That shining and stunning person, because of that accident, completely exited the stage.
The movie did not emphasize much on treatment and pain. When the screen lit up again, with a quick turn of the camera, it had been over half a year since the accident.
She recovered quickly, but the once bright and charming appearance was now completely wrapped in layers of gauze. Not only were the wounds wrapped in gauze, but also buried within was Lin Jingque’s heart.
Anyone who paid a little attention to the entertainment industry knew that all news about this queen abruptly stopped when she was thirty-three years old. Unfinished tours, uncompleted plans, missed award ceremonies, all permanently postponed.
It was as if she evaporated from the earth, and people could no longer get any news about her, good or bad, nothing at all.
And these long-forgotten old stories, as if decades of Queen Lin’s time had been stolen, finally appeared one by one in this movie to the public and her former fans.
After the stage accident, Lin Jingque suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and completely closed herself off, unwilling to have any contact with the outside world.
The scenes followed Lin Jingque’s emotional state, extremely messy, like a broken mural, pieced together in a haphazard way but still unable to conceal deep cracks.
All shots were completed independently by Lin Jingque’s image. In this movie, whether she was beautiful and stunning, covered in bandages and scars, shining brightly, or silent, throughout the movie, the vivid image was only her.
If the first half of the movie used the most gorgeous colors to match her stunning appearance, then after that accident, the tone of the film turned cold. In large expanses of white and black, she was also gray-white, no longer radiant.
Except for Lin Jingque, none of the characters appeared with their faces shown, only their backs and voices with different tones.
Among these voices, the most frequent was not Lin Jingque’s voice, but a deep and gentle male voice.
“Good morning, good afternoon, good night.”
“The moonlight is beautiful. Do you want to go out for a walk?”
“What shall we eat for lunch?”
“Are we going to paint together today?”
…
That voice, gentle and slow, carried a full taste of sunshine. After Lin Jingque’s clear voice stopped abruptly, most of the remaining duration of the movie was completed by this extremely warm tone.
Initially, Xu Wei did not know who the owner of this male voice was, until she saw a diary. From the diary, she found out that the owner of the voice was Mr. Zhuang, Queen Lin’s childhood sweetheart and lover.
If this were an inspirational movie, then even after such a devastating blow, the protagonist would quickly recover and continue to face life positively.
Unfortunately, this movie was not like that. It was a documentary, faithfully portraying all the events based on the characters’ real states at the time, without exaggeration or excessive beautification.
Physical wounds may heal, but psychological wounds worsen with the passage of time.
She started needing medication to fall asleep. The black hair that she had grown with great difficulty was falling out in handfuls due to excessive intake of drugs. The originally clear white curtains in the room were replaced with heavy blackout curtains.
Pain and psychological disorders plunged her into a long period of self-torment, even to the point of self-harm at times.
Despite the terrible situation, despite the daily pain, she resiliently endured this painful and agonizing time with the company and attentive care of her husband.
After her recovery, with her husband’s support, Lin Jingque became passionate about various charitable causes. Accompanied by her husband, she personally visited many impoverished mountainous areas and built schools there, offering free education to local children.
In Lin Jingque’s name, her husband established many foundations, nearly exhausting the family’s wealth.
The Lin Jingque who emerged from the shadows seemed unchanged from before. Even though her appearance had changed, even though she was covered in scars, she remained gentle and radiant, full of goodwill towards the world.
Yet, something seemed different. That sunny and shining girl, at some point, started wearing thick masks and large sunglasses that covered half of her face wherever she went.
She abandoned the cool and beautiful clothes she once wore, opting instead for thick long shirts and pants that covered every inch of her skin, in all seasons, spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
During the filming of this segment, the movie’s filming technique underwent a third change.
From the moment she put on her mask and sunglasses, dressed in long sleeves and pants wrapping herself up, and stepped out of the room, the originally gray-white background suddenly regained its bright colors.
However, this time, amidst the full screen of bright colors, that gray-white figure appeared even more abrupt, as if it did not belong to the surroundings.
Lin Jingque loved children very much. Every time she was with children, she seemed much happier, reminiscent of her former lively self.
But she and her husband never had children throughout their lives. They dedicated their remaining years to charity work. Although her throat, damaged by concentrated sulfuric acid, could now produce simple sounds, she could no longer sing. She began learning to paint with her husband.
One of her eyes was completely blinded by the accident, while the other eye, though not blind, suffered some damage to its vision.
As Xu Wei watched her struggle to distinguish watercolor shades with a paintbrush in her hand, she lost count of how many times she had cried since the movie began.
It wasn’t just her being emotional; this movie was truly tear-jerking. The real-life stories, combined with the director’s attention to detail and the visuals, made people’s eyes well up uncontrollably.
Seeing Lin Jingque interacting with children on the screen, reaching out to touch but then hesitantly pulling back, Xu Wei tried to grab a tissue, only to find the whole pack had been used up.
After fumbling in her bag in the dark for a while, she finally found spare tissues, took one out intending to wipe her tears, but caught sight of an elderly man sitting nearby with tearful eyes.
Xu Wei paused, took out a clean tissue from her bag, and cautiously handed it to the old man.
The old man hesitated, then reached out his trembling hand to accept the tissue, thanking Xu Wei, “Thank you.”
