Chapter 24: Big Fish

"Make sure you wear your masks."

Zhou Xiaoli reminded Zhao Yingchou with a chuckle.

As the most influential talent show in Qin Prefecture, "Rising Star" garnered high attention every year. Zhao Yingchou, the annual champion of the show, was widely recognized, making it easy for fans to spot her in public.

Today was Tuesday.

It was the premiere day of the movie "Dance of the Fish Dragon."

Zhou Xiaoli, who had purchased tickets in advance, accompanied Zhao Yingchou to the cinema.

The movie had a moderate budget and didn't feature an A-list cast, but it appealed to audiences who enjoyed this genre. The cinema hall where Zhao Yingchou was seated had quite a few people.

After taking their seats, the movie began promptly.

While munching on popcorn, Zhao Yingchou and Zhou Xiaoli watched the movie, finding it to be a great way to unwind.

The large screen lit up.

At the beginning of the story, it told of a young girl and her parents who, while on a trip, accidentally entered a magical world through a mysterious tunnel.

This world was both beautiful and dangerous.

It was filled with demons, monsters, mythical creatures, magical phenomena, and a vivid sense of fantasy with a colorful palette.

In this strange land.

The girl's parents, driven by greed, violated the rules of this world and were captured by an elderly witch who possessed magical powers. The girl was left alone in this dangerous realm, facing numerous life-threatening situations.

However, just as she was about to be devoured by a beautiful yet deadly snake demon, a powerful white dragon capable of taking on a human form came to her rescue.

Little did the girl know.

This white dragon served the sorceress who had captured her parents.

At first, the girl was scared of the white dragon and even resisted him, as the sorceress was the dragon's master and had taken her parents. But as they spent time together, the girl was gradually influenced by the dragon's kindness.

Over time.

They became close friends who could talk about anything, sharing many experiences.

However, the girl had always carried a heavy burden in her heart.

She never gave up on the idea of rescuing her parents.

Sensing the girl's determination, the white dragon made a difficult decision. He betrayed the sorceress and helped the girl rescue her parents.

But.

At the moment he rescued the girl's parents, he himself fell victim to the sorceress's malevolent curse.

As it turned out.

He was under the sorceress's control.

The white dragon was bound never to betray his master. If he did, the curse would take effect, stripping him of his dragon form and human shape. He would spend his life in the deep sea, unable to return to land.

He transformed into a big fish.

Enduring the agony brought by the curse, he displayed almost miraculous strength, flying through the sky with his enormous body, guiding the girl's family, and ensuring their safe escape from the dangerous realm.

When they were about to reach the exit.

They passed over a vast sea.

Unable to endure any longer in his current form as a big fish, the white dragon let out a mournful cry and plunged into the sea, bidding the girl a final farewell.

This was a magical sea with extraordinary powers, capable of bringing back memories of the past.

The film used a reverse chronological approach to reveal the origins of this story.

It turned out that when the young girl was a child, she had saved up half a month's worth of pocket money, planning to buy her favorite snacks.

But passing by the seashore, the young girl saw some fishermen selling a beautiful fish. She felt sorry for the fish and decided to buy it with her money, then she released it back into the sea.

That fish was the white dragon.

Next came the memories that belonged to the white dragon.

When he was just a fish, he put in many efforts and, at last, passed the Dragon Gate. As a result, he transformed into a white dragon with a high level of cultivation. He also fulfilled his dream of assuming human form.

He had worked so hard for one reason...

He wanted to find the young girl and repay her.

However, at the moment of his transformation into a dragon, he was captured by the evil witch and forced to become her pet.

The origin of the story took the audience by surprise. The chance encounter turned out to be a reunion after a long separation.

But what truly moved the audience to tears was a song that suddenly played as memories rose with the tide,

"The silent waves engulf the depths of night,

They sweep across the farthest reaches of the sky.

