Entertainment: I am the peak

Chapter 707 "Marriage Story" (Extremely Long Chapter)

"Marriage Story" did not receive much attention before the film festival opened. There were too many masters at this year's film festival, and Li Qiutang, who was not involved in the international film scene, was not even in the running for the first time.

However, today's premiere still attracted a large number of big names. The biggest guests today were Cate Blanchett, the president of the jury for the main competition section of this film festival, and another Chinese jury member, Zhang Zhen.

Judges have the freedom to choose which films to watch; there are special screenings by judges, and they can also attend public screenings by the film crews at the film festival.

The two chose the latter, but as judges of the main competition, they both refused to give any interviews on the red carpet at the screening.

Not only the two judges, but also the crew of "Ash Is Purest White," which is also in the main competition, came. Jia Zhangke, along with his wife and the male lead Liao Fan, also came to support "Marriage Story."

Fan Bingbing naturally wouldn't miss Li Qiutang's premiere. In an interview, Fan Bingbing said, "I'm really looking forward to director Qiutang's film. As for the various doubts from the outside world, I think we shouldn't take them to heart. I also believe in Yifei. The two of them working together will definitely bring surprises to the audience. Let's not talk about being nominated as a victory. I sincerely hope that 'Marriage Story' can win an award."

Suddenly, a gasp of surprise came from the end of the red carpet.

There were unexpected guests at the premiere. Hirokazu Kore-eda, the director of the film "Shoplifters," a hot film at this year's film festival, and the film's leading actress, Sakura Ando, ​​made a surprise appearance.

The crew of "Marriage Story" had not been notified in advance, but they were not alarmed by Hirokazu Kore-eda's arrival. He walked the red carpet and watched the movie as usual, without needing any special treatment.

Hirokazu Kore-eda gave a brief interview on the red carpet, saying, "I have heard of director Li Qiutang for a long time and am very curious about his film. I want to see it as soon as possible."

The premiere red carpet lasted for 40 minutes, with media, film critics, and guests taking their seats and waiting for the film to start.

The moviegoers were surprised to find that the film festival's artistic director, Thierry Frémaux, would be hosting the screening for Li Qiutang.

Fu Mao had previously hosted screenings for other directors, but only very rarely, which shows his fondness for Li Qiutang.

Fu Mao spoke only the usual farewell remarks of a host, praising Li Qiutang and other key members of the production team, welcoming all the guests to the film, and finally wishing everyone a pleasant viewing experience before leaving to begin the screening.

First, the dragon logo appeared, which means that the version screened in Cannes is the same as the version shown in China.

Autumn Pictures' opening animation.

The opening credits fade in and out, with "Director Li Qiutang's work" appearing last. After this credit fades out, the title "Marriage Story" appears on the black screen.

The title fades out, revealing the truth.

A cacophony of sounds erupted: clanging, people talking, objects colliding, and the classic Nokia ringtone.

As the scene fades in, the audience can finally see that Liu Yifei, who plays Zhu Xiaoyan, is crammed onto the subway during rush hour. Her face is expressionless as she tries her best to hold onto the handrail and stand still, glancing at the man in front of her every now and then, as if waiting for him to get off so she can grab his seat.

Li Qiutang jumps through the scene here, and the next shot shows Zhu Xiaoyan exiting the subway station and walking home.

As can be seen from the roadside signs, Beijing is preparing for the Olympics, and there is demolition and construction everywhere. Zhu Xiaoyan's way home is full of potholes and is very inconvenient.

After circling a pried-open manhole cover and lightly jumping over a puddle full of water, Zhu Xiaoyan continued walking home.

Fu Mao nodded in approval as he watched from the audience. The characters had no lines, but the two scenes in the opening subway and the way home, which were less than two minutes long, clearly explained the historical background, the characters' situation, and the tone of the story.

The historical context is easily discernible from the background noise and the roadside environment. Zhu Xiaoyan's crowded subway ride and her "rugged" journey home indicate that she is currently in a predicament, or at least facing difficulties.

Every shot by an art director has meaning, especially the opening. A director would never show the audience something inexplicable at the beginning.

Jia Zhangke read this opening and smiled. This opening is very much like the Sixth Generation, depicting the joys and sorrows of ordinary people in a great era. He also likes to play with this kind of theme.

Liu Yifei's clothing in the play is also carefully chosen. She wears a thin gray coat, and gray symbolizes monotony and indifference. In addition, Li Qiutang shines a cold light on Liu Yifei in the bustling subway car, which immediately brings out the numbness and indifference of the character.

Zhu Xiaoyan continues walking forward. Through the environment, the audience can learn that Zhu Xiaoyan lives in an ordinary community. Li Qiutang uses a short handheld long shot to record Zhu Xiaoyan's way home.

Slight shaking simulates an uncertain state.

The next cut shows Zhu Xiaoyan arriving at her floor, but the motion-activated lights in the hallway are not on.

At this moment, Zhu Xiaoyan uttered her first line: "Hey!"

The yellow light came on, warming the whole scene.

When Li Qiutang processed the "hey," she added a slight echo to make the sound brighter and more three-dimensional, and also added some diffusion to the warm light to enhance the warm effect.

Then the camera focused on Liu Yifei, and the audience could clearly feel that the actress had relaxed. The shot then cut to a medium shot, showing her taking out her keys to open the door.

Liu Yifei filmed this close-up shot 27 times, and Li Qiutang scolded her for 17 of them.

"Beautiful!" Whether it was Fumo, Hirokazu Kore-eda, or Jia Zhangke, they were all very satisfied with this 3-minute opening shot.

Tarkovsky's cry has been imitated by countless successors, and Liu Yifei's "Hey!" also comes from Tarkovsky, which is not hard to see.

This cry of "Hey!" brought light and warmth, isolating the character from external indifference. It successfully transitioned between the character's physical and emotional space.

This strong visual contrast directly conveys emotions and the director's message to the audience, making it more powerful than dialogue.

This scene also tells the audience that Zhu Xiaoyan's light and warmth are flickering and unpredictable, and that she needs to actively call for and fight for them.

As the saying goes, a true expert's skill is immediately apparent. Li Qiutang's handling of the opening three minutes immediately convinced the professional directors, journalists, and film critics in the audience that his film was bound to be of high quality.

If the first three minutes are shot like this, it's hard for the rest of the film to fall apart, unless the director is an idiot.

"Is this his first time directing an art film?" Zhao Tao was also surprised by the profound skill that Li Qiutang displayed in the opening scene.

Most commercial film directors who switch to art films cannot achieve the same level of clarity of purpose and precision of expression as Li Qiutang.

As Zhu Xiaoyan opened the door and entered the house, the first thing she heard was the clattering and banging sounds coming from the kitchen.

"Why are you up so early today?" Zhu Xiaoyan took off her coat, walked into the kitchen, and saw her husband Liang Jiangong cooking. She asked him and washed her hands at the tap.

"I'm not busy today, and it's rare for me to leave work on time. My dear wife is busy, so I'll cook you a meal to treat you." Liang Jiangong, played by Qin Hao, said with a smile, "Come and try the new dish I've been researching." He then picked up a piece of meat from the pot.

"Treat me well, that sounds nice." Zhu Xiaoyan wiped her hands clean, smiled, and then leaned over to taste her husband's food.

The freshly cooked dish was very hot, and a drop of sauce accidentally dripped onto Zhu Xiaoyan's white shirt: "Oops, my clothes!"

Liang Jiangong quickly apologized and said with a smile, "I'll wash it for you. I'll just use baking soda and white vinegar. You can go out now, dinner will be ready soon."

What follows is a very normal scene of a married couple having dinner, chatting about everyday matters.

The camera work on Li Qiutang in this scene was very disciplined, highlighting the stability and harmony of the characters' relationships.

The scenes between Liu Yifei and Qin Hao were very heartwarming, and the audience could tell that they were a loving couple.

The next scene is a couple working separately after dinner. Zhu Xiaoyan is looking at her documents on the coffee table in the living room, while Liang Jiangong is still sitting at the dining table.

Li Qiutang uses the wall between the living room and dining room to separate the two. The line on the wall stands between them. First, there is a close-up of Zhu Xiaoyan working, with Liang Jiangong blurred in the background. Then, as Zhu Xiaoyan looks up at her husband, the camera zooms in on Liang Jiangong and cuts to a close-up, where he is seen frowning at the computer screen in front of him.

Zhu Xiaoyan reappeared in the painting, poured her husband a glass of water, and placed it next to Liang Jiangong.

