Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

45

Sorry, your gentle advances, I couldn't catch them gracefully.

Gu Yi was experiencing the feeling of blood running cold from her head to her toes for the first time. She laughed: "What are you talking about? Ounce has been open for so many years, how could it just close like that..."

"It might be handed over to someone else, it could turn into a bar, with separate floors for rent. The stand-up comedy might be gone. Comedy is usually the first thing cut when it comes to money, and it's normal-the first thing to be sacrificed is always the spiritual side of life."

"Can you still joke about it now?"

"I've had ups and downs recently. I've confirmed it with the boss countless times. Haven't you seen the monthly profit and loss statements? A place losing millions a year can still stay open for so long; I honestly think the boss must be out of his mind. The first floor is a bookstore, the second floor is a comedy bar. The monthly rent for the house is 120,000, the long-term rate from five years ago. Selling alcohol doesn't earn much, and nostalgia can't make up for such burning expenses."

"How can it close?!"

"Why are you mad at me?" Yu Dule frowned. "It's gone, it's gone. Think about where to go next. What's the use of being angry? The money was paid by someone else. You're just an actor on stage. Do you still have the right to complain?"

There was a moment of silence. Gu Yi had always felt this way-that hobbies were more important than work. Because in the exhausting moments of life, a little hobby could support many painful moments: high rent, overtime, lack of promotion opportunities, indifferent relationships, blank emotions, the uncertainty of turning thirty... She hadn't expected her hobby to be taken away. If Ounce closed, there wouldn't be any venues left to continue performing stand-up. The small scale of solo comedy didn't have enough of a following to provide a stable income from fixed performances. She should have realized this earlier. Her voice trembled slightly: "I treated Ounce like home. All the actors know me. Occasionally, when I got commercial gigs at Ounce, I felt like a celebrity in the entertainment industry. Can this really end?"

"Rabbit, do you know what the theme of life is at our age?" Yu Dule lit a cigarette. "Once you pass 25, what we're really fighting against is boredom. Consumption, escape, new loves replacing old ones... Some people are just trying to survive, others are trying to stay young. We have the right to treat Ounce as a safe haven, but the boss also has the right to take back the capital and do other things. It's time to look forward. Look, our jokes aren't even that funny, are they?"

Yu Dule wasn't wrong. She had been relying on her hobby to support the pressure of her job, so much so that she had forgotten it was a form of unstable joy. Without open mics, she could easily try the gigs that actually paid, or write jokes for variety shows, but she wouldn't be happy. Why was it that whether it was work or hobbies, society always had to teach her a harsh lesson? She laughed while wiping away tears: "Then why ask me if you can use my jokes? The venue's gone, after all..."

"It's not like there are no other places to go." Yu Dule kept smoking, one cigarette after another. "Always be prepared, Rabbit. Being niche doesn't mean it's dying. It's about surviving strongly, then more opportunities will come."

How ridiculous. She didn't know why, but it just felt absurd. She pointed at the stairs: "Our lives might be just like these stairs. We stand up, slip and fall. If we're lucky, we just stumble down a couple of steps. But if we're unlucky, we'll roll all the way down, bruised and battered. Why? Because what we do is 'entertainment'? Is that why we're pushed away everywhere? Because we're not in high demand and have to pay, so we're expendable?"

Yu Dule held Gu Yi's head and stood up. "Don't have this kind of reflection, or you'll often doubt your life's value. You should go home now. You have work tomorrow. I need to make a financial report for the boss."