Entertainment: I just want to be the boss behind the scenes

Chapter 459 What great movie material!

Beijing North, Chaoyang Branch.

"Can you please confirm, is this the suspect from the fraud case?"

Outside the interrogation room, a middle-aged policeman asked Meng Bai and Li Qin who were standing nearby.

Meng Bai looked into the room through the one-way glass and saw a middle-aged man with half-white hair and a weathered face sitting on the "regret chair". A long and narrow scar passed through his right eye to the nose wing, and his right eye socket was sunken inward, obviously without an eyeball.

He raised his hand and scratched his scalp. His left hand lacked the little finger and ring finger compared to normal people, and the incision was smooth. With Meng Bai's limited basic knowledge of forensics, he knew at a glance that it was directly cut off by a sharp weapon.

"what!"

Li Qin let out a small exclamation, obviously the man's appearance was a little beyond her expectations.

But before she could get scared, she felt someone holding her hand. She looked down and saw Meng Bai, who was looking at her comfortingly.

"Are you okay?"

"It's okay." Li Qin shook her head. "I just saw it suddenly and was a little scared."

Meng Bai smiled and stroked the back of her hand to comfort her, then looked at the policeman: "I'm sorry, police comrade, I have indeed forgotten what he looks like after so many years. And he is still... But I just read his transcript, the events and details are all correct, it should be him."

"It's OK as long as the facts match. Normally, no one would accuse themselves of a crime." The policeman smiled, obviously expecting this statement.

After leaving the interrogation room, Li Qin took a cup of hot water and sat in the rest area, while Meng Bai started chatting with the police.

"I never thought that after so many years, our police comrades could still catch him."

"Well, actually we can't say that we caught him. To be precise, he turned himself in."

The policeman obviously knew Meng Bai's identity and was very enthusiastic, introducing the situation to him.

"This suspect was transferred to us by the police in southern Yunnan some time ago. He said he escaped from the northern Myanmar industrial park, ran for two days and two nights, crossed the border, and then went straight to the local police station to surrender and seek protection. After asking around, the local police found out that the case he confessed to was from northern Beijing, so they contacted us to accept the case."

"Running for two days and two nights?" Meng Bai recalled the skinny look of the suspect just now, and sighed: "It turns out that when people are in desperate situations, they can burst out extraordinary potential."

"If you run over here, you can live. If you can't run over here, you will die. You must fight hard."

The policeman sighed, "According to what he confessed, his sentence should have been around eight to ten years. But he put himself in jail, and not only did he end up half dead, but he has to continue to be in jail after he comes back... Oh, if he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have done it in the first place."

"Everything has its own cause and effect. The path he chose can be considered a punishment for him."

Meng Bai also sighed, then thought for a moment and asked, "If it's convenient, can I chat with him for a few minutes?"

"That's fine, but according to regulations, it needs to be videotaped and recorded, and it has to be accompanied by a police officer."

"Of course, just follow our rules."

Meng Bai thanked him, then talked to Li Qin and asked her to wait for him for a moment.

"What do you want to talk to him about?" Li Qin asked curiously.

"It's nothing, actually. I just asked him about his experiences in the past few years. It can be considered as collecting materials." Meng Bai chuckled and said, "To be honest, the northern Myanmar park has been mentioned a lot in recent years. I am also very curious about what the real situation is. Who knows, it is also a good topic."

"You are... quite dedicated."

"It's mainly because I'm curious, and I'd like to say thank you to him."

"You're thanking him?" Li Qin blinked, "Why are you thanking him?"

Meng Bai leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Of course I have to thank him. After all, if it weren't for him, how would I have known Teacher Li?"

Li Qin's heart warmed when he heard that. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to them, so he pretended to be disgusted and said, "Hey - you are so greasy!"

But after she finished speaking, she raised her hand to tidy up Meng Bai's clothes, and then said, "I'll wait for you here."

Meng Bai was happy, shook her hand, and then followed the police into the interrogation room.

