Super Zoo-Chapter 767 - 746 People Float in Affairs

Old residents of Yangchuan City were no strangers to Changhe Cinema, it being one of the first movie theaters in Yangchuan City. Over twenty years ago, with only three cinemas in Yangchuan, Changhe Cinema was among them.

It boasted two large screening rooms, one auditorium, and four small screening rooms, which at the time was considered a 'super luxurious' setup. Even by today's standards, it would rank well among the dozens of cinemas across Yangchuan City.

It was said that in the early 90s, Changhe Cinema hosted many of the city government's meetings and celebratory events, big and small.

When one mentioned Changhe Cinema, the older generation would immediately think of the venerable state-owned enterprise, Changhe Color TV Factory.

That's because Changhe Cinema was a subsidiary of the Changhe Color TV Factory, built as an employee benefit and a symbol of corporate image.

In the early 90s, the national electrical appliance industry was booming, and the Changhe Color TV Factory rode the wave, importing six color TV production lines from abroad all at once. Within a few short years, they quickly became a nationally renowned colossus in the color TV industry.

It was thanks to the almost wanton investment of the Changhe Color TV Factory that the Changhe Cinema could be so dominant back in the day.

As times and circumstances changed, the domestic color TV market gradually became saturated. Foreign brands flooded into the country, revealing the disadvantages of rough-hewn development. Plus, with the rise of the internet, the younger generation's reliance on television decreased. Changhe Color TV Factory's decline was like music dying away after the festival—each year worse than the last. Once a model enterprise for national publicity, it took a downturn and finally announced its closure in 2010.

After the final asset liquidation, all of Changhe Company's assets and funds on the books were not enough to settle the debts, and the only thing left was Changhe Cinema. Because the last few factory leaders simply couldn't afford to maintain the cinema or bother with this side business, they simply contracted it out.

After several years, the Changhe Color TV Factory completely vanished from the annals of history, leaving only this cinema as the remnant of the once 'Changhe Group'.

Without the support of Changhe Color TV, Changhe Cinema's operation didn't fare any better. With outdated equipment, redundant staff, and a lagging sense of service competition, it became a marginal player in Yangchuan's cinema scene. Most of those who visited to watch a movie were residents living nearby, drawn by convenience and low prices.

Suming and Hou Longtao walked up the concrete steps to the entrance of the cinema. The spacious hall was quiet, with a couple of rows of brown, outdated sofas holding just a few customers. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Just as Hou Longtao was about to phone Mr. Wu from the cinema to inform him of their arrival, Suming shook his head and said, "Let's have a cigarette first, sit for a while before we talk."

Hou Longtao paused, then quickly understood.

If Mr. Wu came, he would surely pick only the good things to say, and they may not see the true state of the cinema.

Each man lit a cigarette and sat down on the sofa. Above their heads hung a 'No Smoking' sign, yet the few uniformed staff members in the lobby acted as if they saw nothing, with none coming to intervene.

A young couple, seemingly having bought their tickets through a group deal, handed their phone to the ticket seller. The seller was a woman in her forties, who was busy discussing someone's daughter who was still unmarried at over thirty, speaking with such force that disdainful 'tsk tsk' sounds were audible.

Seeing the phone being passed to them, both women seemed confused about what to do with it. One of them turned around and called to someone in the main control room, "Zhang, come have a look, we've got some group purchase tickets..."

From the control room, a young man in his twenties rushed out hastily. He wasn't in uniform and his hair was a mess. He quickly entered the group purchase code from the phone into the ticketing screen, set the phone down as if he couldn't wait to be done with it, and darted back to the control room to sit at the computer.

Suming tilted his head and saw that the computer screen displayed a Magical Beast game, right in the middle of a team raid.

The young couple had finished buying their tickets and turned to a side counter to buy popcorn and drinks.

The popcorn vendor, a girl also in her twenties, wore a uniform with her hair dyed a golden brown and adorned with an array of bizarre metal rings on her fingers as if she played death metal music.

Leaning against a glass showcase, she was engrossed in her phone. When asked for popcorn, she didn't even look up as she said, "Large is fifteen, medium twelve, small ten. It's all pre-packed on the side, help yourselves."

"Do you have any cola?" the boy asked.

The sales clerk tapped the shelf impatiently with a finger, "Can't you see? They're all here, five yuan a bottle."

The boy's face sank, and he was about to say something when the girl tugged at him, so he didn't say much more. He told the girl, 'Wait for me a minute,' then turned and ran to the entrance. Soon after, he returned with two bottles of Coke, probably bought from the neighboring convenience store.

The two people holding the drinks entered the viewing corridor, and the person responsible for checking tickets seemed not to even look. He casually tore off a piece of each ticket without a word and pointed toward the pitch-dark corridor, continuing to half-sit on the ticket counter, lost in thought.

"Fuck..." Hou Longtao was astonished. Was the service at this cinema always so perfunctory?

"Let's go inside and see," Suming smiled, not surprised at all. If the service and equipment here were first-class, how could it become a target for his acquisition?

After buying tickets, Hou Longtao instinctively prepared to buy popcorn, picking up a box before remembering that they weren't really there to watch a movie. Why buy popcorn? So, he put the box back in its place.

The clerk, who had been on her phone, was nonetheless observant, and started yelling at Hou Longtao, "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? No refunds!"

"I didn't buy it," Hou Longtao pointed to the box of popcorn. "The box is still sealed. I just picked it up to look at it; it doesn't affect your secondary sales."

"I don't care, if you picked it up, you have to buy it."

Hou Longtao was about to say more when Suming directly took out fifty yuan from his bag and passed it over, not having the time to fuss with these people.

The sales clerk glanced over with disdain and said, "I don't have change."

"Don't bother with the change," Suming said with a wave of his hand, showing his impatience, and turned to walk into the screening corridor.

"Putting on airs? Fuck!" the female clerk muttered behind them.

On Saturday afternoon, the largest screening room was showing a well-reviewed foreign film. The audience was sparse, with less than twenty percent of seats occupied.

The seats and carpets were very worn, and the floor was littered with drink bottles and sunflower seed shells left by the previous audience, probably waiting to be cleaned until the end of the day's screenings.

The only consolation was that the viewing experience was still decent. It couldn't compare to the giant screens with surround sound, and watching big productions that relied on special effects would definitely leave something to be desired, but it was passable for regular movies.

After watching for about fifteen minutes, Suming and Hou Longtao left the screening room and toured around a few other viewing rooms, finding them much the same. The small theater that could double as an auditorium was empty and dusty both on the floor and the stage.

The two men wandered backstage and went unchallenged.

"Alright, let's call Mr. Wu," Suming said.

Suming and Hou Longtao walked out and sat down again on the sofa, waiting for Mr. Wu to join them.

Suming casually lit a cigarette, and before he could take a drag, this time someone noticed.

The popcorn clerk who had been on her phone pointed at Suming from across the counter with a finger adorned with heavy metal rings, shouting, "What are you looking at? I'm talking to you! Can't you read? Didn't you see the no-smoking sign?!"