This director is vindictive.

Chapter 371 Chen Mo's Mouth, the Ghost of Calculus
When "The Heartbroken" was released, Chen Mo was actually a little worried.

After all, his past films were all proven successful examples from his previous life.

"The Heartbroken" was adapted by himself, without any reference to the original case.

Of course, he did not underestimate himself. Success was inevitable, but from his current position, how much success would it take to be considered a success?

Fortunately, "The Heartbroken" did not disappoint him.

The box office performance and word-of-mouth both exceeded his expectations.

To be frank, he actually underestimated his own influence.

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that it's produced by Chen Mo means it's unlikely to lose money. As long as the movie isn't particularly bad, there shouldn't be any major problems.

However, although the movie was a success, Yang Mi's anger was not without reason.

Just look at the comments and jokes from netizens and you'll know.

One of her fans left a comment under her Weibo post: "Honey, what happened to the research honey you promised? Is this all? Is this all? Judging by the fact that the whole movie is over 100 minutes long, you're only on screen for less than 1%!"

"Honey Sister: The promised space wedding turned into a 'mother's tears nuclear bomb,' Director Chen's scam technique is harder to understand than calculus!"

"Chen Mo's mouth is a lying devil—he tricked Big Secret into acting in a sci-fi movie, but it turned out to be 'Mom Loves Me Again: Math Genius Edition.' The problem is, throughout the whole movie, the research enthusiast was just a minor character. Hahaha, please forgive me for laughing!"

"Actually, Chen Mo wasn't lying. In the post-credits scene of 'The Heartbroken,' He Xi's manuscript had 'Yang Mi & Chen Mo's Wedding Planning Proposal' written on the back. It was just that Xia Qunfang sold it as scrap! *laughs*"

"What happened to the promised collaboration between 'The Heartbroken' and the wedding? This is it? The research assistant is just a junior assistant! The bride is just an extra? This is truly captivating! Hahaha!"

There are even more outrageous, pretentious comments: "The real reason Chen Mo deleted the Easter eggs: When the whole theater was crying for He Xi and his son, he just wanted Yang Mi to understand that their love didn't need any sci-fi special effects, because life itself is already a 'micro-continuum theory that transcends the times'."

Upon seeing this Weibo post, even Yang Mi couldn't help but reply: Speak like a human!
Even more outrageous is that the hashtag about Yang Mi being misled actually trended on social media by busybodies.

#ResearchHacks = Assistants Who Play Minor Roles#
That's why Yang Mi came to confront him.

"Actually, there is some collaboration. Look, so many netizens are discussing our wedding, isn't that a kind of collaboration?" Chen Mo said, trying to suppress a laugh.

Well, whether Yang Mi believes it or not, he himself believes it.

And there's nothing wrong with saying that, isn't there?
Yang Mi looked at the trending topics: Chen Mo's marriage fraud, the research honey being reduced to a bit player, the promised wedding turning into a funeral, and so on.

For a moment, I actually felt that what Chen Mo said made sense, but something still felt off.

Unfortunately, once Chen Mo saw that the research enthusiast was in "research" mode, she wouldn't have time to think much. She could only keep her busy.

Hmm, it's a bit tough on the kidneys though!

"Heartbroken" will have virtually no competition during the 2024 New Year's Day release period.

The box office also rose steadily. After breaking 300 million on the first day, the box office reached a new high on New Year's Day, breaking 600 million in two days.

This has left many people speechless, calling it outrageous.

The main reason is that "The Heartbroken" doesn't seem like the kind of movie that could sell so well!

But the facts speak for themselves, and everyone can only attribute it to Chen Mo's film and the excellent marketing and promotion.

As for critical reception, "The Heartbroken" did not decline as many people had predicted; on the contrary, it gradually began to rise.

The reason why many people thought this way before was mainly because "The Heartbroken" was said to be a science fiction film, but it was inevitably suspected of being a case of false advertising.

After all, apart from the "time converter" and "time travel," the whole movie is really just a plot.

However, the reason why its reputation has started to rise is that, at this moment, more and more people no longer care whether this movie is a science fiction movie or not.

As film critic Bai Yue said.

I've already read the novel "The Heartbroken".

However, I have yet to write a review of the film "The Heartbroken".

why?
I've seen many sci-fi fans online questioning whether the movie "Heartbreaker" can be considered a sci-fi film.

I also saw some science fiction film critics' comments on "the highbrow and vulgar aspects of science fiction"!
For a moment I was somewhat drawn in, but then I suddenly realized, why?
Because from beginning to end, "The Heartbroken" never touted itself as a science fiction film during its promotion!

And watching those people discussing how science fiction movies should be, whether they should be highbrow or not vulgar.

The wine, for some inexplicable reason, felt pretentious, and then suddenly felt desolate and tasteless. To hell with its aloofness and vulgarity. Here, I just want to share some thoughts on the film "The Heartbroken."

