Chapter 2: Memory Of The Past |
The movie is titled “Looking at the Sky,” and Jiang Qi plays the male protagonist named ‘Mu Xi.’
He is an unmistakable juvenile delinquent, a naturally cold-blooded and perverse seed. The film portrays Mu Xi’s life in an extremely gloomy and desolate manner, claiming to be a lifetime but actually spanning only twenty-five years.
On his twenty-fifth birthday, he was brought to justice by the symbol of the ‘light of justice,’ a firearm, along with the five lives he had taken.
The protagonist Mu Xi in the story discovered that he was a ‘monster’ at the age of seven. Unlike other innocent and naive children, he was unwelcome from birth. His mother was a ‘prostitute,’ and his father was a hopeless gambler. Debt collectors knocked on their door every day, making the family extremely depraved.
This led to Mu Xi’s cold and frozen perverse inner self, ruthless and cruel.
The first life Mu Xi took was that of his father. At the age of fifteen, after watching a suspenseful mystery movie where the protagonist used a rope to strangle a cannon fodder character and slowly decipher the mystery, Mu Xi felt stimulated and pleased.
So, that night, taking an attitude like conducting an experiment, he used a rough hemp rope to strangle his father to death while he was heavily intoxicated. Then, using a Swiss army knife he bought from a convenience store near the school, he stabbed him with hundreds of bloody holes.
…
The movie does not depict Mu Xi’s actions with overly bloody scenes. Most of it is left to the audience’s imagination, occasionally describing the protagonist’s cruel methods through narration and various cinematographic techniques.
As if doing these things brings him extreme pleasure.
It’s not until the film shows the dim light of dawn, and the sky turns a warm yellow, that Mu Xi completes his ‘work.’
The tousled-haired youth looked at the mess on the ground, lightly chuckled, his voice faintly hoarse enough to send shivers down one’s spine. Then, his slender fingers, stained with blood, slowly smeared it on his own face.
The pale, almost transparent skin adorned with a vivid red, his appearance handsome to the point of near-mystique.
He seemed like a devil from hell, soul-searching, but damn fitting for blood.
Zhi Qi, in a daze, heard Meng Chunyu beside her softly mutter, “Oh my god, the first time I’ve seen a man so suited for blood.”
“Clearly committing murder, yet so damn handsome it makes my legs weak.”
The camera on the big screen gradually zoomed out, moving from Mu Xi’s beautiful face to the exterior of the house, all the way to the sky. This was the first forty-five minutes of the movie, telling the ‘early life’ of Mu Xi, followed by his endless life on the run.
During this process, the latent deviant factor within Mu Xi was completely triggered by that massacre, unable to be suppressed. He couldn’t control the desires brewing in his heart, despite having a seemingly bright mind, all that surfaced were ugly thoughts—crime, theft, and even murder…
When Mu Xi ran out of money, he stole; if caught, he killed. Before the police could catch him, he instilled fear throughout the entire city, lurking in the shadows for nine years before justice caught up with him.
And in the moment he was executed, the man in the prison uniform still looked like a youth, his delicately slim face pale and unhealthy, yet his eyes were full of understanding. It seemed like he had long accepted that he would meet such an end. Mu Xi faced it openly, even with a hint of relief in his smile.
His life was like a vine growing in a swamp, tainted and twisted.
So, he preferred to live like this muddy mess, making it somewhat thrilling.
The execution ground was outdoors, and in the final scene of the movie, Mu Xi looked up at the sky, staring directly into the sun without shedding a tear. The reason the movie was titled ‘Gazing at the Sky’ was because the protagonist Mu Xi didn’t cry when looking at the sun, nor did he find it dazzling.
A natural oddity.
As the eerie ‘thump, thump, thump’ of the ending song played, the cinema suddenly brightened, but everyone remained seated, unmoving.
Almost everyone was profoundly shaken, including Meng Chunyu, who initially dismissed the ‘jailed male celebrity.’
“Oh my god…” Meng Chunyu, with goosebumps all over, rubbed her skin while murmuring, “Is this really a 21-year-old newcomer actor? His acting is too frightening! Damn, Director Shen Lei’s taste is truly sharp. I need to search for this Jiang Qi!”
She exclaimed, enthusiastically taking out her phone as if she had discovered a treasure. Turning her head, she noticed that Zhi Qi, who hadn’t responded to her, was still staring at the screen, with tear-streaked marks on her face.
“Qi, Qiqi?” Meng Chunyu was puzzled for a moment. “Are you crying?”
She found it a bit strange; although the movie was thrilling to the extreme, it was still a thriller film. How could someone cry while watching it?
Meng Chunyu tentatively asked, “Qiqi, were you scared to tears?”
“No,” Zhi Qi smiled through her tears, taking out a tissue from her bag to cover her eyes. The quickly flowing tears soon dampened the tissue. Her muffled voice behind the covered lips said, “I just… feel like I’m dreaming.”
