Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1292 Pretending Backfires, and the Pretender Gets Pretended Against Him
I need to show Lin Hao how I can act with such authority in this foreign land that even the local police have to give me some face!

"I can't understand any of this gibberish, so you should go and negotiate," Lin Hao said, feigning reluctance and waving his hands repeatedly. "I trust you."

"No way!" Shen Man immediately refused, grabbing his arm and saying:
"As the person involved, you must be on site! And the local police don't speak Chinese!"

"But most of them speak English. I'll try to speak in English for a while, and you can just listen."

Just kidding, she spent so much money to build this stage, how could she be without Lin Hao, her only audience member?
So, with Shen Man half-pulling and Lin Hao half-pushing and half-accepting, the two walked together toward the police car.

Lin Hao was practically laughing his head off. He couldn't wait to see what kind of amusing expression Shen Man would have when she realized she was facing a group of real police officers.

At this moment, Shen Man stood up straight, her chin slightly raised, and her face carried just the right amount of arrogance.

Then, with his strikingly long legs, he walked step by step toward the police car.

However, the two had only taken a few steps when the police convoy came to a stop.

The car door suddenly opened, and several police officers in standard uniforms, armed with real guns, quickly got out of the car. Their movements were swift, efficient, and well-trained.

"stop!"

"Don't move!"

"Who are you?"

A few short, stern shouts rang out, and several dark gun muzzles, with their cold, metallic texture, were pointed at them, seemingly out of nowhere.

Don't blame them for overreacting; the emergency call they received was truly terrifying. It claimed that there was an armed robbery, a fierce gunfight, and that several foreign tourists had been injured!

This incident, involving international friends, prompted the bureau chief to personally lead a team to rush to the scene and extinguish the fire.

Although several real guns were pointed at her head, Shen Man was convinced that these were all "temporary actors" hired by Zheng Cheng.

Even though I knew they were just props, I still couldn't help but feel a strong sense of unease and pressure.

After all, this was the first time in her life that someone had pointed a "gun" at her.

She was still unaware that the police officers in front of her, and the weapons they carried, were all genuine!
Lin Hao was so frightened that he trembled all over and naturally hid behind Shen Man, holding her shoulders from behind for protection.

"Useless coward!" Shen Man first scoffed inwardly, then turned and glared at Lin Hao, warning him in a low voice:
"Watch your hands! If you touch me again, believe me, I'll have Officer Zheng lock you up."

"Hehe, it was a mistake, purely a mistake." Lin Hao grinned, offering a completely insincere apology.

"Hmph!" Shen Man was too lazy to argue with him anymore, and turned her head to face the group of police officers again.

Then Shen Man cleared her throat, and said in English with an air of unquestionable authority:
"I am Attorney Chen Mai!"

"Call out your team leader."

"I have something to talk to him about."

"Chen Mai?"

Upon hearing this, a huge question mark flashed through the minds of all the police officers.

The group looked at each other, their eyes asking each other: Have you ever heard of this person?

From their bewildered glances, the answer was obvious—nobody had ever heard of any lawyer named "Chen Mai".

But……!
Judging from this lady's powerful aura and arrogant attitude, could she be some important figure they can't afford to offend?

As everyone knows, if they were Chinese, they certainly wouldn't dare to be so arrogant with them and would have settled things peacefully long ago.

However, with the mindset of "better safe than sorry," a police officer who appeared to be of Chinese descent quickly stepped forward.

He put on a professional smile, but he also hadn't heard of lawyer Chen Mai before, so he tentatively asked Shen Man in Chinese:

"So it's Attorney Chen! I've heard so much about you!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Shen Man completely ignored this nobody, interrupting him with arrogance and impatience, still commanding in English:
"Call your team leader over here!"

"Yes, yes, Attorney Chen, please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch our bureau chief right away."

The Chinese-American police officer dared not be negligent. Since he was unsure about the lawyer's background, he decided to have his superiors investigate.

So he quickly jogged over to report to the police car in the middle.

"Wow, Attorney Chen, you have such a big reputation! Even the bureau chief had to come to see you in person?" Lin Hao, hiding behind Shen Man, said with amazement and admiration.

"No problem!" Shen Man slightly raised her chin, her arrogant expression deepening, and took the opportunity to boast:
"I, Chen Mai, still have some influence on Barlandia Island. Even their bureau chief has to treat me with deference!"

"You're really bragging about this! You're really awesome!" Lin Hao thought to himself, almost bursting out laughing.

The more exaggerated Shen Man's boasting is now, the louder and more painful the reality slap in the face will be later!

On the other side, the police chief, who received the report, was also completely baffled.

"Attorney Chen Mai?" He frowned and thought carefully, but he didn't remember such a person in the legal profession.
Do I have to go see him in person? And in such a commanding tone?
He was somewhat displeased, but considering the seriousness of the report and the possible special background of the other party, he decided to back down.

So he straightened his hat brim and said in a deep voice to his subordinates, "Come on, let's go meet this top lawyer, Chen."

