Huayu 05, our science fiction movie universe

Chapter 614

In Wang Hao's plan, besides platform subsidies and advertising, the most suitable way to help Douyin creators alleviate their monetization anxiety at this stage is to leverage the advantages of Xinghe Group to help content creators break into new markets more easily and conveniently.

The underlying logic of this approach is actually in line with the Culture 4.0 era, which is to legitimize the cultural creations of ordinary people.

In the past, when passing the imperial examinations and writing the eight-legged essay were the orthodox methods, other craftsmen, merchants, and soldiers, even if they were knowledgeable, were considered inferior.

In modern times, as knowledge and culture became more widespread with increased investment in education, distinctions arose between traditional literature, classical Chinese studies, and miscellaneous studies.

In modern times, similar situations have become even more common.

Just like traditional literature versus online literature, art films versus commercial films, classical music versus pop music, traditional arts and crafts versus online games, luxury goods versus industrial commodities…

To put it bluntly, these are actually just artificially created differences in cultural or aesthetic levels.

In the field of film and television arts, the same applies to the relationship between celebrities and internet celebrities, movies and online movies, and TV series and web series/short dramas.

Some people have their own set of rhetoric for this, such as "the lower-tier market," "brainless enjoyment," and "a light novel for beginners"...

It seems that, according to external voices and evaluations, the entertainment culture that the general public enjoys is not considered high-end or sophisticated.

Only when culture and art include the content they advocate and are under their guidance can they possess positive significance.

In reality, this is nothing more than vanity and self-interest at play; it's about using monopolies to secure one's industry position and interests.

As for the results, the actual development is proof enough.

The preferences of the people cannot be swayed by mere slander, misleading, and intimidation; the audience will vote with their feet.

Just like before Wang Hao's rebirth, people no longer chose to go to the cinema, but the market size of short dramas has far exceeded that of the traditional film market.

Any monopoly on culture and aesthetics is nothing but a paper tiger.

As for the rise and breakthrough of those grassroots internet celebrities, it is an even bigger slap in the face to those celebrities, especially capital and the children of stars.

In the past, when it came to true grassroots stars in the mainland entertainment industry, only Wang Baoqiang and Huang Bo came to mind.

But then look at those dazzling grassroots internet celebrities on Douyin.

Geng, the handyman, was an ordinary welder who repeatedly performed mechanical tasks in the factory with a welding torch. Later, he incorporated his ingenious ideas into ironwork, using wrenches and steel pipes to create seemingly useless but ingenious inventions, which led him from the workshop to the spotlight of millions of viewers.

Zhang, an ordinary villager from a rural area in Northeast China, has never studied photography, yet he uses a handheld camera to capture the vibrant daily life of the countryside. With the sounds of roosters crowing in the morning and the smoke rising from the stove, he recreates authentic rural life, allowing countless people to find a sense of nostalgia in his videos.

There's Li Ziqi, who lost both parents and started working in society at a young age; the "Eyebrow Pencil Guy," who worked as a sales counter and wore lipstick until his lips were chapped; the two sheep supporting each other; and Dong Yuhui, who transitioned from an English teacher to live-streaming e-commerce…

Even among celebrities, many started out as internet celebrities.

Examples include Liu Yuning, a well-known street performer; Bai Mengyan, a Taobao model; Zhang Yuxi, Wang Sicong's girlfriend; as well as Bao Shangen, He Landou, Zhang Ruonan...

Among these people, many may have experienced financial crises, setbacks, or collapses, but in any case, they were once ordinary members of society. It was through their love for life and unique perseverance that they shone brightly on online platforms and became grassroots stars chosen by the people.

The Douyin platform of Xinghe Group carries the important responsibility of helping ordinary people take off and accelerating the arrival of the Culture 4.0 era.

In response, Wang Hao repeatedly gave instructions to the company's senior executives during Douyin's last round of IPO financing, instilling his philosophy into them.

He wasn't sure if it was effective, but the boss's will was carried out, and these people understood the overall strategic direction of Douyin in the future, so they wouldn't go astray.

