I'm not an ordinary man.
I have a strong ability to work under pressure.
My parents are dead, and I have no friends.
But all of these are God's challenges for me.
I'm brilliant, talented, diligent, and motivated.
Success is just around the corner.
But now, something is wrong.
I…
I haven't been able to sleep in over half a year.
It's here!
-Run! -Everybody, run!
-Save yourself! -Everybody, run!
Run! Hurry!
MISSED CALL
Open the door!
I know you're in there!
I'll break in if you don't open up!
You shameless bastard!
I tried talking to you but you just won't listen, right?
You artists,
you're all freaks!
Come out now!
I have some leftovers. Eat them and leave!
Don't die at my house!
Open the door!
Open the damn door!
Open up!
Watch it!
What are dreams?
Some people believe
that dreams are the reality the soul encounters
after leaving the body.
And the reality
is often another dream.
When you always dream of being chased by debts,
the final payment is your life.
In fact,
Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung
should both be called the Duke of Zhou.
This world is a cage.
Humans are nothing but exiles of a more advanced species.
Humans are too intelligent.
We all have great wisdom and strength.
Once realized,
humans can understand the past
and change the future.
Then, become omnipotent.
That's why those beings only allow us to develop
10 to 15 percent of our brain capacity.
The rest is off-limits.
So in every human brain,
there's a horrific guardian
disguised as a nightmare,
punishing intruders with no mercy.
This is used to ward off nightmares.
WUDOU SUTRA
It was left by our ancestors.
Believe it, even if you don't want to.
Whether it works for you depends on your fate.
According to Jung,
dreams are the path to the subconscious.
Only in dreams can people go into the darkest corners of their minds
and see their true selves.
Sometimes, they even scare themselves.
Most schizophrenics
become that way by seeing something they weren't supposed to.
Sir.
Give me one.
ASSORTED PANCAKES
No eggs.
The drizzling rain with soft wind Leaning onto the street at dusk
With the wind still slapping my face With rain no longer blurring my eyes
I looked up to the lonely street light
Where a sad love story came to my mind
I like you
I like your breathtaking eyes
I like your delightful laughter
Just like yesterday
You and me
No eggs.
It's on me.
Here you are.
Thank you.
Why aren't you answering my calls?
-Why are you pushing me? -I didn't.
-You did. -I'll explain it later.
-No way. -I'll explain it later!
Why are you running? Stop!
Don't run!
I'm really disappointed in you.
You're in breach of contract.
I can sue you,
do you understand?
San, I need to talk to you about something serious.
This is
like a human mind.
All you see is a fish,
representing consciousness.
The rest of the water, which is empty,
represents the subconscious.
When consciousness leaves the subconscious,
it's like a fish out of water.
Now, I'm just like that fish.
I can't live anymore.
Here are your noodles.
Watch your hands!
Is this still about your insomnia?
Nightmares come as soon as I close my eyes.
At first, I thought I was schizophrenic.
Or even cursed.
-But I'm not. -If you can't sleep, write the script!
I can't concentrate.
Then give me my deposit back.
I spent it all on doctors.
For what?
You're useless!
You don't write and you're here making excuses.
I'll give you ten more days.
You think you have a unique talent?
Do you know how much pressure I'm under for hiring you?
This is easy money for you!
And now you're pretending to be poor?
Liar!
You've gone too far.
I'm done.
-You're full? -Yes.
Goodbye.
San,
I'm sorry.
I can't write the script.
My debt to you will have to be repaid in the next life.
I'm completely hopeless.
I can't fight the nightmare,
and I don't have the strength to face reality.
What's more frightening is
I can't tell the difference between reality
and nightmare.
This feeling
is too painful.
Everything I want
is getting further and further away from me.
This life
is no longer meaningful.
I'm going to be with my parents.
Goodbye, my friend.
Hey! Want a pancake?
The egg and sausage are on me!
So delicious!
I owe you for this,
but I can't pay you back.
Everyone has difficult moments in life.
There's nothing you can't get through.
Maybe I did horrible things in my past life,
and I'm paying for them in this one.
Day and night.
Endlessly.
You're still young.
What's the worst that can happen to you?
Lose your love?
Lose your job?
Lose your virginity?
None of that is more important than your life.
I haven't slept in a long time.
I die once every night.
Who the hell can bear that?
How about every night before you die,
you wake up first?
How?
I never got the chance to.
People
often talk about death.
"I don't want to live anymore."
"I'd be better off dead."
But they keep living just the same, don't they?
So,
talking about death
reminds us that we're still alive.
By the same logic,
if you want to wake up,
just tell yourself,
"I'm dreaming."