A big fish glides through the crevices of dreams,

Gazing upon the contours of your tranquil slumber..."

The piano played, and the singing was enchanting.

The movie theater fell silent.

Listening to the waves of the song in their ears, Zhao Yingge's hand, holding popcorn, froze at that moment, as if struck by something, staring into space.

"I'm afraid you'll soar far away, afraid you'll leave my side,

But more than that, I fear you'll linger here forever.

Every teardrop flows toward you,

Reversing its course into the depths of the sky and the sea..."

The reluctant farewell of the big fish and the girl resonated with the song, and the next moment, the harmonious voices that seemed to come from the mysterious world in the movie surrounded everyone's ears. At that moment, many people in the audience felt their skin tingle.

"Hiss."

Sighs were heard in the theater, and some viewers began to softly weep. On Zhao Yingge's right, Xiao Li had taken out tissues, but they were already halfway gone, and her eyes were red from crying.

The theater grew even quieter.

This song at the end of the film, paired with the movie, was a tearjerker of epic proportions. The harmony section of the song was like the final detonation of this tearjerker, leaving no one in the theater untouched.

Friendship?

Love?

The movie never explicitly clarified this, but as the big fish returned to the sea, with only the wide expanse of its back visible in the setting sun, the girl's tears still streamed down, and she waved goodbye with all her might.

On the distant horizon, the big fish disappeared into the depths of the sea.

The movie concluded with the end of this song, and the final line of the lyrics, delivered with a quiver, was like a sharp dagger that pierced the hearts of countless viewers: 

"Watching you fly far away, watching you depart from me,

I've come to realize that you were born for the skies.

Every teardrop flows toward you,

Reversing its course to our very first encounter."

...

As the end credits of the movie appeared, the entire theater remained seated, immersed in a bittersweet atmosphere. Many discussions ensued, but most of them carried a strong, nasally tone, as if they had been moved to tears:

"I held back my tears for over an hour, only to be defeated by a song in the end."

"Every line of the lyrics is like a knife, stabbing directly into my heart. The last line, a direct hit, and I'm done for."

"I doubt I have the courage to watch this movie again, unless they cut off that last song."

"Who wrote this song? Tears don't come for free!"

"I was so naïve. I thought this was a feel-good movie, but it turned out to be a tearjerker. That last song is a heartbreaker!"

"..."

There was even a woman with reddened eyes teasing the man next to her, "Honey, didn't you say you never cry when watching movies? Didn't you say you hate all that sentimental stuff, claiming it's just a technique to manipulate the audience's tears? Why are you crying like this?"

"I really didn't cry when watching movies... until I heard this song."

That was a man's last bit of stubbornness.

"We're out of tissues. Do you have any left?" Zhou Xiaoli sniffled and poked Zhao Yingge's arm with her elbow.

"..."

Ignoring her, Zhao Yingge remained unfazed, her reddened eyes fixed on the final credits of the movie.

"What are you looking at? The movie is over."

Unable to find any tissues, Zhou Xiaoli wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Zhao Yingge still didn't respond until she saw the final credits of the movie. This was the information she had been searching for since the movie ended:

[Insert Song/Soundtrack/Score/End Credits: "Big Fish"]

[Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement: Xianyu]

[Performed by: Jiang Kui]

[Special Thanks: Xianyu]

"Big Fish..." she murmured these two words, and suddenly, she seemed to remember something. A flush of excitement appeared on her face:

"Xianyu, Xianyu!"

Just after crying, Zhou Xiaoli, her voice still nasal, asked curiously, "Xianyu? What's wrong with you? Why are you acting all strange?"

"Xianyu!"

Zhao Yingge's voice quivered, "The background music for the movie was composed by Xianyu. The song that Starlight sent me last time, is it also composed by Xianyu?"

Zhou Xiaoli, just waking from her daze, said, "It seems like it..."

Zhao Yingge suddenly stood up, "Let's go back and listen to the song!"