Chapter 57 is now showing!

When Laurès and his entourage landed in Shanghai, as representatives of Touxue—a rising star in the animation industry—they naturally had to enjoy drinks and mutual praise with the event organizers.

In the middle of the night, she came out of the hotel and suddenly received a message from Jian Zhen that he had to attend the preview screening the next day. She immediately suspected that he was doing it on purpose - was he trying to avoid social engagements?

The phone on the coffee table suddenly started vibrating erratically. Jian Zhen, who was unpacking her suitcase in the living room, craned her neck and looked up to answer the call: "Hello?"

"You!" Laur took a deep breath, preparing to unleash a storm of criticism.

Jian Zhen quickly explained before she could, "I'm really sorry, I'll just be a regular audience member tomorrow and won't go on stage. I'm telling you this mainly because I'm afraid you'll be shocked if you see me. You don't need to tell the organizers about this for now. You can proceed as planned, nothing changes, okay?"

Lao Le deflated quickly, like a balloon with a hole punctured, and asked with concern and confusion, "Why?"

"Uh." Jian Zhen glanced at Xu Weisheng, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen, and whispered, "I want to bring Xu Weisheng with me."

"Him?!" Lao Le had no idea this would happen. Although the official announcement of the participation of the original author Lin Sheng in "Billiard Boys" was made, his identity was never revealed throughout the entire creation process. Everyone followed Xu Weisheng's wishes and kept his identity tightly under wraps.

Now that it's the promotional period, is it reasonable for him to participate in public events like roadshows? Even if he doesn't go on stage, with so many cameras around, he's bound to be spotted. With a face like that, even a fleeting glance is enough to make him stand out. With modern netizens' keen sense for handsome men and their gossip-hunting skills, they can expose Lin Sheng's true colors in no time.

"Aren't you afraid of being exposed?" Lao Le asked doubtfully.

Jian Zhen stuffed the folded socks into the corner of the suitcase and said softly, "As for being in front of the camera and behind the scenes, I don't think he's content to just be a rich idler, especially seeing me in front of the camera... If this goes on for too long, he'll become insecure and anxious. It's okay. Since he wants to come back to this industry, I definitely have to support him. But everything has to be done step by step. For tomorrow's show, let's pretend to be passersby. We'll just need you to fake an assistant identity for us, otherwise we won't be able to get tickets and won't be able to get in."

Adding two fake assistants was easy enough, but Lao Le was mainly stunned by the word "lack of confidence" in her words. He clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "How did you train him? How can someone as dignified as Mr. Xu, the heir to a listed company and a handsome and promising young man, feel inferior in front of you? This is not in line with the basic characteristics of men in our country!"

Jian Zhen chuckled, took off her contact lenses, and turned to look at Xu Weisheng's back, quietly saying, "I don't know, maybe it's because he's always been a very pure person." He only uses external things, such as money, fame, and status, without relying on them. In other words, he doesn't care about any achievements other than painting. Therefore, in the years that others see him as rising to prominence, he himself has deviated from the right path. As a result, his precious sword has rusted, his pearl has been covered in dust, and he has also developed feelings of inferiority and bitterness.

Or perhaps… Jian Zhen didn’t mention a second reason—perhaps she hadn’t given him enough love. Thinking of this, she felt quite ashamed, like a husband who had neglected his wife, wanting to make amends but not knowing where to begin.

The following day, at 3 p.m., at the Shanghai Peace Cinema.

The first preview screening of "Billiard Boys" was packed with moviegoers. A small portion of the seats were reserved for special partners, film critics, and media colleagues, while the majority were movie fans who managed to snag tickets quickly.

The lights went out, and the surroundings fell silent instantly. The opening logo appeared, and two people wearing staff badges walked up the steps in the dark toward the back seats. One was a man and the other a woman. The man was wearing a mask and a baseball cap, and the woman was wearing a plaid scarf that covered half of her face.

No one noticed them. They quickly reached the top—behind the last row—and stood against the wall, both of them breathing a sigh of relief.

Chien Chen loosened her scarf to let in some fresh air, turned her head to look at Hsu Wei-sheng, and the two smiled at each other. They had seen the finished film of the billiards boy movie many times at screenings, but mostly only clips. This was the first time they had seen the whole film in a movie theater.

