Chapter 82 – Watching my own kissing scene
 
The long, bright red carpet was spread on the spacious square, dazzling under the sunlight. The most suitable position for taking photos around has long been occupied by a large number of photographers, and their shots flashes are getting longer and longer. Outside the red carpet was crowded with people; the degree of popularity was evident. For this reason, the mall also specially deployed a large number of security teams to ensure the smooth progress of the red carpet.
 
The giant LED screen on the high wall lit up the whole time. The melodious music came from the specially prepared surround sound speaker system. The noisy crowd gradually quieted down, and the countless pairs of eyes turned in the direction at the beginning of the red carpet.
 
The much-anticipated wait was finally answered with a sudden “here it comes!” from the crowd. At the end of the space, separated by the barricade, a car slowly drove over.
 
The red carpet ceremony kicked off.
 
The first to make an appearance were some young actors and actresses in the cast, the young men wearing well-ironed suits and the young ladies wearing elaborate dresses. The two matching artists waved around as they walked towards the end of the red carpet.
 
After the young artists, there were some familiar faces. Unknowingly, the atmosphere in the venue was pushed to the climax little by little.
 
The long-awaited names were also read out by the host at that moment.
 
“Let’s welcome ——”
 
The voices of the crowd instantly became boisterous and there was a lot of screaming in the middle. The black car parked before the red carpet shone low-key and dazzling in the sun but all everyone saw was the man who opened the door and walked out of the car.
 
The dark blue suit was wrapped around a near-perfect body, and the handsome, unparalleled face was as dazzling as the summer sun. The tall, long-legged man stepped on the red carpet as if he was born for this high-profile show.
 
“—— Mr. Zhou Jinchen!”
 
The sound amplified by the microphone was quickly drowned out by screams and the atmosphere was instantly heated to the extreme. The scene even got a little out of control for a while, with the security guards having to hold up the barricades from the inside to prevent the overexcited fans from pushing the thick barricades down.
 
The heated atmosphere did not disturb the main person who had caused the screams. The man waved his hand around but he stood in place and did not leave straightly beside the car.
 
Before everyone had time to wonder, they heard another name in the surrounding speakers.
 
“And Mr. An Xumo!”
 
The atmosphere climaxed again, in a new round of screams, the door on the other side of the car was pushed open. A handsome, delicate boy appeared in front of the crowd, his sky blue suit makes him look purely naïve and elegant, two contradictory temperaments blended together. It was the kind of youthfulness that made people can’t help but be moved.
 
The car slowly drove away and the two people who remained in the same place stood side by side and walked towards the red carpet. There was an endless shuttering and cheering around, and there were fans that were desperately holding up their phones, constantly taking pictures. The two waved around and exchanged a few words from time to time. Even though they did not hold their arms like the previous male-female pair, they walked together in perfect harmony.
 
While fans were overwhelmed by the appearance of their idols, some invited reporters were secretly asking questions.
 
How come it was the two of them walking the red carpet together?
 
This question became even more difficult to understand when Lin Rui and Ma Lao next appeared together. Although the vast majority of the audience was attracted by the appearance of the actors in person, and many reporters were nervously and rapidly recording, there were still people who secretly wrote down these questions and planned to ask them during the interview after the ceremony.
 
But the question was not saved for long before the host took the initiative to ask it.
 
After the crew standing together took a group photo together, they signed their names on the background board. Taking advantage of the time to sign, the host said to the crew, “We know that the movie《Different Roads》is a double male lead film, two main characters are played by Teacher Lin Rui and Teacher Zhou Jinchen. However, just now, we found that when walking the red carpet, it was Teacher Zhou Jinchen and Teacher An Xumo who came together. We would like to ask for the audience ah, is there any special intention for this arrangement?”
 
He turned the microphone toward the several people in the middle of the crew and the nearest An Xumo took the microphone but the person who answered was not him, Ma Lao was coming to the microphone.
 
“Previously, a lot of media told me before that the love triangle in the film was buzzing before it was released.” Ma Lao still has his usual serious face, “I don’t think our crew did it on purpose but since everyone thinks so, we just continued to keep the triangle going until the end.”
 
The host cooperated with a smile, “Oh, just now, I heard a fan friend say it, asking whether this is an indication of the ending of the three people in the film. But seeing the meaning of Elder Ma, this question has to be answered in the movie.”
 
The crew had already almost signed, the host did not delay and said directly, “Then let’s invite the lucky early audience into the cinema. It doesn’t matter if the fans don’t have insider tickets, because tonight at six o’clock,《Different Roads》will be fully screened. Our top floor cinema has already arranged for the screening.”
 
Soon, the crew went through a special channel towards the arranged inner cinema. An Xumo followed the large group with a somewhat stiff back, his fingertips were cold. When he entered the mall, he was blown by the cold wind from the oncoming air conditioner, and the freezing cold was even more painful.
 
Before An Xumo could lower his head to see his fingers, he noticed a cold and sharp gaze.
 
He subconsciously looked up and saw that not far ahead Lin Rui who stepped on the escalator around the corner is looking at him condescendingly from a high level. The other person’s face has long lost his usual gentle smile. At this time, only a frozen piece remained, and even his gaze looked like a sharp ice blade.
 
An Xumo’s movement paused for a while.
 
But before he could react, the man in front of him suddenly stopped.
 
Everyone is walking but Zhou Jinchen took a step back sideways. He did not make extra moves but just stood side by side with An Xumo. The man who was nearly one point nine meters tall immediately blocked An Xumo on his side.
 
