Chapter 437: Don't Watch the Ads, Watch the Results |
May 17th, Monday.
The morning rush hour subway was packed with commuters.
Li Qiang held onto the overhead strap with one hand while struggling to pull out his phone with the other, trying to scroll through short videos to wake himself up.
Just then, the mobile TV screens inside the subway car lit up.
It wasn't an annoying brainwashing advertisement, just a clean white background.
On the screen, Jiang Ci, dressed in a sharp police dress uniform, was smiling at the camera.
The lighting was perfect. His face was clean and handsome, his sash bright red, and his whole person seemed to glow.
Li Qiang couldn't help but take a second look.
This kind of looks could really deliver.
"Youth comes only once. Life cannot be relived."
"Reject narcotics. Embrace the sunshine."
His voice was warm like jade, paired with a healing BGM, making one feel like a spring breeze.
Li Qiang muttered to himself: "As expected of an official PSA. The vibe is way too perfect. It's like the news broadcast."
The video progress bar reached 15 seconds.
Just when everyone thought this was just another ordinary slogan advertisement.
Second 16.
No transition effects.
It was as if an invisible, massive hand had brutally ripped off the mask.
That sunny, handsome "Jiang Ci" suddenly collapsed.
The BGM cut off abruptly.
A bone-chilling, bellows-like wheezing sound replaced it.
"Uh... uh..."
On the screen, Jiang Ci's features began to twist.
His eyeballs bulged, the whites covered in bloodshot veins. His pupils dilated into an eerie black hole.
Saliva dripped from his slack-jawed mouth, staining the white shirt.
His hands clawed at his neck, fingernails digging into his flesh.
That young man who just moments ago was "embracing the sunshine" was gone.
In front of them was a demon being devoured by desire.
He stared at the camera.
That look.
Greedy. Hollow. Mad. Desperate.
"Clang!"
Somewhere in the subway car, someone's water bottle hit the floor.
Then, gasps erupted one after another.
Li Qiang felt his scalp go numb, a chill running down his back. His drowsiness had been scared clean out of him.
At the end of the video, black text slowly appeared on a white background:
[Don't let this second become the rest of your life.]
Since when was this a charity advertisement?
At the same time.
The opening screens of major video apps, bus stop billboards, and even the massive screens in city centers were all looping this short film titled "Abyss."
The effect was immediate.
Jiang Ci's Weibo comments section took a sharp turn.
Before, it was all: "Hubby is so handsome!" "I want to slide down brother's nose bridge!"
Now, opening it revealed a chorus of "begging for mercy."
[@Zhang San Who Wants to Quit Smoking: Bro, I was wrong. I was about to light a cigarette, looked up and saw your poster, got so scared I ate my lighter.]
[@Late Night Champion: I threw away my e-cigarette, seriously. Don't look at me with those eyes. I'm scared. I feel like any second now you're going to pounce and bite my carotid artery.]
[@Pure Bystander: Isn't this acting way too off the charts? Suggest an investigation. This doesn't look like acting.]
[@A Drug Rehab Cop: Thank you, Teacher Jiang Ci! This video is now the treasure of our facility.]
There were even parents posting on Weibo to thank him:
"My son was in his rebellious phase and insisted on going to the bar with some punks. I made him watch Jiang Ci's video three times. Now the kid is home obediently doing homework. He won't even drink cola anymore, afraid there's something in it."
This was the "Jiang Ci Effect."
No preaching needed.
Whoever watches it gets the shivers.
...
This wave of "horror-style" charity fever, like a shot of adrenaline, directly hit the box office arteries of "Icebreaker."
"Icebreaker," which had already been in theaters for half a month and should have been entering a stable period, experienced another wave of abnormal "reverse surge."
The daily box office shot up from 200 million to a direct spike of 380 million!
Countless ordinary people, driven by the curiosity of "just how amazing is this guy," flooded into the cinemas.
Then they walked out with red-rimmed eyes, clutching wet tissues.
"Don't watch the ads! Watch the results!"
This became the internet's catchphrase for recommending "Icebreaker."
Under this crushing offensive, the competition from the same period completely collapsed.
The Hollywood blockbuster "Mecha Frenzy 4," originally relying on its IP advantage and special effects, could still go toe-to-toe with "Icebreaker" in its first week.
But now?
Its screening slots had been compressed to single digits.
The production company panicked and announced a one-month extension of the release window, trying to trade time for space. They issued promotional articles saying, "A true sci-fi masterpiece is worth savoring."
The very same day, they got slapped in the face.
"Icebreaker" daily box office: 380 million.
"Mecha Frenzy 4" daily box office: 8 million.
Not even a fraction.
This wasn't just a box office crushing. It was a dimensional reduction strike on cultural confidence.
Seeing "Icebreaker" charging toward cinematic history records, the capital circles couldn't sit still anymore.
Several film companies that had lost their bets began making moves in the shadows.
Marketing accounts coordinated, using a sarcastic, insinuating tone:
"Isn't the box office for a certain 'main melody' film being seriously inflated?"
