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

Chapter 371 Premiere Box Office and the Madman!
On the ruins of the city after the smoke of battle had cleared, A-Jie knelt on the spot where the original Iron Heart had finally dissipated.

His trembling fingers traced the remaining metal fragments on the ground, each piece reflecting the faint light of the rising sun, as if her shattered soul was still shimmering.

Suddenly, the mechanical heart in her palm vibrated slightly, and the holographic projection burst forth like sparks—it was the memory data she had secretly backed up.

An awkward embrace under the cherry blossom tree, hands clasped tightly in the pouring rain, her first kiss as she tiptoed, mimicking a human girl...

Countless images flashed through her tear-filled eyes, finally settling on the moment when she first turned on the camera, her metal fingers gently brushing against the corner of his eye.

A mechanical voice announced, "Warning: Energy depleted," and the projection began to dissipate like snowflakes.

Ah Jie frantically tried to catch the scattered light spots with his coat, but only managed to grab a wisp of wind that slipped through his fingers.

In the distance, the headlights of a wrecked Lingjiang motorcycle suddenly turned on, and the stereo began to play the melody of "Happy Birthday."

That was the melody that had stopped playing on the old radio next to the smashed cake when they first met.

The sun finally rose.

A-Jie raised the mechanical heart amidst the empty ruins; the metal surface reflected the clouds, much like the "forever" she had once spoken of.

[The End]

……

The moment the words "The End" appeared on the screen, the entire theater fell silent, with only faint sobs mingling between the audience.

Even the usually rational Liu Jiasheng felt a sense of loss...

Although the special effects of this movie are not as good as "Transformers" and the battle scenes are not as impressive as "Dark Knight", the exquisite soundtrack, precise pacing, and tear-jerking plot elevate the theme of "human-machine love" to its ultimate level.

Looking at his wife Zhang Ying, who was crying her eyes out beside him...

The pack of tissues had long since been emptied. While offering words of comfort, Liu Jiasheng vaguely grasped the film's deeper meaning: it used a high-tech shell to encapsulate humanity's most primal emotional needs. It offered viewers a sweet fantasy of escaping reality while simultaneously resonating with contemporary anxieties about the future.

This narrative, which begins and ends in loneliness, precisely confirms an eternal theme: as long as technology continues to develop, humanity will remain lonely...

Themes that explore the relationship between humanity and technology will never lose their market.

"Let's go!"

"Waaaaah, Zhou Yang, that bastard, why couldn't he have a happy ending? Waaaaah, why did it have to be like this..."

"They keep making action-packed movies, isn't that good? Why do they have to make these kinds of films?"

"Why……"

"This movie is the worst, the most rubbish movie I've ever seen, the one produced by [Xuan Shi Entertainment]..."

"You, please give this movie a low score for me, it has to be 2 points!"

"And another thing, liar, liar! Isn't Zhou Yang supposed to be in this movie? It's all over the internet, but why is there no sign of him..."

"This movie is a fraud!"

"..."

On the big screen, the subtitles were still scrolling.

Liu Jiasheng helped his wife, Zhang Ying, to her feet. Zhang Ying was already sobbing uncontrollably, whispering between sobs in Liu Jiasheng's ear, "This ending is too... too painful. We promised each other forever. Why did we have to be separated in the end? That close-up shot of the mechanical heart was just... just heartbreaking."

She clutched Liu Jiasheng's sleeve tightly: "The scene of Ah Jie holding his heart while watching the sunrise at the end, and the scene at the beginning where he celebrated his birthday alone, sob sob."

Liu Jiasheng gently patted his wife's trembling shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding audience members, whose eyes were also red-rimmed.

Some people were laughing and crying at the post-credits scene, while others stared blankly at the end credits, as if they hadn't yet detached themselves from the story.

The entire screening room was filled with a peculiar atmosphere, as if we were collectively experiencing an emotional catharsis, or as if we were jointly guarding a dream that we did not want to wake up from.

