"Which movie should I choose? It's so hard to decide."
City A.
The college students who had just returned to campus welcomed their first Friday back. Ding Xiao and her roommates had dinner and were debating which movie to go see. None of Ding Xiao's roommates liked Xiao Yang, so "Around the Moon" was obviously out of the question. As for the popular movies from the Spring Festival, "Precision Machine" and "Battle Zone," they had almost all seen them. They could only choose from the new movies released today.
“Turning Point, Looking Back into the Abyss…” Ding Xiao moved her phone back, “It really doesn’t feel like there are any movies worth watching.”
It was already quite late after they finished dinner, and there weren't many movie screenings left at that time. Ding Xiao swiped her finger across the screen for a while, then looked at her roommates: "How about we go see 'The Vanishing Murderer'?"
There happened to be a screening at the cinema near the school. Ding Xiao glanced at it and saw that "The Vanished Murder" was only showing once a day from Friday to Sunday.
Ding Xiao wasn't particularly fond of Ji Yan. She quite liked "Yi's" songs, but she still had doubts about whether Ji Yan's acting skills deserved the praise he received. In Ding Xiao's impression, young actors often showed signs of being heavily promoted. When the audience didn't have a good understanding of his abilities, the media's praise and award nominations seemed to be forcing the audience to be brainwashed.
However, Ding Xiao has always liked films like "The Vanishing Murderer," but unfortunately, this type of film is relatively niche, there are few of them, and the quality does not meet Ding Xiao's requirements.
"Let's watch this one then, the tickets are cheap."
"The Vanishing Murder" is not a special effects blockbuster, but just an ordinary 2D movie. For audiences who have just experienced the high ticket prices of the Spring Festival film season, its ticket price is quite affordable.
Although Ding Xiao had bought a ticket, she didn't have high expectations for the movie. But when she entered the theater, she found that there were many more people in the screening room than she had imagined; the entire theater was almost full.
Ding Xiao searched online for information about "The Vanishing Murder" and found that the reviews from netizens who had read it were generally positive, but the vast majority of them had Ji Yan's profile picture or were fans of "Yi".
After Ding Xiao put the popcorn and milk tea in the box, the commercial break on the screen ended, and the movie officially started playing.
The production cost of "The Vanishing Murder" was not high, so there were very few production companies listed in the opening credits. Ding Xiao remembers that there were no promotional posters for "The Vanishing Murder" at the entrance of the cinema; instead, there were posters for the big films released during the Spring Festival and "Around the Moon".
...
At the very beginning of the movie, Dr. Tang Shi, music teacher Yu Qian, and idol Qin Yuan all receive invitations from wealthy businessman Xue Song. Amidst the intoxicating scene of clinking glasses, the group meets several important figures they have never met before, and they all feel a little smug.
Only Cheng Yuan, the programmer, quietly stayed behind Xue Song, completing one difficult task after another as he was assigned by him.
When Ji Yan appeared, Ding Xiao almost didn't recognize him. His look was so different from his look on the "Wings" stage. She had watched a bit of the trailer for "The Vanished Murder" and knew that it was a murder mystery film. So, at the beginning of the film, Ding Xiao was trying to guess the identity of the murderer.
Ding Xiao felt that everyone else was a possibility, but Tang Shi was probably the least likely, because the actor who played Tang Shi's performance was somewhat out of place and far less natural than the other characters. If he was ultimately the murderer, it could only mean that his cover-up had fooled everyone.
After a mesmerizing night, the film's visuals subtly changed, though the changes were subtle, such as in the saturation of the image and the rhythm of the music. Ding Xiao, a fan of mystery films, had some experience with this genre.
In the movie, the next morning, Tang Shi and his companions were trapped in the hotel. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't open the door. But throughout the day, a mechanical voice on the television screen kept repeating—
Where were you on November 7, 2011?
The group was already feeling a bit tense being trapped in the hotel, but when the mechanical voice started playing, the audience was startled because at the same moment, a screaming ghost face flashed on the hotel's screen.
The panic that had been building up all morning finally erupted at this moment. First, Yu Qian screamed, followed by a flurry of banging and knocking on the door, but the door still wouldn't open.
Panic gradually spread, and Cheng Yuan's attack brought back memories of November 7, 2011 for everyone.
In the footage, Cheng Yuan's ghost-like appearance is terrifying, but everyone slowly recalls the scene of the rainy night he describes.
Yu Qian shouted sharply, "Shut up!"
But her screams had no effect on the frightened Cheng Yuan: "Did she come back to find me? I really didn't mean to."
Everyone looked grim.
Another night of anxiety and unease passed, and at 11:07 a.m. the next day, Xue Song was killed.
Xue Song was the organizer of this party and the object of everyone's suspicion, but Xue Song died so easily. Did he send out the invitation?
Is it Cheng Yuan?
"The only one connected to Xue Song is you!"
"That damn sound only appeared on the TV screen after you operated it!"