"Midnight showings are all sold out? Who are they showing it to, ghosts?"
"Over-marketing suffering. What a ugly way to make a buck."
Just as these talking points started to emerge, before Jiang Ci's fans could even charge in, the official authorities directly stepped in to "protect their own."
"People's Daily" published a lengthy commentary article—"The Spiritual Totem Behind Four Billion in Box Office."
The article directly called out "Icebreaker" by name for praise:
"This isn't water inflation. This is the people's will."
"When a movie can make audiences spontaneously walk into theaters, can make prodigal sons turn back, can lay a blanket of flowers on a hero's grave..."
"As for those who are used to measuring everything with capital logic, I suggest you go see the movie theater at 3 AM. See those eyes that are waiting for faith."
A single word sealed the deal.
All the black promotional articles immediately vanished into thin air.
Those cinema managers who had been on the fence went completely crazy.
Screening slots!
Give all possible screening slots to "Icebreaker"!
May 20th.
On this day originally belonging to couples, "Icebreaker" welcomed a historic moment.
Spark Media. President's Office.
In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window, the projector screen displayed real-time data from the Maoyan professional version.
Red numbers were jumping crazily.
3.99 billion.
3.995 billion.
3.999 billion.
The entire company was holding its breath, staring at the constantly changing number.
Except for the two people on the sofa.
Jiang Ci was wearing a loose hoodie, sitting cross-legged on the sofa.
In his hand were a pair of chopsticks, fixed on the takeout box on the coffee table.
It was the braised pork belly from the hardest-to-get-to private kitchen in Star City.
"Sister Wan, that's just not fair."
Jiang Ci's chopsticks flew like lightning, blocking Lin Wan's reaching hand.
"I'm the wounded one. This piece with the perfect fat-to-meat ratio has to be mine."
Lin Wan today was rarely not in her work clothes, but dressed casually.
Her chopsticks also stood their ground, exchanging three rounds of jabs with Jiang Ci's in mid-air.
"Stop talking! I'm the boss!"
Just as the two were arguing heatedly over the last piece of braised pork belly.
"Boom!"
From outside the office came a deafening roar of cheers.
Employees were throwing files into the air, the sound of champagne corks popping filling the air.
On the projector screen.
That red number had finally broken through the critical point.
It froze at: 4.08 billion.
At this moment, "Icebreaker" officially surpassed several Hollywood blockbusters, ranking among the top of China's cinematic history total box office.
It was also the first serious-themed police film in cinematic history to break the 4 billion mark.
Lin Wan's movements stopped.
She looked at that number, her eyes suddenly a little red.
Her chopsticks loosened.
Jiang Ci, quick as a flash, swiftly snatched that piece of braised pork belly and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Mmm... so good."
Jiang Ci's cheeks bulging, he mumbled indistinctly.
Lin Wan didn't respond to his provocation.
She turned around and looked at this top star Film Emperor, whose mouth was stuffed with meat and had absolutely no image.
Who would have thought.
This man who had created a miracle, who made the entire entertainment industry look up to him.
Right now was grinning like a fool because he'd snagged a piece of braised pork belly.
"Jiang Ci."
Lin Wan's voice was a little shaky. "Do you know what this means?"
"I know."
Jiang Ci swallowed the braised pork belly and grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth. "It means you're going to give out bonuses."
Lin Wan was so angry she laughed.
She calmed her excited emotions.
"Bonuses! Everyone gets them!"
Lin Wan waved her hand grandly. "Not just money, but I'm going to throw you a celebration banquet!"
"Don't bother."
Jiang Ci waved his hand and turned his attention to the remaining cucumber salad. "Those kinds of occasions don't let you eat your fill. You have to hold a smile the whole time. Too tiring."
He flopped back onto the sofa and stretched comfortably.
"Besides, I've already got the biggest reward."
Lin Wan was taken aback. "What?"
Jiang Ci pointed to his own chest and smiled mysteriously. "Peace of mind."
Only Jiang Ci himself knew how heavy that "peace of mind" really was.
[Current Heartbreak Value Balance: 52,880]
[Current Remaining Lifespan: 28 years, 6 months, and 5 days.]
"What are you thinking about? You're grinning so pervertedly."
Lin Wan's voice pulled him back to reality.
Jiang Ci opened his eyes and looked at the sunlight outside the window.
May in the capital. Willow catkins flying everywhere. The sunlight was just right.
"Nothing."
Jiang Ci picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a slice of cucumber salad, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
"I was just thinking... could my next role be playing a rich guy?"
Lin Wan rolled her eyes. "Dream on."
"Director Jiang's script has already been sent over."
Lin Wan pulled a thick stack of scripts out of her bag and slapped it onto the coffee table, making the braised pork belly's sauce slosh.
"Director Jiang said, since you're so good at playing a 'madman,' the next movie, we're going to play something even bigger."
Jiang Ci looked at the two black-red characters on the script's cover, and the cucumber in his mouth suddenly lost its crunch.
"Awakening Lion."
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