Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

We'd almost finished eating the hot pot, and the red oil was gradually solidifying around the edge of the pot.

Xie Zhiyuan ultimately did not leave with the others. He stiffened his neck, his face flushed slightly: "I... I have to finish this month's work! I'll leave after I get my salary! Otherwise, this month's work will be for nothing!" His tone was stubborn, but his eyes revealed the stubbornness unique to young people, unwilling to give in easily.

No one pressed the matter further. They paid the bill, said goodbye to Xie Zhiyuan, and walked to the nearby movie theater.

The cinema in the ancient city wasn't large, but it was decorated with distinctive ethnic characteristics. As evening fell, the ticket hall was brightly lit and bustling with people. A long queue formed in front of the ticket machines, and the snack counter was crowded with young people holding popcorn and cola, the air filled with the sweet aroma of cream and noisy laughter.

"Wow, there are so many people." Da Mai muttered softly, holding a stack of movie tickets she had just taken out, her eyes filled with a timid curiosity. She was used to staying at home and rarely came to such bustling public places.

Looking at the bustling scene, Lin Bufan felt even more distressed. So many people were willing to go to the cinema, so why didn't anyone know how to appreciate a good movie?

The group bought Coke and popcorn and found seats in the waiting area. Soon it was time to enter, and the theater announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Those watching the 9 PM showing of 'The Duel at the Forbidden City,' please line up at gate 3 for ticket inspection."

Those attending the 9 PM showing of "Furious 7" should proceed to Gate 4 for ticket inspection.

Everyone got up and followed the flow of people toward the ticket gates. A long, winding queue had formed in front of gate number 3; there were indeed quite a few people, almost reaching the pillars in the center of the hall.

Da Mai tiptoed forward to look, then looked back at the ticket stub in his hand that read "The Duel at the Forbidden City," and muttered, "President Lin, didn't the internet say... not many people are watching your movie? This queue is... quite long."

Xu Hongdou frowned slightly. She had secretly checked the box office data on her phone that morning, and the cumulative numbers were indeed not high. She hesitated and said, "The box office figures I checked... are indeed not ideal. Could it be... that we queued in the wrong line?" As she spoke, she looked up and carefully examined the electronic display screen above the ticket gate, where the red text scrolled clearly: "Hall 3, 'The Battle of the Forbidden City,' 9:00 PM screening."

Lin Bufan was a little puzzled by the long queue. Wasn't there supposed to be no good news? Why are so many people here?

Could it be that the initial promotion wasn't effective, and now that time has passed and word-of-mouth has improved, more and more people are coming to watch?

Or is it that "The Battle of the Forbidden City" is more in line with local characteristics and is more popular among locals?

Nana smiled and gently nudged Lin Bufan's arm with her elbow, her tone carrying a hint of comfort: "See, Mr. Lin, I told you, a good movie won't be buried. Now that the word-of-mouth is growing, more people are naturally watching it."

Hu Youyu quickly chimed in, praising sincerely, "That's right, Teacher Lin, you starred in this movie. Just by putting your face on the big screen, the box office will skyrocket!"

Bai Manjun smiled gently and softly echoed, "President Lin's temperament and appearance are indeed very photogenic."

Chen Nanxing was the most direct, grabbing Lin Bufan's arm and shaking it, saying with a grin, "That's right! Our CEO Lin has good looks, good acting skills, and good talent. How could his movies not be good?"

As Lin Bufan listened to the praise and comfort from the crowd, his mood, which had been somewhat down due to the poor box office performance, was instantly soothed and comfortable. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and that familiar smugness reappeared.

He cleared his throat, trying to maintain a composed expression, but the smugness in his eyes was impossible to hide: "Ahem, of course. Just look at who the lead actor is! With my looks, my acting skills, and... well, all my abilities, how could this movie not be a hit? The past few days... that must have been because the theaters weren't giving it enough screenings, otherwise the box office would definitely have broken records! Wahahaha—"

The more Lin Bufan spoke, the more sense it made, and he straightened his back a bit, as if he could already see the box office reversal and the scene of everyone chasing after him.

