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

That afternoon, Ye Mo found Liu Weiqiang in the lounge.

Liu Weiqiang was sitting in front of the monitor flipping through the storyboard, with a cup of cooled Pu'er tea beside him.

Ye Mo stood beside him for a moment, then spoke.

"Director Liu, there's something I need to tell you."

Liu Weiqiang looked up, closed the storyboard, took off his black-rimmed glasses, and wiped them with the corner of his shirt.

"explain."

"I've taken on a new film, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' directed by Yuan Kui. I'll be playing the main villain. The filming schedule is coming up soon, and it overlaps with ours."

Liu Weiqiang paused for a moment while wiping his glasses.

He put his glasses back on and looked at Ye Mo.

It's not the kind of scrutiny that goes like, "You actually took on other roles behind my back."

It's another kind—deeper, deeper.

"Are you having some kind of trouble?"

Ye Mo opened his mouth.

"It's not normal for someone to be filming two movies at the same time—especially action movies. You filmed for half a month, arriving earliest and leaving latest every day, and never missed a day of bubble tea. You're the kind of person who pushes yourself to the limit, but even the most resilient person won't intentionally run into a wall unless someone is chasing them from behind."

Liu Weiqiang placed the storyboard on the table. "Go ahead and speak."

Ye Mo was silent for a moment: "It's nothing, I was just thinking that now that I'm popular, I want to make as much money as possible!"

He would never tell anyone else about Liu Yifei.

As for Sister Zhang, there was nothing that could be done about it.

You can keep it from others, but you definitely can't keep it from Sister Zhang!

Liu Weiqiang remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

He picked up the glass of chilled Pu'er tea, took a sip, and then pushed up his glasses.

They probably knew that Ye Mo had something difficult to say.

"I can't control other things, but on my set, your scenes can't be delayed even for a day. Chen Yongren's scenes can't be done halfway. If you can do that, then go and film it."

"It can be done."

Filming concluded for the day.

Zhang Yuan was already waiting at the entrance of the film set.

The two got into the car and drove towards Kowloon City.

Zhang Yuan pulled a document out of her bag and handed it to him: "Briefing on 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'. The lead actor has been decided—Zhang Jing."

Ye Mo took the document.

He had heard of the name Zhang Jing before.

He was originally a Wushu champion at the National Games and a Wushu athlete at the national level. After retiring, he switched to the film and television industry.

But he didn't start out as a lead actor—he served as a stunt double for Zhang Ziyi and Yang Ziqiong in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and he also taught Chow Yun-fat Tai Chi.

Later, he served as Jiao Enjun's stunt double in "Little Li Flying Dagger" and as an action assistant in "Hero". He also served as the martial arts director for Hollywood's "Charlie's Angels 2" and "Daredevil".

He personally performed all the stunts, wire work, and high-risk action sequences, and has been quietly honing his camera presence and fight choreography skills for over a decade.

This person has one peculiar characteristic—he doesn't speak.

It's not indifference, it's about holding everything back in your actions.

When filming scenes with him, we didn't need to rehearse lines; we communicated through our bodies.

"He's the righteous male lead, and you're the number one villain," Zhang Yuan said. "Yuan Kui is taking a big gamble this time. Zhang Jing has never played the male lead before, and you're a newcomer from the mainland. It's quite risky for two people who aren't top-tier in the Hong Kong entertainment circle to carry an action film, but if it works out, you'll both jump a step up."

"What about the pay?"

"Ten million, we've got it. It's a last-minute deal. The producer initially wanted to lower it to eight million, but I said eight million was the price for the male lead in 'Infernal Affairs,' and this is the villain, the fighting leaf among the supporting actors—adding two million isn't excessive. He was silent for a while, then agreed."

Ye Mo put the file down.

Ten million, plus eight million from "Infernal Affairs", the two films together bring the total to eighteen million.

We're still far from a hundred million, but at least—we've started.

In an old office building in Kowloon City.

Yuan Kui spread the contract out on the table.

Ye Mo sat opposite, while Zhang Yuan flipped through the terms and conditions next to him.

"I've heard my older brother mention you."

Yuan Kui leaned back in his chair, his hands crossed in front of his stomach. The way he looked at Ye Mo wasn't like a director scrutinizing an actor; it was more like two fellow apprentices checking each other's work.

