"That's incredible!" an exclamation rang out from Richard's room.
Kyle and Grace, the siblings, had heard from Steve why they hadn't come to New York the moment their vacation started. They were shocked to learn that they had been expanding a business in a small town and had earned a staggering amount of money.
"I'm curious, how did you attract so many customers?" Kyle was very interested. He heard that the revenue of Richard's small tea shop had reached nearly ten thousand in just a few days, and this was an achievement created in a small town of only about a thousand people.
"That brings us to a certain movie," Steve said slowly, wearing a mysterious smile.
Both Grace and Kyle were stunned. Grace asked blankly, "How does this involve a movie?"
So, Steve heartily recounted how he and his partners got their indie film shown in the small town theater, and how the movie was then picked up by a major film distributor. Seeing his cousins' dumbfounded expressions, he felt a wave of satisfaction. As a 'loser' who usually had a mess of grades at school, he finally felt like he was holding his head high.
"Is what you're saying true or false?" Kyle found it hard to believe.
"Although this goes against the confidentiality agreement with the distributor, if you're willing to promise to keep it a secret and have the interest and courage to watch a horror film, then it would be my honor to lead everyone through the original footage." Richard pulled a videotape from his luggage and said with a smile.
The confident manner of Richard and Steve made the siblings, Kyle and Grace, begin to believe it was true.
Young people are always quick to act. Steve and Kyle ran to the third-floor warehouse to find a projector and moved it to Richard's room. After quickly connecting the equipment, they immediately started playing the film.
When Steve's figure appeared on the videotape, the siblings' last trace of doubt was completely dispelled. They gradually became immersed in the unique filming style, entering the mockumentary story through the shaky camera lens... During the nearly two-hour screening of the original film, screams and shouts from the young men and women echoed through the Harrington Villa from time to time. The insulation of the old house was not very good, and the harrington family members in the living room downstairs could clearly hear the noisy sounds of the youngsters.
His granddaughter's cute screams were clearly audible, and Old Man Harrington said with a chuckle, "Young people get along so easily and happily; they've become so close in such a short time."
"That Chinese kid has quite a few tricks up his sleeve," Steves paternal uncles wife sneered, her expression seemingly questioning the taste of Steve's aunt's children.
Steve's paternal aunt looked apologetic and embarrassed. "Sorry, Dad, I should go upstairs and remind Grace and the others."
Steve's mother also felt it necessary to remind the boys and girls upstairs to be a bit quieter, but Old Man Harrington smiled faintly and tapped his cane, making a sound to stop them. He said, "We elders shouldn't disturb the rare fun of the youngsters. In this old villa, there isn't much entertainment that young people find interesting. I actually find it quite amusing to hear them making such a fuss, don't you?"
"You're right, Dad," Steve's parents immediately echoed, and the other children bowed their heads in agreement upon hearing this.
In this large house, the person with the most authority was still the elderly Old Man Harrington. Everyone in the large family still had to watch his expressions.
"Oh my God, Steve, you died so horribly!" Suddenly, Grace's loud scream came from upstairs.
"Calm down, Grace, it's just a movie!" Steve's voice followed immediately.
The people downstairs looked at each other, wondering what on earth was going on upstairs.
"I'll go take a look," said a handsome young man with slicked-back hair as he stood up. He was the only son of Steves paternal uncle.
"Then I'll leave it to you, as their older brother, to go check on them, William," Steves paternal uncle said in a deep voice. "You must properly teach some people the etiquette of our harrington family."
"Yes." The young man with the slicked hair nodded respectfully to his father and turned to leave the living room.
A moment later, William's voice could indeed be heard upstairs scolding his younger siblings: "Hey guys, watch your volume..."
"William, shut up!" Before William's voice could even rise, Grace and the others, who were already immersed in the movie's plot, immediately shouted back.
William: "...I, I just wanted to remind you to watch your volume."
"Stop talking. Since you're here, sit down and watch with us."
"...Oh."
Listening to the commotion upstairs, the atmosphere in the living room once again became strangely silent. Steves paternal uncle's family received odd looks from their siblings.
"William did a great job," Steve's father said with a chuckle.
Hearing this lighthearted remark, Steves paternal uncle and his wife blushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed. With their old father present, they were angry but dared not speak... After the movie ended, Grace ran excitedly from upstairs back to the living room. She first threw herself into her mother's arms, then went to Old Man Harrington's side, grabbed his wrinkled old hand, and said excitedly, "Mom, Grandpa, you won't believe what an amazing thing Steve and Chade have done."
"Psh, you're exaggerating." Steve, who followed her into the living room, adopted the humble attitude Richard often showed, though his eyes were full of smugness.
Returning to the living room, Richard nodded to the old man again in greeting, meeting his gaze with a smile.
Walking at the very back was William, who looked somewhat lost and was questioning his life after watching the film. He only knew that his cousin's and his friend's names appeared in the final credits. That movie, which seemed so unique in style and so immersive, was actually the work of his unremarkable cousin.
How could he believe this? Did he have to admit that Steve actually had such an outstanding side?
"Oh? Steve, Richard, can you tell us what amazing thing you did that made Grace and Kevin so full of praise?" Old Man Harrington became interested, looking quite intrigued.
Steve and Richard glanced at each other. At Richard's signal, Steve recounted their achievements over the past few days once more, this time in even greater and more vivid detail.
After hearing Steve and Richard's entrepreneurial story, Old Man Harrington was silent at first, then burst into a fit of hearty laughter, laughing until he couldn't help but cough. Assisted by his children, he said while laughing, "Good, good. It sounds truly interesting. Steve, Richard, I look forward to your future. William, Grace, Kyle, I also hope you can all work hard to shine in your respective areas of expertise."
Hearing the old man's praise for Steve and Richard, the faces of Steves paternal uncle and his wife were very unsightly. At the same time, they were extremely dissatisfied with their son's previous performance and gave William a dark glare.
All in all, Richard finally began to slowly integrate into the harrington family's vacation life. During the casual chats in the living room, the old man often looked after Richard, asking insignificant questions that helped bridge the distance. Richard was able to answer fluently and speak naturally, which raised the old man's impression of him by several notches.
As night fell and the banquet ended, wind and snow began to fall outside. The young people's plans to go out were thwarted, so they could only spend time playing games in the second-floor tea room to pass the time.
When it was almost time for the old man to sleep, everyone returned to their rooms.
As Richard and Grace went down to the tea room to get hot water, the phone in the corner of the villa's hallway suddenly rang.
"What's going on? It's so late, who would be calling?" Grace frowned and picked up the phone while holding her cup.
Richard didn't think much of it, but he noticed that the moment Grace picked up the phone, the light bulb hanging above it flickered strangely, accompanied by a distinct sound of electrical static.
Richard's God's Ear twitched slightly, and he heard a faint woman's voice coming from Grace's receiver: "I am... Marcia... gigi—"
Vaguely, he seemed to hear a strange laughter as well.