A widower's entertainment

When Xu Qingshan's slight smile appeared on the screen, the audience in the theater understood why the kind young man who bravely stood up had taken a car full of people to their deaths.

Of course, Xu Qingshan answered the fourth question correctly again, and he will be able to continue answering.

The production team clearly noticed that Xu Qingshan had completed nearly half of the questions, and crucially, he still had two opportunities to ask for help at this point, putting him in a very favorable position.

Question 5: When was my country's Criminal Law revised and passed?

The host's clear voice resounded throughout the venue, and then the options were announced: "A. 1976; B. 1977; C. 1978; D. 1979."

The camera focused on the answering booth, where the host looked at Xu Qingshan with a gentle smile and posed the crucial question: "Choose to give up, or continue the sprint?"

With a hint of expectation in his voice, he said with a smile, "Xu Qingshan, the decision is in your hands!"

Upon hearing this question, Xu Qingshan looked up at the camera, his gaze slightly narrowed, as if fragmented memories were surging in his eyes.

The audience was surprised when the sixth question went straight into the field of criminal law. These kinds of questions are highly specialized, and many people secretly speculated that the production team might have deliberately increased the difficulty in order to stop this rising challenger.

After the previous scenes interwoven with warmth and bitterness, what unknown past lies behind this criminal law question?

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Qingshan said firmly, "Choose D, 1979."

The host pressed further, "Wouldn't you like to double-check?"

"Okay, I'll choose D."

As soon as he finished speaking, the prompt for the correct answer rang out, and Xu Qingshan solved another question.

The scene abruptly shifts to the police station. Just as the image of Xu Qingshan answering the question correctly flashes across the screen, the captain looks up at him and suddenly asks, "When was the Civil Code amended and passed?"

"I do not know."

"You do not know?"

The captain's tone carried a hint of surprise. Although he had already gained some trust in Xu Qingshan's account, he still didn't stop asking questions.

"They were asking about criminal law, not civil law."

Xu Qingshan frowned, his tone tinged with helplessness, and said, "You should ask the production team why they set these questions."

"Then tell me, why are you so familiar with criminal law?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingshan's eyes flickered slightly as he drifted into distant memories, and he slowly said, "That happened after I returned to Jiangcheng."

As this sentence is spoken, the camera gradually zooms out, turning back time to Xu Qingshan's past.

After wandering around for a long time, Xu Qingshan ultimately did not return to his hometown and could only struggle to make a living in the bustling atmosphere of Jiangcheng.

To make a living, he carried steel bars on construction sites and delivered goods by tricycle. After a long period of wandering, he finally found a job as a waiter in a small restaurant, and his life finally became a little more stable.

These fragmented and arduous scenes of daily life are a microcosm of the survival of countless ordinary people at the bottom of society.

It was during this period that Xu Qingshan met the female lead of the movie, Xiaoyu, played by Zhou Xun, who worked as a receptionist at a bathhouse.

Their acquaintance was unremarkable: Xiaoyu often made restaurant reservations for guests or colleagues, and over time, she became acquainted with the kind-hearted Xu Qingshan.

Two young people find solace in each other in a vast city. What was initially a heartwarming encounter gradually becomes entangled in a complex web of fate.

Lin Zhaomei filmed this encounter in a simple yet realistic way, even restrained. Even though life is full of hardships, the two young people struggling to survive at the bottom of society still find a glimmer of light in each other.

Xu Qingshan would wait for Xiaoyu to get off work, then hand her a warm late-night snack. The two would sit side by side at the shop entrance, enjoying the simple food while watching the TV program "Millionaire Winner." The neon lights of the city contrasted sharply with their impoverished circumstances.

Do you think we can become millionaires someday?

Xiaoyu gazed at the TV program, her voice filled with longing.

Xu Qingshan silently handed the empty mineral water bottle to a passing elderly scavenger, tidied up the remnants of his late-night snack, and looked at the quiz show without saying a word.

This silent moment had already foreshadowed his future appearance on a quiz show.

The audience in the screening room knew very well that the story would not be so heartwarming. Sure enough, the unexpected happened. One day, Xu Qingshan arranged to take Xiaoyu to see a movie, but as it was nearing the end of the day, Xiaoyu was mistaken for a waitress by two customers. They not only verbally humiliated her, but also slapped her face with money.

