This director is vindictive.

Chapter 238 Turning a Movie into a 'National Murder Mystery Game'

Chen Mo only learned about what had happened outside after the premiere.

He was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

However, I also felt a little guilty, because I had indeed been less attentive to her during this period.

Perhaps at other times, it wouldn't matter if we didn't contact each other for a long time; everyone has their own things to do.

But things are different now!
Pregnant women often experience significant mood swings.

Therefore, this incident was largely Gao Yuanyuan and her friends venting their dissatisfaction with Chen.

Chen Mo immediately made a video call to Gao Yuanyuan.

After a long absence, Gao Yuanyuan had become much fuller, with a noticeable baby bump. She was wearing no makeup, but her skin was fair, and her fingers unconsciously caressed her protruding belly.

Upon seeing Chen Mo, she couldn't help but let out a haughty snort.

"What, have you come here to interrogate me?" Gao Yuanyuan said, sounding somewhat aggrieved.

"I'm sorry! How's the baby? Is he being good?" Chen Mo didn't dare to, and he really didn't mean to make trouble. He was already somewhat in the wrong in this matter.

Especially since Gao Yuanyuan's due date is approaching, Chen Mo has really rarely been by her side.

No wonder she made such an irrational response when netizens teased her this time.

"I wouldn't dare accept that. Netizens say you and Yang Mi have such a strong CP vibe from 'swabbing cotton swabs' that you're like three generations of only sons. How about the child is named after her? Chen Mianmian?" Gao Yuanyuan said sarcastically.

Chen Mo was somewhat amused and exasperated. In the past, Gao Yuanyuan was a very gentle person, but lately, she had probably become so sarcastic because she was pregnant and feeling wronged.

"Okay, I was wrong, alright? For the baby's sake," Chen Mo quickly said.

"Ouch!" Gao Yuanyuan suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Chen Mo asked anxiously.

But then Gao Yuanyuan suddenly stroked her belly and said coquettishly, "You child, you're so worried about your heartless father. I've only said a few words, and you've already kicked your mother!"

"Phew! You scared me! My sweet baby, Daddy will be there to see you and your mom soon!" Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore!" Gao Yuanyuan's mood suddenly turned from gloomy to partly cloudy. It can only be said that the emotional changes of a pregnant woman are really unpredictable.

"Actually, I just thought it was fun, is that okay?" Gao Yuanyuan asked again.

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "It's nothing! Everyone's just watching the show and enjoying the gossip."

Chen Mo didn't really take it to heart. In fact, netizens were quite aware of this kind of thing.

The way Gao Yuanyuan and the others are playing together so smoothly means that if it were really a case of internal strife and a complete break with Chen Mo, it definitely wouldn't be like this.

Everyone's been holding back for so long, and it's rare to have such a fun piece of gossip to eat, so naturally everyone's very enthusiastic.

After comforting Gao Yuanyuan, Chen Mo set a time to visit her and her daughter, then hung up the video call.

However, this is just the beginning; there's more to come.

Fortunately, Fan Binbin and Zhang Yuqi are not like Gao Yuanyuan; they genuinely just thought it was fun.

Actually, despite Gao Yuanyuan's seemingly jealous attitude towards Yang Mi, it's actually Yang Mi who's truly envious and resentful.

They were all heavily pregnant and about to become mothers, and she was incredibly envious.

Finally, Chen Mo called Jing Tian.

The young heiress is the least of his worries, since she has a precious daughter. So Chen Mo has been video calling her almost every few days lately.

It's like watching your own baby grow up day by day from a distance.

From being a wrinkled little old man, he has now grown into someone who can babble, call out "Dad" and "Mom," and crawl all over the house.

When she was just born, Chen Mo could smell the milky smell even through the phone screen—his daughter was curled up like a fuzzy kiwi, her skin so wrinkled it could trap a mosquito, and her cries sounded like a deflated kazoo.

Later, his face finally stretched out its wrinkles, looking just like a successfully risen custard bun. But his saliva production was comparable to the Baotu Spring; gnawing on a teething biscuit could soak three bibs. During video calls, Chen Mo would always get a virtual spit of saliva all over his face.

