[Producer: Li Jie | Executive Producers: Zhang Wei, Xie Ying] [Master Planning: Wu Qian, Zhang Li Na, Zhang Jun Wei]
♫ Waiting and expecting to cross the hills in life ♫
♫ At the unknown intersection ♫
♫ Is there a splendid universe of dreams ♫
♫ From clamor to solitude the emptiness under the bright lights ♫
♫ Is like the pulse of the city ♫
♫ It's flickering ♫
♫ The subtle aching of our dreams ♫
♫ The more I know, the more confused I am ♫
♫ Guess again and again, but get no answer ♫
♫ The deeper I go, the freer I become ♫
♫ You and me in the coolest world ♫
♫ Find myself ♫ ♫ It's just to line up with life ♫
♫ Like the streams crossing each other ♫
♫ Even if we missed it, so what ♫
♫ Meet at the next intersection ♫ ♫ Dash around madly ♫
♫ Bravely light up the sparkles of youth ♫
♫ The weaker we are, the more we sink into the swamp ♫
♫ This song sings out the original me ♫
♫ Running hard against the wind ♫
♫ Towards my dream at the end ♫
[The Coolest World] [Director: Li Ang]
[Episode 1]
[The world is not perfect. In order to gain something, you have to lose something. - Plato]
No, Baby!
No, no!
Come on!
Come back!
[Press]
♪ La, la, la. La, la, la. ♪
♪ I'm the little artist that sells newspapers ♪
No one wants Nie's lame paintings. Why are you so happy?
Mind your tongue! They are not lame!
What's the name of our yard? Artist Community.
If his work is lame, everything here is lame.
You sure have a sharp tongue.
Nie Jiafan, what are you doing?
- Are you insane? - Cool!
What do you want? I haven't even brushed my teeth.
Look! How is it?
My new work,
"A torn woman."
Who did it to her? Was she robbed?
No! Torn by life and time!
Women live at the expense of life and time. Don't you know that?
Can't you understand how women get polluted,
exploited, and abused in this big melting pot? Don't you understand?
I didn't get it just now. Now that you've explained it to me, it makes sense!
Not bad! It's so cool!
How did you get the idea?
Nie Jiafan!
Are those my clothes?
Indeed.
I searched the closet for clothes you've never worn before. I thought you wouldn't wear those anyway.
Excuse me? I especially hid them to prevent you from destroying them again!
I was going to wear them for the commendation conference today!
So what?
The newspaper wants to commend your article, your spirit.
Those have nothing to do with your clothes.
They have become a part of my work.
You should be happy, shouldn't you?
Fine, just you wait!
I'll settle this with you when I return tonight. I'll interrogate your soul.
Stop pushing!
Stop it! Come on.
What's going on? You haven't replied to me.
Well,
whatever you want for dinner, name it. My treat.
Are you caught up in a dream again?
Eating while walking is bad for your health!
I mean it. If the bomb hadn't fallen right in front of me,
I would be holding an award and giving the acceptance speech by now.
You're excellent enough!
In such a short time, you've published an exclusive report in depth.
How many young reporters can be as good as you?
The news prize will be yours one day.
That sounds great, Sister Nuo.
I haven't heard any compliments since I came to Beijing. Keep talking.
That's enough. Get to work. Your leader will do it for me.
All right, I get it.
Sister Nuo, when will I be able I live a life like yours?
A promising career, a sweet marriage, and an adorable baby! I envy you.
You're adorable, too.
Have the artist propose to you.
Forget that. I'd be crazy to marry him!
- Mommy, Mommy! - What's wrong, Little Nuo?
It's nothing.
You'll find out later. She's always calling my name for help.
I need to go. I wish you success.
Sure. Goodbye, Sister Nuo.
Xiaoxiao!
- That's far from elegant! Stop licking the lid. - Why?
I heard from an expert that
the difference between a goddess and a wallflower is that the goddess never licks a lid.
Really? My expert said a goddess only licks the lid and dumps the rest of it!
- We'll let them fight it out. - Sure.
Sister Xiaowen. What brings you to the company today?
Since something this big happened at the magazine, I had to come.
It's not that big of a deal.
Anyway,
- thank you for coming to support me. - What?
No problem.
I've decided to come back.
