Rebirth 02, the Celestial Being Told Me to Stop Pretending

February 20th, Chengdu Dadi Cinema.

The 8 PM screening ended, and the lights came on.

The audience members gradually stood up and continued to discuss the plot.

"Dao Ge's comment about manners was hilarious."

"I laughed so hard I almost choked on my breath during the part where Blackie ran away."

Just as I was about to leave, the lights in the theater suddenly went out again.

"What happened? Is the light broken?"

"Is anyone going to take care of this? If I fall and get hurt, you can't afford to pay for it."

"Your movie theater is completely unprofessional." Someone remarked, using lines from a movie they had just learned.

Amidst the discussions, the spotlight above the screen lit up.

The stage was set up at some point, right below the screen.

Liu Hua was wearing Dao Ge's leather jacket, Huang Bo was wearing a tattered black leather cotton-padded coat, Guo Tao was wearing Bao Shihong's uniform, and Lu Chen was standing on the far side.

One second you can still hear the air conditioner humming.

The next second, screams ripped the roof off.

"Holy crap! Brother Dao!"

"Darkie! It's Darkie!"

"Is the real-life international thief really that handsome?"

"The director is so handsome!" Something strange seems to have slipped in.

Several girls stood up and screamed, while their boyfriends next to them were both embarrassed and laughing.

Lu Chen picked up the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone. We are the creative team behind 'Crazy Stone.' Thank you for coming to see our movie. Now let's chat. Please raise your hand if you have any questions."

A girl was the first to raise her hand, her voice trembling.

"Brother Dao! Why haven't Brother Dao and Mike met at all? Is this on purpose?"

Liu Hua took the microphone, his face serious. "It was intentional. Think about it, two thieves stealing the same piece of jade in the same city, but neither knows who the other is. It's a kind of absurd comedic portrayal of life."

After speaking, Liu Hua turned to Lu Chen beside him and asked, "Director, am I right?"

Lu Chen raised the microphone, "Brother Dao is a man who values ​​rules the most, so there's nothing wrong with his understanding."

The audience smiled.

Then someone asked, "Did you two meet on set?"

"Yes, I've met him." Liu Hua smiled and pointed to Lu Chen beside her. "Mike is the director, so of course I've met him. If the actors can't meet the director, the film can't be shot."

Lu Chen added from the side, "Off-screen, he calls me 'director' every day, but on-screen, he has to pretend he doesn't know me when he sees me."

"Yes, yes, yes." Liu Hua nodded.

"Once after filming, I habitually greeted the director with 'Hello, Director,' and Lu Chen glared at me, saying, 'Brother Dao, you have to pretend you don't know me now.' I thought about it for a long time afterward, and hey, it really is true."

The audience burst into laughter.

Guo Tao took the microphone.

"Let me add something. During the scene where I chased the thief on set, I ran eighteen times. After that, my legs were completely numb."

"What were you thinking when you were pursuing her?" a boy asked.

"When will Nike start making cameras?"

Another burst of laughter followed.

Huang Bo was pushed forward; he was a little nervous and held the microphone upside down.

"Um... for the scene where Blackie steals the bread at the end, I ran around the elevated highways of the mountain city for a whole day. The director said it wasn't enough, and wanted to do it again. I said, 'Director, I really can't run anymore.' He said, 'It's okay, I'll have a bicycle chase after you.'"

"So, did you end up eating bread?"

"I ate it. But it was prop bread, as hard as a brick. I took a bite and almost broke my teeth."

Lu Chen added, "He even burped after he finished eating; it tasted like lime."

The whole audience was laughing so hard they were slapping their thighs.

A boy wearing glasses raised his hand.

"Director, you said this movie is 'the worst movie to watch on Valentine's Day.' But I brought my girlfriend to see it on Valentine's Day, and she laughed a lot. Don't you think that's absurd?"

Lu Chen looked at him and remained silent for three seconds.

"Yes. But what I want to do is not to make you laugh and then forget, but to make you think of Hei Pi, Dao Ge, and those people who struggle in life but still talk about 'civility'. If you are silent for a few seconds, then this movie was not made in vain."

The theater fell silent.

Then applause broke out.

After the first roadshow ended, discussion posts quickly appeared online.

On the Tianya Film and Television forum, a user with the ID "Chengdu Zai'er" posted: "I saw Dao Ge and Hei Pi! Live footage from their roadshow!"

"Dao Ge is even funnier in real life than in the movies!"

"Blackie said the prop bread was as hard as a brick, and the whole audience burst into laughter!"

"The director said, 'If you remain silent for a few seconds, then this movie won't have been a waste of time,' and I remained silent."

"Which city has a roadshow? I'd like to go too!"

"Please provide a list of cities for our roadshow!"

I replied to over 300 messages in two hours.

When Fatty Yu called, his voice had changed.