You might just wake up.
It's badly damaged.
Twenty.
Sang Yu?
Is it really you?
What happened to you?
Do you need help?
You don't remember me, do you?
Let's go.
I'll take you to eat.
Come on.
Hello?
Someone here needs an ambulance.
If you want to wake up, just tell yourself,
"I'm dreaming."
I'm dreaming.
I'm dreaming!
He's practicing.
Let's go over there.
You've got something? Let's have a look.
Hey, don't go.
It's really heavy.
You made it yourself?
This
can only be traded for this one.
It belonged to the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.
His concubine died from this sword.
Hey, man.
He's right. These all have value.
It looks like a nice sword.
I'll take it for one thousand!
Go bother someone else!
Come on.
How about this?
Give me this sword for two thousand in cash.
Hey, where are you going?
Don't go. I'll give you more!
TAIXIANG PAWNSHOP
No more than five thousand.
Thirty thousand, or I leave.
Or…
Or at least twenty thousand.
Hey, why are you standing like that?
Can't you stand properly?
Hello.
Hi.
I'd like a room.
Excuse me!
I'm dreaming.
I'm in a dream!
I'm dreaming!
I'm having so much fun!
This is my place.
Fuck.
Get a car.
Have some dinner.
Good night.
You jerk!
I'm dreaming!
How is it?
Very good.
TWO MILLION YUAN
That's right.
Mr. Sang, where is your fortune from?
Is that any of your business?
Don't get me wrong.
In this business,
everyone has their way.
Tomb raiding, smuggling…
Who knows where they come from?
And if anything happens, it is on us.
Are you done yet?
No offense.
You'll find that we,
by far, are your best option.
Mr. Sang,
we hope to see you often.
Sang Yu?
Sang Yu!
Hey!
What?
We weren't meeting until the next life.
Go to hell!
-Wait, hold on. -What?
Let me buy you dinner.
Who are you kidding?
San,
let's talk over dinner.
If you don't foot the bill, I'll kill you.
Who were you trying to scare with your last message?
Sang Yu.
How did you become like this?
You weren't like this before.
You didn't care about anything but writing.
The old you were worth my respect.
Hey, I'm talking to you!
This is twenty thousand.
It's to pay you back.
I'm sorry, San.
I…
no longer write scripts.
Dude,
if you've found success,
show me the way.
Hello.
What would you like?
A latte, please.
Just a moment.
ASSORTED PANCAKES
Can I get you anything else?
Do you recognize me?
I'll recognize you the next time you come.
Why are you selling your café?
Not enough customers. I'm losing money.
-How much are you selling it for? -Why?
You want it?
How much do you want?
Rent, renovation, and equipment…
At least 1.5 million.
Lately, I want to confess.
It's easy for you!
Look, here's how I see it.
You're a scriptwriter.
You are good with words, and you express yourself beautifully.
Most importantly, you are rich!
She'll definitely accept you.
Money has long been a catalyst for love.
You'll surely win her over.
All right.
I'm leaving.
If you need anything, call me.
I'm leaving!
I'm dreaming!
What?
Dude, do you have superpowers?
It must be God's will.
You're being paid back for all your suffering.
There's a light behind you.
All right, San.
Cut it out.
If there's ever anything,
I will help you.
From now on,
you're my brother.
-Get up. -No, I won't.
What is the meaning of this?
I want to take over this shop.
But I hope you can stay and run it.
I'll cover the losses.
We'll share
the profit.
Hey.
Do you have time later?
This restaurant is really good.
They have a table reserved only for me.
See what you want to eat.
Sang Yu…
I feel like I've heard that name before.
It's in the proverb, "Lose something to gain something."
It's a common name.
And a tacky one.
Why do you want to take over the shop?
I…
I'm quite a fan of coffee.
I happened to walk past your shop.
But I don't know how to run it
and I think you're doing a good job.
Really.
What's good about it?
I'm losing money.
A shop like yours
needs nurturing.
Give it time and it'll be fine.
Fondness is fondness,
and business is business.
I'll send you a contract tomorrow.
We'll bear the profits and losses equally.
It's your call.
Business is business.
I trust you.
You're not just interested in the café, are you?
If you're married
or taken,
then don't waste your breath.
I'm dreaming.
I fell asleep.
-Thank you. Careful, it's hot. -Okay.
Sorry, our tables are all full.
-It's okay, I'll get it to go. -Me too.
I want an Americano.
Here you are.
Please wait a minute.
Sorry, we're very busy.
Thank you.
ASSORTED PANCAKES
You're in my way. Don't you see I'm handing out money?
