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

Shanghai, the Bund.

The wrap party for "Brotherhood of Blades" was held at a local Shanghainese restaurant on Nanjing West Road, with Lu Yang paying for it out of his own pocket.

There weren't many people in the film crew; they sat at three tables.

The food was delicious, the wine was excellent, and the atmosphere was lively and cheerful.

Only one person is missing.

Liu Sishi sat by the window, twirling a glass of orange juice in her hand, glancing at her phone every now and then.

The screen displays Weibo's trending topics page.

#Ye Mo breaks record on acupressure mat#

#RunningMan#

#YeMo's unexpected cuteness#

Yang Mi sat next to her, using chopsticks to dissect a drunken crab.

His technique was precise; you could tell he'd been eating this kind of food in the Jiangzhe region for thirty years.

She glanced at Liu Sishi's phone screen and a smile played on her lips.

"I've been glued to my phone all night, barely touched my food. Is my soul in Hong Kong or Hangzhou?"

Liu Sishi placed the screen face down on the table, picked up her orange juice, and took a sip.

"I'm watching Running Man. It's a really interesting show."

"Running Man? Don't you never watch variety shows?" Yang Mi broke open a crab leg, lowering her voice. "Do you watch the show or the people?"

"Watching variety shows," Liu Sishi said without changing her expression.

"Oh, so that Ye Mo guy trending on social media, has nothing to do with you watching variety shows?"

Liu Sishi didn't reply, but the tips of her ears turned a little red.

Yang Mi smiled.

That kind of knowing smile between best friends.

She put down the crab leg, wiped her hands with a wet wipe, and leaned closer to Liu Sishi, lowering her voice: "Since you came back from the grasslands, you've opened Weibo at least fifty times, and every time it's the same person's page. If you hadn't won him over on the grasslands, then you really—"

"Take what?" Liu Sishi turned to look at her, her eyes filled with warning. "We're just friends."

"Friends," Yang Mi repeated, her tone carrying a deeper meaning.

Liu Sishi fell silent.

On the screen, another GIF of Ye Mo carrying Wang Zulan across the mud appeared.

In the picture, he has a smile on his lips, and half of his face is covered in mud, but his eyes are bright.

That kind of radiance wasn't the excitement of recording a variety show; it was a relaxed and enjoyable radiance.

She had never seen him like this before.

During that month on the grassland, Ye Mo always gave her the impression of being tense.

He keeps his composure while acting, and he keeps his composure even when he's not acting.

Polite to everyone, and maintain a just-right distance from everyone.

His eyes only lit up when he was talking to Lu Yang about the role in front of the monitor.

Now he's carrying someone and running, laughing, completely relaxed.

Liu Sishi watched the animated GIF play on a loop three times, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Alright, your smile is practically reaching your ears." Yang Mi handed over a piece of osmanthus cake. "If the media takes a picture of you like this, tomorrow's trending topic won't be Running Man, it'll be Liu Sishi's mysterious smile late at night."

Liu Sishi took the osmanthus cake but didn't eat it.

"He's going to be famous."

"It's already a hit," Yang Mi said. "I looked at the format of the Running Man show. It's something that's never been done before in China. It's an outdoor competitive reality show with seven regular cast members and guest stars. It's filmed the whole time without a script. Once this kind of novelty takes off, it'll be a phenomenon." She paused, "Your friend was right. The first episode's guest star was seen by audiences all over the country, and he's got great variety show skills—look at this meme, netizens are going crazy."

Liu Sishi neither agreed nor disagreed.

She knew Ye Mo would become famous even before Yang Mi did.

It wasn't because of his variety show appeal, but because she had personally witnessed him playing Ding Xiu.

The sight of that carefree, languid ronin on the monitor, head tilted, cigarette dangling from his lips—at that moment, she knew this man would not be forgotten.

I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Yang Mi took the osmanthus cake back from her and ate it herself.

"Let's get down to business." Her expression turned serious.

Liu Sishi looked at her.

"You know my current situation—I've signed a performance-based agreement with the company."

"A bet?" Liu Sishi frowned.

"Hmm." Yang Mi's tone was calm, as if she were talking about something as ordinary as eating drunken crab. "I signed a three-year agreement with the shareholders. If the company's net profit does not reach the agreed figure within three years, I will personally cover the losses, and it is possible that I will lose all the profits I have made before."

"How many?"

Yang Mi gave a number.

Liu Sishi was stunned for a moment.

