Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the small county town was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, but there were not many pedestrians on the streets.

Gu Man walked alone on the street, feeling bored.

Why doesn't she go home?

It's not that I don't want to reply, it's that I'm afraid to.

After the blunder of the blind date during the day, she returned home and was just about to catch her breath when all her relatives gathered around.

One after another, they kept asking, "How's the PE teacher? I heard he's in great shape. Don't be too picky, just find someone decent..."

Gu Man was truly unable to resist, so she made an excuse that she had made plans to go to karaoke with her classmates that night and simply ran away.

But when I came out, I found that no one was out singing karaoke during the Chinese New Year.

Besides, she doesn't like karaoke.

Most of the shops on the street were closed by then, and the internet cafes were filled with smoke and filled with young men playing games. She didn't want to go there.

while walking.

She remembered the person she had met during the day, the guy named Zhao Huaiyuan.

As we were about to descend the mountain.

The other person introduced themselves, which really surprised her for a while.

As a seasoned bookworm who surfs the internet and searches for novels year after year, she is no stranger to the film and entertainment industry.

Of course, I know that the director who caused such a stir recently and was criticized by netizens is also named Zhao Huaiyuan.

After she raised the question of whether the two were the same person.

The man readily admitted his identity, saying it was him, and even half-jokingly mentioned that he planned to set up a studio after the New Year and asked if she was interested in working together.

To be honest, she just took it as a joke.

She had just graduated and was naturally carefree and loved freedom. Her biggest wish in life was to write and read, and to be a free person. How could she stand the nine-to-five life? So she politely declined.

Besides, she also felt that it was somewhat unreliable for the other party to open a studio at such a young age.

Later, when the other party offered to drive her home from the foot of the mountain, she politely declined.

after all..

Although the other person was eloquent and handsome enough to appeal to her aesthetic, they were ultimately just casual acquaintances, nothing more than passersby.

She has her own sense of propriety.

But tonight...

I don't know why, maybe it was because I had nowhere else to go, or maybe it was because I was curious.

She walked into the movie theater as if possessed.

In those days, there weren't as many diverse entertainment options as there are now, but for young people in small towns, going to the cinema was definitely the most fashionable and suitable pastime to pass the time.

Gu Man walked to the ticket counter and glanced at the movie schedule.

The popular films "Hero" and "A Perfect Match" were all marked with red "Sold Out" stickers.

Just as she was hesitating whether to sit on the bench for a while and then go home, she heard a young couple arguing nearby.

"Ugh, I told you to come earlier to buy tickets! Look, all the good movies are gone!" The girl stomped her foot, looking very unhappy.

The boy also looked helpless, pointing to the only line of text left on the movie schedule.

"Who knew it would be so popular, honey? There's only one show left, at 22:30 PM, and there are still seats available."

The girl looked over and read out the name: "Escape from the British Museum? What kind of name is that? I don't want to see it, it's boring."

"What should we do? It's so late. How about... I go and book a room across the street? We can watch some TV and chat. That would be nice, wouldn't it?" the boy asked cautiously, trying to find out.

The girl seemed to remember something, her face flushed red, and she glared at him, saying irritably, "Then I'll just watch the movie."

The boy was immediately disappointed. "Okay, then let's go to the museum..."

Gu Man smiled.

Being single for so long, I'm actually starting to feel a little envious.

Perhaps this is what youth is all about...

"Escape from the British Museum," Gu Man murmured softly, "was this the film he made?"

"Give me one too." Gu Man took out her wallet.

I have nowhere to go anyway, and I don't want to go home.

Let's join in the fun then.

The ticket seller looked up at her, her eyes filled with a hint of sympathy for yet another sucker, and deftly tore off a pink ticket for her.

"Nobody's watching this movie, feel free to come in and sit anywhere."

..

Ten minutes later, tickets were checked and entry was permitted.

Theater 3 is a small theater. Because it was late at night during off-peak hours, and it was a movie whose title alone was discouraging, the theater was sparsely populated, with no more than eight people including Gu Man.

Besides the couple sitting in the middle of the fourth row, there was also an uncle wearing a coat lying in the far corner, who was obviously there to catch up on sleep while enjoying the warmth.

In the first row sat a father and son. The little boy was waving a large plastic sword he'd bought from a roadside stall, clamoring to see a martial arts master. The father next to him looked exhausted, probably because he couldn't resist his son's insistence on seeing a movie, and since he hadn't been able to get good tickets, he had to make do with this one.

Museums are a good place to educate children about science.

Gu Man found a seat in the middle or back row, hugged her bag, curled up into a ball, and prepared to go to sleep if the movie was too bad.

The couple in the front row were leaning against each other, whispering to each other.

"Honey, look, there aren't many people here. The movie must be boring. Why don't we leave now? The guesthouse is really warm, and there's a big color TV. I swear I really won't do anything."

