Manager Wang had gone over to the entrance at some unknown point. Right in front of him, a thin, long-haired man was about to turn around when the manager let out a roar and lunged straight at him:
"You bastard! I finally caught you!"
As his heavy frame crashed down, the floorboards shook. This sudden turn of events startled countless people. Before the surrounding crowd could even understand what was happening, the manager unhesitatingly reached into the long-haired man's pocket and pulled out a compact phone:
"Found it!"
Manager Wang shouted, the frustration in his chest swept completely clean. His joyful voice could be heard from far away.
Du Kang stared blankly at all this, taking a long while to snap out of it:
"Uh... th-that easily? He's caught?"
"Of course," Zhang Shutong said calmly. "The moment the audience outside cooperated with the ticket check, his fate was sealed. He either had to run immediately or gamble that the staff would miss the information on his ticket. The ticket in his hand was probably for the first morning screening, but how could that manager overlook it? It was just a slow death. Come on, let's go take a look."
Zhang Shutong stood up after speaking.
Du Kang stared in a daze, thinking that something wasn't right. Buddy, why are you acting so calm? To put it bluntly, even if he's caught, it's Gu Qiumian's credit. She came up with the plan, and she drew the heat. Why are you the one acting smug?
Still, he quickly followed. At this time, Gu Qiumian, who had been sitting the whole time, also stood up. Instead of rushing to the door, she walked over toward the two of them.
As the distance closed, Du Kang watched her step right up to Zhang Shutong and raise a hand.
Du Kang closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer.
Having watched countless television dramas back at his family's restaurant, he could already guess what was about to happen.
Sure enough, a sharp slap rang out.
That palm fell squarely on Shutong's face without exception.
—Or so he thought. But when he opened his eyes again, he found that Shutong had also extended a hand. One large hand and one small hand gently high-fived in midair. Gu Qiumian was no longer wearing a cold face; she smiled radiantly, tossed her hair, and walked toward the thief's position.
It looked as if the two were laughing off an old grievance, or perhaps celebrating some sort of victory. Yet they hadn't said a single word; everything was understood in silence.
"What is the situation now?" Du Kang was stunned. "Wait, wait, wait. Didn't you guys just have a huge fight?"
"What fight?" To his surprise, Shutong looked stunned too. "Didn't you look at your phone?"
"What phone?"
"The message I sent in the group chat."
"What group?"
Alright, continuing this line of questioning would be a waste of words. Du Kang widened his eyes and hurriedly opened QQ. In their small group chat of four, a message had been sent five minutes ago by "New Peach, Old Talisman":
"I know who the thief is, but the scene is a bit out of control. Play along with Gu Qiumian's acting. Don't panic."
"Cough, cough..."
Du Kang nearly choked on his own breath. He had been scared to death just now, and now he finally realized a problem—it turned out that from beginning to end, he was the only one who had rushed over!
Looking back at Qingyi and Ruoping, the two were sitting in their seats not far away, waving at him with doting smiles.
I, I, I... seriously!
Du Kang thought to himself that the four of them had practically played him like that manager. Then he realized something wasn't right—that manager was clearly in on it, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so quickly. It turned out that he was the only one kept in the dark!
At this moment, Ruoping walked over with a laugh:
"You were the only one who didn't see it. The two of us found it pretty fun. Don't say it, it really was fun."
Du Kang rolled his eyes at her with all his might.
Only when his eyes grew tired did he ask gloomily:
"What? So after all that, it was all an act? Then this cinema doesn't actually belong to Gu Qiumian's family? Gave me a total heart attack..."
"How should I put it?" Zhang Shutong said unhurriedly. "It doesn't belong to her family, but they hold a massive share in it, so that manager's reaction wasn't entirely an act either. I was startled too when I found out."
"Your acting was way too realistic!" Du Kang complained. "She played the bad cop, the manager played the good cop, and you played the pathetic loser getting scolded. I wondered why she suddenly threw such a huge tantrum. It was a self-inflicted injury trick meant for those people to see!"
"Uh... she drank a bit of wine today, so her acting skills were quite good."
Zhang Shutong could only say that.
Recalling what had just happened at the seats when he first proposed this plan, Gu Qiumian hadn't agreed at first, shaking her head repeatedly and feeling it would damage her image as a young miss. But within a few sentences, she had suddenly put on a cold face and asked him if she looked the part, before speeding down the path of wild acting and never looking back.
The scene of slamming the bag down hadn't been in the script; she had added it on her own.
Although Zhang Shutong had long discovered that the two of them had the potential to do bad things together, Gu Qiumian truly was a bit wild today.
It could only be blamed on her being drunk.
However, she seemed to be in a reasonably good mood, so he just let her be.
Thinking of this, Zhang Shutong stood up and walked toward the theater entrance. In just the span of a few words, the surroundings had become tightly packed. Manager Wang possessed a decent silver tongue, explaining the situation clearly in just a few sentences. The crowd fell silent for a split second, then erupted into gasps of surprise. Someone even remarked that this trip today was worth it, as it was more exciting than the movie itself. This was followed by a round of applause.
"It's all thanks to the two of them. Heroes emerge from the youth, after all. I just cooperated to lure the thief out; I really didn't do anything..."
Manager Wang didn't take the credit either, though his voice was completely drowned out by the applause. Wiping his sweat, he simply held the long-haired man's arms pinned behind his back.
Zhang Shutong was also sizing up this long-haired man, just about to remind them that this guy looked like he was about to lose his breath, when Manager Wang suddenly smacked his forehead:
"Holy shit, it's actually this bastard!"
"What?"
"A few nearby cinemas reported thefts to the police before. This guy is a repeat offender!" As he spoke, Manager Wang patted down the thief again, and another iPhone was pulled out. Zhang Shutong froze at the sight, not expecting an unexpected bonus.
"Thank goodness we caught him!"
Manager Wang spoke first with lingering fear, then broke into a broad grin:
"I bet the thief at the beginning of the month was him too. This counts as a meritorious deed instead. Xiao Wei, Xiao Wei, hurry over and give me a hand..."
"Coming, coming..."
After a wave of clamor, the thief was escorted away, surrounded by a crowd of people.
Theoretically, they should have followed to take a look, but Gu Qiumian merely spared the thief a glance before shifting her eyes away. Zhang Shutong could already guess what she would say:
"Not watching anymore, ruined my mood."
She left after saying that.
Zhang Shutong glanced after her, but ultimately stopped his steps.
In fact, this farce hadn't taken long from start to finish—about ten minutes—and the theater was soon filled up again.
Yawning, he took his seat, still in that spot next to the aisle, right next to Gu Qiumian. Except this time, there were no unscrupulous commercials.
To soothe the audience, Manager Wang had instructed before leaving that every person in Theater 6 be given a bucket of popcorn.
The surroundings dimmed, and the classic, drawn-out opening song of the 007 series began on the screen. Staff members were pushing carts up and down the aisles, and Zhang Shutong received a bucket too. Holding two large buckets of popcorn, he thought to himself that Gu Qiumian's fifty yuan had been spent in vain.
Despite sitting with two large buckets of popcorn, Zhang Shutong had no desire to eat, simply because Gu Qiumian was still brooding over the matter of her image being ruined just now. Continuous Autumn Rain was a textbook example of settling scores after the fact:
"You really are a bad guy!" completely omitting any mention of her own performance.
"Hmm?"
"Is this the surprise you mentioned for me?" Gu Qiumian glared at him.
"My apologies." Even though the matter had concluded with a reasonably smooth outcome, Zhang Shutong still said honestly, "I didn't watch your bag well at the time."
"What did I say before? Did you forget again?" she asked contextually dissatisfied.
Oh.
She had said she heard apologies so much that her ears were about to grow calluses.
But Zhang Shutong looked at her small, exquisite ears; they didn't look like they had calluses at all.
Then Gu Qiumian turned her head back.
"I said it has nothing to do with you. If anyone is to blame, it's the thief. What kind of idiot would blame you?"
Zhang Shutong managed to see her face clearly. By the illumination from the screen, he could tell she was still in a micro-intoxicated state, the breath from her lips still bearing that tart fruity fragrance.
The flush on her face still hadn't faded, and her eyes were pooling with moisture, countless lights and shadows shifting within them:
"Say sorry to me one more time."
Zhang Shutong simply assumed she was truly out of it, so he went along with her wish. It was just that the "sor" in sorry started with a plosive sound, and the moment he opened his mouth, a kernel of popcorn was stuffed inside.
"This is the surprise I have for you. Eat up, since your hands are full."
Gu Qiumian rolled her eyes at him, then turned her head back to watch the movie.
Zhang Shutong moved his mouth, suddenly thinking that there was a reason theater popcorn was sold so expensively. In short, it was very sweet, he thought in a good mood while chewing gently.
"Do you need me to help clarify things for you again?" Even though Manager Wang had explained, there had been too many onlookers at the time, and quite a few people still held the impression of Gu Qiumian as that tyrannical young miss.
"No need." She lightly tossed her hair. "Because it was my own bag, it was what should be done. If I didn't play the bad guy, who would? We can't just have you guys putting in all the effort while I watch from the sidelines."
"Besides, I had a lot of fun today," Gu Qiumian added while staring at the screen.
Zhang Shutong thought to himself that an alcoholic naturally had fun, being completely carefree:
"Yeah, you didn't even react much when the bag was lost..."
"Look," Gu Qiumian extended a hand.
Zhang Shutong looked along with her. It turned out the opening credits theme had finished playing, followed by James Bond's signature move. The man executed a swift turn, and a bullet shot out on the screen.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Shutong asked.
"Nothing, oh goodness, eat up, eat up." Gu Qiumian giggled, grabbing a handful of popcorn and stuffing it toward his face. Knowing she was doing it on purpose, Zhang Shutong quickly dodged.
Finally, Gu Qiumian settled down too.
It seemed she truly was tired from playing, ultimately curling up sideways in her seat. She wasn't considered short, yet at this moment she appeared diminutive, breathing shallowly, her eyes half-open and half-closed, her chest rising and falling slowly.
Zhang Shutong's mood also relaxed along with her. He cast a glance at Gu Qiumian, then withdrew his gaze, starting to ponder which Bond girl was in this particular 007 installment.
At this moment, a familiar fragrance drifted into his nostrils, bringing a strange sense of security.
His head seemed to grow a bit heavy again.
Growing heavy along with it were his eyelids.
Before Zhang Shutong could come up with an answer, his eyes closed bit by bit, and his consciousness drifted into a blank void.
"Wake up, wake up, Shutong..."
Opening his eyes to a familiar voice, he was still in the cinema. Zhang Shutong gave a lazy response, instinctively stretching his body as the exhaustion vanished completely.
The best sleep he had experienced over these past few days had actually occurred inside a cinema; even he found it unbelievable.
At this time, the overhead lights had already turned on. The movie had let out, and the closing credits were rolling on the screen, white text on a black background.
"Where are the two of them?" Zhang Shutong asked Qingyi.
"Went to the restroom first."
"Oh."
He rubbed his eyes and followed his two best friends out of the theater room. It wasn't until they left the lobby that Zhang Shutong asked belatedly:
"So who was the Bond girl in this one?"
"There wasn't one, or rather, M," Qingyi said regretfully.
"That old lady?"
"Yeah, she bit the dust at the end. Ruoping was crying up a storm."
Zhang Shutong also nodded with regret.
No wonder he couldn't remember who the Bond girl was.
M was 007's superior, the head of MI6. The two had never quite gotten along. To call them bickering lovers... wasn't quite appropriate for someone of that age.
The woman who understood this man best had still died, even though she was neither young nor beautiful.
In his memory, it was precisely from this movie onward that James Bond's onscreen image began to shift from an elite secret agent toward a man in his twilight years.
He would also grow old and make mistakes. Therefore, although Daniel wasn't the tallest or most handsome among the past actors, Zhang Shutong actually quite liked him. His life was spent either in the process of losing or on the path toward an impending loss.
Those who come are hurried, and all are mere passersby.
Zhang Shutong let out a lazy yawn. Humans were just like that, always fond of spouting strange complaints right after waking up. He shook his head and checked the time; it was already past five o'clock. Next they had to catch the return boat, and dinner wouldn't be eaten in the city proper. Today's schedule truly was tight.
He arrived at the lift entrance in good spirits. Gu Qiumian and the other had returned too, holding the various bags and parcels bought during the afternoon. Everyone had called the lift and was about to leave, but Zhang Shutong turned around:
"Apologies," these words weren't directed at a certain someone with calluses. "Going to the restroom. Just now I was completely focused on thinking about the Bond girl."
Ruoping let out a look of disgust:
"Hurry up, time is pretty tight. We'll go down first to hail a taxi. Catch up once you're done, don't dawdle."
Zhang Shutong said alright.
A few minutes later, he shook the water droplets off his hands as he walked out of the restroom, only for a roadblock to suddenly pop out.
A literal "block"—Manager Wang came trotting over from somewhere, panting heavily.
"I finally found you! Didn't another phone get lost earlier too..." The man rejoiced at the sight.
Reminded by him, Zhang... Shutong finally remembered:
"What about it?"
"It's like this, that phone was stolen by that bastard from the previous screening. The owner only discovered it after the movie ended, and just happened to cross paths with us making a statement with the police. Upon learning what happened, they said they absolutely wanted to thank you."
"Oh," Zhang Shutong waved his hand. "No big deal, just along the way."
He was just preparing to exchange a polite word and vanish, but Manager Wang grabbed his hand:
"Don't, little brother. They already let out long ago; they stayed behind specifically to wait for you. Just go say a word, treat it as helping your older brother out, alright?"
Zhang Shutong didn't know why he was so urgent, but saying a word wasn't a hassle either. They walked a few steps to the corner office. Upon entering, he first saw two police officers.
The leading officer raised his gaze:
"Xiao Wang, is this the young man you mentioned? We heard about today's matter; beautifully done."
Zhang Shutong could only say it was what should be done, thinking to himself that he had already gotten to know all the police officers on the island. Was the next step to expand his network in the city proper?
Manager Wang was quite polite, stuffing a bottle of water into his hand as they exchanged greetings. Zhang Shutong happened to be thirsty, so he took a large gulp of water. Lowering his eyes, he spotted a large plastic bag by the office door.
Inside the plastic bag was a brown mascot suit.
Just as Zhang Shutong felt this item looked familiar, another word of thanks came from behind him.
It seemed to be that somewhat dazed owner Manager Wang had mentioned.
But the moment Zhang Shutong heard that voice, he froze instantly.
Everyone will have a passerby in their life.
Zhang Shutong was no exception.
He turned around blankly, looking at the gentle girl before him, and said in disbelief:
"Senior... Sister?"