Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 266, Section 264: "A Little Thing Called First Love" (Part 2)
The middle section of the film is fast-paced yet filled with inspiring warmth.

Little Water is like a caterpillar struggling to break free of its heavy cocoon, moving slowly but steadily towards beauty.

At this point, the film played the theme song "Courage" sung by Jin Haixin.

As the gentle guitar arpeggios began, accompanied by melodious strings, Jin Haixin's clear and distinctive voice, like a mountain spring, flowed through the theater:

"I've finally made this decision. I don't care what others say, as long as you agree..."

On the screen, there's Xiaoshui's profile as she studies diligently under the lamp late at night; there's her dedication as she practices her lines in front of the mirror again and again; there's her adorable clumsy attempt at makeup, resulting in smudged makeup; there's the sweat she sheds as she runs on the playground in the early morning...

"I'm willing to follow you to the ends of the earth. I know it won't be easy, and my heart has been constantly rehearsing and convincing myself. My biggest fear is that you'll suddenly say you want to give up..."

The lyrics are like Xiao Shui's inner monologue, perfectly highlighting her courage born from her love for him and her determination to become a better person.

The song was gentle yet powerful, not only for Xiao Shui, but also for every soul in the theater who had ever strived to change for someone or for a goal.

As Lin Xiaoyue listened to the song and watched Xiao Shui gradually shed her naivety and rusticity, blossoming with her own unique brilliance, tears finally streamed down her face.

It's not for the lost love, but for the self that was once so humble, yet so brave.

[The movie continues]

Time flies, and three years have passed.

The senior high school graduation ceremony is approaching.

Xiao Shui at this point was no longer the inconspicuous "ugly duckling" she once was.

She successfully removed her braces, her skin became fair, she learned to apply light makeup that suited her, her posture became upright, and her eyes were full of confidence.

She was not only a pillar of the drama club, but her grades also steadily improved, making her a well-known "inspirational goddess" in the school.

She finally mustered up the courage to confess her feelings to senior A-Liang before graduation.

She meticulously prepared a photo album, filled with snapshots of him that she had secretly taken over the past three years, as well as photos documenting her own transformation.

Next to each photo, she wrote a sentence she wanted to say to him.

After the graduation party, under the starry sky, she found Ah Liang walking alone by the playground.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her palms were sweaty.

She handed over the photo album, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness: "Senior Liang, this...this is for you."

Senior A-Liang was a little surprised. He took the album and started looking through it.

Xiao Shui watched his expression nervously; time seemed to stand still.

However, Ah Liang's face initially showed surprise, followed by a complex expression, tinged with a hint of realization and... regret.

He closed the photo album, looked at the beautiful and brave girl in front of him, smiled gently, and said, "Xiao Shui, thank you. You... have become very outstanding. But... I'm sorry, I... already have someone I like."

It turns out that senior student A-Liang had a crush on a girl at school, a secret feeling that was even deeper than Xiao-Shui's.

The anticipation and shyness on Xiaoshui's face froze instantly, then crumbled little by little.

She tried hard to maintain a smile, but that smile was more heartbreaking than tears.

"No...it's okay," she heard her own voice say. "Thank you, Senior Liang. I wish you...happiness."

She turned and fled from the place that had broken her heart.

She ran to a deserted corner, finally unable to hold back her tears, and squatted down, bursting into sobs.

The photo album, into which she poured three years of her youth and all her courage, ultimately did not bring her the ending she hoped for.

At this point, the theater fell silent, with only the faint sound of a few girls sobbing.

Lin Xiaoyue was already in tears. She completely empathized with Xiaoshui, feeling the disappointment and heartache of giving her all only to end up with nothing—a feeling so similar to her own!

The movie doesn't end there.

The scene shifts to several years later.

Xiao Shui was admitted to a prestigious university in Beijing with excellent grades, becoming a better version of herself.

She strolled confidently and cheerfully through the beautiful campus, attracting no shortage of admirers.

That unrequited love that ended without fruition seems to have become a yellowed page in the scrapbook of youth.

One sunny afternoon, she unexpectedly encountered a familiar figure at the library entrance.

It's Senior Liang. He looks a bit more mature, but he's still as tall and handsome as ever.

He also saw Xiao Shui, and a look of amazement and surprise flashed in his eyes.

The two stood a few steps apart, gazing at each other silently.

There was no exciting running and embracing, no dramatic reunion after a long separation.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Xiao Shui's face initially showed a moment of surprise, but then she smiled gently, relieved.

That smile no longer held the humility and timidity of yesteryear, but only the calm and serene expression that comes with maturity.

Senior A-Liang returned a gentle smile with a hint of apology.

Neither of them spoke; they simply looked at each other and smiled.

Then, Xiaoshui nodded slightly to him, carrying her books, and walked past him with a calm stride, heading towards her own wider world.

Senior A-Liang stood there, looking back at her confident and elegant figure as she walked away. His expression was complex, but it eventually turned into a blessing before he turned and left.

The image freezes on Xiao Shui's silhouette as she walks into the depths of the sunlight, the soft halo gilding her with a golden edge.

At this moment, Xiao Shui's clear and insightful voice-over slowly rose, like a final footnote, striking the hearts of every viewer:

Many years later, I realized that first love is really just a small thing in youth. It may be bittersweet, it may be sweet, or it may end without a trace.

But it was this small incident that taught us courage, spurred us to grow, and made us strive to become better versions of ourselves. And growth is the most important thing in youth.

[The movie has ended]

As the screen darkened and the end credits rolled, Jin Haixin's "Courage" played again, this time in its entirety, soothing every heart touched by the story.

The lights in the theater slowly came on.

Many viewers were still immersed in the emotions of the film and remained motionless for a long time.

Some girls leaned on their companions' shoulders and sobbed softly, while some couples held each other's hands tightly.

Lin Xiaoyue remained seated, not getting up immediately.

The tear tracks on her face were still wet, but the heavy, pent-up pain in her heart seemed to be quietly dissolved by this gentle ending and that voice-over.

She thought of herself.

She was heartbroken and lost because of that brief relationship, and felt that the world was bleak.

But looking at Xiaoshui, she suddenly felt that her heartbreak was really... just a small matter.

The important thing is that, like Xiaoshui, she is working hard towards a goal (getting into university).

The important thing is that she is growing up.

The film didn't give her a fairytale ending where "lovers get together," but it gave her a more realistic and powerful answer: she loved, she tried, she grew, and that's enough.

She wiped away her tears, put on her glasses, donned her down jacket, packed her things, and slowly walked out of the theater with the flow of people.

The light outside seemed brighter, though it was still gray, it no longer felt so oppressive.

She took out her Walkman, pressed play, and listened to English listening exercises that she hadn't listened to for a long time because she was feeling down.

But at this moment, what she was listening to was no longer dry words and sentences, but an expectation for the future.

She took a deep breath, and the cold air seemed to become fresh.

"So... it really was just a small thing," she said to herself, forcing a small but genuine smile to her lips.

She took out her vocabulary notebook and started reading it as she walked towards the bus stop.

My steps are no longer as heavy as they were when I came.

In countless cinemas across Beijing and even the whole country, similar stories are unfolding in different corners.

With its delicate emotions, realistic coming-of-age narrative, and just the right amount of inspirational warmth, "First Love" quietly opened the hearts of countless young viewers in early winter, a time when Hollywood blockbusters were unable to fully unleash their potential due to hardware limitations.

Its seemingly unequal competition with "Star Wars" in terms of screening schedules actually resulted in a beautiful victory in the emotional battlefield, a victory that belonged to "small things".

(End of this chapter)