Jin hugged his teammates and walked toward the stage to accept his award.

Wei Jin accepted the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for Buried Alive, then oversaw the sale of its overseas rights for more than 54 million yuan. After returning to China to face reporters, he asked Chen Zhiming to hire an assistant and arrange the film’s domestic release.

• Wei Jin accepted the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award and thanked the jury, his crew, Jiang Wei, Ning Hao, Qin Hao, and the Beijing Film Academy in his speech.
• News of Wei Jin’s Silver Bear spread across China, and reporters sought him and people connected to him for interviews.
• Wei Jin and Chen Zhiming sold all overseas rights to Buried Alive for 6.54 million US dollars, and Wei Jin set aside two million yuan to reward the crew.
• Wei Jin and the other five members of the group returned to China on February 20 and answered reporters’ questions at the airport, including questions about Gao Yuanyuan and the film.
• Wei Jin asked Chen Zhiming to hire an assistant and contact China Film Group about arranging Buried Alive’s domestic release.