After watching the whole thing, Xiao He commented: Friend, your combat power—I approve.
And he even didn't forget to promote Killing Life at the end; I died laughing.
So when Su Shengxi made his "heavenly offering," on the May Day premiere many theaters were already packed. Killing Life had the highest number of screenings among all opening films and also the highest seat occupancy.
Many viewers who had watched that farce online couldn't help but feel intense curiosity about Killing Life.
________
Zhou Bowen was one of them.
"Baby, can we watch Killing Life?"
He asked his girlfriend tentatively.
Lin Zhuwan frowned. "A crime film? We went out on a date and you want to take me to this?"
Zhou Bowen glanced at the poster for Missing You 365 Times beside them and complained inwardly.
He really didn't want to watch that rom-com—just from the trailer he could smell a bad film—but there was nothing he could do. His beloved girlfriend loved this kind of movie.
However, looking at Lin Zhuwan today—meticulously made up and looking beautiful—he suddenly had an idea. "Mainly because you did such a pretty makeup today. I'm worried Missing You 365 Times will be too melodramatic in the back half; if your makeup gets ruined by crying, that would be bad."
Lin Zhuwan's expression froze.
True: she had put on a full set of makeup just for going out today, and she planned to take photos for her social feed while eating later…
So she really couldn't watch something overly sentimental.
Lin Zhuwan immediately turned her gaze away from the Missing You 365 Times poster and landed on the comedy Gentleman's Rhapsody—
Nope, not good; comedies now also force melodrama in the later stages. With her low tear threshold she couldn't control herself.
As for Wind Rises Over Cloud Harbor…
"Then let's watch Killing Life today~"
Lin Zhuwan decided to follow her boyfriend's suggestion. She linked her arm with Zhou Bowen and smiled.
Zhou Bowen breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and smiled back. "Okay, I'll buy the tickets right away."
As luck would have it, a new screening of Killing Life was about to start ticket checks. Zhou Bowen got the last two relatively decent seats and entered with his girlfriend.
They sat down and the big screen hadn't begun the feature yet; it was looping trailers for the recent May Day films. Lin Zhuwan used the chance to watch the trailer and was unexpectedly impressed. "Looks like decent quality. Hope it's not too bad."
Zhou Bowen knew his girlfriend had been busy with her thesis and might not have followed the online commotion, so he quietly explained a bit to Lin Zhuwan.
"Xiao He? The actor who plays Mu Ze?" Lin Zhuwan's eyes suddenly brightened.
"Yes, yes, that's him," Zhou Bowen nodded.
"Then we should definitely watch it." Lin Zhuwan thought of the refined, scholarly Mu Ze and began to look forward to it.
After all, looking at a handsome man is always pleasing to the eye…
The movie started. They ate popcorn while watching the plot intently.
The film opened with Bao Wei's portrayal of Zhu Big Brother standing at a chopping block, dismembering pork.
Yellowish light, the crisp chop of the cleaver, a man's faint breathing…
Just that first scene produced a strong sense of unease.
"Thud—"
"Thud—"
The camera wavered slightly. Lin Zhuwan suddenly gripped Zhou Bowen's arm tightly.
In the corner of the frame, a shattered mirror leaned against the wall, but the reflection of the table was unclear. Looking closely, it seemed what lay there was not pork, but a…
person!
...
After leaving the screening room, Lin Zhuwan praised Zhou Bowen's good taste, saying the movie was very good, and passionately discussed the plot with him. Only when they reached the cinema entrance did Lin Zhuwan suddenly remember something. "Hey? Did you see Xiao He? I feel like I didn't spot him."
Zhou Bowen: "Huh?"
He replayed it in his head and suddenly realized, "Right! I didn't see him!"
They looked at each other, both confused.
"But that actor who played Zhu Third Brother was a real animal! I felt my fists clench." Lin Zhuwan clenched her hand and ground her teeth. "Luckily the director added a final easter egg, otherwise just thinking about that scum getting away would make me furious!"
Zhou Bowen nodded. "Yeah, and that Third Brother's actor performed really well. I just don't know who he is. That face must've had prosthetic makeup, right? It was just so ugly."
Big Brother was played by Bao Wei—his looks were decent—and Liu Zehang, as a rising actor with strong skills, wasn't a knockout for entertainment circles but was quite presentable. Only that Third Brother—pimples all over his face—when shot close-up felt suffocating.
Maybe the director did it on purpose: many scenes gave that face close-ups. Especially during the assault scenes, the horrific, deranged expressions made men like Zhou Bowen feel extreme physical discomfort—let alone Lin Zhuwan.
So after the film, their worst impression was of Third Brother, and they felt he was the worst and most despicable of the three brothers.
"But I'm still curious—who did Xiao He play? Why didn't I see him?"
Lin Zhuwan was puzzled. She had seen Heart of Embers before, so she wasn't unfamiliar with Xiao He's face, but after watching the entire film she had no recollection at all.
"I don't know either—let's check the poster." Zhou Bowen found it strange, too. Online there had been a huge fuss about Xiao He, Killing Life, and Su Shengxi; he'd been lurking on the sidelines but hadn't dug into which role Xiao He played.
It would be awkward if Xiao He hardly appeared in Killing Life at all.
If it weren't for Su Shengxi actually losing a lot of fans and tumbling down from his top idol position, Zhou Bowen might've suspected the whole thing was a publicity stunt by the production.
"Come on."
Carrying their questions, Lin Zhuwan pulled Zhou Bowen to the poster to take a closer look.
Suddenly Lin Zhuwan's gaze stopped beside the face of Zhu Third Brother; she went blank. Zhou Bowen also saw the cast listing above and couldn't help but blurt out, "Holy—"
"What? Xiao He is Zhu Third Brother?"
At his words, the other moviegoers who had come out with them all stopped.
The crowd watching the film was mixed; not everyone knew the whole situation about the movie, and not everyone recognized Xiao He, but Zhou Bowen's remark still sparked a small wave of shock.
"What? Zhu Third Brother is really Xiao He?"
"Yeah, I told you earlier and you didn't believe me."
"What the—mainly because Third Brother is such a beast! I can't fit Mu Ze's face into that role at all!"
Many people, like Zhou Bowen and Lin Zhuwan, were stunned. As a large group of viewers flooded cinemas on opening day, similar topics climbed the trending charts—
[Xiao He didn't participate in Killing Life]
[Xiao He, you played a beast like this]
[Xiao He Zhu Third Brother]
Many netizens who didn't know the context were puzzled.
Huh? What's this? Why are people insulting Xiao He again? Has he been cyberbullied?
Even Xiao He himself had a big question mark: ?
No—why are they all so shocked? Isn't his name on the poster? Why do they act like he's scamming people?