I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 437 What will happen if the chocolate dog eats it...?

August 23, 2012, New York, North America.

Benny Fan is a second-generation Chinese American. His parents are both of Chinese descent. They stayed in the United States for schooling and work and obtained green cards.

From a young age, Fan received education in both North American and Chinese cultures. While learning Chinese, he also longed for his parents' homeland. He was a little different from many other Chinese children he knew, as they disliked anything related to China.

Fan could understand them because their parents hated the country and had immigrated here from China.

When you sell a stock, you certainly don't want it to skyrocket; you might even hope it crashes. You'll keep checking on it from time to time, and if it does drop, you'll be glad you made the right decision to sell.

Unfortunately, this magical stock in China kept rising.

Although the world is not optimistic about it, its economy, technology, and military have been on a strong upward trend.

This made many people who abandoned the project halfway through very unhappy.

They won't regret selling the stock in the first place; they'll only think that this lousy stock will eventually crash, but many people just can't see the truth.

They were really looking forward to seeing that day come.

Therefore, I also hope that my children can witness this together with them.

However, Fan's parents didn't think so.

They even regretted their initial decision, but the nature of their work meant they might not be able to find a higher-paying job back home.

Moreover, his parents missed their hometown very much from childhood, and whenever they had free time, they would take him back to visit his grandparents and maternal grandparents. They would also occasionally invite them to live in North America for a period of time.

Fan was obsessed with Chinese culture and spent a period of time online every day, browsing Chinese communities and forums.

This has been a habit he has developed over many years.

Entering the social circle of China feels like coming home; it feels much better there than at home!

Everyone there is talented and speaks very well. Fan Chao likes it there!

He knows more about Chinese history than many Chinese netizens do.

He also joined many QQ groups.

"Fan, John Wick is going to be released in North America at midnight, right?"

Have you bought the tickets?

A member of a Chinese group tagged Benny Fan; they all knew this guy was in the US.

He often jokingly asked if I could help him find a dishwashing job, not asking for much money, just $30,000 a month, enough to buy a Manhattan villa in three months.

To be honest, if there were such a job, Benny himself would want to do it; there's no way it would be their turn!

Unfortunately, even washing dishes in the kitchen of a five-star hotel doesn't earn this much.

I have no idea where these guys heard that from.

However, now that someone has tagged him about "John Wick," Benedict Cumberbatch seems to be getting excited.

He had been looking forward to this movie for a long time.

I hear these guys in the group bragging every day, and it's so frustrating not to see them... Besides, Benny Fan actually likes Chen Jin quite a bit, mainly because some of the movies he's made are pretty good.

He watched "The Big Events of Life" with his grandparents last summer when he went back to their house.

He definitely deserves a Venice Film Festival Best Actor award for this movie.

"Buy it, buy it!"

Fan was typing away. It was daytime in China, but it was already dark in North America, and a new day would begin in a little over an hour.

"Killer Dragon" was also officially released at that time.

"Let's boost Jin-ge's box office! If you're sensible, let your classmates go see it too!"

Some mischievous group members were offering unsolicited advice.

Fan laughed and said, "How did you know that many people in our class wanted to go see it?"

"You're treating, kid?"

"Hey Mao, I'm not a brainless fan!"

Fan, who speaks fluent Chinese, said, "I just told them that this movie grossed over 3 million US dollars in China!"

"Great! Let the Americans experience what an action-packed thriller is all about!"

"Chen Jin went on a killing spree in this movie!"

"Alright, I know all that. I've seen the trailers so many times I'm sick of them!"

After waiting for two whole weeks, Benny Van was practically dying of anticipation.

Two weeks. Do you know how I got through those two weeks?

Every day, I hear people in the group discussing this movie, how great the fight scenes are, how cool the visuals are, and the dark revenge killings. It's safe to say that it really got Benedict Cumberbatch hooked.

He usually enjoys watching movies.

He watches both Hollywood and Chinese movies, and he especially likes films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero".

Chinese people may scoff at these movies, but they have no idea how obsessed Chinese people who love kung fu are with them.

It's fair to say that many Chinese Americans were asked by their classmates, both Black and White, "Do you know how to use kung fu?" when they were young.

If even one of them knew a move or two, these guys wouldn't dare bully you.

When he was a child, Fan Zhen thought that every Chinese person knew kung fu.

This is the value of Chinese Kung Fu worldwide.

Benny Fan especially enjoys watching Jet Li's kung fu movies, his fighting is incredibly exciting; he hasn't watched many Jackie Chan movies, though, feeling that they deliberately cater to Western tastes, especially the Rush Hour series, which seems like a movie made for Western action aesthetics.

Of course, this movie was very successful, but his kung fu films have more comedic elements. To be honest, Benedict Cumberbatch still prefers the more realistic and hard-hitting fighting style.

The more fiercely they fight, the better.

For example, he really likes the style of "SPL: Sha Po Lang".

Donnie Yen was also an action star he felt was second only to Jet Li, and for a time he particularly enjoyed watching his films.

He was still very curious about Chen Jin, as it was the first time he had heard that this guy knew kung fu.

The movie "The Killer" is currently generating a lot of buzz in China, with many saying that the action scenes are exceptionally well-done and represent the pinnacle of action films. It's easy to see why such praise is so appealing to a fan who enjoys action movies.

Jingle Bell!
The alarm clock he'd specially set went off, and Benny Van immediately started typing furiously on the keyboard: "Guys, I'm off to the movies!"

Wish me luck!

"What kind of wishing? We've already seen it!"

"Haha, you weren't here before, were you? Fan said the girl he has a crush on is also going to the movies!"

"Damn, then I can't possibly wish him well!"

"that is!"

"get out!"

A group of friends were cursing and swearing, and Benny Fan laughed heartily; he loved this kind of Chinese-speaking atmosphere.

It's much more fun than those classmates who only know how to flirt with racers all day long.

“gogogo~~~”

Benny Van hummed a song, picked up his coat, and headed for the door.

He didn't go with his parents, even though they had bought tickets for tomorrow, and one for him and his brother; but Fan still chose the midnight showing because his classmates and goddess were there.

The little boy's intentions were quite obvious.

As soon as he stepped out the door, Fan sent a message to his crush, then called out to a few close friends, "Louis, are we off yet?"

"George?"

"..."

He asked around and, after getting confirmation, rode his bike straight to the nearest movie theater.

The goddess also sent a message, saying she had already left home.

Soon, Fan arrived at the AMC cinema and saw several familiar figures as he entered the lobby.

Of course, there are also a few annoying guys, especially those two with yellow skin; these are the Chinese Americans that Fan mentioned who hate China, and their parents always have all sorts of complaints and belittlements about China.

Fan doesn't really like his parents joining their gatherings, but racial discrimination is rampant in North America, so the phenomenon of Chinese people sticking together is very serious.

Even if people have different opinions, they tend to get closer to each other because they share the same skin color. But Benny Van didn't have as many concerns.

This guy is a troll online, always arguing with people, and he's no different offline; he's all about being real.

Whoever is online is also offline.

"Wang Mai, didn't you say you didn't like watching Chinese films?"

After greeting his classmates one by one, Fan walked towards his two mortal enemies.

"My name is Mike Wang, okay?"

Wang Mai, speaking in broken English, said unhappily, "Who told you this is a Chinese film? It was made in Hollywood, you idiot!"

"Oh, it's a Hollywood movie, but the lead actor is Chinese~~~"

Fan reminded him and switched to English.

"So what? I wouldn't have come if Chen Ni hadn't asked me!"

Chen Ni is Fan's goddess. She is also of Chinese descent, but she is of mixed Chinese and American descent. She is very beautiful, popular at Fan's school, and has many suitors.

It's not just Chinese people who like it; white and black people alike also enjoy it because it's youthful and vibrant.

"Director, lead actor, screenwriter, action choreographer... all are Chen Jin..."

As Fan spoke slowly and deliberately in a sarcastic tone, the guy named Wang Mai's expression clearly turned very unpleasant.

"Some movies are like chocolates: people can watch them without any problems, and they even taste good; but what about dogs—"

"Fuck!"

Wang Mai made a move to strike Fan, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cheerful figure walk in.

Who else could it be but Chen Ni?

He immediately put away his fist and glared fiercely at Fan.

"Hi, Wang Mai, Fan... Louis!"

Chen Ni called out to them one by one with a smile on her face. Beside her was a Chinese girl whom Fan also knew; she was a year younger than them.

"Is everyone here?"

Chen Ni came up to Fan and asked him a question.

"Not yet, Ons and the others haven't arrived!"

Fan glanced at her, but Chen Ni looked at Wang Mai's expression. She had already noticed when she walked in: "Were you two about to fight?"