There's no need to hurry! You just gave birth.
You should use up your maternity leave!
I can't stay still for long.
If things go on like this, I'll get out of touch with society.
No way. Here, I have another bottle of yogurt.
- Are you going to lick the lid? - You bet! Let's go.
[New Flag Magazine]
Feng, Mu...
Wai, Qianqian...
- You're so skinny! - You've put on weight!
Not bad, right?
President Lu.
Xiaoxiao, you made a great report this time.
How is it?
Have you made your decision?
The traditional press is facing a transition.
We need to adapt to the new era.
[Lu Mang. Editor in Chief of New Flag Magazine]
President Chen is very thoughtful.
We are now in cooperation with Yo Media.
You may carry on working there.
But you'll need to pass an internship period.
President Lu,
what about the salary during the internship?
Only meal allowance.
Those who want to come with me can register with Xiaowen.
I won't hold you off if you have better options.
All right. There's not much work to do today.
If any of you would like to resign,
you can just close your accounts with Sister Xu.
Enough, don't just stand there.
All your salaries have already been transferred into your accounts.
Come with me if you still need reimbursement.
Sir, I didn't see Nie.
Everyone said he came to the studio early this morning.
That boy... Acting so mysteriously since the morning.
Let's go back then.
- Wait outside. - Yes, Sir.
Take a look. Here's your payment for the last painting.
Do you think I'm skimping on the payment?
The last painting was sold for ¥1,000 ($155).
The other ¥1,000 is my gift for you.
Don't come to me again if it's about your art.
What do you mean?
I've known you for years.
A word of advice, you're a good man.
However,
you don't have the talent.
I've seen many people here at Songzhuang,
and I have rejected a lot of them!
I know things are hard for you,
but there are plenty of artists here who are having a hard time.
Yet they choose to work hard! You aren't famous for your art.
Instead, you're famous for being sweet with your girlfriend.
Songzhuang is full of masters, but they all live lonely lives!
A torn woman,
inspired by your girlfriend, again? You'd better talk to her.
Ask her to work hard and be successful. And you...
You can be a good husband, and sweet-talk her every day at home.
That's also another way of living.
Let's not see each other again.
Didn't Dong tell you?
There were rumors earlier this year.
Our magazine's performance is poor.
President Lu couldn't save it.
Xiaoxiao, I can completely understand how you feel. Anyone would feel the same.
You worked so hard on this report. We all know what you've done,
as does President Lu.
The effort wasn't in vain. At least you've gained experience.
Xiaoxiao, you should actually consider Yo Media.
It's a big, famous company, and it is the top one in our field.
President Lu tried so hard to get the opportunity for us.
Do you still want to work for him?
I enjoy clocking in and out. It feels fulfilling.
Gold will glitter no matter where it is.
Never be afraid of change.
[The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry]
President Lu.
Yes?
Could you please send me the address and registration time of the new company?
I'll create a group chat and post the information there.
And one more thing.
Is the new magazine issue still going to come out?
No.
Well... Was it printed?
I want to take a look.
I've wired the money.
You guys!
Hurry! Be careful! Don't get it wet!
Steady!
Give it to me.
Don't let them get wet.
Okay, go ahead.
Get in. I will wait here.
Cover them up!
Quickly! It's pouring outside!
Come on. Come on!
Go back. Back to the room! Hurry!
Back to the room!
Excuse me. Was New Flag Magazine printed here?
What's that?
Was New Flag Magazine printed here?
That magazine stopped publishing.
The latest issue, was it printed?
Try your luck over there in that pile of scraps.
Thank you.
Wang, get in! Get into the room. Hurry! [New Flag]
What are you doing?
When will it stop raining?
Hurry, Guys. Load this box.
Leave that one be.
It's getting wet!
Quickly! [New Flag]
The newspaper, it is soaked in water!
Hurry, quickly!
Take the cart and load it! Come on.
Hey! What do you need for the junk?
They are not junk! Not scraps!
I stayed in the countryside for three months for this! I wrote it myself!
It has my name on it!
It was meant to come out tomorrow!
Stop looking. Get to work.
Quickly!
Nie Jiafan.
Nie Jiafan? Nie Jiafan!
Nie Jiafan! Open the door!
His work got rejected again. He's in a bad mood.
