Taipei City, Sixi Tower.
It was not yet noon, but the lobby was already full of diners. However, none of them had any appetite. They were all facing the table on the right with a focused look on their faces.
Liu Gennong stood on the stage, telling the story of "The Best in the World" vividly.
He spent half a month rewriting the plot of the movie "The World's Number One" into a script. During this period, he went to the cinema several times, watched the film repeatedly, and pondered the choice of words and sentences.
The rewriting was more difficult than he had expected, but fortunately, his hard work paid off and he finally succeeded.
The rewritten "Number One Under Heaven" had a total of six chapters. Liu Gennong only spoke for one hour every day in Sixi Tower and finished his work. His income was more than that of speaking for two or three hours a day before.
Many people are interested in "The World's Number One", but the ticket at thirty cents is really expensive.
I found that the storyteller at Sixi Tower was telling the story of "The Best Under Heaven". I decided to come and listen to it. A pot of coarse tea cost only three or five cents. It seemed more cost-effective than going to the movies.
That day, Liu Gennong talked about how Ye Qingzhou fought a great battle with the enemy who had wiped out his clan, and how they were both possessed by demons, getting closer and closer to death. The audience listened attentively.
"Shua—" He put away his folding fan and leaned forward slightly: "To know what happened next, please listen to the next chapter."
There were disappointed boos from the guests below, but there was nothing they could do but wait until tomorrow to come back.
Liu Gennong's career was revived by rewriting the script of "The World's Number One". He was in a very good mood and turned around to pack up his things, preparing to go to the cinema again in the afternoon.
Someone in the audience asked loudly: "When will you talk about "The Little Chef of Shengjing"? Look at that clip, it's more interesting than "The Best in the World"."
Someone else asked: "Where did you watch the trailer?"
The man who asked first replied: "Of course it's a movie theater. It has a big screen that can be seen through the transparent wall."
A bearded man at the next table said, "You still dare to go to the cinema? I think you are going to die."
"Brother, what do you mean by that? I see people going to that cinema every day, it's very busy, is there anything wrong with that?"
The bearded man looked around, with a hint of pity and mystery in his eyes: "Tsk, I can see you have never been to the cinema. I wonder if something happened. Many people don't dare to go there recently."
When Liu Gennong heard this, his expression changed slightly.
Recently he did intend to rewrite the script of "The Little Chef of Shengjing". For this purpose, he went to the cinema almost every other day, and I never heard of anything wrong.
Did I miss something because I went there every other day
He took a step forward, wanting to hear the bearded man's details.
Not only Liu Gennong, but the diners around him also had some yearning for the cinema. Upon hearing this, almost all of them stopped what they were doing and looked at the big man who was speaking.
The bearded man slammed the table, his eyes widened, and he spoke in a loud voice: "At first, I listened to the story for a few days, and I was really itching to go to the cinema. My wife had a ticket for the event, which was infuriating because the ticket was only for women. Men had to buy another ticket to enter. I spent twenty cents and finally got into the theater. Who would have thought that there were evil things in it."
"A claw as big as a table was clinging to the side of the stage. The ugly monster was drooling and roaring at the audience. Its saliva flowed onto the ground, leaving a groove as big as a bowl." The bearded man watched the crowd's reactions and gestured with his hands, "I was so scared that I pulled my wife away and ran. I almost got eaten."
Someone in the audience said, "So you mean that commercial. I saw it outside, too. It was scary at first, but I got used to it after watching it a few times. I am curious about the popcorn in the cinema. Monsters like that actually like to eat it. I wonder if there is a significant difference compared to the ones outside?"
After popcorn became popular in movie theaters, vendors outside began to make and sell it in the same way.
Although the taste is different from that in the cinema, many people don’t know that they can buy popcorn without watching a movie. They dare not go into the cinema, but when they see similar food outside, they will buy it to try it.
Recently, popcorn has also become a very popular snack on the streets of Liangjing.
