Chapter 105: The Plot of “Deception”

Chapter 105: The Plot of "Deception"

"Deception" ranked sixth on the daily chart, with the top five all surpassing 100 million. However, the real gap on the chart was only created by "The Eternal Night" and "Homebound Train" — the third-ranked "Childhood" didn't even break 200 million in box office revenue.

It was a crowded Spring Festival movie season.

Objectively speaking, the quality of each film was quite decent, with none suffering a significant reputation collapse like "The Swordsman" did on its opening day. However, this also meant the competition during this period would be exceptionally fierce — if a film broke 100 million on its opening day, its final box office could very likely surpass 1 billion.

Naturally, films that broke 100 million on their opening day garnered much attention. In contrast, "Deception" seemed a bit underwhelming.

The crew was actually pretty satisfied, given the production costs. "Deception" could recoup its costs in as little as three days, or at most five days, or even throughout the entire Spring Festival period.

The goal of breaking 100 million on the opening day was never considered by the director or the two lead actors. After all, this was the Spring Festival season, and the trailer for "Deception" was full of gore and chaos, which really didn't fit the festive mood.

Lu Xu was pretty chill — although many marketers had been evaluating "Deception" these days, calling it Lu Xu's stepping stone into the film industry.

"TV drama top stars are taking turns to venture into the film industry, whether it's Qiao Mengyao, known as the 'Empress of Ancient Romance,' or Zhang Che, who has topped the TV drama popularity charts. The results have been disappointing, to say the least."

"Are TV drama actors destined to be unsuitable for the film industry? Can Lu Xu break this curse?"

Lu Xu: "..."

He had never imagined he was shouldering such a heavy responsibility.

Why didn’t anyone give him a heads-up?

After the opening day box office of "Deception" was released, most marketers took a wait-and-see approach.

When it comes to attendance, "Deception" was clearly inferior to "The Eternal Night" and "Homebound Train." With the same screening schedule, these two films attracted more box office revenue. However, among the Spring Festival films, "Deception" was certainly not the worst.

In fact, in terms of production budget, "Deception" was undoubtedly among the lowest in the lineup.

It’s unfair to compare "Deception" with "The Eternal Night" and "Homebound Train," as the latter two had production costs exceeding 500 million. Different costs lead to different expectations for recouping investments.

Even — if we only look at the opening day box office of "Deception" and "The Eternal Night," "Deception" could actually break even faster.

"At least with Yue Hui and Lu Xu on board, I think 'Deception'’s box office is still a bit underwhelming."

"...Is this the so-called influence that Lu Xu's fans have been boasting about? What top star doesn’t even hit 100 million on opening day? Where are the fans?"

"Seriously, 'Deception'’s trailer got more views than 'Homebound Train,' but turns out the fans are just freeloading? With this kind of strength, why bother venturing into the film industry? Might as well pack it in early."

Under box office-related posts, there were occasional mocking comments about Lu Xu. However, if the commenter's profile picture was Zhang Che, or if they had previously posted content related to Zhang Che, someone would subtly point out: "The opening day box office of 'Deception' is almost catching up to the total box office of 'The Swordsman.'"

The commenter would quickly shut up.

Honestly, opening day is always a free-for-all, no matter the season. Audiences go with their gut when buying tickets, and it's only from the second day that the films' reputations start to diverge — that's when low-budget films have the chance to surge upward.

Of course, it’s also when everyone starts pulling out all the stops.

...

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Xi Yue and her friend went to the cinema.

They’d debated for a while about which Spring Festival movie to see, and neither of them checked the reviews on the ticketing website, as there were too many reviews that seemed like paid promotions. Xi Yue was interested in "Deception," while her friend wanted to watch "The Eternal Night." They scrolled down from the real-time reviews to see how the two films were being received.

Xi Yue mainly searched for real-time reviews of "Deception."

"Interesting! I recommend everyone to watch 'Deception.' No spoilers, but it’s a total must-see!"

"A classic mystery thriller, you have to watch it!!"

Xi Yue scrolled through dozens of posts, and surprisingly, none of them criticized 'The Deception,' which made her even more curious.

Before she could take a screenshot and send it to her friend, her friend messaged her first: "Go watch 'The Deception.'"

"? Isn't 'The Eternal Night' good?"

"After searching for a while, I found so many bot comments. Real people have both positive and negative opinions, at least the reputation isn't that amazing."

"If it's not good, we can always wait a few more days."

With so many movies released during the Spring Festival season, Xi Yue wasn't worried about finding one she liked.

"Unfortunately, 'The Deception' has had its screenings reduced slightly, so we can only buy tickets for slightly later showtimes."

Cinemas are always the quickest to react. Since 'The Eternal Night' and 'Homebound Train' did well at the box office, both films had their screenings slightly boosted. Naturally, other films had to have their screenings reduced.

'The Deception' had an average box office performance on its first day—not bad, but not enough for cinemas to boost its screenings.