Xue Song's death made Cheng Yuan the only suspect. Under the gaze of the other three, his usually indifferent face, which was completely unremarkable in the crowd, suddenly revealed a hint of evil. In an instant, the impression he gave people completely changed.
Ji Yan's performance was not the kind of superficial change, nor was it exaggerated. On the contrary, when he suddenly appeared in front of the camera in a different image, even Ding Xiao felt a chill.
— Utterly creepy.
At this moment, Cheng Yuan's character gives people a feeling of no warmth. His wonderful life has been completely destroyed. He thinks it is all his fault. However, it was all caused by others, and he is the one who has to bear the blame.
Holy crap! That's awesome!
Ding Xiao could even hear the low growls of other audience members in the back row.
Therefore, Cheng Yuan chose to kill Xue Song and begin his revenge.
However, the audience felt that the truth was not so simple. It's not that all the audience members had the deductive reasoning ability of Sherlock Holmes, but given the length of the movie, it was clear that there was more to come.
However, Ding Xiao and the other audience members were completely intrigued, mainly because the crew of "The Vanishing Murder" did not cut corners at all; people died as soon as they were told to. Although the film's budget was not high, it did not feel shoddy at all.
On the contrary, this can be considered a high-quality drama film.
What impressed Ding Xiao the most was Ji Yan's portrayal of Cheng Yuan. When Cheng Yuan first appeared, he gave the impression of being extremely cowardly, but in the scene just now, he brought out the character's madness.
This was Ding Xiao's first time seeing Ji Yan's performance in a movie theater. His impression was that although Ji Yan had the least experience among the actors, his performance was the most natural and immersive.
This is Ding Xiao's perspective as a viewer.
The plot continues to unfold.
In the movie, Tang Shi, Qin Yuan, and Yu Qian believe they have found the murderer who killed Xue Song, and the pace of the movie slows down slightly. However, the next day, as if foreshadowed by death, at 11:07 a.m., Cheng Yuan, whose hands and feet were completely bound, was also killed.
"Cheng Yuan logged off so quickly?"
Thinking of this, Ding Xiao took out his phone and glanced at it. More than an hour had already passed. The plot of "The Vanishing Murder" was even more intense than he had imagined.
Although the film is not as smooth as those classic suspense films, Ding Xiao still quite likes the pacing of the movie, which was not well-received before its release.
Cheng Yuan's death accelerated the fear and madness of Tang Shi and his group. The footage flashed back to what they did on November 7th.
They seem to have no connection, but many years ago, their lives became inextricably linked with the life of a deceased girl.
Who killed Cheng Yuan?
Suspicion has been reignited.
Every time someone is killed, the audience is plunged into a question: who is the killer hiding behind the scenes?
At this point, the fastidious and critical Tang Shi, the seemingly innocent and carefree Qin Yuan, and the gentle and composed Yu Qian all became the objects of suspicion for the audience. What kind of soul lies hidden beneath their appearances?
Tang Shi, Qin Yuan, and Yu Qian all suspected each other, a fact they were all well aware of. The superficial peace could no longer be maintained, and their eyes were filled with suspicion and distrust as they looked at each other.
"Who is the real culprit?!"
"I feel like it's Qin Yuan. I can't quite put my finger on it, and the way he spoke and his expression when he closed the door was really strange."
“Yu Qian is also terrifying. Don’t you think she created the scary atmosphere at the beginning? Now she’s getting calmer and calmer.”
The suspicions among the three were boundless, and this suspicion could only be completely eliminated when only two people remained—and coincidentally, the day after Tang Shi's fate came to an end, Yu Qian and Qin Yuan both had a premonition.
The murderer must be the other party.
Only when the other person ceases to exist in this world can one have a chance to survive.
At that moment, the audience in the screening room even felt that "The Vanishing Murder" had the feel of watching an infinite flow novel.
In the final scene, Yu Qian could already smell the scent of freedom, but behind her, a figure silently appeared—
Cheng Yuan, who was supposed to have died long ago, appeared on camera at this moment.
"Cheng Yuan??"
His gaze toward Yu Qian wasn't malicious, but at that moment, everyone in the movie theater knew that Yu Qian's fate was sealed.
When Cheng Yuan appeared, Ding Xiao thought of his grandmother's classic novel and muttered to himself that it was a cliché, but he didn't dislike the cliché of "The Vanishing Murder".
At the end of the movie, Cheng Yuan's murderous intent is revealed—
He wasn't the one who ultimately killed the girl on November 7, 2011; he was the girl's brother, and it took him many years to uncover the truth.
Xue Song's sudden wealth was orchestrated by him, and he also created the circumstances of several other people, aroused their desires, and then gradually gathered these people together.
Cheng Yuan had no intention of living. The moment his sister, with whom he depended on each other, died, he lost all meaning in living in this world.
The murderous intent never disappeared; it remained in his heart.
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