Forty-five, Mortal Men and Women

  Special thanks to book friend Yao Xiaole for his long review! Welcome more long reviews and short reviews!

  On Manli's birthday, Dai Ping, who had received the news from Fanghua earlier, also sent her a birthday gift - a bouquet of white lilies. Manli naturally invited him to dinner together, and also called Liang Jiahui along.

  Four people came to a small restaurant outside the back gate of the school, found a table in the corner and sat down, casually ordered a few dishes, and also had beer. Before eating, everyone raised their glasses as usual and jointly wished Roman a happy birthday.

  After putting down the cup, Leung Ka Fai said to Law Man Loi: "Sorry, I just knew today is your birthday, didn't have time to prepare a gift. I'll make it up tomorrow!"

  Mary said, "No need, no need, it's just an opportunity for everyone to get together! We're all busy usually and it's hard to meet up. Let's not bother with the gift-giving back and forth, it's too tacky! How about this, whoever has a birthday will treat everyone to dinner, and then we won't give gifts anymore!"

  "Alright! However, you guys have to wait for me to treat you, it's going to be at the end of the year!"

  Dai Ping said: "Damn it, that's my birthday next month, you're all on holiday, who am I going to invite?"

  Fang Hua smiled: "You'll make up for it after school starts! Don't think you can escape!"

  Dai Ping nodded repeatedly: "Alright, make up for it!"

  Liang Jiahui asked Fanghua: "Then when will you treat us?"

  "Next month 25th, it's coming soon!"

  Fanghua glared at Manli, meaning "How could you betray me like that!"

  Then she sighed and said, "Oh, just invite then! But at that time everyone will be busy with the final exams, I think there won't be time to go out for dinner! So, is it okay to skip it?" In fact, it's not that she's stingy or doesn't want to treat them, it's just that friends often chat like this to tease each other.

  Dai Ping wouldn't let her off the hook: "No big deal, no big deal, how long can eating take?! Besides, taking a break and replenishing some energy will help you do even better on the exam! So, you're not getting out of this meal either!" A perfect case of "using someone's own method against them", and the other two also smiled in agreement.

  Everyone chatted and laughed together, exchanging stories about their departments and classes, having a lively and joyful conversation. After dinner, the bill was settled, and it didn't even exceed 20 yuan.

  After leaving the small restaurant, Dai Ping said it was still early and asked everyone to go watch a movie. Coincidentally, the Red Star Cinema was showing "A Better Tomorrow" for the next two days.

  Fang Hua and Liang Jiahui exchanged a look, and both said they still had to go to the emergency room, so they wouldn't be going to see the movie.

  Luomanli was taken aback, and hastily pulled Fanghua saying: "Don't go! It's rare for everyone to gather together! Let's go see it together! They say this is Sanmao's last work, starring Lin Qingxia and Qin Han, what a pity if we don't watch it?"

  Fang Hua hesitated for a moment and thought: Aren't we giving Dai Ping an opportunity?

  Manli looked at her and said, "You're not convinced yet? You're always either in the emergency room or stuck in the dissection lab, you should relax properly! It's all about balance, isn't it? Liang Jiahui is the same, you two have become study maniacs! Anyway, today is my birthday, so listen to me and let's go watch a movie together! If not, I'll get angry!"

  It's come to this, and not going is no longer an option. Fanghua glanced at Dai Ping, shrugged her shoulders, meaning: I've done my best. Dai Ping quickly chimed in, "Right, let's all go together! I originally invited everyone to go together anyway! The more the merrier!"

  In the end, the two-person trip that all three people had hoped for became a four-person trip.

  "Rolling Red Dust" is a romantic art film, written by San Mao with Zhang Ailing's life and love tragedy as the framework, telling the story of a woman in a chaotic world who spent her whole life for love. The tone of the entire film is sorrowful.

  Although I watched this movie before, I was still young at that time and didn't like watching sad movies. I also thought Brigitte Lin looked not so young and beautiful in this film, so after watching it, I didn't think it was very good-looking. Except for the theme song and the scene where Qin Lin danced on the balcony, there's nothing else left in my memory.

  This time she sat quietly in the cinema, the flickering light and shadow on her face during the movie projection led her soul to immerse into the atmosphere of the film and the inner world of the characters, and only then did she experience the connotation that she had not understood before.

  After finishing, Fang Hua and Man Li started discussing again. Dài Liáng and the two were all young men with a rough head, completely unable to appreciate the delicate feminine feelings in the film, they almost became listeners.

