Chapter 105: A Standing Ovation for the Premiere (Please Bookmark and Vote!)

Beep!
Received 38,331 points of applause! The addition of [Touched] is included.
Behind the curtain, amidst the thunderous applause from the audience, a soft chime resonated in Li Shixin’s ears.
Although he had held high expectations for this play, Li Shixin never imagined that an audience of just over four hundred people would contribute nearly 40,000 points of applause!
If calculated by the average value, each individual’s contribution was nearing the peak of what a single-celled organism like An Xiaoxiao could provide.
Keep in mind, he had intended to perform this play throughout the entire winter!
Even if it were only one show every two days, considering the cumulative total, this figure was already more than satisfying.
Extending his life by over a month for every performance—what was there to be dissatisfied about?
Well done, old man!

At this moment, Zhao Jinzhi, who had maintained her previous posture, still clinging tightly to Li Shixin, lifted her head.
Her emotions had been running high, and it took her a long while to calm down. Even now, looking at Li Shixin, she still felt a bit dazed.
Gently letting go of him, Zhao Jinzhi wiped the corners of her eyes. "Brother, your performance was wonderful. Congratulations, it seems your premiere was a success."
Li Shixin smiled faintly and pulled Zhao Jinzhi up from the stage floor. "It was our premiere that was a success. My dear, you did a great job too."
Hearing his praise, Zhao Jinzhi pursed her lips and smiled. "What kind of great job? I haven't touched this stuff in years; it’s all gone to waste."
"Teacher Li, how was my performance just now?" An Xiaoxiao approached with a cheeky grin, fishing for a compliment.
Li Shixin chuckled and patted the young girl’s head. "The raw material is good, though some parts were a bit raw. Keep working hard, and you’ll surely achieve great things in the future. I’ll treat you to an extra meal tonight!"
"Thank you, Teacher!"
As soon as she heard there would be good food, An Xiaoxiao was happier than anything.
After thanking An Xiaoxiao and Zhao Jinzhi for their support again, Li Shixin patted Zhang Shuo, who was still trembling slightly, lost in the waves of applause, and waved his hand.
"Collect yourselves, everyone; let’s go out for the curtain call!"

...

Below the stage, the applause showed no sign of stopping.
Whether they were Li Shixin’s long-time fans or elderly folks who had come specifically for the premiere after seeing the promotion, every single one of them had tears in their eyes.
In truth, many had not expected much from this small theater—they had merely come to join the fun because it was winter and they had nowhere else to go, knowing the Youth and Children's Center had a playhouse specifically for seniors.
After all, a ticket only cost a dozen yuan; it wasn't expensive.
But this play had touched them far more deeply than they had anticipated.
Especially for those suffering from dementia, elderly folks like Qiao Hong and Zhang Mingrong were already sobbing uncontrollably. Nearby, Wang Qiang, herself a tearful mess, hugged the two elders tightly, whispering words of comfort to ensure they didn't get too agitated.

In the back row, even though they had barely been paying attention, the three girls Chen Boshi, Chen Yiyi, and Su Sansan were sobbing so hard they were gasping for air.
(ಥ﹏ಥ): "Yiyi, didn't you say this would be boring? Why are you crying?"
(┮﹏┭): "Wuwuwu, I'm not crying. I’m just missing my dad. If my dad ever gets dementia, I’ll take good care of him. Wuwuwu..."
(ಥ﹏ಥ): "Sansan, what about you? Why are you crying?"
(༎ຶДຶ༎): "I'm not crying! Which eye did you see crying with? I just got some dust in my eyes! Yes, dust! How could I be fooled into tears by such a cheesy story? Impossible, absolutely impossible... Waaah!"
That old geezer performed too well!
It was moving, it was just too moving!
Su Sansan, who had been holding it together for so long, finally broke down...

Beside the three girls, several Cultural Bureau officials who had come to enforce regulations were also streaming with tears.
Working in cultural industry supervision, they were used to seeing plays that cheated people out of ticket money or were just lazy performances on stage.
Nowadays, if a play didn't cost seven or eight hundred yuan a ticket, could you even call it a play?
Shows like this, with tickets costing only a dozen yuan, no famous actors to serve as gimmicks, and relying purely on the quality of the script and the genuine emotion conveyed by the actors, had become increasingly rare over the years.
They were practically an endangered species!

The group had received a report alleging illegal commercial performances. At this point, Sun Guowei and the others didn't even want to look into the complaint—was this a commercial performance?
How was this any different from charity work?
Behind them, a dozen tenants from the upper floors were also moved to tears by the play. While wiping their eyes, they urged the enforcement officers from the Cultural Bureau:
"It was performed so well. I thought these old folks were just playing around with this little theater. But now, I can see they are serious."
"Maybe we shouldn't pursue this."
"How can that be... it's one thing that he performed well, but we have to make a living, right? Comrade, now that it's over, hurry up and check their commercial performance license!"
"Right, check the license quickly."

...

