Huayu Tianxian: This director is such a hypocrite!

"Crunch, crunch..."

Sunshine Cinema, Screening Room 2.

Zhang Feng put down his pen and paper, flicked his flowing bangs, and glared at the person next to him with annoyance.

"Crunch, crunch..."

"Hey, Li Ming, don't you know how annoying it is to eat popcorn with your mouth smacking in a quiet movie theater?!"

Li Ming paused for a moment, then raised his hand to adjust his gold-rimmed glasses: "This is my style, just like how I always get my hair done before watching a movie. Please respect my professional habits."

Zhang Feng pursed his lips, his eyes full of disdain: "What kind of style is this? It's like you're some kind of professional."

"It's still better than you, you punk rocker!"

"What did you say?"

The two were arguing in hushed tones, but their eyes were glued to the big screen. Just then, the screen lit up, and the two immediately stopped bickering and became focused.

The film opens with a scene of Zhenzhen being interrogated at the police station, which sets the tone for the film's language and main conflict—guns!

The scene shifts, the clock's reversal hinting at a return to time, and with the roar of a motorcycle, two helmeted men arrive in front of the bank.

"Robbery of a bank?" Zhang Feng frowned.

Here, Ye Chong's shot is of the bank, and he even gives a close-up of the bank security guard.

[Robbery!]

The two helmeted men were indeed the robbers wanted by the police at the beginning, but instead of robbing a bank, they robbed a mobile phone store.

[Release the clutch!]

【Oh! 】

"Roar—" The two fell to the ground, while the motorcycle flew into a tree.

A few restrained chuckles suddenly rang out in the theater.

"What did you just say? Robbing a bank?" Li Ming chuckled, tilting his head slightly closer to Zhang Feng. "You shouldn't have missed it. Look at the visual quality, the acting, the design. I knew it was a dark comedy from the very beginning, from the awkwardness of him wearing a helmet and smoking."

Zhang Feng ignored his sarcasm and frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

One of his director friends seems to be talking about making a dark comedy film.

At this moment, the scene on the big screen suddenly changes to a construction site, where Ma Xianyong (played by Chen Jianbin) is lowered down from a crane. A few lines of dialogue reveal the character of Ma Xianyong as portrayed by Chen Jianbin.

Selfishness, a sense of justice, and vulgarity? Li Ming put down his pen and turned to look at Zhang Feng's notebook.

"Multiple narrative threads enrich the story, but they're difficult for newcomers to handle. So far, it's going smoothly." Zhang Feng nodded after finishing writing. "It all depends on how these threads are interwoven; if not, it'll feel forced."

Li Ming seemed to be deep in thought; he preferred to focus on the characters, while Zhang Feng preferred to study directing techniques.

As for the plot? Isn't that a basic skill for film critics?

The story continues on screen.

Two bumbling robbers, Hu Guangsheng (Glasses) and Li Haigen (Big Head), stole a bag of "cell phones" and fled in panic, but mistakenly entered a private house.

When Chen Zhixi, who plays Ma Jiaqi, appeared, the three of them had a small skit that drew another burst of laughter.

[Are you using your claws?]

[Pull out the nail!]

Safflower oil is for treating bruises and sprains; it should not be applied to wounds!

[Does it hurt?]

It doesn't hurt!

"Thump thump thump..." As Hu Guangsheng was writhing in pain on the sofa, a burst of carefree laughter rang out.

But Zhang Feng and Li Ming didn't laugh. They looked at each other and simultaneously raised their notebooks.

[It's fate to be a joke!]

That's just fate!

A seemingly casual, sarcastic line doesn't mean it's unimportant.

"And Chen Zhixi's performance was really good!"

On the big screen, when Ma Jiaqi learned that Hu Guangsheng's gun was real, her eyelids trembled slightly, highlighting her shock. Then she slowly raised her eyes, her gaze changing from shock to longing.

"Even that swallowing was perfectly timed!"

In the first row, Chen Zhixi stared intently at the screen, her palms slightly sweaty. She glanced back and, seeing that the audience was also glued to the big screen, breathed a sigh of relief.

Looks like I passed the test. The role Chongdi gave me was not easy to play; my butt was sore from sitting for days.

The plot unfolds along multiple storylines.

Liu Wu, a member of the underworld, holds a live memorial service for real estate tycoon Gao Ming (Wang Yanhui) because Gao Ming refuses to pay his debts, which leads to the discovery of Gao Ming and a group of people demanding repayment of the debt.

Ma Xianyong's conflict here stems from his relationship with the school and his daughter—the everyday conflicts of ordinary people at the bottom of society. His shameless offer to assist the captain in the case also reveals the root of his obsession to the police officer: he was once a police auxiliary officer who caused his wife's death and his sister's paralysis by drunk driving, plunging his life into despair.

Many viewers thought of Ma Jiaqi, since they both share the surname Ma, and the answer is obvious: they are siblings.

Yang Mi's daughter, on the other hand, really showed great talent in her performances during Yang Mi's era.

