The ending subtitles went on in silence for nearly a minute. When the four words "Wenhe Entertainment" left at the end faded and disappeared, the giant screen completely returned to darkness.
Private movie theaters rely on the owner's free settings, unlike movie theaters where the lights turn on by default when the movie ends. Damon and the others stared at the floodlit screen in the darkness and waited for a short while before they realized that the story called "Rain of Day" had come to an end. Whether it was Tian Gang who escaped from death, Qiu Xue and the murderous Mo Sen are already far, far away from their off-screen counterparts, like bubbles in a dream that are about to shatter at the touch of a touch.
What broke the silence was a small clatter.
"Oh shit."
The four people present were startled. Roberto, the instigator, bent down to pick up the dropped thing with rare panic - it was the drink he had held in his hand a long time ago. However, because he was so engrossed in watching the movie, he had unconsciously forgotten about it. He had loosened his hand unconsciously, causing the cup and the remaining liquid inside to spill out.
"Hey, watch out!"
When Roberto picked up the dripping drink cup and raised his head, he accidentally bumped into the small round table with snacks. Jasper was frightened by the continuous noise, complaining and fearing at the same time.
"Ah." A belated voice sounded. After returning to his senses, Colton turned around and noticed the chaos around him, and blurted out out of habit, "Well, I'll clean it up——"
While he was speaking, Damon, who was sitting on the other side, happened to press the remote control to wake up the wall lamp in the theater.
Jasper and Roberto, who had his head in his hands, met those eyes directly.
Dark brown eyes still covered with water mist, with tears stained at the corners.
The strange dead silence spread at the speed of light. Colton looked blankly at the two people with stiff faces. He didn't know what he said wrong for a moment, and turned to Damon for help with a little panic.
Damon's heart skipped a beat when he met this look.
Very clean, very innocent, confusion is clearly written in the eyes, like a devil who has not yet grown up and is not familiar with the world. There are young wings waving behind the butterfly bones. It is only one step away from completing heaven. Or the choice of hell.
Like...
Just like Mawson.
Damon's mind was buzzing, and he vaguely saw Jasper and Roberto behind Colton with their mouths wide open, trying to express something silently and desperately with their eyes or mouth movements, but he couldn't care about it, violently The sound of his heartbeat was about to drown out his sanity. At this moment, Damon felt extremely clearly that he was "holding something", holding the fate of Colton - Mawson - and holding his own life and death.
He Ye, paralyzed next to a tree and shapeless;
Cao Hao with a shovel embedded in the back of his neck;
Suki with blood on her head, face and hands;
A white-collar worker with a sanitary napkin stuck to his underwear;
Employees who are off work as usual and encounter sudden changes;
a clerk’s wife who was raped and murdered at home;
A patrolman whose uniform was stabbed with a kitchen knife;
The neighbor who had a bloody hole in his face and was shot in the head;
Wang Dali struggled and knelt down while holding his crotch;
Qiu Xue, whose face is covered with blood-soaked cloth;
The office worker who was stabbed to death and thrown out of the car;
Facing Tian Gang, Mo Sen's eyes were filled with smiles and tears.
One face, another face.
Painful, twisted and horrific.
A revolving door of movie scenes flashed before my eyes, and a deathly suffocation lingered in my throat. After what felt like a long time, but actually only a few seconds, Damon's throat moved, and he raised his hand tremblingly to point at Colton's red nose, his tone was gentle and gentle as never before.
"...You seem to be crying, Colton," he said carefully.
"Oh, huh?"
Colton was stunned, and he touched his face helplessly. Sure enough, he felt wet marks. His whole face turned red immediately, and he quickly wiped it with his palms and sleeves.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't find it... uh, I don't know why..."
Damon, Jasper, and Roberto looked at each other, and they could read lingering fears on each other's faces. Colton was still wiping his face carelessly, no different from his shy and embarrassed appearance in the past, but various overlaps forced the other three to feel fear and even awe from the bottom of their hearts - it's so similar, isn't it? The situation, the figure, the eyes, even the tears.
Of course, movies cannot match reality. But if what the movie depicts is reality, how should we judge it?
If Colton is regarded as Mawson, they know best how Damon and others are positioned in the story.
Jasper tentatively handed over the tissue in silence.
This move turned on the show of goodwill. Damon comforted him unnaturally. Roberto didn't know what to do, but he also looked at him with serious and cautious eyes. The reactions of the three people tried their best to interpret the late arrival. Colton was flattered by such concern for his rescue, and he hurriedly thanked him.
"Um, your coffee is cold, do you want a new one? I mean, hot cocoa or something, maybe it will help calm you down?"
Damon asked carefully.
Colton, who was still embarrassed, looked at Damon. He blinked blankly. He suddenly read many complicated thoughts in Damon's eyes: nervousness, panic, fear, uneasiness, please, care... these eyes It seems to have become a mirror, allowing Colton to see himself from the past to the present.
"Damon is afraid of me."
