Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 67 Gong Heng's Wonderful Experience

A newly opened dark-light restaurant in the southern part of Shanghai Xintiandi Pedestrian Street has recently become a popular spot for Shanghai's young urbanites.

Although the term "check-in" has not yet been used for this kind of event, there are indeed quite a few so-called "petit bourgeois socialites" taking photos in front of this darkened restaurant.

They were also very professional; some even hired photographers to do professional styling and pose for photos.

It seems that, whether now or in the future, taking photos and checking in will always be the most popular activity for girls, which may be related to women's innate love of beauty and attention.

The darkened restaurant had a poster for "About Time" on its entrance, featuring Chen Kun and Gao Yuanyuan, which attracted a lot of attention.

Of course, although Zhang Jun did not appear on the poster, many people still remember the director Zhang Jun.

He became an internet sensation last year, dubbed a campus heartthrob. Later, his directorial debut, "Little Miss Sunshine," was a box office hit, garnering widespread media attention.

Therefore, many young people, especially college students, have a very deep memory of Zhang Jun.

As a student at Fudan University, Gong Heng attended the preview screening of "Little Miss Sunshine" at Fudan University last year and was extremely impressed by Zhang Jun's confident and charismatic presence on stage.

After watching "Little Miss Sunshine," Gong Heng, while not becoming a film fan, did post a review online praising Zhang Jun and his film.

I heard that Zhang Jun's new movie "About Time" is about to be released, and he even organized some small events.

So Gong Heng specially took time out of his schedule, ignoring final exams, to participate in this special dark-lights restaurant event.

When Gong Heng arrived at the restaurant, he was surprised to find it so popular that there was a queue.

He saw the poster for "About Time," which said it would be released on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day).

The darkened restaurant is also collaborating with the movie, drawing lucky viewers who can win movie tickets or various small gifts.

Gong Heng didn't think he had that kind of luck. Looking at all the pretty girls taking pictures at the entrance, he wondered which beauty he might run into and what he should say...

After queuing for forty minutes, Gong Heng was led into a private room by a waiter. The floor lamps emitted a soft and dim light, and only the outline of Gong Heng's table could be roughly seen.

Although it's described as a dark restaurant, it can't be completely dark, as safety issues need to be considered.

However, with this lighting, it's impossible to clearly see the face of the person sitting opposite; one can only roughly determine whether they are male or female.

Gong Heng was lucky; his tablemate was a girl. However, she seemed quite shy and remained silent for a while, making the atmosphere a little awkward.

Gong Heng thought about what his roommates had told him before he came: to be thick-skinned and bold.

Saying the wrong thing is not a big deal; not saying anything is the biggest mistake.

So Gong Heng steeled himself and said, "Um... hello, I... my name is Gong Heng."

The girl opposite him chuckled, seemingly amused by Gong Heng's stammering self-introduction.

Gong Heng awkwardly touched his head, just about to say something to salvage his image, when the girl opposite him spoke up.

"You seem very nervous?"

"Well, it is a bit..."

The girl smiled again and said, "I can tell this is your first time here?"

Gong Heng honestly admitted, "Yes, I've seen director Zhang Jun's film. I was curious when I learned about this kind of event for his new film, so I came to participate."

Once Zhang Jun was mentioned, the girl across from him started talking.

"Really? You like Zhang Jun too?"

"Uh, I like his movies!"

"Me too,"

The girl started talking non-stop, seemingly about a topic she liked: "I first noticed him online and thought he was really handsome."

At first, I thought he was an idol drama actor from Taiwan, but I didn't expect him to be a graduate of Tsinghua University, and also a director.

Gong Heng then showcased his talent for boasting: "I met Director Zhang Jun when he came to Fudan University for a preview screening."

"Really?"

Even in the dim light, Gong Heng could still feel the girl's sparkling eyes, filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"Do you want an autograph and a photo?"

"We don't have this!"

Gong Heng forced an explanation: "There were too many people, I couldn't get a turn."

He hadn't actually intended to queue; he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about such things. However, after hearing the girl's words, he suddenly regretted not queuing.

The girl across from me had a soft, sweet voice; she must be a beautiful girl.

After the two had finished their conversation, Gong Heng left the cubicle first, while the other cubicles were also bustling with activity.

Many times it's two girls or two boys meeting, which is fine and not too awkward. The most awkward situation is when a man and a woman meet.

Gong Heng saw a tall, handsome man who was 1.8 meters tall come out, followed by a chubby woman who weighed at least 200 pounds. The moment the two looked at each other was quite a sight.

A hint of disappointment and disdain flashed across the handsome man's face, while a hint of surprise flashed across the chubby girl's face. This scene was quite hilarious.

The handsome man then made an excuse and quickly fled the scene, leaving the chubby girl bewildered in the wind.

Gong Heng felt some sympathy for the handsome man, but then he thought, what if he met a girl with a nice voice but a very ugly face?

Just then, the girl from Gong Heng's cubicle came out and made eye contact with Gong Jun.

What a scene that must have been!

The girl was wearing a white T-shirt with the words "Little Miss Sunshine" printed on it, which is the English title of the movie "Little Miss Sunshine".

She paired the outfit with jeans and canvas shoes, which showed off her good figure.

She also wore her hair in a bun, which, combined with her big eyes, made her look a bit quirky and cute.

Gong Heng was somewhat stunned, thinking to himself that he was quite lucky, just like opening a blind box, he had met a beautiful and lovely girl.

"Hi, um, hello, I'm Gong Heng."

The girl chuckled: "My name is Xie Qing. We had a very pleasant chat just now."

"Me too..." Gong Heng didn't know what to say for a moment.

However, Xie Qing was clearly very generous and knew how to control the pace. She and Gong Heng drew lots first. Unexpectedly, Gong Heng was lucky and won on his first try—a voucher for two movie tickets.

Gong Heng thought for a moment, then handed the ticket to Xie Qing: "It's yours!"

To everyone's surprise, Xie Qing retorted, "Are you still in Shanghai during the summer vacation?"

"Yes, I do some summer jobs to earn some living expenses," Gong Heng replied.

Xie Qing nodded: "That's good, let's go see it together during summer vacation! You won't refuse, will you?"

He'd be a complete fool to refuse.

Gong Heng immediately agreed: "Okay, let's go see it together during the summer vacation."

The two exchanged contact information and added each other on QQ, thus concluding what was considered a pleasant encounter.

Gong Heng also learned that Xie Qing was a third-year student at a teachers' college and would soon be a senior.

After Gong Heng returned to his school dormitory, he asked the student who was studying hard in the dormitory, "How was the experience?"

Gong Heng said with a smug look, "You'd never guess, I met a beautiful woman. We even exchanged contact information and made plans to watch a movie together."

My friend clearly didn't believe me: "Holy crap, really? Is it some kind of burly guy picking his toes?"

"Why would I lie to you? It's true, I still have her QQ account!"

As he spoke, Gong Heng opened his laptop, logged into QQ, and went to Xie Qing's profile, where there were several photos.

My buddy got jealous: "Damn, you're so lucky! I should have gone too."

Gong Heng boasted, "Don't worry, there are plenty of beautiful girls at the Normal University. Once I've won her over, I'll have her introduce you to one."

Gong Heng appeared confident in front of his buddies, but it was unclear who the person who had been so nervous in the dark restaurant that he had even stammered was.