The Proposal and the Tragic Film

One day, at the Bingxin Milk Tea shop.

As autumn temperatures grew colder, Ling Jiu, who usually paid little attention to her attire, had donned a white sailor dress coat. She had also swapped her black over-the-knee socks for warmer, dark red leggings.

This vibrant ensemble added a touch of playful charm to Ling Jiu, making Long Shaotian, accustomed to seeing her in uniform, feel suddenly refreshed.

Sipping his green tea, he stealthily glanced at Ling Jiu, who was engrossed in a thick book. He abruptly posed a question:

“Ling Jiu, how about we go see a movie?”

“Oh, you want to ask me out to a movie?”

Ling Jiu looked up, her gaze puzzled as she met Long Shaotian’s eyes across the table.

“I thought you’d subconsciously agree to my request when you were focused on reading.”

“I’m not that easy to win over, am I?” Ling Jiu cast a glance at the wryly smiling Long Shaotian, asking with straightforward candor, “What’s your objective in inviting me to a movie?”

“I just genuinely think there’s a good movie out recently.”

“No other reason?”

Ling Jiu’s suspicious expression practically screamed her distrust.

“Truly none.” Long Shaotian shook his head.

“What movie?”

“That art-house film you’ve always been so interested in.”

Ling Jiu twirled the pen in her hand, pondering for a moment before answering with utmost seriousness:

“Alright.”

“It’s fine, even if you don’t agree… Wait, you’ll go?!”

Long Shaotian, who had been halfway through preparing an excuse for rejection, finally registered Ling Jiu’s words. His jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.

He slapped the table, rising to his feet with a look of utter shock. Realizing his outburst in public, he quickly apologized to those around them.

Ling Jiu simply nodded. “Mm.”

“I’m sorry, I got too excited. Ling Jiu, are you really willing to go to a movie with me?”

“Is going to a movie such a strange thing?”

“I’m mainly worried about misunderstandings.”

“I don’t care,” Ling Jiu said indifferently.

“But I do care!”

“So, Long Shaotian, are you going or not?”

Ling Jiu frowned, a hint of impatience in her voice.

“Of course I’m going!” Long Shaotian was overjoyed. Still feeling it wasn’t secure enough, he added a reminder, “An An seems to be going back to her hometown for some business this weekend, so it will really just be the two of us, you know?”

“If you’re so hesitant, I’m not going.”

Though Ling Jiu’s expression remained nonchalant, her sharp gaze sent a shiver down Long Shaotian’s spine.

While he didn’t know why Ling Jiu was suddenly upset, Long Shaotian, desperate to salvage the situation, quickly told the waiter, “A slice of Black Forest cake, please. Thank you.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Upon hearing ‘Black Forest cake,’ Ling Jiu, who had been gathering her things to leave, felt her intense anger vanish in a blink. She resumed reading her book with an impassive face.

‘She’s really easy to handle.’

Long Shaotian thought.

Before the cake arrived, Long Shaotian gazed intently at the young woman’s exquisite face, as if admiring a work of art. His focused expression seemed to be contemplating something profound.

Feeling an odd gaze upon her, Ling Jiu’s face warmed slightly. She glared at Long Shaotian, asking with a touch of surprise, “What are you staring at me for? Let me tell you upfront, I only stayed because I was craving cake; I have no interest in you personally.”

“I know, you’ve always been honest about that.” Long Shaotian, unable to decipher anything from the young woman’s face, sighed, thinking, ‘What’s so strange? I truly don’t know what you’re thinking; your expressions are always so hard to read.’

“Want to hear the truth?”

“What truth?”

“Long Shaotian, do you want to sleep with me, which is why you’re always showering me with attention?”

“Cough, cough, cough... What did you say?”

Long Shaotian, who had just raised his teacup for a sip, nearly choked on his tea at Ling Jiu’s blunt declaration.

“If it wasn’t for that reason, why would you say you like me? Ultimately, you’re just succumbing to the desire to have s*x with an S-type, aren’t you?”

“Hey!”

Long Shaotian, a scoundrel in every sense of the word, was well-versed in such matters. Yet, the young woman’s unreserved words made him rediscover the blush of a naive boy.

“Can’t feelings like ‘liking’ someone be simple and pure?”

Ling Jiu tilted her head, her confused expression rather endearing.

“Aren’t all men lustful?”

“Please apologize to all the innocent virgins in the world!”

Ling Jiu played with her hair, muttering, “It’s really baffling. What exactly do you like about me?”

Long Shaotian didn’t know how to answer. The first time he met Ling Jiu, a voice within him had whispered, ‘This is the one; she should be your only one.’

Long Shaotian had known countless women; he could confidently say no one understood women better than him. However, despite his self-assuredness, he had unfortunately fallen into a pit after getting to know Ling Jiu for a while.

“In the face of infinite time, even the longest human civilization is but an instant. Even the universe will perish, and you too will die. What exactly are we living for?”