The good thing was that tickets for 'The Deception' weren't too hard to get. Xi Yue and her friend decided to go at the last minute and still got good seats.

But after entering the theater, Xi Yue noticed that more people were watching 'The Deception' than she had expected. By the time the movie started, the theater was about half full, and she noticed that even the corner seats were occupied.

Next to her was a young couple, probably students. Xi Yue overheard them whispering that they had already watched 'The Deception' once yesterday and were here for a second viewing.

"Yesterday when I came, the seats next to me were empty, but today there are suddenly so many people."

"I saw a recommendation from the blogger 'Movie Diary,' and many people in the comments were recommending 'The Deception.'"

Hearing their conversation, Xi Yue grew even more curious.

A moment later, the movie started.

'The Deception' wasn't shot in a very dark tone, nor was it too bright. The opening scenes flashed glimpses of a luxurious and decadent world—"...the winners will possess inexhaustible wealth, a temptation no one can resist, not even death."

"The game begins."

The next shot showed the participants appearing at the roulette table for different reasons.

There were the wealthy, celebrities, dancers, the destitute... and a bookworm.

The character of the bookworm, Chang Qing, Xi Yue suspected from the start was played by Lu Xu, but the image was so different from the roles Lu Xu had played before that she wasn't entirely sure.

But as the game progressed, Xi Yue gradually confirmed it.

The roulette table became a casino, and Chang Qing became the prey, yet he "luckily" evaded the pursuit of the other participants.

Would an inexperienced, even somewhat foolish character appear in a story as meticulous as 'The Deception'?

The murderer is destined to be punished. The first round was Zou Yun, who killed an orphan girl, seized her family fortune, squandered it, and then tried to change his fate through the game.

When this round of the game ended, Xi Yue suddenly realized that the mechanical narration at the beginning seemed to have hinted at this, though at the time she thought it was the story of the "winners." Upon reflection, wasn't Zou Yun also a winner in the worldly sense?

Xi Yue then paid even closer attention to the characters' expressions and subtle movements.

She always felt that 'The Deception' was filled with other hints.

But the movie itself was already thrilling enough. The game rules and the characters' experiences provided the film with a wealth of information, and the audience would feel fulfilled just exploring this part.

Even the eye contact between the characters and the subtle hints from Yue Hui's portrayal of Shi Xinshan felt deeply significant.

Though Shi Xinshan was one of the game's participants, he played a role closer to that of a guide. His peculiar speech patterns and unsettling demeanor made the game feel even more ominous.

Before the second round, the story of a "kind-hearted" dancer unfolded.

She was philanthropic, teaching in remote areas and helping deaf and mute girls pursue their dreams of performing on stage. She couldn’t fathom why she had been invited to this game.

Perhaps it was a jealous colleague from her dance troupe who resented her for being the lead. She overheard her muttering the word 'game' under her breath.

She was terrified by this deliberate setup. For some reason, she had seen Shi Xinshan one afternoon, and his face hadn’t been as aged as it was now. His smile had been gentle, not as sly as it seemed now.

The dancer was, by all accounts, a good person—enthusiastic, sincere, and cheerful. The moment she voiced her doubts, Xi Yue’s assumption that 'everyone in 'Deception' is evil' was shattered—the dancer’s behavior didn’t align with that.

Yet, this dancer wasn’t spared from the punishment in the second round. Chang Qing 'luckily' grabbed a prop, but the dancer’s beautiful face was scorched beyond recognition. Her uncontrollable screams echoed throughout the theater.

The more Xi Yue watched, the more she grasped the game’s cruelty.

'Deception' wasn’t told in chronological order. The game progressed in rounds, but the order of each character’s appearance and death was jumbled. Even—later events would overshadow earlier ones, unveiling the truth from different perspectives.

Xi Yue was completely engrossed in the plot of 'Deception.' In the theater, she stayed laser-focused, afraid she might miss a pivotal moment.

In fact, 'Deception' had a rhythm of its own. It didn’t overwhelm the audience with information all at once. The atmosphere around the roulette table was surprisingly calm. Yet, it was precisely this calm that made Xi Yue brace herself for the storm to come.

Using the screen’s glow, she subtly scanned her surroundings. Sure enough, everyone was glued to the screen, wide-eyed. No one dozed off, and no one even stepped out for a bathroom break.

As the game went on, Chang Qing’s presence grew more and more noticeable.

By the third game, even a fool could guess that Chang Qing, who had managed to avoid punishment for two consecutive rounds while other participants suffered, was undoubtedly a formidable character.

Chang Qing slowly revealed his true nature.

The moment he removed his thick glasses, Xi Yue heard a soft "wow" erupt in the theater. The audience members who made the sound were initially embarrassed but then smiled sheepishly when they realized they weren't the only ones.