  Manli this time is basically consistent with Fanghua's point of view, although she was moved by Lin Qingxia's performance as Shen Shaohua, who embodied pure and absolute love, but neither of them supports her blindness and lack of principle.

  "Shen Shaohua, despite knowing that Zhang Nengcai is a traitor, still chooses to be with him, disregarding national righteousness. I can understand this to some extent, as many people during that chaotic era were also drifting with the tide. Moreover, Zhang Nengcai hadn't shed Chinese blood and wasn't entirely evil. As her confidant, it's not surprising she fell in love with him! However, after discovering his infidelity and lack of commitment, Shen Shaohua still weakly says 'I love you' years later, abandoning the loyal Yu Laoban who had been taking care of her, and giving away the ship ticket and chance at survival to Zhang Nengcai. This kind of love is too selfless, too unprincipled, and too humiliating, causing her to lose herself!" - Roman Li's perspective.

  Fang Hua's comment was even more piercing: "Zhang Nai is a man who, apart from his appearance and eloquence, is useless. He goes with the flow, nods and agrees, has no ability to protect his own woman, and in the end still relies on the woman's sacrifice to save himself. Shen Shaohua can't forget such a person, it can only be said that she herself is very superficial. On the other hand, Yu Laoban, who appears rough and unrefined, always shows up at Shen Shaohua's most difficult moments to rescue her, protect her, and in the end even jumps off the ship to Taiwan to accompany and take care of Shen Shaohua. Such a man is worthy of a woman's love. And yet, Shen Shaohua, who has been taken care of by Yu Laoban for many years in turbulent times, still shows no kindness or gratitude towards him, but instead treats him with disdain. To hurt another person so unscrupulously under the pretext of loving someone else is really despicable!

  Dai Ping interjected, "Don't think you're so noble just because you say nice things. If it were you, and there was a man like Old Yu who loved you very much but looked really ugly, would you accept him?"

  Manli hesitated for a moment, but Fanghua didn't hesitate at all: "Absolutely! What's the use of being handsome? After middle age, how many men don't get fat or bald? As 'Tian Long Ba' says - A real man should be judged by his character and kindness first, then by his talent and career, and thirdly by his literary and martial arts skills. Whether he is good-looking or not has nothing to do with it!"

  Manli also said: "Yes, the long is ugly, and after a long time, it will be used to. Like Zhao Chuan, very ugly, but also very gentle!"

  Dai Ping wanted to say something else, but he opened his mouth and still didn't speak.

  Liang Jiahui continued, "But isn't Yu Laoban's love also too humble? From your perspective, Shen Shaohua doesn't care about him at all and is very cruel to him. Shouldn't he have given up on this love for the sake of his own dignity?"

  Fragrance suddenly heard, really don't know how to answer, holding a hopeless love, but still have to insist on going on, is it foolish or noble?

  She finally said, "I think Shen Shaohua's love and Yu Boss's love are still different, although they both loved deeply and thoroughly. The person Shen Shaohua loves is really not a good person, not worth it. But the Shen Shaohua that Yu Boss loves, although she was cruel to Yu Boss in some ways, but she herself is basically still a kind and pure good woman, worthy of love, so Yu Boss's persistence is still affirmative."

  Dai Ping continued: "It's impossible for someone to be so rational and clear-headed when they're deeply in love! Actually, Shen Shaohua's persistence in love is quite pitiful!"

  Luomanli also nodded in agreement: "Indeed, we are all bystanders. It's easy to talk about it, but how many people can actually wield a wise sword and cut off emotional ties?"

  "So, Zhang Manyu's performance as Yuè Fèng was great. We women need to be careful. What do we need to be careful about? It means being careful to control our emotions with reason and not letting emotions dominate us. Yuè Fèng is much more lovable than Shěn Shǎohuá, she initially had a good impression of Zhāng Néngcái but as soon as she found out he was a traitor, she immediately turned against him and even cut ties with Shěn Shǎohuá. This shows that her emotions are rational and have boundaries. The love she finds is stronger than Shěn Shǎohuá's, although they both sacrificed in the end, Yuè Fèng's love is admirable, unlike Shěn Shǎohuá's confusing and entangled love."

  Roman also sighed: "I didn't expect Maggie Cheung's performance in it was actually pretty good!"

  Fang Hua thought to herself: That's natural, this is a future international superstar after all, and her acting skills are still on the rise!

  The movie "Rolling Red Dust" did not get much attention domestically at the time due to its propaganda, but the theme song sung by Chen Shu-Hua quickly became popular and became a classic karaoke song for many years.