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**Clap, clap, clap… clap, clap!**
A bit more, just a bit more, the excitement keeps rising. The whole scene is buzzing, with a roaring heatwave breaking through the theater walls and doors, surging forward.
Wait, what exactly happened inside?
People standing outside the Chinese theater look at each other in confusion. Even the seasoned journalists are filled with countless question marks in their minds.
They speculate, discuss, and wait patiently.
The longer they wait, the more unbearable it becomes. It feels like the few minutes have stretched longer than the previous two hours.
Back and forth between frustration, regret, anticipation, curiosity, nervousness, and anxiety, their feelings are tightly intertwined, anxiously hoping that they could be inside the premiere and avoid this torment, but the reality remains unchanged.
Until—
The crowd appears.
Suddenly, Blair's heart leaps into her throat. Karen instinctively steps forward but stops after just two steps because the crowd rushes toward them like a stampede of horses. Before they could catch their breath, they are engulfed by the massive crowd, and the entire street is drowned out by noise.
At a glance, Blair spots a girl.
Wearing that iconic white shirt that could make hearts skip a beat, she is undoubtedly an Anson supporter, but now she stands there, covering her face and crying.
So sad, so lonely, so helpless.
Blair's heart tightens, and anxiety and fear tighten around her throat. She hurriedly pushes against the tide of people and barely manages to find her.
"How was it? How was the movie?"
It shouldn't… could it?
The girl lifts her head, tear-streaked and sobbing, and says, "Peter, Peter… it was just too tragic."
Blair: ???
Blair turns to Karen, but Karen also looks puzzled, innocently shrugging and spreading her hands.
Blair anxiously asks the girl, "The movie, wasn't it good?"
Gloria, hearing this, even forgets to wipe her tears. "Ah, why do you say that?"
Blair's eyes widen, "You, you…"
Gloria takes a moment to process, "Oh, no, no, no, the movie was great, really great, it's just that it was so good that I…"
Thinking of the ending, Gloria's tears well up again.
Blair doesn't understand, "But, isn't it a popcorn movie? Or did I misunderstand?"
Gloria breaks into a smile through her tears, "Yes, it is a popcorn movie, but… how should I put it?"
Thinking seriously, Gloria can't help but sigh.
"I'm not a movie buff; I came just because I like Anson's looks."
"Ah!" Karen clucks excitedly, "Do you think so too? Ah, I also really like Anson's looks. Honestly, I'm drooling over his body."
Karen and Gloria look at each other, both starting to scream, and soon a chorus of female voices echoes around them, making the scene somewhat amusing.
Blair can't help but laugh, pressing her hands together in resignation, "Calm down, calm down."
Blair's mind once again drifts to Anson's face, and she waves her arms, joining her friends, "So, what about the movie?"
Gloria finally calms down a bit, "I can't give any professional opinions, but I just liked it, really liked it, super liked it."
"Peter, I mean, Peter Parker, this character was written so, so, so well. He's just like us, an ordinary high school student; but he's also charming, like you're dreaming of going to prom, going to college, and then getting married and having kids with the genius heartthrob from the math class next door."
"Oh God, I'm blushing."
As Gloria speaks, she can't help but laugh joyfully, surrounded by whistling and cheering, the excitement is overwhelming.
Although no one called for it, people around them gathered in small groups, unwilling to leave, standing together and chattering away, the only way to calm their boiling emotions. They desperately need to share with others.
Blair is getting anxious because her question still hasn't been answered, "And then?"
Gloria signals Blair not to rush, "I'm trying to avoid spoilers. All I can say is, the movie is different from what we imagined. Peter was really… so good. We grow with him and face things together."
"The ending is different from other movies; you'll see once you watch it."
Gloria still maintains basic audience etiquette, avoiding spoilers.
So Blair and Karen hang in suspense, having talked so much without getting an answer, while the audience who just saw the premiere can't wait to discuss it.
"The ending was really unexpected, wasn't it?"
"Yes, yes, completely unexpected, but also completely logical."
"Honestly, I couldn't have imagined a more perfect ending."
"But it's really sad. I still hope Peter could respond."
"So do I. But, thinking seriously, the movie had already set it up. I can accept this development; it feels natural. Peter was really great, an indescribably perfect boyfriend."
"Ah, ah, ah!"
A group of girls suddenly starts screaming as if they've lost their minds.
Blair is confused, unable to understand what they're saying, but does this mean— "So what was with the applause just now? Wait, that was applause, right?"
Gloria gets excited immediately, "Yes, applause! The whole audience stood up and applauded!"
"Can you imagine? After the movie ended, the entire audience spontaneously stood up and applauded."
"And they stayed to watch the credits till the end."
"Yes, yes, I don't know why, but I wanted to watch the credits and then stand up and applaud. It all felt so natural."
"Because the movie deserved it!"
"I've never seen a movie like this before; everything was perfect! Perfect!"
"When the whole audience stood up and applauded, did you notice Anson's expression?"
"Ah, I noticed! Anson was shocked, he didn't expect this situation at all. He seemed frozen, and I saw him standing there, clapping like a fool."
"Wow, that was definitely a rare sight. Everyone applauded spontaneously."
As Gloria finishes, voices from all around pour in, creating a whirlwind of sound. Blair's heart slowly begins to ease, even though she doesn't know exactly what happened in the theater, the reaction so far indicates:
The movie was a success.
This thought hits Blair suddenly, and she can't help but feel exhilarated. The movie was a success! Anson's first lead role in a commercial blockbuster was a success!
The next moment, a TV reporter appears, microphone aimed at the audience.
"Did you like the movie?"
The response is a chorus of screams: Ah, ah, ah!
No words, but more vivid and lively than any language or phrase, conveying emotion in the simplest and most direct way.
As night falls, the rolling heatwave is just beginning.