······
From afar, Shen Man saw the Chinese-American police officer bowing and scraping as he led a dark-skinned, slightly overweight middle-aged man toward them.

But at that moment, a question flashed through her mind: "Why isn't it Zheng Cheng who came?"

According to the original script, Zheng Cheng, playing the "police officer," should have appeared at this moment to clean up the mess, take the "bandits" away, and bring the story to a perfect close.

But the person in front of him was completely different from Zheng Cheng, both in physique and gait.

But the arrow was already on the bowstring, and she had no choice but to release it. Now, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue the charade.

She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and decided to take the initiative and seize the moral high ground.

He raised his voice from a distance and said in a questioning tone in English:
What's the security situation like here?

"My client was just taking a walk after dinner when he was almost kidnapped by bandits!"

"You must give me a satisfactory explanation for this matter!"

"Otherwise, otherwise..."

Shen Man paused deliberately, trying to create a sense of pressure, but racking her brains, she couldn't think of any more intimidating words.

All that could be done was a weak, repetitive emphasis: "Otherwise, otherwise..."

As the two men drew closer, under the pale light of the streetlights and the blue and red glow of the police car's roof lights, Shen Man finally saw the middle-aged man's face clearly.

Upon closer inspection, her voice seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand, growing softer and softer.

It came to an abrupt end, all the subsequent questions and threats stuck in his throat, turning into a silent chill that instantly spread from the soles of his feet throughout his body.

She recognized the man; he seemed to be the police chief of Barlandia Island!
You asked her why you knew each other?
Nonsense! On the very first day Li Muzi disappeared, she rushed here as her best friend and temporary legal advisor, and has been working tirelessly on the island for twelve days straight.

During this period, in order to get the case formally filed, she used every connection she could and made many trips to the police station.

I have met this highest-ranking official in charge of the island's security several times, but each time he has been dismissive and indifferent, always acting as if it were just business and he couldn't help.

An extremely absurd, even somewhat ridiculous, thought flashed through her mind in an instant:

"No way? The civil service in Barlandia has fallen into such a state of abject poverty?" "A police chief, after get off work, has to work as an extra to earn extra money?"

But the thought only lasted a second before it was completely rejected by her remaining rationality; the idea was so absurd that she wanted to laugh at herself.

It's obvious to anyone with their toes that this is absolutely impossible! What bureau chief would risk their reputation to do such a thing?
Therefore, there is only one truth.

The people who came were not temporary actors arranged by Zheng Cheng, but the real police chief and his real police officers!
At this moment, Shen Man felt like she was about to shut herself off. What on earth was going on today?

From the moment she orchestrated her encounter with Lin Hao at the bar, it was a series of events: a billiards betting scheme, a Plan B to steal his passport...

Not a single thing went according to her carefully crafted script; everything went completely off track, and each one was more outrageous than the last!
Especially this matter, it's gone completely off track, pushing her directly to the edge of a real legal precipice!

Lin Hao, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, took in the moment when Shen Man's expression froze.

Shen Man had clearly realized that the people who had arrived were real police officers, and was now in a state of great panic.

He chuckled to himself, thinking, "The opportunity has arrived! If I don't cause trouble now, when will I?"
So Lin Hao jumped out, his face full of arrogant arrogance, and started swearing at the bureau chief.

He perfectly portrayed a powerful, unbridled, and enraged "young master":
"I'm telling you! If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation today, this isn't over!"

"You can just wait to be laid off and go home to take care of your kids!" Lin Hao said arrogantly. It has to be said that these foreigners love this kind of thing.

Sure enough, the bureau chief had just walked over and, before he could even figure out what was going on, was stunned by the barrage of reprimands.

Lin Hao's domineering and unreasonable attitude, with spittle almost hitting his face, instantly made him feel uneasy.

"Just who are these two deities?"

He was initially offended and angry at being called over by name, after all, he was a bureau chief in charge of local security.

However, Shen Man's previous forceful questioning and Lin Hao's undisguised arrogance made him feel uneasy, and his official air was instantly suppressed.

Especially this young man in front of him, Lin Hao's arrogant and domineering manner didn't seem to be an act.

The threat of firing him sent a chill down his spine.

"Could this be a high-ranking official from some country, or a rich kid from a super-rich family coming down to experience life?"

These kinds of people are often more difficult to deal with than real officials, because they act more recklessly and have astonishing power.

If I accidentally offend him, I might really lose my job!
Thinking this way, the director's displeasure vanished instantly, his back unconsciously bent slightly, and a smile, almost obsequious, forced onto his usually stern face.

"Gentlemen, please calm down! We will investigate this matter thoroughly and give you a satisfactory explanation!"

He glanced at Lin Hao, who looked "indignant," and then at Shen Man, who stood beside him with a strange expression and remained silent.

His intuition told him that this seemingly professional "lawyer" seemed easier to talk to, and perhaps he could find a breakthrough from there.