Liang Jiangong seemed used to his wife's concern, and didn't say anything or even look at her.

Some directors, driven by professional sensitivity, realized that a crisis was imminent.

After such a beautiful opening, a heartwarming scene of interaction between the couple followed, and then quickly transitioned into a relatively cold scene of pouring water.

The dining table is large, so why did Liu Yifei go to work in the living room instead of sitting opposite her husband? Li Qiutang probably used lines to separate the two of them to foreshadow the impending crisis.

Sure enough, after pouring the water and sitting back in the living room, Zhu Xiaoyan seemed a bit irritable and couldn't concentrate on her documents. It was unclear whether it was because of her husband's earlier indifference or the heavy workload.

At this moment, Li Qiutang cut to a wide shot from Liu Yifei's right, capturing both of them in the shot.

At this point, the audience should realize that something is about to happen.

As night fell, Zhu Xiaoyan, still half-asleep, was startled awake by a phone ringing. From Zhu Xiaoyan's perspective (as presented here by Li Qiutang), she vaguely saw Liang Jiangong bend over to reach for his phone on the bedside table. The husband's actions, the phone's ringtone, and the light made Zhu Xiaoyan uncomfortable. This didn't seem like spam; she saw her husband reply to the message, then put the phone back.

This is a further setup for the crisis. The previous estrangement and silence between the two were not enough to trigger the crisis. This scene is the official foreshadowing of the crisis - an outsider has invaded the couple's private sleeping space.

Is it infidelity? Or is it a crisis of trust in the marriage caused by being too busy with work?

Many experienced viewers have already figured it out.

But the audience shared a common feeling: "This young director from China is so restrained, not at all impatient, not in a hurry to throw out conflicts, not in a hurry to reveal crises, and not even in a hurry to pursue so-called dramatic tension."

"Isn't he afraid that the audience will get bored and leave halfway through?"

Li Qiutang wasn't afraid at all; he never intended to sell tickets when he made this film.

The film continues.

Just when the audience thought a crisis was about to erupt in the next scene, Li Qiutang brought out Zhu Xiaoyan's mother, Aunt Sun.

Moreover, Aunt Sun's appearance was also very interesting. The couple got up and were washing up when they heard the clattering of keys at the door. Li Qiutang gave a close-up of the door, making the sound of the keys seem particularly loud. Then the door opened, and Aunt Sun came in carrying groceries.

Shot from below, Aunt Sun appears tall and imposing.

She has a key, so she can freely enter her daughter and son-in-law's living space.

"You're up? These are the steamed buns and porridge I made. I brought them to you while they're still hot, so eat quickly."

The sudden intrusion of her mother made Zhu Xiaoyan and Liang Jiangong, who had just gotten up, feel a little uncomfortable, but they both concealed their unease and panic very well. Zhu Xiaoyan even touched her husband's arm and smiled, "Let's eat." She seemed to know that her husband didn't like her mother acting like this.

Liu Yifei handled the subtle changes in expression very well, accurately conveying to the audience Zhu Xiaoyan's own conflicted feelings that she was not used to it, but there was nothing she could do because this was her biological mother, and she had grown up like this since childhood and could not change it.

Too much and it's overdone; too little and it's distorted.

Liu Yifei was reprimanded twelve times by Li Qiutang for this, and she cursed Li Qiutang a lot behind his back.

The family of three was having breakfast, sitting in a triangle formation, with Aunt Sun in the main seat and the couple sitting opposite her.

In film and television dramas, when characters stand in a triangle formation, it means that there is important information to convey to the audience.

In this breakfast scene, Li Qiutang places Aunt Sun's position as the vertex of a triangle, with her at the top and the couple forming the base at the bottom, highlighting Aunt Sun's dominant role in the family and the stability of the family relationship at this time.

The three chatted about everyday things, and Aunt Sun nagged her daughter and son-in-law: "You should get up earlier and make your own breakfast. Eating out every day is unhealthy."

While eating the breakfast her mother had made, daughter Zhu Xiaoyan asked, "You came over so early in the morning, leaving my dad home alone?"

"I left him some food; he can eat it himself."

Zhu Xiaoyan probed indirectly, "Where do you plan to go after my dad retires in two years?"

"Where are you going? Just stay home and let you two take care of the kids. I..."

Before Aunt Sun could finish speaking, Liang Jiangong's phone rang. It was another text message. Liang Jiangong took out his phone, glanced at it, put it back in his pocket, and then stood up and said, "Mom, I'm done eating. I'm going to work."

From the moment Liang Jiangong's phone rang until he looked at it and put it back, Li Qiutang showed Zhu Xiaoyan's reaction; she turned her head and quickly glanced at her husband.

The text message ringtone was nothing unusual, but Liang Jiangong's words that he was leaving after reading the message reminded Zhu Xiaoyan of the ringtone she vaguely heard in her sleep last night, which was also a text message from Liang Jiangong.

Perhaps she was overthinking it; it was just a text message, and Zhu Xiaoyan didn't take it to heart. Seeing her husband about to leave, she also got ready to go to work.

Upon arriving at the company, Zhu Xiaoyan began her work. Through conversations with her colleagues, the audience learned that Zhu Xiaoyan works at an advertising company and is currently working on advertising related to the Olympics.

Zhu Xiaoyan also said she would urge the project team to put the billboard up as soon as possible.

After reading this dialogue, Jia Zhangke pursed his lips and smiled.

Zhu Xiaoyan's road home was riddled with potholes due to the preparations for the Olympics, causing her so much trouble, while she herself now relies on Olympic advertising to support her family. It's somewhat ironic.

Zhu Xiaoyan took a stack of documents to one of her subordinates to assign tasks. The young subordinate was facing the computer with his back to Zhu Xiaoyan. Zhu Xiaoyan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Zhang."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Zhang quickly switched the chat window on his computer screen to a Word document.

Zhu Xiaoyan didn't mind her subordinate occasionally slacking off, and laughed, "Stop playing around, follow up on this order. Why are you switching windows? What are you afraid I'll see?"

"No." Xiao Zhang was embarrassed after being caught red-handed. "It's a private matter, and it's not convenient for me to show you, haha."

Xiao Zhang left with the task assigned to him by his supervisor, but his words touched Zhu Xiaoyan and reminded her of her husband's text message.

Zhu Xiaoyan was lost in thought at her seat for a while when a cell phone rang in the office, startling her awake.

The phone rings louder. A quick panning shot shows a colleague holding the phone to his ear, covering the microphone and his mouth, and hurrying out of the office to answer it.

This perfectly normal behavior touched Zhu Xiaoyan once again.

The camera then returns to Zhu Xiaoyan's face, which appears blank, thoughtful, and deep.

“Liu Yifei has finally figured it out,” Jia Zhangke said softly to Zhao Tao. “From the beginning until now, her performance has been absolutely perfect. I really don’t know how Li Qiutang managed to train Liu Yifei to this level.” Jia Zhangke had seen several of Liu Yifei’s films and judged that she wasn’t the kind of actress with exceptional talent and quick wit who could surprise audiences. “She’s starting to resemble Zhang Manyu from back in the day.”

Zhao Tao made a risqué joke: "They sleep together every day, how could they not know how to make love?"

Jia Zhangke smiled and continued watching the movie.

Before leaving get off work, Zhu Xiaoyan specifically asked her husband if she could leave. Liang Jiangong said that a client had come to the company and he needed to accompany her to a meeting, and he would go home later to have dinner with her.

So Zhu Xiaoyan left work on time, took her work materials home with her, so she could prepare dinner for her husband.

Li Qiutang showed Zhu Xiaoyan squeezing onto the subway again, which made some professionals in the audience frown. The opening scene showed the female lead squeezing onto the subway, so why show it again here? I already know about the female lead's predicament, and now I'm looking forward to the crisis in her life erupting. Hurry up and let the crisis erupt for me.

Zhu Xiaoyan still couldn't get a seat. After exiting the subway station, Li Qiutang didn't film any more scenes of Zhu Xiaoyan walking. Instead, she cut directly to her walking halfway and seeing her husband getting out of a red car parked not far away.

Following Liang Jiangong down was a smartly dressed woman who chatted and laughed with him.

The two walked into the supermarket by the roadside together, and Zhu Xiaoyan followed them in as if possessed.

What follows is a scene of "following" someone in a supermarket, where Zhu Xiaoyan pretends to push a shopping cart and follow the two from a distance.

She couldn't hear what the two were saying, but she could tell they were having a great time.

