In the script of "The Heavenly Emperor," Yang Huanyi and Shang Yechu only have one scene together: a child, born with health problems, is about to be "optimized" away by AI. The child's mother flees in panic, clutching her child, when the Heavenly Emperor passes by with an umbrella and glances at the mother and child.
When the mother saw someone approaching, she rushed forward to beg for help. But the Heavenly Lord didn't care about humans. Even when the mother grabbed her clothes, he simply lowered his head and coldly looked at the mother and child.
Finally, under the watchful eye of the Heavenly Emperor, the mother and child were once again dragged away by the AI that maintained order.
Throughout the entire process, the Heavenly Lord didn't need to utter a single word; it was only the mother who made the one-sided plea for help—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there was zero communication. Even if Yang Huanyi hadn't been sick and had come to the film crew, she wouldn't have had much of a chance to meet Shang Yechu.
The script reading was led by the director and screenwriter. Ai Xiaodong was a hands-off manager, leaving everything to Shao Guangji. Shang Yechu organized the questions that arose during the script reading and raised them one by one.
"Director," Shang Yechu asked, "what are the Heavenly Emperor's feelings towards the rebel army?"
Ai Xiaodong answered first: "I don't care. Just like people don't care about ants."
Shao Guangji's expression changed, and Shang Yechu, seeing this, understood what was going on.
Shang Yechu, eager to learn, asked, "Then there are some illogical parts in the script. If the Heavenly Lord really doesn't care about humanity at all, why would he stay in that abandoned factory and live with the rebels?"
“There is nothing unreasonable about it,” Shao Guangji said without hesitation. “Of course the Heavenly Emperor cares about humanity. Without humanity, where would civilization come from? It is precisely because of the birth of the rebel army that the Heavenly Emperor has the opportunity to reappear in the world.”
From the author's perspective, the Heavenly Emperor should naturally view all humans as insects, which aligns with the image of a god devoid of desire. However, from a director's perspective, a protagonist devoid of emotion and desire would make the audience feel that the protagonist is like a garbage bag—too capable of holding onto things, and would never be likable. The Heavenly Emperor must care deeply about the rebel army.
Ai Xiaodong frowned. He wasn't the kind of author who would fight to the death for his work, so since Shao Guangji said so, then so be it.
“OK, I reserve my opinion. Do as you please.” Ai Xiaodong shrugged and then turned to Shang Yechu, saying, “If you think a god should be very human, then you can act like this.”
"When the Kings of Hell fight, the little devils suffer." Ai Xiaodong's dissatisfaction with this change was practically written all over his face. Everyone present exchanged bewildered glances. This was only the first issue, and the director and the original author were already at odds. What would happen with the later issues? Whose side were they supposed to follow? Ye Chu really was something else, throwing out such a bombshell right from the start!
Shang Yechu smiled slightly, feigning a troubled expression: "In that case, director, is it alright if I handle it like this during the interpretation? When it was first born, the Heavenly Emperor was indifferent to humanity. As the rebel army's actions and growth progressed, the Heavenly Emperor gradually began to care about humanity..."
Everyone looked at Shang Yechu. In their eyes, Yechu's words were clearly an attempt to smooth things over.
Shao Guangji drew a large question mark on the paper, without directly rejecting the idea: "Explain in detail."
“Since the Heavenly Lord was reborn with the emergence of the rebel army,” Shang Yechu explained, “that means that humanity is not without influence over the Heavenly Lord. The growth of the rebel army is also linked to the Heavenly Lord’s emotional state. When the rebel army was first established, it was a disorganized mess, each with its own agenda and acting independently, and the Heavenly Lord was indifferent to humanity; when the rebel army began to develop a sense of community, the Heavenly Lord’s emotions thawed, and he began to take humanity seriously; when the rebel army formed a concept of a shared destiny, the Heavenly Lord naturally developed a deep love for humanity.”
Seeing that Shao Guangji was still pondering, Shang Yechu added, "While civilization influences humanity, humanity also constructs civilization. Do you think it's appropriate for Teacher Shao and Teacher Ai to use the Heavenly Ruler's state as a metaphor for the state of the rebel army?"
Ai Xiaodong instinctively felt something was off. Upon closer inspection, Shang Yechu's statement seemed no different from Shao Guangji's utter nonsense. But for some reason, Ai Xiaodong couldn't muster any anger. Damn, it actually seemed to make a lot of sense.
Well, this approach is much better than the Heavenly Emperor starting off with a heart full of love. Ai Xiaodong nodded reluctantly: "That's one way to explain it."
Shao Guangji pondered for a long time, and finally drew an X over the question mark on the paper: "We'll discuss this issue tomorrow."
Shao Guangji didn't deny it on the spot, proving that the proposal was negotiable. Shang Yechu breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, at least she didn't have to be completely expressionless.
This seemingly conciliatory approach was actually a deliberate attempt to enhance Shang Yechu's presence. The Heavenly Lord's shift from indifference to integration into the rebel army also subtly reflected the audience's changing attitude towards the rebels.
In a new movie, viewers need to follow the plot step by step to develop feelings for the main characters. There's no reason to fall head over heels for a character within the first thirty seconds of a film.
The Heavenly Lord's emotional shifts subtly mirror the audience's emotional journey, allowing them to connect more deeply with the character. The more the audience identifies with a character, the more they like them. Shang Yechu didn't want to become the real protagonist on camera; she had to put in the effort herself.
The first question was temporarily resolved, and Shang Yechu immediately posed the second question:
Why does the Heavenly Emperor treat these three characters differently from the other rebel members? Do these three people have any hidden identities?
As she spoke, Shang Yechu pushed her script forward. On the character introduction page of the script, three names were circled.
Annika, Samuel, Darius.
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