The boy was attracted by the other party’s movements, and by the time he realized it, the two had already stepped on the escalator together. He looked up where Lin Rui had already turned his head and withdrawn his eyes.
 
An Xumo clenched his fingers and felt that his hands and feet seemed to be getting colder.
 
After taking a photo with the insiders who had advanced viewing of the movie on the stage, the crew walked off the stage and sat on the reserved row of seats. The lights dimmed and the venue was left with only the glow of the screen. Soon, it was time for the opening of the film’s dragon logo and its distribution company.
 
After a short period of silence, a leather suitcase suddenly appeared on the screen.
 
“Sihang, here! Here!”
 
Ling Sihang who was pulling the suitcase waved towards his old friend, who picked him up at the airport. After a long absence of a hug, the two got into the car together. The lush green plants flashed hurriedly outside the car window and the old friend driving the car knocked on the steering wheel, “Sihang, the case you told me about……what is it about?”
 
“Ten years ago,” Ling Sihang’s voice was slightly lowered, “it was just assisting in the investigation, nothing major.”
 
“That’s fine, I was shocked ne.” The old friend joked, “It’s not easy for our big Dr. Ling to finally come back once, so why did he get called by the police station?”
 
Ling Sihang hooked up his lips and said lightly, “The police station is not the problem.”
 
“Huh?”
 
“The problem is the person whom I met at the police station.”
 
“Who is it? Isn’t it just the police inspector in the bureau ma.” The old friend reacted after speaking. He couldn’t help but look at Ling Sihang from the rear-view mirror, “No, it will not be that one……”
 
“Yes.” Ling Sihang finished and looked out the window.
 
“Ye Qisheng.”
 
At the same time, the name was pronounced, the camera pulled up, and the bridge surrounded by lush trees appeared on the screen with two big words “Different Roads”. The direction of the highway extension is Lin City.^[1]I used Lincheng (cheng means city) before. I’ll check it on previous chapters and edit when I have the time. Apologies
 
An Xumo sat on his seat and tilted his head to look at the giant full-frame screen. A scene that he had once observed up close was replayed on the screen, and it is only when he made such a comparison that he deeply appreciated the role of the director and the editing.
 
Some of the shots which he had obviously watched on the location were now presented in a perspective he never imagined. Although An Xumo has not yet had an in-depth understanding of the film, just watching these shots, he could feel the power of Ma Lao.
 
Ma Lao has given each shot a unique and effective purpose.
 
The Lin City murder case involves an old accident ten years ago. When the image was turned, the slightly old Lin City Middle School class bell rang. An Xumo quietly watched, and his heartbeat slightly accelerated.
 
Soon it will be…… Bai Qingchi’s scene.
 
“Little brother, are you alone ah?” Zhao Jiujiu’s frivolous and insincere voice sounded and Bai Qingchi wearing a turtleneck sweater in his school uniform appeared on the camera. He frowned, turned his head away in disgust, and hurriedly walked in the other direction.
 
Zhao Jiujiu stood in place and stared at the person’s slender and tall back, and smiled maliciously. His purpose was someone else, that’s why he didn’t go after him.
 
He looked back at the school entrance and soon, Ye Qisheng, carrying a shoulder bag came out.
 
An Xumo quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
 
Qian Lingyuan’s acting skills are superb and he vividly portrayed Zhao Jiujiu’s feeling of being disgusting to look at. In contrast, An Xumo has much less acting experience but fortunately, after the training within the crew and the processing of the camera, his performance is still considered to be able to pass.
 
As the film continued, the main story gradually unfolded. The struggle between life and death, the desperate screaming were presented, and the kissing scene to fake the break-up between the two also successfully triggered a burst of exclamation in the venue.
 
While Bai Qingchi on the screen took the initiative to tug at Ling Sihang’s collar, An Xumo on his seat wanted to find a crack in the ground.
 
This feeling of watching your own kissing scene is really…… too refined, especially when Zhou Jinchen who was kissing him is sitting next to him at this time.
 
The light in the cinema is dim, and the others’ expressions could not be seen clearly. An Xumo also did not dare to look sideways, his face was burning hot, and his breathing was softened.
 
He was so nervous that the side of his face kept burning and didn’t notice the fiery gaze coming from the side.
 
It was only when the film was nearing its end that the temperature on An Xumo’s face dropped a little.
 
The evidence was delivered, the truth came to light, the loud hammer sounded, and the two main characters were each sentenced to the final decision. The moment the two brushed past each other, it was captured in slow motion, and their eyes turned back. They were already the most familiar strangers.
 
At the end of the film, the person who sent the key evidence is revealed. Bai Qingchi leads a little boy to meet Ling Sihang. After the conversation, Bai Qincghi turned away without regret but his efforts to disguise himself were broken by childish cries of pain.
 
In the end, only one person was left standing on the streets lush with green, as the Lin City name suggests, warm and cold forest street.^[2]lush: verdant and lush. Lin: woods, forest
 
The credits appeared, the lights came on, and the cinema erupted in applause. The creators rose again to greet the audience, the premiere should have ended here but because of the prior reminder, no one left the cinema immediately.
 
At the end of the movie, after a brief period of darkness, the screen lit up again.
 
Inside the spacious and bright terminal, Ling Sihang, carrying his suitcase was holding a boarding pass. He looked at the transatlantic ticket for a long time, but suddenly reached out his hand and tore the boarding pass into four.
 
He threw the pieces into the trash can, dragged his suitcase, and walked quickly towards the entrance of the terminal.
 
The screen went black and this time, the film really ended.