Lyman felt like he was about to die. His whole body was in intense pain, and his head felt like it was about to explode. "It hurts so much." Waves of pain kept assaulting him.

Finally, the pain began to subside. Lyman's hazy mind started to clear up slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, and the things in front of him gradually became clear.

The bright incandescent light on the ceiling weakly shone down, casting a pale light that made him feel dizzy. He couldn't help but close his eyes and take deep breaths. But even so, the discomfort and pain in his body continued to torment him.

What was happening? Didn't he invite a few friends to go to KTV to sing on his birthday? How did his body end up like this? Lifting his arm, he fiercely pinched his brow a few times with his fingertips, trying to make his dizzy head clearer.

Opening his eyes again, he saw everything around him—inside the less than twenty-square-meter room, various miscellaneous items were scattered about, as if it had been ransacked. Looking up, he saw the triangular arch of the ceiling and a wooden window. The window was tightly closed. This wasn't his home, right? Lyman stared blankly at the scene before him.

Suddenly, he seemed to recall something. Climbing off the bed like a madman, he searched for a mirror. Finally, in a drawer in the room, he found a palm-sized mirror.

Looking at the unfamiliar face reflected in the mirror, Lyman was instantly dumbfounded. It wasn't him. A strange environment coupled with the face in the mirror that looked completely different from his own, it was only natural for him to feel terrified—he had crossed over.

He had traveled from mainland China of 2020 to some unknown place. Aside from desolation, his heart was filled with anger. And this anger was growing stronger and stronger.

"F*ck, shit!" He shouted out a string of curses. "Bang!" Clearly unhappy, Lyman clenched his right fist and fiercely smashed it onto the floor. The thunderous sound, like a bolt from the blue, was so pleasant in this quiet environment. But the pain in his hand was not imaginary.

The numbness began to spread clearly from his right hand. He could even feel the sharpness of his nails piercing his palm and the discomfort in his finger bones. Anger had no meaning other than venting. He still hadn't returned to familiar territory.

Soon, the somewhat composed Lyman started searching for information left behind by the previous occupant. In the end, he noticed a piece of paper fixed to the wooden table with something written on it:

"It should be you, René, who discovered my body. I've been under your care during these days, and I'm incredibly grateful. If possible, please inform my father of my death and hand over the labeled box in the corner of the study to him. I'm deeply grateful."

It turned out to be a farewell letter! And it was written in French. After reading it, Lyman quickly went to the adjacent room and found the box mentioned in the letter. Upon opening it, he found another letter on top:

"Father, please forgive my selfishness. I've been hating you all these years, blaming you for abandoning me back then. But now, I want to ask that after you learn of my death, please bury me next to my mother's grave. She has been lonely, and I want to accompany her, hoping to fulfill this wish."

...

In addition to this letter, there was a real estate transfer agreement regarding the house inside the box. It stated that after the death of "Lyman Lattes", the new owner of the property would be "Didier Lattes", who was referred to as the father in the letter.

Sealing the box again and placing it back in its original position, Lyman sat back on the bed where he woke up.

His thoughts were in disarray at the moment.

Images of the previous occupant's memories and his own past memories kept flashing through his mind. The intertwining of the two sides tormented him since he woke up. Accepting the reality of crossing over only added to Lyman's frustration.

In the past, he was a graduate of the film directing department at the Beijing Film Academy. Once he entered society, he joined a crew as a photography assistant through connections from the academy.

After three years in the industry, he finally got a chance to direct. Although there were many directors for that TV series, and he was only responsible for shooting some scenes, taking the director's chair for the first time made him exceptionally excited. But unexpectedly, misfortune struck without any warning.

It was just his birthday, his 27th birthday. There was no shooting scheduled for the next day, and he had already informed the head director. Everything was fine.

Why did it turn out like this?

Lyman couldn't understand. He believed his life was wonderful and didn't need a fresh start. But the heavens liked to play tricks. It brought him to this place, a small town belonging to Cannes, France.

Lyman, who was blended with the memories of the previous occupant, felt a little troubled. This body had left behind too many troubles. Recently, he and his friend René collaborated on a film, investing a large sum of money into it. However, they encountered distribution problems with the completed film.

