Chapter 33

 As the stage plot unfolded, the protagonist's life was brought to life in front of all the audience. However, the way it was presented was entirely different from other stage productions.

Throughout the performance, the "close-up, distant-small" perspective continued, meaning that the audience continually observed everything from a first-person perspective.

The performers on stage were limited to Zhang Yiyang and Zhou Yuping. Zhang Yiyang, in his role as the father, had a somewhat passive role, often serving as a backdrop. The true performer was Zhou Yuping, who followed the script and stage lighting cues. She moved to specific positions on the stage at particular times, blending into the stage's perspective, making specific movements, and delivering specific lines to drive the plot.

Of course, the protagonist's memories could not contain only his mother. There were also other companions, teachers, and grand scenes like school sports days. However, these were all displayed as blurred shadows. The content of these virtual images was also prepared by Lu Zhixing in advance, pre-recorded, and projected using holography.

This setup was explained by the concept of being the protagonist's memory. In this memory, only the mother was clear, while other students and teachers were vague images.

Accompanied by the narration of the angel, the scenes kept changing. From scenes at home, the plot transitioned to taking a bus to the city to learn drawing and playing the piano, playing on the playground, and waiting in front of a convenience store for the mother to pick up after school. Each scene had a limited duration, some lasting only a minute as simple dynamic loops, while others lasted two to three minutes, portraying a basic event.

For instance, on the playground, a child in the distance accidentally kicked a ball over, which landed at the protagonist's feet. He looked at his mother in the distance and, encouraged by her, joined the other children to play.

Longer scenes might last several minutes, resembling interactive game scenarios. When playing the piano, the holographic projection provided a first-person perspective of playing the piano at a close range, allowing the audience to involuntarily follow the hand movements of the protagonist.

Professor He Cheng in the audience could instantly recognize that this was a unique presentation format typically found in interactive movie-style games.

Interactive movie-style games emphasize player immersion in the storyline by allowing players to perform actions similar to the protagonist. In this stage production, where the audience could not make uniform actions, a similar approach was integrated.

The holographic projection's changes on the stage directed the audience's gaze, creating an illusion that they were to some extent controlling the scenes. It was akin to some 2D side-scrolling multiplayer games where players frequently confuse their characters because they pressed the "jump" button when another player's character also jumped, mistakenly thinking the other character was their own.

This effect was similar to immersive videos or game recordings that compelled viewers to unconsciously hold their breath when the on-screen character was underwater. In those cases, a message might appear in the comments: "Friendly reminder: You in front of the screen can breathe."

All these were examples of how visual illusions in videos and games could induce immersion and influence audience behavior. The effect on the stage was now a similar case.

For example, in the scene where the protagonist is playing the piano, Zhou Yuping would give a prompt at the right time, saying, "We're heading into the climax of the piece. Pay attention to your right hand!"

At this point, the audience would instinctively look towards the right side of the stage, and the holographic projection on the stage would also automatically shift towards the right hand.

Or Zhou Yuping might say, "Pay attention to your posture, sit up straight!"

The audience would subconsciously raise their heads, and the stage's perspective would make a slight adjustment accordingly.

When the protagonist is painting, the audience's gaze would be guided from distant materials to the canvas, creating a detailed image.

Although the adjustments were subtle due to perspective limitations, even a small movement enhanced the audience's immersion and engagement.

All the audience's gazes were under control, looking collectively in one direction and then shifting to another. This level of first-person perspective immersion was quite remarkable for a stage play because traditional theatrical forms typically involve a third-person view, and even with guidance, the audience's attention can be scattered and unfocused.

It was impossible to achieve this level of first-person perspective immersion.

Professor He Cheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Amazing!"

He could even envision how this scene would be transferred to a video game. It would undoubtedly be a lot of fun.

But conversely, portraying a stage play in the form of an interactive movie game also demonstrated Lu Zhixing's imaginative and incredibly exaggerated execution.

To achieve this effect, every scene was carefully arranged.