"Long time no see, Producer Lin."

Meng Bai sat down on the chair opposite him, looked at the police officer beside him and signaled that he could start, and said with a smile: "Oh, that's not right. Looking at the transcript, you said your family name is Zhang Wen, so you should be called Producer Zhang."

Zhang Wen raised his head and looked at Meng Bai with his remaining eye: "You, who are you?"

"My name is Meng Bai. I sold a script to you seven years ago. Do you remember?"

Meng Bai thought that the other party wanted to recall something, but he didn't expect that Zhang Wen was just slightly stunned, and then nodded and said: "It turned out to be you... Indeed, it's been a long time, Mr. Meng."

After he said this, Meng Bai became confused. From the other party's tone, it seemed as if he had just seen him not long ago.

"You still know me?"

"I know a little bit." Zhang Wen smiled bitterly. "When we were doing online fraud, we would contact some pirated video platforms to add links, and we often saw your name in some popular TV series in the mainland. Some of them also happened to have the female star named Li Qin, so I have been wondering if it was you."

"You're quite good at guessing."

"That place is too depressing. I can only let my imagination run wild to ensure I don't go crazy."

Meng Bai took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, glanced at the policeman next to him, and when he saw the other party nodded silently, he took out a cigarette and handed it to Zhang Wen.

"call--"

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Zhang Wen glanced at the cigarette in his hand and shook his head: "This cigarette is not as good as the one over there."

"I don't smoke, I just bought this for you." Meng Bai handed over the rest of the pack, "I heard this stuff is hard currency in there, I can exchange it for something else if I don't smoke it."

Zhang Wen looked at him in surprise: "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing much, I just want to ask about your experiences over the past few years and the details of the situation over there."

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm a screenwriter and I like to collect this kind of fresh material." Meng Bai said calmly.

Zhang Wen glanced at him, his lips moved, and after a long while he managed to say, "You...are really dedicated!"

"It's just professionalism." Meng Bai said: "So, can you introduce it to me?"

"What good will it do me if I tell you so?"

Meng Bai spread his hands: "You escaped from there, you must be penniless now. I don't know what the situation is like at home. If your parents are still alive, they are quite old. I don't know if they can wait until you come out."

Zhang Wen remained silent.

"I can send some money to your parents as payment for collecting the materials." Meng Bai said.

Zhang Wen was puzzled: "Why don't you just give it to me?"

"If I give it to you, it will be used as a personal asset to compensate the victims who were deceived."

Meng Bai glanced at the policeman next to him. The other party smiled and said nothing, which was considered as his agreement.

Zhang Wen thought for a moment and asked, "How much will you pay?"

"fifty thousand."

"Haha..." Zhang Wen snorted and laughed: "Fifty thousand is also considered money?"

"Making money is definitely not as fast as cheating people." Meng Bai didn't care about his attitude. "I'm just collecting materials. I'm just asking you for convenience. If you don't want to, forget it."

"Wait." Zhang Wen shouted, then sighed, "Okay, fifty thousand is fifty thousand, but you have to keep your word."

"Don't worry, the police are recording it. I don't need your tens of thousands of dollars."

"alright."

Zhang Wen began to talk about his experience back then. After he defrauded Li Qin, he fled abroad, but not long after, he lost everything because of gambling.

He was penniless and had nowhere to go. He had no connections in the local area and could only do odd jobs. While working, he was deceived by a man who claimed to be a fellow villager. He wanted to go to northern Myanmar to make a fortune. But when he arrived there, he found out that it was an online fraud park.

At first he was quite happy, thinking that he had experience and this was a "professional match". Moreover, according to the introduction of the supervisor who took over, the commission for each order was quite large, and if he cheated seriously for a few years, he might really make a fortune.

