Chapter 29

Originally, when the police car appeared, many students in the audience had already guessed it was a traffic accident; hearing the officer’s words confirmed their suspicions, and they felt a flicker of satisfaction, thinking the film would end there.

But when the young man’s confused expression suddenly shifted into that eerie smile, the students in the audience felt their scalps tingle, and a chorus of “Wōcào!” broke out.

How could he smile?

Why did he smile?

He actually smiled!

Wu Ershan, a sophomore in the Directing Department at Jingying this year, sat in the audience and was stunned three times by this ending—his mind buzzing, eyes fixed on the screen, utterly unexpected!

Many students in the room shared the same emotion.

“A stroke of genius!”

In the front row, Vice Dean Hou Keming blurted out in admiration.

“Stunning, stunning!” The head of the Acting Department repeated the word in awe.

If the entire film up to this point could be called a solid work with a compelling story, that final smile instantly shattered its ceiling, granting viewers immense room for imagination and reflection.

That one smile lifted the entire short film’s caliber by at least two levels!

Nowadays, artistic films dominate China’s cultural scene—what exactly defines an artistic film?

It must be thought-provoking, evoke emotional resonance, and leave lingering questions.

And the film "Car 44" undoubtedly achieved this—and did it exceptionally well!

Not just others—even the film team themselves were stunned by the quality of their own "Car 44".

Hearing the story and listening to the script read aloud was one thing, but none of them imagined it could be filmed this brilliantly!

“Is this really what we made?” some even questioned themselves inwardly.

But more were filled with excitement and joy—this was their own labor, their full participation from start to finish!

Sun Honglei now had his arm around Duan Long’s neck, slapping him excitedly: “Wōcào, Duan Long, awesome! That final smile of yours was perfect!”

Of course, Sun Honglei was even happier with his own performance—he never expected his bandit role to be this effective!

Even watching the film himself, he thought he looked utterly vile!

Duan Long, still being hugged by Sun Honglei, said nothing, only grinned foolishly; right now, beyond joy, the first person in his mind was their class monitor, Xiao Tao Hong—he hoped she could see his performance.

At this moment, Jiang Qin also stared blankly at the screen.

Her mind still lingered on the female driver’s series of emotional shifts—was this really me?

Then she recalled everything that happened during filming—if he hadn’t forced me to keep going that day, would I have delivered such a brilliant performance on screen?

Jiang Qin turned to look at Wu Yuchen’s profile; his face now glowed with joy as he clenched fists with Jia Zhangke and others.

So a director can help an actor this much!

He was the one who shaped this incredible role for me, brought forth such a powerful performance—and yet, for this entire time, I had treated him with coldness.

I misjudged him…

Thinking of this, waves of guilt and remorse rose from Jiang Qin’s heart, engulfing the earlier irritation she felt toward Wu Yuchen, giving birth to a strange new feeling.

The eerie, hallucinatory music returned, and credits began to roll.

Jiang Qin as the Female Driver

Duan Long as the Young Man

Sun Honglei as the Bandit Leader

…

Music/Composition: Dou Wei

…

Special Thanks: Huang Lei

Acknowledgments: Beijing Film Academy, Youth Film Studio

Finally, a full list appeared—the twenty-odd members of the film team.

The list remained on screen for several seconds before the screen plunged back into darkness, and the theater lights came on.

Wu Yuchen led the entire crew onstage for the bow; once everyone stood in place, they all bowed together to the audience.

But the audience remained silent—most students had come intending to be critics, ready to properly educate these fresh freshmen.

Yet now they exchanged glances—how could they criticize?

They wanted to be critics, but not mindless ones; they could still tell good film from bad, so they were all momentarily speechless.

Then a round of applause broke the silence—it was Vice Dean Hou Keming, seated dead center in the front row; soon, the other teachers beside him joined in, and the entire audience snapped out of their stupor, erupting in a thunderous wave of clapping.

“Good!”

“Awesome!”

“Incredible!”

“Heart-stopping!”

Not only applause—many students shouted praise too, for plenty had been utterly conquered by "Car 44".

The applause lasted a long time; Wu Yuchen had to lead the cast back for another bow.

When the theater quieted again, none of the front-row teachers spoke—Jingying’s screening room belonged to the students; they were free to speak without pressure from faculty authority.

Wu Yuchen spoke first:

“Hello everyone, please allow me to introduce our crew.

Most of our crew members come from a self-formed film enthusiast group: the Youth Film Team.

I am the director, Wu Yuchen from the first-year Directing Class.

This is our assistant director, Jia Zhangke from the third-year Literature Department,

…”

Onstage, Wu Yuchen introduced each member one by one; everyone beamed with joy, some even flushed with excitement.

After introducing the crew, Wu Yuchen stepped beside Jiang Qin:

“This one needs no introduction—many of you already know her!

Many thanks to Senior Jiang Qin for her brilliant performance and dedication, which gave "Car 44" its unforgettable female lead!

“Good!” Applause erupted again below.

Jiang Qin was no stranger to big stages—before university, she’d been a lead actress; even as a freshman, she’d performed in the orientation show without flinching—but now, she felt her cheeks burn, humbled by the praise, even afraid to look at Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen introduced Jiang Qin first not only because the female driver was the core, but because she was one of Jingying’s own.

“This is Duan Long, this is Sun Honglei, from the Central Academy of Drama—thank you both for your performances!” Wu Yuchen mentioned them briefly; after all, they were from the Central Academy of Drama.

But neither cared—they just grinned, watching the audience applaud for them.

As for these two actors from the Central Academy of Drama, no one really paid them much mind—after all, the entire crew, from director to script supervisor, was Jingying’s own, and they had Jiang Qin as the female driver!

The entire creative team was theirs; the two Central Academy of Drama actors? Just tools.

After Wu Yuchen finished introducing everyone, many students in the audience eagerly raised their hands.

The first student Wu Yuchen called on stood up and asked the question almost every viewer had after watching the film:

“Why did the male lead smile at the end? What does it symbolize? What was your intention?”