The camera calmly recorded this scene, without any deliberate attempt at sentimentality, yet the oppressive feeling brought about by the wealth gap was piercingly poignant. Stacks of RMB were thrown in the face, accompanied by arrogant shouts of "I have plenty of money, I can do whatever I want to you," the cold reality conveying a profound irony.

Even the most submissive can have their limits. Under extreme humiliation, Xiaoyu completely broke down, grabbed a fruit knife from her person and stabbed the other person in the chest. Blood instantly stained the camera lens.

It must be said that Zhou Xun portrayed this despair and retaliation to the fullest extent, and the brokenness and determination in his eyes firmly captured everyone's attention.

Looking at Zhou Xun in the camera, Lin Youcheng had to admit that she really acted very well, or perhaps Zhou Xun didn't act at all.

Actually, she had experienced something similar when she was singing in a bar. After getting into a fight, she left. It just so happened that the crew of "Crossing the Guandong" was casting for an audition, and Zhou Xun went. That's how she ended up playing the role of Xiaoyu.

It can be said that Zhou Xun's performance was truly outstanding.

In the end, Xiaoyu walked out of the crime scene and then voluntarily called the police to turn herself in.

It was through this experience that Xu Qingshan gained some knowledge of criminal law, in order to clarify whether Xiaoyu's actions constituted legitimate self-defense or excessive self-defense. Ultimately, Xiaoyu was sentenced to probation for excessive self-defense and attempted murder, but she felt unworthy of Xu Qingshan and later quietly left Jiangcheng, completely severing ties with him.

Xu Qingshan had been searching for Xiaoyu, but there was still no news of her.

The camera returns to the police station, where the recorder can't help but ask, "Did you see her again after that?"

“If I had seen it before, I wouldn’t be standing here.”

Xu Qingshan's tone carried a hint of disappointment, clearly indicating that his participation in the program was also to find Xiaoyu.

The team leader then pressed on, asking, "So why did you participate in that quiz show in the first place?"

"Accident."

"Accident?"

"Yes, it was an accident."

Fragments of memories resurfaced in the footage; during those days, Xu Qingshan repeatedly dialed Xiaoyu's number, but no one answered.

When he didn't know where to start, he saw an advertisement for "Millionaire Winner" and dialed the number on a whim. To his surprise, he was selected to participate.

But in fact, this "accident" may have been a preordained arrangement by fate.

The film's pace shifts again, returning to the quiz scene. The sixth question has no complicated past entanglements; the answer is derived entirely from Xu Qingshan's logical reasoning. This proves that not every question hides a story, and this randomness makes the plot seem more realistic.

Xu Qingshan was stumped on the seventh question. During the break, the host seemingly kindly revealed an answer in the restroom, but it was actually a trap. The darker side of human nature was on full display; the host, unwilling to see a lowly waiter win a huge bonus, deliberately provided the wrong answer.

But Xu Qingshan, having experienced the ways of the world, was no longer as naive as before. He had seen too much darkness and the true nature of humanity. He did not blindly trust the host's "good intentions." After using the opportunity to "eliminate two wrong answers," he avoided the options given by the host and ultimately chose the correct answer.

This is why the host, enraged, insisted that he had cheated and contacted the police to have him taken away.

"He cheated?"

On camera, the program's director, looking at Xu Qingshan being led into a police car, frowned and asked the host, "What makes you so sure he cheated?"

The host, a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke with a cold, venomous tone, his gaze following the departing police car. He sneered, "I gave him the wrong answer, but he still got it right—what makes a waiter think he knows so much?"

Clearly, the fact that his scheme had been exposed enraged him, while the fact that Xu Qingshan was taken away by the police only brought him a sense of satisfaction.

Inside the police station, Xu Qingshan took a sip of water, and his tense expression relaxed slightly.

The captain shut down the computer and slowly began to speak, saying, "Xu Qingshan, your experiences are so bizarre they seem unreal, but—"

Before she could finish speaking, Xu Qingshan interrupted her, saying, "Just because I'm a waiter, does that mean I'm a liar and that I cheated?"

"In most cases, people would think that way."

The captain paused for a moment, then changed the subject, saying, "But I'm sure you're not a liar."

"You are too kind."

Xu Qingshan stared at him blankly, his eyes full of surprise.

"You've finished asking your questions, you can leave now."

The captain's words signaled the end of the interrogation.

The recorder beside him whispered encouragingly, "Xu Qingshan, you must get that million!"

Xu Qingshan didn't respond, but said in a low voice, "I don't know where she is..."