Some people have tried to imitate Coca-Cola, but unfortunately, just from the appearance, it is impossible to tell what materials were used.
Some people also tried to taste the flavor of Coke, but they couldn't find any alternative ingredients to produce that taste.
The Coke in the cinema is added with ice cubes, which makes it particularly refreshing and cool in the summer.
Ordinary people in the Dawu Dynasty did not have ice cellars in their homes, and the taste of Coke with and without ice was quite different, which also discouraged many vendors who wanted to continue researching Coke.
Hearing this, the bearded man frowned and said with disgust, "It's all a lie. How delicious can that popcorn be? It's not even as good as the ones sold on the street, and the quantity is even smaller."
Hearing this, Liu Gennong felt something was wrong.
He has eaten popcorn in movie theaters and on the street. The difference between the two is more than a little bit, and the one in movie theaters is definitely better than the one outside.
Liu Gennong walked down from the stage, approached the bearded man, and said loudly, "Your Excellency may have some misunderstandings. The popcorn in the cinema is actually much better than the popcorn on the street. You are also arbitrary in saying that there are strange things in that cinema."
The bearded man snorted coldly, "You make a living from that cinema, so you should speak for it. If you don't believe me, just go and stay in that cinema. Good words can't persuade a damned person, humph."
After the big man finished speaking, he raised his head and drank the coarse tea in the big bowl, then stood up, pushed everyone away, and left with an angry look on his face.
For several days in a row, not only in Sixi Tower, but also in nearby restaurants and teahouses, there were always people who would jump out and say that there were strange things in the cinema when others were talking about it.
At first many people didn't take it seriously, but later the news spread further and further.
Three people make a tiger, and gradually many people heard that the cinema had a monster and even bit someone to death.
-
Lu Yao stood at the entrance of the cinema, looking at the passers-by, frowning slightly, "There seem to be fewer customers recently."
Kuba squatted on the steps, holding a lollipop in his mouth, "There are rumors everywhere in the city that there is a monster in our cinema, and it has bitten someone to death."
For two consecutive shows, both screening rooms were not full, and the situation was indeed quite serious.
Fu Chi crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "I've long said that the ad was too advanced."
Lu Yao glanced at Kuba and asked, "Besides this, are there any other rumors?"
The number of customers dropped sharply, there were almost no walk-in customers during showtimes, and the store staff had nothing to do.
Gouzi came out of the bathroom and happened to pass by. Hearing this, he said, "San'er said yesterday that many restaurants and teahouses in the city have been talking about this. They also said that the shopkeepers specially gave tickets to women in order to catch them and feed them to the monsters."
Lu Yao thought for a moment, then turned back to the hall and said, "Come with me later, Kuba."
Ku Ba didn't know why the shopkeeper asked him to do so, but he agreed without hesitation.
Behind the advertising screen in the lobby is a staff lounge, which also serves as a warehouse.
Lu Yao entered the lounge and took out a set of women's clothing from the Dawu Dynasty from his personal storage.
This dress was not a product of the system, but an embroidered long dress that Lu Yao had custom-made at a ready-made clothing store on the street.
The base is light green, made of the finest silk gauze and grosgrain, and the hem, cuffs and lapels are embroidered with intertwined lotus flowers and lotus leaves with silver thread, which is elegant and refined.
Lu Yao is tall and thin. When she put on this dress, her long hair was tied up and adorned with a silver hairpin inlaid with big pearls.
She looks refreshing and natural, and it doesn't look out of place for her to call herself a girl of fifteen or sixteen.
The shop assistants had mixed expressions when they saw the shopkeeper coming out of the lounge.
Fu Chi raised his eyebrows and stared at the embroidery on Lu Yao's skirt, which was much more delicate than modern machine embroidery.
Ku Baliang crossed his arms and looked Lu Yao up and down: "Finally you are willing to dress properly. From this point of view, you are indeed a pretty lady."