At the Cannes Film Festival, their well-shot movie caught the attention of an international distributor. The person claimed they could promote the film for a release in Hollywood because they had connections. How could they resist such temptation? They immediately decided to entrust the distribution rights of the film to that company.

The person even kindly prepared a distribution contract for Lyman to sign. Inside, it guaranteed the profits that they, as the producers, would have after the release of the film. 20% of the profit, in addition to the film's copyright ownership, belonged to Lyman and René's collaborative studio, Mann Studios. Lyman didn't see any problem and eagerly signed the contract. But what happened afterward taught this young man who had just graduated from college a lesson.

The distributor, Miramax, as promised, released the film in Hollywood. Although it had limited screenings, only in a few dozen theaters. But for Lyman, it was still a form of recognition. He and René even went to Los Angeles and personally entered the theater to watch their own work.

However, when it was time for the film to be taken off, they went to Miramax to meet the gentleman who bought the rights. They were informed that the film's box office revenue was in deficit. Not only was there no profit, but a significant amount of operational costs were also incurred. Lyman and René were required to compensate Miramax for its losses using the film's related rights, otherwise, they would have to pay.

Helpless, they had to sign another contract, handing over all the rights of the film to Miramax. If that was all, it would be fine, just their film not being recognized by the market, an issue of their own abilities.

But later, Lyman, increasingly feeling that something was wrong, consulted industry insiders and learned that the distribution contract itself was problematic and irregular. It didn't mention the guaranteed distribution expenses, nor did it address the issue of purchasing the rights for pre-production operation. Using the subsequent profits to pay for the initial transaction was a form of deception.

Angered by the truth he discovered, Lyman decided to confront Harvey Weinstein, the person in charge of Miramax, a well-known figure in the industry. But his heart sank when he heard Weinstein's ruthless words. "The person you're talking about is from my company. Did he do anything wrong? If he did, please let the court decide everything."

Naturally, the court didn't accept Lyman's lawsuit. The contract was clearly written on paper, with Lyman's signature. It was lawful, with no mistakes.

Back at his residence in Cannes, Lyman grew more and more frustrated as he thought about it. He had let down his friend René's trust and had invested all the savings left by his mother into that film. He couldn't face it all. The gaping void placed in front made the original owner of this body choose death.

That night, he took pills and committed suicide.

...

Sitting on the bed, Lyman didn't know what to say. Did he just pass through because of the death of such a weak and foolish person? It was absurd. He was a complete loser who couldn't face reality and deserved to die. Such thoughts kept repeating in Lyman's mind, and he couldn't muster even a trace of sympathy for the original owner of this body.

The world was treacherous, and if one didn't know how to be cautious, one would eventually perish.

Looking at the messy bedroom, Lyman gradually calmed down. Regardless of everything, he had to face it now.

Taking some time to tidy up his place, Lyman also started feeling hungry. He found some bread in the kitchen drawer and slowly ate it with water. At least his empty stomach found some support.

What should he do now? What path should he take next? Go back to the mainland? No, Lyman immediately dismissed that thought. His current identity was that of a 26-year-old Frenchman, and it was only 2001. What could he do by going back? Just dealing with visa issues would be a huge trouble.

After thinking it over, the best option was to pursue a career related to film. Both his past self and the original owner of this body had studied film-related knowledge. It was a field he was familiar with. However, there was a practical issue he needed to consider: how to repay the debt he owed to his friend René.

Most of the investment in this film came from René, but Lyman didn't want to take too much advantage. He considered the promised amount as a loan. After all, they had agreed to a total production cost of ₣500,000, with a 50-50 investment split and profit sharing. Now, they had lost everything, not to mention the expenses for transportation and living.

Because of this, as soon as Lyman crossed over, he already had a liability of ₣80,000 in production costs, and how much money did he have left? He searched the entire house but could only scrounge up ₣356. What could this money do? This was the price he had to pay for the foolish acts of the original owner, but in the end, he had to bear the consequences.

Damn, this time-travel thing was really messed up. Lyman rubbed his head, feeling extremely annoyed. Everything was working against him, and there was nothing worth being happy about.