I love you, something that nobody would question. But there's nothing,

nothing . . . I thought about that evening on the roof. You were sleeping

like a child, breathing very lightly, very peacefully. I was admiring you,

shamelessly looking at you, and drew near to you. I greedily drew each of

your breaths into my lungs. That was summer. Outside it was very peaceful,

like we were the only two people in the world. I grew euphoric from your

breaths. In my heart I thought that we were one. A person can live on carbon

dioxide as long as there is love.

Act XVI

(Malu's house, night)

Malu: One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep . . . . . . I'm always

waiting, always trying to fall asleep, just like that young man with the

nightmare. How do we know that our daily life isn't being dreamt from

another bed in another world? If you could only stand before me once more;

If I could only hold you in my arms once more, I would rather sleep forever

than be awake. Sleep . . . . . . Seven sheep, eight sheep, nine sheep . . .

. . .

(Mingming appears in front of Malu's bed.)

Malu: You've come. This really must be a dream. Fine with me.

(Malu suddenly grabs hold of Mingming and shouts)

Malu: I am having a dream! I am having a dream!

Mingming: What are you doing?

Malu: You're here? Don't leave me, never leave me! Never!

Act XVII

Daxian: Nothing but a tall tale, just like Casanova. Is Malu the only one in

the world with urges? So what, the rest of us just have to satisfy

ourselves?

Heizi: Every evening he goes to attend a computer class.

Toothbrush: And English classes.

Heizi: On Sundays he goes to driving school.

Toothbrush: Everyday he carries his briefcase to work.

Heizi: He wrote a proposal to the zoo director for a computer to help him

monitor the rhinos.

Daxian: With an appended version in English.

Toothbrush: He probably wears a suit when he gives the rhino a bath!

Daxian: He also composes poems.

Heizi: He also plays the piano.

Toothbrush: Chews gum.

Daxian: Sings serenades.

Heizi: Always changes his socks.

Toothbrush: Takes a daily bath.

The Crowd: It's completely insane!

Toothbrush: We must help him or he's done for.

Heizi: I've encouraged him to relax, but he said he's never lived like this

before. He told me to take it easy. He said that eventually I would also

meet a woman whose beauty would kill me. That worried me, because I'm afraid

that no one will ever want to kill me for as long as I live.

Daxian: This is our good fortune. Don't be influenced by Malu's misleading

comments. Love is like a comedy, sports, pop music -- they're all pretty

much the same: to make people happy and relaxed.

(Hong Hong and Lily enter.)

Hong Hong and Lily: Hi. We're Hong Hong and Lily.

Daxian: Who are you?

Hong Hong: What would a love story have to say if it were all happy and

relaxing from the beginning to the end? What would be interesting about a

soap opera then? And then, what would we have to do each evening?

Lily: In brief: You love him, he doesn't love you. He loves you, you don't

love him. Two people who fall in love are doomed to separate.

Daxian: Do you two work for a television station?

Hong Hong and Lily: We're Hong Hong and Lily.

Toothbrush: It's what I've been looking for.

Daxian: What?

Toothbrush: Something to treat Malu's sickness with.

Heizi: They're too much! He's not that sick.

Toothbrush: Pick one that suits Malu.

Heizi: Another one?

Toothbrush: It depends on which one Malu prefers. (Claps) Attention. Pay

attention. Would the two candidates please prepare themselves, the

performance is about to start. The plot of the soap opera is this: One

character is called Malu. He's a young man who has fallen in love with his

beautiful neighbour, a young secretary.

Hong Hong: Name?

Toothbrush: Malu.

Lily: We mean the secretary's name.

Toothbrush: Who cares what she's called?

Heizi: Mingming, her name is Mingming.

Toothbrush: (Shoots Heizi a look) Malu has fallen in love with Mingming, but

Mingming doesn't love him.

Hong Hong: She loves another person, but that person does not love her.

Heizi: How did you know?

Lily: All soap operas are like that.

Toothbrush: Malu is in a lot of pain. It nearly drives him crazy. The

question in front of us is how should Malu's character plot develop?

(Hong Hong and Lily simultaneously buzz in to answer.)

Hong Hong: He meets a good girl who always cares for him . . . . . .

Lily: . . . . . . Helps him. Warm up his frozen heart again. . . . . . .

Hong Hong: It's a rainy day. The girl goes to deliver Malu some food. She

slips and falls on the road, injuring her leg . . . . . .

Lily: It's a snowy day. Malu is knocked down by a truck as he rushes into

the street to save a young childЎK

Hong Hong: The girl drags herself on her injured leg to Malu. Malu is moved

by the girl covered in mud. He grasps her hand . . . . . . .

Lily: Malu remains unconscious in the hospital. He mutters Mingming's name.

We wait for him to open his eyes. He slowly raises his eyelids and finds

another girl beside him... ...

Hong Hong: This is where another emotional plot twist begins. At this moment

there's an unexpected event. . . . . . .

Lily: The girl has been watching over him for three days without resting her

eyes. Malu's heart is filled by another kind of love, but there are many

setbacks before their love is fulfilled . . . . . .

Daxian: You're both masters.

Heizi: Could we hear one first, then the other?

Toothbrush: What are we judging on? They're equally matched.

Daxian: The decision is really tough.

Heizi: I thought that the story where Malu rescues the child and is knocked

down by the truck wasn't described well.

Lily: What do you mean it wasn't described well? Close-up of a honking

truck. Cut to the panic-stricken face of a child. Cut to Malu pushing the

child out of the frame followed by a sharp braking sound. Cut to a close-up

of the truck driver and pan down to Malu lying in the street.

Daxian: The only thing we don't know is if Malu is willing to get hit by a

truck.

Toothbrush: I also think that the girl with the injured leg doesn't really

need to fall down and hurt herself. She can just spread some Mercurochrome

on her leg to make it look bloody. What do you think?

Heizi: You know, that Hong Hong, she suits Malu. Lily suits me.

Toothbrush: Good. Now the judges hand out the marks: Number one receives