At this point, Ding Xiyao couldn’t help feeling a bit ashamed.

Because the video was right—she had indeed done exactly that.

When she worked as a real estate agent before, Ding Xiyao learned all the tricks of the trade, either actively or passively. Although she always tried very hard to find a middle ground, sometimes, to close a deal, she had to compromise her conscience a little.

It’s like when a customer asks whether a property has good lighting. Actually, only answering “no” and carefully explaining exactly why it’s not good would be an honest answer.

Answering “very good” or “acceptable, sufficient” is actually just glossing over the truth, merely differing in degree.

When Ding Xiyao worked as an agent, there weren’t many instances where she blatantly lied, but there were many situations where she was ambiguous or noncommittal, which was actually a kind of tactic, albeit a relatively restrained one.

And in the game, although Ding Xiyao clearly knew it was just a game, all fake, and telling the whole truth wouldn’t cause the company to go bankrupt or make the game unplayable, she still subconsciously continued her previous work methods.

It could even be said that games have a magnifying effect on human nature.

Perhaps it’s precisely because players know that the tenants in the game are just strings of data, not real people who can feel the pain of living in dilapidated houses, that it’s difficult to empathize with them, thus creating this “heartless agent simulator” gameplay?

Soul-searching, why would players choose to play this way?

It’s actually very simple—for profit.

Profits in the game directly affect the upgrading of the agency company and the money in the player’s hands. The former allows players to unlock more room types and access higher-level tenants, while the latter determines how much funding players can use to renovate their homes and agency stores.

Most players, upon encountering this game, perceive the first goal as earning profits and developing their stores.

So, according to the video, the first core layer of “Real Estate Agent Simulator” is to simulate the work model of real estate agents, allowing players to play the role of agents and independently choose profit methods, thereby making players realize that the chaos in the agency industry can be attributed to one fundamental reason: profit-driven motives.

But Ding Xiyao’s doubts quickly returned.

From what she’d seen so far, “Real Estate Agent Simulator” did indeed demonstrate this point well, but this alone couldn’t be considered an analysis of social reality, could it?

Could this Young Master Tian continue to dig out a second point, a third point from the game?

And could he guarantee that each subsequent point would be more profound than the first?

She braced herself and continued watching attentively.

“Some might say this is over-interpretation. If not, how do you explain the promotional trailer for ‘Real Estate Agent Simulator’?”

“The trailer clearly emphasizes the hard work of agents, highlighting their role as ‘service providers.’ This is beautification and praise, not exposure and criticism, right?”

“If you think so, you’re mistaken.”

“From several obvious facts, we can see that this trailer is not as simple as most people understand it to be.”

“The key breakthrough point lies with the female lead actress in this trailer.”

“In fact, Chisinau Studio invested a huge promotional budget in this trailer, which can be seen from its online popularity.”

“Logically, with such a huge promotional budget, finding a more down-to-earth, audience-friendly star to play the agent in the trailer would be no challenge at all.”

“Or, taking a step back, hiring a relatively niche but skilled veteran actor would definitely produce better results and more impact than the current version.”

“But Chisinau Studio didn’t do this. They chose a real former real estate industry practitioner to shoot this trailer, and before this, the female lead had no previous acting experience, not even shooting videos or vlogs on her own.”

“Why is that?”

“They didn’t use more cost-effective promotional options, yet chose to save costs on the most crucial leading role? Even ordinary people with no marketing knowledge can see this choice isn’t reasonable.”

“After eliminating other possibilities, the answer becomes evident: this was deliberate by the promoters. The purpose of this trailer was not simply to show the hardships and positive sides of being an agent, but to present the duality and reality of this occupation!”

“The trailer deliberately created a ‘blank space’ design, allowing viewers to fill in with their own real-life images of agents, thus completing this portrayal!”

Ding Xiyao was stunned.

Because Young Master Tian’s words had voiced the doubts she had at that time.

With such abundant promotional funds, why specifically invite her to act instead of a celebrity?

If the trailer’s theme was to showcase the hardships and respectability of agents, then hiring an actor would clearly be a more cost-effective choice.

Finding an influential, down-to-earth actor who resonates with audiences would naturally dissolve the aversion that viewers feel toward the profession and identity of agents.

It’s like in many movies where acclaimed actors play minor roles, sometimes even as gangsters. But through their superb performances and reasonable plot arrangements, audiences might find gangsters quite endearing, seeing their inevitable circumstances.

Applying such an image to agents would undoubtedly bring them closer to the audience.

If top actors were too expensive, finding a skilled second or third-tier actor who could convey genuine emotions would achieve almost the same effect, enough to move the audience and create a more positive reception of the trailer.

The only downside would be slightly weaker circulation, without the built-in traffic and recognition that top actors bring.

But Meng Chang didn’t choose this route; instead, he selected Ding Xiyao, who had no acting skills whatsoever, and then spent money on aggressive promotion.

He chose the option with the worst effect and cost-effectiveness.

If Ding Xiyao had any advantage, it might be that her performance was more authentic, as she had genuinely worked as an agent.

But authenticity often doesn’t equate to impact; sometimes they even run counter to each other.

This is why the trailer had a “blank space” effect. After watching it, viewers weren’t completely moved; instead, they recalled various experiences of being deceived by agents in real life.

No matter how you look at it, this was a very cost-ineffective choice that even ordinary people could see through.

Therefore, the only explanation is that it was deliberate—this trailer was designed to provoke controversy.

“This is the second core layer of ‘Real Estate Agent Simulator’: enabling players to step away from the first-person perspective of agents, examining their inherent impressions of the agency industry from an observer’s angle, and recognizing the root of the problem.”

“In the trailer, many people vaguely sensed the issue, even feeling an instinctive resistance and disgust, but couldn’t clearly articulate where these emotions came from.”

“In the game’s official content, players can personally experience the daily work of agents, understanding those tactics that exist in reality. Similarly running up and down, busily showing properties to tenants instantly dissolves the image of agents presented in the trailer, allowing players to experience the duality of this profession.”

“In the trailer shot in reality, the hardships and busyness of agent work were emphasized; but in the game, the deep-seated tricks of this industry were exposed in meticulous detail.”

“The hardworking, busy person showing properties to clients is an agent; the one using small tricks to deceive whenever possible is also an agent.”

“A simulation game using real footage for its trailer gives players a special psychological suggestion, breaking the boundary between game and reality.”

Reading this, Ding Xiyao couldn’t help but nod.

Although she had experienced the entire filming process and instinctively felt this explanation was a bit far-fetched, she had to admit there was indeed this possibility.

This trailer was clearly hinting that the game itself highly reflected reality—not a beautified reality highlighting only one aspect, but a comprehensive, holistic reality without excessive embellishment.

“Combining the first and second layers reveals the third core layer that ‘Real Estate Agent Simulator’ aims to express: analyzing the root cause of this phenomenon.”