Chapter 446 - 427: The Final Blow from Jiang Xia

Chapter 446: Chapter 427: The Final Blow from Jiang Xia

January 16th, the Preliminary New Year’s Eve in the North. The almanac declared it an auspicious day for grand openings, customer appreciation, business deals, and accumulating wealth.

The premiere of the new Cat and Mouse Dragon Year movie was held as scheduled at the Yida Cinema in the Imperial Capital. The main creative team had selected a large group of loyal fans from various channels, as well as media reporters, distributors, film companies, media representatives, and film critics.

Compared to last year’s Cat and Mouse: Lucky Rabbit Year, this year’s installment featured a new director. However, the plot was far from lacking—in fact, it was excellent, once again featuring the fan-favorite dynamic of Tom and Jerry teaming up against a common foe.

As the winner of the Golden Dragon Award for Best New Director in animation, Wang Ming’s delivery of a stellar Dragon Year movie was more than enough to prove his directorial skills. It shut down the previous online rumors that he was just riding the coattails of the Cat and Mouse IP to burnish his credentials.

The audience at the preview screening roared with laughter, and the excellent score was perfectly timed. After the film, many critics gave it glowing reviews. Some cinema chain executives even promised it a 45% screen share on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It was widely believed that once officially released nationwide, its box office performance would once again leave the competition in the dust. Whether it could break last year’s record, however, was up to fate.

After the successful premiere, reviews for the Dragon Year movie began to roll in. They were uniformly full of praise for the art, plot, and music, all of which were deemed as excellent as ever. And while some suspected paid shills were at play, it was undeniable that the public had high expectations for this Lunar New Year animated film.

After all, Cat and Mouse: Lucky Rabbit Year was the current box office record holder. All eyes were on this new film to see whether it would elevate the Cat and Mouse IP to new heights or bomb spectacularly.

However, no matter how the online buzz around the Dragon Year movie developed, it didn’t have much to do with Wang Ming right now. Jiang Xia and his mom were handling everything for him.

After the premiere, he grabbed the gifts his mom had bought for him in advance and eagerly boarded a flight to Yu Du. His sweetheart was waiting for him there.

"Ying, I’m on the plane! Wait for me, my love~"

"Mm-hm! I’ll get ready and head out then. See you at the airport, silly~"

"Can I get a kiss later?"

"I’ll give you two!"

"Hehe..."

Wang Ming hung up with a goofy grin, and upon hearing the polite in-flight announcement, he switched off his phone. He turned to gaze quietly out the window, watching as the plane gradually climbed higher, leaving the ground far below and disappearing into the clouds.

Filled with sweet anticipation for what the next few hours would bring, Wang Ming, who had been up all night, slowly closed his eyes. ’It would be perfect if I wake up just as the plane is landing,’ he thought, ’and then my dear Shen Ying will come running straight into my arms.’

He slept soundly.

「Meanwhile, at Yu Du Business University.」

It was nearly the Lunar New Year, and her roommates had all gone home right after final exams, leaving Shen Ying alone in the dorm room.

She had originally planned on heading north to the Imperial Capital to visit Wang Ming, just like she did last year. But then she remembered it had been a whole year since she’d been home for the New Year, and it just wouldn’t feel right to miss it again.

But then, just two days ago, Wang Ming had suddenly told her he could accompany her home this year—to visit her parents as her boyfriend.

She’d been stunned, finding it hard to believe. The movie’s release was imminent, and he was the head director; by all rights, he should have been traveling with his team for promotional events. Yet, at this crucial juncture, Wang Ming had chosen to go with her to meet her parents.

The gesture moved Shen Ying beyond words.

She got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and applied some light makeup in the mirror. Then she began packing her bags for the trip home and washed her dirty laundry. After she was done with everything, Shen Ying thought for a moment and called her parents.

"Mom, I’m coming home today. Yeah, I bought a ticket for this afternoon. You don’t need to pick me up. It’s been so long since I’ve had your sweet and sour pork ribs, I’m really craving them, hehe... Uh-huh, I’ll be careful, don’t worry. Has it been cold at home lately...?"

She chatted with her mom for a while, hesitating over whether to mention she was dating someone and that her boyfriend planned to come home with her. In the end, she decided it was better to tell her in person.

After all, it wasn’t the kind of conversation she wanted to have over the phone; there were too many details that would be hard to explain quickly.

Seeing it was about time to leave and that her phone was fully charged, Shen Ying grabbed her suitcase, left the university, and boarded the light rail heading to Jiangbei Airport.

At 1:20 PM, the roar of engines filled the air as the plane touched down on the runway. Wang Ming was woken by the flight attendant’s gentle voice over the intercom.

He rubbed his tired eyes and looked out the window to see the smooth tarmac of the runway. He’d slept through the whole flight, and the plane had already landed safely. The thought that he was about to see his beloved Shen Ying made his heart swell with excitement.

He turned on his phone and saw several messages from Shen Ying that had come in during the flight. He replied to them one by one.

"Ying, the plane has landed!"

"I had the premiere last night and didn’t sleep a wink. I slept on the plane, which helped get me through the agonizing four-hour wait. I’m just so happy that I get to see you the moment I wake up!"

"Just wait for me in the arrivals hall. I’ll be there in a minute."

"And lastly, I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you I miss you!"

The plane finally came to a complete stop. Wang Ming grabbed his bag from the overhead compartment, followed the crowd toward the arrivals hall, and rode the escalator down. As he descended, he immediately spotted a beautiful girl looking around expectantly.

He watched her quietly, saying nothing, until their gazes met across the hall.

Joyful smiles bloomed on both their faces at the same time.

"Ying, sorry to keep you waiting," Wang Ming said, standing before Shen Ying, his eyes crinkling with a smile.