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

Ye Mo was originally leaning against the wall.

Upon hearing the name "Chen Sicheng," he leaned forward slightly.

I finally broke free from the exhaustion I had just felt.

"He directed and starred in it himself? What kind of subject matter?"

"A suspense comedy." Wang Baoqiang put the iced lemon tea on the table. "It's called 'Detective Chinatown.' The story takes place in Bangkok. I play an unlucky guy who is framed for murder, and he plays a detective who is known as the number one detective in Chinatown. The two of them go on the run and solve cases along the way. I've read the script. The reasoning is hardcore and the jokes are plentiful. He spent two years working on this script."

Ye Mo didn't speak, his mind racing.

He knew all too well the relationship between Wang Baoqiang and Chen Sicheng.

In their past lives, these two were rare true brothers in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Their friendship dates back more than a decade—the two first met when they collaborated on "The Children of the Red Flag Canal," and Chen Sicheng immediately noticed Wang Baoqiang's simple and honest nature.

Later, when filming "Soldiers Sortie", the director originally wanted Chen Sicheng to play Xu Sanduo, but Chen Sicheng took the initiative to recommend Wang Baoqiang and went to play Cheng Cai himself.

One role led to two iconic characters.

Off-screen, the two lived and ate together. Wang Baoqiang treated Chen Sicheng like an older brother and even recognized Chen Sicheng's parents as his godparents.

The two often said, "Never abandon, never give up."

It's not just a line from a script; it's the bond we've built over the past decade.

True brothers are a rare sight in the entertainment industry!

"What is he lacking now?" Ye Mo asked.

"It's bad in every way."

Wang Baoqiang counted on his fingers: "The funds haven't come in, the actors haven't been cast, and the production team is still in the preparation stage. The reason I came to Hong Kong to find him this time is to bring both people and money. I invested some money myself and will also make a cameo appearance. His script really shouldn't be buried."

Wang Zulan nodded in agreement: "Brother Qiang, you really don't see this kind of thing often in the industry—paying out of your own pocket to help your brother make a movie."

"He called me when I was waiting for work at the entrance of the Beijing Film Studio."

"He said, 'Baoqiang, come here. This role is yours. Without him, there would be no Xu Sanduo. Now that he needs help, if I don't help him, who will?'"

Ye Mo held the milk tea, slowly circling his finger along the rim of the cup.

My mind was rapidly flipping through memories of my past life.

Detective Chinatown

In my previous life, this film was a phenomenon.

The film grossed 823 million yuan at the mainland box office. It was released during the New Year's Day holiday and grossed over 280 million yuan during the three-day holiday.

Several big-budget films released in the same period were all overshadowed by this low-to-medium budget suspense comedy.

Despite a continuous decline in occupancy rates, the proportion of screenings has steadily increased, demonstrating a long-term success built on word-of-mouth.

More importantly, it breaks down two market biases.

The mystery genre failed at the box office, and the comedy genre lacked suspense; it ruined everything.

Currently, Chen Sicheng is short of funds and actors, and is still in the preparation stage.

At this moment, "Detective Chinatown" is not yet a box office bomb.

It was an awkward moment when a director was running into obstacles everywhere with his script.

"Baoqiang." Ye Mo put down his milk tea. "Take me to see him tonight."

Wang Baoqiang was stunned for a moment.

"You? You've been filming three movies, and you're already so busy—"

"Weren't you just advising me to take a break? I'll take a different kind of break. I'll go to your film crew and play a small supporting role. I don't care if I get paid or not."

"The key point is—your brother is making a new movie, so it's only right that I help him out, isn't it? After Running Man finished filming, you pulled me aside and said several times that you'd be invited to any fun things in the future. Now that I've heard you say that, it wouldn't be right of me not to go."

Wang Baoqiang looked at him and grinned.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! I'll call him right away! You know, he's been looking for several actors in mainland China, but either their schedules don't work out, or they can't agree on the fees."