Looking at their work through the audience in front of them, their gaze became more critical, and they were incredibly nervous, always worried that the audience wouldn't laugh when they should laugh or cry when they should cry. Fortunately, they got through all the difficult moments safely, and the audience's emotional response was even more intense than they had anticipated. Some small, unconscious details from the creative process even caused quite a stir at the preview screening, with the audience exclaiming, "So cute!"

The hand that was holding Jian Zhen's fist clenched slightly. Jian Zhen then released her fist and intertwined her fingers with his in her sleeve, rubbing their fingers together—their hearts were finally at ease.

As the film neared its end, the scene abruptly ended after a final small twist, the end credits rolled, 3D sound effects filled the theater, and then the lights came on, revealing the refreshed creative team walking onto the stage.

The flashbulbs kept flashing at the stage, and before you knew it, the scene had changed from Shanghai Peace Cinema to Da Guangming Theater, Beijing Wukesong Yaolai Theater, Haidian Theater, and so on. With each scene change, the seats of these two "ordinary audience members" were closer to the front than before. Jian Zhen didn't say anything, but Xu Weisheng had already realized that this was her deliberate arrangement.

After nearly two weeks of preview screenings, visiting cinemas of all sizes, and going from expensive business banquets to McDonald's meals every day, the first meet-and-greet for the official release has finally returned to Shenzhen.

Due to overwhelmingly positive reviews during the preview screenings, the film's pre-sale box office had already exceeded 80 million yuan a week before its official release, and tickets for the first meet-and-greet event were extremely difficult to obtain.

Many media friends tried to use connections to sneak into the venue, but ended up sitting on the floor because there were no seats available. Xu Weisheng's seat was originally at the far left of the first row, next to the aisle. It was the only seat in the first few rows without a nameplate. Before entering, Jian Zhen told him that he could leave at any time if he didn't want to return to the stage.

The meeting proceeded as usual, starting with the screening of the film. The moment the dragon emblem appeared, the noisy theater fell silent, and the scattered lights went out one after another, as everyone showed great interest and respect for the film's content.

Backstage, Jian Zhen stared at the second hand on her wrist, silently counting down, when someone knocked on the door and shouted, "Teacher Jian, it's time to get ready!"

Jian Zhen lowered her wrist, took a deep breath, exhaled completely, and stood up, saying, "Coming."

She pushed open the door, and her assistant, who was waiting in front of it, quickly followed. Her most familiar partners gathered in the corridor, including Yang Damei and Lao Le, who were the backbone of the Touxue team, as well as voice actors with strong fan appeal, Chen Siying, He Youjia, and others. When they saw her walking with a confident stride, they all fell silent and greeted her, "Director."

"Mm." Jian Zhen nodded. When she was nervous, the corners of her mouth would often be straightened, a fact that she herself hadn't noticed, but Bubble, who had been with her all the way to the audience, had.

"Sister Xiaozhen won't go against the plan, will she?" she murmured to herself, holding Jian Zhen's warm down jacket.

Chien Chen took the lead, jumping onto the stage amidst the host's warm-up and the audience's applause. Under the spotlight, she appeared both reliable and youthful. Holding the microphone, she bowed to the audience and said, "Hello everyone, I am Chien Chen, the director of the movie 'Billiard Boys'."

The host had done his homework, knowing that the lead actress hadn't appeared at the previous roadshow stops, so the interactive segment focused entirely on her, wanting her to answer every question: "Welcome, Director Jane! The audience's reaction to the film was very enthusiastic. I'm sure you could hear their applause backstage. What are your thoughts on that?"

“Of course.” Jian Zhen took the microphone, her gaze subtly sweeping across the seats below. Not seeing Xu Weisheng in the corner of the first row, her heart skipped a beat—in Xu Weisheng’s original seat sat a pale-faced female photographer carrying a camera.

As if by telepathy, she immediately turned her gaze to the last row, and sure enough, Xu Weisheng was standing in the same spot with his arms crossed, watching her leisurely. Their eyes met in mid-air, and they both smiled.

"Thank you everyone for coming to see this movie." Jian Zhen lowered her voice slightly. Among mezzo-sopranos, her tone was originally more neutral and natural, making her a good candidate for a broadcaster. When she spoke on stage, she was even more captivating. As soon as she opened her mouth, Xu Weisheng unconsciously raised his chin.

"The movie is new, but 'Billiard Boy' is an old work. More than ten years ago, I was daydreaming in class reading comics. My teacher confiscated my comic books and criticized me, saying, 'Chien-Chen, do you know where you rank in the monthly exam? Can you read comic books for a lifetime?'"