Just as Galaxy Group was focusing its main efforts on the IPO of Douyin, "Sheep Without a Shepherd," a transitional film between the second and third phases of the Galaxy Cinematic Universe, was released on April 13.

Nine other films were released at the same time as "Sheep Without a Shepherd," but in mid-April, a relatively quiet period, these films were all little-known, low-budget productions and did not pose much of a threat to "Sheep Without a Shepherd."

As for the plot of "Sheep Without a Shepherd"?

This is a relatively well-made crime thriller. Due to censorship restrictions, the story was deliberately set in Thailand, making it part of the Southeast Asian series along with "Wolf Warrior 1" and "Detective Chinatown 1".

In the movie, the male protagonist, Li Weijie (played by Xiao Yang), and his wife, Ayu, have worked hard in Thailand for 17 years and have established themselves there. They have two daughters and their family life is considered happy and fulfilling.

However, in Southeast Asian countries where the situation is relatively turbulent and chaotic, accidents often happen unexpectedly.

The Li Weijie family, who run a videotape shop, were living a peaceful life until one day, Li Weijie's eldest daughter (played by Kim Da-mi) went to participate in a summer camp organized by her school.

Among the students participating in the summer camp, a male student named Sucha took a liking to Li Weijie's eldest daughter, Aqing, and used various means to force himself on her.

Afterwards, this beast threatened the male protagonist's daughter, arranging to meet her at her family's warehouse that night.

When Li Weijie's wife learned of her daughter Aqing's ordeal, she was heartbroken. That night, she and her eldest daughter confronted the second-generation scion who came to cause trouble in the warehouse, and they ended up fighting over a disagreement.

It was during this entanglement that Li Weijie's eldest daughter, in a fit of rage, accidentally killed the second-generation heir, thus highlighting the film's theme.

At the same time, with her mother's help, Aqing buried the body.

However, being two women, their mental fortitude was ultimately not strong enough, so Li Weijie, upon returning from his business trip, naturally learned of the situation.

Upon learning the second-generation heir's identity and his family's police background, Li Weijie immediately realized that this matter would not end so easily, and that the other party's parents would definitely not give up on finding the murderer who killed their son.

Fortunately, although he is not highly educated, having only attended primary school, his greatest pleasure in life is watching movies.

Li Weijie's catchphrase is, "When you've seen more than 1000 movies, there's nothing strange about this world."

Faced with this situation, the benefits of a large number of moviegoers immediately became apparent. He immediately thought of the Korean film "Montage" and decided to use its techniques to fabricate an alibi.

So Li Weijie disposed of the body overnight and embarked on a meticulously planned "perfect journey" with his family. Every step they took in Luotong City was full of hidden clues: repeatedly talking to vendors and emphasizing the time, deliberately keeping movie ticket stubs, and even creating withdrawal records at ATMs. Li Weijie pieced these fragments together like a montage, confusing the time perception of bystanders and forming an unbreakable alibi.

Meanwhile, Suchat's disappearance could no longer be kept secret, alarming his father, Dupon, a member of parliament, and also prompting his mother, Rawen, an elite police officer, to personally intervene.

This mother, a strong-willed and extremely shrewd police chief, quickly located Li Weijie's family after learning of her son's disappearance and used her experience to pinpoint their whereabouts.

However, due to Li Weijie's previous misleading statements, they did have some effect. Faced with their family's "perfect" alibi, even the police found it extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, in those small Southeast Asian countries, laws can sometimes be nothing more than a piece of paper.

Suchat's mother did not accept the alibi of Li Weijie's family and launched an extremely forceful investigation in her own way.

Even under torture and forced confession, Li Weijie and his family remained steadfast, using tricks learned from movies to defuse crises time and time again.

The violent interrogation in the interrogation room and the public outcry in the streets turned the case into a class confrontation.

The situation seemed to be at a stalemate until Suchat's mother saw the movie discs that had been found in the protagonist's house.

The Shawshank Redemption, Montage, Witness for the Prosecution, Seven, Memories of Murder, Bad Genius, The Hunt, White Night...

By looking at Li Weijie's film list, Suchat's mother easily guessed his methods.

However, knowing the method of the crime is not enough; crucial evidence is still lacking at this point.

