Chapter 1

"Why hasn't the patient woken up yet? It's been four days. Such a handsome guy, he can't become a vegetable, can he?"

"There's a high possibility! But this guy is really unlucky. He came back from the US, just reported to the North Electric University, and then fell down the stairs, causing intracranial bleeding. Even worse, it happened during the summer break, and the teaching building was empty. He lay on the stairs for one or two hours before being found. If it had been any later, he might not have made it."

"The teachers at North Electric University will definitely act in TV dramas like Huang Lei. He's even more handsome than Huang Lei. If he acts in TV dramas, he'll definitely become famous. It's too cruel for him to just lie in bed like this. Oh, if only my boyfriend were as handsome as him!"

"Have you read the story of Sleeping Beauty? He's like a sleeping prince now. If you kiss him, he might wake up. Do you want to try?"

"Stop it, Jiajia, I'm not that perverted!"

...

In a daze, Zhang Ran regained consciousness and heard scattered words in his ear. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't. He found himself trapped in endless darkness. No matter how he struggled or ran forward, he couldn't escape this infinite darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Ran suddenly saw a glimmer of light. His withered heart reignited with hope. He shouted and ran desperately toward the light.

Almost simultaneously, a surprised cry echoed in the room: "Jiajia, the patient moved! His hand moved. Is he going to wake up?"

"Quick, call the doctor!"

A series of hurried footsteps approached and stopped in front of Zhang Ran. At that moment, Zhang Ran suddenly opened his eyes. The intense light shone on his face, making him squint and turn his head. As he moved his neck, a sharp headache shot through his head, causing him to gasp.

Damn, what happened to me?

When Zhang Ran opened his eyes again, he saw the face of a middle-aged man. The hot breath from his wide nostrils touched his face, and the white teeth in his open mouth looked like a ferocious beast ready to eat him.

The middle-aged man smiled and asked, "You're awake. How do you feel?"

Zhang Ran's eyes were blank.

Seeing Zhang Ran in a daze, the middle-aged man waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?"

Zhang Ran's eyes moved, focusing on the middle-aged man. Noticing the white coat, he realized this was a doctor.

He looked around the room and saw that it was a special care ward, spacious with all kinds of facilities. I'm in the hospital. What happened to me?

Seeing that Zhang Ran didn't respond to his questions, the doctor patted his face and waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Can you see my hand clearly?"

Zhang Ran struggled to speak a few words: "Yes, but what happened to me?"

"You fell down the stairs, causing intracranial bleeding. The situation was serious, and you were in a coma for five days. You're fine now." The doctor sighed with relief as Zhang Ran spoke and began his examination.

I fell down the stairs? Who am I? What do I do?

Zhang Ran's mind was in chaos, and he couldn't remember. But he didn't give up and tried to recall. He soon remembered who he was. My name is Zhang Ran. I graduated from the Film and Television Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I hope to become a director like Zhang Yimou and make a name for myself in the world.

However, reality is harsh. Not long after graduation, I offended a big shot on a film set and lost my footing in the film industry. Later, I ran a movie website, focusing on pirated high-definition films. Many currently popular movies could be watched on my site as soon as they were released. My website did well and was well-known in the industry, with annual earnings of over a million.

But running a pirated website is not a long-term solution. Deep down, I still had a hope to make the movies I wanted and prove to those who had driven me out of the film industry that I, Zhang Ran, could not be silenced.

So, after making some money from the movie website, I started making short films to hone my skills. When I had enough funds, I would make real movies.

My first two short films received good feedback. Although I didn't make much money, my directing skills improved significantly. With this, I began my third short film.

Unexpectedly, a chandelier fell from the ceiling at the filming site, about to hit a young actor. I pushed the frightened child out of the way, and the chandelier hit me instead.

Recalling the doctor's words, Zhang Ran realized something was off. I was hit by a chandelier, not from falling down the stairs. Did they get it wrong, or did they mistake me for someone else?

At that moment, a flood of information suddenly surged in his mind.

Zhang Ran felt as if he had been electrocuted, his body trembling, and he was stunned.

It wasn't ordinary information but memories, someone else's memories, those of a man who had fallen down the stairs.