The two bought some fruit and snacks and left. Zhu Xiaoyan followed them for a while and bought a carton of yogurt.

Outside the supermarket, Zhu Xiaoyan saw that Liang Jiangong hadn't left with the woman. After seeing her into the car, he took an apple he had just bought and headed home.

Hirokazu Kore-eda nodded. The crisis had finally arrived, and the symbolism of the apple in the protagonist's hand was easy to understand—it was the forbidden fruit. Now, it was up to Li Qiutang to handle this crisis.

Zhu Xiaoyan followed her husband home, but then discovered that Liang Jiangong had not gone home, but instead went to a blind massage parlor on the way.

Zhu Xiaoyan didn't follow them, but quietly went home.

Jia Zhangke smiled with satisfaction. This scene was so restrained, so subtle, especially the design of the blind massage parlor visit—a stroke of genius! It perfectly captured the pressures of middle-aged men's lives, suddenly bringing Liang Jiangong to life and pulling the plot back from a scandalous affair to the realities of life, evoking a sense of sympathy. The second scene of Liu Yifei squeezing onto the subway wasn't meant to depict the crowdedness of her life, but rather to contrast her with her husband getting out of a car, ultimately igniting the crisis.

Liang Jiangong went for a massage, and Zhu Xiaoyan went home and spread out her work materials in front of her, but she couldn't concentrate on them at all.

She got up, opened the refrigerator, took out a carton of yogurt she had just bought from the supermarket, and drank it through a straw.

"Hiss—" Zhu Xiaoyan had a tooth sensitivity, but she didn't care and continued drinking her yogurt.

She drank her yogurt while staring blankly at the documents on the table, her eyes vacant, lost in thought.

After a long while, it got dark. Liang Jiangong opened the door and came back.

"Xiaoyan, I..." Upon opening the door and seeing his wife sitting there silently, Liang Jiangong was speechless. He smiled and said, "Why didn't you turn on the light?" He then turned on the light.

Seeing that there was no food on the table, Liang Jiangong comforted him, "What's wrong? Is work not going well?" He then got up and said, "You take a rest, I'll cook today." He then walked to the kitchen.

"How are the clients today?" Zhu Xiaoyan asked.

“Sigh,” Liang Jiangong opened the refrigerator, the refrigerator light illuminating his face white, “It’s just like that, nitpicking, finding fault even when there isn’t, just to drive down our price. But it’ll be over soon, after this project is finished, we’ll take a vacation and go somewhere for a few days.”

Zhu Xiaoyan did not answer.

The scene shifts to another early morning. Zhu Xiaoyan gets up early to brush her teeth, takes a sip of water, and her teeth start to hurt again.

Zhu Xiaoyan still didn't pay attention and continued brushing her teeth.

The camera remained focused on Zhu Xiaoyan, who appeared unusually listless and easily distracted at work that day.

"Xiaoyan, Xiaoyan."

"Huh?" Zhu Xiaoyan snapped out of her daze. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with you today? You seem distracted."

"It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night. What's wrong?"

The two continued their work discussion, and Zhu Xiaoyan picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water.

"hiss--"

"Your tooth hurts, you should go see a doctor," a colleague casually suggested.

"It's nothing, it was just a sudden shock, it'll be fine in a bit."

At lunchtime, Zhu Xiaoyan was having lunch with her colleagues when she casually remarked, "Old Li from the marketing department hasn't come to work for several days. He's never here whenever I look for him."

A colleague shared some gossip with her: "Old Li was caught flirting with women at a bar by his wife, and they got into a fight. The company gave him leave so he can sort out his family matters first."

"Ha, those guys in the marketing department, they have so many social engagements, they do this kind of thing all the time. If they don't get caught, they're fine, but if they do, they can only blame themselves."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Zhu Xiaoyan went home that day and started looking through the clothes she hadn't had time to wash.

She picked up Liang Jiangong's clothes and examined them carefully, especially the cuffs and collar. Everything was normal, with no suspicious marks. She then brought them close to her nose and smelled them, but there seemed to be no other odor.

Zhu Xiaoyan found no evidence, and Li Qiutang gave Liu Yifei a few seconds of stunned silence.

During this brief pause, the audience saw that Liu Yifei was not relaxed, but rather carrying a deeper sense of anxiety and confusion.

During dinner, Zhu Xiaoyan kept glancing at her husband while eating, which amused Liang Jiangong. "Why are you looking at me? Do I have flowers on my face? Or is there something on my body?" He even raised his hand and sniffed.

"nothing."

Suddenly, Liang Jiangong's phone rang, and Zhu Xiaoyan looked at her husband.

Liang Jiangong put down his chopsticks and got up to go to the living room to get his phone.

"Hello," Liang Jiangong answered softly, then walked into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

Zhu Xiaoyan watched her husband walk into the room, her eyes filled with disbelief. He was indeed hiding something from her.

That night, Zhu Xiaoyan finally couldn't resist anymore. While Liang Jiangong was asleep, she secretly took her husband's phone and went to the living room to look through his call history.

Instead of showing a close-up of the phone screen, Li Qiutang focused the camera on Liu Yifei. Through Liu Yifei's expression as she looked through the records, the audience should be able to guess what she saw.

However, the phone records everything were normal.

But Zhu Xiaoyan was not giving up, so she moved her husband's laptop.

Enter the login password smoothly and access the desktop.

Here, Li Qiutang subverts the usual formula, and viewers can basically tell that this is a story about infidelity. According to the usual formula, Zhu Xiaoyan should not know the password to Liang Jiangong's computer at this point.

But Li Qiutang did not do that, choosing instead to maintain some basic trust between the couple.

The camera still didn't focus on the computer screen; it remained on Liu Yifei's face.

But this time Zhu Xiaoyan made a discovery: in her husband's email inbox, she found a reservation confirmation email from a high-end restaurant.

The information above shows that Liang Jiangong has booked a table for two people, and the dining date is tomorrow night.

Zhu Xiaoyan felt that this email was evidence.

The next day, Zhu Xiaoyan went to work as usual. Sitting at her desk, she picked up the phone: "Hello, I'd like to reserve a table for 7 pm tonight. Um, my surname is Zhu."

A client representative named Li Zhijun has arrived at the company. He will work with Zhu Xiaoyan as a dispatched representative until the project is completed and accepted.

Many media outlets recognize the actor who plays Li Zhijun, Guo Xiaodong, who is also a frequent guest at international film festivals.

He looked sophisticated in his suit, much more handsome than Qin Hao.

Li Zhijun is polite and courteous, but meticulous in his work, and even somewhat aloof as a client representative.

After work, Li Zhijun wanted to treat Zhu Xiaoyan's team to dinner. Zhu Xiaoyan's subordinates all wanted to go, but Zhu Xiaoyan had something to do that night and declined: "I have a toothache and need to see a doctor. You guys have fun."

After saying that, he left for the day.

Upon arriving at the restaurant with her reservation, Zhu Xiaoyan introduced herself, and the waiter confirmed, "Are you Miss Zhu? Are you alone?"

After hearing this, Zhu Xiaoyan paused for half a second before replying, "Mm."

Upon entering the restaurant and taking her seat, she saw her husband eating and talking with a woman.

Zhu Xiaoyan wasn't sure if this woman was the same one who had driven Liang Jiangong back earlier.

The expensive food at the upscale restaurant tasted like cardboard to Zhu Xiaoyan at this moment, and she didn't like it.

Seeing the woman get up, seemingly heading to the restroom, Zhu Xiaoyan quickly got up and followed her.

Both of them were just washing their hands at the sink when the audience realized that the actress playing the "cheating partner" was Wan Qian.

Wan Qian with short hair has a unique charm.

As Zhu Xiaoyan washed her hands, she glanced at the woman beside her. Suddenly, Wan Qian spoke up, her tone casual: "What time is it?"

Zhu Xiaoyan's expression changed quickly, then she looked down at her watch: "7:40."

Wan Qian nodded, "Thank you," wiped her hands, and left.

Zhu Xiaoyan didn't leave immediately, but stared blankly at herself in the mirror. Suddenly, her phone rang; it was Li Zhijun calling her.

The camera gave a close-up of the caller ID display.

Zhu Xiaoyan answered the phone. Based on her answer, the audience could roughly guess that Li Zhijun was talking to her about inviting his colleagues to dinner tonight, asking how her dental appointment went, and reminding her to prepare materials for tomorrow's meeting.

