Chapter 32
The fallen clown could only skillfully protect his groin and the back of his head, the two most vulnerable spots.
Then he curled up like a shrimp, silently enduring the abusers' venting!
"This guy is too weak, he can't do anything."
"Harder! Harder!"
"Beat him! Take all his stuff!"
Under the heavy music, the violence continued.
As the hoodlums left, the alley became quiet again.
But the background music still maintained a heavy sense of sorrow.
It was as if fate was pitying Su Chen.
But the predetermined tragedy seemed never to change because of it.
In the livestream.
All the viewers watched the empty alley in silence.
Su Chen, in pain and powerless, lay on the ground, his body curled up like a shrimp dying of thirst.
Even now.
Su Chen was still subconsciously protecting his groin.
And his other hand was reaching toward the shattered sign in front of him, as if still fantasizing about being able to piece it back together.
To him, compared to being beaten up, keeping this sign was definitely more important.
The clown makeup on Su Chen’s face still looked like it was smiling at first glance, but all the viewers watching the screen felt incredibly heavy, unable to smile.
Su Chen had worked and lived so hard...
Su Chen had shown the friendliest smile to every passerby around him...
Su Chen hadn't provoked anyone, not even with a look or a word!
But that group of hoodlums had attacked him for no reason, without any warning.
It was very likely just a whim, wanting to trample and humiliate Su Chen, so they did it.
[So angry, it’s so infuriating!!]
[These damn hoodlums! Why don't you go rob a business if you’re so capable! Bullying a lone clown with so many people, you should be ashamed!]
[Su Chen didn't do anything wrong... so why is he still being oppressed!]
[Robbery and assault in the street, can no one do anything about it?!]
[This whole Gotham City is not right!]
[Those passersby are also terrifyingly indifferent, they couldn't even help or just stop them for a moment!]
[A rope always breaks at the thinnest point, misfortune always picks the hard-luck, sigh...]
[This sign will likely cause Su Chen to lose his job...]
In the livestream, countless indignant comments flooded in.
It might also be that in a comfortable living environment, most viewers couldn't even imagine the sorrow of someone living at the bottom like Su Chen.
And just as countless viewers felt heavy-hearted, stifled, and incredibly sympathetic to Su Chen’s plight.
In the alley.
The camera slowly pulled back.
Using Su Chen, lying powerlessly on the ground, as the background.
Two large characters that filled the entire screen, almost bursting out of it, appeared!
[Joker]
Only then.
Was the title of this film revealed!
And behind the two characters for "Joker" was the 'Joker' lying on the ground, powerless against everything and living completely in tragedy.
That is to say, only until now.
Had this film just begun!
And just these few minutes of oppression.
Had already made countless viewers in the livestream feel incredibly heavy.
In the life of a hard-luck person, even a tragedy on a single day seemed enough to crush most people’s mental defenses!
In the contestant area.
Zhu Sanlong’s face was slightly gray, staring blankly at the large "Joker" characters on the screen.
At this moment.
He simply felt that these two characters were describing himself.
Although he really didn't want to admit it.
Even if he had performed *Life's Big Event* with his absolute best effort, and the entire internet was praising his most perfect work!
But Su Chen, in just the first few dozen seconds, had easily crushed Zhu Sanlong’s painstaking work!
The audience’s appreciation level varied, and most of the time they didn't see as much as those of them in the industry.
But Zhu Sanlong was at least a Best Actor winner, and he had at least spent many years studying acting! His appreciation ability was naturally excellent!
But... those few smiles Su Chen gave the mirror.
Had directly made Zhu Sanlong’s scalp tingle! He was speechless for a long time!
On the screen.
The heavy, sorrowful music continued to play.
The camera shifted, and a burst of wild laughter came.
"Hahahaha..."
"Hahahaha..."
Su Chen sat in a chair, holding a cigarette in his left hand, laughing wildly with an extremely painful expression.
All the viewers were confused.
