Chapter 644: Extra Magic Surprise |
After Tiger Brother and the other movie-review bloggers shared their thoughts, more online viewers posted genuine reviews and recommendations:
["The Phantom Thief Alliance 2 is really good! I love how it doesn't require any brainpower! But that ending extra scene is driving me crazy—I can't wait for the third installment."]
["So has anyone cracked the city background for the third movie yet? I want to go stalk their filming location."]
["Everyone calm down, the second movie just came out. The third one isn't even in the works yet. Don't get too excited."]
["Honestly, I'm only thinking about one thing: the Master Thief Ranking has Brother Xiao playing third place, and his presence in the first two movies was already maxed out (except when Lu Xiaokong messes with him). I seriously can't imagine who they could get to play first and second place."]
["Haha, that's a serious question. It really feels like Xiao He has already set the bar impossibly high for third place. If Director Zhuang doesn't make the third movie soon, Brother Xiao's status will be even bigger later. Who could possibly outshine him?"]
["Looking at it from another angle, Director Zhuang's advance planning is really sharp. It feels like from the grand world storyline, he had already placed Xiao He's character in a major position. But back then, Xiao He wasn't nearly as popular or skilled as he is now. I have to say, Director Zhuang had excellent foresight."]
["Director Zhuang is like that—a successful commercial film director. The only pity is that he's been stuck in commercial films for so many years and can't produce anything with depth."]
["?? I suspect some people secretly ate lemons. How can they spew such sour words?"]
["Haha, you're killing me. Someone's actually worried about Teacher Chen You? He's already won all the major awards and is a member of the Box Office billion club. I don't know where you get the nerve to say he's being wasted! In my opinion, Teacher Chen You teaming up with Director Zhuang was the most correct choice possible. Chen You already has several Award-Winning Actor titles to prove his acting skills, and his collaborations with Director Zhuang have proven his commercial value. I think they're in a mutually beneficial situation."]
["Alright, stop arguing. Those people can only be bitter with their words. Director Zhuang makes a ton of money from commercial films. Why don't others do the same? Don't they want to make money? That's pretty self-righteous—they better not change their tune later."]
……
Every time a new movie premiered, Zhuang Hongyi got dragged out for criticism, but he was used to it by now.
Just like Ning Jiaqi, who had once tried to break into international awards but failed and turned back to develop the domestic market, Zhuang Hongyi didn't care much about awards. Unlike Director Ning, whose scripts often carried some irony and depth, Zhuang Hongyi was a purely capitalistic director.
Although he wouldn't pollute people's eyes with terrible movies or pull shady moves for dirty money, he would never refuse to stay in his comfort zone and rake in easy cash.
So when he saw those comments, Zhuang Hongyi just smirked with irony. Then he told the marketing accounts to step up their efforts and further stir up the Spring Festival box office.
When he saw Xiao He's Spring Festival Gala popularity, he even gave Xiao He a call.
Xiao He was a bit surprised by the request. "Huh? You want me to film a separate magic video?"
"That's right."
Zhuang Hongyi's tone was meaningful.
"Consider it an extra bonus surprise."
Xiao He's mind quickly ran through the implications. He tried to analyze what Zhuang Hongyi was thinking.
He was a cameo character, playing a cyber hacker. Would posting a separate magic video really just be for extra publicity?
Or was it connected to that extra scene after the grand finale?
The way he mouthed a location without actually saying it in the plot—was he now using a magic performance to reveal it?
Xiao He wasn't sure. And Director Zhuang was staying tight-lipped about his next plans. So Xiao He decided to just treat it as a simple movie promotion.
After confirming that Director Zhuang had no other requirements, Xiao He learned a few small magic tricks from Ge Fu online.
Ge Fu had gained a lot of popularity from the Spring Festival Gala performance, and thanks to Xiao He's help, he had ridden that wave to significant attention. Ge Fu's name was linked with Xiao He's on the Hot Search, transforming him from a magician known only within the industry into a national sensation. Many people now knew who he was, and his heat even surpassed the official CCTV Spring Festival Gala magician from the same year.
So when Ge Fu heard Xiao He's request, he agreed without hesitation.
As for not sharing magic tricks?
Ge Fu wasn't so uptight. After all, with the internet so developed, many tricks had already been exposed. Sometimes it came down to the magician's own skill and ingenuity. He didn't mind Xiao He learning.
And if he wanted to be strict, when Xiao He had already copied many of his tricks during rehearsals, Ge Fu would have been furious long ago.
"I'll teach you a few tricks you can do anytime."
On the video call, Ge Fu spread his palms open. "All you need is a coin, a rubber band, and a pen..."
……
That night, the topic of Xiao He performing magic once again surged onto the Hot Search.
The magic video was actually simple—a twenty-second clip of a coin trick.
But rather than the coin disappearing and reappearing out of thin air, people were more focused on the dexterity of Xiao He's fingers as he manipulated it. Watching the coin flip skillfully across his knuckles, gently hop into his palm, vanish completely, and then—after showing his empty hands—reappear between his fingers, netizens were in awe.
[Great, the last time I saw something this impressive was in a game CG. Thanks, Brother Xiao, for proving that this is actually a move a human can do.]
[So this confirms the Spring Festival Gala magic show! It was definitely Brother Xiao pulling the strings back then!]
[It was definitely Brother Xiao! Isn't this blatantly obvious? Haha, that's our Brother Xiao.]
[Alright, alright. One magic show, two magicians performing for me—how is this not a win?]
[So where did Brother Xiao learn these skills again?]
Netizens were still laughing, but Zhuang Hongyi had already reposted Xiao He's video with a caption that caused another explosion.
[Zhuang Hongyi: Adding extra clues to the movie's surprise scene. I hope everyone will support "The Phantom Thief Alliance 2," and thank you for your love.]
Audience: ?
What does that mean?
You're saying this is a clue for the third installment?
Wait, a mouth shape that doesn't reveal the city name, and a twenty-second magic performance—how exactly does that hint at the third movie?
And seriously, the second movie is still airing, and Director Zhuang is already eager to secure investment for the third one. Isn't that too much?
