Adding Seats

Lao Wang, carrying two bags of snacks, struggled through the crowded cinema. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and tickets for the Spring Festival movie season were incredibly hard to come by. He had managed to snag tickets two weeks in advance, and today he could finally enjoy the festivities with his wife.

When he found his seats, he realized something was wrong. A mother and son were sitting in their reserved spots, happily munching on chicken legs. Lao Wang politely said, "Excuse me, these are our seats."

The young mother, without looking up, mumbled, "No tickets, just sitting here."

Lao Wang was taken aback. He pointed to the seat numbers on his tickets, saying, "Look, we have tickets."

"I said no tickets!" The mother's tone became firm. The son next to her glared, holding a half-eaten chicken bone as if ready to throw it.

Lao Wang was getting annoyed. He wanted to find a cinema employee, but the service desk was already surrounded by a crowd. He looked around and saw many others arguing with people occupying their seats; the scene was chaotic.

The movie's screening time was approaching, so Lao Wang decided to be patient for now and deal with it after the movie started. However, as the movie began, the commotion in the theater didn't subside. It escalated instead, some even came to blows during their arguments.

The plot of the movie on the screen was full of twists and turns, but the audience seats presented a different picture. Some people, because their seats were occupied, angrily demanded refunds, and the cinema had to assign some staff to handle the refund process. Lao Wang looked at the uproar in front of him and shook his head; he thought it was a complete farce.

He tried to reason with the mother and son, but they acted as if they were deaf, completely ignoring him. Lao Wang finally gave up and went to the back row of the theater, finding a corner to sit down. He decided to watch the movie quietly; after all, it was the New Year, and there was no need to get angry over such a trivial matter.

The movie ended, and the audience gradually left. Lao Wang slowly stood up. He noticed that the mother and son who had occupied the seats were still there.

"The movie's over, why aren't you leaving?" Lao Wang asked curiously.

The young mother finally looked up at Lao Wang, a strange smile appearing on her face. "Leave? Why should we leave? We've already bought tickets for the next showing."

Lao Wang was stunned. He saw that the mother was holding two tickets for the same seats in the next showing. She seemed to read Lao Wang's confusion and continued, "You know, these seats are 'special add-on seats' from the cinema. We always buy the same showing and the same seats, so we can save a lot of queuing time, and there are extra benefits."

"What benefits?" Lao Wang asked, puzzled.

"Of course... the benefit of not having to change seats." The mother's smile became even brighter. "We can stay here in the cinema all day. Think about how convenient it is."

Lao Wang was speechless. He suddenly realized that he and others were fighting for tangible seats, while this mother and son had already found a way to obtain invisible privileges in this crowded city. He understood that the rules he adhered to were so vulnerable in this absurd theater.

Lao Wang left the cinema. On his way home, he saw many people queuing up to buy tickets for the next movie. As he looked at those people, he seemed to see himself. They were all trying so hard to follow the rules, but in the end, they were still tricked by this ridiculous farce.

He couldn't help but wonder, in this world, who are the audience and who are the actors? Or, are we all just "added seats" that have been pre-arranged?