I've been standing for so long!
Let me get some of that.
Get in there. I'm watching you guys.
ASSORTED PANCAKES
Thank you.
In my shop…
No, wait. It's our shop.
I've never seen so many customers before.
You must have brought good luck.
No.
I've also never drunk so much coffee before.
Five cups.
It was six.
Six?
You didn't go to work today. You're not busy?
I usually work at night.
A security guard?
How about you give me three keywords
and I'll guess what your job is.
-You won't be able to guess. -Let me try!
Guessing doesn't cost anything.
Dream.
Seek.
Gain.
I've got it.
You're a scriptwriter.
I got it right?
How did you guess I was a scriptwriter?
Well, writing a story
is like weaving a dream.
After that, you seek.
The main characters either seek love
or seek to find themselves.
And then, you gain.
You always gain something at the end of a story.
Either success
or experience.
I'm dreaming!
Who's there? What?
What are you doing?
Thank you.
Are you really planning
to walk me home every day?
Maybe.
It's the least I can do for my partner.
Wrong.
You also drink six coffees every day.
Your car?
Want to give it a spin?
I haven't driven in ages.
No problem.
Don't worry about crashing.
Don't worry? I can't afford to fix it!
-Is it really fine? -No problem.
Actually,
this car is for you.
You're really rich, aren't you?
You must be a very famous scriptwriter.
Let's talk like scriptwriters then.
Which do you choose? Gentle or direct?
Gentle.
Being single for so many years
isn't because I want a car, a mansion, or anything else.
Hey, how much money do you have?
Tell me.
Usually, I combine work and rest.
Go out, see the world, and learn things.
You wore your school uniform here?
Listen.
I looked up to the lonely street light
Where a sad love story came to my mind
I like you
I like your breathtaking eyes
I like your delightful laughter
I wish
To gently caress
Your lovely face again
To hold hands and talk in our dreams
Just like yesterday
You and me
Who are you?
Sang Yu.
Every night, I walk with my shadow
Wandering around
Feeling so cold
What are you looking at, little punk? Go home!
I used to live in my own world
Without ever knowing
His pain
I like you
I like your breathtaking eyes
I like your delightful laughter
I wish
To gently caress
Your lovely face again
To hold hands and talk in our dreams
Just like yesterday
You and me
When can we see a movie you've written?
I'm really curious
about what kind of stories you write.
A mocha, please.
Man, what is this?
I don't need you to write these anymore.
Goodness.
Let's talk like scriptwriters then.
Which do you choose? Gentle or direct?
What about direct?
I can dump
three guys like you in a year.
I'm dreaming.
What are you doing?
What's in your hand?
What are you doing?
Did you get this from your dream too?
It's amazing!
So touching!
Who wrote this? This script is awesome!
I'll take it for 200,000!
Only 200,000? Are you kidding!
The scriptwriter doesn't want money.
But he has a condition.
He wants the biggest stars for the male and female leads.
-San. -This time, I want double.
Are you kidding? I'm only investing five million.
I can't afford them.
I'll invest.
I'll give you 100 million.
Sang Yu,
once a humble young talent,
has begun his rise to fame
by becoming China's most promising scriptwriter.
Molding his craft for ten years,
he is now a major player in the industry.
If you're not interested, I can find someone else.
Many are interested in it.
I can sell it to someone else, buy it back, and sell it to you
at ten times the price.
He started reading at the age of three, writing poems at five,
producing at seven.
He is nicknamed the Asian Shakespeare of Cinema.
He caught the industry's attention during his college years.
He kept a low profile
whilst working with famous directors.
All right, we'll do it.
We'll get the contract ready
and transfer the first payment tomorrow.
He had the chance to become an overnight star,
but he chose to reject fame.
He wanted a fulfilling life.
So he gave up ownership of all his work
and refused any media coverage.
During this time, he traveled the world,
collecting vast amounts of writing material.
Today, he has 20 top film projects
in development.
Undoubtedly, this is huge for the Chinese movie industry.
Isn't this a little overboard?
This is how everybody gets started.
Actually, I'm not as good as it says.
For a long time,
I couldn't write a good script
because I didn't know why I was writing.
But now,
I have a new direction.
And because of this direction,
I will be a better person.
Thank you all.
Incredible.
Not even Tyson has one of these.
What's on your mind, Mr. Sang?
Lately, I've come to realize something.
All the success stories in the world
come from two kinds of people.
The first kind
is cheaters.
They sacrifice time for things others aren't willing to sacrifice,
such as love, family, friendship, and entertainment.
In exchange for even more time
to achieve what they believe is a success.
The other kind is thieves.
