Huang Feizhang and Fatty released Sister Hong. Fatty said awkwardly, "Xiao Ye, Sister Hong didn't mean anything by it. Don't take it to heart."
He had already realized that the chances of escaping with this student were much greater than if he were to struggle blindly on his own.
Xiao Ye nodded, her attitude surprisingly gentle and polite: "It's alright, Sister Hong, I understand you."
Fast-talking Lao Liu...
The fast-talking Lao Liu really got into character!
When Xiao Ye sacrificed her newbie protection period to save Lingling, the fast-talking Lao Liu was very unhappy.
"What era are we living in? Why are these 'saintly heroines' still popular?" Fast-talking Lao Liu was so angry he typed three lines of negative reviews on his phone. He called it "a clichéd saintly heroine," "a pig-brained female lead," and "forced sentimentality," and also gave director Gu Wenhua a thorough dressing-down.
But when Xiao Ye quickly resolved the crisis at the stationery store and incidentally saved Lingling, the quick-tongued Lao Liu thought—that's just like me! If I were there, I could definitely come up with these solutions too!
This is the clever trick of the film *Happy Street*. Gu Wenhua could certainly design the puzzles to be profound and obscure, to highlight the protagonist's sophistication. But what about the audience's sense of immersion?
The protagonist smiled mysteriously and revealed the ultimate mystery of the universe; most viewers were confused and wondered, "Where did this greasy, pretentious king come from?"
For a mystery movie to truly resonate with most viewers, it needs to immerse them in the story, allowing them to solve the puzzle alongside the protagonist and elicit feelings of "If it were me, I could have come up with those solutions too," or "Why didn't I think of that?" Only then will the audience experience a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Fast-talking Lao Liu is one of the viewers who has been manipulated by this method. He has forgotten his initial disdain for Xiao Ye and has instead developed a mindset that "Xiao Ye did the right thing".
Lingling has already broken the rules, and if Xiaoye doesn't do these things, Lingling will likely be in grave danger. It's better to make use of her and help everyone pave the way.
This mentality is common among many viewers, or rather, a hidden sentiment deep within them. Viewers who truly care about the rights of supporting characters are actually a minority. Many viewers, like the fast-talking Lao Liu, don't particularly care about the lives of supporting characters while watching a film. As long as it's not the main character who's responsible, it's fine.
In film theory, there are two important theories: moral capital and identification.
"Escape from Happiness Street (survival needs); participate in the astronomy competition to realize ideals (spiritual needs); since Lingling has already broken the rules, she would die anyway (an unchangeable reality)"—these three things constitute Xiaoye's moral capital. Having acquired this capital, it's only natural that Xiaoye gains the audience's approval.
Under this layer of identification, Xiao Ye's actions are naturally filtered through a lens. She was forced to do it, she was doing it for the greater good, for justice, to save lives... The audience, led by the nose by Xiao Ye, can't help but wonder: What else will she be "forced" to sacrifice? What other methods will she use to unravel the mystery? Will she change?
Zheng Bohan has dominated the domestic drama market for years using this method. Now, Gu Wenhua has followed suit and adopted the same approach.
On the screen, Xiao Ye announces her discovery: "The shops on the pedestrian street are all on the same level, which means that as long as we find the contradictions in the rules between different shops, we may be able to break the deadlock."
Next comes the climax of the movie.
The main characters begin their adventure in various shops along the shopping street.
At the roast duck restaurant, the main characters encountered a dining rule: "The duck skin is the essence of the roast duck, and you must eat it all, otherwise the owner will be heartbroken."
However, while the four main characters were eating duck, the shop owner kept chatting with them. The rules clearly stated that they couldn't refuse the shop owner's requests, so the fat guy volunteered and started talking to him.
As they were chatting, the shop owner suddenly turned cold and said, "The customer is only talking and not eating the duck. Does he think it doesn't taste good?" He then took away the fat man's portion of roast duck!
In a split second, Xiao Ye sprinted to a clothing store on the street—Happiness Street is set near Hengshi Film City, and the shops on the street often sell props for film crews. Xiao Ye bought Fatty a muscle suit and made him wear it.
After putting on the muscle suit, the fat man suddenly transformed into a bodybuilder resembling Schwarzenegger. Just as the fat man was about to go berserk like a monster, the heartbroken roast duck restaurant owner rushed out of the kitchen, swiftly ripped the muscle suit off the fat man's body.
So, the fat man went from Schwarzenegger back to being fat again, completely listless, but at least he survived.
The barbershop's layout was bizarre. Two mirrors faced each other, each reflecting the other. Mirror A reflected the image of mirror B, and mirror B reflected the image of mirror A. And the reflections in those mirrors, in turn, reflected even more mirrors. This back and forth continued endlessly, generation after generation, creating an infinitely extending tunnel of reflections.
The talkative hairdresser insisted on dragging Sister Hong to a spot between two mirrors to cut her hair. Sister Hong wasn't stupid; how could she agree?
The barber's eyes suddenly turned fierce. Just then, Xiao Ye brought a photographer from the photo studio next door.
Upon seeing the extraordinary sight of two mirrors facing each other, the photographer exclaimed in amazement at the artistry and took a photograph of this seemingly endless tunnel.
In that instant, countless mirrors suddenly surged out from under the photographer's lens!
Countless mirrors filled the barbershop to capacity, and the photographers and barbers were also packed in. Xiao Ye and her team reacted quickly and rushed out before it was too late.
Mirrors, piled high like a mountain, stretched to the horizon. Cold and austere as a glacier, dazzling as the sun. An indescribable grandeur, an immeasurable brilliance and splendor.
The special effects for this mirror mountain must have cost a fortune. The effect is especially outstanding. As the endless mirrors rapidly grow, rise, and spread, the audience is deeply shaken, almost breathless.
A towering mirror stood on Happiness Street, forming a prehistoric mountain. Xiao Ye and the others dared not look too long, fearing they would be blinded, and hurriedly left.
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