This director is vindictive.

Chapter 267 Black Screen Preview: The Truth Bomb in the Heartbeat
It has to be said that Chen Mo made an absolutely correct decision by pairing Fan Binbin and Zhang Yuqi together this time.

Because Zhang Yuqi's water broke first, Fan Binbin followed suit shortly after.

If they were to live separately, Chen Mo would probably be overwhelmed with work.

Fortunately, both women's delivery processes went very smoothly.

Although this isn't my first time being a father, every time I see a new life being born, especially my own child, the feeling is incomparable.

The time they spent together day and night gave Fan Binbin and Zhang Yuqi the feeling of having formed an alliance.

Anyway, their relationship is much better than before.

Afterwards, the two of them spent their postpartum period together and took care of the baby together.

On the contrary, Chen Mo became superfluous!
However, Chen Mo had gotten used to it. After all, it was the same with Jing Tian and Gao Yuanyuan, and now it was the same with Fan Binbin and Zhang Yuqi. Well, it was all the same anyway.

So, in reality, he was just a tool?
Since he wasn't needed here anymore, Chen Mo simply started working ahead of schedule.

It wasn't exactly ahead of schedule; preparations for "The Silent Truth" actually began quite some time ago.

The main actors have already been chosen.

Although this drama is short, it was actually not easy to film. First of all, it has three storylines, and the three storylines are in different eras, so the scene setting is a bit troublesome.

The reason why "The Silent Truth" has become one of the top-tier Chinese drama series is not only related to its subject matter and theme, but also to the ingenious design of its script structure.

Although it is a multi-narrative structure, it is different from the multi-narrative structure of "Crazy Stone". It is also a multi-narrative structure with three nested timelines.

Including: The 2010 subway body dumping case! (Zhang Chao!)
2003 Prosecutor's Investigation Line (Jiang Yang)

Case of a volunteer teacher in 2000 (Hou Guiping)

Finally, the three lines of evidence, the "case file," are perfectly interwoven!

Although these eras are not far apart in time, the scenes and the use of various materials and props must be distinguished.

Moreover, this drama is very heavy. Even Zijin Chen, the author of the original novel "The Long Night," said in an interview: "The Long Night is the novel I dare not read a second time."

In fact, it wasn't an easy thing for Chen Mo either. It wasn't that the movie was hard to make, but that he felt uneasy about it!
But that's precisely the charm of this show.

"Brother-in-law, does Jiang Yang have to die?" Even his brother-in-law, who was in a daze after reading the script, couldn't help but ask.

Chen Mo put down the storyboard in his hand and looked at his brother-in-law, whose eyes were red-rimmed. The setting sun outside the window dyed the office orange-red, but it couldn't dispel the heavy atmosphere brought by the script.

He remained silent for a long time because Liao Fan had asked the same question when he was reading the script. Chen Mo hadn't answered then, but he understood the answer himself.

However, this is clearly too difficult for Fan Chenchen, the brother-in-law.

Chen Mo twirled the pen, the nib casting a long, thin shadow on the table.

"The Silent Truth is a dark epic that uses life to question justice. The original novel, The Long Night, is also the main theme of the whole series. It can be said that this is a self-destructive struggle of a group of idealists."

"They are martyrs; they measured the weight of truth with their lives."

"Just like Hou Guiping had to die in the reservoir in 2000, just like Zhang Chao had to drag his suitcase into the subway station in 2010—these are not the sacrifices needed for a suspense drama, but the torches that burn themselves in the long night."

Chen Mo added, “The point where the three timelines and the three martyrs meet is not in the case files, but at the moment when the audience realizes that all efforts cannot escape the crushing force of the times. Crazy Stone plays with coincidences, but this drama aims to present a sense of fatalistic powerlessness.”

Chen Mo was not so much answering his brother-in-law's question as he was re-examining his own feelings about the drama and the story.

"Do you know what the original author, Zijin Chen, said?" Chen Mo suddenly asked.

Fan Chenchen shook her head, looking completely bewildered.

Chen Mo, however, continued, "When I talked to him..."

He said, "I cried while writing Jiang Yang, but letting him live would be the cruelest thing to do to this character!"