Lu Yao opened her hands slightly and turned around on the spot. The silver embroidery on the hem of her skirt spread out on the green base fabric, shining brightly.
"Not bad." She was satisfied and asked Fu Chi to look after the store and called Ku Ba to go out together.
Fu Chi looked at Lu Yao and Ku Ba as they walked out of the door and onto the bluestone street, with envy in his eyes.
Ku Ba lazily followed Lu Yao and asked, "Where do you want to go, boss?"
Lu Yao: "The restaurant and teahouse where the rumor appeared."
She was not used to putting things in her sleeves, so she carried an embroidered cloth bag across her body, which contained some change, a cell phone, and a small loudspeaker in her hand.
Kuba was curious, "What is the shopkeeper holding?"
Lu Yao handed it to him and said, "A speaker, a small object used to amplify sound."
Ku Ba took it in his hand and played with it. After examining it for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what it was for, so he gave it back to Lu Yao.
The shopkeeper had so many interesting objects in his hands that I couldn’t understand them even if I asked him or looked at him.
He has learned to observe quietly and wait for the shopkeeper to use him.
Ku Ba rented a carriage and took Lu Yao directly to Sixi Tower, where the rumor first spread.
East City and North City are adjacent to each other, but they are also separated by several streets, so taking a carriage is faster than walking.
It was noon and the lobby of Sixi Building was almost full.
Lu Yao and Ku Ba stood at the door and saw at a glance that there was something unusual at a table of diners in the middle of the hall. A big man with bare arms was standing on a stool with one foot, recounting "interesting stories" about the cinema in a loud voice, attracting all the diners to look over.
Lu Yao took out his cell phone, turned on the camera, and slowly walked closer.
Ku Ba saw that the big man who was talking and the diners around him were all framed in the palm-sized mobile phone, and he didn't understand the shopkeeper's intention.
After the big man finished speaking, Lu Yao just walked closer and stood in front of the man with a slightly cold look.
The other party blinked, a little confused, "Why are you staring at me, little girl? Are you thinking about sex?"
The rough man laughed out loud after he finished speaking, and the diners around him also laughed.
Lu Yao didn't want to waste time talking, so he took out a small speaker, turned it on, and spoke into it. His voice was clear and deafening, instantly drowning out the laughter in the room. Even the private room upstairs could hear him: "You spread rumors here every day, as if you were a regular customer of the cinema. How come you don't even recognize me?"
Everyone was stunned by the trumpet. The rough man's face also changed slightly, but he quickly came to his senses and ignored the little girl. "Who knows where you came from, you wild girl? Go away and don't disturb me."
"My name is Lu Yao, and I am the owner of the cinema you mentioned." Lu Yao spoke slowly, "I listened at the door for a while just now. You said you went to my cinema to watch a movie, and you also said that the cinema kept monsters that ate women. May I ask when did you go to the cinema? How many movies did you watch? And when did you discover that there were monsters in the cinema?"
The rough man was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Lu Yao to dare to come over and confront him face to face.
He had indeed been to the cinema and had seen her.
But she was wearing different clothes today, so I didn't recognize her at first.
"What do you care when I go there? Your crappy cinema is home to a monster. It gives tickets to women just to catch those cheap idiots and eat them. They are stupid, but I am not. Don't bluff here, I'm not afraid of you." The rough man said angrily.
Lu Yao found it difficult to speak, so he took out his cell phone, opened the video he had just shot and turned the volume up to maximum.
All the scenes just now in Sixi Building were displayed on the small screen, and the rough man's loud voice also came out from it.
Like a drop of water falling into an oil pan, there was a loud bang and the people around stood up in shock, not knowing what to do.
Lu Yao tapped the screen to pause, raised the speaker and said loudly: "Don't panic, sit down."
The diners were stunned by the shopkeeper's actions and sat down silently: "..."
In the private rooms on the second floor, several doors opened quietly. The people who came out greeted each other and stood silently at the railings to watch the fun.
