Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1288 Top Lawyer Chen Mai
"who are you?"

Jane was taken aback, her heart skipped a beat, but she still forced herself to maintain her acting skills: "I'm your wife, Mu Zi."

"No, you're not Mu Zi!" Lin Hao turned his head, looking at her sharply, and said calmly:
"Tell me, who are you, and what is your purpose in approaching me?"

Upon hearing this, Jane, who was already exhausted, suddenly found the strength to sit up and looked at Lin Hao in disbelief.

No, this guy was just calling her "wife" a moment ago, but he turned his back on her before he even pulled up his pants?
At that moment, she really wanted to shout, "Knowing I'm not your wife, why the hell are you still sleeping with me?"

But she can't.

“You…!” Jane took out her phone, unlocked the screen saver, which showed the previously photoshopped intimate picture of the two of them, and said angrily:

"You keep saying I'm not your wife, then tell me who I am?"

"Stop acting. Do you think I wouldn't recognize my own wife?" Lin Hao said casually.

"Knock knock knock~!" Just then, the knocking finally sounded. Like heavenly music!
"Zheng Cheng is finally here!" Jane breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the knock on the door; she didn't know how to answer it.

“I’ll go open the door!” Jane struggled to get up.

"Hurry up and get dressed, and while you're at it, think about the question I asked you." Lin Hao patted Jane's back, his tone calm yet imposing.
“If you want money, then tell me who is behind this and what your purpose is. I will double whatever they give you.”

He paused, looking into Jane's eyes: "Of course, if you have other motives, just pretend I didn't say anything."

“I know that since you dared to impersonate Li Muzi, you must have made thorough preparations. I probably can’t prove that you are not Li Muzi in a short time.”

"But it's okay!" Lin Hao stood up, put on his clothes, and said with a mischievous grin:
"I'm getting a beautiful wife to sleep with for free, I'm not losing out, don't you think?"

After he finished speaking, he winked at Jane.

Hearing Lin Hao's words, especially the phrase "let him sleep with you for free," Jane's fists hardened, and she almost couldn't help but want to fight Lin Hao.

This guy is awful, utterly shameless!
Lin Hao ignored her and went straight to open the door. As expected, Zheng Cheng was standing outside.

"Officer Zheng, you're here!" Lin Hao forced a smile that was just right, carrying a hint of fatigue and complexity.

“Mr. He, I originally came to inquire about your wife’s disappearance,” Zheng Cheng said, following the script.

At the same time, he carefully observed Lin Hao's expression and said without hesitation:
"But I just heard from the hotel staff that your wife came back last night, is that right?"

"Yes, I'm back." Lin Hao readily admitted, stepping aside to let Zheng Cheng in.

“???” Zheng Cheng took a deep breath.

This reaction is wrong! According to their script and speculation, He Fei should have tried his best to deny it and find a way to prove that Jane is not Li Muzi. Why did he accept this fake wife so readily?

Could it be that Jane's "skills" were so good that this guy lingered there? An absurd thought popped into Zheng Cheng's mind.

However, Zheng Cheng was, after all, a professional (fake policeman) actor, and his ability to react was quite good. He only paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.

"Congratulations, Mr. He." Zheng Cheng then continued, "..."
"However, according to procedure, we need to ask your wife a few simple questions. Mr. He, you don't mind, do you?"

He had to meet with Jane to see what was going on so he could report back to Shen Man in a timely manner.

"Of course I don't mind, and thank you for your concern!" Lin Hao smiled slightly, turned his head and called out towards the bedroom:
"Honey, Officer Zheng wants to question you. You need to come out right now."

"Oh, I'm coming!" Jane replied sweetly and quickly came out of the bedroom.

She had already changed her clothes and was wearing a decent set of loungewear. However, her walking posture seemed a bit awkward, and upon closer inspection, her lower abdomen appeared somewhat bloated, and her face had an abnormal flush.