The movie, just two hours long, portrayed a person’s entire life.
In the final stage of life, due to illness, Queen Lin spent almost half of her time in the hospital. In the last few days, she packed her things and returned to her long-lost home with her husband.
It was a clear morning, and Lin Jingque sat in a wicker chair, sunlight streaming through the window, warming and brightening her.
Bathed in the sunlight after half the movie in gray-white tones, the halo shining on her face covered by a large mask looked beautiful.
She turned her head, looked at her husband who had accompanied her through her entire life, waved to him, and when Mr. Zhuang approached, she whispered something in his ear.
Her voice was so soft, seemingly a secret only between the two of them, unknown even to the audience outside the camera.
An era came to a serene end with Lin Jingque concluding her journey through life.
As Lin Jingque’s life came to an end, so too did the diary her husband, Zhuang Shaohua, had faithfully kept for many years.
“2171.6.26, my wife Jingque, after years of silence due to illness, you spoke to me for the first time. You asked me if your voice was hard to listen to. Of course not. When I heard you call my name, I was so moved that I almost cried.”
“2171.8.14, my wife Jingque, a few days ago you mentioned you wanted to learn painting from me. I bought many paints, searched the attic for a long time, and finally found the old textbooks. I wonder if you remember, those textbooks were ones you helped me pick out.”
“2172.5.3, my wife Jingque, in recent days, your condition worsened, and your emotions have become very unstable. Yesterday, while cleaning the room, I found a small knife under the bed. It was the one I gave you for sharpening pencils, but it was stained with dried blood. I can’t describe my emotions at that moment. I wanted to ask you about it, but when I stood in front of you, all I felt was heartache and helplessness, unable to utter a complete sentence.”
“2173.5.23, my wife Jingque, your condition has deteriorated, and self-harm incidents have become more frequent. This morning, you cried and told me that you were tired and in pain, asking if I could set you free. I’m sorry, I fell silent.”
“I know you’re struggling, I do, but please forgive my selfishness. I… I really can’t do it.”
The writing was somewhat messy, and from the messy handwriting, one could almost feel the pain of the person writing this diary.
…
“2175.7.21, my wife Jingque, a few days ago we visited the Yunhua Village in Huating Mountain of T County in J City. The people here are simple and hospitable, and it was clear you liked it there. Upon our return, you expressed a desire to build a school there. I happily agreed and immediately started the necessary procedures. If all goes well, we can probably start construction after the new year, and we can go back together to see it.”
“2179.11.6, my wife Jingque, today we revisited the place where we once went. It’s been four years. You said that Yunhua Village had changed a lot. We visited the school together—it has spacious and bright classrooms and a large playground. When we arrived, the students were in class, and you didn’t want to disturb them, so we left after watching from afar for a while. But to our surprise, the students noticed us as soon as the bell rang, and they surrounded us with words of gratitude.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you in such a flustered state, you’re as cute as ever.”
“2186.9.24, my wife Jingque, today marks the completion of our 52nd Dashan Elementary School and the 15th anniversary of our charity foundation. Over these years, we have done many things, traveled a long road, met many different people. Watching you gradually brighten up during this journey, I couldn’t be happier.”
…
“2193.7.12, my wife Jingque, today marks the second month since you’ve been in the hospital, and it’s also your birthday. I went to the flower shop early, wanting to buy a bouquet of flowers for you. But faced with the dazzling array of flowers, I struggled to decide, a hundred varieties, not knowing which one could match you.”
“With the help of the shop assistant, I personally arranged a bouquet for you. Holding the flowers on the way, I felt like a young man going on a date with his beloved for the first time, anxious and excited. I was looking forward to your reaction when seeing the flowers, but I was also worried about whether you would like them. Luckily, when I handed you the flowers, you smiled, sniffed the bouquet, and said you really liked it.”
“2196.8.8, my wife Jingque, a few days ago when we were painting together in the studio, you suddenly told me you felt dizzy. I took you to the hospital for a routine check-up, thinking it would be a quick visit. But who would have thought you’d stay for over a month. Nevertheless, there’s no need to panic. The doctor said you were recovering quickly, and it won’t be long before you’re discharged. When that time comes, we can paint together again.”
…
“2199.11.21, my wife Jingque, this afternoon while we were chatting, you tugged at my sleeve and said you wanted to go home.”
“I know, we don’t have much time left. Even though we’ve been mentally prepared for this, and you’ve talked to me many times about death and saying goodbye, when the day of parting is almost here, I can’t help but feel a bit sad.”
“I wish time could stand still forever, but I know it’s impossible, just like you can’t stay by my side forever. I know.”
“2200.1.3, my wife Jingque, after days of heavy snow, the sun has finally come out today following a long period of darkness. I carried you to your favorite wicker chair to bask in the sun.”
“You took off your thick mask and glasses. When the sunlight filtered through the snow-covered window and landed on your face, I was momentarily stunned, feeling that you looked stunning with the snow and sunlight outside the window.”
“I felt some joy, but more so sadness. Joy that after many years, you finally agreed to remove these barriers in front of me, and sadness that I’m seeing you like this only to part ways soon.”
“You waved to me, your warm breath brushing against my ear. I heard you softly ask me, ‘Am I beautiful?'”
“Beautiful.”
“More than beautiful, it should be the most beautiful.”
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