This realization made Colton feel dazed for a while. He subconsciously looked at Jasper and Roberto, and unexpectedly caught similar content from the expressions of the two men.
Respect and fear were thickly piled in the air. This was a treatment Colton had never had before. He was suddenly sitting in the highest position, overlooking his "friends" who had once regarded him as an ant and were out of reach. , his brain was filled with indescribable vanity and satisfaction, so that the back of his head felt light and intoxicated, as if he had just finished drinking a cocktail.
They are all afraid of me.
Fear me, so care about me, so please me.
What's the reason for this? Colton's not-slow mind came up with the answer easily. If he knew that there was an idiom in the distant Longzhou called "fox fakes tiger's power", he would definitely use it to admit that he was the skinny fox. It's Mawson, and it's all because of Mawson. His ferocity and terror left a deep impression (or shadow) on Damon and the others, and luckily, he, who is similar to Mawson, enjoyed the honor of being awed off-screen.
It turns out that this is what it feels like to be elevated in status.
This is what it feels like to be feared.
The evil thoughts burst into Colton's heart unexpectedly. He was breathing rapidly and felt a voice in his head shouting, "Make them kneel!" and a sharp laughter cackled: "Otherwise, kill them!" Even if it's just a verbal scare, it's fun, isn't it?"
The heartbeat pounded in his ears like a drum, and Colton felt dizzy. He could almost see the scenes in those dreams - he was highly respected, the center of attention wherever he went, he was surrounded by a group of friends, he He is the undoubted decision-maker among them. No one will go against his wishes. Everyone makes friends with him, chats with him, walks with him, dines with him and plays football with him.
Can I become the "king"?
Just be like Mawson.
Just be like Mawson and make others afraid of me.
Just be like Mawson.
The repeated words wrapped Colton's reason like smooth silk, and he felt like he was in a fairyland. "Now it's time to establish authority. I want them to always be afraid of me" - such thoughts were swirling in his mind, There seems to be a gorgeous silver door in front of you. As long as you push it open, a vigorous pleasure will burst out, so refreshing that you can't extricate yourself.
——.
A sincere and bright smile suddenly flashed before his eyes.
Tears one after another passed through the blood and gathered on the chin.
The ethereal silver light like a door suddenly lost its disguise and revealed its true face: the tip of a kitchen knife.
Colton suddenly woke up and shuddered uncontrollably. His mind was filled with complicated thoughts and the sudden sensation of falling from the clouds to reality. He was feeling dizzy again. This time he was not in a state of ecstasy, but suddenly. After awakening, he felt frightened and frightened. He reached behind his back and felt cold sweat on his hand. Together with the pounding of his heart, he was reminded of how terrible it was that he had just stood at the crossroads of good and evil.
"Are you okay?" Damon was frightened by Colton's appearance.
"……fine, thank you."
Colton swallowed fearfully, unfolded the crumpled tissue that Jasper handed him again, and wiped his face vigorously from forehead to chin.
"Sorry, Damon...did you just ask me if I wanted hot cocoa? If it wouldn't bother you." His voice became hoarse and tired from fear.
"Oh, oh! Of course!" Damon reacted and immediately went to call the nanny.
He stood up not so calmly (and almost overturned the small round table), and walked quickly to the door of the private cinema as if he had found a suitable reason, leaving Jasper and Roberto in shock.
"Aunt Mira!"
Damon greeted, and then he realized that his voice was trembling slightly, "A cup of hot cocoa, and maybe a hot towel!"
"What?" Mila, the nanny who was quick and diligent but not very good at hearing, came up to her. "Do you need this?"
"Which one?"
Damon was stunned for a moment, and then he saw a bunch of things from the tray held by Mira. They were masks with weird patterns, two or three toy water guns, and orange juice and lemon juice.
The prank plan that had been stored in the corner of his memory for a long time suddenly woke Damon up. He took a sharp breath: "No, no, no! No! Take them all away! No need for them anymore!"
Damon's beating heart still couldn't stop, and he could even feel sweat seeping out and flowing down his forehead.
He recalled Colton's expression and startled expression just now, and invisible panic gripped his insides again - he was sure that a few seconds really flashed through the thin Colton's dark brown eyes. The frightening fierce light seemed to want to kill him - help, help, I was wrong, I was afraid, I didn't want to die yet.
Damon quickly returned to his seat with hot cocoa and a hot towel. He handed them to Colton with an almost humble expression. At this time, Colton no longer looked like he was mentally disturbed. Thank you softly, with gratitude and a little discomfort in his eyes. Damon felt a strong sense of joy at being looked at so gently, as if the blade on his neck had been moved a few centimeters, and "don't kill him" was enough. It is a rare kindness and one should be grateful.
Damon breathed a sigh of relief, and then noticed the complicated expressions on Jasper and Roberto's faces.
What's wrong?
Damon asked silently with his eyes, or should I say "ask for advice".
Jasper opened his mouth, and Damon tried to read his mouth and pronounce the word "apology."
……really!