"With your current popularity, countless people in mainland China would love to invite you to make a cameo appearance but can't get one—if you really come, you could be a huge help."

That night.

After finishing work in Yuen Long, Ye Mo went straight to Tsim Sha Tsui.

He has slept less than 20 hours in total over the past few days.

The dark circles under my eyes look like my eyeliner has been smudged.

But it keeps me going—not with coffee, but with that number in my head.

Ten million, one hundred million, two years.

With each additional stroke, we take a step closer to our goal.

The agreed-upon place was a tea restaurant downstairs from the hotel where Chen Sicheng was staying.

When Ye Mo pushed open the door, Wang Baoqiang was already sitting in the booth.

Across from me was a man in his early thirties with very high brow bones.

His eyes held a director's unique wit, as if he were constantly observing everything around him and turning it into material.

That was Chen Sicheng.

"Sorry I'm late. We finished work late in Yuen Long, and there was traffic."

"Ye Mo!" Wang Baoqiang stood up and pulled him to sit down. "Sicheng, this is the Ye Mo I told you about. Ye Mo is director Chen Sicheng—my brother."

Chen Sicheng stood up and shook hands with Ye Mo.

"Brother Jiaqian, no need for introductions, everyone in the Chinese-speaking world knows you these days. Baoqiang told me this afternoon that you were coming, and I thought he was joking—you have three movies running in a row, how do you still have time?"

"No matter how busy I am, I have to come." Ye Mo sat down opposite him.

"Baoqiang is my teammate from Running Man. He said his brother was having trouble, and I happened to overhear him, so I thought I'd drop by."

Wang Baoqiang slammed his hand on the table beside him: "What did I tell you! This is what true brothers are like—never abandoning or giving up, not just empty words."

He turned to look at Chen Sicheng, "Sicheng, Ye Mo isn't an outsider, so I'll be frank—how much money do you need for your new film?"

Chen Sicheng paused for a moment.

Then I moved the iced lemon tea in front of me to the side, clearing a space on the table.

"To be honest, only a portion has been secured so far. Baoqiang contributed a sum of his own money, and with what I raised from several producers, we're still short about 15 million."

"Regarding the actors—the second male lead hasn't been cast yet, and several supporting roles are still undecided. I know Baoqiang brought me to Hong Kong to explore more avenues, but to be honest, I didn't expect him to bring you here."

After listening, Ye Mo leaned back in his chair and began to do calculations in his mind.

The figures Zhang Yuan provided earlier were very clear.

The actor's salary for "Infernal Affairs" was eight million. After the contract was fulfilled and taxes were deducted, he received a little over five hundred.

The film "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" cost ten million, and after taxes, I received a little over six million.

The cameo role in that movie was small, worth a few million.

The three units combined have approximately 14 million in readily available cash.

Including the savings from previous films like "SPL: Sha Po Lang" and "Brotherhood of Blades," the total is close to 15 million.

It's still far from 100 million, but if the trajectory of "Detective Chinatown" is the same as in his previous life, the return on this investment will be no slower than the return on his film production.

"Director Chen," Ye Mo put down his teacup, "I have some spare cash, fifteen million. If you need it, I can invest. I can also do a cameo role. You don't need to pay me for the role; just consider it an investment. I have faith in you."

Chen Sicheng tightened his grip on the table.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm not here for tea tonight."

Wang Baoqiang glanced at Ye Mo, then at Chen Sicheng, and then slapped his thigh hard.

He turned his face away and looked for something on the wall of the private room. He wasn't looking for anything; he was afraid that he would cry and be seen.

"I was just worried about where to get this money. Baoqiang's money plus yours—it's just enough. Do you know what that means? I started writing the script for this movie two years ago, and I spent half a year looking for investment, hitting countless walls. Today, my brother brought an actor, and the actor brought a sum of money. That's fate."

......