After the main cast finished interacting with the audience, the guests began to take the stage for live performances.
To Owen's surprise, among them was Julia Andrews. It was truly unexpected—he hadn't seen her since her concert a long time ago.
He hadn't known she was the performer for the film's theme song.
The lights dimmed, neon lights flickered, and her ethereal voice began to flow. As expected of a soul singer, her voice didn't just appeal to the ears—it struck directly at the heart.
Behind her, the screen played thrilling clips from the movie, and in the backdrop of her airy vocals, the intense action scenes gained a certain grandeur while losing a bit of their raw harshness.
Beside him, Amanda and Ken were bursting with excitement. Julia wasn't just their idol—she was their friend. They had gone shopping and eaten meals together. That fact alone had earned them no small amount of envy at school.
After her performance, the premiere moved into the screening portion. The fans, who had been teased for over half an hour, finally got to watch the film.
As the Universal logo appeared, the theater gradually quieted.
Die Hard began playing—and to be honest, it was quite well done. At least, Owen thought it was a lot more exciting than the original version he had seen in his previous life.
He had made many changes to the script, and not only was it more thrilling than the original, it was even more dramatic than the actual Zhongchen Tower incident. For Owen, it didn't evoke much personal feeling—he just saw it as another action film. But Monica was different.
She knew the entire story was based on Owen's real-life experiences. Seeing the tension and the danger unfold on screen, especially the scene where the protagonist jumps off the rooftop, her eyes lit up, and she gripped Owen's arm even tighter.
The theater was silent during the film—everyone was engrossed in the story. Owen couldn't help thinking that the young actor named Bruce Willis was probably going to blow up after this.
He'd acted in a few small-budget films before, none of which had gained much traction. But with Universal betting on him for this blockbuster, he was likely heading toward an action star career path.
While everyone else was fully immersed in the movie, Owen found his attention wandering. He couldn't explain why it failed to hold his interest—maybe because he'd lived through the real thing and knew what was fake. He just couldn't view it like a normal film.
As the plot progressed, Monica unconsciously let go of Owen's arm. Her expressions changed in real time with the story, which Owen found a bit amusing.
There was only one part of the movie that Owen truly cared about—his forced cameo when he had been mistaken for an extra during filming. It was the scene where the robbers, fooled by the protagonist, furiously fired into the air vents.
It was a group shot, and Owen, being in the back, only got about a second of screentime—half a profile, at that. But still, it was his silver screen debut, and that was enough to satisfy him.
Just as he was growing bored, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He discreetly pulled it out—Tony was calling.
He whispered to Monica and quickly walked out with the phone until he exited the theater.
"Hey, Tony, what's up?"
"Owen, sorry to cut your break short…"
"What's going on?"
Owen was surprised. He had spoken to Tony just yesterday when he arrived back in L.A. They'd agreed he'd report to CTU after two days to spend some time with his family after eight months apart.
But if Tony was calling now, something had clearly happened. On the other end, Tony said, "There's a situation with Jack. I need to go help him for a while. I need you and Chloe to hold things down here—don't let anything go wrong."
"Understood. I'll be at CTU tomorrow. Go take care of your business…"
Owen didn't ask for details. If Tony could tell him, he would've. While Owen was away, his position as field operations chief had been held open for him. Tony, as the acting head, not only had to make executive decisions, but often had to return to fieldwork himself just to keep things afloat. Truthfully, Owen owed Tony a lot.
Hanging up, Owen walked back toward the theater, already thinking of how he'd explain this to his mom and Amanda. He'd promised to take them to Yellowstone in the next couple of days—Amanda had been overjoyed. Now that he had to cancel, there was no telling how upset the little girl would be.
When Owen returned to the theater, the movie had already ended. The dim lights had brightened again, and the main crew was on stage answering audience questions.
The atmosphere was great—it seemed the film had been well received.
Media representatives were packed in the front row, their flashes going off nonstop. Behind them were enthusiastic fans, many trying to push forward, only to be stopped by security.
Monica, Amanda, and Ken were standing near the edge of the crowd, clearly waiting for Owen. As soon as Amanda saw him enter, she rolled her eyes.
"If I hadn't waited for you, I'd have secured a better spot already."
She pouted. It was true—people kept shuffling forward, trying to get even a few inches closer to the cast. If Amanda and Ken hadn't waited, they'd probably already be up front.
"Alright, go wait off to the side. I'll go ask Miss Andrews to come over. I'm sure she'll want to see you guys…"
Faced with his sister's complaints, Owen had to pull out his trump card. Hopefully, Julia would give him this favor.
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At the mention of seeing Julia Andrews, the disappointed expressions on the two girls finally softened a bit. Compared to the cast, a superstar like Julia was far more exciting—and the three of them had a bit of history together.
Owen told Monica to take Amanda and Ken to a quieter spot off to the side, then stepped away to call Julia.
Julia couldn't see him, but Owen could see her. He watched as she looked down at her phone, her expression briefly lighting up before she answered.
"Owen? Are you here? I didn't see you."
Her tone immediately eased Owen's nerves. Thankfully, she still remembered him.
"Miss Andrews, I—"
"No, Owen. I told you—we're friends. Call me Julia."
"Oh—sorry. Julia, yes, I'm here, just a few rows back. Can you see me?"
Owen waved dramatically. Julia was turning her head, and soon she spotted him, smiled, and gave him a wave.
"Julia, my sister Amanda and Ken are here too. You remember them, right? You went shopping and had lunch together…"
"Of course I remember—two lovely girls. Amanda's your sister, Ken is Bryan's daughter, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Exactly. They're over on the west side—would you have a moment to say hi? They're too shy to come up and bother you…"
"Of course I do. We're friends, and I still owe them for showing me around L.A. that day…"
Seeing that the media's attention had shifted away from her, Julia discreetly bent down, stood up, and began walking toward the west side of the venue. From a distance, she even waved to Amanda and Ken.
The two girls lit up with excitement and waved back, and seeing that, Owen began making his way through the crowd to join them.
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