But the reality is not as good as he thought. In the past, he was a "personal entrepreneur". He would earn money if he could cheat, and forget it if he couldn't. Now it's different. He works for others and has KPI assessments every month. If the performance does not meet the standard, he will be beaten at the least, and tortured in various ways, and the intensity of the torture is escalating. Not only that, the commission for each order is indeed not low, but the money they earn can only be spent in the park. Eating and sleeping cost money, and the price is several times higher than outside.

After a year, almost all the money earned was paid back, truly achieving the goal of "earn money in the park, spend it in the park, and take everything home with you."

Zhang Wen worked there for two years and gradually realized that he was working for nothing, so he began to think about escaping. However, he was far away in a foreign country and unfamiliar with the surroundings, so he was caught within two hours every time he escaped.

He escaped three times over the years, losing two fingers and an eye as a result.

Until this year, due to influenza, a large number of infected people appeared in the park and had to be isolated for treatment. As a result, there were not enough people to take care of them.

Zhang Wen fully absorbed the experience of the previous three times and finally waited for the right opportunity. He was determined to die outside even if he failed, and with the partial maps of the surrounding areas that he had memorized over the years, he ran straight north without taking a break.

After running for two days, he finally saw the police station written in Chinese and with the familiar blue and white paint scheme, and then he rushed in. In order to get attention, he shouted that he wanted to turn himself in, and then he was arrested.

"To be honest, I never thought in my life that I would be so happy when I was handcuffed one day." Zhang Wen took a puff of the cigarette in his hand, shook his head and sighed.

Meng Bai glanced at the recording on his phone and sighed as well.

It's true that even with such a straightforward description of his experience, it's still very story-like. If you add some details, it would be a standard crime film.

Meng Bai chatted for nearly an hour before he finished. When he came out, the police officer who was accompanying him reminded him, "Boss Meng, we just talked about specific case information. I hope you won't spread it."

"Don't worry, I know the rules. I'm just a reserve material."

"That's good." The policeman smiled, thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Meng, are you asking these questions because you want to make a TV series about this type of subject matter?"

"Maybe, it's hard to say right now." Meng Bai said, "Why, can't we talk about this?"

"No, no, what I mean is that if you, Mr. Meng, want to shoot a work with similar themes and need any information, you can ask us."

"This……"

"It's like this. In the past few years, the number of victims of online fraud has increased, and the amount of losses has also increased. We at the public security department have actually been promoting anti-fraud through various means. Everyone loves to watch these movies and TV series, and your company's dramas, Mr. Meng, are even more popular. So we thought that if we could make a work on this aspect, it might be very helpful for anti-fraud propaganda." The police said frankly.

"Now that you mention it, it suddenly becomes valuable." Meng Bai said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will contact you if you need anything."

"Okay, sorry for the trouble today, I'll take you out."

……

After saying goodbye to the police officers and walking out of the police station, Meng Bai pulled Li Qin into his car.

"What are you doing? I have to go back later." Li Qin said insincerely.

"Uncle and aunt haven't left yet?"

"I'll have to be quarantined if I go back, so it's better to stay here."

"It's okay, just say you have work to do and you have to stay out for the next two days."

Meng Bai put his arms around Li Qin's waist and let her lean on him.

Feeling the familiar breath, Li Qin bit her lips gently and looked up at the man with watery eyes.

Due to the flu and their parents, the two haven't seen each other much during this period. Although they often video chat, the feeling of seeing each other through the screen is completely different from the actual contact.

Listening to the slight panting beside him, Meng Bai knew that the girl was in the mood. Without further ado, he stepped on the accelerator and drove straight to his courtyard villa.

Although Beijing North was not closed, everyone cooperated and stayed at home. The journey was smooth and it didn't take long to return to the villa in Manhe, Beijing North.

After entering the gate and walking around the yard, as soon as he entered the first floor, Meng Bai pressed Li Qin against the floor-to-ceiling glass window and kissed her.

Li Qin was not to be outdone. She reached out to take off the man's clothes, then unbuttoned her own and threw them aside on the ground.

There was no need to go back to the bedroom. There were only the two of them in the whole villa, so they just started having sex on the sofa in the living room on the first floor.

