286: Chapter 286 is scheduled for release across Asia.

Lin Chuyan thought this was the end, but he didn't expect there to be an expert waiting afterward.

In the next scene, both sides completely tore off their masks, and Li Youtian and Gao Qiqiang entered the phase of trading harsh words.

After the people from Mang Village withdrew, several shots focused on the three of them: Gao Qiqiang, Gao Qisheng, and Tang Xiaohu.

Tang Xiaohu appeared furious with an underlying sense of malice.

Gao Qisheng, on the other hand, had returned to his normal state. There was even a slight curve at the corner of his mouth, as if the other party was already a dead man in his eyes.

Gao Qiqiang was finally angry.

He gripped the bowl in front of him tightly and downed the baijiu in his glass in one gulp.

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but he suddenly started to tremble. He pulled Tang Xiaohu by the neck, leaned in close, their foreheads almost touching: "Help me find Old Mo, and tell him that I want to eat fish."

"Cut!"

Director Chen was genuinely impressed: "Brother Qiang, how did you come up with that?"

"Hmm?"

"The Lines, those Lines—'Tell Old Mo I want to eat fish,' that was brilliant..."

Indeed, this was another line not in the script, another improvisation by Zhang Wentang.

Director Chen felt that the more he thought about it, the better it got; an average screenwriter really couldn't write Lines like that.

First, the simple words "eat fish," combined with the scene, allowed the audience to immediately get his meaning.

Second, it echoed the previous scene where Li Hongwei called him a "stinking fishmonger."

Third, this was Gao Qiqiang's background, something he never avoided. By using "eat fish" to refer to "killing," the character of Gao Qiqiang became more solid and fleshed out.

Yet this was merely an improvisation by Zhang Wentang.

While Gao Qiqiang and Li Hongwei were the focus of this take, Gao Qisheng's eyes were also quite striking. He had been instructed to keep his eyes on Li Hongwei the whole time, but Gao Qisheng's expressions evolved and progressed as Li Hongwei's attitude became increasingly arrogant.

From the initial shock—not expecting to be insulted by someone he looked down upon, not expecting the other party to be so reckless—to the later anger, wanting to teach him a lesson. But when Li Hongwei started calling Gao Qiqiang a "stinking fishmonger," everything changed.

Gao Qiqiang often mentioned "selling fish" himself; he didn't care about it, and sometimes even went back to his old fish stall to lie down for a while. But Gao Qisheng was different. The past of "selling fish" was a humiliation to him, a memory to be erased after rising to success.

Plus, insulting me is one thing, but how dare you insult my brother?!

The intent to kill arose from this.

Not only did he want to kill, but he wanted to kill with a frozen fish.

You look down on "selling fish," right? Then I'll use a "fish" to kill you!

That was why there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. Why the smile? Because he had thought of "frozen fish" as a weapon.

He thought it would be quite fun.

"As long as the director is satisfied, hahaha." Zhang Wentang waved his hand. "Was that okay? Do we need another take?"

"It's good, it's good."

Director Chen began calling the staff to move locations.

He muttered to himself: Damn, where did all these good actors come from? Take Zhang Wentang, for example—let alone Hong Kong, even in the mainland, audiences haven't really heard of this guy. Casting such an unknown person as the lead, the casting director is pretty awesome.

Also, Lin Chuyan and Su He seem to have been brought in by Zhang Wentang. The former is a fellow student, and the latter is Lin Chuyan's partner, and they both happen to be perfect for these two roles.

Honestly, while this script is good, without this group of outstanding actors, it would be difficult to make the knockout really take off.

Now with their support, the knockout should really be able to take off, right?

In the days that followed, Lin Chuyan's life was very simple: just a routine of intensive filming, then playing instruments back at the hotel, and taking the opportunity to practice the songs he needed to record next month—he had to practice, he had to maintain his proficiency, or the album wouldn't be ready next month.

Before going to sleep, he would video call his girlfriend and occasionally say some sweet nothings, though she had been getting busier lately, busy with rehearsals for her concert these past few days.

He also finished reading the art of war that Zhang Wentang had given him, though he didn't know what use it had. The cliché part was that while he was reading it on set, someone from somewhere took a photo and posted it online...

"Staged! This must be staged!"

"I have a feeling Lin the Dog will get into trouble sooner or later; this persona is getting more and more ridiculous. If you're going to read, read something normal, why the art of war? Who bought it for him? What are you trying to do? Can't maintain the 'straight-A student' persona, so you're going with this weird one?"

"To the person above, is there a possibility that he just bought it to study, so he can better deal with Haters like you?"

"Got it, 'fleeing is the best policy,' right?"

"Brother Chuyan, can you use the 'honey trap' on me? I definitely won't resist."

Lin Chuyan didn't have much to say; if they wanted to sneak photos, let them. He now understood why some artists were always Acting secretive—artists are just normal people who need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves; some things really require anti-paparazzi measures.

Wu Yue and Xia Zhi were very strict about protecting against obsessive fans. Take Xia Zhi, for instance; before, downstairs at a hotel in Hong Kong, Lin Chuyan just took a photo with someone, and Xia Zhi made him change hotels.

"Brother, are we staying at the same hotel as last time?"

Xia Zhi was already booking the hotel for him.

"Rosewood, right? Sure, it's quite nice."

Yes, Lin Chuyan had to ask Director Chen for leave again, this time for 6 days.

Fortunately, he had finished most of his scenes for these days, and besides, the person urging Lin Chuyan to hurry over was Director Du Qiyu... As Director Du's go-to assistant director, how could Director Chen dare to say anything? What if this kid complained? He could only wave his hand and instruct him to "go early and come back early."

November 22nd.

Xia Zhi got up bright and early, and by the time she returned, Lin Chuyan was already up.

"Brother, would you like coffee or soy milk?"

"Coffee, thanks."

Coffee and a burger to fill his stomach; while brushing his teeth, Lin Chuyan specifically checked the weather forecast.

Good, the weather in Hong Kong for the next few days was looking pretty decent, which counted as good news.

Soon, the group headed straight to the high-speed railway station—there was a high-speed train from Wuyi directly to Hong Kong, taking less than 2 hours, which was quite convenient.

"Brother Yue, shall I finish the voice-over work first?"

Wu Yue nodded: "I read the script again and marked all your Lines. I even highlighted the parts I thought were difficult. Take a look now; it's better to be prepared, that way we should be able to finish recording today."

"A grateful heart."

Watching the script all the way to Hong Kong, just after checking in, Director Du Qiyu suddenly spoke up in the a moment of romance WeChat group.

There weren't many people in this group, just six: Director Du Qiyu, Director Mu Sheng, Director Wang Jiahui, Uncle Da, Zhou Shiyun, and him. They used to talk often during filming, but as the movie wrapped up, it gradually quieted down.

If Director Du Qiyu had something to ask him on a normal day, it would usually be a private message.

At this moment, Director Du suddenly tagged everyone: "More good news regarding the release date: our film won't just be released on the same day in the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. As for overseas, I've also finalized things for Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. It will be released across all of Asia on the same day; the only difference will be the screening schedules."

Director Mu Sheng and Director Wang Jiahui naturally already knew this news.

Zhou Shiyun, a complete newcomer, socialized using an emoji: "Puppet puppy dancing.gif"

Lin Chuyan shouted '666' while also tearing him down: "Director Du is awesome! But can we actually sell in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand? Hahaha, no one there knows me, right."

Director Du Qiyu: "I have my own clever plan."

Uncle Da suddenly popped up: "Everyone, keep it up!!!"