He plays Feng Yuxiu, and his girlfriend is a fairy-like beauty.

Ye Mo finished speaking.

The entire conference room fell silent for a full three seconds.

Then Zhou Yiwei was the first to lose his composure.

He lowered his head, covered his mouth with the back of his hand, and his shoulders trembled several times.

The unlit cigarette in Tan Zhuo's hand slid directly from between his fingers onto the table.

When she picked it up, her eyes were still fixed on the doorway, as if she were looking at a species she had never seen before.

She has been in the industry for almost ten years.

I've seen people start by yelling and cursing on the very first day of operation to establish their authority.

I've seen people who have a blank expression from beginning to end, making them impossible to understand.

I've seen people who ignore everyone and just stare at the monitor the whole time.

The first thing we said was a joke that the whole group made together; that was the first time.

Zhang Yu huddled in a corner, secretly observing Ye Mo.

His expression held a bewildered look, as if he hadn't quite grasped the situation yet.

He had worked in small film crews before, and the directors there were always very tense.

He walks with a brisk pace and speaks with a sharp edge.

An actor standing in the wrong position can cause the entire set to fall silent with shouting.

Ye Mo's words about the Beggars' Sect gathering almost made him bite his tongue.

Wang Chuanjun sat by the window, clutching the cloth bag on his lap even tighter.

All his knowledge of Ye Mo came from the news.

A double Golden Horse Award winner, a variety show disaster, and someone who can make anyone he promotes famous.

The news report didn't mention that Ye Mo would stand at the meeting room door and make jokes of that level to the whole group.

Zhang Songwen simply leaned back in his chair.

Cross your arms and place them on your stomach.

His expression was as if he had watched a play he knew would happen.

Ye Mo walked in and sat down at the head of the long table.

He glanced at the expressions on the faces of the people in front of him.

His tone was just as casual as it had been at the door.

"The way you're acting makes me look like the leader of the Beggars' Sect."

Zhou Yiwei finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Director Ye, it's not that you're the leader of the Beggars' Sect, it's just that your group of people really doesn't look like a regular film crew."

"At a typical film crew meet-and-greet, the actors are all dressed in suits and ties, and stylists have done their hair in advance."

He pointed in Zhang Songwen's direction.

"In your room, I, a police officer, am dressed relatively normally, but look at Songwen's belly, Chuanjun's face, and Zhang Yu's hair."

Zhang Songwen raised his hand and touched his beer belly.

His expression was innocent.

"I was sacrificing myself for art. I ate fried chicken for more than half a month and drank a bottle of beer every night before bed. My wife thought I was depressed and almost made me see a psychologist."

"I told her it was Director Ye's task, and she immediately called Director Ye to ask if it was true. Do you know what Director Ye replied to her?"

"Go back to what?" Zhou Yiwei asked.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law, he's not depressed, he's just gained weight from happiness."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Tan Zhuo put the unlit cigarette back between his fingers.

"Director Ye, may I ask you a question?"

"ask."

"When you were an actor in other film crews, how did the directors treat you?"

Ye Mo thought for a moment.

"In the first film crew, I stood in the wrong spot, and the director shouted into a megaphone, 'Hey, you extra, are you here to act or to lay bricks?'"

"In the second film crew, after we finished one take, the director said it was good, but the cinematographer said it wasn't good enough and we had to do another one. The director turned around and glared at me—'Did you fucking move anything?'"

After listening, Tan Zhuo tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

"Now that you're a director yourself, why didn't you carry on that style?"

"Because I have a good memory, I remember how it feels to be scolded, so I don't want others to remember it too."

The room fell silent for a moment.

That's too mild a statement.

It was so soft it didn't sound like an opening remark; it sounded like he was talking to himself.

Ye Mo eased the tension for a moment.

Then I moved forward and sat down a bit.

Fingers are crossed and resting on the table.

The voice wasn't loud, but each word was spoken very steadily.

"Okay, jokes over, let's get down to business."

It's like turning the pages of a book; the previous page was an illustration, and the next page is the text.

"From now on, we are the people of 'Dying to Survive'."

"I can laugh and joke around in life; I'm not the kind of director who needs to be coaxed."

"But on set, I need to see your focus in every shot, every movement, and every lighting adjustment."

"Once this machine is turned on, I don't need geniuses, I need seriousness."

His gaze swept across everyone's face.

No rush, one at a time.

Zhou Yiwei subconsciously straightened his back, which was leaning against the chair.

Zhang Songwen stopped laughing.

There was silence for a full three seconds.

Then Ye Mo's expression relaxed.

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Alright, let's all introduce ourselves, starting with Songwen."

Zhang Songwen leaned back.

"I, Zhang Songwen, play Cheng Yong, the owner of a medicated oil shop, a middle-aged loser. My beer belly is real, my hair is real, and my loser feeling is real."

"The only difference between you and Cheng Yong is that your 'loser' status is fake," Ye Mo added.

