Front row of the screening hall.
Qi Shaobai's eyes were calm and cool as he looked at the big screen.
It was not until the sounds of the audience weeping around him grew more and more obvious that he glanced left and right.
He raised his eyebrows puzzledly, truly unable to understand what there was to cry about.
The plot twist was within his expectations.
The director had long hinted to the audience through camera work and even changes in the background music.
Those tear-jerking moments that made other audiences empathize and feel sad seemed to him the inevitable outcomes of meticulous design, the clues long buried.
Rather than being swayed by the emotional ups and downs of the plot, he was more keen on reasoning out the results from the details.
This was exactly why he appreciated this director.
Worried that his parents might see him turning his head, he pulled up his face mask and warily glanced around with the corner of his eyes.
His indifferent eyes suddenly froze.
Unexpectedly, he found that the girl sitting next to him also had a calm, contemplative look, the same as him.
The movie finally ended and the lights came on.
Spontaneous applause rang out in the screening hall.
Amidst the applause,
the leads, important supporting roles, director, and producer slowly walked out from backstage.
They waved at everyone in greeting.
The staff brought chairs and microphones on stage.
Right after that was the meet-and-greet session after the screening.
The director talked about the original intention of making the film, the leads shared funny anecdotes from the shooting process.
Finally the microphone was passed to the producer. Beaming, the host let the producer pick lucky audience members on site who could ask questions of the creative team.
Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Qi Shaobai hurriedly put on his hat,
trying his best to reduce his presence.
While the front row audience actively volunteered, he lowered his head and quietly walked toward the exit.
Chi Xia was puzzled.
She had been wondering all along why he would wear a mask and hat to watch a movie.
His behavior of leaving early was even more bizarre.
On stage, the producer raised the microphone, his eyes scanning the fans below one by one.
Seeing something, his eyes suddenly widened.
Very quickly his expression returned to normal. He picked an enthusiastic fan in the first row to take questions.
When they came out of the theater, the air was no longer as fresh as when they had arrived.
Stuffy, about to rain.
Sheng Mumu was holding unfinished orange juice, still wearing Qi Mo's coat.
Cheng Zhuo touched his stomach and asked everyone,
"I'm a little hungry. Shall we go eat a midnight snack together?"
"Good." Qiao Li's heart had been wounded by the sad plot. She urgently needed good food to recuperate, and was the first to agree to Cheng Zhuo's suggestion.
Sheng Mumu and Qi Mo also nodded.
Cheng Zhuo remembered there was a Cantonese restaurant near the theater. He suggested going there to eat.
Since it was close, they walked over instead of driving.
On the way, Qiao Li and Cheng Zhuo walked in front.
Cheng Zhuo was mocking Qiao Li for her low tear threshold, while Qiao Li retorted that he was hardhearted for not crying at all.
Arguing with each other, the two of them started bickering.
Walking behind them, Sheng Mumu secretly laughed when she heard their quarrel.
Lowering her voice, she said to the man beside her,
"Don't they seem like elementary school kids fighting? What do you think?"
Hearing her words, Qi Mo's gaze followed hers to look at the two people.
The corners of his eyes crinkled, his jaw lightly tapped, agreeing with her thought.
Laughing, Sheng Mumu drank up the remaining orange juice in her cup.
After drinking it all, she looked around.
Not finding a trash can, she continued holding it in her hand.
Just then, the man's hand next to her shifted over, his evenly spaced, well-shaped fingers lifted.
Without thinking, she handed over her empty cup.
A completely reflexive reaction.
Qi Mo naturally took her empty drink cup from her.
He held his hands behind his back, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened.
His low, gentle voice asked:
"Did you think this movie was good?"
Sheng Mumu was absorbed in the conversation, and didn't notice at all that she had handed her empty cup to him. She answered:
"It was good. I really liked several of the scene transitions and the soundtrack."
Qi Mo accommodated her pace, walking slower than usual.
His tone was relaxed and casual:
"Yeah, I thought so too."
After Sheng Mumu shared her feelings about the movie, she suddenly held up one finger, as if to emphasize:
"The best, the best part was—"
"The abrupt ending," Qi Mo turned his head, his eyes laughing as he looked over to complete her sentence.
"How did you know I was going to mention this part!?" Sheng Mumu blinked in disbelief. "The handling of this ending was too good, leaving room for imagination. Everyone can have different interpretations of it. I loved it so much."
The corners of Qi Mo's lips curved up faintly, his handsome side profile chiseled and refined in the night.
"Yeah, this was my favorite part too."
The two chatted as they walked.
From the cinematography of the film to the soundtrack, then to Qi Shaobai's monthly exam tomorrow.
When they passed by a trash can, Qi Mo threw away the drink cup in his hand.
Only then did Sheng Mumu come to a belated realization.
When had he taken her empty drink cup from her?
Strange.
She didn't even notice.
At the Cantonese restaurant Cheng Zhuo recommended, Qiao Li took charge of ordering dishes.
Not because she was good at ordering food.
But because she saw cousin and cousin's wife were still chatting, and didn't want to interrupt them.
Their conversation had somehow swerved back to the movie from Qi Shaobai's monthly exam.
When the dishes arrived, Sheng Mumu rested her cheek on her hand. She tapped her finger on her cheek.
Her brows knitted slightly, pondering as she asked Qi Mo:
"In your judgment, how much would it cost to invest in this movie?"
Cheng Zhuo's hand froze in the midst of unwrapping the cutlery when he heard her words.
A familiar feeling from work surfaced.
Sister Sheng was Sister Sheng after all.
Even when watching a movie, she didn't forget to consider its commercial value.
Such entrepreneurial spirit was truly admirable.
Qi Mo's posture was lazy and casual. He leaned back in his chair.
His eyes held obvious appreciation and laughter as he replied in his deep voice:
"Around there."
Just then, a group of people walked into the Cantonese restaurant.
It was the creative team for the movie "Burning Delusion".
The four people at the table looked over.
Except for Qi Mo, obvious excitement and delight showed in the eyes of the other three.
They didn't expect to run into celebrities even when getting a midnight snack.
How lucky.
Under the table, Qiao Li squeezed Sheng Mumu's hand.
"Sister-in-law, I really want to ask Director Qiu for an autograph. I'm his fan."
Sheng Mumu squeezed her hand back. "I also want the leads' autographs. I feel like they're going to become big stars."
Autographs were definitely worth a lot of money.
Right at this moment, one person in the creative team caught sight of them and his eyes suddenly brightened.
After saying a few words to the people behind him, the producer came straight over with the director and leads.
As they drew closer and closer, Sheng Mumu and Qiao Li tightened their gripped hands.
Sheng Mumu lowered her voice:
"Li Li, were we talking too loudly just now? Did they overhear us?"
Qiao Li's palms grew slightly sweaty:
"I'm so nervous, sister-in-law. They really seem to be walking this way!"
The producer approached their table and gave the man with the composed, calm demeanor a polite, respectful smile.
"Chairman Qi, I was startled to see you in the audience earlier. Didn't expect to run into you again here."
"Thank you so much for investing in our film."
