Chapter 514 - 323: Reporter 2

Chapter 514: Chapter 323: Reporter 2

As for Lavin, he wasn’t important.

Lavin looked troubled, trying hard to steer the conversation back to his Shadow of Evil.

But when it came to a battle of words, how could an actor possibly out-talk a reporter?

Kenneth saw it all and couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’So rude.’

They were making it obvious that they didn’t consider Lavin to be anyone important.

The media—or more specifically, the entertainment media—was just that kind of industry. Without buzz, you were nothing.

Materialism was carved into its very bones.

Kenneth felt a little sympathy for Lavin. He was trying so hard to introduce his work, yet nobody cared.

But beyond sympathy, he also felt a little angry.

His was also a small newspaper that nobody cared about.

A roadside paper for a roadside film crew. A perfect match.

Kenneth made up his mind. He was going to give Lavin’s work some proper publicity.

The Sunlight Newspaper only had a little over ten thousand readers, but it was better than nothing.

The reporters in front of him left, and Lavin’s shoulders slumped in dejection.

Just then, Kenneth straightened his clothes, pulled himself together, and stepped forward.

"Hello, I’m Kenneth, a reporter from the Sunlight Newspaper. I’m very interested in your new Shadow of Evil. Could you tell us more about it? Does this Shadow of Evil express some of your hopes for your hometown?"

Hearing Kenneth’s question, Lavin looked up in pleasant surprise. "Yes, of course."

Since no other reporters came to join the commotion, what followed was Kenneth’s exclusive interview.

The interview continued until a staff member came to hurry Lavin inside.

Only then did Lavin reluctantly depart.

"Whew!"

Kenneth let out a breath. ’Lavin probably doesn’t have much experience with interviews, and he’s incredibly honest.’

’In that short interview, he nearly gave away the entire plot of the Shadow of Evil.’

’Before leaving, he even gave me a ticket to a screening and invited me to see it tomorrow.’

’To be honest, it sounded like a pretty good story.’

Some directors get so caught up in pursuing uniqueness or "art" that they fail to tell a basic story well, ending up with something the audience can’t understand at all.

Lavin, at least, had a proper plot.

Kenneth decided he would go see it. It was a long shot, but if it really was a good film... what if?

The Sunlight Newspaper would have its exclusive.

「The next day.」

Kenneth crawled out of his hotel bed.

Today’s schedule was to first see Lavin’s screening, then check out the new giant-screen theater launched by the Zog Group—something about a bigger screen, higher resolution, and a more "ultimate" viewing experience.

In the afternoon, there was a haptic Shadow of Evil. Apparently, the theater seats could move along with the film, and there were even tactile and gustatory multi-sensory experiences.

In the evening, he would watch more screenings of other new films.

It was a packed day.

Watching a Shadow of Evil could be enjoyable, but being forced to watch them all day was anything but.

After downing a shot of espresso, Kenneth headed for the Demon Shadow Festival grounds.

He wasn’t feeling very energetic. He had stayed up late last night organizing his notes from the Lavin interview and researching him further.

He learned about Lavin’s time in a refugee camp and prepared questions in case he got the chance to interview him again.

Unfortunately, stories about celebrities doing charity weren’t that popular.

Fighting off drowsiness, Kenneth arrived at the screening hall and was stunned.

’Why are there so many people?’

A long line snaked outside the theater, and many of them were his media colleagues.

Kenneth rubbed his eyes and took a closer look at the poster on the wall.

’Yep, that’s Lavin’s Shadow of Evil, alright.’

’What’s going on? Is the niche project I had my eye on about to become a hot ticket?’

He immediately grabbed a colleague he vaguely recognized and asked, "Why are so many people here to see this Shadow of Evil?"

"You haven’t heard? Zog is coming to see it, too. I’ve gotta go fight for a ticket."

’Zog is coming to see it?’

’That means Zog Film Studio might invest in this Shadow of Evil.’

’Which means this Shadow of Evil might be something special.’

They didn’t know this was one of Zog’s investments to begin with.

Kenneth couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

He could smell it—the scent of opportunity.

