Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 114 Detective and Actor, a Professional Combination
The next day.

Within a day, Gao Mo had completely integrated into the crew. No one noticed his flaws, nor could they imagine that he was the recently much-discussed Kido Gao Mo.

Speaking of idols, there's also a pretty boy in the crew who plays a handsome male role.

His name is Okita Hajime.

He also follows the idol route, but his situation is not good. At 29 years old, he is still playing minor roles. This time, he only got a more important role as a handsome guy because the lead actor Hijikata helped him.

I heard that the two are neighbors.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about Okita Hajime's affair with Hijikata's wife, but it's unclear whether it's true or not.

"Keng!"

Outdoor filming location.

Hijikata Kosaburo is performing a sword fight scene.

The scene actually looked quite boring; the movements and actions were all pre-designed, and several extras fell to the ground before they could even be hit.

Gao Mo had no scenes to film for the time being. He drank a bottle of water and followed the director to check the monitor footage.

This scene mainly showcases the protagonist Hijikata's heroic aura, as he charges forward with unstoppable momentum before confronting Okita Hajime.

However, during filming, Okita Hajime, for some reason, paused suddenly when facing Hijikata's shouting and slashing, and did not move according to the plan with a look of fear on his face.

"I was wrong……"

"what!"

The prop knife fell with a thud, and Okita, who was not able to dodge in time, was slashed squarely. His screams echoed across the riverbank, and even his hood rolled off to the side.

"Okita!"

"What are you doing?"

The assistant director was terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. He rushed over to check on the situation.

"It's nothing, just a minor external injury... How did this happen?"

"It's my fault," Hijikata Kosaburo said apologetically, sheathing his sword. "I probably got too into the role, and I couldn't stop in time..."

"The teacher is already very skilled. If he hadn't held back, this guy wouldn't have only suffered this little injury."

"Seriously, this is going to drag down our progress again."

On set, Okita was still shouting, seemingly believing he had been seriously injured. His shouting only subsided after several staff members forcibly carried him away.

The director lit a cigarette, offered some words of comfort, and then moved on to filming other parts.

However, the filming went very poorly all morning, especially the action scenes, where the actors were clearly unable to perform freely.

"This won't work," Hijikata Kosaburo said helplessly. "This isn't a solution. I think we should rest and continue this afternoon."

"It seems like this is the only way. Let's take a two-hour break, have lunch, and then continue filming." The director nodded solemnly.

Gao Mo, who was flipping through the script, glanced at the two of them upon hearing this.

He had seen what happened during the filming; it wasn't entirely Okita's mistake.

Perhaps for a fleeting moment, Hijikata Kosaburo truly had the thought of killing his opponent—

The rumors about his wife's infidelity were not unfounded.

Taking a half-day break is certainly a good thing, otherwise he was really afraid of getting caught in the crossfire and causing trouble for no reason.

"Master Hijikata".

The director smoked two cigarettes in a row, his face full of pressure.

"The investors are getting increasingly impatient, and this might be our last collaboration... I heard that Mr. Hijikata already has a new plan and has taken on a fashion film?"

“Yes, job opportunities are becoming increasingly scarce, and it’s about time I tried to make a career change,” Hijikata Kosaburo sighed. “We old folks are about to be swept into the dustbin of history by the tide of time, and we don’t know when we’ll become obsolete.”

"Teacher, you flatter me."

"Speaking of my next film, I'll be playing a detective who can disguise himself and is also a sharpshooter... To be honest, I'm not really that confident. I recently bought a model gun to study..."

"Isn't this too big of a leap?" the director asked, stubbing out his cigarette. "A transformation should be gradual, you know. The station is thinking of remaking and rebooting the Zuo Wenzi series. How about we consider it?"

"Samonji?" Hijikata Kosaburo said nostalgically. "If it were 10 years ago, I might have had some ideas, but now that I'm this old, if I were to play the young Samonji... I'm afraid the audience wouldn't accept it, right? But..."

"how?"

"It's nothing, we'll talk about it later. If I can raise the money, I'd like to finance the movie myself, and I hope you can help me then."

Left text?
Gao Mo paused, his fingers still.

