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

One week later.

Filming for "Dying to Survive" was in its final days.

The main scenes were filmed long ago; what's left are wrap-up shots and a few reshoots.

Ye Mo has been glued to the set for the entire week, overseeing the final few scenes.

The atmosphere on set was different than before.

The prop masters slowed down their movements when moving the boxes.

Several extras huddled together, holding up their phones to take a group photo, saying they wanted to keep it as a memento.

Meanwhile, the production crew has already started making arrangements for the wrap party.

One of the reshoots was for a scene starring Zhang Songwen.

In the footage, Cheng Yong is squatting at the warehouse entrance, a cigarette between his fingers, without saying a word.

Ye Mo stared at the monitor, not calling for a stop for a long time.

The assistant director whispered to him, "Director Ye, this take is good."

Ye Mo finally came to his senses and softly said, "That's enough."

By the time we finished work, it was already getting dark.

Zhang Yu squatted next to the monitor, waiting for Ye Mo to put away his things.

"Director Ye, I've counted, there are six scenes left," Zhang Yu said.

"Filming wrapped up right after that?"

Ye Mo nodded.

"Filming will wrap up once it's finished."

Zhang Yu didn't say anything more. She squatted there and used the tip of her shoe to poke at the pebbles on the ground.

Another big event this week is the box office performance of "Detective Chinatown 2".

The movie has been in theaters for seven days and its popularity shows no signs of waning.

It grossed 420 million on the first day, and then steadily remained above 200 million every day.

By the seventh day, the cumulative box office had reached 2.4 billion.

Industry insiders have raised their forecasts, saying it will be at least 3 billion.

Chen Sicheng calls every day, his voice full of laughter.

Wang Baoqiang was all over social media, posting eight box office posters a day.

The tens of millions Ye Mo invested have multiplied to a number he's embarrassed to even calculate in detail.

That afternoon, Ye Mo came out of the editing room for some fresh air.

The phone rang.

An unfamiliar number, registered in Beijing.

Ye Mo glanced at it and hung up immediately.

Too many people have been looking for him these days.

There are media outlets, brands, and all sorts of middlemen trying to ride the wave of popularity.

He never answers calls from unknown numbers.

A few seconds later, the same number called again.

Ye Mo frowned, but still didn't answer.

The phone rang for the third time.

Ye Mo stared at the screen for two seconds.

Calling the same number three times in a row doesn't seem like harassment.

He slid the answer button.

"Feed."

"Hello, is this Director Ye Mo?" The voice on the other end of the phone was steady, unhurried, and carried a slight official tone, but not harsh.

"I am."

"Hello Director Ye, I apologize for bothering you. I'm from the Ministry of Public Security, in charge of anti-fraud publicity. My surname is Zhao."

Ye Mo's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone.

Ministry of Public Security?

Anti-fraud propaganda?

His mind raced.

His most recent film is "Raging Waves," a movie about cracking down on organized crime, which is related to the police.

But the film has already finished airing and received good reviews, so there shouldn't be any problems.

That phone call is most likely because he wants to talk to him about something else.

"Hello, sir." Ye Mo spoke calmly. "Please speak."

Director Zhao didn't rush to get down to business; instead, he started praising them.

"Director Ye, I really love your film 'The Storm,' I've watched it three times."

"Everyone in our bureau is watching it, and the higher-ups have watched it too."

"The leader's exact words were, 'This is the most inspiring anti-gang campaign in recent years; it serves as a warning while remaining accessible to the public, which is rare.'"

Ye Mo: "You flatter me. It's the subject matter itself that has power."

Director Zhao: "Director Ye is being modest. We've seen the results after it aired; the ratings, word-of-mouth, and social impact were all excellent."

"So, I've taken the liberty of contacting you today because there's something I'd like to ask you to come out of retirement."

Ye Mo didn't reply, and waited quietly.

Director Zhao: "Telecommunications fraud has become increasingly rampant in recent years. So many ordinary people have lost their hard-earned money with just one phone call; some families have been wiped out overnight."

"The higher-ups have been trying to produce a decent anti-fraud propaganda piece."

"We've had several internal meetings, and when it comes to candidates, you're the first person that comes to mind."

Ye Mo still didn't speak immediately.

Director Zhao continued speaking.

"We'd like to ask you to spearhead the creation of an anti-fraud project, whether it's a movie or a TV series; you decide the format."

"You can rest assured about the conditions."

"We can coordinate real cases, police officers handling the cases, and technical means."

"Tell us what scenes or support you need for your filming, and we'll figure something out."