To the astonished gazes of his many colleagues, Kenneth bypassed the long line and walked straight into the theater.

Throughout the ninety-minute screening, the entire audience was completely engrossed.

At the beginning, as the plot showed the twin brothers taking turns wearing their single set of good clothes to school each day, the audience let out ripples of easy laughter at the various gags that arose from their mixed-up communications.

They thought it was just a comedy with a somewhat novel premise.

The gags were good, and it was fun to watch.

But there was nothing particularly special about it.

Then, as the plot slowly unfolded, the older brother went to a wealthy neighborhood to work as a handyman, mowing lawns to earn money.

The wealthy family’s child, who was about his age, had never known a day of hardship in his life.

He thought the lawn-mowing his contemporary was doing was some kind of game, so he joined in, having a great time. The two even became friends.

Although it was a lighthearted, mistaken-identity moment, the audience’s laughter died away.

In a child’s eyes, there is no class, but the class divide between them was already set in stone.

They could never be friends.

This was a sad story.

It was also a story with no clear solution.

The film reached its climax: a quiz competition.

The younger brother fought his way to the final round, with only five contestants left on stage.

A wealthy kid had viciously mocked the younger brother earlier, saying a rat like him from the slums didn’t deserve to stand on such a prestigious stage.

And now, they had both made it to the final round.

The younger brother didn’t care about the other boy’s taunts. All he wanted was the third-place prize: a pre-loaded gift card for the biggest store in town. It had enough money on it for him and his brother to buy new clothes so they wouldn’t have to share anymore.

The final round was single-elimination, with one contestant knocked out after each question.

After two questions, only three remained.

According to the younger brother’s plan, he was supposed to lose this round and claim the coveted third-place prize.

But he didn’t know the answer to the host’s question.

If he didn’t know the answer, he couldn’t throw the game. What if he guessed correctly by accident?

So, the younger brother chose to use his lifeline: his older brother.

Lose and get the prize they desperately needed, or win and beat that annoying rich kid?

The audience didn’t know what the right choice was either.

But the older brother, who had been watching the show the whole time, gave the correct answer, choosing to have his brother advance to the next round.

In the end, the younger brother won first place. He stood on the podium, clutching the grand prize—a high-end Zog console—and burst into tears.

It was a strange, tragicomic scene.

He didn’t know that selling the console could buy them even more new clothes.

All he knew was that he and his brother wouldn’t be able to go to school together anymore. Surrounded by fireworks and streamers, he cried uncontrollably.

The child’s innocence formed a stark contrast with the story’s sorrowful tone.

The film’s final shot froze on the younger brother’s tear-streaked face.

The film ended.

The theater fell silent.

None of the audience members had expected that a Shadow of Evil that seemed like a lighthearted comedy would have such an absurd ending.

Kenneth included.

’So that was the ending Lavin didn’t spoil for me. What a choice.’

’How... interesting.’

After nearly a minute of silence, a single clap broke the quiet, and then applause quickly engulfed the theater.

This was a good Shadow of Evil. It had won the approval of the picky media members in attendance.

The applause continued until the credits finished rolling.

For a Shadow of Evil, the credits were surprisingly short, perhaps only a tenth of the length of a major production’s.

Moreover, many names appeared multiple times, especially Lavin’s.

Actor, director, screenwriter, makeup artist, even gaffer—his name was everywhere.

’What a shoestring budget,’ Kenneth thought.

The house lights came up, and Lavin came to the front of the stage on behalf of the crew to take a bow.

Kenneth knew exactly what was about to happen, but he was a second too slow.

A theater full of his colleagues swarmed Lavin like a pack of wolves, all repeating the same question.

"Excuse me, would you be available for an interview?"

Kenneth was stuck on the outside of the crowd.

’Damn it, I was too slow. My exclusive is about to become public knowledge.’

In his moment of panic, Lavin waved his hand at the crowd. "I’m not taking any interviews at the..."

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly landed on Kenneth at the edge of the crowd.

"Oh, Mr. Kenneth," he said. "I would be happy to give you another interview."