May 24th, Tuesday.
At the Horror Lodge.
Chen Kangtuo was anxiously looking around at the entrance of the old industrial zone.
Suddenly, he saw a taxi stop outside, and a young man got out.
For a moment, Chen Kangtuo hesitated to approach him, knowing that the architect surnamed Liang he was meeting today was supposed to be quite young, but this person looked exceptionally young.
But then he thought they had arranged this time yesterday, and it was unlikely anyone else would be coming.
Chen Kangtuo hesitated briefly before walking quickly forward: “Mr. Liang?”
Liang Qingfan nodded: “Yes, are you Mr. Chen?”
“It is, Mr. Liang! Hello, hello!”
Chen Kangtuo happily shook hands with Liang Qingfan, and they went back to Chen Kangtuo’s office.
As soon as they entered, two people stood up from the sofa to greet them.
Chen Kangtuo said to Liang Qingfan: “Mr. Liang, let me introduce you. This is my colleague Hao Qiong, who’s working with me on the Horror Lodge project, and this is Shi Zherui, the designer currently responsible for the Horror Lodge renovation and decoration.”
Liang Qingfan greeted both of them, especially Shi Zherui, as they were both architects with many common topics to discuss.
Shi Zherui was a capable young local architect from Jingzhou, one year older than Liang Qingfan, but his educational background and career weren’t as impressive as Liang Qingfan’s.
As for why Pei Qian chose him to be responsible for the Horror Lodge project, it was for the same reason he chose Liang Qingfan—he didn’t want to find a too famous architect for the Horror Lodge project, lest it bring too much unnecessary recognition and attention to the project.
Chen Kangtuo poured a cup of tea: “Mr. Liang, you’re truly a lifesaver, resolving my urgent problem.”
Liang Qingfan was surprised: “Oh? What do you mean?”
Chen Kangtuo gently placed the hot tea in front of Liang Qingfan: “It’s a long story. Horror Lodge is an entertainment project initiated by Mr. Pei in response to the call for transforming the old industrial zone, which you probably know. A group of investors, inspired by Mr. Pei, have also come to invest in the area.”
“These investors proposed to proactively build a large shopping mall for Mr. Pei and Horror Lodge, to sell related merchandise and props. We provide the plan, they provide the money.”
“So I asked Mr. Shi to design a fairly common shopping mall, intending to proceed with that.”
“But, Mr. Pei is someone who likes to strive for perfection! He sent an email yesterday saying we must design this mall as a labyrinth!”
Shi Zherui continued: “I was also stunned when Mr. Chen told me about this. I initially thought, how creative can a shopping mall be? So I made a fairly standard design proposal. Never did I expect Mr. Pei would be dissatisfied!”
“But now, I’m still responsible for overseeing the construction of Horror Lodge, and I need to keep a constant eye on it. If there are any issues, I’d have to modify the plan immediately. Time is already tight, and Mr. Pei wants a labyrinth, which makes it even more challenging.”
“I don’t have much deep research on labyrinths, and I’m already stretched thin! So… the situation became deadlocked, and Mr. Chen has been worried.”
Chen Kangtuo nodded: “That’s right, thankfully, Mr. Liang is here! Mr. Liang, do you have any good ideas for this project?”
Liang Qingfan raised an eyebrow.
Turn a shopping mall into a labyrinth?
What a bold idea!
Perhaps only Mr. Pei in this world could come up with such an imaginative concept!
Liang Qingfan took a sip of tea and asked: “What exactly did Mr. Pei say? I do have some ideas about labyrinths, but I must understand Mr. Pei’s requirements first to avoid misinterpreting.”
Chen Kangtuo chuckled proudly: “Don’t worry, I’m a veteran employee from Tenda Games. When it comes to understanding Mr. Pei’s requirements, I’ve got quite a knack for it!”
“Mr. Pei mentioned two points in his email. First, it should be expensive, luxurious, magnificent, and splendid, designed in the style of many luxury goods malls. Second, most of the merchandise shops should be hidden within the labyrinth, so that most customers, once inside, would inadvertently exit without finding the shops.”
“Let me interpret Mr. Pei’s intentions from my perspective, and if anyone has other aspects to add, please do.”
“I believe Mr. Pei’s ‘labyrinth’ idea must be related to gaming! Just like in many games with collectible elements, various collectible items are hidden, and players need to search repeatedly, which effectively extends their playtime.”
“At the same time, when players find hidden shops, it’s like finding hidden merchants in a game, which creates a psychological suggestion: since they’ve gone through the trouble of finding it, they might as well buy something, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste? This, in turn, promotes consumption.”
“If the various shops regularly change their check-in products and small gifts, that would be even better.”
“As for why the decoration should be expensive, I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Liang Qingfan nodded slightly, gently stroking his teacup with his right hand: “Yes, the ‘labyrinth’ design can definitely extend players’ playtime, but from an architect’s perspective, there should be some other considerations as well.”
“Mr. Pei said customers could inadvertently exit, which means this labyrinth has numerous exits. This suggests it can divert crowded people, improving the shopping experience, while ensuring quick evacuation in case of emergencies.”
“Moreover, a labyrinth implies segmentation, and in architectural design, segmentation can greatly enhance space utilization. It might seem more expensive on the surface, but it’s a demonstration of foresight.”
“I think some key nodal walls in the labyrinth could be made movable—closed means no passage, open means an additional route. If made automatic, computer algorithms could generate labyrinth terrains that change periodically, always keeping the experience fresh for customers.”