Each scene transition had Zhou Yuping appear at specific locations on the stage. For example, in the home scene, she would be seen cooking in the distant kitchen. In the piano-playing scene, she would stand at a particular spot, making encouraging gestures to the protagonist.

Besides this, she interacted with the protagonist's point of view, either making encouraging gestures or saying a few simple lines.

These elements lacked humor and intense plot conflict, presenting an ordinary person's everyday life from childhood to adulthood. However, this innovative format and the relatable storyline kept the entire audience completely engrossed.

Through the transitions between these scenes and the angel's narration, the audience gradually pieced together the story the protagonist was telling the angel about how he had spent his life with his mother:

Although his family's financial situation wasn't great, he was always very obedient from a young age, listening to his mother and understanding their financial difficulties. So he dedicated himself to studying drawing and playing the piano seriously. He even abstained from buying snacks at the local store.

Unfortunately, he had no innate talent, so he gave up drawing and playing the piano. However, after falling in love with running following a fall, he kept running faster and faster, becoming an athlete, breaking records, winning gold medals, participating in the Olympics, and organizing charity runs.

His mother passed away peacefully while he was at her bedside, telling him that there were no regrets in her life.

After bidding farewell to his mother, the curtains slowly closed, and the angel appeared once again on the projection screen.

He slowly applauded, saying, "Ah, it's truly a touching story. A kind and gentle mother, an obedient and adorable child, and an athlete who lived a meaningful and extraordinary life.

"But why do I always feel like something's not quite right?"

"Hmm, let me think. There are some details that don't quite add up. Why, when you grew up, did the perspective height not change at all? It even seems to have gotten lower."

"Why, after you fell and lay on the hospital bed, does the memory of your mother appear more distant and blurred?"

"Child, don't lie in front of an angel. I've seen many cases like yours. You're in a dream right now, just pure consciousness, and your dream can be influenced by many things, like your attachments, your regrets...

"Now, let's eliminate those distractions and try it again. Remember, I want to see the genuine emotions between you two, but the condition is that it's real.

"Are you ready? If you are, just watch my hand, and we'll... do it again."

The angel raised their hand once more toward the center of the curtain, and the stage's curtains slowly opened.

It was the same scenes that had appeared before: the interior of the old-style unit building, scenes of taking a bus to the city to learn to draw and play the piano, playing on the playground, and waiting for his mother at the store's entrance after school...

However, this time, the same scenes had completely different storylines.

In the home scene, he wasn't playing quietly but was constantly crying and seeking his mother's attention. He wasn't earnestly learning the piano and drawing but was often inattentive. He was somewhat of an outcast, always playing alone on the playground and unwilling to join other kids.

When he waited at the store for his mother, he looked longingly at a pack of spicy snacks but had no pocket money. Then he saw other kids grabbing snacks and leaving without paying, so he curiously approached.

"Can you put it on credit? That way, you don't need to pay, right?"

"Credit?"

At that time, he was obviously too young to understand what these two words actually meant. Could he really eat spicy snacks without paying? With a trial attitude, he asked the shopkeeper, and unexpectedly, the shopkeeper handed them to him. He happily finished the spicy snacks and waited for his mother to come and pay. This continued until the third day, when the storekeeper got upset and held onto him until his mother arrived to pay.

It was only then that he realized credit meant paying later, not avoiding payment entirely.

Although his mother just smiled and didn't say anything, from that moment on, he never went to any store, always keeping his distance when he saw one.

After the accident where he fell, he stayed in the hospital for a long time, and afterward, he began using a wheelchair.

It was only at this moment that many in the audience realized, why did the running scenes seem odd before? 

It was because the perspective was significantly lower than a normal view. It wasn't the perspective of an adult running; it was the viewpoint from a wheelchair.

Because the protagonist in the play had been in a wheelchair from a very young age, he had never experienced the perspective of a normal person running. Those scenes were all his fantasies while sitting in his wheelchair, gazing out at the playground.