And now, human babies are turning on their robot vacuum cleaner mode. Even his daughter is the same; every time Chen Mo sees her diaper-clad bottom wiggle, toys are strewn everywhere she goes, and even the dog runs close to the wall when it sees her.

But in Chen Mo's eyes, it was overflowing with happiness.

Chen Mo's phone screen was suddenly filled with a chubby face—his adorable daughter was perched on Jing Tian's shoulder, drool smearing the front camera like it had been drenched in a light rain. Jing Tian pinched the little one's chubby arm and shook it: "Look! Who's this?"

"Ba ba! Hee hee, ba ba!" The little one pressed her face against the screen, excitedly calling out in her sweet, childish voice. Clearly, she recognized her own "ba ba" on the screen at a glance!

Excited little hands slapped the screen, fingerprints covering Chen Mo's nostrils, and drool streaked into rainbows in front of the camera.

"Ba~Ba!" Chen Mo felt that his little baby's pronunciation was as sticky as melted milk candy, and the ending sound even had a tilde.

"DouDou, do you want to babble?" Chen Mo asked with a doting smile. Although he knew the little guy wouldn't understand at all, he still enjoyed it immensely.

Overly excited, the little one bumped her head against the phone stand, knocking it askew, and even pulled off Jing Tian's earrings to use as toys.

Jing Tian wasn't annoyed. She took off the earring, mainly to prevent the little guy from putting it in his mouth, and wiped the lens with baby wipes. However, the more she wiped, the blurrier it became. Chen Mo's face, on the other hand, was so moved by the mosaic that it became distorted.

I played with the mother and daughter for a while, until the little one got sleepy, then I stopped.

Even after hanging up the phone, Chen Mo was still somewhat reluctant to leave.

Yang Mi feels a pang of sadness every time she sees Chen Mo and Jing Tian video chatting.

She was especially envious of the little one growing up day by day!

Today is no exception.

"Chen Mo, why can't I get pregnant?" Yang Mi asked, somewhat distressed.

“We’ve already tried our best, and these things can’t be rushed!” Chen Mo was also a little puzzled. Both of them were healthy and had worked hard, but there was still no progress.

"No! That's not right! It must be that we haven't tried hard enough!" Yang Mi suddenly looked at Chen Mo with flirtatious eyes.

What could Chen Mo do? He could only try his best!
After dealing with the fire in the backyard, Chen Mo finally had time to pay attention to "Making a Name for Oneself"!
The most praised part of his version of "Fame and Fortune" is the Easter egg at the end.

"The ending was the perfect finishing touch! Liu Yifei's smile, although it didn't seem to be as eerie as the last smile in 'Detective Chinatown,' for some reason, gave me the creeps."

"Actually, Lu Ziye's smile is also amazing; it completely overturned his previous persona."

"Before that, everything went as I guessed, but the final surprise really shocked me!"

"If it weren't for the post-credits scene, I'd give this movie a 7 out of 10 at most. But with the post-credits scene, I'd add at least 2 points! It's amazing!"

Chen Mo looked at the comments and felt quite proud of himself. The post-credits scene of "Fame and Fortune" was hailed by countless movie fans and critics as the finishing touch.

In terms of ratings, "Fame and Fortune" is much higher than its predecessor.

The rating of over 8.5 points, while partly due to the star-studded cast, is mainly attributed to the final plot twist.

All I can say is that these days, the original version, which focuses on "film crews making movies to reveal the truth," is essentially still a suspenseful comedy set in a closed space, similar to a combination of "12 Angry Men" and "Knives Out."

It's not that it's bad, but clearly, this type of movie is only passable, and it undoubtedly lacks surprises.

But the reverse version is different.

A brief, tens-of-seconds shot at the end can completely overturn the audience's previous predictions.

Everything, including the characters, will be reversed.

As netizens and movie fans commented: "So the price of 'fame and fortune' is the corruption of everyone? Chen Mo's words were too harsh!"

"This is true suspense! You think you're on the third level, but the director is actually on the fifth!"

Several hashtags related to this movie appeared on Weibo's trending topics that day. #WhoDoesTheNightingaleWorkFor#
#What was written in the script that Lee Ka-fai burned?#
#Is Qi Leshan the real murderer?#
Wait, wait, actually, when a movie's plot and characters are widely discussed and debated, it means that the movie is successful.