Or what they call geniuses.
They invent things that change the world.
But did they really invent them?
All inventions are actually just discoveries.
Another world exists around everyone.
You can't see it or feel it,
but the moment you find power in that world
and draw from it to use in this one,
it becomes a kind of invention.
That's the door I went through.
But something is missing.
-I can't just keep thinking about myself. -Look.
What is happening here
is God's will.
God chose you, so he chose the right man.
Tell me if you think we can make this work.
Throughout history,
only two things have caused death on a mass scale.
The first is natural disasters,
and the second is wars.
So, what is the root cause of war?
It's poverty.
Therefore, only by eliminating poverty
can we eliminate war.
And only you can do that.
We should build Sang Yu Tower.
It should be at least twice as tall as Burj Khalifa.
We'll invite all the starving and homeless people
in the world.
Like refugees and pirates.
Food, shelter, entertainment, and education
will all be free!
We could build one in each country!
Starting next year,
every single Nobel Peace Prize
will be yours!
If you think this works, I'll get started right now!
You're awesome, Mr. Sang!
I've never seen my shop from this perspective before.
Look over there.
I once thought this city's beauty
had nothing to do with me.
But now,
because of you,
I think I can make this city
shine even more.
Now…
I feel truly alive.
I never hoped to win you over.
Spending every day with you like this
is enough for me.
How long can you keep it up?
From the day you suddenly appeared,
how long until you suddenly leave?
I'll never leave you.
You probably don't remember me.
I skipped many classes
to watch movies with you.
If I was that boy today,
would you still be with me?
You…
Sang Yu?
Are you okay?
Sang Yu?
Making you love me
Is simple
But meeting you
Is so hard
You ride a boat with sails raised
To the opposite shore
It's so simple for men And women to fall in love
When trapped in their obsession with you
The boat overturns
And your wounds start to rot
Mr. Sang?
Mr. Sang!
Why are you here drinking alone?
We're having a blast out there.
Come out and have some fun with me.
I'm tired.
Did you get into a fight with Hua'er?
Well, women…
First, they zero in on getting your body.
Then, they ask for all your attention.
Once you're obsessed,
you think it's true love.
You think she's the one.
And you think she's different from other women on earth.
You feel like she doesn't want anything from you.
-And you think-- -San.
After everything we've taken,
will there be retribution?
You're the one who took it all.
And you took what was yours.
You didn't take anything from others.
Why would there be one?
You really didn't fight with Hua'er?
Do you remember the door I told you about?
One day,
I might go through it and not come back.
What are you saying?
Go to sleep and not come back?
You've just been too tired lately.
Get some rest.
Go to sleep early tonight.
What are you doing?
I want to sleep alone tonight.
Right.
You're tired, take a day off.
Sleep it off,
and it'll all be in the past.
If you want to wake up,
just tell yourself,
"I'm dreaming."
I'm dreaming!
What are you doing?
Stop messing around, man.
I have important things to do.
You've done pretty well for yourself.
You're famous.
No more pawnshops.
Heroes fear old friends.
How much do you want? Tell me.
Five million.
I'll make a call.
Who gave you the right to bargain?
Qiang.
What are you doing?
How much do you think you're worth?
Give me a price.
I'll give you ten million
to never bother me again.
US dollars.
Okay. You can make the call.
-Where is he? -The money?
Cut the crap! Where is he?
Where is he?
Actually,
this has nothing to do with me.
I'm just doing someone a favor
and delivering money.
He repeatedly urged me
to see the hostage before handing over the cash.
I can't have the cash taken without seeing the hostage.
That's not proper etiquette, don't you think?
Who is Hua'er?
Your new girl?
Give it back.
BANK BALANCE
I underestimated you.
No wonder you're so confident.
A million, ten million, a hundred million…
Just in the bank, you have three hundred million.
What exactly do you do?
I asked for too little.
I definitely asked for too little.
Qiang.
Something bad is happening to me.
I won't live much longer.
You can have all my money, but please let us go.
Let me take care of one last thing
as a thank you.
What's going on?
Sang Yu.
Are you okay?
What did they do to you?
Do you, sons of bitches, have any idea who he is?
Can you handle the consequences?
Hey! You on the couch--
San?
-Put everything else aside for now. -San.
Let's take care of our business first.
Mr. Sang,
you're back.
Mr. San?
What happened to him?
-He's drunk. -Oh, he's drunk.
Delivery.
You have a nice place.
This can't be right.
No, Qiang.
There should be more in the house than this.
Just leave when you're finished.
No problem.
Just call the owner to get it.
How did you get all this stuff?
I traded my life for it.