Yan Huan and Chang Qing shared the same face, but the dullness Chang Qing displayed was nowhere to be seen on Yan Huan's face. What appeared on the screen now was a strikingly impactful face.

His eyes sparkled as if they could speak, looking somewhat mischievous yet exuding an indescribable charm that hovered between sensuality and innocence.

Lu Xu's features, magnified on the big screen, were nothing short of breathtaking. It was as if they had been measured with a ruler, perfectly symmetrical. Yet, he was no wooden beauty. With just a glance, it felt as though everything was under his control.

Especially when he used his fingers as a gun, causing others to fall into traps, Xi Yue couldn't help but think of the word "domineering."

His raised eyebrows and beckoning gestures were utterly captivating.

Xi Yue suddenly recalled a comment she had seen the day before, where someone said that just seeing Lu Xu's face in "Deception" was worth the ticket price. But the movie wasn't just about his face; the plot was equally intriguing.

Xi Yue silently agreed.

With such a face, it would be a waste not to act!

As the game progressed, Yan Huan passed each level one by one, and the cruel side of the game gradually unfolded before the audience—the various, unimaginable punishments were being inflicted on the losers one after another.

However, the stories interwoven with the punishments made it clear that no matter how cruel and cold the game was, it paled in comparison to the human heart.

The disfigured dancer had never participated in charity. She was disfigured because she had destroyed other dancers' dreams, causing her competitors to be disfigured and left disabled.

The so-called deaf and mute girl was merely a gift she presented to those in power.

A girl who couldn't even speak clearly—who would believe the truth she tried to convey? She couldn't even express it.

The destitute man, at the bottom of the world, still preys on those weaker than him, brutally killing animals he considers inferior.

The arrogant and cruel celebrity lets his fans cyberbully an ordinary person to the point of suicide.

...

The mute girl cannot speak, animals don’t understand human language, cyberbullying is just psychological torment, and Zou Yun’s scheme to seize property goes unnoticed—none of them face punishment.

Meanwhile, the seemingly honest Chang Qing, with his 'good guy' image, received financial support from a family during his school years. Jealous of those who had it better, he slowly got close to the family’s only daughter, and they eventually agreed to elope. After feeling misunderstood and 'hopeless in life,' they planned to end their lives together.

The girl jumped; he didn’t.

He’s still the student who 'studies hard,' 'keeps to himself,' and seems 'honest,' walking around campus. Except for the girl’s parents, who are in unbearable agony, no one remembers she ever existed.

Chang Qing, though, is happy to see one less person in the world who’s better off than him.

Chang Qing became Yan Huan because he gave in to his dark impulses again, but this time, he ran into Yan Huan.

"Did you kill Chang Qing?"

Only a few people were left at the roulette table. Facing Shi Xinshan’s question, Yan Huan smirked, "Who knows?"

"Shouldn’t you be the one finding the killer?"

Yan Huan looked at Shi Xinshan, "Otherwise, why would you have set up this game?"

Shi Xinshan didn’t deny it, just stared at Yan Huan, "Who are you, really?"

At that moment, the cinema screen went dark, and the roulette table was empty, with only Shi Xinshan holding a card Yan Huan left behind, marked with a blue 'K.' If you paid close attention to 'Deception,' you’d notice 'K' pops up a lot.

And so, 'Deception' ended.

Xi Yue: "..."

She felt like her brain had been wiped clean.

"So Shi Xinshan designed the game?"

"What’s the deal with the letter K?"

"If the plot didn’t spell out the bad stuff those people did, I’d be totally lost!!"

One thing Xi Yue is sure of—'Deception' is totally worth seeing in theaters!

Spring Festival movie tickets aren’t cheap. She and her friend found a cinema in a nearby dead mall, where only one hotpot place was busy, so tickets were cheap, just over 30 yuan.

But she felt 'Deception' gave her a story worth 70 yuan—Lu Xu’s face alone was worth 20 yuan!

The second she left the theater, Xi Yue couldn’t resist looking up 'Deception' analyses. Unfortunately, it was only the second day of the movie's release, and no blogger had posted a complete analysis yet, probably afraid of spoilers.

Fortunately, by searching for keywords, scattered analyses were still available.

Xi Yue and her friend shared the interesting analyses they found, uncovering many details they hadn’t noticed.

For example, after Chang Qing appeared, Shi Xinshan noticed his inconsistencies.

Another example is Zou Yun often rubbing his hands, because he suffocated an orphan girl to death, and later he had his hands cut off, which also implies a karmic retribution.

Xi Yue had to share on Weibo: "Go watch 'Deception' now!!!!"

"The visuals are super smooth! The revenge is incredibly satisfying! The gameplay is absolutely thrilling!"

Author's note:

Update~

About the plot... I tried my best, haha—I’m not a screenwriter, after all!

When I wrote the part where Shi Xinshan asks Yan Huan who he really is, the next second I wanted to write that I'm Conan Edogawa!