As the end credits finished rolling and the theater lights came on, the screen, which had been gradually darkening, suddenly lit up again—

Liu Jiasheng and Zhang Ying subconsciously looked up.

On the screen...

The city, once a ruined wasteland, has been rebuilt into a bustling metropolis. A-Jie walks through the streets carrying the wreckage of a mechanical heart, when suddenly a blue light shines through his fingers.

He looked up abruptly and saw a girl in a white dress holding an umbrella standing across the street.

In the rain, the edge of the umbrella slowly rose, revealing a face exactly like the original Ironheart.

The scene freezes on the moment when the two people look at each other across the traffic, and then the camera abruptly stops.

A line of small text appeared on the black screen: 【There will always be a sequel】

Then, the screen went completely dark.

When the girl in the white dress appeared on the screen, the entire theater erupted in a cheer of relief.

The audience, their eyes red with tears, burst into laughter. Some pounded on their armrests in excitement, while others shouted, "I knew it!" The sobs gradually gave way to relieved discussions.

Zhang Ying gripped Liu Jiasheng's hand tightly, her eyes reddening: "That bastard Zhou Yang... at least there's still a glimmer of hope. I... I... I don't even want to be a fan of his anymore..."

Liu Jiasheng patted Zhang Ying's hand, and then led her out of the screening room.

Liu Jiasheng gently patted Zhang Ying's hand and led her slowly out of the screening room.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he was met with an even more boisterous wave of people than before. He struggled to squeeze through the throng, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the shop windows—

A dazzling array of mechanical models and motorcycle merchandise, priced at 100 yuan each, were on display, and countless moviegoers were frantically snapping them up with their money...

The most prominently displayed item was the exquisite "Mechanical Heart" figurine, and the glaring "1000 yuan" on the price tag made him gasp.

He stared at the "Mechanical Heart" figurine priced at 1000 yuan...

This price is outrageous!
Fuck!
He knows it!

A movie ticket for 15 yuan comes with all sorts of coupons; Zhou Yang and his cronies are definitely up to no good!
He clenched his fists, resisting the urge to turn and leave, only to find his hand reaching uncontrollably towards his wallet.

"Mr. Zhou worked very hard to make this movie, so I'll show my support for him this time..."

He glanced at his wife, who was being protected by her parents, and said those words with a guilty conscience...

"Should we go support the motorcycles later?"

"It's not supported anymore, it's not supported anymore..."

"..."

Just then, his gaze was drawn to a pink Lingjiang motorcycle parked in the lobby of the shopping mall not far away!
damn it!
That's clearly the same car model as in the movie!
He stared intently at the motorcycle, his heart beginning to stir with desire again.

Damn it! I'm tempted to buy it again!
He cursed in his heart.

What's even more infuriating is that the car also had a label that read "[Xuan Shi Entertainment] 7% off for internal employees".

Damn it! Is this some kind of test for the cadres?
He gritted his teeth.

You son of a bitch, even if it were a little more expensive!
The key thing is... the price!

If he tightens his belt, he really can afford it.
and……

He also saw that internal employees could get interest-free loans by showing their work ID!
Grass!
"Honey, how about we give Zhou Yang more support this time? After all, I work for President Zhou, so I have to give him face."

....................................

【Tianyu】

Not far away, the setting sun gradually disappeared behind the mountains.

It's been about nine hours since the premiere of "Transformers".

Deng Baichuan and Chen Lei sat silently in the office, smoking one cigarette after another.

The silent office was filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.

On the desk are the ratings of two movies from various film review websites.

Transformers opened with a score of 9.2 on MovieHome, ranking first among science fiction special effects films released at the same time, reaching an unprecedented historical height.

There's actually a little bit of hype involved; they manipulated the numbers and created some buzz, but the actual rating is still very high...

However, "Transformers: My Girlfriend is a Robot" actually achieved a score of 8.7...