"Yes, everything else is true."

Everyone has heard of Zhang Songwen.

There's no way around it, it's just become incredibly popular lately.

It's a bit difficult not to know him.

Zhou Yiwei took over the conversation.

"My name is Zhou Yiwei, and I play Cao Bin."

"Cheng Yong's brother-in-law, a policeman," Ye Mo answered for him.

Then everyone began to introduce themselves.

Everyone started to get to know each other.

......

The next day.

The opening ceremony of "Dying to Survive".

A temporary altar was set up at the Nanjing filming location.

The camera was covered with a red cloth.

The area was surrounded by media and staff.

On the offering table are roast suckling pig, fruit, and an incense burner.

Three incense sticks were inserted into the incense burner, and the blue smoke rose straight up.

Ye Mo stood in front of the offering table.

Behind him were Zhang Songwen, Wang Chuanjun, Zhang Yu, Zhou Yiwei, and Tan Zhuo.

The entire Beggars' Gang was present.

The media area was filled with cameras and microphones.

But there were far more people present than just reporters today.

Liu De was shocked.

He wore a dark blue shirt with light gray trousers.

Standing next to the media area, I had just put my phone into my pocket.

She looked up and saw Ye Mo, then waved to him.

He came alone, without an assistant.

The surrounding reporters whispered among themselves, "For an artist of Hua Ge's stature to come to the event alone shows that his relationship with Ye Mo doesn't require any pomp and circumstance."

Deng Chao and Chen He also arrived.

Deng Chao, wearing a bright orange hoodie, waved to Ye Mo from afar.

His voice was so loud that all the reporters in the media area turned their heads away.

"Ye Mo, no, Director Ye! Our Running Man brothers are here to support you!"

Ye Mo walked over and gave them a high five.

"Brother Chao, are you dressed so brightly to steal my thunder?"

"What are you trying to steal the spotlight for? I bring my own audience! Michael Jack is here to support your new movie, tell me, isn't that enough of a show of support?"

The surrounding area was ablaze with flashes.

Zhang Songwen stood next to Ye Mo and greeted Liu Dehua.

Liu Dehua glanced at him.

Extend your hand proactively.

Zhang Songwen.

"Brother Hua."

"You played that role so well. I stayed up until midnight watching the show, and my eyes were swollen the next day when I was filming."

"Brother Hua, you watch TV series too?"

"Zhui, your performance in 'Raging Storm' was excellent. Ye Mo has a good eye for talent."

Zhang Songwen stood still.

Being praised for my acting skills by Andy Lau in person felt like a dream.

But with Ye Mo standing beside him, the dream felt somewhat real to him.

Deng Chao leaned closer.

He looked Zhang Songwen up and down, examining his belly.

"Teacher Songwen, is your belly makeup or real?"

"Seriously, I've been eating fried chicken for almost half a month."

"Did Ye Mo force you to eat it?"

"He made me gain weight."

Deng Chao turned to look at Ye Mo.

His expression was somber.

"You made the actor playing Gao Qiqiang gain weight. Do you know how many fans online are obsessed with Gao Qiqiang's looks?"

"Fans who only care about looks should become fans of An Xin," Ye Mo replied.

"An Xin didn't gain weight! But Michael Jack shaved his head! After I got back, Sun Li gave me the cold shoulder for two days!"

"That's because you didn't comfort her when you got home," Ye Mo replied.

Deng Chao choked.

Chen He handed him a cup of coffee and patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother Chao, didn't you say you were here to support us? How did it turn into a roast session?"

"Supporting the show while also offering your criticism—that's the spirit of Running Man!"

The crew members stood beside the red cloth, whispering amongst themselves.

Zhang Yu tugged at Wang Chuanjun's sleeve.

"Did Brother Hua come here specifically to support Director Ye?"

"right."

"Deng Chao and Chen He too?"

"right."

"Will any other items arrive later?"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Sicheng walked out from behind the media area and shook hands with Ye Mo.

Then there's Xue Zhiqian.

He was wearing his signature gold-rimmed glasses.

When he saw the reporter taking pictures, he pushed up his glasses and said, "Don't ask me if I've finished writing the lyrics yet, not yet."

Jia Bing also arrived.

He carried a bag of Northeast red sausages and placed it on the snack table next to the offering table.

When he saw the media cameras sweeping over, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't take pictures, don't take pictures, I'm just here to freeload a meal."

Zhang Yu put out her cigarette.

Looking at the group of people in front of me.

Any one of these people could easily be a trending topic for an entire day.

They came to support Ye Mo.

I didn't ask for an appearance fee, I didn't need a car to pick me up or drop me off, and I bought my own plane ticket.

In the past, the highest level of success for the film crews he worked for was to have even a second or third-tier celebrity present at the opening ceremony.

Now Brother Hua is standing less than ten meters away from him.

He lowered his head and rubbed the cigarette ash between his fingertips.

This film crew trip was worthwhile.

......