Lu Yao looked calm and continued, "I came here today for no other reason than to clarify the recent rumors about the cinema."
She turned to look at the rough man who spread the rumor, "You just said that when you went to my cinema, your wife had a ticket for the event, but you didn't have a ticket so you had to buy one yourself. But you two met a monster in the cinema and were chased all the way?"
The rough man swallowed hard and said, "So what?"
No matter how much she planned, she could never have expected that she had such a terrible object in her hand that could directly preserve evidence.
Even if you refuse to admit it, you can't get away with it.
"So you only went to the cinema to watch one show?"
"Who would dare to go again when their life is about to be lost?"
Lu Yao got the information he wanted and nodded in satisfaction. "There is an obvious contradiction in your words. Regular customers know it, or you can ask around Song'an Street. The event of giving away tickets to women ended the day before the second premiere of "The Little Chef in Shengjing", which was July 21st. The advertisement for the little monster was released on the same day as the second premiere of "The Little Chef", which was July 22nd. You and your wife would not have been able to see the monster on the day you went to the cinema with the event tickets. If you went to the cinema with your wife on July 22nd, the event ticket in your wife's hand would have expired, and she would definitely not be able to enter with the ticket."
Liu Gennong, who was standing in the crowd, suddenly realized that he had felt that the rumors in the past few days were suspicious, but now he figured out that the timing was indeed wrong.
Lu Yao tapped the screen again to finish playing the video he had just recorded. "The rumors about the cinema raising monsters and eating women are ridiculous if you think about it. The cinema held a five-day ticket giveaway event, and at least thirty women visited the cinema every day. Later, there were also female guests who bought tickets to watch the movie on their own initiative, but I have never heard of anyone reporting to the police that a woman in their family is missing. Where did the woman who was eaten by the monster come from? In the rumors over the past few days, you and your accomplices have repeatedly mentioned that the cinema gave free tickets to women and that the monster only eats women, which shows that you are dissatisfied with this matter. I made a random guess that you should have been to the cinema during the period when the cinema was holding a ticket giveaway event. A man did not buy a ticket, but took the tickets of the women in his family to try to watch the movie for free, but he was unable to enter the theater, so he held a grudge. It happened that the cinema launched a new advertisement, which gave you an excuse to manipulate people's hearts."
The rough man took a step back, his face changed drastically, he had guessed it right.
The people who have been spreading rumors these days are just dissatisfied with the cinema's free ticket event. Originally, they just gathered together to drink and complain, but later, for some reason, someone got drunk and told everyone that there was a monster in the cinema.
By the next day, several things were inexplicably mixed together and the rumors became more and more intense.
This group of people secretly made a plan and started to stir up trouble. They told everyone that there was a monster in the cinema that preyed on women. They also made up true and false stories and made them sound convincing.
Within a few days, rumors were flying everywhere and most of the people going to the cinema dropped.
The rumormongers were complacent and prepared to continue spreading rumors and destroy the cinema.
It was a lie that was told in order to take advantage of the situation. After being exposed, he could no longer find an excuse, so the rumor-mongering rough man turned around and tried to run away.
Kuba had already blocked the way out and pinned the man down: "You want to run away after spreading rumors, but it won't be that easy."
The rough man struggled and shouted, but he couldn't get away from Kuba's hands.
He is obviously much stronger than Kuba.
Kuba was annoyed and picked up a cup from the table and stuffed it into the rough man's mouth upside down.
Diners who were forced to eat melons: “…”
Lu Yao looked at the diners' surprised and suspicious faces and sighed secretly.
Although the rumor has been clarified, everyone seems to be more afraid of movie theaters...
She suddenly raised her megaphone and said, "The monster in the popcorn commercial is actually a prop. If you have any doubts, you can come to the cinema tomorrow to see the real popcorn monster."
Someone in the crowd whispered, "No, no. The shopkeeper and the waiter are so rude, who would dare to go?"
Lu Yao glanced around the lobby, and no one dared to look at her.