Does it really matter whether it's science fiction or not at this point? Actually, it doesn't matter at all. Even if it's not a great science fiction movie, at least in my opinion, it's a good movie!

After watching this movie, the first thing that came to mind was an indescribable sense of regret—regret for He Xi, regret for Jiang Xue, regret for Xia Qunfang, and even regret for Lao Kang.

As the "victor" who ultimately won Jiang Xue's heart, Lao Kang may have indeed loved her, but his love was more like a demand than a mutual giving.

People always say that Lao Kang represents a "successful person" in reality, but if everyone were like Lao Kang, how boring the world would be!
He Xi, a person who is so ignorant of social etiquette and so simple-minded as to be almost obsessive, may be seen as a "bookworm" or even as dull-witted by many.

But does such a person truly not exist? Or rather, does such an existence still hold any meaning? He is like a fish leaping out of the water, mistaking the dried-up riverbank for a magnificent dragon gate, and then resolutely flicking its tail, using all its strength to touch that illusory light. This leap exhausted everything, gave everything, yet it was so natural, so resolute.

I saw someone write "If He Xi had listened to advice," and many people responded, but what I want to say is, there are no "ifs."

Because if he had listened to advice, he wouldn't be He Xi! And there wouldn't be this story.

When it comes to making sacrifices, who hasn't made sacrifices?

In fact, almost everyone in the entire movie made a sacrifice.

However, the rewards for each person's efforts are different.

He Xi's mother Xia Qunfang, his girlfriend Jiang Xue, his mentor Liu Qing, his classmate Lao Mai, and even Lao Kang
Even that seemingly unscrupulous, chubby, bespectacled editor!
But if we ask ourselves honestly, even if we charged the normal publishing fee, He Xi was already doomed to tragedy. This editor only slightly accelerated the process, and besides, he "helped" He Xi complete the publication of "Micro Continuum".

Some people say that Lao Kang stole He Xi's last hope, and that wiping his nose with the handkerchief that He Xi and Jiang Xue used as a token of their love was a desecration, a desecration of He Xi and Jiang Xue's love.

Perhaps, but why was Lao Kang able to get that handkerchief?
To put it bluntly, at this point, Jiang Xue and He Xi's love was already dead!

As a man, from Lao Kang's perspective, even if his actions were provocative or blasphemous, it was still just human nature.

Did he not make any sacrifices? No, he did. He spent money, gave up his career in China, and went to be with Jiang Xue. Could He Xi do that?

In the story of "The Heartbroken," I cannot hate any character as a viewer—even though in the countless stories I have heard and seen, there is always a queen or a poisoned apple.

He Xi's "Micro-Continuum" has been published.

But he still managed to strike a match.

Then, I went mad.

The seeds of tragedy may have been sown at the very beginning of the story.

Those last two cries of "—Mom—Mom," one incoherent and the other clear, were like a soul's final struggle before sinking completely into darkness.

What exactly is contained in this call?
Is it regret? Is it pain? Is it helplessness?
Or is it the deepest longing?
Perhaps they are all of them, or perhaps neither.

What is the root cause of this tragedy?

Is it He Xi's own obsession?

Or is it the indifference of the times?
Perhaps it's not a simple either/or situation.

Just like the formula in "Microcontinuum Originals," the seemingly contradictory two sides actually constitute a complete truth. When ideals collide with reality, when purity encounters utilitarianism, tragedy becomes an inevitable product—not the fault of any one person, but the inevitable conflict between two value systems.

Even He Hongwei, the scientist who realized the application of "micro-continuum", had to admit that micro-continuum was meaningless in He Xi's time.

Just like He Xi's mentor Liu Qing said: "I can't think of what it can be used for?"

Was he wrong? If we stand in He Xi's position, we might think he was wrong, or that he was too indifferent.

However, in reality, we cannot expect others to help us without asking for anything in return. In the movie, only the mother, Xia Qunfang, would do such a thing.

When we examine He Xi's tragedy using conscience, morality, and law, we often overlook the most crucial variable—time.

In this story, time is both the merciless judge and the ultimate redeemer.

When He Hongwei traveled through time and brought He Xi's "Grand Unified Micro-Continuous Theory" back to the world 150 years later, his humble and heartfelt speech not only shocked people in the future, but also stirred up ripples in the hearts of the audience at present—some were filled with awe, and some were moved to tears.

However, this belated recognition is ultimately based on the limitations of human cognition.

We are trapped in a one-dimensional space of time, and can only passively wait for the moment when the truth is verified.

If one day humanity truly breaks through this barrier of cognition, who can guarantee that our ambitions won't turn around and devour those principles that were once considered great?

From this perspective, in the eyes of a more advanced civilization, all of humanity might be like He Xi—a persistent yet lonely "heartbroken one," enacting its own tragicomedy in the vast universe.

(End of this chapter)