Twenty Second Alley Cinematic Test

A 20-second scene in a narrow residential alley in a Chinese city late at night, in three hard-cut beats. The ground is still wet from rain and reflects the warm yellow lightbox of a small noodle shop.

A pretty Chinese woman, 24, long straight black hair, light knit cardigan over a beige skirt, minimal makeup, walks fast away from camera with her arms crossed. A good-looking Chinese man, 26, slim, short hair, black hooded jacket, catches up alongside her and says low, in Mandarin: 「你能不能别走这么快。」 She doesn't answer. HARD CUT. She stops and turns to face him, keeping her voice down so the neighbours won't hear, and says in Mandarin: 「你根本就没听我说话。」 He starts to reach for her arm and doesn't finish the gesture: 「……我听了。」 She looks straight at him: 「那你说我刚才说什么了。」 HARD CUT. He says nothing. Three full seconds of silence while his mouth opens slightly and closes again. Her eyes go red but no tears fall. She looks off to the side, exhales, and says quietly: 「算了。」 Neither of them moves. They stand one step apart as an electric scooter hums past behind them.

Camera: handheld follow behind her shoulder for the first beat, a 50mm two-shot at eye level for the second, a static wider frame from the far end of the alley for the third.

Audio: both voices deliberately low and tired rather than loud; her sneakers on wet pavement, the extractor fan of the noodle shop, distant traffic on the main road, the whine of the passing scooter, his breathing slightly quick from catching up. No music, no on-screen text, no subtitles.