I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 353 Shameful Movies
The uncanny valley effect is a classic phenomenon in the field of psychology, which refers to the phenomenon that when the similarity between a non-human object (such as a robot, a doll, etc.) and a human reaches a certain threshold, it will trigger an instinctive repulsion or even fear in the viewer.

This psychological mechanism, rooted in the human subconscious, is often used in horror films to create a suspenseful atmosphere.

However, in romance films, aesthetic experience is the core appeal. Incorporating a concept like "humanoid transformation into a machine" into a romance genre would be problematic…

think about it!
The image of a beautiful female character undergoing a transformation, with her limbs twisting, joints reversing, and skin tearing to reveal mechanical structures, is highly likely to cause psychological discomfort to the audience, even if it conforms to science fiction logic.

In fact, An Xiaoshi wasn't the only one who thought this way...

When Zhou Yang brought up the love story, the first image that popped into everyone else's minds was of a beautiful mechanical girl transforming...

Oh shit!

Make a movie like this!

Even Zhou Yang is doomed!
however……

……

In the conference room.

The screen's backlight dimly illuminated.

Everyone saw a simple, distorted outline!
Amidst the roar of the intense engine, the girl's metallic body gleamed with a liquid-like sheen.

The tight-fitting armor outlined breathtaking curves, and in the dim light, her near-perfect proportions made several young directors present unconsciously hold their breath...

This body, a perfect fusion of machinery and life, has every curve precisely hitting the pinnacle of human aesthetics.

The cool metallic sheen and liquid-like fluidity were faintly visible beneath the fabric. Despite being fully covered, it was more impactful than nakedness, so full that it made people stare. The fatal attraction, somewhere between precision instruments and the warmth of living flesh, made the pupils of all onlookers dilate involuntarily, and even their breathing gradually become rapid...

then……

Just then, she transformed!

Her body gradually extended under the envelopment of liquid metal, her legs coming together to form the rear rack of a motorcycle, so fluidly as if they were one entity.

Her alluring chest, like petals, folds and converges, eventually forming the lines of the car's front. The curve of her neck becomes the handle, and her hair falls to form the flame patterns on the car body.

When the transformation ended, the motorcycle still carried a subtle sense of life.

The curves of the seat subtly echo her former posture, and the bulge of the fuel tank resembles the rise and fall of her breath...

Sunlight swept across the metal surface, a fleeting honey-colored reflection appearing and disappearing, as if reminding onlookers...

Within this cold machine lies a passionate heart.

……

"You, you can't sit here... This place is... Ah! How embarrassing! Move back a little..."

"..."

"If you keep staring like that... I'll throw you down!"

"..."

"No...this place is really not suitable...it's dirty here..."

Just at this time……

Inside the conference room, the transformation ended!

A blush-inducing girl's voice suddenly rang out!
All the male colleagues present shuddered at this, and then they all looked up at Zhou Yang as if they had seen a ghost...

What the fuck...

Is this really a serious movie being made?!

Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses and looked around at everyone with a serious expression:

"I'm just giving an example; these settings aren't mandatory..."

"And what kind of look is that?"

Why does it sound like we're making some kind of frivolous movie?

"Wake up, all of you! Making movies requires professionalism, understand?"

After saying that, he frowned, picked up his phone, and dialed a number: "Jingya, who told you to add these voice messages? This kind of content is inappropriate, understand?"

"..."

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Then...

"If Director An won't direct it, I will! President Zhou, give me this project! I'll even pay for it myself!" Hu Lei slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face flushed with excitement. "President Zhou, I've even thought of a title: 'My Iron Girlfriend'! I guarantee it will perfectly blend mecha and romance! In fact, President Zhou, I'm not bragging... this kind of subject matter is absolutely perfect for me!"

"Bullshit! All you can do is abstract stuff. If you were to direct this movie, it might turn into something like 'Judge Bao's Night Trial of Cybertron'! I'm perfect for it!" Another director immediately stood up, his glasses askew: "Of course I'm the one who should handle these delicate emotional scenes! 'Love of the Deformed Steel Bar'—telling a love story between a young man at a scrap metal recycling station and a military mecha!"

"Get out of the way, all of you!" Wang Meng, the director who once made "Ultraman: Calabash Brothers Save Grandpa," suddenly stood up, his eyes shining with excitement as he stared at the screen, which was unusual for him: "This movie is called 'Mechanical Heart'! I'm going to make a cyberpunk version of human-machine romance! The female lead will be named Lingjiang No. 1!"

"That's too cliché!" another director interjected. "My 'Transforming Steel Bar: A Kiss of Steel' is the real deal! The female lead can transform into a motorcycle, a washing machine, and a rice cooker!"

"Holy crap! What the hell is a rice cooker?!"

"What do you know! This is called real-life adaptation!"

The meeting room instantly descended into chaos. The female directors remained silent, but the male directors became agitated, arguing heatedly about the film.

Some people had already started drawing storyboards on set, others were taking out their phones to contact the team, and even more outrageous, one director directly called Lingjiang Motorcycle's business hotline to inquire about custom models, asking Lingjiang Motorcycle to contribute more money...

Zhou Yang pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting an eerie light. He tapped lightly on the table, and the room fell silent instantly.

"Very good." He smiled with satisfaction. "It seems everyone is very enthusiastic, which is great. However, for this romance film, I hope that our company's Director An will still direct it. Director An, Director Xu, what do you two think? Of course, motorcycles can transform, bicycles can transform, and other vehicles, such as electric bikes, can also transform..."