The audience smiled knowingly, and Xu Weisheng smiled too. He realized that there was a paintbrush in the dark that had tied their fates together when they were still far apart, creating a clever knot.

Chien Chen smiled and continued, “I have indeed forgotten what my ranking was in the monthly exam back then, but the image of the billiards boy remains in my heart and has stayed with me until today. To be honest, before coming to this meeting, I had already been interviewed by many media outlets. They asked questions from different angles, but my answers were all similar. I thanked the investors, my creative team, and the teachers inside and outside the industry who I collaborated with. I even thanked Mr. Fang from Direction—his generosity solved all the worries of everyone in our company, allowing everyone to focus on the creative process. In short, I thanked everyone from all sides, so I decided to say something different today.”

Bubble nervously took a step forward, but was stopped by a staff member. Chen Siying, who hadn't gone on stage yet, was also blocked. She stood next to Bubble, glancing at the stage and muttering softly, "Interesting~"

"I want to thank Mr. Lin Sheng, the original author of this work. I think that if it weren't for you more than ten years ago, I wouldn't have gone down this path."

The mention of Lin Sheng's name was like oil being poured into boiling water, immediately sparking a flurry of whispers and murmurs from the crowd.

Ignoring the noise, Jian Zhen's gaze swept across the entire screening room, settling on Xu Weisheng's face: "Actually, I've had my regrets too. In the first year or two after graduation, I worked as a cog in a well-known factory in the industry, and every day I didn't know whether my manuscripts would end up in the trash can or the electronic trash can..."

She laughed and said, "There's no way around it. You only realize how tough animation is once you're in the industry. The input and output are disproportionate. I've seen many colleagues who didn't make much money and ended up with a host of illnesses. Even I myself have suffered a lot because of those three words: animation. In my most heartbroken moments, I asked myself, 'Why not just give up? There are so many easier paths in the world. Why burn my most precious youth for a vague and unattainable dream?'"

“But you gave me another push.” Jian Zhen shook her head and said self-deprecatingly, “Look at us creative people, our whole lives are like staged launch vehicles, either igniting others or being ignited by others. We seem to be full of complaints, but in fact, when we reach the end, all we say is thank you.”

The audience chuckled. Jian Zhen raised an eyebrow and continued, "It sounds like schizophrenia, doesn't it? Now we'd like to welcome a candidate for mental illness up here—"

She stopped there, and after a moment, the audience members who had come to their senses turned around and followed the crowd to look at Xu Weisheng, who was walking down the steps in the middle of the cinema. Immediately, there was a chorus of exclamations of surprise.

"So this is Lin Sheng!"

"So this is what it looks like. It's finally showing its face."

...

As he walked to the front row, Jian Zhen suddenly jumped off the stage, holding the microphone in her hand. It was as if she had drawn away all the sound sources in the space, gathering them towards Xu Weisheng's lips.

Jian Zhen looked at him and said softly, "If there is still a flame in your heart that has not been extinguished, I welcome you back. If you are worried that you cannot walk side by side with me, I welcome you back. If... the career we have chosen is destined to be a journey of self-immolation, would you be willing to be my torch that shines brightly?"

Bubble in the darkness breathed a sigh of relief: "So it was a confession!" Chen Siying teased in a low voice: "Did you think she was going to tear the investors apart?"

“No, not at all.” Bubble subconsciously defended her, “Director Jian is much more mature now, and she doesn’t do things she’ll regret anymore… So, this scene must have been carefully considered by her. Sigh, I’m a little envious of Teacher Xu, having someone who gives him both love and courage at the same time.”

Chen Siying gave a light hum. As everyone's eyes were focused on her, Xu Weisheng raised his right hand, enveloped Jian Zhen's hand holding the microphone, looked down at her, and smiled, "always."

It's over! I haven't even seen any sweet romance yet!

Sorry, I wasn't feeling well towards the end of writing this, so I can only try my best to finish it for now. But don't worry, I just discovered many of my own problems and limitations as I wrote. Before, these could be masked by the passion and novelty of writing, but now, after writing so much, I'm slowly starting to find it hard to tolerate a 70-point piece… It's not that I'm stopping writing. In fact, I still have many themes, characters, and experiences I want to write about, and I have big dreams about writing. Anyway… I'll take a break and then come back~