After Zhu Xiaoyan finished her phone call, she leaned against the wall. Only then did the audience realize that Zhu Xiaoyan's environment had changed. Li Qiutang used the ringtone of her cell phone to transition the scene, and Zhu Xiaoyan had returned home. She was now in the bathroom at home.

Zhu Xiaoyan opened the bathroom door, and at that moment, Liang Jiangong opened the door and came back from outside.

"Still not asleep?" Liang Jiangong asked.

Zhu Xiaoyan gave a soft "hmm" and asked him, "Why are you so late today?"

"Ugh, don't even mention it. I spent ages negotiating the details with the client," Liang Jiangong said.

"have you eaten?"

"I ate a little, but I was so busy discussing the proposal with the client that I didn't eat enough, haha," Liang Jiangong said, walking towards the kitchen. "Is there anything left at home? I'll just make something." His initiative to serve himself was a kind of considerate act born of guilt after lying, and walking away was also to avoid talking to his wife too much.

Zhu Xiaoyan forced a smile, opened the refrigerator, took out the leftovers, and handed them to her husband. Just as Liang Jiangong took the plate, Zhu Xiaoyan suddenly felt a sharp pain in her tooth: "Ouch—"

"What's wrong? Does your tooth hurt?"

"It's nothing, I just had a sudden allergic reaction."

Liang Jiangong took the plate and said, "Don't eat so much iced food." Then he went into the kitchen.

Zhu Xiaoyan sat on the living room sofa watching TV, but she couldn't concentrate on what was being shown.

However, the laughter on the television contrasted sharply with Zhu Xiaoyan's lonely state at that moment, as she covered her cheek, her eyes vacant and lost in thought.

Viewers were all amazed by the maturity and restraint that Li Qiutang displayed in her first art film.

Some film critics came up with the term "East Asian-style forbearance."

"He's made so many genre films over the years, but he's managed to be so restrained in art films, almost abandoning all the conflict techniques of genre films. That alone puts him ahead of most directors." Jia Zhangke couldn't help but admire him, realizing he's only a 34-year-old director.

Zhu Xiaoyan went to work as usual that day and had a meeting with Li Zhijun at the company as usual.

As Li Zhijun was speaking, he saw Zhu Xiaoyan suddenly cover her cheek, her brows furrowed, and her face pale.

"Mr. Zhu, what's wrong? Is your toothache acting up again?"

"It's nothing, I'll be fine after a rest."

Li Zhijun paused the meeting: "Everyone, take a break." He then said to Zhu Xiaoyan, "A toothache isn't a disease, but it can be excruciating when it hurts. You should go to the hospital. I know a dental clinic that my friend owns; their technicians are very good."

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

“It’s okay.” Li Zhijun said, taking out a membership card from his pocket. “He gave me this membership card, I’ve never used it before, you can use it first.” He then showed Zhu Xiaoyan the back of the membership card. “It has my signature on it, but it doesn’t matter, the clinic’s system is anonymous, and the receptionist won’t ask.”

"How embarrassing."

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I don’t need it anyway. I’m just helping out in a time of need. Your toothache is affecting your work,” Li Zhijun smiled. “Don’t be so polite with me.”

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

"Go now, the meeting minutes will be sent to your email tonight."

“Okay.” Zhu Xiaoyan didn’t stand on ceremony.

Zhu Xiaoyan left work early to go to Li Zhijun's friend's dental clinic for a dental checkup.

After Zhu Xiaoyan entered the consultation room, Li Qiutang briefly showed the room on camera, highlighting the quiet environment and the cold, gleaming equipment.

After an examination, the dentist told Zhu Xiaoyan that her symptoms were quite serious: "You should have come sooner."

They also suggested that Zhu Xiaoyan have her decayed tooth extracted today.

Zhu Xiaoyan didn't say much. She came to see a dentist, so she decided to have it pulled.

The shots Li Qiutang gives here mostly show Zhu Xiaoyan's discomfort as she lies in the dental chair being manipulated by the dentist.

Clenched hands, uncomfortable groans, furrowed brows, the doctor's indifferent tone telling her to just bear with it and it would be over soon, and Zhu Xiaoyan's subjective perspective of the operating light above her head as she lay down—hazy, even dazzling.

After the tooth was extracted, the dentist explained to her how rotten the tooth was and asked her to come back for a check-up next week. As for when the filling would be done, it would depend on the recovery.

Zhu Xiaoyan thanked the doctor, took her extracted bad tooth, and left the clinic.

Zhu Xiaoyan walked back. She had already finished get off work. She had her bad tooth pulled and had gained a brief moment of happiness. The lighting that Li Qiutang used on Liu Yifei was much softer.

However, while Zhu Xiaoyan was waiting for the bus at the bus stop,
Li Qiutang took a close-up shot of a red sedan driving by.

The car was parked in front of a hotel not far from the bus stop.

There were many red cars, but Zhu Xiaoyan seemed to recognize this one. Li Qiutang used this close-up shot to represent Zhu Xiaoyan's observation.

Then the camera cuts to Zhu Xiaoyan, who takes two steps back into the bus stop and squints at the bus, whether because the sun is too bright or because she wants to make sure the bus is coming.

Looking further ahead, the hotel is still some distance from the bus stop, separated by a side road with cars and people. This side road represents the insurmountable chasm that Zhu Xiaoyan is currently facing.

Just then, the bus pulled into the station and the doors opened, but Zhu Xiaoyan did not board.

She saw her husband get out of the passenger seat with her own eyes.

She witnessed her husband walking into the hotel with that short-haired woman!
This was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The bus doors slammed shut, and the bus slowly pulled away from the station.

The crisis reached its peak at this point, and the audience was eager to see how Zhu Xiaoyan would handle her marital relationship.

The camera cuts to Liang Jiangong and Wan Qian, who plays a short-haired woman, walking out, chatting and laughing.

Attentive viewers noticed that Liang Jiangong and the woman had changed clothes; they weren't wearing the same clothes that Zhu Xiaoyan saw them wearing when they entered the hotel.

Liang Jiangong said, "I really didn't expect to run into you here after not being in touch for more than ten years."

Wan Qian, who plays Yang Xinyuan, said, "Yes, I was just thinking about getting together with some old classmates, but I didn't expect to run into you first."

As the two walked and talked, the audience realized that they were not coming out of a hotel, but from an office building.

Li Qiutang used a similar entrance to a hotel and office building to make a quiet transition.

Yang Xinyuan said, "My car is parked up ahead. I'm new here and don't know anything about this place. Can you show me around?"

Liang Jiangong didn't think much of it. Yang Xinyuan was an old classmate and an important client of the company. He shouldn't refuse her, both professionally and personally: "Okay." He got into her red car without hesitation.

Yang Xinyuan drove forward, and the two chatted in the car.

"I didn't expect you to be one of our company's biggest clients. I hope you'll take good care of us in the future, Mr. Yang," Liang Jiangong joked.

Yang Xinyuan said, "We're old classmates, so everything is fine. Sigh, I didn't even go to your wedding."

"You went abroad at that time."

Yang Xinyuan replied, "When are you going to treat me to a meal? Officially, I'm your client, so you have to satisfy me. Personally, we haven't seen each other for over ten years, so you have to give me a welcome-back dinner."

"Okay, it's just a meal. You name the time, and I'll book the restaurant."

As they were talking, Yang Xinyuan pulled the car over to the side of the road and said, "I'm going to buy something."

When his old classmate first arrived in Yanjing, Liang Jiangong naturally had to accompany him to the supermarket.

Even the slightly slower-witted viewers noticed at this point that the story had switched to Liang Jiangong's perspective, and the story began again with Zhu Xiaoyan first discovering her husband getting out of the red sedan and accompanying a short-haired woman to the supermarket.

I've been watching the show for 40 minutes and only now do I realize it's a Rashomon-like situation!

A buzz of discussion had already begun in the audience.

Liang Jiangong accompanied Yang Xinyuan shopping. The two chatted and laughed as usual. During the shopping trip, Yang Xinyuan kept praising Liang Jiangong, saying that he was young and promising and that he had already independently led a project team at such a young age: "I really envy you. You settled down in Yanjing so early, with a house and a home. Unlike me, I have been drifting abroad for so many years and I still live in a hotel when I come back."

Liang Jiangong gave a wry smile and said, "What do I have to envy? I'm drowning in mortgage debt, and every day I'm preoccupied with performance targets. I envy your carefree life abroad."

"What's so carefree about it? Everyone is gritting their teeth and moving forward. At least you have your sister-in-law by your side."