The guy had originally planned to watch a movie, but after talking about booking a hotel room, he suddenly got carried away and couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Shut up!" The girl shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

The lights went out.

The dragon emblem flashed by.

The opening scene is a news broadcast.

"Breaking news, the British museum has announced that the Chinese jade department was missing two weeks ago..."

(Subtitle: Breaking news, the British Museum announces that the Chinese jade pot went missing two weeks ago)

...

The male protagonist, Zhang Yong'an, makes his appearance. He is wearing a faded suit and is in a hurry. He is tightly protecting a camera bag in his hand, which is his only means of livelihood as a tour guide and freelance photographer.

When the audience saw the unattractive, even somewhat ugly face on the screen, some boos immediately rang out in the theater.

The child brandished a toy sword, jumping and gesturing at the screen: "Daddy, this is a bad guy, kill him! BIU~BIU!"

"Tsk...can't you control your kids?" a girl in the back row complained, sounding a bit annoyed.

The child's father quickly pressed the child back into his seat: "Sit still and don't make a sound!"

After things calmed down.

The girl, looking at the screen, was even more furious and complained, "This is so ugly! What's the point of looking at this?!"

"The movie wasn't good, and the kids were making noise. Should we leave? The guesthouse has a big color TV..."

Girls are already annoyed, and the Lunar New Year's Day has been ruined like this. Hearing this, she slapped his hand away and sulked.

In the picture, a dirty little figure is walking around with its head down.

Zhang Yong'an frowned and shouted:

"Hey! Hey! Where are you headed?"

Before he could finish speaking, the small figure suddenly crashed into him.

The camera began to shake violently, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground.

The sound, combined with the theater's powerful sound effects, was quite loud, startling the little boy who was fidgeting in his seat, and he immediately became quiet.

Zhang Yong'an looked at the shattered camera lens on the ground and instantly bristled, his face contorted with heartache:

"You just broke my camera!"

The camera focused on the little beggar.

She was a girl who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in ancient costume, with a dirty little face.

She apologized meekly:

"I'm...sorry..."

Zhang Yong'an laughed in exasperation: "Sorry?"

Immediately afterwards, his anger level soared:

Do you have a idea of ​​how long it will take to fix this camera?!

The girl in the fourth row, seeing this scene, curled her lip in disgust and crossed her legs: "Seriously? He's already speaking English? What's he pretending for? He's so ugly and he's playing a returnee from overseas. It looks so out of place and so embarrassing. It's so boring."

In the corner, the middle-aged man lying down turned over and let out a loud snore, clearly the plot had not aroused his interest at all.

In the video, Zhang Yong'an picks up his camera and tenderly brushes off the dust.

Zhang Yong'an muttered to himself, "Why am I so unlucky! My livelihood is all smashed... Oh well! Oh well!"

Looking at the dirty little beggar in front of him, Zhang Yong'an waved his hand, looking utterly displeased.

"Fine, just go. Hey! You're playing dumb with me when I'm talking to you, aren't you?"

Gu Man, on the other hand, became slightly interested.

She thought the fierce-looking male protagonist would be relentless and persistent, but to her surprise, although he was a bit talkative, he still softened and let the little beggar go.

"He's got some skills," Gu Man thought to herself, giving a fair assessment, and straightened up a little from her previous hunched posture.

She loves to come up with stories, and her mind is often filled with imaginative ideas.

This plot point was handled quite well.

If the male lead is persistent and clingy, it's too simplistic and obvious; but if he's overly compassionate and doesn't complain at all, it seems pretentious and empty.

But the director cleverly made the character furious first, since he had broken something precious, which is understandable. Then he had to let go, which showed the character's inner kindness. The little beggar was also a person with a tragic fate.

We are both wanderers in this world...

That immediately established the character's presence.

Upon hearing the Chinese in the video, Xiao Yuhu immediately looked up.

In that instant, the fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by hope.

She rushed forward and hugged Zhang Yong'an tightly, her voice choked with emotion:

"Family... I've been wandering outside for so long, sob... I'm lost, I don't know how to find my way home..."

Zhang Yong'an looked completely bewildered, leaning back in disbelief: "What?"

Inside the theater.

The girl was holding popcorn and was about to complain that the plot was like an international staged accident, and that the ugly male lead had taken advantage of her.

But when Xiaoyuhu called out "family" and cried with tears streaming down her face, she suddenly couldn't laugh anymore.

These lines... why do they sound so inexplicably heartbreaking?

The middle-aged man in the corner shifted slightly. He didn't sit up completely, but instead half-closed his eyes and turned his gaze to the big screen for the first time.

The plot moves forward rapidly.

Contrary to expectations, the story that follows is a chaotic tale of life after the two begin living together.

Xiao Yuhu was so frightened by the hairdryer that she covered her head and hid under the table. She went to the supermarket and went on a shopping spree, buying mountains of tea. She pointed at the big TV and shouted in surprise, which made Zhang Yong'an jump up and down in anger.