“Of course, for safety, manual control should also be allowed, with people on duty at all times. Even in case of power outages or other emergencies, customers should be able to quickly find exits and not get trapped.”
“As for why it should be expensive… I wonder if Mr. Pei prefers the style of a golden labyrinth? It gives a sense of treasure everywhere, subtly enhancing the perceived value of the merchandise inside.”
“It’s like many luxury goods malls—why make the decoration so extravagant? It’s to create an atmosphere where you feel like you’re in a palace, and the exquisite jewelry before you is fit for royalty, making you irresistibly want to spend money.”
“Experience proves that this kind of ostentatious golden style is most effective for achieving such an effect.”
“This way, when promoting Horror Lodge, you can say: In the distant, terrifying Horror Lodge, after passing through the thrilling and frightening tests, and navigating the magnificent Golden Labyrinth, you can find buried treasures!”
Chen Kangtuo’s eyes brightened: “I see!”
“Earlier, I interpreted Mr. Pei’s approach from a game design perspective and already thought the design was excellent. Now, after hearing Mr. Liang’s interpretation from architectural design and psychological perspectives, it makes even more sense!”
“Mr. Pei has even considered this issue from an architectural standpoint? His knowledge is truly profound.”
“In that case, let’s just call this shopping mall the Golden Labyrinth. It can serve both as a mall and as a free attraction within Horror Lodge—killing two birds with one stone!”
“Mr. Liang, the matter is urgent. The design of the Golden Labyrinth is now in your hands! We’ll pay you a design fee according to Tenda standards!”
Chen Kangtuo looked at Liang Qingfan with an eager gaze.
Liang Qingfan thought for a moment: “The design is no problem, but… in a while, Mr. Pei will have me design new Sloth Apartments, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to oversee the entire process.”
Shi Zherui patted his chest: “No worries, Mr. Liang, you just need to provide the design proposal. Mr. Li and his team can find construction crews for the actual work, and I can also help keep an eye on things.”
“However… if we encounter problems we can’t resolve, we might need you to come over in person.”
Liang Qingfan nodded: “That’s fine. Even if I’m responsible for the Sloth Apartments, I’ll be in Jingzhou and can come over anytime.”
Chen Kangtuo was delighted: “Then we’ll entrust everything to you, Mr. Liang!”
…
…
May 25th, Wednesday.
Pei Qian silently scrolled through web pages, a bewildered expression on his face.
The development of events was somewhat unexpected.
The entire internet had once again been flooded with “A Beautiful Tomorrow”!
The last time such a spectacle occurred was when “A Beautiful Tomorrow” first premiered domestically and began gaining popularity.
A month after the film’s release, it continued streaming on AiLiDao for over another month, stretching the timeframe sufficiently.
Those who wanted to see it had already seen it, and the plot and various details had been discussed countless times. Logically, the popularity should have waned.
But unexpectedly, this award had brought back the attention!
This time, domestic netizens’ focus was no longer on the film itself, as its content had already been thoroughly analyzed.
Netizens were more concerned about the film’s box office performance overseas and foreigners’ opinions of it!
Not only that, but a massive “grave-digging” movement had also erupted online.
Since the initial release of “A Beautiful Tomorrow,” critics of the film have never ceased.
Among these critics, some were paid trolls, but many were genuine detractors.
After all, even the best things can’t please everyone, especially considering many fans of popcorn movies have no interest in exploring the various implications within “A Beautiful Tomorrow.”
Additionally, the widespread praise across the internet easily triggered some people’s contrarian psychology, believing the film was overrated and needed criticism.
As time passed, these critics kept changing their points of attack.
Initially, they claimed the film forcefully used a Western story background, neither here nor there, appealing to neither Chinese nor foreign audiences.
After its release, when the box office data looked good, they said the film was pseudo-profound, became popular solely through marketing, and the box office figures were likely inflated—it would be exposed within a week at most.
After some time, the box office remained strong, but then “Star Journey” was released, and critics said a true blockbuster had arrived, and “A Beautiful Tomorrow” would soon be outperformed.
After “Star Journey” flopped, they claimed it was too terrible to represent the true level of Western films, and “A Beautiful Tomorrow” had just fortunately hit a good release window, otherwise it wouldn’t have achieved such box office success.
When “A Beautiful Tomorrow” was released overseas with a poor opening box office and almost no response, the critics emerged again: See? We said this film was neither here nor there, just fooling domestic audiences—foreigners don’t fall for this!
The fans of “A Beautiful Tomorrow” had been enduring for a long time. The key issue was that these critics had been aggressively outputting negativity and sarcasm against the tide, jumping out at the slightest movement, making it impossible to silence them completely.
Especially when “A Beautiful Tomorrow” performed poorly at the overseas box office, fans endured a period of relentless criticism, bottling up a lot of frustration.
But now, “A Beautiful Tomorrow” had won the Jury Prize after eleven years, instantly reversing the situation!
How could the fans miss this opportunity?
After being dominated by critics for so long, now that they finally had a chance to counter-attack, wouldn’t they dig up all the critics’ ancestral graves?
The hatred triggered by the critics had rebounded strongly in a very short time, directly causing “A Beautiful Tomorrow” to surge in popularity and flood the internet again!
A film released in February still had such explosive popularity even now…
Pei Qian expressed that this was truly infuriating!