That wasn't a number that you "feel a little bad about losing," it was a number you staked your life on.

"So now I have to think carefully before signing anyone—can this person help me hold on for the next three years?" Yang Mi put down her chopsticks. "I've taken a liking to Ye Mo."

Liu Sishi turned to look at her.

"You've got your eye on it?"

"Don't be nervous, it's a business decision." Yang Mi smiled. "When he filmed 'Brotherhood of Blades' with you guys, he wasn't even a big name yet. Now that Running Man is on, his popularity is obvious. And he's not just popular because of his popularity; he's a combination of talent and popularity. He's even taken on a role with Sammo Hung, which shows that the Hong Kong entertainment circle recognizes him. Signing someone like him is good for him, and even better for me."

She looked at Liu Sishi.

"Can you set me up with someone?"

Liu Sishi remained silent for a few seconds.

"It seems he doesn't intend to sign with the company."

"I know, Chen Desheng mentioned it to me," Yang Mi said. "But there's always a ceiling to going it alone. Without a company, a team, or resources, how many films can he carry on by himself? I can offer him a solo studio model, with affiliation but no interference with his creative freedom. The terms are negotiable."

"Then you should go find him yourself."

"You have a higher success rate in matchmaking."

Why?

Yang Mi stared at her for three seconds.

"Because you laughed when you saw the trending topic just now."

Liu Sishi picked up the orange juice and used it to cover her face.

Hong Kong, Tseung Kwan O Iron Shed.

Ye Mo was sitting among the martial arts performers, eating a boxed lunch.

Tonight's meal is char siu rice with iced lemon tea, and there's an extra roast goose in the boxed lunch.

An uncle from the props team casually placed it down as he passed by, saying, "Teacher Ye, you're too thin, eat more."

Zeng Zidan was sitting opposite him, holding a bowl of cart noodles and eating intently.

"Brother Bullet, a martial arts choreographer from Jackie Chan's stunt team is coming over in a couple of days to direct a major scene," Ye Mo said. "I'd like to ask him for some pointers. Do you know him?"

"Awei? I know him, we're old acquaintances." Zeng Zidan didn't even look up. "You can learn from him, but don't learn his way of generating power. He injured his lumbar spine when he was young, and later changed his power generation route, so it's not quite standard."

"So, which one is the more standard?"

"Teacher Hong, but he doesn't teach me personally as much anymore." Zeng Zidan looked up at Ye Mo. "You've improved quite a bit lately. Before you joined the crew, your movements still had a bit of an acting feel to them, but now they're becoming more and more realistic."

Ye Mo smiled but didn't explain.

But a voice did indeed ring in his head.

That long-lost, cold, electronic voice.

System: [Acting skills level has been upgraded to A-level. Host's neural reaction speed has increased by 12%, body control precision by 15%, and micro-expression recognition ability has been upgraded to professional level.]

Ye Mo stuffed the last piece of char siu into his mouth.

Grade A.

From B to B+, from B+ to A-, from A- to A.

The physical sensations are different with each level up.

Not just when he's acting—his senses are much sharper than before, whether he's walking, eating, or chatting with people.

The speed at which they learned action moves surprised even the action director.

He chewed on his char siu, wondering if the next upgrade would unlock anything new.

A small gray icon has appeared in the upper right corner of the system interface, but it's not lit up yet.

I don't know what it is.

The phone rang.

The name displayed on the screen caused his expression to change slightly.

It's not Liu Yifei.

It's Liu Sishi.

He wiped his hands and answered the call.

"Feed".

"Ye Mo? Did I disturb you?" Liu Sishi's voice came from the phone. The background was quiet, so she must be in a hotel.

"No, I just finished work and am eating my boxed lunch."

"Boxed lunches? Aren't you filming a movie with Sammo Hung? The food must be pretty good."

"I ordered an extra roast goose today," Ye Mo smiled. "I almost ate too much."

Liu Sishi smiled and then coughed, "Um—Yang Mi and I are going to Hong Kong for an event in a couple of days. Are you still there? Let's have a meal together if you're free."

"Have a meal?"

"Well, consider this a celebration for your success, Running Man broke a record."

Ye Mo remained silent for a second.

He noticed that she said "with Yang Mi," not "I came."

"Okay, let me know when you arrive."

"it is good."

After hanging up the phone, he put it back in his pocket.

Liu Sishi invited Yang Mi to dinner.

He wasn't stupid; he sensed something was amiss.

It doesn't matter.

It's just a meal.

......