"Hello Mrs. He, I'm Zheng Cheng!" Zheng Cheng pretended not to recognize her and greeted her in a very formulaic way.

"Hello, Officer Zheng," Jane replied politely.

The two greeted each other normally, but secretly exchanged glances.

Zheng Cheng (eyes): What's going on? Why aren't you following the script?

Jane (eyes): He's not cooperating, what can I do?
Zheng Cheng (eyes): So what should we do next?
Jane (eyes): We underestimated him. Go back and tell Shen Man that this person is very difficult to deal with. Tell her to be extremely cautious when approaching him!
Zheng Cheng (eyes): Okay, I understand, but be careful when you're alone with him.

Jane rolled her eyes at Zheng Cheng. You're a little late with what you're saying. I'm already hers, okay?

"Mrs. He, where have you been for the past fifteen days?" Zheng Cheng began his routine inquiry.

“I went to Twilight Island to clear my head!” Jane fabricated a story, following her prepared explanation, about running away from home to a nearby island to relax.

After a few simple questions, Zheng Cheng got up to say goodbye. As soon as he left the hotel, he immediately dialed Shen Man's number.

"Hey, Shen Man, things are bad, I have something to tell you!" Zheng Cheng then rattled off the whole story to Shen Man.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Shen Man's calm yet resolute voice came through:
“Even the most cunning fox can’t outsmart a good hunter, and once the arrow is released, there’s no turning back. Jane has sacrificed so much for this, I can’t let her sacrifice be in vain!”

"So what's next..." Zheng Cheng asked.

"Continue with the plan. I'll meet him myself!"

"Okay, I see."

In the hotel room, Lin Hao stood by the window, watching Zheng Cheng drive away downstairs, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

The real show is just beginning.

After Zheng Cheng's car disappeared around the street corner, Lin Hao pulled Jane back into the bedroom.

After a long while, the room fell silent again, and Jane, exhausted, fell into a deep sleep.

"The stage is set up, and the actors are in position!" Lin Hao muttered to himself, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Well then, I should go and meet that 'top lawyer'."

Lin Hao then changed into casual clothes, walked out of the hotel with a normal expression, and strolled around the street.
He deliberately walked on the bustling streets, aimlessly like an ordinary tourist, but in reality, every step he took was precisely on the other party's "script".

Sure enough, after walking a short distance, several local children running towards him, laughing and playing. Lin Hao did not call back home for help like He Fei did in the original drama, but instead strolled around the street.

Even so, the children came over to him, playing and frolicking. One of them "accidentally" bumped into him, quickly rubbed his little hand against his pocket, grabbed a wallet, and ran away laughing.

"Hey! My wallet!" Lin Hao's face instantly filled with "panic" and "anger," his acting skills were impeccable.

Then Lin Hao took off after them, following the children all the way, winding his way into a secluded dead-end alley.

At the end of the alley, the children disappeared, replaced by four or five burly foreign men with unfriendly expressions emerging from the shadows.

The leader, with a scar on his face and a baseball bat in his hand, blocked his escape route with ill intent.

The scarred man and his companions didn't say anything, but slowly approached, surrounding Lin Hao and creating a strong sense of oppression.

Fear was written all over Lin Hao's face as he leaned against the cold wall, as if he had nowhere to escape.

However, Lin Hao made a simple assessment of the group in his mind: the actors that Shen Man found had good looks and a fierce presence, but it was a pity that their eyes lacked the ruthlessness of real desperados.

"Boom boom boom~!" Just as the scarred man raised his baseball bat, ready to smash it down, the roar of a motorcycle came from behind, followed by a beautiful 360-degree drift, which directly helped Lin Hao open a gap in the crowd.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure wearing a brown leather jacket standing against the light at the entrance of the alley.

She wore sunglasses that covered half of her face, revealing her beautifully shaped jawline and a touch of red lipstick, exuding a capable yet aloof aura.