Meanwhile, in the house where the robbers were hiding, Ma Jiaqi learned that the two men had real guns. She used the most vicious language to provoke the two intruders and also gave Wang Shuncai (Lü Kongwei), who came to the door, a good scolding.

"High-level paraplegia, only the head and neck can move... This is a death wish." Li Ming clicked his tongue, his eyes showing pity. "The disabled person's role here is more like a dramatic conflict point, which will probably erupt later."

Zhang Feng added, "And look, there are already four lines of investigation: the security guard looking for a gun, the disabled woman seeking death, Ma Xianyong's daughter and Gao Ming's son, and the clumsy thief who wants to do something big. Ye Chong has big ambitions; he wants to bring everyone together."

"There's also the conversation between Ma Xianyong and Gao Ming at night, which clearly happened the night before. This is a hidden thread, and it's very important."

Zhang Feng nodded and continued looking at the screen.

The atmosphere in the cinema subtly changed during the scenes where Glasses, Big Head, and Ma Jiaqi were in the same room.

Big Head can actually cook really well?

As the two converse, the audience is drawn into the inner world of these two bumbling thieves.

As Da Tou ate his food, his eyes gleamed with longing: "Two hundred thousand? Eighty thousand for house renovations, twenty thousand for the bride price, and ten thousand for lollipops—Xia Mei especially loves lollipops!"

At this moment, Glasses pouted and said with certainty, "How many times have I told you, she's not rich enough to marry you, let alone go to the countryside with you to live!"

So that's how it is? Da Tou's dream is to marry Xia Mei?

Wait, Xia Mei? Could it be the one from the police station at the beginning? Isn't she working at Dream Paris?

Zhang Feng and Li Ming exchanged a glance, then resumed their writing and drawing.

So, what is the dream of those who wear glasses?

On screen, Glasses is still advising Big Head: "People strive for better things, water flows downhill. To put it bluntly, coming to the city means changing your way of life, it means you have to work hard!"

"Here it comes!" Ye Chong, sitting in the front row, shifted his position, a strange sense of excitement on his face.

Chen Zhixi, standing to the side, felt a strange sensation and wondered what kind of fetish this was.

[I'll get you an AK-47 and a Rifle, and we'll make you even bigger and stronger, creating new glories!]

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Giggle giggle..."

Ye Chong glanced back and saw that the atmosphere in the cinema was excellent, with laughter filling the air.

Laugh now, laugh a lot, you won't be able to laugh later.

The audience laughed, and Ye Chong laughed too, but it was a cold laugh.

But he didn't see that a little girl in a white dress was peeking out from the leftmost seat in the first row, looking at him.

What is that scoundrel laughing at?

Yifei frowned, and when she saw Ye Chong turn around, she shrank back into her seat like a startled deer.

She ran away secretly and has been preparing for auditions these past few days. Except for interviews and announcements, her mother basically doesn't let her out.

Ye Chong only invited her once, and after she declined, he didn't speak again.

Hmph, if you invite me a few more times, maybe I'll just give in and forgive you for what happened last time too.

Yifei didn't know if this counted as a cold war, but she felt quite uneasy and empty inside.

So, she secretly escaped to attend his premiere, but as a fan.

At this point, the movie was already halfway through. Ma Xianyong was arrested while searching for Xia Mei, and the two bumbling thieves were also trying to force their way out when...

"Whoosh—"

"Holy crap!"

"This is……"

"what?"

The scene erupted in uproar, with many spectators staring wide-eyed and gaping in astonishment.

On screen, Yifei made a dazzling appearance wearing black-rimmed glasses and a blue business suit!

Welcome to the hottest local news program, "Gazette Corner"!

"It really is her! It's the voice of a fairy!"

"Why would the fairy-like beauty appear in Ye Chong's film?"

"Is it a cameo role? Are they classmates?"

"So cute! When the fairy sister speaks Chongqing dialect, she has such a sweet and adorable voice."

"That's Guizhou dialect, you fake fan!"

In the first row, Ye Chong smirked, crossed his arms, slightly raised his chin, and wore a smug expression.

Only I could take such beautiful photos of Yifei.

On screen, Yifei, holding a pen in one hand, exaggerates as she faces the camera, saying, "These two, robbing a fake phone, their combined IQ must be negative!"

"Hahaha……"

The theater erupted in laughter again, and Ye Chong's chest bulged high.

Look, this is the radiant fairy sister I've trained!

Look, look, how cute those teeth are!

"He's so lewd!" Yi Fei, sitting in the first row, peeked at Ye Chong again.

Who knew that one glance would reveal him admiring himself in such a self-absorbed state.

So what is he thinking?

A deep breath, a blush, and a smug look... Could it be...?

Yifei suddenly remembered a post she had seen the day before yesterday: Men's possessiveness?

Is this scoundrel thinking: "Look, this is my woman?"

Intuit!

Yifei blushed.

I haven't forgiven you yet, and you call yourself my woman?