"He said you helped him revise a lot of the action choreography in 'SPL: Sha Po Lang'. The stuntmen in Sammo Hung's stunt team call you Teacher Ye, and you can just call me Uncle-Master. My older brother and I have been practicing martial arts together since we were kids."

"Don't shout randomly."

Ye Mo signed the contract with neat and clean handwriting. "Teacher Hong didn't formally accept me into the Hong Family Team. He just let me act in one film."

"You're even more interesting than what my older brother said."

Yuan Kui took the contract, signed it, stamped it, and then returned a copy.

"You'll be the main villain, not the protagonist, but with a lot of screen time. You'll be playing a gangster assassin from the mainland—cold-blooded, ruthless, and emotionless. All the action scenes will be fights between you and Zhang Jing. My requirements are simple—real fighting. Do as few stunt doubles or wire work as possible. Zhang Jing is already warming up. When can you join the crew?"

"I'll come over the day my scenes for 'Infernal Affairs' are finished. I'll coordinate the schedules for both." Ye Mo stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Thank you, Director Yuan, for giving me this opportunity."

"Don't thank me, you just happened to be in the right place at the right time. The villain was on the run, your brother pushed you, and you just happened to be free—it was all about timing, location, and people. In this world, being in the right place at the right time is more important than anything else."

On the way back to the hotel.

The lights on the other side of Victoria Harbour have already come on.

Zhang Yuan was driving when she glanced at Ye Mo in the rearview mirror.

"You haven't said much today. The contract's signed, are you unhappy?"

"I'm happy, ten million! I'm one step closer to one hundred million, but—"

Ye Mo leaned back in his seat, watching the neon lights flowing outside the car window.

"I was thinking that the quality of 'Infernal Affairs' must be maintained. Both are important scenes, and neither can be neglected. If one is neglected, it will have a chain reaction."

Zhang Yuan turned the steering wheel and said in a flat tone, "Do you know who I heard that line from last time? Andy Lau. Their generation was crazy, and you're crazy now too. Being crazy is a good thing. If you weren't crazy, how could you have starred in two movies in a month?"

Ye Mo's lips curved slightly.

Back at the hotel, he leaned against the headboard and dialed Liu Yifei's video.

It rang five times, then I answered.

On the screen, Liu Yifei was leaning against the bed with his hair down, no longer hiding under the covers and speaking in a low voice as he used to.

She leaned against the headboard, holding her phone up to her face, the familiar table lamp in the background.

She looked much more at ease—no longer worried that her mother might push the door open at any moment, because everything that needed to be broken had already been broken.

"Why do you look so tired?" She stared at the screen for a few seconds.

"I signed a contract for a new movie today, 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' I'll be playing the main villain."

"You're playing a villain again? Didn't you say 'Infernal Affairs' wasn't finished filming yet—are you filming two movies at the same time?"

"The schedules overlap. We finish work here and go to that place, and then we finish work there and come back here. Sister Zhang has calculated that it's possible to coordinate."

Liu Yifei moved the phone away from his face a little, as if he were examining him again.

"Ye Mo, you're risking your life."

"no."

"You can't hide it from me. You started working like crazy as soon as you came back from the coffee shop. You're signing one project today and another tomorrow. You're trying to use two years' worth of work in one year. A hundred million—you're afraid you can't do it."

Ye Mo remained silent for a moment.

"I'm afraid, so I have to fight hard. But don't worry, I'm also fighting hard with Chen Yongren. We'll fight together. I want double insurance: Best Actor and money."

Liu Yifei placed her phone on the pillow and brought it close to the camera.

Her eyelashes cast a small shadow in the dim light, and her voice was much lower than before.

"Comrade Ye Mo, I'm counting down the days here. Don't push yourself too hard over there. I never expected you to carry a mountain on your own for two years. If you get tired, just tell me."

"Not tired."

"That's a lie."

"I'm really not tired."

She tapped the screen with her finger.

"You're lying every time you say 'really.' I've remembered it so many times. When Feng Yuxiu finished filming, you said you weren't tired—you came back and slept for two days straight. After filming Running Man, you also said you weren't tired—your voice was hoarse. Now you're filming two dramas at the same time—you say you're not tired?"

Ye Mo was speechless after being provoked by her.

She withdrew her fingers, hugged the pillow to her chest, and rested her chin on it.

"Just remember, you fight your way over there, and I'll wait here. No matter how far you run, I'll find you."

.......