See you.
Nie Jiafan, I know you're there. Open the door.
I can't do that.
I know you're sad.
We could talk about it tomorrow, okay?
I'm not opening the door!
Let's stop seeing each other for a while, all right?
Nie Jiafan, open the door and let me in first.
I'm tired. I need sleep.
We should break up.
I can't see you anymore.
Stop it, will you?
I'm being serious!
I'm in such a bad condition right now.
Do you know that you've seriously hindered my creativity?
I'm anxious every day.
What you said this morning made me feel concerned the entire day.
I kept thinking about how you'd want to fight with me tonight.
I'm worried I can't afford pigment. I'm afraid of you cutting me off.
That's not what an artist should think. Do you understand?
You have deprived me of my inspiration. I need some alone time.
I have to!
Nie Jiafan.
Don't be childish, please.
I know you're not doing well.
I'm doing rather bad today, too.
Nie Jiafan, I can stand your capriciousness!
I could play along,
but not today. I had an awful day.
All I want now is a bed. I want to sleep.
Let me in. I want to sleep!
Xiao,
I swear I didn't cheat on you,
but I'm serious about breaking up. I mean it. I can't stand it.
Check out all of the artists here at Songzhuang studio. Every painter that works there is single!
I'm only average, why? Because I'm stuck in this mess with you!
What else could I do?
I need pain. I need loneliness!
I want to be an artist! We are different.
Fine, you can enjoy your loneliness.
And I can break up with you, too.
Please, just let me come in to sleep.
I want to sleep.
I paid half the rent!
Why can't I get in? It's my right!
I'll transfer your share to you later.
Find a hostel for tonight. Or you could go to Sister Ding's place.
Hate me as you like. Think of me as trash.
♫ She dreamt that she could travel far across the sea ♫
♫ But probably couldn't withstand even the small waves ♫
♫ She strived to find some light in the darkness ♫
♫ Before she found it ♫
♫ She fell on the beach in exhaustion ♫
♫ She planned for the wild celebration after success ♫
♫ When she can appreciate their congratulations with a smile ♫
♫ Yet she fails after taking the first step ♫
♫ When will she get the chance to bloom perfectly ♫
♫ That girl is struggling in this world ♫
♫ She may hesitate ♫
♫ Her future may be unknown ♫
♫ That girl will never fear the absurd ♫
♫ She's running in the wind ♫
♫ With fresh perspiration on her forehead ♫
It is well written.
The odds are against you, poor you.
He has the money to pay you,
but he's worried about not having money for canvas and paint.
Nie Jiafan. He's seriously a jerk.
Whatever. It's not worth it.
He should go to hell.
Sigh.
I don't love him anymore. I mean it.
Well, what happened to me today is actually a blessing.
I've looked up the new company.
I don't meet their requirements in terms of schooling, experience, or skill sets.
I should be happy.
Is it about the Mercury retrograde? You'll be fine in a while. (T/N: Mercury retrograde refers to a season of bad luck.)
Stop. Stop talking about the Mercury retrograde.
It seems to me that it's retrograde all year round.
Just like my period, it strikes once a month,
then there's the incubation period, and after that, the week of the recovery phase.
Bad luck strikes me every day. I'm drowning in bad luck.
Let me get you something.
Wait for me.
Here.
What is it?
You're going to report to the new company tomorrow.
I just bought this shirt. Now it's yours.
No way, it's new! How could I take it?
Look at you. You're not thinking about wearing these to the new company, are you?
Just take it!
Thanks, Sister Nuo. Once I get my salary, I'll pay you back.
All right, stop it.
Get some sleep, okay?
Tomorrow morning, you will wake up to a new day,
and then you can go full speed ahead.
- Sleep early. - Thank you.
Stop it!
[New Flag Magazine]
- Excuse me. Is Yo Media over there? - Go straight ahead.
- Thank you. - No problem.
[Wangjing East Station]
Timing and Subtitles Brought To You By 😎 💢 The Coolest Team💥 😎 @Viki.com
Bye.
Coming through.
Thanks.
Am I in your way at all? How cocky!
- You have a card. So what? - Calm down.
I'm telling you. Did you see that woman?
Take a bite. Hurry.
What are you talking about?
- Nothing. - Never mind. You—
What a fancy place, so much better than our office!