The person who arrived was Shen Man, disguised as top lawyer Chen Mai.

Ignoring the burly men, she sat in the car, holding up her phone and filming the "thugs" while saying:
"I've already taken pictures of you. If you do anything too agitated, the police will find you very soon!"

She didn't even make any extra movements; she simply spoke a few words coldly in fluent local language.

The burly men exchanged glances, their faces showing a mixture of hesitation and apprehension. After whispering a few words, they tossed Lin Hao's wallet back to him. Then, they glared at Lin Hao fiercely, put away their sticks, and left dejectedly.

The crisis was averted in an instant, and Shen Man then took off her sunglasses, revealing a delicate yet icy face.

Shen Man looked at Lin Hao, her tone calm and indifferent: "Are you alright?"

Lin Hao's face was filled with gratitude for surviving the ordeal. "No, it's nothing! Thank you so much, thank you so much!"

"If it weren't for you, I would be..." He then feigned incoherence.

"No problem, just be careful when you're out and about." Shen Man interrupted him, put her sunglasses back on, and twisted the accelerator, saying:

"This place isn't very safe, let's leave as soon as possible."

After saying that, she twisted the accelerator and drove away decisively, perfectly portraying the image of a righteous passerby who wanted to avoid getting too involved.

Lin Hao, still "shaken," walked out of the alley, glancing in the direction Shen Man had left, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

The hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress opening was alright, just a bit cliché.

Instead of returning to the hotel, he continued to wander the streets, visiting here and there, traveling without any particular purpose.

However, this was Lin Hao's normal state. After all, in the previous world, he was in the vast Western Regions, where he was either killing people or on his way to kill people every day. It was rare for him to have such a free and easy time.

Although I spent half a month playing in the real world, that was in China. This is abroad, so of course I should take the opportunity to have some fun.

Lin Hao's carefree playfulness worried Shen Man. According to Lin Hao's usual behavior, he should have gone to the bar they had set up, but instead, this guy was playing around outside without a care in the world.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Lin Hao's wife went missing before, but now she's finally been found!

No, that's not normal at all. Li Muzi hasn't even found her yet. Lin Hao's current wife is just a friend she hired to play the role.

Others might not know and think it's normal, but the problem is that she was the one who arranged all of this. Lin Hao's reaction confirmed their suspicions: there's something wrong with Lin Hao.

His wife had been missing for half a month when a strange woman suddenly came to his door, claiming to be his wife, and he actually believed her. There's something fishy about that.

Fortunately, Lin Hao didn't linger too long. After playing for two hours, he finally followed the "original plan" and entered a stylish bar.

I ordered a whiskey and sat at the bar, as if I needed alcohol to calm my nerves.

The bartender was a talkative middle-aged man who quickly struck up a conversation with Lin Hao.

Just then, the TV screen above the bar started playing a local news report.

The content is about Chen Mai, a top-notch Chinese lawyer who has solved many extraordinary cases and is highly influential in Southeast Asia.

The screen even featured a carefully prepared, seemingly professional news interview by Shen Man.

So Lin Hao cooperated and asked the bartender, "Who is this?"

The bartender poured Lin Hao a drink and then said, "It's a particularly difficult case, involving several countries!"

"I heard it's causing quite a stir in both the legitimate and underworld circles!" the bartender said mysteriously.

"Is that short-haired woman a police officer?" Lin Hao found it somewhat amusing, but he continued to play along.

"Chen Mai, she's a top-notch international lawyer, the defendant's secret weapon!" The bartender, seemingly intrigued, introduced her with great enthusiasm.

"This woman has never lost a case. I thought she would definitely settle, but I didn't expect her to find the evidence herself and turn the tables!"

"Can lawyers investigate evidence on their own?" Lin Hao asked, puzzled.

"If you want to win, then you have to!" the bartender said matter-of-factly. "By the way, I heard she's been vacationing on our island lately!"