The box office success of "Fame and Fortune" is the best proof of this.

Although, at this moment, the entire country has not yet lifted its lockdown, and cinemas in many areas have not yet reopened.

Indeed, many people still have reservations about going to the cinema.

However, the box office performance of "Fame and Fortune" still injected a shot of adrenaline into the entire market.

The box office on the first day was surprisingly high, exceeding 2 million yuan and approaching 3 million yuan.

It's fair to say that even Chen Mo himself didn't expect such box office success.

Not to mention the cinemas. You know, before this, cinemas had been open for more than two months and some movies were being released, but they were only in the tens of millions.

However, even though the pre-sales were already strong, the box office performance of "Fame and Fortune" on its first day of release was still astonishing.

"The film 'Rise to Fame' grossed 2.8 million yuan on its opening day, becoming a true shot in the arm for the film market!"

"Chen Mo has created another miracle. 'Fame and Fortune' grossed 2.8 million yuan on its opening day and received rave reviews, giving the sluggish film market a great start!"

"The film drought is about to end, and 'Make a Name for Yourself' will truly make you a name for yourself!"

The media immediately began reporting on this grand occasion.

Of course, we are also analyzing why "Make a Name for Yourself" became the first hit and was an instant success.

Media outlets have been analyzing the reasons why "Making a Name for Oneself" truly brought fame and fortune.

The secret to the success of "Fame and Fortune": controversy equals traffic, and topics equal box office revenue - why can it become a shot in the arm for the film market in the "post-pandemic era"?
From filming to release, Chen Mo demonstrated a classic marketing process for the movie "Making a Name for Yourself" through his actions.

At the beginning of filming, "Fame and Fortune" had a lot of hype. At that time, Chen Mo and a group of star actors, directors, screenwriters and so on were quarantined in the same hotel.

The very act of creating a film about "isolation" is compelling enough.

Secondly, there are Hu Ge, Yang Mi, and Liu Yifei, who can be said to be the source of many "Chinese Paladin" fans' sentiments.

Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er, Jing Tian and Xue Jian—the former hadn't worked together for fifteen years, and the latter for ten.

It's safe to say that for many fans, it's full of nostalgia!

Instantly, the sense of anticipation was overwhelming.

"Making a Name for Oneself" can be described as a gimmick generator.

At the same time, Yang Mi, Hu Ge, and Liu Yifei are, in a sense, all disillusioned on the big screen!
Yang Mi, this workaholic, has many works and has starred in many movies, but she has never been able to gain true recognition.

Chen Mo jokingly called him a "traffic-generating but empty-headed" person, yet he had always said he wanted to be a people's artist, making him a complete joke.

Hu Ge, as the saying goes, one should become famous as early as possible. He became famous in one battle fifteen years ago and has been popular ever since, but his journey on the big screen has been delayed.

Even in a movie like "The Climbers," his presence seemed somewhat weak.

It's fair to say that many people can name Hu Ge's works on television, such as the "Chinese Paladin" series and "Nirvana in Fire," which are all very well-known.

However, if you ask Hu Ge what movies he has acted in, even his fans might not be able to tell you.

Liu Yifei has far better film resources than the previous two, including some big productions, but people's impression of her is still stuck on her roles as Little Dragon Girl and Zhao Ling'er from many years ago. Liu Tianxian (Fairy Liu) is a beautiful title, but it is also a stereotype.

Interestingly, the characters they played in "Fame and Fortune" were almost a reflection of their own personalities.

Yang Mi plays Su Mengdie, a washed-up female star who is criticized as a pretty face with no acting skills.

Hu Ge plays Li Jiahui, an idealist, but also a down-on-his-luck reporter who has suffered many setbacks.

It's just like how Hu Ge always tries to break into the big screen, but always ends up empty-handed.

Nightingale, played by Liu Yifei
Of course, this is also inseparable from the controversial marketing of Chen Mo, a marketing genius.

From "script-based murder mystery movies" to "all villains," from "Nightingale's plot twist" to "Li Jiahui's transformation into a villain," every plot design has sparked debate across the internet.