After saying that, Chen Mo fell silent. He patted Fan Chenchen on the shoulder and said, "Alright, you're not an actor in the crew, why are you worrying so much? Watch carefully and learn from it. This drama is full of gods fighting. Even if your sister played the role, she would probably be beaten to a pulp. Besides, this is just a drama, and the story is purely fictional, so don't get too emotionally involved."

Fan Chenchen nodded; he had long been a big fan of Chen Mo.

"By the way, brother-in-law, I've noticed that most dramas do some promotion before filming starts. Should we promote our drama too?" he then asked.

"Publicity? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?" Chen Mo asked, somewhat puzzled.

After all, the promotion of the series had absolutely nothing to do with Fan Chenchen, this little Karami, so Chen Mo was a bit confused.

"Hehe, I just wanted to see your brilliant publicity skills, brother-in-law," Fan Chenchen said somewhat shyly.

Chen Mo couldn't help but smile slightly.

His consistent style has always been to rarely engage in any promotional activities before a project even begins filming.

But since his brother-in-law wanted to see his brother-in-law display his prowess, Chen Mo didn't mind showing off.

"What? Want to learn?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

Fan Chenchen said somewhat shyly, "No, no, I mainly want to witness it with my own eyes. Of course, it would be best if I could learn even a little bit about it."

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and suddenly revealed a meaningful smile: "Since we're going to play, let's play something interesting."

As he spoke, he picked up his phone and opened his personal Weibo account.

Then it was written on it: "20030415!"

Then click send!
Fan Chenchen, standing to the side, looked completely bewildered.

Chen Mo didn't explain, but smiled and said, "Let the bullets fly for a while. When it comes to publicity, you have to take an unconventional approach."

"Brother-in-law, what does this set of numbers mean?" Fan Chenchen asked, looking completely bewildered.

"Are you curious?" Chen Mo asked jokingly.

Fan Chenchen nodded quickly.

"It's good to be curious. Do you think netizens won't be curious?" Chen Mo asked rhetorically.

Fan Chenchen's eyes lit up, as if she had grasped the secret to Chen Mo's successful publicity.

"So, you just randomly typed these numbers, brother-in-law?" Fan Chenchen asked.

Chen Mo was speechless; he was truly beyond redemption.

"What do you think?" Chen Mo said irritably.

"Um, I don't think so, right? Brother-in-law, I'm a bit slow, so just tell me." The brother-in-law was quite good in this respect; he was aware of his own limitations.

Seeing Fan Chenchen's blank expression, Chen Mo shook his head helplessly and explained:

"20030415—this is the date of Jiang Yang's death."

He tapped the table with his finger and said in a low voice, "Jiang Yang died in the line of duty on April 15, 2003."

Fan Chenchen was stunned for a moment, then realized: "So... this is a hidden clue in 'The Silent Truth'? Let netizens figure it out themselves?"

Chen Mo smiled, his eyes meaningful: "That's right. True publicity isn't about directly telling the audience the answer, but about letting them find it themselves, guess it, and discuss it."

“Once they uncover what ‘20030415’ represents, they will naturally understand—Jiang Yang’s death was never the end, but the beginning of the truth.”

"Sometimes, the answers you find yourself are the most profound," Chen Mo said meaningfully. In fact, Chen Mo's method of promotion is something most people can't easily imitate.

After all, Chen Mo's reputation speaks for itself, and his Weibo account is always under intense scrutiny.

Sure enough, this seemingly inexplicable number was posted out of nowhere, and it immediately attracted the attention of countless netizens.

"What is this?"

"It looks like a set of dates, but it's incomplete. Is this date special to Chen Mo?"

"If you don't understand, just ask! What's going on here? I looked it up on Baidu, and the date seems to be just a very ordinary date! I don't understand, I don't understand at all!"

After Chen Mo posted the Weibo post, the string of numbers "20030415" was like a pebble thrown into a lake, instantly creating ripples. In less than an hour, the hashtag #ChenMoMysteriousNumber# soared to the top of the trending topics list, and the comment section was flooded with netizens' speculations.