When Zhu Xiaoyan was mentioned, Liang Jiangong's eyes darted away, and he said, "Her? She's busier than me."

Liang Jiangong was unaware that Zhu Xiaoyan was following him not far away. The two entered the imported food section, and Yang Xinyuan picked up a beautifully packaged box of apples, laughing, "This packaging alone costs several tens of yuan."

Liang Jiangong said, "The packaging is more expensive than the apple itself; that's how it is now."

But Yang Xinyuan still put it in the shopping cart.

After the two finished shopping, they walked out and went to their car. Just as they were putting their things away, Yang Xinyuan suddenly received a phone call and needed to return to the hotel to handle some work. But she said to Liang Jiangong first, "Where do you live? I'll take you home first."

Liang Jiangong said, "My home is not far from here. If you have something to do, you can go back to the hotel first. I can walk back."

Yang Xinyuan apologized and offered to give Liang Jiangong the box of high-end apples she had just bought. Liang Jiangong refused, but Yang Xinyuan gave him a reason he couldn't refuse: "Back in school, one day I didn't eat, and you gave me an apple. Consider this my way of repaying you."

Yang Xinyuan's words clearly touched Liang Jiangong, but he still didn't accept them all. He opened the gift box, took only one, and said with a smile, "Consider it a return. Alright, you should go back now, work is more important."

Liang Jiangong ate the apple on his way home, and then saw a blind massage parlor having a discount event, so he went in.

"Boss," the masseur chatted with Liang Jiangong while giving him a massage, "you've been under a lot of stress lately, your muscles are very stiff."

Liang Jiangong hummed in agreement.

The massage therapist advised him: "Take time to exercise, don't stay up late, and stand up and walk around if you sit for too long at work."

The technician said he usually had a lot on his mind when she massaged his head.

Liang Jiangong brushed it off by saying he was too busy with work.

This massage scene is an external manifestation of Liang Jiangong's stress; it's short, but crucial.

When Liang Jiangong returned home after the massage, he found his wife, Zhu Xiaoyan, sitting alone, looking sullen and without having cooked. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he simply said he would cook for her.

"How are the clients today?" Zhu Xiaoyan asked.

“Sigh,” Liang Jiangong opened the refrigerator, “It’s just like that. They’re nitpicking, finding fault even when there isn’t, just to drive down our price. But it’ll be over soon. Once this project is finished, we’ll take a vacation and go somewhere for a few days.” Liang Jiangong saw a carton of yogurt in the refrigerator.

We've arrived at that familiar dinner scene again, but this time, Li Qiutang offers something new from Liang Jiangong's perspective.

Seeing that his wife wasn't in a good mood, Liang Jiangong suggested, "We haven't gone out on a date in a long time. Let's find an evening, I'll book a restaurant, and we can go out and have some fun."

But Zhu Xiaoyan wasn't interested in dating. Viewers knew this was because she had discovered her husband shopping with a strange woman. She said, "I've been too busy lately. Let's talk about it after this busy period is over."

Liang Jiangong's happy expression when he mentioned the date vanished instantly. He could only force a smile and say, "Okay, we'll talk about it when you're done with your work."

The next day, Liang Jiangong went to work as usual, and the project progressed smoothly. However, the company supervisor bypassed him and fired one of the members of his team.

Liang Jiangong was naturally dissatisfied and went to his superiors to explain that although things were going smoothly, the project timeline was still tight. It was one thing not to hire people, but how could they fire people?

But the leader said, "This is what the higher-ups want, and there's nothing I can do about it." But he also reassured Liang Jiangong, "I know your team has worked hard. Here's what we'll do: once the project is finished, I'll increase your bonus by another 1% within my authority. You've only been married a few years, and that's when you need the money."

These words struck a chord with Liang Jiangong.

The leader then painted a rosy picture for him: "I know you're young and capable. Once you finish this Olympic project, I can transfer you to the group headquarters to make a name for yourself. I'll definitely take you with me then. Headquarters is where you'll truly shine."

"Go ahead and do a good job. Don't tell anyone about this."

When Liang Jiangong returned to his project team, his colleagues asked him why there were layoffs, but Liang Jiangong had nothing to say. He said it was the order from above and reassured everyone: "Everyone, please work hard. Once the project is finished, we'll get our bonuses."

Liang Jiangong worked even harder, often staying up late.

As a client, Yang Xinyuan had more contact and interaction with him.

The two often worked overtime until late at night, and then went out for a late-night snack together, as if they had returned to their youthful school days.

During a late-night snack, Yang Xinyuan said she wanted to meet Zhu Xiaoyan and have dinner together, but Liang Jiangong said, "She's also working on an advertising project for the Olympics recently, and she's even busier than us. I'll make an appointment for you two after she's done with this."

Yang Xinyuan asked Liang Jiangong with a smile, "What do you want to do after this project is finished and you get your bonus?"

Liang Jiangong thought for a moment and then smiled and said, "Buy a car. Xiaoyan has to squeeze onto the subway to get to and from get off work every day, which is very inconvenient."

"Oh my, what an amazing husband!" Yang Xinyuan laughed. "He has a house and a car. If we have a baby in a couple of years, you'll be all set."

Liang Jiangong smiled; he also longed for this kind of life.

After finishing his late-night snack, Liang Jiangong went home alone. Zhu Xiaoyan was still awake and was sitting on the headboard looking at something.

After Liang Jiangong finished washing up, he was in a good mood and asked his wife for sex before going to bed, but Zhu Xiaoyan refused, saying she was too tired from work: "I'm too tired, let's do it in a few days."

Liang Jiangong patted Zhu Xiaoyan's arm, and after a brief silence, he stroked his wife's arm before lying down as well.

Sensitive viewers should be able to understand that a wife's rejection of her husband's intimacy is a strong sign of crisis.

Sure enough, Liang Jiangong had just lain down when his phone beeped with a text message.

Zhu Xiaoyan, who had just fallen asleep, clicked her tongue impatiently and said, "Who is it? It's so late."

When Liang Jiangong saw the text message, it was from Yang Xinyuan: "Arrived at the hotel."

After reading the message, Liang Jiangong did not reply. He put down his phone and said to his wife, "Weather forecast."

He then lay down.

The next day was even busier. Yang Xinyuan encountered a very tricky problem, which Liang Jiangong and his subordinates overcame with great difficulty.

Yang Xinyuan proposed to treat the project team to a big drink, but Liang Jiangong's leader refused, saying that it was not the time to celebrate yet, "I will treat everyone to a big drink after the project is completed."

The leader's disappointment made everyone somewhat unhappy, and his colleagues said to him, "He's using our credit to do favors for himself."

Liang Jiangong comforted his colleague, "It's okay. We'll drink it ourselves after the project is completed and we get our bonuses. We won't invite him."

A colleague leaned closer and said, "Even if we don't invite him, he might not even look at us. I heard he's been calling the group headquarters a lot lately, trying to pull some strings to get transferred there."

The camera focused on Liang Jiangong, who smiled meaningfully but remained silent.

When I got home that day, the familiar dining table and the familiar ringing of the telephone greeted me.

Liang Jiangong put down his chopsticks to answer the phone, then went into the room, closing the door slightly ajar.

Liang Jiangong answered Yang Xinyuan's call. She called specifically to thank him and said she must treat him to dinner: "I'll make the reservation, and you can bring Xiaoyan along too."

Liang Jiangong said, "How can I let you spend the money? Let me pay. I know a really good restaurant. Don't refuse. I'm a man, I can't let a lady pay the bill."

Yang Xinyuan laughed on the other end of the phone: "Okay."

Liang Jiangong hung up the phone and sat back down at the dining table. Zhu Xiaoyan asked him who had called, and Liang Jiangong said it was a client.

The next shot quickly cuts to Liang Jiangong and Yang Xinyuan on their way to the restaurant.

"I promised to bring Xiaoyan."

"Oh, she's working overtime today. I'll introduce you two later." Liang Jiangong himself didn't know why he said that.

The two entered the restaurant, sat down, ordered food, and chatted while eating.

Although the camera was focused on Liang and Yang, viewers noticed that another guest sat down behind Liang Jiangong, namely Zhu Xiaoyan.

The two seemed more like longtime friends than business associates.

Yang Xinyuan talked about her personal experiences abroad, while Liang Jiangong talked about his personal life.

This kind of talk can easily turn into a roast session. Both of them felt that life was too tiring and boring now, and said that it was more interesting to go to school back then.