An Xiaoshi nodded, staring at the distorted image on the screen, her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxing.

She unconsciously twirled her pen, seemingly lost in thought, then her eyes gradually brightened: "The plot could also be expanded. What if the female lead is a future military AI weapon that has gone out of control, and she gradually awakens her humanity while on the run..." She subconsciously grabbed her pen, and then quickly jotted down her sudden ideas and sketches on the draft: "The climax could have her actively disintegrate her core to protect the male lead—liquid metal evaporating like tears in the morning sun! This change would add more depth to the romance film..."

Xu Xia's ears turned red, but she couldn't help staring at the projector: "Actually... we could add some embarrassing moments during the transformation, I think that would be great!" Her voice grew softer and softer: "For example, when the male lead rides his motorcycle form for the first time, the female lead suddenly groaned amidst the engine roar and said, 'Don't, don't press the accelerator so hard... cough, cough, I didn't mean anything else, I just think that setting would actually be pretty good..."

Before she could finish speaking, she covered her face, lowered her head, and looked utterly ashamed. When she sensed the sudden silence in the conference room, she looked up again, her face burning red: "Okay, Mr. Zhou, I'll put together a script outline and setting as you suggested. What do you think? I'll direct the movie... I've already thought of a name: 'Transformers: Ex Machina'..."

When she saw Zhou Yang nod, she immediately lowered her head and began to write furiously.

Just then, Lin Lan, the art-house film director who had been silent in the corner, suddenly took off his glasses: "Could we make the villains also be Transformers?"

She suddenly stood up and began gesturing excitedly: "I think I can combine elements of apocalypse, romance, science fiction, and villains. For example, the male protagonist's childhood sweetheart dies in an accident, and the boy is heartbroken, spending his days in self-imposed exile. Then, on Cybertron—no, we're talking about Bostron—a series of disasters occur. Because Bostron lacks energy, it needs Earth's 'Transformer Metal' source energy. So, a wandering mechanical girl, carrying the mission of her home planet, comes to Earth, intending to destroy it and obtain the energy from its core. However, due to a series of accidents, she loses her memory and is eventually picked up by a human boy… The boy believes she is his deceased childhood sweetheart…"

"Through her interactions with human boys, she was moved by their sincere love. Ultimately, when all the Cybertronians—no, the Bostronians—were about to attack Earth, the girl stood up to protect the Earth and the boys..."

"..."

After Lin Lan finished explaining the plot, she stared at Zhou Yang excitedly. When she saw Zhou Yang nod, she smiled happily: "Mr. Zhou, I'll direct it. I'll direct the movie and write the script. Could you please review it for me?"

"can!"

"I've also thought of a name: 'Transformer Metal: Childhood Friends and the Apocalypse!'"

"can!"

Zhou Yang nodded to the chattering, excited girls.

A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Actually, we could use a parallel universe setting to jointly build a 'Transformers' romance universe, that wouldn't be a problem..."

Right after Zhou Yang finished speaking...

He then looked at the male directors.

At this moment, some of the male directors were staring blankly at the deformed metallic girls...

When they saw Zhou Yang looking at them, they all sat up straight.

"us……"

"You guys make action movies! Action-packed action movies..."

"Cough, cough...that plot..."

"Your movies shouldn't have any romance elements in the plot..."

"..."

After a brief silence, the male directors looked at each other in bewilderment.

Just then, Hu Lei remained silent for a while, then suddenly coughed lightly.

"Um, Mr. Zhou..."

"you say……"

"Mr. Zhou, what do you think about combining 'Deformed Steel Bars' with 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'? Do you think it's a good idea?"

"???"

"For example, when Starscream attacked Earth and was about to wipe out all the Autobots, he was suddenly possessed by Nie Xiaoqian and immediately started dancing the 'Rainbow Feather Dance' with his flowing sleeves..."

"And then there's Megatron! We could give him a Chinese name, Wei Tianzhen! When he came to Earth to scan and transform, he accidentally scanned a bronze coffin, and after transforming, he dragged the coffin all over the streets..."

"Finally, the Tree Demon Granny also arrived, directly possessing Hercules, and ultimately fought a great battle against Optimus Prime, who was possessed by Yan Chixia's 'primordial spirit'!"

"..."

The conference room was deathly silent. Everyone stared at Hu Lei, who was gesticulating wildly, as if they were looking at a screenwriting genius who had just escaped from a mental hospital.

Zhou Yang coughed lightly...

Just as I was about to say something...

But then they heard a knock on the conference room door.

Xu Tingting pushed open the door and entered, the sound of her high heels echoing clearly in the conference room.
As Zhang Jingya gradually took over the management of Zhou Yang's company, she was overwhelmed with other tasks, so the position of Zhou Yang's secretary was taken over by the newly arrived Xu Tingting.

At that moment, the newly appointed secretary held a fax in his hand, his face furious, his fingers trembling: "President Zhou, Paimon has made their offer! They've set an astronomical figure for the Chinese distribution rights to 'Transformers'—"

She took a deep breath, her voice filled with suppressed anger: "It's three times higher than the agency fee for 'Dragon Knight'!"

“People from Paimon just contacted me, saying that if we don’t take on this project, they will sell it to Tianyu Media…”

……

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

next second!
Suddenly, a burst of laughter erupted, the sound of which almost lifted the roof off.

Xu Tingting stood there, bewildered as everyone laughed uproariously as if she were an idiot…

She doesn't understand!

What's so funny about this...?

(End of this chapter)