"Gloria... Gloria!"
A voice called out, pulling Gloria's focus back to the ground. Her brain, which had felt like mush, gradually beca clear, and she regained her senses.
Turning her head, Gloria saw Elaine's face, filled with excitent and enthusiasm, her cheeks flushed, and a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.
As her vision focused again, Gloria's lips curled into a smile, and the first thought that ca to her mind was, "Wow."
A single exclamation.
Although she didn't say much, Elaine sohow understood and nodded repeatedly.
"Yes. Wow!"
"Oh my God, can you imagine?"
Gloria grinned happily, "Did you like it?"
Elaine nodded frantically, "Like it? Of course I liked it. I absolutely loved it."
Gloria's eyes brightened too, " too..." She paused slightly, "I thought I would love Michael's entrance at the ball the most. Jesus Christ, at that mont, I literally forgot to breathe..."
"Yes, yes, yes," Elaine nodded like a bobblehead, her eyes full of hearts, "Really, he's like a prince!"
Gloria continued, "But in fact, what impressed the most was the scene where Michael, wearing the mask, rejected Mia. Wow, I an, did you notice his eyes? Even though we couldn't see his face or expression, you could still sense his emotions through his eyes."
"Who would have thought that such a mont could exist in this kind of movie?"
As Gloria spoke, she suddenly noticed—
Around her, a small crowd had silently gathered.
Including Elaine, everyone was nodding vigorously, showing expressions of finding a kindred spirit, their eyes reflecting the sa emotions of joy and excitent.
Although movies like "The Princess Diaries" always had a market, and Garry Marshall had already proven himself with "Pretty Woman" and "Runaway Bride," objectively speaking, films of this genre often followed the sa patterns, with similar plots repeating endlessly, lacking innovation.
Of course, "The Princess Diaries" was no exception. This story of a teenager's growth was far from innovative, let alone a classic. From Mia's transformation from an ugly duckling to Michael's grand entrance, the sa core was just repackaged.
It was good, but ultimately familiar.
However!
No one expected the film to contain such a scene, cleverly using a small prop to change the atmosphere, delicately and complexly presenting more layered and profound emotions.
It inevitably reminded people of the 1996 version of "Roo and Juliet," where Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes exchanged glances through a fish tank, a mont so quiet and brilliant that it beca an eternal highlight of the film.
"The Princess Diaries" had a similar effect. The mask covered the expression, but it made the eyes shine, instantly elevating the film to a higher level.
Unfortunately, Michael's act of "forgiving" Mia later was too simple and abrupt, leaving the character arc less fulfilled.
Still, they couldn't ask for more. After all, Garry Marshall was never known for his whimsical ideas, and this scene alone was enough to astonish.
It was precisely this brief mont that pushed "The Princess Diaries" beyond an ordinary genre film, offering more possibilities.
Clearly, Gloria wasn't the only audience mber who noticed this mont.
This realization filled Gloria with joy, her chest swelling with happiness, "Ah, I want to watch it again right now."
Looking around, she saw a group of people nodding madly like prairie dogs, their eyes full of uncontrollable excitent and enthusiasm—
All along, Gloria had always been fickle and had a short attention span. She didn't mind and never denied it, believing that it wasn't about being unfaithful but rather about having a broad love. She could like many people, and whenever she did, she was genuine and gave all her passion.
There was no contradiction in that.
And Anson was no exception.
However, today was different.
Even Gloria hadn't anticipated that, even after the movie ended, the masked scene remained deeply etched in her mind, impossible to forget.
Everything felt different, a tremor from the depths of her soul lingering on.
Gloria had a feeling that sothing had quietly changed.
Then.
Gloria noticed Elaine's eyes, clear and bright, with a touch of innocence, as if stepping into an entirely new world:
It was indeed the first ti for them.
For the first ti, they believed that their princess dreams could beco reality; for the first ti, they saw a truly perfect prince on the big screen.
It was also the first ti that they completely blurred the line between fantasy and reality, remaining in a dreamlike state even after the movie had ended.
Involuntarily and uncontrollably, Gloria beca just as excited.
In the past, when a movie ended, it simply ended; the giddy happiness stayed in the theater. But today, the overwhelming emotions in her mind and the burning excitent in her chest couldn't be suppressed. Words couldn't express even a fraction of her happiness, which ultimately turned into an impulse.
The impulse to scream.
"Ah!"
With a scream, a smile spread across Gloria's face as she burst into laughter. She looked at Elaine, and the two exchanged glances before screaming together.
"Ahhhh!"
Compared to words, this way of expressing themselves was simpler, more direct, and more passionate. The boiling excitent and enthusiasm in their blood poured out in this manner.
Around them, the excitent spread and surged, spilling onto Hollywood Boulevard.
The night deepened, but the celebration at the entrance of the Chieftain Theater had only just begun.
...
In fact, it wasn't just at the Chieftain Theater. When Anson returned ho, he was greeted by a night of revelry as well.
A premiere for them, a party for them, had officially begun.
"Ugh."
Waking up with a hangover, his head throbbed painfully, and the entire world buzzed loudly. Anson sat dazedly on his bed, his focus scattered, with every muscle in his body protesting in agony, feeling utterly drained.
For a mont, he was in a daze—
The applause and cheers from last night seed to still echo in his ears, the crowd and dia forming layers upon layers around them.
In that mont, it was as if they were standing at the center of the world.
But with a turn, all the cheers, all the excitent, and all the people vanished, as if it had all been a dream. Though it felt real, it had never actually happened.
The current discomfort and soreness pulled him back to reality, where all was quiet, empty, and unchanged.
So, what was real, and what was false?
This, it turned out, was the true nature of the fa ga—
Besides the headache and dry mouth, there was only a buzzing echo vibrating in his eardrums, yet nothing could be grasped or felt, leaving him to fall into an endless void.
Bang!
A burst echoed in the air, his heart skipped a beat, and for a mont, he couldn't tell if it was his eardrum bursting or if the sky had torn open.
Maybe, it was neither.
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