Liang Jiangong actually started complaining about his boss to Yang Xinyuan, and Yang Xinyuan agreed with his complaints.

As they ate, drank, and chatted, Yang Xinyuan asked, "Do you have any photos of Xiaoyan? I haven't seen them yet."

Liang Jiangong took out his wallet, pulled out a photo of the two of them, and showed it to Yang Xinyuan. She praised him, saying, "You two are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."

After seeing the photos, Yang Xinyuan said she was going to the restroom.

It turns out that Yang Xinyuan had already recognized Zhu Xiaoyan in the bathroom!

After having dinner with Yang Xinyuan, Liang Jiangong returned home and lied, saying that he had been working on details with a client and that he had eaten but was not full.

But from Liang Jiangong's perspective in Rashomon, what he saw was his wife's indifference and perfunctory attitude; she wouldn't even heat up his food.

From Liang Jiangong's perspective, Liu Yifei's performance was also slightly adjusted, surprisingly showing a hint of disgust—which Liang Jiangong mistook for disgust.
Zhu Xiaoyan had a toothache, and Liang Jiangong told her with concern, "Don't eat so much cold food."

After that, Li Qiutang filmed a scene that had not appeared from Zhu Xiaoyan's perspective before.

After finishing his meal, Liang Jiangong sat down next to Zhu Xiaoyan and watched TV with her. Seeing that she was covering her cheek, he asked about her toothache and said he would take the day off tomorrow to accompany her to the dentist: "A toothache isn't a disease, but it can be excruciating when it hurts. It's good to go see a dentist."

Not long after, Li Zhijun will say the exact same thing to Zhu Xiaoyan.

But Zhu Xiaoyan chose to refuse her husband's company at this time: "It's nothing serious, it's probably just a slight allergic reaction, I'll be fine after applying ice for a few days."

Since Zhu Xiaoyan had already said so, Liang Jiangong did not insist any further.

He could clearly sense that his wife had been in low spirits for the past few days, so he tried to cheer her up. However, Liang Jiangong found that no matter how many jokes he told or how many interesting things happened around him, Zhu Xiaoyan didn't respond well.

This made him feel like a clown who wasn't getting any feedback.

But the next day, Liang Jiangong still got up early to make breakfast for Zhu Xiaoyan, hoping that she would be in a good mood.

However, Zhu Xiaoyan was not receptive to her husband's sentiments. After washing up, she looked at the breakfast set out on the table, but she had no interest in it.

He grabbed only an ear of corn and an egg and was about to leave: "I'm running late, I'm leaving now."

Liang Jiangong was left sitting alone at the table, feeling somewhat lost. In the end, he didn't eat much and mostly threw his breakfast into the trash.

Yang Xinyuan arrived at the company after noon that day, but Liang Jiangong clearly felt that Yang Xinyuan's attitude towards him was a bit too businesslike.

This was, of course, because she had run into Zhu Xiaoyan in the restaurant restroom last night. As clever as she was, how could she not guess what was going on? That's why she chose to keep her distance from Liang Jiangong.

However, around 3 p.m., Yang Xinyuan suddenly said that Mr. Smith, an engineer from the US headquarters, had arrived at the hotel and wanted to hear a technical report.

"Why are you only telling me now that it's so important?"

"His flight was delayed, and he's only just arrived. I was so busy I forgot. Come with me now."

“Yes, yes, Jiangong, go first.” The company leader also agreed that Liang Jiangong should go first. “You go and keep Smith calm. We’ll get ready and be there soon.”

"Alright." Liang Jiangong and Yang Xinyuan quickly packed their things and got into Yang Xinyuan's red sedan to head to the hotel together.

In the car, Yang Xinyuan introduced Smith's basic information to Liang Jiangong and told him not to be nervous: "You did this project, so you know it better than anyone else. Just speak normally."

The two drove to the hotel and went inside together. Unbeknownst to them, Zhu Xiaoyan, who was watching from a short distance away, witnessed everything.

The audience's emotions were heightened again, as Zhu Xiaoyan's perspective ended there, leaving the audience wondering how Li Qiutang would continue the story.

Perhaps it was after this intense work report that Liang Jiangong and Yang Xinyuan's relationship progressed further. Mainly, Liang Jiangong began to enjoy spending time with Yang Xinyuan, finding her capable, intelligent, and sensible.

Yang Xinyuan put aside her resentment and felt that the two were just good friends. He was already married, so what could possibly happen between them?

That day, Liang Jiangong returned home, and Zhu Xiaoyan was still sitting there alone in a daze, while her mother-in-law, Aunt Sun, was cooking in the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you lately? You seem so absent-minded," Liang Jiangong asked his wife with concern.

"It's nothing, I'm just finishing up my work, I've been too busy."

Liang Jiangong took out two tickets and said, "I got two admission tickets for the Olympic Sports Park's trial operation. Let's go take a look."

Liang Jiangong thought Zhu Xiaoyan would refuse him as usual, but to his surprise, Zhu Xiaoyan agreed: "Okay, I haven't gone out for a long time."

Liang Jiangong also whispered, "Just the two of us going out to play, don't let your mom know."

This is where Li Qiutang's brilliance lies. He doesn't dwell on the sorrow; in a story of "infidelity," Liang Jiangong and Zhu Xiaoyan also have happy moments, even if those moments are fleeting.

The couple had a happy half-day at the Olympic Sports Park. Liang Jiangong took the opportunity to share his vision for the future: "After the project is finished in a few days and we receive the bonus, I'll buy a big item for our family, a car. It must be so tiring for you to take the subway every day."

Zhu Xiaoyan was delighted to hear this: "Is your bonus enough? Mine is almost done too, I'll contribute some to buy something nice."

But just when the audience thought the two were about to reconcile, Li Qiutang cruelly let Liang Jiangong discover the dental clinic membership card signed with Li Zhijun's name.

The two returned home, but as soon as they got there, Zhu Xiaoyan thought about her husband going in and out of the hotel with that short-haired woman, and she lost all interest in the matter.

She wanted to talk to her husband; she wanted him to know that she had seen him enter the hotel with another woman, and she wanted to hear what Liang Jiangong would say.

From Liang Jiangong's perspective, Zhu Xiaoyan returned looking listless. He thought his wife was tired from playing all day, so he asked her, "Are you tired? Go wash up and go to bed."

Zhu Xiaoyan went to wash up, while Liang Jiangong sat alone on the sofa watching TV.

Suddenly his phone rang, and Liang Jiangong quickly answered it.

"Okay, okay, I'll write it down." Liang Jiangong quickly went to find paper and pen to write it down. While rummaging through his things, he found the dental clinic membership card.

At first, Liang Jiangong didn't take it seriously. It was normal for his wife to have a dental clinic membership card when she had a toothache. But after he finished the call and took notes, he discovered that the name Li Zhijun was written on the back of the membership card.

This was an unfamiliar name; no one in their mutual family or friends knew this person.

Considering his wife's recent appearance of being preoccupied and sullen, and her constant complaints of being busy and tired, Liang Jiangong had a bad feeling.

After Zhu Xiaoyan came out of the shower, Liang Jiangong asked her, "Does your tooth still hurt? Have you seen a doctor?"

Liang Jiangong noticed Zhu Xiaoyan's evasive gaze, and heard her say, "Much better, I'm fine now." As Zhu Xiaoyan said this, her tongue flicked inside her mouth, a detail that Liang Jiangong also noticed.

“Oh, it’s good that you’re alright.” But Liang Jiangong was not satisfied, so he probed further, “I know a friend who owns a dental clinic. If you want to go see him, I’ll talk to him.”

"It's okay, I've already seen a doctor, and they've pulled out the bad teeth."

"It's fine now that it's been pulled out."

Zhu Xiaoyan didn't want to say anything more, so she went into her room to dry her hair.

When they went to bed that night, it was Zhu Xiaoyan who asked Liang Jiangong for sex: "Husband, we haven't been together for a long time."

But Liang Jiangong wasn't in the mood: "I have to go to the morning meeting tomorrow and coordinate with General Manager Yang. Let's go to sleep." He turned his back to his wife as he spoke.

A typical director might have given Liang Jiangong a close-up of his back to show Zhu Xiaoyan's distress at being rejected by her husband, but Li Qiutang didn't do that; it was just a very standard close-up.

Because Li Qiutang never forgot that this was Liang Jiangong's perspective, and if Zhu Xiaoyan were to give a subjective close-up shot of Liang Jiangong's back, it would disrupt the Rashomon effect.

