30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 329: Behind the Silver Screen

Lily sat in silence, Ethan gripping her hand tightly.

Beside Lily sat two well-known directors, likely invited to the premiere. Unaware of Lily and Ethan, they sighed and discussed among themselves.

"There are fewer and fewer good filmmakers and directors in the country now."

"These days, money can get things done. How many people truly care about making movies?"

"Ethan’s lover didn’t even attend a proper film school. Who knows what kind of movie she made?"

"Instead of staying home and being with a man, she comes out to make a movie. It’s a joke!"

...

Ethan gripped her hand even tighter, ready to stand up from his seat. Lily quickly pulled him back down.

The theater was dark, and Ethan couldn’t see her face. Lily intertwined her fingers with his and whispered, "Aren’t we here to watch the movie?"

"I’ll throw those people out!" Ethan said coldly, standing up again.

Lily pulled him back once more. "It’s okay. Making a movie means accepting all kinds of feedback."

Moreover, this was a premiere. It was meant to gauge the audience’s reactions. If they threw out the critics, what would be the point of the premiere?

Ethan tugged at his tie, his anger barely contained. Before he could say anything else, the movie started.

The theater immediately quieted down.

Lily had not been involved in the movie’s post-production, so watching it now felt strange—familiar yet alien.

Because Ethan had invested a substantial amount of money, although it wasn’t a big-budget commercial film, every detail was meticulously crafted, including the music and the editing... all done professionally, with the money spent wisely.

The movie begins with a golden wheat field, the camera slowly panning into the young heroine’s home.

The story was simple. A little girl named Grace, upon learning she had a contagious disease, ran away from home and ended up in a hospital.

The music was beautiful and soothing.

The light from the screen flickered on their faces. The theater was quiet, and Lily and Ethan held hands tightly.

The editing was excellent, of a very high standard, with seamless transitions between scenes and plot.

The first emotional peak of the movie was when an uncle who had been helping Grace died in front of her. Grace’s cries made Lily choke up...

There were low sobs throughout the theater.

The sobbing continued until the end of the film. Many girls were crying, including the two who had bet a hundred packs of instant noodles behind Lily...

Lily knew "The Best Future" was meant to be a tearjerker, but she hadn’t expected it to evoke so many tears.

Because most people... were just here to see a joke, a lover’s attempt at filmmaking...

Especially when Aiko Nakamura, playing a terminally ill girl, saved Grace and then collapsed in the hallway, reaching for the sky... the crying in the theater grew louder.

Lily watched Aiko on the big screen. Aiko wasn’t acting; she had become one with the character, and her performance was terrifyingly real.

The scene shifted, and Aiko was now dancing ballet amidst flowers on the screen, her smile genuine and beautiful... The post-production made the image blurry, turning everything into a mere illusion, as it was all part of her dying imagination.

She had her beloved ballet and the future she wanted, but it all ended at the moment of her death.

...

The girls behind Lily were now sobbing uncontrollably.

Lily watched Aiko lying on the screen, her hand slowly falling. The scene replayed in her mind, and her eyes welled up.

Aiko might not have been as kind as the character she played, but she had her own dreams and desired future... In the end, she couldn’t go on.

...

At the film’s end, after experiencing various emotions in the hospital, Grace is finally picked up by her parents. She keeps looking back at the doctors and fellow patients who had helped her.

In the end, Grace smiled sweetly at the camera and raised her hands to form a heart.

It was a promise among the patients to live well and happily...

Grace’s smile faded, and the screen displayed a line of text:

Don’t be afraid of having no future; don’t fear that dreams are just dreams. Fear and dread won’t bring us joy. We can have the best future by holding hands and promising to live well.

—Director: Lily Anderson.

Lily stared at the credits in surprise. She had scribbled those words in the script, never expecting them to be included in the film.

She realized why Ethan had insisted on bringing her to see this movie.

He wanted her to see the words she had once written...