The feeling was strange. When he tried to recall the situation before the chandelier fell, those memories would clearly appear in his mind. Now, the additional memories in his head felt the same way, but they clearly belonged to someone else.

Seeing Zhang Ran's wide eyes and open mouth, the doctor waved his hand in front of his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a bit of a headache!" Zhang Ran shook his head and didn't tell the doctor the truth. If he did, they would definitely call a psychiatrist. Zhang Ran wasn't that foolish.

After a moment of shock, unable to understand what was happening, Zhang Ran forced himself to calm down and read the additional memories.

As he read, although his expression remained calm, his eyes betrayed his shock.

The owner of the memories was also named Zhang Ran, with the same name and an unparalleled love for film. However, their experiences were vastly different. This Zhang Ran was born in 1977 and was a master's graduate from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.

This Zhang Ran originally studied acting, graduating from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. However, as a Chinese person, the prospects for an acting career in the US were slim. Jackie Chan and Joan Chen were among the few established Chinese actors in the US, but even they had limited roles over the years. It was extremely difficult for Chinese actors to succeed in the US. Therefore, Zhang Ran started studying directing in his third year and successfully entered the master's program in directing.

The situation for directing was slightly better but still challenging. After graduation, Zhang Ran couldn't find a good job and had to work odd jobs on film sets. It was the success of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" that gave him hope.

Ang Lee's situation after graduating from NYU was similar to Zhang Ran's, if not worse. He couldn't find a suitable job and had to work as a camera assistant, a production assistant, and even a laborer, carrying sandbags and equipment. Eventually, Ang Lee returned to Taiwan, wrote the script for "Pushing Hands," and won a 400,000 prize. He used this money to make the film, which made him famous.

Ang Lee's success made Zhang Ran realize that he didn't have to stay in the US to make films. Instead of wasting his time, he decided to return to China and take a bold step. With great ambition, he returned to China and, through a friend's recommendation, chose to teach at the Beijing Film Academy. However, on his first day, he tripped and fell down the stairs, ending everything.

Zhang Ran's body trembled slightly, unsure how to explain this. It was too bizarre, almost stopping his brain from functioning.

I'm not in 2015 but in 2001?

Zhang Ran looked at the doctor and asked in a hoarse voice, "Doctor, is it 2001?"

"Yes, what year did you think it was?" The doctor laughed and patted Zhang Ran's shoulder. "You're doing well, don't worry too much!"

Zhang Ran didn't respond, his mind in turmoil. I've become someone else, someone with the same name as me!

I've returned to 2001, fourteen years ago!

My current identity is a young teacher who returned from the US to teach at the Beijing Film Academy, and I'm 24 years old!

Zhang Ran suddenly remembered a friend from the Beijing Film Academy who had once mentioned the top ten unlucky people at the school, one of whom was a teacher who had returned from the US and fell down the stairs on his first day, dying.

He began to understand what had happened. He was supposed to be killed by the chandelier, but his consciousness didn't die. Instead, it traveled back to 2001 and replaced the consciousness of the teacher who had the same name and died from the fall, allowing him to live again as this teacher.

Zhang Ran looked at the white ceiling, feeling lost. This was too bizarre, completely beyond his comprehension. He didn't know what his future would be like or what to do next.

After a while, Zhang Ran finally came to a decision. Since things were like this, he had no choice. There was no way the heavens would let him return to 2015. He could only take it one step at a time.

Being a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy was a good identity. Until he found a better path, he would be a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy!

Two and a half hours later, all the test results were in. The doctor looked at the report in his hand, hardly believing it. Zhang Ran's condition was completely healed, as if he had only suffered a minor concussion, which was a miracle.

Seeing the doctor's shocked expression, Zhang Ran's heart sank. Could something be seriously wrong? Am I going to die right after being reborn? Do I have a terminal illness, AIDS, cancer, or something else? I can't be that unlucky, can I? He tentatively asked, "Doctor, what's wrong with me?"

The doctor shook his head. Although the situation was illogical, he still gave his professional opinion. "You're doing very well, and your recovery is unbelievable. However, because of the head injury, you need to stay in the hospital for observation to check for any other aftereffects. If there are no problems, you can be discharged."