A week later, Qi Shejiang and Zhang Yue disguised themselves and went to see “Yuan Yang Kou” together, both wearing masks and glasses, only taking them off after entering the theater. As it was a midnight showing in the last row, there was indeed no one next to them. The two of them watched the film together; having seen the footage for the music and post-production, the complete final cut was still a first for them. The music flowed, the sounds of the sanxian reverberated; first, there was a distant view of the male lead holding a black umbrella, stepping out of a teahouse. The camera pulled back and followed his footsteps forward. He slowly crossed the sky bridge, passing by street performers, artists playing drum songs, and crosstalk performers, then entered the theater, where the character Xiao Yinyue made her first appearance, and applause erupted from the audience below.
The male lead closed his umbrella and looked up, pausing for two seconds with his profile framed against the backdrop of the stage and audience. A long, gray-tinged shot lasting a full minute brought a whiff of the old times. Zhang Yue whispered in awe: “Tang Shuangqin’s visual language is really rich and delicate, and of course, the best part is still your debut.” Qi Shejiang smiled and looked at him, “Do netizens know you can speak so well?” “They don’t need to know,” Zhang Yue said proudly as he put his arm around Qi Shejiang and continued to enjoy the movie. The role of Xiao Yinyue played by Qi Shejiang laughed and cursed on the big screen; seeing the male lead in a predicament, she reached out to help. Disagreeing with the troupe owner’s views, Xiao Yinyue resolutely left and promised not to perform “Wang Qing Yu” in other troupes anymore, giving her final performance of “Wang Qing Yu” on this stage. Qi Shejiang’s acting was entirely mimetic, portraying the historical Xiao Yinyue with every smile and gesture. Many film critics later mentioned this point, stating that one must look at the recordings of Xiao Yinyue and the descriptions from others to fully appreciate Qi Shejiang’s performance.