So Li Weijie and his family were arrested and taken to the police station again. This time, they faced a mother's furious revenge.

Ultimately, Li Weijie's youngest daughter became Suchat's mother's breakthrough. Under separate interrogation, An'an, the youngest daughter who had witnessed her mother and sister burying the body, revealed the truth in fear and told them the location of the burial.

In the pouring rain, police arrived at the burial site to prepare to exhume the body for an autopsy.

The panicked eyes, tense facial expressions, and trembling lips of Li Weijie's family seemed to corroborate their criminal acts.

However, when the coffin lid was opened, what appeared before everyone was the carcass of a sheep.

Countless flashes captured everything, including Suchat's mother's extremely distressed face. It was foreseeable that after causing such a commotion, the couple would certainly face a political storm.

What no one noticed was that inside the opened coffin lid, there were many faint bloodstains.

The director even gave a close-up shot here, seemingly implying that Suchat, who was put into the coffin, might not have died completely.

The film's ending doesn't reveal the final fate of Suchat's body, which remains the film's biggest mystery.

Li Weijie's family, on the other hand, returned to a peaceful life.

No wonder!
The movie ends with an unexpected twist.

Unlike the original film "Sheep Without a Shepherd," in which Li Weijie sees his youngest daughter's childish handwriting altering a 50-point test paper to a 100-point one, understands the chain reaction of lies, and chooses to turn himself in, this film presents a different story.

In this version of "Sheep Without a Shepherd" from the Galaxy Cinematic Universe, the final shot focuses on Li Weijie's eldest daughter, who is being held in a police station.

Because of the downfall of Suchat's parents, Li Weijie's eldest daughter was also released.

However, the way the policeman stared at her when he opened the cell door was very strange.

Then two police officers escorted her out of the police station. At the entrance of the police station, a white ambulance was parked there. After seeing Li Weijie's eldest daughter appear, two doctors in white coats immediately took her into custody and put her in the ambulance.

After the vehicle swayed and drove away, the camera panned across the ambulance window, revealing that Li Weijie and his family of four were all sitting inside.

At this moment, the camera focuses on the driver's seat of the ambulance, where the doctor in the passenger seat is filling out an admission form. The words "Mental Hospital" and "Li Xiuqing" are still clearly visible on the form.

At this moment, flashback scenes began to play on the big screen. Many scenes that originally featured Li Weijie, his wife, and their youngest daughter disappeared the next second, leaving only their eldest daughter, Aqing, on the scene.

Seeing this, and combining it with some character information from the previous [Galaxy Cinematic Universe], as well as the previously released film "Hello, Crazy!", everyone suddenly realized.

It turns out there was no Li Weijie couple and their youngest daughter. From beginning to end, there was only Li Xiuqing. She was the one who knocked Sucha unconscious, and she was also the one who buried this second-generation rich kid alive.

She forged an alibi, and she revealed the location under pressure from Suchat's mother.

She is Li Weijie, her mother, Wu Xiuqing, and also her sister.

This family, these family members, are all just figments of her imagination; she is a mental patient with multiple personalities.

Sheep Without a Shepherd leaves an open ending, but viewers know that Li Xiuqing is Q from the Galaxy Cinematic Universe.

This is also proven in the post-credits scene of the movie.

In the first post-credits scene, Wan Qian's character, the adult Q, opens her eyes from a recliner, removes the subconscious therapy device from her head, and gets up to make coffee at her desk in the room.

When she carried the steaming coffee to the window and drew back the curtains, a snow-covered landscape immediately came into view.

As the camera zooms out through the window, a massive base situated on the polar ice cap comes into view.

Compared to the collapsed ETO organization, Dr. Chen Ang, who is hiding in the Antarctic base, seems to be doing quite well with his team.

In the second post-credits scene of the movie, the scene shifts to the special affairs department, where on the table in front of Shi Qiang and Qin Feng is Li Xiuqing's mental hospital treatment file.

It seems that the Chinese government is also searching for Q, or perhaps because of the huge anomaly caused by aliens not long ago, they want to find the more mysterious and intelligent Dr. Chen Ang behind it.

(End of this chapter)