Just as Lin Bufan was beaming with pride and everyone was laughing and agreeing, a young man not far ahead of them in line seemed to have overheard their conversation. He turned around in confusion, glanced at his movie ticket, then looked up at the electronic screen above the ticket gate, a blank expression on his face. He hesitated for a moment, then turned back and moved a little closer to Lin Bufan and his group, cautiously asking, "Excuse me... is this... the ticket gate for 'Furious 7'?"

Hu Youyu was taken aback and pointed to the electronic screen next to him: "No, buddy, look, this is 'The Battle of the Forbidden City'."

The boy exclaimed "Hey!" and slapped his forehead in frustration: "Oops! I'm in the wrong line! This is so messy, and the signs are all illegible!" He muttered to himself as he squeezed out of the line and ran toward the much busier Gate 4.

It's like a signal.

As the boy left and clearly said "I'm in the wrong line," many people who were originally in their line subconsciously looked down to double-check their tickets.

"Huh? This is 'The Battle of the Forbidden City'?"

"Holy crap! We really did get the order wrong!"

"I was wondering why something felt off. Come on, let's go that way!"

"..."

A slight commotion and murmur arose, and then, like the receding tide, the once impressive queue dispersed by more than half at a visible speed! In the blink of an eye, only a sparse number of audience members who were actually there to see "The Battle of the Forbidden City" remained in front of ticket gate 3, including Lin Bufan and his small group.

Lin Bufan's smug smile froze instantly. The corners of his mouth remained upturned, but his eyes were completely fixed. He watched helplessly as the once "bustling" queue became deserted in the blink of an eye, and an indescribable sense of absurdity and chilling embarrassment crept up his spine.

Holy crap... are you deliberately trying to mess with my mentality?

He stood there, motionless, like a weathered statue.

Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing, Nana, Hu Youyu, and the others all fell silent. The enthusiastic words of comfort and praise they had just shared had been slapped in the face by reality, and a thick sense of awkwardness filled the air.

Everyone looked at each other, wanting to say something to ease the tension, but feeling that anything they said would be pale and powerless, so they tacitly looked away and pretended to examine the movie tickets or popcorn buckets in their hands.

“…It’s almost time, let’s…go in through the ticket gates.” Xu Hongdou finally broke the silence softly, trying to keep her tone calm.

As if waking from a dream, everyone nodded hurriedly and silently followed the flow of people through the ticket gate and into the dimly lit screening room.

The screening room wasn't large, a standard size for about two hundred people. When I first went in, there were only about thirty or forty people scattered around, mostly in the back rows and corners, clearly not there to watch the movie properly.

Lin Bufan and his group sat down in the middle to the back, their popcorn buckets and cola cups looking somewhat lonely in the dim light.

The screen was still playing commercials, the light and shadow shifting. More viewers gradually entered, in twos and threes, their footsteps particularly clear in the quiet space. When the commercials ended and the announcement that the main feature was about to begin sounded, Lin Bufan glanced around—the entire theater was barely half full, with empty seats still conspicuously visible.

"The occupancy rate is about half, which is already very good!" Nana said softly, trying to sound optimistic. "And today is a weekday."

Hu Youyu, who was sitting in the front seat and had been looking down at his phone, looked up when he heard this and instinctively replied, "I just checked the schedule. This cinema in the ancient city only shows 'The Duel at the Forbidden City' once a day, and it's a prime-time show at 9 pm, so it's normal that it's crowded. If there were more shows..." He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly felt a cold gaze pierce him. He looked up and met Lin Bufan's eyes, which were staring at him intently in the dim light. Hu Youyu shuddered and quickly covered his mouth, mumbling, "...Uh, I mean, to be shown in prime time, Teacher Lin's movie must be pretty prestigious!"

Lin Bufan withdrew his gaze expressionlessly, then grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with a crunching sound.

The lights dimmed, and the main feature began.

The opening sequence features a magnificent futuristic cityscape, with dazzling aircraft weaving between skyscrapers, creating a visually striking effect.

Lin Bufan's portrayal of the future city lord "Xing Che" makes his first appearance—silver hair and purple eyes, dressed in a sharply tailored silver uniform, standing beneath the transparent dome at the city's highest point, overlooking his city-state. When the camera zooms in, his face is indeed impeccable in the cool-toned lighting, handsome yet exuding aloofness and majesty.