Once, when Long Shaotian sought Ling Jiu for a chat, she directly posed this incredibly difficult question. It tormented Long Shaotian for a long time, plunging him into an inescapable nihilism until he remembered his purpose for enrolling in school.

“‘Yes, I came to this school to win Bai An An back, to forge an alliance with her, allowing me to fight fearlessly in the capital market. One day, I will become the world’s most powerful entrepreneur. This is my goal and my motivation.'”

“‘Living is about seeking meaning, about gaining the approval of others.'”

This was Long Shaotian’s answer.

However, Ling Jiu retorted:

“Indeed, humans live by clinging to meaning. True human suffering isn’t in the suffering itself, but in its aimlessness. Humans need a goal; they would rather pursue nothingness than have nothing to pursue.

But, the meaning you strive for your entire life is merely bestowed upon you by society. You gain a profound sense of meaning from the social constructs, and these meanings prevent you from experiencing the inherent meaninglessness of life’s pain.

Now, let me give you an example. Suppose in the future, humanity colonizes a mining planet. On that planet, people are indoctrinated from childhood with a strange idea: whoever mines the most is the most powerful person, and will earn everyone’s respect and admiration.

If you grew up on that planet from childhood, you would most likely never question the meaning of your life, because you would accept this rule. All of you would find joy within this rule, and even your education would be focused on how to mine more efficiently, how to become a mining king. So, naturally, you wouldn’t reflect on whether you’ve been fooled.

Long Shaotian, the meaning of your life is bestowed upon you by others. You are like that person who mines the most. Of course, you would be happy to have an advantage within the rules of mining, and then you could mock those who mine less, calling them useless. But when you realize you are merely a s*ave laborer, exploited by mining companies for generations, you will discover that everything you’ve done is meaningless.

I ask you, is the goal you strive for truly meaningful? Are you truly living the life you desire?”

“I… I… What is the meaning of my life, after all? Is the envy and flattery of others truly what I want?”

Long Shaotian was utterly lost.

Then, as now, Long Shaotian could offer no answer. He could only reply:

“I don’t know.”

“So you don’t know why you like me?”

“Exactly. It’s precisely why I want to get to know you better. I hope I can understand the world within your heart.”

Long Shaotian’s expression was sincere, yet his face was etched with tension. He prayed inwardly:

‘Ling Jiu, please, don’t bring up philosophical topics like ‘humans cannot understand each other.’ If I keep thinking about your questions, I’ll go mad.’

“The world within my heart, you say…”

Ling Jiu’s next action greatly surprised Long Shaotian. She didn’t continue the philosophical discussion; instead, she reached out and tightly clasped his hand.

Unlike her usual manner, she didn’t refute Long Shaotian. Instead, she curved her lips into a beautiful smile.

“The world within my heart is very difficult for others to understand, you know. Long Shaotian, are you truly prepared to truly understand me?”

Ling Jiu’s open smile stirred a strange sensation within Long Shaotian. His heart felt a little sweet, a little joyful.

“Of course, I’ll give it my all.”

Long Shaotian nodded, responding to the young woman with solemn sincerity.

‘Though I don’t know why I fell for her, compared to An An, I probably prefer her idealism.’

He felt like someone who had long dwelt in darkness, seeing light from above for the first time, and was seized by the urge to grasp that ray of brilliance.

But who can truly possess light?

Long, long after, Long Shaotian would often recall this day. Though it was unremarkable, with nothing particularly memorable, for some reason, Ling Jiu’s smile always surfaced in his mind. The impression was so profound that he even forgot the aftermath of his ‘movie date’ ploy.

However, he did remember that the movie he and Ling Jiu watched was a tragedy.

The film depicted a group of men who fell in love with a foreign idol living abroad. They were willing to sacrifice all their passion and heart for their idol, generating love to help her overcome difficulties. Their enormous sacrifices were solely so their idol could be loved by others.

Yet, their love received no reciprocation; instead, they were often ignored by the idol.

Even so, when their idol’s agency became embroiled in a scandal, despite receiving no response from the one they admired, they still bravely stepped forward to protect the gifts they had prepared for her.

Even as they were vilified by thousands, beaten black and blue by angry mobs, and nailed to the pillar of shame, they stood tall, guarding their beloved.

In the film’s climax, these devoted men finally received the idol’s first phone call, only to hear a cold, single sentence:

“I agree.”

After the men had fought until they were battered and bruised, the idol finally agreed that the men who loved her should discard the gifts they had prepared but never delivered.

The film ended there, leaving only a series of empty shots of the idol’s torn-up mementos. The scene’s cinematic language was perfectly employed, the music precisely fitting, the atmosphere deeply moving, and its underlying meaning profound.

It became a classic moment in film, etched into cinematic history.

“Long Shaotian, those people were so foolish,” Ling Jiu commented, munching on popcorn.

“Indeed,” Long Shaotian agreed.

‘Though, I’m even more foolish than them”.