"Xiao Lu, what did you do? Today's box office in Chengdu is 40% higher than yesterday! Cinemas in Wuhan, Changsha, and Zhengzhou are all calling to ask if we can add more screenings!"

"Then add it."

"We need people to show more! The problem now is that the audience wants to see it, but we don't have enough copies!"

"Then add more copies, add more screenings. If the audience wants to see it, then show it to them."

Fatty Yu didn't hesitate: "Okay. I'll arrange it."

The roadshow started on February 20th. Ten days, ten cities.

Chengdu, Jiangcheng, Xingcheng, Zhengcheng, Hangzhou, Jinling, Chang'an, Fengtian, Quancheng, Yangcheng.

At least three events per city.

Adding extra screenings is commonplace, and tickets for roadshow screenings are in high demand.

During the day, we travel by car; in the afternoon, we go to the cinema; in the evening, we watch the film and have a discussion; and in the early morning, we rush to the next stop.

Liu Yifei attended the Hangzhou event.

She was wearing a gray baseball cap. She walked over to the table and chairs at the entrance of the cafe, sat down, and took off her cap.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm an investor, of course I have to come and take a look."

"You're from Beiping?"

"Yes. I took the night train."

Lu Chen looked at her.

A girl who was still more than half a year away from turning sixteen took a night train from Beiping to Hangzhou, just to see him once.

"You can't help with the roadshow."

"I know." Liu Yifei took a sip of coffee. "I just wanted to come and see you."

She paused for a moment, then said, "You're different when you're on stage than usual."

"What's different?"

"You're like a knife in normal times, but like a ball of fire on stage."

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment.

Am I that great? I have both knives and fire.

How come I didn't know about this?

"If you can talk, then talk more, but don't open your mouth so wide, I'm afraid your gums will show."

Normally, she would have retorted "You dog!" when Lu Chen teased her.

But she didn't today.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with laughter, yet deep down there was a hidden worry.

Are you tired?

As soon as she said it, her own eyes welled up with tears.

Lu Chen opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

The night breeze ruffled the wisps of hair on the girl's forehead. Her eyes were so clear in the moonlight that they reflected her image, and her slightly reddened eyes also reflected his slightly reddened eyes, as if looking in a mirror.

"I..." Lu Chen's voice was a little hoarse. He lowered his eyelids, "I'm not tired."

I was so tired I could barely stand.

From the very first day of my rebirth, every step I took felt like walking on a knife's edge, filled with calculation, precaution, and meticulous planning.

But when she uttered the words "Are you tired?", those heavy shackles suddenly felt a little lighter.

The girl tilted her head, clearly not believing it.

She leaned closer, moonlight dancing on her eyelashes: "You dog, you're lying again." Her tone was so certain that it sent a shiver down his spine.

She stretched out her slender finger and gently poked his brow: "You're all furrowed up here."

Lu Chen looked up and stared at her intently.

Liu Yifei blushed slightly at this. "What are you looking at? Do you think I have box office numbers on my face?"

Lu Chen suddenly smiled, the smile spreading in his eyes. "No box office, but it seems like there's a flower." As he spoke, he reached out and gently brushed his fingertips through the stray hairs at her temple.

He took a piece of candy out of his pocket and placed it in front of her.

"What?"

"Throat lozenges. My throat hurts from all the shouting during the roadshow, here you go."

"Where did you come from?"

"Huang Bo bought it. He said it was essential for the roadshow."

Liu Yifei held the candy in her hand, without unwrapping it. "Are you giving some to others too?"

"Here you go."

She unwrapped the candy and put it in her mouth; the sweetness spread across her tongue. "Sweet."

"nonsense."

"You're getting more and more impolite."

"You're becoming more and more controlling of me."

Liu Yifei glared at him, but a smirk played on her lips. "Serves you right."

The roadshow ended at 11 p.m.

Lu Chen escorted her back to her hotel, and neither of them spoke on the way. The night breeze in Hangzhou was warm, and the plane trees lining the streets were just sprouting new buds.

Upon arriving at the hotel entrance, Liu Yifei turned around.

"Lu Chen".

"Um."

"Could you please let me know in advance about your next roadshow?"

Why should I tell you?

"I can buy you throat lozenges."

Lu Chen looked at her.

A fifteen-year-old girl stood under a streetlamp, her eyes brighter than the lamp itself.

"OK."

"It's settled then."

"It's settled."

She turned and walked into the hotel.

He took two steps and then turned back.

"Go to sleep early. Don't stay up until the early hours again."

"understood."

"It's no use knowing, you definitely won't listen."

She smiled, turned around, and ran into the elevator.

Lu Chen stood at the hotel entrance. A night breeze blew by, and he felt his pocket; the cigarette pack was still there.

But he didn't smoke.

You're the one for me in this life.

She probably just wants to play around, right? Probably not.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen scratched his head. Damn it, now he really is a pure and innocent young man.