Liang Jiangong had already become suspicious, and he began to investigate his wife and the complete stranger, Li Zhijun.

Liang Jiangong was absent-minded at work that day, often spacing out while talking to his colleagues. His colleagues joked that he probably didn't sleep well the night before: "You can't rush having a child. Hahaha."

Liang Jiangong smiled wryly and did not answer.

He was actually a little disappointed that Yang Xinyuan didn't come to the company today.

After finally getting off work, he went to the dental clinic first. Qin Hao's performance was very accurate. Liang Jiangong was not a professional in this field, so it was really difficult for him to pretend to be calm and play the role of a detective. He was very nervous and pretended to be a customer, asking the nurse, "Hello, I, I would like to have my teeth cleaned."

As the nurse took out the price list to explain the services to him, he said, "Oh, by the way, a friend of mine recommended a doctor here named Li Zhijun who is exceptionally skilled. Can I specifically request him?"

But the nurse told him that there was no doctor named Li Zhijun at the clinic. Liang Jiangong was not convinced and confirmed with the clinic nurse: "No one? That's impossible. He's the one who told me to just mention his name."

The nurse smiled: "You're probably referring to Mr. Li, Dr. Zhao's friend, right? He helped us a lot when we opened, and Dr. Zhao asked him to recommend his friends. But Mr. Li himself isn't a doctor here."

"Really?" Finally, something's starting to look like this. "Hehe."

"Yes, Li Zhijun works in the advertising industry. I guess you misunderstood."

If you work in the advertising industry, then you're in the same industry as Zhu Xiaoyan!
"Sir, what project are you working on today?"

"Then let's get our teeth cleaned." Since he was already there, Liang Jiangong casually scheduled a time and left.

After that, he didn't go home, but wandered around the streets to clear his head, and didn't go back until very late.

When he got home, Zhu Xiaoyan asked him why he was home so late, and he said he was working overtime.

Afterwards, the audience saw Liang Jiangong go to a 4S store to look at cars. He brought forward his car purchase plan because he wanted to give his wife a surprise and stabilize his family.

Although he only knew one name, Li Zhijun, and had no other reason to suspect his wife's infidelity, he sensed something was amiss.

After dinner that day, Liang Jiangong insisted that Zhu Xiaoyan go downstairs for a walk with him.

When the two returned from their walk, Liang Jiangong said, "Do you want a gift?"

"What day is it today? They even brought a gift."

Liang Jiangong then took out his car keys from his pocket, pressed a button, and the headlights of the car parked next to them flashed.

Zhu Xiaoyan was so surprised she couldn't speak. After a long while, she finally said, "When did you buy it?! Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. Do you like it?"

This is a very ordinary Elantra. In 08, the Elantra began to be used as a taxi in Yanjing. It was cheap and durable, and it was also a legendary car in China.

Zhu Xiaoyan was fascinated by the car. Liang Jiangong knew what she wanted to say, and he said nervously, "This car isn't expensive. I've calculated it; there's no pressure buying it on loan. I'm glad you like it." He then handed the keys to his wife, "Go try it out. You won't have to squeeze onto the subway to get to get off work anymore."

The two happily got into the car, and Zhu Xiaoyan took it for a test drive with great joy. Then she said, "Now that I have the car, what are you going to do?"

"Then I'll trouble my dear wife to be my driver from now on, and pick me up and drop me off at get off work."

"Happy to help." Zhu Xiaoyan was really happy today; buying a car is a big event worth celebrating for Chinese families.

"Find some time to tell your parents that you'll take them for a drive and make them happy too."

"Ok!"

When they got home that evening, the two sat together and were speechless for a moment. Zhu Xiaoyan paused for a moment before saying to Liang Jiangong, "Go and wash up."

Experienced drivers should understand what this means.

But professional filmmakers would find this extremely cruel.

So far in "Marriage Story," there have been three scenes involving married life: Liang Jiangong makes advances towards Zhu Xiaoyan but is rejected; Zhu Xiaoyan makes advances towards Liang Jiangong but is rejected; and this time, Liang Jiangong buys Zhu Xiaoyan a car, and only then does Zhu Xiaoyan allow Liang Jiangong to go wash it, as if their married life is a gift from her to Liang Jiangong.

But then, the overall atmosphere of the movie started to become cheerful.

With the car, the young couple's relationship seemed to have really improved. Aunt Sun, the mother-in-law, was also very happy. The family planned where to go for a stroll on the weekend, and everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction.

That morning, Zhu Xiaoyan drove to work with her husband as usual, chatting and laughing along the way.

Suddenly, Zhu Xiaoyan's phone rang. Without thinking much, she asked Liang Jiangong to answer it for her.

Liang Jiangong picked up his phone and saw the caller ID: Zhijun.

Liang Jiangong's smile froze instantly.

But he answered the phone anyway, and before he could even speak, he heard the other end say, "Xiaoyan, come to my place this morning."

Liang Jiangong's feelings at this moment were self-evident, but he still said, "I am her husband."

Li Zhijun across from him was silent for only half a second, then laughed heartily, "Oh, Jiangong, hello, hello. Xiaoyan is driving, right? It's okay, I'll talk to her about work."

Liang Jiangong didn't speak, but he didn't hand the phone to Zhu Xiaoyan either. He just silently pressed the speakerphone button on the phone, expressionless, as if he were just solving a technical problem.

Zhu Xiaoyan, unsuspecting, started talking to Li Zhijun about work.

The way the two addressed each other as Zhijun and Xiaoyan was particularly grating.

The phone call ended. Only the noise of the car remained in the carriage. The laughter and chatter from before came to an abrupt halt, and a thick, suffocating silence quickly filled the air.

Liang Jiangong stared straight ahead, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. Zhu Xiaoyan seemed to sense something was amiss. She wanted to say something to ease the tension, but upon glancing at her husband's profile, she swallowed her words.

Zhu Xiaoyan dropped Liang Jiangong off at his company and arranged to pick him up after work that evening, but Liang Jiangong remained silent.

He got out of the car, closed the door gently, and stood there without saying a word, watching his wife's car drive away.

It was a rare day off, and Liang Jiangong and Zhu Xiaoyan planned to do a thorough cleaning at home. Just as they turned on the water, Liang Jiangong received a call from the company saying that there was a problem with the client and that he needed to go back to work overtime.

There was no other way; the project was nearing completion, so Liang Jiangong had to go. He told Zhu Xiaoyan, grabbed his car keys, and left.

Zhu Xiaoyan reminded him, "The car is almost out of gas, remember to fill it up."

Liang Jiangong got into the car and adjusted the seat and rearview mirrors. Just before setting off, he noticed a pack of cigarettes in the glove compartment in front of the gear shift!

Neither he nor Zhu Xiaoyan smokes!
The cigarette was already half-smoked.

Whose pack of cigarettes is this?
Liang Jiangong took out the pack of cigarettes, looked at it absentmindedly, then put it back, started the car, and drove away.

The Elantra was driving on the road, passing a bus stop. The camera focused on Liang Jiangong's departing car, but the director didn't cut to it. Instead, the camera focused on the bus stop, where a bus was parked. Liang Jiangong's mother-in-law, Aunt Sun, got on the bus.

The camera focuses on Aunt Sun, and the audience understands that the third perspective of the Rashomon narrative has begun.

Aunt Sun arrived at her daughter and son-in-law's house by car and skillfully opened the door with her key.

Seeing her daughter sitting on the ground hugging her legs, she rushed over. Her daughter had called and asked her to come over, saying she had something to say to her. Her instinct was that something had happened to her daughter, and seeing her sitting on the ground silently only confirmed her suspicions.
"What are you saying, Xiaoyan? Get up, the ground is cold." He said, reaching out to pull his daughter up.

Zhu Xiaoyan was pulled back by her mother, and tears streamed down her face. She couldn't say a word.

"Oh my god, even if the sky falls, your mother will be there for you. What happened? Tell me! Is it Jian Gong? Did he bully you?"

"Mom, Jianguo, he..." Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Xiaoyan started crying again, "Jiangong, he... he cheated on me, I saw him going into a hotel with a woman." The story returned to the previous timeline once again.

Instead of immediately getting angry and scolding Liang Jiangong, Aunt Sun asked her daughter, "Did you see clearly? Was it him? When did this happen? Which hotel?"

After Zhu Xiaoyan finished speaking, she finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:

"They seem honest most of the time, but you can never truly know someone's heart."

"He's found a house, bought one, and got a stable job, so his mind's wandered! He's got a wild streak!"