Lin Hao then feigned surprise and said, "Ha, what a coincidence?"

"That's right!" the bartender said in a low voice, pointing mysteriously to the pool area in the corner of the bar.

"Look over there, isn't that lawyer Chen Mai? She comes here to play a few rounds of poker occasionally!"

Lin Hao looked in the direction the bartender pointed and saw Chen Mai, who had just "saved" him, leaning over the pool table, intently aiming at the ball.

The dim light outlined her focused profile and her sleek, alluring figure.

A chance encounter on the street, a TV news report, a bartender's introduction, and a goodbye at the bar—a series of "coincidences" came together like a torrential downpour, desperately trying to imprint the image of "Chen Mai" as a savior in Lin Hao's mind.

Lin Hao found it amusing; Shen Man's barrage of messages was a bit too hasty.

Would a truly top-notch lawyer go on vacation without even an assistant?
When faced with trouble, shouldn't the first reaction be to use one's connections and start investigating from Li Muzi's domestic social circle, instead of playing the coincidence game with me, a "stranger"?
Lin Hao ordered a drink from the bartender, walked across the noisy dance floor, and fixed his gaze on Shen Man, who was leaning over the pool table, intently aiming.

She has transformed into the capable and sharp lawyer "Chen Mai" at this moment, with a completely different temperament from the one I met on the street during the day.

He adjusted his expression, adopting a perfect balance of hesitation and eagerness, and walked over with his wine glass in hand.

"Hi, we... met during the day." Lin Hao stopped by the pool table, his tone tinged with uncertainty.

Shen Man and Chen Mai seemed to have just noticed him. They only raised their eyes slightly, their cool gaze lingering on his face for less than a second before they lowered their heads again to continue studying the game on the table, their cue sticks gently rubbing against the chocolate powder.

Then Shen Man spoke in a calm tone, with a detached air that suggested she had seen it all:
"Speak, what trouble have you gotten yourself into?"

Lin Hao chuckled inwardly, but a hint of surprise appeared on his face at the opportune moment. He asked, knowing the answer already:

How did you know I was in trouble?

"Heh~!" Upon hearing this, Shen Man's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, thinking to herself: This is the trap I set myself, how could I not know?
But she responded with a matter-of-fact, slightly arrogant lawyer's attitude:
"Nine and a half out of ten people who come to this bar and come directly to me know they're in trouble, and the other half are there to give me money."

"Judging from your expression, it doesn't seem to be the latter!" She straightened up, finally looking directly at Lin Hao, and then said sharply:

"So, to be blunt, my time is very valuable."

Lin Hao composed himself for a moment, and then began to speak according to the script she had prepared:
"I...I have a friend..."

"Stop!" Shen Man interrupted him without any politeness before he could finish speaking.

Shen Man waved her hand, as if to shoo away something annoying, and said in a clearly impatient tone:

"If you want to make up a story, try looking for bored tourists in bars who are looking for excitement; they might be interested."

“I have neither the time nor the interest to hear any stories that start with ‘I have a friend.’”

She bent down again, aimed at a red ball, and said calmly as she moved:

"But if you want my help to solve your real, specific problems, then tell me the truth. This is your only chance."

With a crisp "snap," the red ball fell into the pocket.

Lin Hao watched her fluid movements, his face showing an expression of being seen through and a little embarrassed.

He took a deep breath, as if making up his mind, and began to tell his story: "Okay, it really is me."

“My wife and I came here for vacation. She went missing two weeks ago. I reported it to the police, but no one paid any attention.”

"But yesterday, she suddenly came back, but she...!"

"She's like a completely different person, so different that I don't even recognize her anymore!"

"But she seems to know me better than I know myself. Apart from her face, I don't even know for a moment whether this woman is impersonating my wife or if I have a mental problem and have forgotten her?"

Lin Hao's expression was pained and confused, perfectly portraying the image of a husband who had encountered a strange event.