The topic of "How should artistic works present the truth?" has been discussed on Weibo's trending topics, Douban groups, Douyin's fan-made content, and even by official media.

Some people criticized it as "morally questionable," while others praised it as "the pinnacle of dark humor"—the more it was debated, the more popular it became, and the box office actually rose against the trend.

Actually, by this point, the movie had already succeeded. Why?
Because of the well-known industry consensus: "It's not the criticism that's scary, it's the lack of mention" – "Making a Name for Oneself" turned "controversy" into the most successful marketing campaign!

As one film critic put it, "Chen Mo's most brilliant move was turning the movie into a 'national murder mystery game'—the more the audience argued, the more the box office revenue soared."

Of course, these are just gimmicks to attract people to the cinema to watch this movie. What really makes this movie a shot in the arm for the post-pandemic era is the movie itself!

After holding back my movie-watching urges for half a year, a film that dares to speak its mind and make bold statements has ignited my passion – "Finally, there's a movie that doesn't treat the audience like idiots!"

What truly makes "Fame and Fortune" so amazing is actually the last twenty-odd seconds after the movie theater lights come on.

He used the entire film to tell a very noble and righteous story, but it was only for the twist in the last twenty seconds or so.

Even more despicable, with his last two smiles, he told everyone, "You've all been fooled by me."

What you perceive as the truth is merely what I want you to believe, the truth you see, not the real truth. This is remarkably similar to some news reports in reality.

Those two meaningful smiles inevitably bring to mind "The Sixth Sense" and "Detective Chinatown".

The hero rescuing the damsel in distress is vulgar, but the nightingale's treacherous intentions, a move of cunning, are a delightful surprise.

Qi Leshan's knife could cut through the secret orders of the Military Intelligence Bureau, but it could not sever the spider web hidden under Nightingale's cheongsam;
Li Jiahui's pen can pierce through the dark secrets of Shanghai's 1930s and 40s, but it cannot penetrate the rain of lies hanging on the nightingale's eyelashes.
Lu Ziye's cigars could burn enough to buy three tons of gold in Southeast Asia, yet they couldn't extinguish the poisoned chess moves etched on the nightingale's lips.

"To make a name for oneself" truly means to make a name for oneself.

Although Chen Mo was already quite famous, the discussion sparked by this movie still exceeded his expectations.

Meanwhile, fans of Hu Ge, Yang Mi, and Liu Yifei were overjoyed and spread the news.

"Great news! My dear sister Mi finally has a representative work that she can be proud of. It's been such a long time!"

"Old Hu has had it tough! After so many years in the industry and acting, he finally has a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film!"

"Liu Yifei, Liu Tianxian is the one who benefited the most. That smile completely washed away the embarrassing situation that she has no acting skills and can only play the role of a fairy!"

The box office of "Fame and Fortune" has been rising steadily along with the spread of positive word-of-mouth, opening high and continuing to rise.

It became the most eye-catching star of this summer's box office after the pandemic.

The cinemas went even further, giving the theaters almost full screenings.

Audiences didn't even have a choice, because when they entered the theater, the screen was filled with screenings of "Fame and Fortune".

It grossed 2.8 million on the first day, 2.2 million on the second day, and broke 10 billion in four days. In one week, the box office exceeded 16 billion, which was nearly double the total box office of the original version.

Of course, it's unfair to compare it to his previous life, since Chen Mo is making this movie standing on the shoulders of his past life.

Moreover, his fame is incomparable to that of the original director. Coupled with the plot twist and the perfect combination of timing, location, and people, this movie became a huge hit!

Meanwhile, the news of Chen Mo's backyard catching fire still hasn't fallen off the trending topics list.

After all, "Fame and Fortune" is Chen Mo's movie, and it's currently the most popular movie. Coincidentally, this gossip is also Chen Mo's most eye-catching news.

Therefore, the two even have a synergistic effect.

Despite the efforts of paparazzi and entertainment reporters, they still couldn't uncover the truth behind Chen Mo's troubles.

As for the person involved, Chen Mo has remained silent, and the other four people involved have also disappeared after their previous responses.

Many netizens expressed their dissatisfaction and complaints: "These entertainment reporters and paparazzi are really bad! After so long, they still haven't found out the truth."

(End of this chapter)