All the Crows in the World

Shengnan's timing habit is established in the opening scene as a way to measure intimate exchanges between people. She times a man with a prostitute, betting with Lily on how long he'll last. This recurring behavior represents her clinical, observational approach to understanding human desire and connection. By the end, when she times the two men at the soup stall, the act transforms from a detached game into something more meaningful, suggesting she recognizes genuine connection when she sees it.

The timing motif appears in the very first scene and recurs at the film's end, creating a circular structure that reframes her initial detachment as intuition.

At the club, the businessmen howl like monkeys while Jianguo's howl is distinctly wolf-like. This contrast highlights his difference from the other men, he's more restrained, predatory, and genuinely dangerous rather than performatively wild. The wolf howl signals that he operates by different rules, setting him apart in a scene where most men are reduced to animalistic display.

This moment foreshadows his later line about heterosexuals and his protective role toward Shengnan.

In the parking garage, Shengnan and Jianguo witness her cousin having sex in a car. Her partner is explicitly commanded to call her "mama" and "grandma", role-playing that involves age-play and domination dynamics. This shocking revelation exposes the transactional nature of the cousin's relationships and the blurred lines between family, sex work, and power in the story.

Earlier, the cousin performed for businessmen by singing, establishing her comfortable relationship with transactional relationships.

After witnessing the cousin's encounter in the parking garage, Jianguo and Shengnan flee while shouting "Police!" Jianguo then delivers the line "all heterosexuals must die" as they escape. This appears to be a moment of dark humor and possibly genuine frustration with the heteronormative transactional relationships they've just witnessed, the cousin's encounter represents the worst of heterosexuality as commercial transaction.

This aligns with the film's recurring focus on queer connections and the contrast between authentic desire and performed sexuality.

Red envelopes containing money are a traditional Chinese gesture of favor, luck, and blessing. At the dinner, the businessmen give Shengnan red envelopes as a symbol of their patronage. Jianguo's envelope slides onto the rotating table center and spins toward Shengnan, suggesting his particular interest in her and creating a moment of connection amid the transactional atmosphere.

The red envelope exchange establishes the evening's transactional nature while also marking Jianguo as different from the other men.

During dinner, Mr. Liu asks about Shengnan's horoscope to potentially match her with his son, blending old-world matchmaking with the modern transactional setting. A Taoist priest then offers a ceremonial blessing, claiming the stars will bring luck if aligned. This ritual of fortune-telling adds both absurdity and hope to a room saturated with money and power, contrasting genuine fate with commercial transaction.

The blessing promises luck if the stars align, though the film's ending leaves whether this actually mattered deliberately ambiguous.

Jianguo reveals his hair transplant as part of sharing his life struggles with Shengnan. This humanizing detail deconstructs the image of the powerful businessman, he has insecurities just like anyone else. The occurs after Sheng revelationnan tries to give him money, showing he doesn't need financial validation, which differentiates him from the other men at the party.

This moment comes after Shengnan observes male workers leaving Jianguo's room, establishing he's selective rather than exploitative.

At the film's end, Shengnan returns to the soup stall where the film began. Jianguo joins her, and they eat soup together, a reversal of their earlier dynamic. Jianguo notices a man nearby, and it appears to be love at first sight. Shengnan then discreetly offers money to this man, mirroring her earlier bet on the married man, but now the gesture is tentative and hopeful rather than clinical.

The return to the opening location completes the circular structure, transforming her timing habit from observation to potential connection.

Shengnan offers money to the man Jianguo notices at the end, continuing her pattern of transactional gestures but with a crucial difference: now she's offering from genuine interest rather than detached observation. The act bridges her old habit with a new, hopeful intent, trying to facilitate connection rather than simply measuring it.

Her earlier offers of money to Jianguo were refused, but this new offer is more tentative and personal.

Shengnan's friend Lily appears among the women working at the brothel/club, though the film doesn't explicitly explain how she came to be there. This revelation reinforces the film's world where young women navigate complicated economic and social pressures. Lily's presence grounds the story in the reality of young women's lives in this environment.

Lily was with Shengnan at the opening soup scene, establishing their friendship before this revelation.