"Detective Zuo Wenzi" is a detective novel from 10 years ago. If he remembers correctly, the latest remake was a huge hit, turning a minor actor who was a TV host into a big star.

Even if he can't get the lead role, it's still good to become a familiar face in the show. He had a lot of thoughts about his achievements, and he guessed they were related to influence and reach.

This is a good opportunity.

Detective mystery, like the previous romance drama, is a huge hit in this world, and the achievements and rewards you can obtain may not be inferior to those of the idol "Kido Takami".

“I’ve heard about it, Domoto,” a middle-aged actor, also a supporting actor, suddenly interrupted Gao Mo’s thoughts, deliberately glancing sideways as he said, “You really have a lot of influence, even Ms. Yoko’s agent is speaking up for you. Could it be that you’ve gotten close to Ms. Yoko?”

Having worked in the entertainment industry for decades, the most painful thing is seeing others easily catch up with you.

“No,” Gao Mo noticed that Hijikata and the director frowned at the same time. “I just used a little connection. If I had gotten close to Ms. Yoko, how could I have ended up like this?”

"Did you end up like this?" The middle-aged actor was secretly annoyed, his fingers gripping the knife, a sinister glint in his eyes concealing murderous intent.

This is a sign of disrespect for him, a perennial supporting actor.

"I see you..."

"Alright, Nakamura, we're all in the same production crew, let's be friendly."

Hijikata Kosaburo smiled and greeted him.

"My home is nearby, would you like to come over for a while? The director can come too."

"I'll pass," the director said with a wry smile. "I need to study the script some more; the night shoot is the main event."

"Master Hijikata, please treat us to some juice."

Several actors who knew each other from the crew gathered around Tu Fang.

"I heard the teacher owns an entire floor of a house?"

"I originally bought it to use as a studio, but it's been sitting vacant ever since, haha."

Kozaburo Hijikata is very talkative, and off-screen he is as charming as a chivalrous knight, able to chat with everyone.

A moment later, he led a few supporting actors to the apartment across the river.

Gao Mo stayed by the director's side and did not say anything about Hijikata Kosaburo's actions.

Something didn't feel right about him.

This guy was very deliberate from the very beginning, as if he was plotting something.

After thinking it over, Gao Mo decided not to meddle in other people's business.

Such veteran actors have deep experience and high status; even a simple recommendation could make their acting careers smooth sailing.

Conversely, even a single derogatory remark can cause him huge trouble.

Even if you can't establish a relationship with them, you shouldn't offend them easily.

……

"Teacher Hijikata, it seems there aren't many reporters around."

Apartment building.

Hijikata Kosaburo had several supporting actors check the surroundings to make sure there were no reporters before saying with relief, "We really have to thank Kido Takamori. There shouldn't be any reporters following us today. Let's go up."

"Mr. Hijikata, are the rumors outside true? Are you and your wife getting a divorce, and it's even related to Mr. Okita?" a young actor with little sense asked curiously.

“Of course it’s fake,” Hijikata explained with a smile. “You’ll see later. Those reporters can write a big story about even the smallest things… My wife is still at home, so I’ll introduce her to you.”

The apartment building is not tall, only six stories in total, and hardly anyone comes and goes.

Tu Fang took the elevator first and pressed the button. He then took out a model gun from his pocket and said, "This is a prop I prepared for my next drama. I've played with samurai swords my whole life, and it's really a bit strange to touch a gun for the first time."

Several supporting actors were startled, but upon learning that it was a fake gun, they wiped their sweat and flattered him, saying, "It will definitely not be a problem for Mr. Hijikata."

"It's supposed to be a prop, but it looks way too real."

"There seems to be something on the muzzle of the gun..."

"Idiot, it's a mechanism that can produce smoke."

"We're on the 5th floor," Hijikata said to the group after the elevator stopped. "My apartment is 501, which faces the river directly. We should be able to see the film crew's shooting location from there."

"Master Hijikata?" an actor called out. "I just saw Mr. Okita come over too. Where does he live?"

“Okita is at 502,” Hijikata followed the others. “It’s best not to bother him right now. I’ll apologize to him properly later.”

"If you ask me, Hijikata-sensei is just too kind-hearted. He actually promoted him after something like that happened."

"It's nothing, it was just something the reporters made up."

(End of this chapter)