If he could, Tiger would really like to rush over, grab director Hou Rongxuan by the collar, and shake him wildly until he cuts out this unnecessary post-credits scene!
Okay, okay! We'll pretend we didn't see this, you should delete it right away!
In the front row, the main creative team stood up one after another. Hou Rongxuan had no idea what Tiger was thinking. He picked up the microphone and followed the host onto the stage.
Xiao He rubbed his neck and followed behind Liu Zehang.
To be honest, this was the first time Xiao He had ever officially watched the movie he had directed.
Perhaps it was because the special effects face was so different from his own, Xiao He watched the whole movie from the audience's perspective. His evaluation of the movie was similar to Tiger's, around 8.7, which is considered one of the better reviews for a domestic film.
What Xiao He didn't expect was that the director actually included the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ scene of "Li Zhicheng's" death as a bonus scene.
It's clear that Director Hou has been pulling a lot of strings with his brother-in-law.
After all, Li Zhicheng did not die of natural causes, and this matter involves other cases. The police are still investigating and have not released any information.
But Director Hou was quick-witted; he skipped the "Zhu Laosan's murder" case and simply filmed the circumstances of "Zhu Laosan's death."
Regardless of whether the person was killed or not, just ask if the person is dead or not.
What? Where did you reveal details of the police case? I just hated "Zhu Laosan" and changed the ending to kill him off. Who knew it would overlap with reality?
Anyway, it's always a gratifying thing that a heinous villain has died.
On stage, Hou Rongxuan held a microphone and expressed his gratitude to the audience. He then began to introduce the main creators who came to participate in the preview screening.
Li Hanyue was unable to attend the preview screening due to various circumstances. Zhuo Jianhua, as the lead actor, naturally stood closest to the director, followed by Bao Wei and Liu Zehang, while Xiao He stood on the far side, not very noticeable, and was not even framed in many shots.
But when Hou Rongxuan introduced Xiao He, almost everyone's eyes and cameras fell on Xiao He.
The reason is simple: compared to the other three who had already gained recognition from the audience for their acting skills, this newcomer, who had almost no works to his name, undoubtedly exceeded the audience's expectations.
Zhu Laosan is the most shameless and beastly of the three brothers, and Xiao He truly embodies that feeling with that face.
Seeing the handsome man who looked nothing like Zhu Laosan, everyone became very interested in Xiao He.
Sure enough, during the Q&A session, someone asked Xiao He first: "Mr. Xiao He, have you played Mu Ze before?"
Xiao He: "...It's me."
It seems the "Muze" label can't be removed.
"Ah, it really is!" The audience member who asked the question was a little excited. "Did you use AI face-swapping for this movie? How come there's no trace of it? It looks just like the real criminal!"
Xiao He looked at Director Hou: "This is all thanks to Director Hou's filming and the makeup artist's skills. All of Zhu Laosan's appearances in the drama were performed by me personally. There was no AI face swapping involved."
Director Hou then picked up the conversation: "Yes, we didn't use AI face-swapping technology this time, but rather special effects makeup. We also want to express our sincere gratitude to Xiao Xiao for her persistence in filming all her scenes while wearing this makeup in the hottest summer."
Director Hou then explained why he insisted on recreating the story of Zhu Laosan, and recounted their communications with the victim's family...
And to be honest, putting aside the quality of the film itself, these external factors are also one of the film's special selling points, such as "the actors' special effects makeup insisted on recreating the fugitives" and "the victims' families supported the filming and disseminated the arrest warrants." Director Hou spoke enthusiastically on stage, and the audience listened with great interest.
Xiao He was somewhat moved, not expecting Director Hou to have such eloquence.
However, the first controversial topic soon emerged—
The person asking the question was none other than Tiger, who had been holding back for a long time and could no longer contain himself.
"I want to ask the production team, is there any suspicion that the post-credits scene depicting Zhu Laosan's death was forced to pass censorship? You clearly claimed to be helping the victims find the wanted criminal, but then you forcibly depicted a death for 'Zhu Laosan' at the end. Isn't this contradictory? And doesn't this show disrespect for the victims and their families? Or is this a lie you've woven for the victims, giving the fugitive a reason to continue escaping?"
Tiger's words were blunt and even deliberately exaggerated. The audience members who heard him changed their expressions, and some nodded in agreement. Clearly, Tiger wasn't the only one with dissatisfaction and doubts about this final surprise; others did as well.
However, Tiger's words did not alarm Director Hou; on the contrary, a smile appeared on Director Hou's face.
Clearly, Director Hou was just waiting for someone to ask this question!
"Our production team has always respected the real-life case and the victims and their families. We can guarantee that all the scenes in 'Killing' were filmed based on the real case."
Just in case people didn't understand, Director Hou added, "Including the Easter eggs."
Tiger's eyes widened immediately.
Huh? What does that mean?
Could it be...?
"Our production team cannot disclose any further details, but we welcome everyone to continue following the developments in this case."
Director Hou's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, and the audience immediately began to whisper among themselves.
"What? Is Zhu Laosan already dead?"
"No way, isn't he still wanted? How do they know Zhu Laosan is dead?"
"Does the production crew know more information?"
"Is this just a publicity stunt? Are they saying this on purpose?"
"No way, Director Hou isn't that kind of person. Besides, if he were to make things up, the police and the victim's family would definitely clarify things."
Tiger had nothing to say and could only sit down again.
However, he suddenly had a brilliant idea.
He secretly opened his phone and searched for Zhu Laosan's wanted notice on the official website.
Zhu Laosan has been on the run for over 20 years, and his image and wanted notices are still displayed on relevant official websites.
This can be verified on the official websites of the public security bureau and local government agencies. Since these are police websites, their authenticity is fully guaranteed, and it's impossible for them to be involved in deceiving people with the production team.
To Tiger's shock, he searched several websites but couldn't find Zhu Laosan's wanted poster!
Police typically withdraw arrest warrants in only three situations:
First, the suspect was apprehended.
Second, the suspect died.
Third, the arrest warrant was revoked in accordance with the law.
Just in case the website didn't record wanted posters from over twenty years ago, Tiger Brother specifically looked at other wanted posters and even found one that was thirty years old.
Therefore, it can be confirmed that the arrest warrant for Zhu Laosan has indeed been withdrawn!
Now, combined with Director Hou's words, this matter becomes true.
The real-life inspiration for this case, Zhu Laosan, is indeed dead!