Many people were somewhat surprised by Chen Mo's influence.

While speculating about the meaning behind covering the numbers and Chen Mo's purpose, many netizens also made fun of it online.

"In the past, popular celebrities would trend on social media for taking out the trash, but Chen Mo's actions are even more outrageous. He can trend on social media simply by posting a random set of numbers!"

"Don't compare Chen Mo to those attention-seeking guys, okay? And who said these numbers were just randomly released?"

"Top star? Chen Mo is the real top star, okay?"

However, given how clear these figures were, someone quickly discovered the "truth"!
"This is definitely a clue for a new drama! The final installment of Chen Mo's Mist Trilogy should be filming soon. I specifically went to read Zi Jinchen's novel 'The Long Night,' and sure enough, the original work mentions Jiang Yang's date of death—April 15, 2003! The numbers match up!"

"The Long Night? I'm going to read it right now!"

"The Long Night? The final chapter of the Mist Trilogy?"

"Who is Jiang Yang? The male lead in Chen Mo's new drama?"

"So this is Jiang Yang's death anniversary? Holy crap, is it really okay to just give away a spoiler like this?"

"No, this is Chen Mo's brilliance—he used a date to tear open the story's heaviness, allowing the audience to sense the tragedy of 'the long night' in advance. He truly is a marketing genius! A set of numbers can spark so much discussion. Think about it, really think about it!"

In fact, as the discussion quickly gained momentum, someone dug up an old interview clip of Zi Jinchen, in which the author choked up and said, "Jiang Yang must die, because living heroes will be crushed by reality." This sentence was accompanied by a screenshot with "20030415" and was forwarded wildly. The topic gradually shifted from "deciphering" to discussing idealism.

Although "The Long Night" is one of Zijin Chen's novels, in reality, how many people would have actually watched "The Bad Kids" if it weren't for the huge success of the TV series "The Hidden Corner"?
For example, traditional detective novels like "The Untraceable Crime" are actually less famous than popular online novels these days.

Therefore, before this, the novel "The Long Night" was only known to a limited group of readers.

However, Chen Mo's promotional campaign started with a set of numbers, prompting netizens to actively dig deeper. Once the numbers were guessed, it further fueled people's curiosity about the novel "The Long Night".

Once the aroma of good wine spreads, people will naturally go out of their way to drink and taste it.

"The Long Night" is certainly a good work, and in fact, compared to the film and television adaptation, the original novel of "The Long Night" is even more incisive and darker!
Fan Chenchen stared at her phone in disbelief: "Brother-in-law, this is too exaggerated!"

He genuinely couldn't understand it at all. Study? What the hell is there to study! You'd be useless by now!
Chen Mo chuckled: "This is just the beginning." He swiped the screen and pointed to a highly-rated comment: "Jiang Yang didn't just risk his life for victory; he let everyone see that there is still light in the darkness. This string of numbers is not the end, but a question: Do we dare to become the next Jiang Yang?"

However, many netizens couldn't help but gasp in shock after reading the novel.

"Holy crap, I read the novel overnight and I was completely blown away. Compared to 'In the Name of the People,' this novel feels even more chilling! So the question is, will the TV series adapted from this novel even pass muster?"

"I'm so upset, so upset! Chen Mo, you really deserve to die! Why did you have to trick me into reading this kind of novel?!"

"After all this fuss, the show hasn't even started filming yet! Hurry up and start shooting, even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare to rest like this!"

Industry insiders are amazed by Chen Mo's simple yet highly effective promotional methods, which have garnered envy and even jealousy.

A veteran producer posted on WeChat Moments: "This is high-level marketing—using a set of numbers to spark online discussion, both whetting the appetite and avoiding clichés. Chen Mo understands the power of 'participation'; the audience is not passively receiving information, but actively becoming puzzle solvers."

As the discussion continued to heat up, many media outlets contacted the production team requesting exclusive interviews. Chen Mo declined most of the invitations, only casually mentioning in a remote interview with Film and Television Weekly, "A good story will speak for itself; we just opened a window for it in advance." This statement, accompanied by a poster with the date "20030415," went viral again, with Jiang Yang's silhouette faintly emerging from the ashes of a burning calendar on the poster.