So, he took half a step closer to Shen Man, trying to get on her good side and ease the tense, suffocating atmosphere, and put on an even more amiable smile:
"Attorney Chen... Forgive my poor eyesight, haven't we met somewhere before? I wonder which famous law firm you work for?"

Shen Man was unaware that the bureau chief hadn't recognized her at all; he was just asking casually.

But she felt guilty and was startled by these words, because the two had indeed met before, and more than once.

But he is, after all, the bureau chief. He has to see too many people every day. How could he possibly remember an ordinary woman from abroad who is always urging him to file a case?
Shen Man, unaware that the bureau chief hadn't recognized her at all, thought her identity was about to be exposed. Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly denied it, her tone even carrying a hint of panic:
"No! Impossible! We've never seen one before!"

"What's wrong with this lawyer? He's so easily startled and unprofessional!" the bureau chief thought to himself.

But with a smile still on his face, he said, "Perhaps I remembered wrong. Attorney Chen, what do you think is the best way to handle this matter?"

"Ah~!" Shen Man opened her mouth, but was speechless.

She naturally wanted the bureau chief to release everyone; after all, Hpakant and the others were "her own people" whom she had invited!

If she were really locked up, not to mention the exorbitant medical and bail fees, what if they couldn't withstand the pressure in the interrogation room and revealed that she was the mastermind? She couldn't even imagine the consequences!
Especially now, with Lin Hao right beside her, if she dares to plead for these "vicious bandits," wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting to everyone that she's in cahoots with them? She'd be utterly unable to defend herself then!
Just as Shen Man was torn between two conflicting emotions, Lin Hao preemptively commanded in an unquestionable tone:
"Is that even a question? Lock them all up! Interrogate them thoroughly!"

"I want to see which blind fool dares to mess with me. We must find their mastermind and wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

The more arrogant and domineering Lin Hao's attitude became, the more humble the bureau chief became, bowing even lower and his smile growing increasingly fawning.

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll do as you say! We'll definitely investigate thoroughly!"

Then he cautiously inquired, "May I ask... young master, what is your surname?" He needed to know which deity he was worshipping, right?

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" This time, Shen Man reacted extremely quickly, interrupting Lin Hao sternly before he could:
"Knowing too much won't do you any good!"

She was afraid that Lin Hao, this "drama queen," would actually improvise and introduce himself.

If the other party knew their real names, with the bureau chief's authority, finding out their background would be a piece of cake.

At that point, all his plans will truly be ruined!
Upon hearing this, the director's lips twitched slightly, but he still forced a smile.

"Attorney Chen is right, it was an oversight, but...!"

"Alright, enough nonsense!" Lin Hao waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away flies, and said:
"Get these eyesores out of here! Don't ruin my mood!"

"Yes, yes, we'll leave right away!" But the bureau chief couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart.

Seeing that the other party was starting to have doubts, Lin Hao quickly used his skills to guide the other party to get rid of their doubts.

Soon, escorted by a group of real police officers, the bruised and battered Hpakant and his companions were stuffed into a police car.

Throughout the entire process, Pakhan and the others didn't even dare to look at Shen Man.

At the same time, Shen Man quietly picked up her motorcycle that had fallen to the ground, her eyes darting around, trying to take advantage of Lin Hao's "lack of attention" to start the car and make a quick getaway.

What a joke! She and Lin Hao still have that damn bet!

If I don't run now, am I really going to stay and fulfill my "obligation" and let him sleep with me for free?

"Ding-a-ling-ding-a-ling--"

However, just as Shen Man's hand touched the ignition switch, her untimely phone suddenly rang sharply, sounding particularly jarring in the empty street.

"Attorney Chen, where are you going? Where are you going?"

Lin Hao's teasing voice slowly came from behind her.

"Damn phone call! Why did it have to ring now and then!" Shen Man cursed the caller a thousand times in her mind.

In her opinion, if it weren't for this phone call, Lin Hao would never have discovered that she was preparing to run away!

"No, it's nothing..." Shen Man stiffened, forced a smile, turned around, and made up an excuse:
"I just wanted to test it out... to see if the motorcycle was damaged in a crash."

"Oh? Is that so..." Lin Hao looked at her with a half-smile, not exposing her true feelings, but instead pointed to her still-ringing phone and asked leisurely:

"Attorney Chen, your phone has been ringing for a long time, aren't you going to answer it?"

"I'll answer, I'll answer right away..." Shen Man forced herself to press the answer button, trying to keep her tone calm as she said, "Hello?"

On the other end of the phone came Zheng Cheng's familiar yet infuriating voice:
"Manman, I've prepared all the manpower and equipment, but I see you have quite a few real police officers there. What do we do now? Do we need to bring them over?"

Shen Man: "..."

Brother! What are you doing here now? Giving the police a bribe, walking right into their trap?!

"Not anymore!" Shen Man practically spat out those three words through gritted teeth, then hung up the phone without hesitation.