Where is the rest?
Over here!
By the way, they all have badges to enter. What about us?
President Lu didn't bring it up to me.
- I have the badges. - Good morning!
- President Lu. - Sir.
Is everyone here?
Xiaoxiao hasn't arrived yet.
Okay, I'll wait here.
- Use this badge. - Thank you, President Lu.
It's on the sixteenthth floor.
I'm sorry for being late, President Lu.
Today's the first day at the new post. Cheer up.
Follow me.
Right, from now on, clock in at the front desk.
You should wait here. The boss is having a meeting.
I will report to her.
[YO Media]
Back to work!
[Qin Qiao, Acting Chief Editor.]
- Lu Mang. - President Qin.
- Shouldn't there be eight people? - Some of them had better options.
I wasn't expecting them anyway.
Paper media is a different thing for new media.
A small company like yours can hardly know what's it like in Yo Media.
With me stands the management team. They will help your folks understand the various departments here.
You'll need to pick up the rest on your own.
In the following month, HR will evaluate each one of you in real-time.
Make a major mistake and you're fired.
Is there anything else?
No.
They are yours.
Lu Mang, to my office!
What are your skills?
[Li Ruo, Director of Marketing Department]
I'm good at making PowerPoints.
You, with me!
I'm good at dealing with forms and questionnaires.
I used to be an editor, so writing is within my capability.
Follow me.
[Du Mingyue, Manager of Variety Show Department]
I know Photoshop, and I used to do typesetting.
You, with me!
Me, too, and I'm also into music editing.
Music Editor, to my department!
[Zhou Jia, Manager of Publicity Department.]
Silent One, come with me.
[Liu Zifeng, Manager of Planning Department]
- Let's go. - Come with me.
Stop staring.
You know, Sister Zifeng is in charge of the entire floor.
Report to her.
Hi, Sister Zifeng. I'm Teng Xiaoxiao.
Hong... Hui? [Hong Hui]
You can call me Brother Hui.
[Hong Hui, Planning Department's Project Manager.]
Brother Hui.
Tell me, what can you do?
I'm a journalist. I'm good at writing articles and doing interviews.
I once interviewed twelve people in one day.
And I can take photos.
Tell me your thoughts about new media and the internet.
In my opinion, the essence of media is delivering the message.
That will never change.
Our attitude shouldn't change either.
A new graduate...
Here's the thing. The work in the planning department is complicated.
We do all of the coordination work, even if it's not related to the content.
For now, follow Hong Hui and learn from him. We will talk later.
All right.
Sister Zifeng,
about the review copy I submitted this morning... Will it work?
I don't think so.
Brother Hui? Brother Hui?
What should I learn?
Or what could I do today?
From what you shared, there isn't much you can do right now.
First, learn the software used for image editing, copywriting,
and video editting. It'll be useful later.
I will learn the software as soon as possible. I can learn those at home too.
Is there anything else I can help with today?
You...
You can get familiar with this place first.
Take a look.
At what?
Look at what everyone's busy doing!
Okay.
Do you think this will work?
Sure?
Take a look at this first, [Yuri Pleskun]
and improve your sense of aesthetics.
You don't have to record everything. Customer experience depends on the traffic.
Sister!
What now?
I went to your office, and you weren't there.
I'm only going to the restroom!
I will wait for you.
Whatever.
Here, have some water.
Thank you. Thanks, Sister Xiaowen.
- No problem. Here you are. - Thanks.
No problem.
I can't get used to the pace here. It's so different from our office!
I feel the same!
I spent the entire morning on a project. It got rejected in five seconds.
Comparison drives everyone crazy.
We are at the bottom of the food chain here.
It isn't the food chain. We are the latest popular trend: "chain of contempt."
Big fish despises small fish. Small fish despises shrimp.
I'm afraid we are even lower than shrimps to them.
Even President Lu starts at the bottom. We have to keep up.
I heard President Lu was transferred to the independent media department.
Maybe we will get transferred there, too.
But the way things are going now...
I wonder if we'll make it until then.
Cheer up.
No matter what they think of us, we can't give up.
Come on!
Come on! Go for it.
- Brother Hui. - Yes?
You've been working this morning. I saw you skipped lunch, so...