Meanwhile, sales of the original novel, *The Long Night*, surged by 500% on major e-commerce platforms, prompting the publisher to urgently reprint it. A book blogger published a lengthy analysis: "Behind the digital marketing lies a profound literary foundation—when netizens discovered that '20030415' corresponded to the page number of Jiang Yang's last day, this intertextuality between the text and reality completely ignited the chain of dissemination."

Fan Chenchen was completely dumbfounded as she looked at the overwhelming discussions and the prominent trending topics on the hot search list.

What did Chen Mo do?
He just sent out a set of numbers, and the result was absolutely outrageous, ridiculously outrageous.

"Did you learn it?" Chen Mo asked, not without a hint of Versailles.

"What did you learn?" Fan Chenchen felt like a complete waste. What was there to learn? Numbers?
"Brother-in-law, you overestimate me. I feel like my brain is still a complete mess!" Fan Chenchen completely gave up. What did she learn? Absolutely nothing!

With such an awesome brother-in-law, why bother studying? Just stick close to his coattails!
However, this incident truly amazed him, and he admired his brother-in-law to an unparalleled degree.

Before this, his admiration for Chen Mo was more out of a man's mindset, after all, his brother-in-law was a modern-day Wei Xiaobao!

Moreover, they could treat everyone fairly, but now that they have witnessed the miracle of propaganda, their worship has become all-encompassing.

He even felt that it was no wonder his brother-in-law could take on six people at once and still stand firm. He felt that his sister was not good enough for such an awesome man.
"Brother-in-law, shouldn't we release Hou Guiping's information next?" he then asked excitedly.

Although he wasn't directly involved in the matter, he was a witness! And to put it more dramatically, he was the one who instigated his brother-in-law to do this propaganda!

So naturally, he looked quite proud of it.

Chen Mo shook his head. In fact, he had already thought about the second step.

He quickly received what had been arranged beforehand.

A very, very special trailer!
"What is this? A trailer?" Fan Chenchen asked curiously when she saw that Chen Mo had received a video file.

He was dumbfounded again. If he remembered correctly, it seemed that the show hadn't even officially started filming yet!

There's already a trailer before filming has even officially started?
It completely refreshed his cognition.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Take a look!"

Fan Chenchen was already extremely anxious and immediately opened the video file.

As a result, the screen went completely black.

There was no editing, only a three-minute black screen with the background sound of a heart monitor gradually increasing in speed. Just as the heart rate was about to drop to zero, Zhang Chao's voice-over from the subway station suddenly appeared: "Are you sure you want to hear the truth?"

The video abruptly ends!

However, Fan Chenchen was completely stunned. It can only be said that his understanding of things had been completely refreshed by Chen Mo these past few days.

What is this trailer?
Three minutes of black screen with only one voice-over.

However, from his own perspective, he was directly shocked.

Chen Mo quickly posted the trailer on his official Weibo account.

Then, unsurprisingly, this bizarre trailer went viral instantly.

After Chen Mo updated his Weibo, the hashtag #SilentTruthBlackScreenTrailer# surged to the top of the trending topics list with even greater momentum. When netizens clicked on the video, the screen was instantly flooded with comments:

"Is this a trailer? Is my phone broken?"

"The sound of his heartbeat was suffocating. And that last line of dialogue sent chills down my spine!"

"I recommend watching this with the lights off and headphones on. The moment the sound came out, I jumped right out of my chair!"

A technical analysis post quickly appeared on a film and television forum: "The so-called black screen is the most advanced form of expression—when sight is deprived, the sense of auditory oppression is amplified tenfold. The heartbeat symbolizes Jiang Yang's countdown to death, and the question posed by that voice is the core of the entire drama: Can an ordinary person bear the weight of the truth?"

Looking at the exaggeratedly high number of views for the trailer, Fan Chenchen finally understood what her brother-in-law meant by "Let the bullets fly"—true promotion is never about noisy shouting, but about letting the story itself become a torch, igniting the long night in the hearts of millions.

(End of this chapter)