She never expected to ‘meet’ Jiang Qi in this way five years later.
And he had presented such a visual feast.
However, Zhi Qi couldn’t view this movie as innocently as others.
For Meng Chunyu, “Gazing at the Sky” was just an exciting movie. Watched it and that’s it, at most, she admired the director and the discovery of this ‘treasure boy’ Jiang Qi. But for Zhi Qi, she saw a lot about Jiang Qi’s past in this movie, scenes that cut her heart like a knife.
She couldn’t imagine how Jiang Qi, after being released from prison, became an actor and filmed this movie with what mindset. Just as Meng Chunyu had said before, there’s no one more suited for a blood-stained youth than Jiang Qi.
Mysterious, handsome, like a captivating demon…
But in times of peace, who would willingly embrace such ‘honors’?
Zhi Qi remembers the first time she saw Jiang Qi; he was bleeding.
It happened after Jiang Qi saved her. The boy carried her for several kilometers until they finally managed to find a supply station and contacted the adults. At that time, Zhi Qi was already in a semi-dazed and confused state. In her hazy state, she saw adults and, knowing that she was in a safe environment, couldn’t help but faint completely.
But before fainting, the girl held onto Jiang Qi’s hand firmly.
Zhi Qi remembers it very clearly; at that moment, she had only one thought – that she must see this boy again after waking up, so she dared not let go.
After waking up, she did indeed see Jiang Qi, but he had blood on his lips.
The boy had been kicked into a corner by a man, frowning and holding his stomach in pain, his face embarrassingly pale. And the man who kicked him was Zhi Qi’s second uncle. He was red-faced and thick-necked, with two policemen holding onto his arms. He was angrily cursing,
“Damn! My niece was kidnapped, and she’s rescued by such a little brat? Are you kidding me? He must be an accomplice! Are you police investigating? Do I, as a victim’s family member, need to come and ask? Do you think I want to resort to violence?!”
Zhi Qi had just woken up, her mind still in a daze. She was frightened by the brutal scene unfolding before her eyes and immediately shouted, “Second Uncle!”
The tape on her face had already been removed, but the young girl’s originally sweet and gentle voice, after a night of ‘torment,’ was hoarse and weak, like a timid little creature.
In the corner, Jiang Qi heard it and couldn’t help but lift his head to look at Zhi Qi on the bed.
Seeing the girl’s face full of innocent anxiety, as her second uncle rushed over, bombarding her with questions, she shook her head repeatedly, “The little brother is not a bad person. He saved me! Second Uncle, you can’t hit people!”
Jiang Qi couldn’t be bothered to see if Uncle would feel guilty or anything after hearing that. His sapphire-colored eyes stared straight at Zhi Qi, observing the lively and vibrant actions of the young girl, filled with a kind of ‘resurrection’ vitality.
The young boy lowered his gaze, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, okay, Uncle was wrong.” The man, who moments ago was so hostile that he seemed ready to destroy the entire police station, now appeared gentle like a lamb. He spoke softly, coaxing the little girl, “Qiqi, tell Uncle if you have any pain on your body. The nurse sister checked and said there were no injuries, but Uncle is still worried.”
“No, I’m not in pain.” Zhi Qi shook her head. After answering Uncle’s words, she stood up from the bed. When her legs touched the ground, she felt a bit weak – the symptoms of blood circulation not fully recovering after being tied with a rope all night.
Uncle was taken aback and hastily said, “Qiqi, what are you doing on your feet? Go back to bed quickly.”
Zhi Qi was still angry about him randomly beating people and ignored him. Instead, she walked on her two short legs to Jiang Qi in the corner.
“Young brother, thank you for saving me.” The girl’s clear and dark eyes blinked at the boy, “What’s your name?”
The boy looked up, somewhat surprised, and glanced at Zhi Qi.
He couldn’t help but ask softly, “Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Zhi Qi’s two braids, after a night of turmoil, were now messy like a little madman, but her eyes were bright, and she smiled beautifully.
She tilted her head, “Not afraid, why should I be afraid of you?”
Jiang Qi’s throat couldn’t help but roll. The small hand hanging by his side clenched, and after a while, he said softly, “Jiang… Jiang Qi.”
“Okay.” Zhi Qi continued to smile, nodding vigorously, “I will remember.”
She had no idea that for Jiang Qi, she was the ‘first’ he had encountered. Because, growing up to the age of ten, there were only two kinds of people in Jiang Qi’s life – those who disliked him and those who feared him.
The young boy just wanted to turn the former into the latter.
He would rather be like a mad dog than let anyone bully him.
Only Zhi Qi’s sudden appearance was like a ray of light, bringing the first touch of ‘color’ to his dark and barren life. Jiang Qi knew he was never a good person; he was a madman who happened to save Zhi Qi. He shouldn’t be admired by the little girl; he should be treated with indifference.