Well, you asked me to observe what people are working on.
I did. They all seem very busy.
I don't have the heart to bother them,
yet I don't want to be idle.
Is there anything I could do?
Actually, in our work, everyone does many things.
We're not so specialized.
If you see something that needs to be done, you can jump in any time.
You look smart to me.
Walk around.
Get involved whenever you're needed. I won't give you commands.
You're not my subordinate, right?
Understood.
- Don't mess up. - All right!
It's her!
Manager Hong, it's her!
Look at her.
- What's wrong? - My goodness!
She changed the bottled water in the dispensers and took out all of the trash!
She took out the trash of the entire floor!
I didn't ask you to do that!
Couldn't you find anything else to do?
Is that your job?
Sorry, Manager Hong, calm down.
Miss, I mean we have staff
to take care of the logistics.
Taking out the trash, and changing the barrels.
You don't need to do that. If you finish other people's jobs,
then it'll make things difficult for us.
- I'm sorry about that. - It's okay.
- I'm sorry. - Get to work. I'm leaving.
Sorry for the trouble.
You're a genius, Teng Xiaoxiao.
It's only been minutes. You're doing a great job.
Hong Hui!
- President Qin. - Where is Sister Zifeng?
She's reviewing the footage.
I can do it for you, too.
Take the disk...
You.
Take the disk to the forty-sixth floor, Footage Department.
To whom? What's the procedure?
Deliver it to the footage department, sign the form, and give it to me. Understood?
Sure!
- Xiaoxiao! - Xiaoxiao!
President Lu told us
to meet in the meeting room on the sixteenth floor at 5:30 p.m.
Great, we can be together again.
I need to return something. See you in a bit.
Careful.
Don't make mistakes!
All right, we should go back to work.
- Okay, see you. - Sure.
Which office? Number one? Thank you. Thanks.
Number three, number one... there!
Excuse me?
I'm sorry to bother you. Should I hand the footage to you?
Who let you in?
I knocked on the door. Maybe it wasn't loud enough.
I'm sorry about that.
- We have important equipment here. Pay attention next time. - Sure.
May I sign the form?
It's there. Fill it in yourself.
Lend me your pen, thanks.
- May I ask what your name is? - Hou Yong.
[Hou Yong, Director of Footage Department.]
- How do you spell Yong? - Y-O-N-G.
- Are you new here? - Yes.
Here you are. Please sign it. Thank you.
Be careful next time.
- You, interns, need to be more careful. - All right.
We have a strict procedure here.
I get it, Mr. Hou. I'm sorry.
Come back!
Come back.
Did you touch the hard drive?
- No. - Then what's going on?
I have no idea. I mean... I took it here right after I got it. I promise.
You just walked out of this room. Are you blaming it on me?
No, that's not what I mean, Mr. Hou.
I have no idea. I immediately took it here.
I didn't do anything to it, really.
Can I talk to my boss?
Hold on. Stop.
This isn't over. Don't run away.
- Who's your boss? - President Qin.
You're doomed.
I'm telling you.
All the footage is transferred to post-production directly from the shooting scene.
Only department managers have access to it.
Are you implying that Sister Qiao messed with the disk?
Timing and Subtitles Brought To You By 😎 💢 The Coolest Team💥 😎 @Viki.com
♫ The subway at 8:30 in the morning ♫
♫ The crowded street ♫
♫ The sunlight with slight warmth is as dazzling as usual ♫
♫ The muggy carriage is full of people with indifferent faces. ♫
♫ The quivering train window reflects a pair of perplexed eyes ♫
♫ I doubted it again and again ♫
♫ I shed my tears in the sleepless night ♫
♫ I've heard too many voices of doubt ♫
♫ I hide my tears while I fade into the crowds ♫
♫ Under the colorful neon lights ♫
♫ Wandering alone in the city ♫
♫ Where is the piece of sky that belongs to me ♫
♫ Maybe in some corner ♫
♫ Pretending I'm fine when I'm in pain ♫
♫ Because I believe in what little dream I have left ♫
♫ If I declare I failed today, what else can I do ♫
♫ Even the humblest singer still have a loyal audience ♫
♫ In the coolest world, give myself a hug ♫
♫ Stumbling along on the way ♫
♫ Is how I will encourage my heart ♫