Everyone's money comes at the cost of their life.
Why is your life worth so much money?
Put that down.
We don't need to move that.
Come on, Qiang.
You can take everything. I'll agree with it.
I won't call the cops.
But if you kill me,
it's a crime.
A one-time thief doesn't want to steal for a lifetime.
But he
is still a thief.
A person who betrays himself
can never control
his own destiny.
Mr. Sang.
Mr. Sang, are you there?
Mr. Sang, are you okay?
-What is it? -Mr. Sang, you have a guest.
It's a woman called Hua'er.
-Should I let her up? -Mr. Sang isn't here.
-Tell her to come another day. -Sang Yu?
What are you hiding from?
I'm hiding from you! Leave!
Leave now!
Did something happen to you?
Mr. Sang, let her come up.
-You can talk in person. -Shut up!
Do you remember what you said?
You can dump three guys like me in a year.
You can add me to that today.
This whole thing
is making up for past regrets, isn't it?
Ma'am,
the door is open.
Don't move! I'll strangle you if you do!
Sang Yu.
Are you here, Sang Yu?
Are you okay?
Sang Yu…
Don't take it off!
If you take it off, you won't live.
An old lover.
You've got the money and are starting to enjoy it.
Who are you?
What do you want?
You want money, right?
I have a café, it's worth some money.
You can have it all.
-Hua'er… -Sang Yu…
Don't touch her! Don't you dare touch her!
-Don't touch her! -Sang Yu…
Qiang.
Qiang, I was wrong.
I'm begging you, let her go.
You can have everything.
I still have more.
I have more. They're all yours.
I'm begging you.
Sang Yu.
It's your first time here too, isn't it?
Do you know what he does?
A famous scriptwriter?
Do you think all of these
were written by hand?
Qiang.
Qiang, you don't have to do this.
We agreed to come for money.
Huabi…
Qiang!
Qiang.
Take the money, not lives!
Qiang,
take money…
Qiang--
Why couldn't you just shut up?
There are people who suddenly appear in our lives
that seem like bad guys.
And we
complain about our bad luck,
instead of considering
how we might have called them into our lives.
Actually, these bad guys are good people.
They come into our lives
to remind us.
It's just too late for him.
But you're a smart person.
Kill them. All of them.
You sons of bitches!
Sang Yu!
Are you crazy?
Don't move!
What are you doing?
Go!
Sang Yu!
Just hang on until we get out, okay?
Hurry!
Go!
Id, ego, and super-ego
form the human psyche.
In the real world,
the ego is restrained by social norms.
In dreams,
it's the id that releases primitive human desires.
And the super-ego acts against the id
while manipulating the ego.
Don't let money be your label.
I'm…
dreaming.
I'm dreaming.
Come out now!
I have some leftovers. Eat them and leave!
Don't die at my house!
You think you have a unique talent?
This is easy money for you!
You've gone too far.
I'm…
I'm dreaming.
Sang Yu.
Sang Yu?
Is it really you?
What happened to you?
Don't eat this.
Let's go.
I'll take you to eat.
Eat up.
You must be starving.
Little punk.
In a magazine,
I saw a story written by someone named Sang Yu.
I thought it was you.
You were right to keep writing.
You're very good.
All you need is a little luck.
I can't help you with much.
But if you want,
you can work at my café.
Sang Yu.
This is for you.
I can't take it.
It's too much.
Then consider it my investment in your script.
If you make money, it's yours.
If you lose money, it's on me.
I don't want to write scripts.
I can't write what others want me to write.
Write about what you want to write then.
You look good.
I've heard many excuses for extending deadlines.
Some say they lost their files.
Some say they got water on their computer.
Some got water in their brains.
But you're something else,
talking about the next life.
Thank you, San.
But I really…
can't write that script.
I borrowed ten thousand from someone.
It's to pay you back.
Sorry for the trouble.
That script you wrote before…
I sold it.
They said your writing was pretty good.
From now on,
you should write thrillers.
Here.
What are you looking at?
You won't even buy me a bowl of noodles?
In this world,
people think of time as an unchangeable dimension.
But in dreams,
we each have this ability.
We can put time in any order we like.
Life then has limitless possibilities.
As your time here ends,
on another timeline,
you might be living a completely different life.
Sir.
With egg and sausage. Thank you.
This belongs to you.
I appreciate the sentiment.
But it's money you traded your life for.
I can't accept that.
Look.
I traded mine too, once.
I'm happier where I am now.
Sang Yu.
Sang Yu?
Don't eat this.
Let's go.
I'll take you to eat.
Subtitle translation by: Kexin Zhou