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

That night.

Ye Mo leaned against the headboard and stared at the crack in the ceiling for a long time.

The lights of Victoria Harbour shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin golden line on the ceiling.

Then he picked up his phone and dialed Zhang Yuan's number.

"Sister Zhang, come to my room, I need to talk to you about something."

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Zhang Yuan walked in, still holding a tablet computer. Her hair was a few strands looser than during the day, indicating that she had just gotten out of bed.

She pushed up her glasses, sat down in the chair by the window, and placed the tablet on her lap.

"What's the rush?"

Ye Mo sat on the edge of the bed, his hands resting on his knees, and remained silent for a moment.

"Sister Zhang, there's something I need to tell you."

Zhang Yuan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I have a girlfriend, she works in the entertainment industry, and we've been dating for over a year."

Zhang Yuan's expression remained completely unchanged.

She reached out and pushed up her glasses.

"Liu Yifei".

It's not a question, it's a statement.

Ye Mo was taken aback. However...

Then he laughed.

It wasn't a wry smile, but a knowing smile.

"You know?"

"I guessed it." Zhang Yuan flipped the tablet over.

"Last time you asked me to go to the coffee shop to sign a contract, Liu Yifei was sitting next to you. When she left, she forgot her coat, a Balenciaga coat that cost 27,000 yuan. It wasn't a bag, it was a coat."

"Most friends wouldn't forget that a 27,000 yuan coat was left on someone else's chair. I didn't point it out, but the first rule of a manager's professionalism is that the artist will tell you when they want to, and if they don't want to, asking won't help."

Ye Mo leaned back against the headboard.

"What you didn't expect is what happened next. Her mother found out and cornered us at the coffee shop today."

Zhang Yuan's eyebrows twitched.

Ye Mo briefly recounted what had happened that evening.

The three faced off: Liu's mother's questioning, Liu Yifei's explanation, and his own silence.

The final bet—two years, one hundred million, or a Best Actor award.

When Zhang Yuan heard "one hundred million," she pushed up her glasses; when she heard "Best Actor," she took them off and wiped them.

"Two years, 100 million yuan plus Best Actor award."

"Either a hundred million or a Best Actor award, you just need to achieve one of them."

Ye Mo wanted to do both, as a double guarantee.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious."

Do you think you can do it?

"I'm not afraid of the movie star." Ye Mo looked at the crack in the ceiling and said calmly.

"I know how well I've portrayed the character Chen Yongren. Liu Weiqiang knows, Huang Qiusheng knows. This film has a chance to win awards. Even if we don't win, a Hong Kong Film Award nomination is guaranteed. And if we get a nomination, there will be another role. This path to becoming a Best Actor didn't just start today."

He turned his gaze back to Zhang Yuan.

"Money is the hardest part. Infernal Affairs cost eight million, and I only got a little over 60%. I'm still eight figures plus two zeros short of one hundred million. I don't know if two years is enough, but I have to make it."

Zhang Yuan remained silent for a moment.

She put her glasses back on, opened her tablet, and swiped her fingers across the screen a few times.

Then she turned the screen to face Ye Mo.

"These are the film and endorsement offers that have recently come to me. I've already screened them, and the quality varies—most of them are just trying to ride on your popularity. I'm not in a hurry to show them to you because the filming period for 'Infernal Affairs' is two and a half months, and the schedules of these projects all conflict. But if you want to make it happen now, I can contact them again."

Ye Mo glanced at the list on the screen.

"Are all of these in mainland China?"

"They're all in mainland China." Zhang Yuan put the tablet away.

"Infernal Affairs was filmed in Hong Kong, so you can't fly back and forth. So I'll start looking again tomorrow—in Hong Kong, for local projects that are in development."

"Although the Hong Kong entertainment industry is not what it used to be, there are still a number of new projects being produced every year. With your acting skills and action skills, it's impossible for you not to find a suitable role."

"Can it work?"

"Whether it works or not depends on the outcome of my negotiations, and also on your ability to fight." Zhang Yuan stood up, tucking the tablet under her arm. "But I have one advantage—I will see things through to the end if I promise. If you're determined to fight, I'll fight alongside you."

Ye Mo looked at Zhang Yuan.

The woman, in her early fifties, was woken up in the middle of the night. She had just heard his almost insane two-year bet, but she didn't try to persuade him to be rational or ask him if he was crazy.

She immediately opened her tablet and started checking the announcements.

"Thank you, Sister Zhang."

"No need to thank me. Just give me a raise if you win Best Actor or save up 100 million." Zhang Yuan walked to the door, then turned back. "Tomorrow at eight o'clock in the dressing room. Don't forget, Brother Hua's police station scene is the first one in the morning."

"Won't."

The next day.

When Ye Mo arrived at the film set, it was still dark.

The fluorescent light tube in the dressing room reflected a white light onto the mirror.

He sat down, and Ah Ling draped a cloth around his neck and began to stroke Chen Yongren's stubble.

Andy Lau has arrived.

He leaned back in the makeup chair next to him, holding a cup of milk tea in his hand, with the words "Brother Hua" written on the lid.

Seeing Ye Mo come in, he pulled the straw out of his mouth.

"Xiao Ye, why were you in such a hurry to leave yesterday? What were you doing?"

Ye Mo didn't reply.

Lin Jiadong peeked out from the dressing chair next door.

"Do you even need to ask? What else could make him run away without watching the replay besides his girlfriend?" He paused, then continued, "Tell me honestly, did you make plans with someone?"

"That's not true."

"That's not true—" Lin Jiadong drawled, "His face turned red."

"It was done with lights."

Zeng Zhiwei interjected from behind, having walked in carrying a bag of pineapple buns at some point, and stuffed one into everyone's hands.

"I've checked, she's not his girlfriend. If she were, he wouldn't tell anyone. Only those who don't tell are real; those who do are fake."

"That Zulan said that back then—" Lin Jiadong turned to look at him.

"Zu Lan is mistaken, let's move on to the next question." Zeng Zhiwei tore the pineapple bun in half without changing his expression.

Andy Lau laughed and patted Ye Mo on the shoulder.

"But Xiao Ye, you bought milk tea half a month ago. You didn't buy any yesterday, and the whole team was asking about today's milk tea. I told Xiao Ye to take a day off, and Hua Ge will treat you today."

He put the straw back into the cup.

Ye Mo was about to speak.

The stagehand pushed open the door and came in: "Teacher Ye, Sister Zhang is looking for you outside."

Ye Mo stood up and untied the apron.

In the corridor, Zhang Yuan stood next to the lightbox, holding a tablet in her hands, her expression carrying a faint excitement that "this can be done".

"Ye Mo, I was screening films until the early hours of the morning last night. There aren't many film crews in the pre-production stage in Hong Kong right now, but there's one I think you could check out. It's an action film, and the director is Yuan Kui. You've heard of him."

"I know, he directed 'Fong Sai-yuk 1/2' and 'Ma Yongzhen'."

Zhang Yuan nodded.

"The movie is called 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'. I asked around and the production date is just around the corner. The lead actor for the villain broke his contract at the last minute, so the time is tight and the task is heavy. If you have any ideas, I can arrange it right away."

......

P.S.: I'll be adding more chapters today, I'm going to grind it out!