But all the viewers could see the struggle and sadness on Su Chen’s face.
He seemed... not to want to laugh... but why?
It could even be said that when Su Chen laughed, his whole face looked more like he was crying!
His brows were constantly tightening and relaxing, as if he were struggling violently inside!
While laughing, on the verge of being hoarse, there was a faint sobbing tone.
"Hahahaha..."
"Hahahaha!"
Opposite Su Chen, a middle-aged woman wearing a Health Department social worker badge looked at Su Chen’s self-indulgent wild laughter with a frown, as if in sympathy and impatience.
After a long time, Su Chen’s laughter finally faded, and the expression on his face, neither crying nor laughing, gradually recovered.
He took a deep drag of the cigarette in his left hand, lowered his eyes, and said in a puzzled tone:
"Is it just me?"
"Or is the world getting crazier..."
The social worker nodded.
"The atmosphere is very tense... everyone is frustrated, everyone is struggling. Can't find work, society is getting tougher."
Sighing, the social worker stopped discussing the situation in Gotham City and shifted the topic to Arthur.
"How about you? Have you been keeping up with your diary?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, did you bring your diary?"
Listening to the social worker’s inquiry, Su Chen smiled naturally, as if wanting to express an apology; he didn't want the other person to see his diary.
But whether in words or actions, he was very polite in front of others.
"Arthur, I told you to bring your diary last time! It helps our treatment."
"Can I see it?"
The social worker’s tone became slightly heavier.
And in the camera, Su Chen held the cigarette in his right hand, shaking his leg, appearing very anxious.
Taking a deep breath, he took out a notebook from the side and handed it over.
"I use this as a diary, and it’s also my joke record book."
"Interesting thoughts and observations, I remember I told you I wanted to be a stand-up comedian."
The social worker took it, flipping through the notebook while replying casually.
"No, you didn't."
Su Chen’s expression sank slightly, and he said very seriously.
"I think I did."
But the social worker didn't respond. She flipped to the diary section, to a page full of writing.
A line that seemed to have been written repeatedly until it was bolded caught the social worker’s attention.
"I only hope my death makes more cents than my life."
And this line made all the viewers’ hearts sink.
[The protagonist is actually... this pessimistic now....]
[This is completely having no hope for life at all...]
[A sad society, a sad job, a sad experience.]
[If you were Arthur, you probably wouldn't last a month..]
[The protagonist is completely disappointed with his own life and the whole world.]
[His dream is actually to become a stand-up comedian...]
[Wait, can you see the other content in the diary just now?? You flipped too fast!]
[Go watch the replay later, just take a screenshot.]
Like the viewers, the social worker’s face was slightly heavy, and she looked up and asked.
"Coming here, does having someone to talk to help you?"
"I think it feels better than being locked in a mental hospital."
But clearly, the long-term treatment hadn't worked for Arthur, and Arthur had even written such pessimistic sentences in his diary.
The conversation between the two was just as the synopsis said, Arthur’s status as a mental patient, but it must have been more serious before, to be locked in a hospital!
Mental patients are only forcibly locked in mental hospitals if they commit acts that harm themselves or others!
"I hope I can ask the doctor to increase my dosage."
"Arthur, you are taking seven different medications, they must be doing something, right?"
"I just... don't want to feel this sad anymore."
Su Chen looked straight at the social worker, his eyes full of sadness.
What he wanted was very simple, but it seemed it could never be realized.
Sorry for the late update!! Had something to do today!! Three more chapters tonight!! Adding another chapter as compensation!!
— Author's Notes —
If any readers are still watching! I sincerely ask for flowers! Rating tickets! Monthly tickets!!! Thank you all!!!.
If any readers are still watching! I sincerely ask for flowers! Rating tickets! Monthly tickets!!! Thank you all!!!.
If any readers are still watching! I sincerely ask for flowers! Rating tickets! Monthly tickets!!! Thank you all!!!.
End of Chapter
