Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

Five days after Chen Duling left, filming in Huairou finally wrapped up.

When Lin Shen came out of the photography studio, it was already 11 p.m.

The autumn wind blew into the corridor, and Yang Chaoyue jogged over to hand him a down jacket, saying, "Brother Shen, put this on quickly, or you'll catch a cold."

Lin Shen took it and put it on, then took out his phone and glanced at it.

Bai Mengyan's message was still in the chat box: "Is the night scene filming finished?"

His lips twitched, and he typed: "Just finished work, get some sleep. I'm not going back until tomorrow, don't wait for me."

The reply came instantly: "Who's waiting for you! I'm going to sleep now!"

Lin Shen smiled and put his phone away.

Yang Chaoyue glanced over furtively from the side, pretending not to have seen anything.

Over the past few days, she's come to understand: Shen Ge and Meng Yan Jie's relationship is a facade, while his affair with Chen Duling... is more like a covert operation...

No, it's not exactly a secret, it's just a feeling I can't quite put my finger on.

But she kept her duty firmly in mind, not asking what she shouldn't ask and not saying what she shouldn't say.

"Is the car arranged?" Lin Shen asked.

"Alright, alright." Yang Chaoyue immediately reported, "We'll depart at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. President Jia has already made arrangements, and someone will pick us up over there."

Lin Shen nodded and said nothing more.

The internet has been quite lively these past few days.

Lin Shen's team released several batches of materials according to the established schedule.

First, behind-the-scenes footage from the set of "The Lost Tomb" was edited into several short videos of about ten seconds each, which were shared more than 20,000 times on Weibo.

The comments section was filled with "hahahahaha", and passersby said, "The atmosphere on this set is really great."

Then there were a few leaked promotional photos from the set of "My Sunshine," not official ones, just blurry pictures taken by "insiders."

Lin Shen, wearing He Yichen's signature coat, stood against the backdrop of an office building. His profile was blurred in the photo, but the more blurred it was, the more captivating it became.

Fans immediately started screaming: "This is He Yichen himself!"

There were also dissenting voices: "They're starting a hype just from a few blurry pictures?"

But overall, the wind has completely shifted.

The related terms #LinShenLaoPaoFengXiaogang dropped from fifth to fifteenth on the trending topics list, then to outside the thirtieth, and finally disappeared completely from the vast sea of ​​keywords.

New topics have started to emerge: #Lin Shen's Silent Life#, #Fun on the Set of The Lost Tomb#, #Lin Shen's Outfit#.

One marketing account summarized: "Director Feng posted on Weibo for a week, and Lin Shen didn't reply at all. Now, who remembers what he said? The hype has been completely overshadowed by new materials from Lin Shen's side."

The most upvoted comment was: "They didn't even react; you punched cotton and ended up hurting your back."

Feng Xiaogang hasn't released anything further. It's rumored that "Mr. Six" is about to start filming, and leaked photos of Wu Yifan joining the cast have surfaced.

But when someone in the comments section asked, "Who is that young heartthrob the director mentioned before?", no one responded.

That's how the entertainment industry's popularity works; as long as you don't keep adding fuel to the fire, it'll burn out eventually.

The next morning at nine o'clock, Lin Shen's car was parked in front of an inconspicuous office building.

The building wasn't tall, and it was decorated in gray and white tones, but while Yang Chaoyue was waiting in his car, he noticed that the people coming in and out were all dressed very formally, and their demeanor was quite different from that of people in ordinary office buildings.

"Wait for me in the car," Lin Shen said before getting out.

The building was quiet, and staff led the way, their footsteps echoing softly in the corridor.

Several propaganda posters hung on the wall, with serious compositions and solemn color schemes.

The elevator went up to the sixth floor, the doors opened, and there was a glass door in front of us.

The staff swiped their card and stepped aside to let Lin Shen go first.

At the end of the corridor was a meeting room. The door was ajar. The staff knocked and opened it.

Lin Shen walked in, his gaze sweeping across the room, then paused for a moment.

Three people were sitting on the sofa.

The two people to the side, one in his forties, wearing glasses and holding a notebook, were probably in charge of the publicity department; the other had a camera set up next to him.

But the one in the middle—

Lin Shen's gaze lingered on his shoulder for a moment.

Olive branch.

Semi-circle.

Lin Shen quickly withdrew his gaze, his face remaining expressionless, but his heart stirred slightly.

This person shouldn't be here today.

The leader sitting in the middle saw him, smiled, and waved: "Xiao Lin is here, have a seat."

Lin Shen nodded in acknowledgment and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

The process was very quick.

A staff member came in and read out the decision to award Comrade Lin Shen the title of "Anti-Drug Publicity Ambassador".

Then came the certificate presentation, with a red cover and gold lettering. Finally, there was a group photo, with Lin Shen standing next to the leader, smiling slightly at the camera.

The entire process was recorded by a camera.

After completing the procedures, the leader waved his hand, signaling the staff to leave first.

The door closed, and the reception room fell silent.

The leader picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Lin Shen with a smile:

"I've seen everything you've been doing lately."

Lin Shen bowed slightly but did not reply.

"That's good." The leader put down his teacup. "Not responding was the right thing to do. Some things get more complicated the more you respond. You're more composed than many young people."

Lin Shen smiled and said, "You flatter me, sir."

The leader waved his hand, indicating that he shouldn't be so reserved, then turned to look at the person in charge of publicity next to him:

"Xiao Li, you've all heard Xiao Lin's song, right?"