This statement reveals his true purpose in participating in the competition: he wanted to take advantage of the national attention to let Xiaoyu see him and find her.

At this time, major television stations across the country were broadcasting Xu Qingshan's story. A restaurant waiter who had not received many years of formal education had overcome all obstacles on the show "Millionaire Winner" and was only one step away from winning the million-dollar prize.

Can he win the championship based on his own strength?

Will he return to the competition tonight to tackle the final question?

"Is the young waiter's rise to fame a miracle or a hoax?"

Newspapers and newspapers have reported on this high-profile news story, and of course, the most important thing is that Xu Qingshan is a low-level worker.

Numerous topics have sparked heated discussions, especially among working-class individuals who have focused their attention on this young man whose situation is similar to their own.

Xiao Yu, who was far away in a small town and had long since fled Jiangcheng, also saw Xu Qingshan on the TV in a shop on the street.

Looking at Xu Qingshan on the screen, Xiaoyu couldn't help but recall that night under the streetlights when she had asked him, "Can we become millionaires?"

This question, or perhaps the question posed by those at the bottom of society to their fate, is now being answered by Xu Qingshan in his own way.

The filmmakers present were once again amazed by screenwriter Lin Youcheng's ingenuity. Every foreshadowing was intricately linked, and every detail held profound meaning, maximizing the story's tension.

During the live broadcast, cheers and applause rose and fell, and the host remained as approachable as ever, as if he wasn't the one who had sent Xu Qingshan to the police station.

"Welcome back to the live broadcast of 'Millionaire Winner'!"

He looked at Xu Qingshan, his tone impassioned, and said, "Tonight is destined to be the most unforgettable night of your life. You currently have 500,000 yuan in prize money in hand. You can choose to cash it in or take on the final challenge and make a final push for the million-yuan grand prize—this is a high-stakes gamble, are you ready?"

“Ready.” Xu Qingshan said calmly.

The camera pans across various locations: rental houses in urban villages, farmhouses in the countryside, bustling restaurants, and busy construction sites. Countless people are glued to their television sets, their eyes fixed on the screen. Xiaoyu stands in a shop on the street in her hometown, watching that familiar figure along with everyone else.

"Please listen to the last question: What did Hu Guangsheng leave for Ma Jiaqi in the movie 'The Unknown'?"

As the host's voice faded, Xu Qingshan suddenly smiled.

The scene flashes back to the movie ticket that was abandoned in the trash can and eventually buried in the dust. It was "The Nameless," the movie he and Xiaoyu had agreed to see back then. A sudden change of events meant that these two tickets would never be used.

This ingenious design drew applause from both the audience and filmmakers in the screening room. At the same time, a question lingered in their minds: they had never heard of "The Unknown," unlike "The Reader," which was well-known and had won an award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Whether it's a real entity or a work of fiction created by the director is, of course, not the key issue.

Seeing Xu Qingshan laugh, the host immediately teased, "Looks like you're very confident. You can take home a million if you answer this question correctly. No wonder you're so happy."

"Xu Qingshan, you must know the answer, right?"

Xu Qingshan slowly shook his head, a relieved smile on his face, and said, "Believe it or not, I really don't know."

This statement caused an uproar among the audience, with many surprised exclamations. Not being able to answer this meant losing all the previous prize money.

The camera pans to the shop where Xiaoyu is, where a little boy turns to her and asks, "Sister, do you know the answer?"

Xiaoyu shook her head, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. She remembered that Xu Qingshan had invited her to see the movie "The Nameless".

Xu Qingshan then chose to use his last chance to ask for help, which was to ask for help from outside the venue.

Xiaoyu, watching TV, felt a sudden tightness in her chest, her heart racing. A thought flashed through her mind: What if he...?

The phone rang in the shop, but no one noticed because everyone was watching the most crucial part of the TV program. Xiaoyu stared at the ringing phone, her eyes hesitant, unsure if it was the program crew calling. Yet, her gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, colliding with Xu Qingshan on screen.

Xu Qingshan's gaze was clear and firm, as if he was already certain that she would see it and that she would connect.

Finally, Xiaoyu ran over and picked up the phone.

Then, the next second, a familiar voice came from the other end of the receiver, filled with barely concealed tension and anticipation. But instead of asking the question about the million-dollar prize, it simply asked softly—

"Where are you now?"

This is actually the last question.

This was also the most important question on Xu Qingshan's mind. (End of Chapter)