All-rounder Artist

This was the first time Yang An saw Ye Hongyu’s strength crumble, her heavily applied makeup unable to withstand the relentless assault of her tears.

Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Boxes of tissues found their ultimate purpose in the cinema, but no one had the time to ponder about this peculiar arrangement.

The entire theatre was bathed in a thick sadness.

At this point, almost all the representatives from the various cinemas didn’t dare to continue watching.

The sides of Ye Hongyu’s nostrils were red from the constant rubbing with tissues, but she still determinedly lifted her head to watch the big screen…

The lights remained dim.

Xiao Ba’s face as he lay sleeping under the abandoned train cabin was old and lined, and the marks that age had carved into him were clear. But everyone knew that it wasn’t the condition of the train station that was torturing him, but the fact that the familiar call of “Xiao Ba” would never sound again.

Snow fell like knives.

The audience felt a certain dislike for winters like this. The train’s whistle, tirelessly sounding, woke Xiao Ba, who could only watch the train pull away once more.

Accompanying all this was the heavy, slow rhythm of pianos playing in the background.

Xiao Ba braved the snow, dragging his weary steps along the train tracks.

The lights in the homes on either side of the tracks were progressively going out.

It seemed tired.

Returning to the familiar flower bed, it lay down wearily, lacking the energy even to whimper. Xiao Ba gently closed his eyes.

Suddenly, it seemed as though the train had returned.

The whistle that had sounded for the umpteenth time in the last ten years.

But this time, the lights of the train were exceedingly bright, and even the street lamps on either side seemed to have lit up again.

The scene transitioned in a montage-like manner, to the bright sunlight.

In his dream, Xiao Ba heard someone calling him:

“Wake up.”

“Xiao Ba.”

“Let’s go.”

Xiao Ba opened his eyes and saw Professor An’s familiar face appearing in the hazy view, waving at him.

The scene flashed back.

The sunny spring afternoons spent running around freely; the evenings when the train had returned and they would embrace each other; the moments when the crowds started boarding, and they would bid each other goodbye; the day when it started pouring, and they would seek warmth in the study… 𝐫𝐀ɴÖ𝔟ƐṤ

In the memories, he was still young.

In the memories, it was still fit and nimble.

It turns out this was just a dream of Xiao Ba’s, and in this dream of Xiao Ba’s is the world in color.

The music picked up, faster and higher.

Xiao Ba suddenly woke up, hearing the sound of train doors opening.

Before its eyes, to its shock, it was actually Professor An—waving at it and calling its name fondly.

It abruptly sat up.

Its fur seemed to become neat and clean again, its movements nimble and vigorous.

Whoosh.

It charged into Professor An’s embrace swiftly as it had done countless times in the past—against the snow which fell even more sharply like knives—

That evening.

Xiao Ba left.

The audience’s cries were nearing breaking point now, even if they knew that this was Xiao Ba’s inevitable end!

From the back of the theatre,

Ol’ Zhou could keep an eye on the whole theatre, including Ye Hongyu’s reaction.

Ol’ Zhou wasn’t surprised.

The second time he watched “Hachiko” he still couldn’t hold back, savoring the sour and salty taste of his tears. What more for these audience members, who were watching the movie for the first time?

An Iron Lady?

She was still a woman after all.

Who was truly heartless?

Xiao Ba has passed away, yet the movie isn’t over. Amid the audience’s breakdown and tears, the boy’s voice-over begins, the camera slowly shifting back to the bright and clean classroom: “I don’t have much of a memory of my grandpa, but after hearing his story with Xiao Ba, I feel like I understand him. Don’t forget those you love, that’s why Xiao Ba is my eternal hero.”

Next to the podium, the teacher rubbed her eyes.

Some of the kids in the audience had slightly reddened eyes.

After school, as the boy stepped off the school bus, in the distance, a dog was quickly rushing toward him. It looked exactly like Xiao Ba when he was young.

It felt as if the audience was witnessing a great cycle.

Although this cycle initially seemed cruel, as the boy and the dog crossed the railroad tracks and strolled by the clear creek, amidst the painful sobbing, a sense of comfort took root in everyone’s hearts.

At that moment, everyone understood Madam An.

Maybe the audience’s sentiment mirrors the conflicting feelings Madam An had when first accepting Xiao Ba into her life, as depicted in the first half of the movie.

Fearing the end so one refrains from starting in the first place.

Regardless of who leaves first, the pain inflicted on the one left behind is everlasting.

Professor An had once had a dog named Xiao Hei.

After Xiao Hei’s death, Madam An was left with a mental scar.

This scar was evident in her repeatedly refusing to let Xiao Ba join the family and in her attempts to get rid of him.

The passing of a dog leaves a void in one’s heart.

However, Xiao Ba’s arrival ultimately faced Professor An’s departure.

A person’s departure, from a dog’s perspective, carries a deeper impact. For this reunion into oblivion, it waited ten years—

Some lost their dogs.

Some dogs lost their owners.

Yet people still harbor a beautiful vision in their hearts, which is the hope that all those who lost their loved ones can meet again in heaven.

The movie ended.

No one stood up.

Ye Hongyu leaned back in her seat, wiping her tears, a thought surfaced in her mind again: “We are professionally trained, no matter how moved, we manage to stay calm, unless we can’t hold back.”

“Sis Hongyu…”

Fearing Ye Hongyu might feel embarrassed, Yang An quietly said, “Everyone is crying.”

“Hmm.”

Ye Hongyu smiled, “There’s something I forgot to teach you.”

“What is it?”

“Humans aren’t stones, we can’t be indifferent forever. When we can’t hold back, cry if you want to cry, laugh if you want to laugh. It’s our freedom.”

Yang An was stunned, then nodded in agreement.

At this time, the staff credits appeared again on the big screen.

Unlike the indifference at the beginning-

This time, everyone was watching the credits intently.

All contributors, whether they were the director, actors, or crew were engraved into people’s hearts.

Finally, the credits highlighted three main entries.

Star: Zhang Xiuming

Director: Yi Chenggong

Scriptwriter: Xian Yu

Featured Performer: Xiao Huang (with photo, young dog)

Featured Performer: Antarctica (with photo, adult dog)

Featured Performer: Big Huang (with photo, old dog)

For the years they’ve been watching movies, the cinema representatives witnessed for the first time dog names being displayed in the credits, and even more prominently than Xian Yu. Perhaps this was another comfort for the audience.

In the movie, Xiao Ba was gone.

But outside the movie, these dogs who participated in the performance were still alive and healthy.

At this moment-

A thunderous round of applause resonated in the movie theatre.

——————

PS: Thanks to the Alliance Hierarch, Lord “havck,” for your generous contribution. Thank you, thank you. Although I’ve been saying thank you a lot lately, every thank you comes from the heart.

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