The person in charge nodded: "I've listened to it, the lyrics and music are fine, the review has been approved."

"Then let's arrange the follow-up matters as soon as possible," the leader said. "Please take care of Xiao Lin these next few days and record the promotional video as quickly as possible."

"Understood," the person in charge replied.

The leader then looked at Lin Shen and smiled: "I've heard your song. 'The Lone Warrior,' the lyrics are quite good."

Lin Shen was slightly taken aback, then nodded: "Thank you, leader."

The leader didn't say anything more, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then suddenly spoke again.

"Xiao Li, how's your script coming along?"

Xiao Li, standing to the side, nodded and opened the notebook in his hand:

"Boss, Professor Chen Yuxin has already signed the contract, and the project just started last month. I spoke with him on the phone last week, and he said the outline is complete and a first draft is expected by the end of the year."

Lin Shen's eyes flickered slightly when he heard the name Chen Yuxin.

The chief screenwriter of "Mekong River Case".

A recognized master of crime dramas in the industry.

He hadn't expected that the project had started planning so early, much earlier than he remembered.

The leader nodded, then looked at Lin Shen: "Xiao Lin, have you heard of Chen Yuxin?"

Lin Shen snapped out of his reverie and nodded: "I've heard of it. I've read 'The Mekong River Case,' it's very well-written."

The leader smiled and said, "Okay, as long as we have common ground, that's good."

He leaned back, his tone a few degrees more serious than before: "Xiao Lin, there's something else I wanted to discuss with you today besides this title."

Lin Shen looked up.

The leader picked up a file folder from the coffee table next to him and pushed it in front of Lin Shen.

The cover reads: "Preliminary Plan for Adapting Operation Thunder into a Film and Television Series."

Lin Shen's gaze froze.

The leader's voice continued:

"Your father's case has now reached its final stage. The main culprit was arrested last year, the interrogation is basically complete, and the chain of evidence is also complete."

He paused, his tone calm, but every word carried weight:

"We've been considering whether to film this case. Not for sensationalism, but to let more people know what narcotics officers and their families have sacrificed."

Lin Shen didn't speak, but gently pressed his finger on the document.

The leader just stared at him, his gaze scrutinizing, carrying something indescribable:

"Last time I had someone ask you if you were interested in participating, and you said you would cooperate. Today I'm asking you again. Do you want to get involved in this project?"

Lin Shen raised his head and met his gaze.

"think!"

The leader nodded, as if he had expected it, and leaned back slightly.

"Okay. But Kobayashi, this won't be quick. The script needs to be written, then it needs to be approved, and only after that can we get funding. The department's process takes at least a year, and at most two years."

He glanced at the person in charge of publicity next to him.

Xiao Li understood and continued the conversation:

"Comrade Lin Shen, the investment for this kind of subject matter won't be small. Assembling a crew, hiring actors, and filming on location all cost real money. Even if the ministry allocates funds, it's impossible to cover everything. We will definitely need the participation of private capital in the future."

After listening, Lin Shen nodded, then looked up at his leader:

"Sir, if you think it's possible, I can help with the funding."

The leader looked at him, not particularly surprised.

Then, he smiled and shook his head, somewhat wistfully saying, "I almost forgot who you are now."

Lin Shen laughed as well: "I have a pretty good relationship with several internet platforms, and we've always cooperated. Right now, I'm just worried about not having any good scripts."

The leader laughed: "Have you thought this through? The investment is considerable, and this kind of subject matter isn't guaranteed to be a box office hit."

Lin Shen paused for a moment, then looked at the leader earnestly and said, "I've thought it through. It's an honor for us to be involved, and we'd like to thank the leader for giving us this opportunity."

The leader looked at him, and after a while, he nodded: "Okay, then it's settled."

He pushed the document further towards Lin Shen:

"I'll have someone give you the screenwriter's contact information later. You two can communicate more. The details of the case and how to present them specifically should be discussed by your professionals."

Lin Shen nodded: "Understood."

The leader then looked at Xiao Li: "For the follow-up coordination, you should assign someone to specifically liaise with Xiao Lin."

"Okay," Xiao Li replied.

The leader stood up, walked to the window, and the reception room was quiet for a while.

Xiao Li consciously left and gently closed the door.

Lin Shen also stood up.

The leader had his back to him, looking out at the city, without turning around.

"Comrade Kobayashi, this case... for you, it may be more than just making a movie. You need to be mentally prepared."

Lin Shen watched his retreating figure, remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Boss, I understand."

The leader turned around and looked at him.

Lin Shen continued:

"I was very young when my father passed away. I only learned many things later. If this play can help more people remember him and all those people..."

"Then it's not just about filming."

The leader looked at him without saying a word, and the sunlight from the window shone on the two of them.

After a while, the leader nodded.

He walked back to the sofa, took a business card out of his pocket, and handed it to Lin Shen.

Lin Shen took it with both hands and glanced at it. It was a very simple design, with only a name and a phone number.

The leader's voice rang in his ears: "I was the one who led the investigation of this case."

Lin Shen looked up, and the leader was also looking at him, his expression complex: "Your father was a hero."

Lin Shen put the business card into his breast pocket, then looked up and smiled, "I think so too."

The leader was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed in the reception room, dispelling the previous solemnity.

He reached out and patted Lin Shen's shoulder forcefully: "Okay, let's go back."