In the corner, the middle-aged man who had just half-sat up stared at the screen for a couple of seconds before losing interest again.

He shook his head, completely uninterested in the flirtatious banter between young people. He shrank back into his chair, pulled his coat over his head, and went back to his deep sleep.

Gu Man frowned as well.

She was somewhat disappointed; it was a clichéd idol drama plot.

The key point is, if you're going to act in an idol drama, you need to find a handsome guy, right?

Looking at Zhang Yong'an's lewd face on the screen, yet acting out this sweet and affectionate interaction, she felt a sense of incongruity, as if it were very abnormal.

Especially the female lead's character—was her intelligence forcibly lowered in order to portray her as innocent and cute?

In reality, how can someone who is sixteen or seventeen years old be so lacking in common sense?

Even if someone comes from the mountains, they shouldn't be afraid of hair dryers and not even know what a television is.

This kind of attempt to create laughs by having characters act foolish and idiotic, completely detached from real-world logic, is really low-level.

Gu Man shook her head secretly.

Only the girl in the fourth row had a low threshold for laughter; she was amused and kept giggling.

The guy's mind wasn't on the movie from the start; he was constantly thinking of an excuse to book a room for tonight.

But seeing his girlfriend watching so intently, even though he was anxious, he could only force a dry laugh.

Until one evening.

A stormy night.

Xiao Yuhu suddenly said:

"Ah... I remember now, I've actually seen you before."

Zhang Yong'an sneered: "Ha... I didn't."

Xiao Yuhu said earnestly:

"I saw you in the museum. You looked at me through the glass for a long, long time and even took a picture of me."

Zhang Yong'an remained silent, seemingly moved.

Xiao Yuhu looked at him with clear eyes:

"I know you're family; only family would look at me like that."

The theater suddenly became very quiet.

"Museum...glass...taking photos..."

Gu Man was stunned, then suddenly realized something.

She got goosebumps all over her body.

At this moment.

She seemed to understand.

She understood the true meaning of the film!

No wonder she's afraid of hair dryers, no wonder she frantically sweeps up tea leaves, no wonder she knows nothing.

She wasn't deliberately made less intelligent or lacking in common sense; it's just that she truly is a jade pot!

What can a jade pot understand?

This is not some clichéd transnational abnormal relationship at all. That glass is not a window, it is a display case. And that word "family" is not just a random shout, it is a shout for compatriots!

"So the previous sense of incongruity was intentionally designed..." Gu Man pursed her lips, thinking of Zhao Huaiyuan and how she had met him during the day.

That person shouldn't just be superficial.

"So what kind of person are you?" Gu Man asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

The girl in the fourth row who had been smiling all along stopped smiling. She might not have thought as deeply as Gu Man, but she had a woman's intuition, and something that easily touched the depths of her heart seemed about to well up.

at last,

Zhang Yong'an understood and decided to take her home.

But Xiaoyuhu is an undocumented person and has no passport.

The journey home was long and arduous, far too miserable to describe.

When you see on the screen, the male protagonist is beaten until his face is covered in blood, but he still refuses to let go in order to protect Xiaoyuhu.

The guy in the young couple couldn't help but exclaim, "That's a real man! Seriously, he's such a damn man!"

In the first row, the little boy who had been yelling about killing the bad guys was now quiet.

He clutched the plastic sword in his arms, his big eyes fixed on the ugly uncle on the screen, his face covered in blood, desperately protecting his sister.

Suddenly, he turned his head to look at his father, his young face unusually serious:

"Dad, I won't hit him anymore. Uncle isn't a bad guy. He protects my sister; he's a great hero! A true knight-errant!"

The father nodded and said quietly, "Yes, he is a hero, a great knight-errant."

In the corner, the coat was lifted up again...

at last.

The colors in the lens suddenly became clear and bright.

The somber BBC color scheme faded, and a sufficiently warm Chinese red emerged.

The streets were bustling with traffic, and the lampposts along the street were covered with fluttering flags.

Little Jade Pot stood on the pedestrian overpass.

She stared blankly at the prosperous scene before her, and cautiously reached out her hand, as if wanting to touch the wind of her hometown.

"elder brother.."

She turned her head and looked at Zhang Yong'an.

"Is this...home?"

Zhang Yong'an, his eyes red-rimmed, nodded:

"Yes, this is home, we're back."

Little Jade Pot smiled, and tears streamed down her face.

In the first row, the little boy fell completely silent. He looked up and asked:

"Dad, why is that girl crying?"

The father gently stroked his child's head: "Because she's finally home."

Just then, the background music started, desolate and tragic, soaring straight into the sky!

The climax is approaching.

The scene didn't linger on the streets of Yanjing; instead, it began to switch rapidly.

The scene then shifts to the exhibition hall of the China National Museum.

A well-preserved terracotta musician with a serene expression stands quietly under the lamp.

In the voice-over, Xiaoyuhu reads the letter with a sob in her voice: