Chapter 217 Very Strange

Chapter 217: Something’s Definitely Off

"When I walked into the cinema and witnessed real-life captivity roleplay, I finally understood what it means to feel like your soul left your body."

"Hahahaha, a 'friendship you’ll never forget'—that’s no exaggeration! Who dares say Ma Yanwen and his friend’s bond wasn’t genuine?!!"

"At first, I thought Lu Xu’s character was too plain—the everyday stuff took up way too much screen time. But by the end… I was floored."

"Floored +1. The script’s brilliance completely won me over. Now I’m even itching to watch it again in theaters."

"Rewatch +1."

Though *Dough Figurine*’s comment section is spammed with "?" and "!", whenever a new viewer asks if it's worth watching, the replies are all glowing recommendations.

A few hours later, the comments flood back with more "?" and "!"

"This is downright cruel."

"If I got tricked, I need others to suffer too."

"Naive me actually went in for that unforgettable friendship line. I was such an idiot—how could 'unforgettable friendship' possibly be connected to words like 'bondage' and 'imprisonment'?"

"...Um, actually, I went specifically for the bondage and imprisonment scenes. The whole 'friendship' thing? Didn't even register."

Most fans came into *Dough Figurine* expecting something warm and heartfelt. For them, the opening scene of Ma Yanwen being imprisoned was a total shock.

"Anyone else not recognize at first that Ma Yanwen was played by Lu Xu?"

"Same here..."

"After watching *Number A77* three times straight, I assumed Ma Yanwen was just some average middle-aged guy—kind of a pushover, timid, clearly hadn’t gotten laid in years. I thought Lu Xu was going for another Oscar-bait performance. But seriously, *Dough Figurine* starts off feeling like a snooze-fest, then gets more intense as it goes on. Watching the earlier parts again after seeing the twists? Director Mu Lang’s cinematography is next-level."

"+1 +1. The impact of those plot twists is insane. They barely telegraph them—it hits you out of nowhere."

"There were hints—they were just buried so deep most people missed them."

On *Dough Figurine*’s official Weibo page, fans are already picking the film apart online. Luckily, no one’s spoiling anything. Most only mention there’s a twist coming, leaving spoiler-free fans clueless about what happens next.

But ask directly, and the answers shift to: “It’s a gut-punch of a friendship story—you’ve never seen anything like it,” or “You’ll regret skipping this one, guaranteed. You’ll cry buckets.”

#Tears can’t even be contained by buckets#

#Know they’re lying but still fall for it out of curiosity#

Out of all the films released in May, none have a comment section as wild as *Dough Figurine*’s.

By the end of its first day in theaters, *#Dough Figurine Fraud* shot straight to the top of the trending charts.

Movies that pull bait-and-switch stunts come out every year—and seem to be increasing. Unfamiliar viewers probably assumed *Dough Figurine* would be a total trainwreck, worse than expected. But when they clicked through, they found a flood of fans screaming about how they got duped by the trailer—yet still raving about needing a rewatch.

"So is it good or not?"

"With bondage and captivity play? How could it not be good?"

Alongside *Dough Figurine*, two other films had far bigger budgets and more showtimes. But since this season lacked any spectacle-heavy blockbusters, *Dough Figurine* somehow clawed its way to #1 at the box office on opening day.

Of course, nobody was surprised—for Lu Xu, this is just business as usual.

The real kicker? Alongside its $25M (180M yuan) opening, *Dough Figurine* also sparked a wildfire of online buzz.

The films released during the same period were all pulling out all the stops in marketing, and among the various slogans, *Dough Figurine*'s “a friendship you’ll never forget” was actually quite plain.

Yet the word “friendship” inexplicably went viral.

If you searched for “friendship” in real-time that day, 80% of the discussions were linked to *Dough Figurine*.

Similarly, 80% of the searches for “good” and “plot twist” were also linked to *Dough Figurine*.

This made it hard not to be curious about *Dough Figurine*.

Friendship is too common in films and TV—the industry pumps out stories every year, and even those dealing with betrayal are nothing new.

Judging from fans’ comments, *Dough Figurine* should also deal with betrayal.

But… if it were purely about betrayal, it probably wouldn’t have garnered so much attention.

What kind of work is *Dough Figurine*, exactly?

This is something many fans and industry insiders are deeply curious about.

Discussions about *Dough Figurine* have been relentless—some say it moved them, others claim it sent chills down their spines, and a few even described feeling an intense sense of suffocation in the theater, calling it dark and despairing.

The claim that it’s moving is clearly a scam, but unless something’s off, *Dough Figurine* likely isn’t the kind of forgettable, by-the-numbers movie. Its plot must be quite innovative.

Film critic “Movie Diary” impulse-bought a ticket with this mindset and is now seated in the theater.

Originally, he wasn’t going to see *Dough Figurine* first among this season’s releases. Instead, he saw two other films—one focusing on the emotional lives of urban men and women, the other depicting the changing seasons in a cozy courtyard. The industry got burned from Qi Di’s *Song of Tears*—family-themed films now went for heartwarming rather than misery.

But “Movie Diary” couldn’t ignore the barrage of recommendations for *Dough Figurine* in the comments, urging him to review it.