"We can also help with connecting with broadcasting platforms; we have influence with CCTV."

Ye Mo remained outwardly calm, but his mind was elsewhere.

Filming for "The Dark Knight" will begin in less than a month.

He's about to fly to Hollywood to play the Joker, and he'll be gone for several months.

He can't just abandon things back home.

"Dying to Survive" is in post-production, and "Detective Chinatown 2" is showing in theaters, but those are all things that have already been decided.

He needs a new job that can take root in the country.

Now, jobs are coming to us.

Ye Mo thought about it one more time.

These projects are backed by the state apparatus.

Official endorsement, CCTV platform, real-life cases—these are resources that money can't buy.

His path in China will only become wider from now on.

Moreover, the fact that the Ministry of Public Security personally approached them shows the importance they place on them, which is itself a resource.

Taking the opportunity offered by your employer is smart; turning it down is just asking for trouble.

After he thought about it, there was a long silence on the phone.

Director Zhao couldn't hold back any longer.

"Director Ye? Are you still listening?"

Ye Mo came to his senses.

"Yes, I'm listening, Director Zhao, please speak."

Director Zhao's tone became more tentative.

"Director Ye, is there something you're worried about? Is it a scheduling conflict, or something else?"

Ye Mo was about to speak.

Director Zhao interrupted again.

"Don't worry about the compensation; we won't let you suffer any losses. If you feel it's not suitable, we can increase the pay. We'll definitely make sure you're satisfied with the terms."

Ye Mo almost lost his composure.

The words "add money" sound incredibly awkward coming from the mouth of a leader in the public security system.

He was secretly pleased.

He was lost in thought just now and wasn't thinking about money at all.

Ye Mo cleared his throat and took over the conversation.

"Director Zhao, you've misunderstood. I wasn't talking about money."

"I believe that anti-fraud propaganda shouldn't just be a matter of name-calling and slogans."

"If you're going to make a film, it has to resonate with the people, so that after watching it, they're genuinely more cautious and less likely to be fooled. Only then will the film be truly effective."

Director Zhao repeatedly agreed on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, yes, Director Ye is absolutely right, that's exactly what we meant too."

Ye Mo said again.

"It's an honor for me that the leader entrusted me with such an important task; I'll take the project."

"But I have an idea that I'd like to explain to you in advance."

Director Zhao: "Please go ahead."

Ye Mo: "I don't make those promotional posters that you just stick on the wall. If I'm going to do it, I'll do it to the standards of a commercial film—something that can be shown in theaters, sells tickets, and is so popular that people are scrambling to see it."

"Nobody watches didactic films. If nobody watches them, the effect is zero."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhao's voice rose several decibels.

"Director Ye! What you said really resonates with us! We want an anti-fraud film that ordinary people love to watch, not some kind of rigid propaganda that nobody cares about."

"As long as you agree, we will fully cooperate and provide whatever you ask for."

Ye Mo softened his tone and made it more sincere.

"Director Zhao, I'll take this project and make sure it's done well."

"However, there's something I need to inform you in advance. I'll be going abroad to film a movie soon; the contract is already signed, and I can't back out."

"For this project, I can work on the script and plans first, and then focus on filming once I return to China."

Director Zhao: "No problem, we can wait. You should focus on your important matters first; this isn't urgent in a month or two."

Ye Mo: "Then let's talk in detail another day. I'll pay you a visit."

Director Zhao: "Great, great, Director Ye, you're always welcome! It's a blessing for our anti-fraud campaign to have you here."

Ye Mo: "Director Zhao, you flatter me. It's my honor to be able to contribute to society."

Director Zhao smiled.

"Director Ye, from now on, please call me Lao Zhao. Don't call me 'Director,' it sounds too formal."

Ye Mo smiled too.

"Okay, Lao Zhao."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up the phone.

Ye Mo took the phone away from his ear and watched the screen gradually dim.

An anti-fraud project fell into his lap.

He stood there, his mind racing.

There's so much to film about anti-fraud.

Overseas telecom fraud, "pig butchering" scams, fake online shopping scams, and impersonating law enforcement officials.

Any one of them could be a story that could swallow a person whole.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang in my mind.

"Host, you're really something! You finish filming the anti-gang campaign one minute and are already filming the anti-fraud campaign the next. You're really getting on the right track."

"Our system actually has one anti-fraud book in hand, about overseas telecom fraud. People are lured to Myanmar, detained in an industrial park, and then call back every day to scam their compatriots."

"Want to take a look?"

Ye Mo narrowed his eyes.

......