The film, lasting an hour and a half, was fairly fast-paced. Occasionally, a few soft laughs and gasps of surprise echoed through the theater!

The lights came on, and the end credits rolled. The people in the windy courtyard slowly walked out with the flow of people.

"I think it looks great!" Chen Nanxing was the first to comment, her eyes sparkling. "The special effects are amazing! That futuristic city and those flying machines look so real! Bufan, you look so handsome in that uniform. Can you wear it so I can see you alone?"

Lin Bufan looked at Chen Nanxing with a suspicious expression—

alone?!

Look!

Are you trying to play the uniform fetish game?

Xu Hongdou objectively commented, "The overall plot is quite light-hearted, suitable for relaxing viewing. The special effects and art direction are indeed well done and very exquisite. Your acting... also quite fits the character's temperament." She carefully considered her words.

Nana laughed and said, "Sang Biao acted really well! Those few scenes were both cool and cute."

Barley, holding the empty popcorn bucket, whispered, "I think... the time-travel setting could be explored a bit more; the clash of values ​​between ancient and future people would be more interesting. But it's pretty fun as it is now."

Hu Youyu quickly chimed in: "Teacher Lin's action scenes were absolutely amazing! His movements were so fluid and graceful! And that final speech was incredibly powerful!"

Bai Manjun smiled gently: "The scene is beautiful, and President Lin's look in it is also outstanding."

Listening to the generally positive feedback from those around him, Lin Bufan finally felt a little better. Although he knew it was partly due to "family ties," at least it wasn't so bad anymore. He cleared his throat, about to feign modesty and say, "It's alright, there's still room for improvement," when he clearly heard the chatter of several groups of viewers who had just left the screening room drifting over—

"Oh my, I've finally finished watching! I'm so sleepy!"

"The plot is so awkward! People from the future need people from the past to fight lobster monsters? Where's the logic in that?"

"The acting was even worse, especially the city lord. He was handsome, but he recited his lines with a blank face the whole time, like a robot, completely devoid of emotion!"

"You can't say that. I think that dog... its acting was pretty good! Look at its eyes, so expressive!"

"Indeed! My brother Biao's acting skills absolutely surpass half of the current entertainment industry... and more than half!"

"Anyway, I think it's better than the city lord's performance! What can the city lord do besides showing off? His fight scenes are also weak and flimsy, relying entirely on editing and special effects, right?"

"But honestly, the special effects are amazing, definitely worth the ticket price! Those futuristic scenes are incredible!"

"The only watchable parts are the special effects and the male lead's face... The plot is a mess, and the acting is touching. If it weren't for the special effects and Mr. Lin's face, I really wouldn't have made it to the end."

"President Lin is really handsome! His face magnified on the big screen is just amazing... I could watch him for two hours just admiring his looks!"

"..."

Listening to the merciless criticism, the color drained from Lin Bufan's face, and his fists clenched quietly at his sides.

He can tolerate being called handsome or having poor acting skills—after all, being too handsome can easily distract female viewers and arouse jealousy among male viewers, causing no one to notice his acting skills, where even the strands of his hair are performing!

But to say his action scenes were bad? Weak and feeble? Relying entirely on editing?

He absolutely cannot tolerate this!

Just as Lin Bufan was about to turn around and confront those outspoken guys, his arm was suddenly grabbed.

"Bufan, calm down!" Xu Hongdou gripped Lin Bufan's arm tightly, her voice low but urgent.

Chen Nanxing quickly stepped in front of Lin Bufan, spreading his arms wide: "That's right, that's right, it's just a movie, some people like it and some people don't, that's normal! Don't be impulsive!"

"Impulsive?" Lin Bufan's chest heaved with anger as he suppressed his rage, saying, "How can you expect me to stay calm? I'll accept anything else, but you say my fighting skills are weak? Let him come and try! If he dares to take one punch from me, I'll kneel down and call him 'father' right here!"

These words were resounding and carried an undeniable force, drawing curious glances from the remaining spectators.

In the silence, Hu Youyu timidly raised her hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of eagerness and uncertainty: "Um... Teacher Lin, I... I want to try!"

Instantly, everyone's eyes were drawn to Hu Youyu.

Lin Bufan wished he could punch this traitor to his master and ancestors to death on the spot!