The “Movie Diary” account had been around for years, and honestly, he’d never seen such a wild mix of themes in recommendations before.

Friendship, imprisonment, ordinariness, teacher, bondage, malice… The last film with such a rich blend of themes was probably *Water Margin* from the Four Great Classical Novels.

Yet as far as he knew, *Dough Figurine* wasn’t a period piece, and its cast was surprisingly tiny—the official blog listed only a handful of characters with substantial screen time.

Admittedly, the talk of scams and various “play” elements got him hooked. Plus, he noticed that while fans were ripping into it, none of them actually called it a bad film.

“Movie Diary” had seen quite a few of Lu Xu’s films, and in his impression, the actor had never starred in anything truly awful. Lu Xu had principles—he didn’t take just any script.

The crowd in the theater surprised “Movie Diary.”

To his knowledge, *Dough Figurine* had a small budget, with no grand scenes or special effects. Given its subject matter, it shouldn’t have attracted such a massive audience.

Yet what he saw with his own eyes was a sold-out showing after the film began.

Lu Xu’s character, Ma Yanwen, was a nondescript college professor.

“Movie Diary” perked up immediately.

From the very start, Lu Xu completely ditched his leading-man looks—Ma Yanwen was ordinary, timid, and always whining, the kind of person who’d blend into a crowd unnoticed. Lu Xu truly embodied this image.

Ma Yanwen’s imprisonment at the beginning was also clear—this scene matched the “imprisonment and bondage” that baited viewers. Who could deny this wasn’t a form of bondage play? It was spot-on.

At first, “Movie Diary” was thrown off because Ma Yanwen’s personality and daily life made him the last person you’d expect to be involved in anything dramatic.

Was he the wrong guy?

Or, like in a mystery thriller, was everything about Ma Yanwen a disguise—was he actually the puppet master behind it all?

"Film Diary sensed an impending twist," so he patiently bided his time and kept watching.

The early part of the plot had no major ups and downs. Though Ma Yanwen was timid and unremarkable, he was generally a good person who did good deeds—even if occasionally misunderstood by others. However, "Film Diary" felt there must be something hidden in this part of the story. The visual palette Mu Lang employed was quite different from his usual style.

On screen, Ma Yanwen kept droning on with complaints. By this point, "Film Diary" had completely forgotten that this character was played by Lu Xu and began to dislike him.

It couldn't be helped—Ma Yanwen was utterly unlikable.

"Is he really the same person as the one he describes himself to be?" Gradually, this suspicion took root in "Film Diary's" mind.

And the moment this thought flashed by, the plot finally took a dramatic turn—

Under the lure and manipulation of an unknown, mysterious voice, Ma Yanwen finally revealed his true self.

"Film Diary" felt that language fell short of describing this part of the story.

The technique Mu Lang employed was a direct contrast between the first half and the second half.

The people and events in both scenes were exactly the same—even the smiles and expressions in the memories were identical. The only difference was the identity of the protagonist.

The first half featured Ma Yanwen, the second half his friend. Their clothing, postures, gazes… were superimposed with eerie precision, sending an inexplicable chill through the dark theater.

In his memories, Ma Yanwen erased his friend's existence. He claimed his friend's kindness as his own while projecting his own pettiness, darkness, and jealousy onto the other.

He even deliberately ignored his friend's death.

Even though his friend had offered him the most sincere friendship without asking for anything in return.

As a film critic, analyzing movies and characters was "Film Diary's" forte. Though *Dough Figurine* hadn't reached its conclusion yet, he already knew there was so much to unpack about Ma Yanwen's character.

Was he a villain?

He didn't quite fit the conventional image of one. His abilities were limited, and he failed at many things. Yet the darkness he carried—like gutter-dwelling vermin—sent shivers down the spine.

Ma Yanwen truly resembled a dough figurine—seemingly moldable to any form, yet capable of wearing another face where no one could see.

Mu Lang used the camera to lay bare this man's psyche to the extreme. In the first half of the memories, the focus was on Ma Yanwen; in the second half, it shifted to the friend. But upon closer inspection, though the two scenes were identical, the second carried a palpable, voyeuristic gaze.

That gaze was profoundly unsettling.

Another detail "Film Diary" found particularly striking—throughout *Dough Figurine*'s nearly two-hour runtime, the friend never had a name.

He was just "the friend," nameless—as if everything he had done had been erased from Ma Yanwen's memories.

Clearly, Director Mu Lang did this intentionally.

This choice made "Film Diary" feel even more unsettled.

Once someone dies, everything about them can be erased and twisted at will.

The friend's death allowed Ma Yanwen's malice to fester unchecked.

This was indeed a movie that left a deep impression. At the very least, among the three films released this season, *Dough Figurine* was the sole film that truly unsettled "Film Diary."

Before writing a full-length review, "Film Diary" posted a cheeky recommendation on his profile: *"A poignant meditation on friendship, the fractured psyche of an ordinary man—imprisonment, bondage, being the beloved favorite… every trope you could want is here, darkly humorous."*

The fans' response: "..."

Something didn't add up. Everything felt very off.