Damon felt as if he had been slapped in the head. He looked at Colton who was lowering his head to swallow the hot cocoa. For the first time in his history, just facing the furry back of his head made his scalp numb with nervousness.
It was quiet in the private theater where the movie was no longer being broadcast. Damon was restless. After a while, he caught sight of Colton putting down his cup with his peripheral vision. He quickly seized the opportunity and said:
"Colton, I'm sorry."
Colton's hand, which was still holding the hot cocoa, curled up, showing Damon's familiar embarrassed expression: "Uh, um...thank you?"
He whispered again: "It's okay."
As he said that, Colton smiled slightly, a friendly smile.
Damon, who was still worried, was stunned and felt his hanging heart being gently supported by "something". From then on, he was stung by a sour feeling. If there was a mirror nearby, he would definitely see that his face was as complicated as Jasper's and Roberto's.
That is……
Genuine conscience-stricken shame and guilt.
Damon's face burned hot, and he roughly guessed what kind of conversations Jasper, Roberto, and Colton had had while he was away just now. "I'm so sorry," he repeated, murmuring. "You know, I mean those things in the past—"
Looking back at the past from the perspective of a bully, Damon himself felt childish and ridiculous. After all, why was he bullying Colton? Is there any reason why you have to do it?
No, really not, I just thought this guy wouldn't resist, and I just thought I could have some fun, so I did it.
Very stupid, very uneducated, very arrogant behavior.
"Colton wants to be friends with them," couldn't Damon see that?
Yes, it's really weird. We just want to be friends, so why were we so cruel and arrogant in the beginning to regard Colton's kindness and goodwill as a reason to bully him unscrupulously?
"Well, those... are fine." Colton's voice became gentler and softer as he was soothed by the hot drink. He smiled sheepishly, "Damon, I'm very happy if you can take the initiative to talk to me."
Damon murmured: "But... it's like washing a ball..."
"It's just a favor between friends... It's really okay, I don't mind." Colton still smiled gently.
"Ahem, yes, it's my turn to bring drinks next time!" Roberto interrupted, "Let's take turns!"
Jasper said hurriedly: "Yes, next time it will be me."
Colton pursed his lips and cast a grateful look: "Okay, then I'll be... you're welcome."
"Yes, that's right." Damon came over and said, "If you have any thoughts - especially if you are unhappy or dissatisfied - just say it directly. It was our fault before. Sorry."
Colton's eyes were slightly red, and he put down the hot cocoa in embarrassment and picked up a hot towel to apply it on his face (no one laughed at him, they were all watching with concern). After a while, Colton put down the towel, sniffed, and whispered:
"Actually...it's scary."
"What?" Damon asked.
"I just saw that you were all afraid of me. For a moment, I really enjoyed that feeling... I almost couldn't help but want to order you, insult you, and become a cruel and inhuman thug like Mo Sen..."
Colton breathed out with difficulty, "That's not right. I just want to play with you... Besides, if I really use violence to force you to be friends with me... can you really gain friendship like that? Think about it. It’s scary…”
Jasper covered his face with one hand and groaned.
"It's scary, I'm begging you, Colton, don't do this," he said.
"I think so too." Colton continued what Jasper said naturally, "It feels so scary to almost do something wrong..."
"Then you're better." Roberto sighed, "You're almost there, we've already done something wrong - you'd better hurry up and ask me to run errands and buy drinks, I'm serious. This feeling of uneasy conscience It’s so uncomfortable.”
Colton couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, since you can express your thoughts..." He shyly scratched the freckles on his cheeks, "Can I play football with you next time? I have practiced secretly a little before. Maybe I can pass the ball or OK."
"Okay!" Damon agreed, and now he was the one with grateful eyes, "...Thank you, Colton."
To be able to forgive them, this guy is too kind and sincere.
How lucky I am to have such a sincere friend. Why have I never seriously thought about or reflected on this before?
"Uh, there's nothing to thank you for... right?" Colton said sheepishly, "I'm very happy to be accepted... I'm really happy. Well, next time I will remember to speak up directly when I feel uncomfortable. Yes. Haha, I was too timid before and was not very good at making friends..."
He inhaled slightly, feeling extremely relaxed and comfortable from the inside out. He felt sleepy because of this peace of mind and contentment, and couldn't help but yawn.
"Ha, I heard this thing is contagious... ha." Jasper yawned and muttered, "Okay, it is indeed contagious."
Colton and Damon laughed together.
"It's already this hour, go to bed, guys!" Roberto said as he picked up the porcelain plate with a few fried chicken nuggets left and handed it to Jasper and Colton, "Damon! Where should we sleep? ?”
"Come with me." Damon smiled, "Hey, be careful, there is a step here."
"Thank you." Colton responded with a smile while still holding the hot cocoa.
A group of four people walked out of the private movie room one after another, their figures blending harmoniously into a group in the night, and the sound of conversation could be heard occasionally, mixed with the sound of casual laughter.
4900+, in addition to today’s portion (12.13), 12.7 portions were made up.
It's been two years.
(End of chapter)