Zhu Xiaoyan said, "Mom, I can't live like this anymore, I want a divorce."

Aunt Sun may scold her son-in-law, but she immediately tenses up whenever her daughter mentions divorce.

"Nonsense! What divorce?!"

"Catch him in the act, catch him red-handed! You saw him go into the hotel, and he turned around and insisted he was there to discuss work. What do you say then? Doesn't the law require evidence?"

"What will happen to the house after the divorce? What will happen to your youth these past few years? Will those two scoundrels benefit from it?"

"Crying won't help! He has to pay the price! Catch him red-handed and make him beg you on his knees!"

That evening, Aunt Sun stayed at her daughter's house. When Liang Jiangong returned, she was cooking in the kitchen, a scene that viewers had seen before.

When Liang Jiangong saw his mother-in-law, he greeted her, "Mom, are you cooking?"

"Yes, I'm cooking. What else would we eat?" Aunt Sun's words were icy.

Liang Jiangong sensed that his mother-in-law was not friendly to him, but he didn't say anything and looked at his wife sitting in the living room.

Aunt Sun saw Liang Jiangong sitting next to Zhu Xiaoyan, talking about something. This scene was the scene where Liang Jiangong said he wanted to visit the Olympic Sports Park, which had been shown before.

Aunt Sun was cooking in the kitchen, and she would occasionally come out to peek in, trying to find out what Liang Jiangong and Zhu Xiaoyan were talking about.

The scene cuts to Aunt Sun at home, calling her daughter and giving her advice on how to collect evidence and how to deal with Liang Jiangong.

"Don't cook for him. He did something so shameful, he doesn't deserve your food. Let him go hungry, let him eat out. He likes eating out, doesn't he?"

"Tell your mother how much money you two have saved over the years? You'd better keep a close eye on this money."

However, a few days later, Zhu Xiaoyan drove her new car to her parents' house and told them that Jian Gong had bought it for her.

Aunt Sun's initially cheerful face instantly turned cold: "You bought this especially to cheer you up, didn't you?"

"mom!"

"Fool, I'm thinking of you. Does he know you suspect him? Otherwise, why would he buy a car for no reason? And the car was bought with both of your savings."

However, she put on a good show in front of her son-in-law, praising him for taking the initiative to buy a car for their daughter, and even offering to subsidize the young couple to ease the loan pressure.

"I'll transfer the money to Xiaoyan in a couple of days; it's my parents' way of doing their part."

This car made Aunt Sun even more anxious for her daughter, because she felt that Liang Jiangong must have found out something and was deliberately buying the car to please Zhu Xiaoyan.

That day, she even went to a law firm to consult about divorce. The lawyer told her that as long as she had concrete evidence of the husband's infidelity, the division of property would be very easy, and even if she went to court, the judge would side with the woman.

“They’ve gone to a hotel. He always says he’s working overtime, but he comes home so late every day. What could possibly be going on?” Aunt Sun was convinced that Liang Jiangong was having an affair and was sure she would win the case!

After consulting with a lawyer, Aunt Sun came out and received a call from Liang Jiangong.

"Hey, Jiangong." She even put on a loving mother's tone.

On the other end of the phone, Liang Jiangong's voice was as cold as iron: "Mom, bring your household registration book and bankbook to the house tomorrow."

Aunt Sun's heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile and said, "Huh? Why...why bring that? Jiangong, what nonsense are you talking about?" She knew better than anyone what those two things were for.

Liang Jiangong said, "Let's divide this family property and settle the accounts."

Aunt Sun panicked: "No... Jiangong, listen to Mom, he's perfectly fine..."

Liang Jiangong interrupted her, his voice filled with an extremely weary sarcasm: "What's wrong with you? Ask Zhu Xiaoyan who Li Zhijun is. I'm working overtime every day to pay my mortgage, and what about her? That's it, come over tomorrow."

After he finished speaking, the call was abruptly disconnected, leaving only a busy tone.

Aunt Sun stood frozen on the bustling street, holding her phone. All the confidence she had shown in the law firm vanished instantly, and her face turned deathly pale.

My daughter is also hiding something from me!

In Rashomon, narrated from Aunt Sun's perspective, Li Qiutang noticeably sped up the pace, rapidly advancing the narrative through several segments.

This is not a loss of rhythm control, but a necessary adjustment.

Zhu Xiaoyan and Liang Jiangong, as the parties involved, offer a deep and in-depth perspective. Viewers need to immerse themselves in their suspicions, pain, and inner struggles; therefore, the pacing must be relatively slow, focusing on details and atmosphere. This forms the foundation of the emotional experience.

Aunt Sun's perspective, however, is one of progression. Her function isn't to allow the audience to relive the same emotions, but rather to provide an external impetus, rapidly catalyzing the couple's cold war into an irreconcilable domestic conflict. Her perspective is more like an accelerator or catalyst.

If Aunt Sun's segments also adopted the same slow pace, the film would become lengthy and repetitive, causing the real focus—the destruction of the marital relationship—to be delayed, which would be the real imbalance in pacing.

Aunt Sun called her daughter over alone and tentatively asked her how she had been doing lately, especially whether she had made any new friends at work or in her personal life.

This left Zhu Xiaoyan completely baffled, and she simply said that everything was the same as usual.

Aunt Sun didn't dare mention Li Zhijun, worried that her daughter might do something rash, so she said, "Mom has thought it over, I won't get a divorce."

"Mom!" Zhu Xiaoyan called out.

Aunt Sun said, "Jiangong was probably too busy and tired at work, and someone took advantage of his vulnerability. The fact that he won't buy you a car shows that he still likes you and wants to be with you."

Then she said earnestly, "What will you do if you really get divorced? You're both still young. Making a few mistakes is nothing; you can just correct them."

Zhu Xiaoyan was devastated. Even her most supportive mother had turned against her. How could she bear this?

Aunt Sun told her daughter to go home first, saying, "I'll come see you again tomorrow."

The camera cuts to Liang Jiangong at work, where he is called into his supervisor's office.

The leader first praised him for doing a great job on the Olympic project, and then said, "You know the current external environment is very bad. The company can't do anything about it; we're all just trying to survive. Headquarters has decided to lay off staff to reduce costs. Your team is the first one."

"No way, our team consists of highly skilled veteran employees. We shouldn't be the ones getting laid off."

"It's not a matter of who gets laid off or not. Jian Gong, headquarters' intention is that your entire team..."

Liang Jiangong was speechless for a moment.

“Jiangong, I can’t do anything about it. This is the headquarters’ decision. I’ve already said that you are all veteran employees with excellent skills and have been working in the industry for many years. Do you know what those people at headquarters said? They said that veteran employees have high salaries, and they have wives and children to take care of. They can’t keep up with the energy, so the veteran employees are the ones being laid off.”

"Jiangong, I've done my best. You won't be shortchanged by a penny of your salary. Pack your things."

At this point, some viewers realized that the Rashomon narrative had ended and the film was entering its final chapter. Li Qiutang refused to film the process of the two confronting each other and resolving their misunderstandings, skipping directly to the later plot.

Liang Jiangong packed his things and drove home.

Zhu Xiaoyan had already returned. She had prepared the meal and was sitting at the table. Seeing her husband return without saying a word, she had some doubts, but she didn't say anything.

The two ate in silence.

After dinner, the director gave us a very interesting shot.

The camera only shows the hands of the two people sitting opposite each other. They skillfully clear the table, sweeping the leftovers into their bowls and then onto an empty plate. Liang Jiangong hands his bowl and chopsticks to Zhu Xiaoyan, who puts them away. The two then temporarily leave the camera's view. When they return, Liang Jiangong is holding a rag and starts wiping the table, but after a few strokes, Zhu Xiaoyan reaches out, and Liang Jiangong hands her the rag so she can continue wiping.

The only sound throughout the entire process was the two of them clearing the table; they didn't say a word.

This shot perfectly captures the silent yet tacit understanding between the couple.

The camera shifts away from the tabletop, showing Zhu Xiaoyan washing dishes in the kitchen. Liang Jiangong opens the refrigerator and finds a carton of yogurt inside, but after checking the expiration date, he says, "It's expired."

Then he went to the kitchen and threw the yogurt into the trash can next to Zhu Xiaoyan.

Zhu Xiaoyan was still washing dishes by the sink when Liang Jiangong sat back down at the dining table. The kitchen door separated the two of them, and neither of them spoke.

Fading out, the curtain falls.

A film directed by Li Qiutang.

The music is ringing.

(End of this chapter)