"This guy? He thinks he can be a match for me?"

Fan deliberately mocked in Chinese, but with some dissatisfaction, he said, "Why did you call him here? You know he hates anything related to China!"

"..."

Chen Ni shrugged, and said in a slightly helpless voice, "I didn't call him, he came on his own!"

Wow... I see!

Fan glanced at Chen Ni and knew what Wang Mai was up to.

Damn it, trying to steal my woman?
Don't you even know what kind of person you are?
Chen Ni hates people who are "bananas" (meaning people who are Westernized and have an Asian appearance) the most.

In Fan's view, Wang Mai has clearly been sentenced to death.

Actually, a large part of the reason why Fan likes Chen Ni is because the two have similar values ​​and interests; unlike some Chinese girls who are even more disgusting than boys.

In this country where people of all races come together, Fan has encountered all sorts of oddities.

It was only when he entered the Chinese community that he realized how pure his spirit truly was!

Girls like Chen Ni are incredibly rare in North America.

"Let's not wait any longer, let's go inside!"

As Chen Ni was talking, she glanced at the time; it was almost midnight.

Although there are about half an hour of various advertisements before the North American screening, you can chat in the movie theater, which is actually much better than a crowded place like the lobby.

"Let's go then!"

Fan called out, completely ignoring Wang Mai, and walked straight towards the theater.

"I checked today, and pre-orders for 'John Wick' in North America are doing quite well!"

After sitting down, Fan spoke to Chen Ni beside him.

Wang Mai shamelessly wanted to sit on the other side, but was replaced by the young girl Chen Ni brought over.

"Yeah, I've been following it too. It's surpassed $250 million!"

"Is 252 okay?"

Fan laughed and said, "250 is not an auspicious number!"

"Haha, that's true, but these numbers are really good. For a movie that's not very well-known, these pre-sales are excellent!"

Like Fan, Chen Ni also enjoys watching movies.

"They're famous, aren't they? They're almost breaking box office records in China, it's close to 3.5 million US dollars, right?"

"This is also a form of publicity!"

Fan said in a low voice, "Isn't this what we all came for?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid only people of Chinese descent will come!"

"No, we still brought Louis and the others over, didn't we? Look at the people in the front row, there are white people and black people too!"

Fan tried his best to show his wisdom in front of his goddess.

They were there, talking and analyzing eloquently.

Chen Ni actually had a crush on Fan at first. She was a very smart girl and of course knew some of Fan's little thoughts.

But I just can't accept this guy's seriousness, and also his nerdy self-absorption, which makes him inconsiderate of other people's feelings.

So... this is also the reason why the two of them haven't gotten together yet.

"I feel like this movie's box office performance shouldn't be too bad!"

"Chinese people have very discerning tastes when it comes to action movies. For example, we all thought 'The Forbidden Kingdom' was pretty good back then, but it was universally panned!"

"Ha ha!"

Chen Ni couldn't help but laugh when the topic came up.

Although I felt a little uncomfortable with Fan's incessant talking, The Forbidden Kingdom was indeed controversial.

"Movies that they approve of, at least, don't need to worry about their reputation!"

"Anyway, I'm really looking forward to this movie. Several Chinese groups I'm in have been recommending it to me for half a month!"

"My cousin from China called me and said it looks great!"

A girl next to Chen Ni suddenly came over.

"Right? Anyway, it's a good movie, and I heard it's even a new model for action movies!"

"Shh-"

Chen Ni suddenly pointed at Fan and whispered, "We can't talk anymore, we're disturbing the audience in front!"

She was such a tactful and considerate girl. Fan probably realized he had said too much, so he picked up the popcorn next to him and asked, "Want some?"

"Ok!"

As the two interact, an advertisement pops up.

Time passed second by second, and finally it was the early morning of August 24th.

"Killer Dragon" officially premiered in North America at midnight.

Fan straightened his posture, but his hands were nervously trembling, unsure of what to do. He actually wanted to sneakily touch Chen Ni, but he didn't have the courage. Amidst this inner anxiety and struggle, the assassin Long, played by Chen Jin, appeared on the big screen.

Chen Ni watched intently, popcorn in her hand, her long eyelashes trembling as she stared intently at the figure on the big screen.

Actually, there was something she had never told Fan.

She really likes this Chinese actress named Chen Jin. She's liked her ever since "The Big Events of Life"!

(End of this chapter)