Li Shixin and the other actors stepped out for the curtain call, and the applause, which had just begun to subside, grew intense once more.
Li Shixin bowed several times before he finally managed to calm the uncontrollable excitement of the audience.
"That was excellent! Brother Shixin, well done!"
"This play is top-notch! Shixin, perform it more often! I haven't seen enough, I'm not satisfied yet!"
"The ticket price is too low! Shixin, such a good play, you should raise the ticket price!"
Facing the shouts of his fans, Li Shixin chuckled and bowed again in thanks.
"Thank you all for your support, and I would like to thank Sister Zhang Mingrong and her daughter, Wang Qiang, once again for contributing the wonderful inspiration for the script of 'You Are the Only Attachment I Can Never Forget.' I am very happy that everyone enjoyed this play, which was put together in such a rush."
"In the coming days, 'You Are the Only Attachment' will continue to be performed, and I hope you will all continue to support us as you have today."
"As for the ticket price... we won't be raising it. Besides, even before we staged this play, I had an intention. The inspiration for this script came from the events that transpired after Sister Zhang Mingrong’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and her subsequent disappearance. Many of you here today participated in the search for her, so I’m sure you have your own feelings on the matter."
"Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease. As people age, they may live out their remaining time relying on past memories. But this disease cruelly steals those precious memories by directly damaging the nervous system."
"Sister Zhang Mingrong is unfortunate to have been afflicted with this, but she is also lucky, because she has a good daughter. However, in this society, I fear not all Alzheimer’s patients are as lucky as she is. Not all patients have children who can recall the kindness of their parents' upbringing and treat them with sufficient patience and care."
Hearing Li Shixin say this, the audience fell into silence.
"Therefore, my idea is to let as many people as possible see this play. That is why the ticket price will remain as it is. Furthermore, all commercial proceeds from 'You Are the Only Attachment' will be donated in the name of the audience and the theater to public nursing institutions for Alzheimer’s patients. I don’t know how much it will be, but it is a gesture of my personal sincerity."

Beep!
As soon as Li Shixin announced this decision, a thunderous round of applause erupted from the audience once again!
At the same time, the system prompt appeared again:
Gained 26,715 points of applause, with the addition of intense [Approval] and [Admiration]!
"Shixin, just for those words, from now on, whenever I come to see a show, I’m buying two tickets!"
"Right! It’s all a gesture of support, we’ll buy more tickets!"

"Haha,"
Watching his fans, who seemed eager to donate on the spot, Li Shixin pressed his hands down in a gesture of humility.
"Buying extra tickets isn't necessary. If you really want to support me, then please spread the word about our little theater and this play, 'You Are the Only Attachment,' so that more people can see it. That, I would be eternally grateful for!"
"No problem!"
Amidst the chorus of support, Sun Guowei, who had approached the front of the stage at the urging of the tenants, stopped in his tracks.
"Old comrade, hello. I am from the Inspection Division of the Cultural Bureau."
Seeing Sun Guowei walk to the edge of the stage and noticing the work ID hanging on his chest, Li Shixin was stunned.
Oh no!
He had been so focused on getting the show started that he had forgotten to handle the paperwork!
The fans, who were in high spirits, saw the enforcement officer and their expressions changed instantly.
Seeing that his fans were about to launch an offensive, Li Shixin quickly calmed them down and jumped off the stage.
"Oh, comrade, this little theater just opened, and we haven't had the chance to report it to the bureau yet. Look at this mess."
Amidst the glares of the elderly, Sun Guowei gave a wry smile.
"Old comrade, without a commercial performance license, in my official capacity, I certainly cannot allow your theater to continue conducting commercial activities."
"This..."
Li Shixin felt a headache coming on!
He had finally found a stable channel to earn applause!
Just as he was wondering what to do, Sun Guowei smiled, reached into his pocket, pulled out a hundred-yuan bill, and stuffed it into his hand.
"But in my personal capacity, I have to say: the play is truly great! Your performance was so authentic! This is the ticket money for me and my colleagues; please keep it. If you have time, come with us to the bureau and get the commercial performance permit sorted out as soon as possible. When you do, I’ll mobilize everyone in our unit to come and watch you perform again!"
Seeing Sun Guowei clearly favoring the theater, some of the tenants from the second floor were not having it.
"That won't do! You can't perform here!"
"Old man, let’s be honest with you; with all this clanging and banging, the soundproofing of this building is so poor that we can't tutor the children!"
"Right, you’re old and you want to show some spirit without caring about making money, but we still have families to feed, don't we? If you want to perform, please find somewhere else. We need peace and quiet, and so do you."
The elders present did not like the sound of that!
Just as the group of old folks was about to mount a collective defense, a heavy huff sounded from the audience.
"Indeed, they cannot perform here anymore!"
As the words fell, an old man with silver hair stood up abruptly.
Sun Guowei and the enforcement officers were stunned by the voice.
Following the sound, they caught sight of the speaker’s face in the light and were shocked.
"Dad!" "Former Director!"
"Why are you here?"