This situation cannot be reversed in the short term.
Forget it, I won’t force it.
Lu Yao turned around and called Ku Ba, preparing to send the rumormonger to the authorities first, and then return to the cinema.
"Wait a minute." A young man on the second floor jumped down from the railing and landed in front of Lu Yao. "What was that in your hand just now? Why can you retain the image and voice of a person?"
The young man was wearing a purple and gold brocade robe and a golden crown on his head. He was young, but had an imposing manner, and the word "powerful and noble" was just written on his face.
Lu Yao took out his phone from his pocket and asked, "You're asking this?"
The boy was curious in his heart, but he remained calm and just nodded slightly.
Lu Yao clicked on the screen, turned on the camera, and casually took a short video. "This is the camera function of the mobile phone. The principle is a bit difficult to explain. Simply put, by shooting through this small hole, you can preserve the image and sound of people or things."
Liu Gennong stood in the back and saw Lu Yao using his mobile phone to shoot and play the video. An idea suddenly occurred to him: "Could this be the tool used to make movies?"
Regular customers of the cinema were all shocked when they heard this, as if it made sense!
Lu Yao turned his head and smiled: "The basic principle is similar, but the machine used to shoot movies is more professional."
Liu Gennong was shocked. “So the characters in those movies are actually real people just like us?”
Lu Yao hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Yes."
Someone else asked, "Is that monster that likes to eat popcorn also a human?"
Lu Yao nodded affirmatively: "Yes. There are no monsters in the world. If there are, they are probably just people pretending to be ghosts. Tomorrow, the cinema will reveal the true identity of the popcorn monster, you can come and see it."
The air was silent.
The diners' eyes seemed to say "You are lying, the weird thing is right in front of us."
Xie Xu had just returned to Liangjing and had not heard of the movie yet, so he looked confused.
Lu Yao took a photo of him and handed it to him, "In addition to video, you can also take photos."
Xie Xu's beautiful phoenix eyes widened slightly, "This is... me?"
"Yes. The photo can be printed out. If you are interested, come to the Super Time and Space Cinema on Lu Yao's Song'an Street tomorrow, and I will give you one."
Xie Xu held Lu Yao's hand and stared at himself on the screen, feeling mixed emotions.
Kuba felt somewhat proud that these country bumpkins didn't even know the photo.
He took out a stack of photos from his pocket and handed them to Xie Xu, "Here, these are the photos. The shopkeeper gave them to me a few days ago."
Xie Xu looked up and was shocked again.
The man on the paper looked exactly like the man in front of him.
This is called a photo
Not only Xie Xu, but all the diners who were nearby in the lobby saw it and became even more wary of the owner. However, they could not resist their curiosity and wanted to know more secrets about the cinema.
Until Lu Yao and Ku Ba left with the rumormongers, the lobby of Sixi Building remained silent, and everyone was digesting what they had seen and heard that day.
Xie Xu returned upstairs, still looking confused.
The young man who came to eat with him had a similar expression.
Most of these children of officials lived in official residences in the West Market and seldom went out into the streets. They had never heard of the popular movie theaters in the East Market, so this day was truly an eye-opener for them.
Wan Baozhu watched the excitement for a while and passed by Tianzi No. 1 when he left.
The door was half open, and Xie Xu and a group of people were sitting together. Before she could recover from the shock, she knocked on the door with amusement, went in and said a few words.
Back at the mansion, Wan Baozhu called Hongyu and said, "I want to give you one last task."
Hongyu was shocked. Her eye disease was getting worse and worse. Now she couldn't even see things clearly in front of her. Yet, His Highness was still willing to use her.
Even if it is the last mission, she will definitely try her best, even if it means sacrificing her life.
Wan Baozhu's eyes dimmed and her tone was stern: "I want you to go to the cinema and monitor the young shopkeeper's every move, and report to me all the situations of the cinema."
Hongyu bowed her head and accepted the order: "Yes."