She had written such inspiring words before, but now she had lost her will to live.

...

Ethan was constantly worried about her...

A man so domineering and arrogant, always self-centered, yet he was so careful and used every means possible with her...

Lily squeezed Ethan’s hand tightly, silently thanking him.

"The movie was pretty good..." the two girls behind Lily started discussing again.

"Why choose a child as the lead? Children make it easiest to cry."

"Exactly, it’s deliberate. They want to trick us into crying..."

"But compared to the garbage movies, this one is pretty good. So many touching moments."

...

Receiving such feedback, Lily was unexpectedly satisfied.

At least after some people watched the movie, they wouldn’t just remember that the director was the CEO of Blackwood Enterprise’s lover. They would genuinely remember the movie’s title, "The Best Future."

As the movie ended, many people still hadn’t stood up.

Ethan pulled Lily out first, escorted by staff through the VIP exit.

Lily looked up at Ethan and saw his dark eyes were slightly wet. She was taken aback. "Did you cry?"

...

Ethan’s face stiffened, and he snorted awkwardly. "Would I cry over a movie?!"

Indeed, Ethan wouldn’t cry over a movie...

"Then your eyes..."

"Watched it for too long. My eyes hurt." Ethan made up an excuse, his voice cold as he blinked and led her out.

Suddenly, Ethan picked up his phone, answered a call without saying a word, and hung up, putting it back in his pocket.

"Who keeps calling you?"

Lily asked. During the movie, she felt his phone vibrate several times. She vaguely heard something about three or five...

She had no idea what it meant.

"Annoying people."

Ethan said coldly.

Reaching his sports car parked on the side of the road, Ethan suddenly let go of her hand and looked at her intensely. "I need to go back for a bit. I’ll be right back."

Ethan let go of her hand and walked back.

Lily didn’t even have time to respond before watching his tall, imposing figure stride away. His long black coat caught the sunlight, making his silhouette heart-stoppingly attractive.

Lily looked across the street at the mall’s LED screen, which showed news from the premiere. The cast was still being interviewed.

Grace, the young actress, was surrounded by media. Someone whispered something to her, and she immediately said sweetly into the microphone, "The Best Future is a charity film. All proceeds will be donated to impoverished areas in the country."

The street was noisy, and Lily couldn’t hear Grace’s words, but the subtitles were displayed prominently...

Everyone in the audience applauded.

...

Was Ethan going back to announce this? This was no small amount. Donating all the proceeds meant he, as the investor, would earn nothing and even lose money.

This man...

Lily couldn’t help but smile, the ring still in her pocket. She should create a romantic and mysterious atmosphere in order to accept Ethan’s proposal.

But he hadn’t said anything, nor had he knelt to propose...

She couldn’t just take out the ring and say, "Is this what you wanted to propose with? I accept."

That would be silly...

"Lily—"

Ethan’s low, sexy voice came from behind her.

Lily quickly clutched the ring in her palm, turning around with a smile. Just as she turned, she saw a red sports car speeding toward her at a terrifying speed, making a loud noise on the road...

The driver was Alice Johnson.

Alice’s eyes locked onto hers, wide open, filled with bloodthirsty hatred. She stared at her intensely as she drove toward her.

Lily stood frozen, her smile frozen on her face.

Instinctively, she stepped back, only to realize Ethan’s car was right behind her, leaving her no room to retreat.

Alice’s car accelerated rapidly, her hateful face growing larger in Lily’s eyes...

As if it would engulf everything.

"Come here!"

Lily heard Ethan’s loud shout. His warm, strong hand grabbed her wrist, pulling her away.

"Bang—"

Alice’s car crashed into them, scraping past Ethan’s car and hitting them, making a loud noise.

Lily and Ethan were both hit by the front of Alice’s car, falling to the roadside. Ethan’s hand tightly gripped hers...

Lily fell heavily to the ground, half of her body aching terribly from the impact, the pain spreading through her body, leaving her unable to move...