The battle lasted until night.

As the lights came on, Meng Bai lay in a rocking chair, looking at the stars in the sky outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Li Qin curled up on him like a kitten, her cheek resting on his chest, her face full of peace and the afterglow of the war.

"Have you gained weight recently?"

"Yeah, I ate well and slept well at home, and I gained almost ten pounds." Li Qin said, pouting her lips and looking at Meng Bai with one eye: "Do you dislike me?"

"How could that be." Meng Bai raised his hands and hugged her, "I've told you many times that you should gain some flesh. It would be more comfortable to hug you."

"Tsk, I'm afraid you would rather the flesh grow where it should grow?"

"If you put it that way... well, it does seem to be a little bigger."

Li Qin felt like she was being grabbed and played with by a big hand, but she was in the process of doing it afterwards, so she just hummed and didn't bother to pay attention to him.

After lying quietly for a while, she felt her brain finally recovered and she remembered what happened during the day.

"I never thought that after so many years, the person could be caught again."

"Yeah, it's a pity that you can't get your 600,000 back. But it's okay, I also recharged you with many hundreds of millions, which can be regarded as compensation." Meng Bai said with a smile.

It took Li Qin a moment to realize what "many billions" meant. She pinched him lightly and asked, "Do you really want to make a drama out of his experience?"

"From a story perspective, it's actually quite exciting, and I have a lot of ideas. But I'll have to wait and see. Anyway, I don't have much time recently and I've been busy."

"I know, it's your talent show, right?"

Li Qin suddenly became interested and moved up twice: "I've been watching your promotional video and theme song these days, and I think it's quite interesting."

"Why, you want to join too?"

"Forget about participating, just take a look."

Li Qin has participated in fewer and fewer variety shows in recent years. Apart from promoting new dramas or movies, she has basically not taken on any other variety shows.

As for the reason, one is that she has been taking turns to join several projects in the past year, and she has no time at all. Another reason is that she accepted Meng Bai's advice and gradually developed into an orthodox actor to avoid appearing in too many variety shows and affecting the perception of future roles.

"By the way, did you know that Zhang Yuqi is my senior sister?" Li Qin said, "Not like Xiaotian, she is a real senior sister, and she is also from our opera school."

"Really?" Meng Bai really didn't know. "I haven't heard you mention it before?"

"It's just a school. We're not that familiar with each other and have basically no intersection." Li Qin said.

"I see. I wanted to keep her until last for your sake, but since we are not familiar with each other, forget it. Let her rely on herself."

"I didn't look closely enough. How do you eliminate contestants?"

"As for the number of votes, every paying user of Heng Video will get three votes per day, and new paying users who register within three months will get two extra votes. Then quarterly users will get one extra vote, half-year users will get two extra votes, and annual users will get three extra votes. In the end, the top seven contestants with the most votes will form a group."

"Isn't this just to urge fans to open new accounts to pay annual fees and vote more?"

"Yeah, that's why people say that talent shows are the best way to make money and attract new members."

"Tsk tsk, what a wicked platform and your black-hearted boss."

"Well, that's not the way to put it. Between us and the fans, it's a one-sided fight."

Meng Bai said: "Do you think these fans don't know that this is purely a money-making scheme? They know it all too well. But what they want is the sense of participation in deciding their sister's fate, and the sense of superiority that the one I supported was chosen while yours was not."

"Fan economy, to put it bluntly, is an emotional value. We provide emotions, and fans provide value. Each of us gets what he needs, and everyone has a bright future."

Li Qin wrinkled her nose: "It feels like you are talking about some twisted theories."

"Whether it's crooked or not, this is the truth anyway."

Meng Bai said, holding her with both hands and facing her: "Or I'll give you a chance to see if you can teach me a lesson."

Li Qin smiled softly: "Okay, then let your black-hearted boss see how powerful I am... Well, put me down first."

(End of this chapter)