That movie, with a ticket price of only 15 yuan, actually got such a high score, especially considering the impact of "Transformers"!

Chen Lei silently approached the computer screen and looked at the comments on [Movie House]. The comment section was flooding his senses like a tidal wave.

"Transformers' special effects are phenomenal, but Transformers Metal's aftereffects are too strong; I cried so much I became dehydrated!"

"Zhou Yang made me laugh and cry with just 15 yuan. He really made a killing!"

"I originally thought that 15 yuan was just for air conditioning and watching a Stephen Chow-style abstract film. I was prepared to fall asleep in the theater, but I never expected that I would watch this movie from beginning to end..."

He abruptly stubbed out his cigarette and looked into the distance.

At that moment, he realized something.

Their trump card, Transformers, might not actually be able to crush that movie...

Outside the window, the sun was setting, the sky was ablaze with evening glow, and then gradually faded into darkness.

Deng Baichuan paced back and forth in the office, answering one phone call after another.

Deng Baichuan's emotions were complex; he sometimes sighed, sometimes sighed, and sometimes felt angry...

But in the end, they fell silent again.

During this time, the secretary brought several sumptuous dinners, but they had no appetite whatsoever.

Time passed little by little...

soon……

The clock struck midnight.

When the box office figures for the opening day were about to be released, they actually felt a sense of tension.

Chen Lei looked up at Deng Baichuan...

"I remember, An Xiaoshi was initially an employee of [Tianyu Media], right?"

"Yes but……"

Chen Lei fell silent again.

Deng Baichuan's words came to an abrupt halt as he suddenly recalled scenes from three years ago...

This insignificant person, whom no one cared about, has now driven them into such a desperate situation.

Just at this time……

A knock came from afar.

Xu Haibo walked in silently.

"The box office results are in."

"How many?"

"Transformers grossed 4100 million RMB!"

"..."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

4100 million RMB, the box office seems high, but...

This is Transformers!

This is the blockbuster movie they got!

They initially came with the goal of breaking Chinese box office records, aiming for over 5000 million!
but……

This movie didn't even reach the daily box office figures of "Dark Knight" at its peak!
"Zhou Yang's Transformers movie sold tickets for as low as 30 or even 20 yuan, but the box office statistics were based on 30 or 20 yuan... They've completely lost all shame in their attempt to stop us from reaching the top!"

"Zhou Yang's [Cinema Alliance] accounts for 60% of the national cinema chains, with the remaining 6%... With nearly 125.7 million viewers on opening day, if we calculate based on a 4 RMB per ticket, then the opening day box office could exceed 7500 million RMB! Even disregarding subsidized screenings, we can still achieve at least 5000 million RMB in daily box office revenue..."

"..."

Xu Haibo said somewhat angrily.

But Chen Lei asked another question: "How much is 'Transformers'?"

"The opening day box office was 1650 million, but because the ticket price was a uniform 15 yuan, the actual number of viewers for this movie was close to 110 million... Based on the data, it is estimated that many of these 110 million people were actually Transformers fans who were dragged to support Transformers Metal by their girlfriends..."

"..."

"So, how come our Transformers, as a top global IP with top-notch special effects and a big-budget film, can't even attract as many viewers as these films that just ride the coattails of popularity?"

"It's the capital behind Zhou Yang that's disrupting the market!" Xu Haibo said with a gloomy face. "They're maliciously competing with low-price coupons and 15-yuan ticket prices, completely messing up the market... If they set their ticket prices higher, over 30 yuan, no one would watch this movie... He's just being a scoundrel!"

The phone rang just as he finished speaking.

Immediately afterwards...

Xu Haibo's pupils contracted!
"What? Zhou Yang announced that his new movie 'Deformed Steel Bar' will be released on the 19th, and this time, the ticket price is only 8 yuan? And they're still giving out coupons?"

"He's crazy?"

"damn it!"

(End of this chapter)