This director is vindictive.

Chapter 298 Fatal Phone Call? A Plot to Murder in the "Underwater Starry Sky"

Chen Mo was about to call her back when his phone suddenly vibrated; Gao Yuanyuan's video call request had popped up.

He hurried to the study before answering the call, and immediately a babyish "Daddy" came from the other end of the screen—the little guy was patting the camera with his chubby hands, and the sound of the New Year's Eve gala could be heard in the background.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Chen Mo asked in a low voice. The camera shook a few times before finally focusing on Gao Yuanyuan's clean-cut face. She had her hair tied in a loose bun, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

"I have to wait for your call." She pinched her son's chubby little leg helplessly, put her phone on the coffee table, and in the video, she could see the little guy crawling into her arms with his hands and feet.

She adjusted her posture, about to speak, but the little one in her arms, perhaps feeling ignored, immediately became unhappy, his little mouth pouting as if he was about to cry. Gao Yuanyuan quickly handed the phone to her son, and the scene instantly spun around.

"Daddy!" the little guy called out in a childish voice, his head close to the child's.

"Yan Yan, Happy New Year!" Chen Mo greeted his son.

"New, new, Daddy, hello!" The little guy had just learned to speak and couldn't say it all yet. He wanted to say "Happy New Year" like Chen Mo, but he couldn't say it all.

He was a little impatient and turned to look at his mother.

Chen Mo chuckled softly, about to make a joke, when the study door was suddenly pushed open.

Jing Tian poked her head in with her hair still wet, but immediately shrank back after seeing the video feed, forgetting to close the door—her slippers, which had been left on the hallway carpet, were still in a one-legged stance.

On the other end of the video call, the little one was already excitedly calling out, "Auntie Tian," "Dou, Dou, Sister!"

The little guy suddenly called out again, clearly wanting to play with his older sister!
Jing Tian walked over and leaned close to Chen Mo, looking at her phone and greeting the little one inside: "Happy New Year! Little Chen Yan, your sister Dou Dou is asleep, why aren't you asleep so late?"

As soon as Jing Tian finished speaking, little Chen Yan yawned adorably, which immediately amused Chen Mo, Gao Yuanyuan, and Jing Tian.

Before long, the little guy fell asleep in Gao Yuanyuan's arms.

Gao Yuanyuan only waited until this moment because her son was making a fuss about wanting to video chat with his father. After chatting for a few words, she hung up.

Jing Tian knew that Chen Mo would definitely call other women at this point, so she said considerately, "They're probably still waiting for your call. I'm going to sleep now! Don't talk too late."

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I finish the call!" Chen Mo said with a smile, pulling her hand.

Jing Tian smiled and walked out first.

Chen Mo then called Fan Binbin.

As soon as the call connected, Fan Binbin's voice came through with a laugh: "Oh, Director Chen even took the time to send New Year's greetings to the public?"

In the background, you can hear the lively sounds of the New Year's Eve gala being broadcast on TV.

Chen Mo leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at the lingering fireworks in the distance: "I'm just afraid someone will think I'm being biased. What, watching the gala at home?"

"No, I just brought the baby out to watch the fireworks, but the baby fell asleep while watching them, and the sound of the fireworks couldn't wake him up." A maternal smile appeared on Fan Binbin's face.

"However, someone is just biased!" Fan Binbin then put on a pitiful look.

"How am I being biased? Just tell me directly, what are you up to?" Chen Mo knew this person all too well and said directly.

Fan Binbin snorted softly on the other end of the phone, her tone carrying a hint of coquetry: "You're just being biased! Look at them, Tian Tian has 'My Love from the Star,' Yang Mi has 'The Shallows,' Zhang Yuqi has the 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' series, and even Li Ying has 'Meteor Shower.' But me—I only have 'The Twentieth,' which is a dual female lead role, and half of my screen time was taken by Xiao Zhao!"

Chen Mo rolled his eyes: "In 'Article Twenty,' Xiao Zhao's role is clearly a supporting character, okay?"

"Who said that? When they were reporting for awards, it was always for the female lead, okay?" Fan Binbin started to act shamelessly.

Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Okay, so what do you want? A suspense film? A crime film? Or..."

"Aren't you best at realistic films? I have an idea, I don't know if it'll work." Fan Binbin finally revealed his true intentions after hearing Chen Mo's words!
"Oh? Tell me about it!" Chen Mo also became somewhat curious.

"Have you heard about the case of the pregnant woman from Thailand who fell off a cliff?" Fan Binbin asked.

"I've heard of it. What? You have an idea?" Chen Mo asked, somewhat surprised.

Fan Binbin's voice suddenly became serious on the other end of the phone: "Well, I've looked into it. Actually, similar 'wife-killing cases' have been quite common both domestically and internationally in recent years."

For example, the "Thai pregnant woman falling off a cliff" case that shocked the nation a couple of years ago, and the "Thai swimming pool murder case," both concealed meticulously planned conspiracies. Wouldn't it be meaningful to make these cases into movies?

She paused, then lowered her voice and continued, "I recently saw a news report about a wealthy man whose wife suddenly disappeared while diving during their wedding anniversary trip. Police investigations revealed that the entire honeymoon was a carefully planned trap by the husband—he had purchased a large accident insurance policy for his wife beforehand and had secretly adjusted her oxygen tank before the dive."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo raised an eyebrow: "Your story sounds a bit like 'Gone Girl'?"

"no the same!"

Fan Binbin quickly retorted: "My wife directed and starred in 'Gone Girl,' I'm talking about real male crimes! And—"

She said with utmost seriousness, "Could we set the background in Southeast Asia? The exotic scenery combined with intrigue would be incredibly visually striking. A resort town with azure seas and skies, a seemingly loving couple, but secretly the husband is calculating the countdown to killing his wife."
Considering the frequent cases in recent years, I think we can also refer to the case in Hangzhou.

The husband dismembered his wife and then pretended to be looking for her, but the woman's family discovered the deception.

But reality is often more absurd than fiction—the husband, in an effort to cultivate a devoted image, even posted "Wife, where are you?" on his social media, only to be discovered shortly after transferring 520 million yuan to his mistress. Isn't this extreme contrast exactly the kind of realistic drama you excel at?

Suddenly, a baby's whimpering came from the other end of the phone, and Fan Binbin's voice immediately softened: "Oh, the baby's awake. Chen Mo, think about it. This kind of subject matter not only aligns with the current trend of women's safety awareness but also exposes the dark side of human nature. If you were to direct it, I'd play the murdered wife—from a sweet wedding dress to an underwater cage, such an extreme transformation!"

As Chen Mo listened to her soothing voice and her ambitious proposal, the prototype of "The Vanished Her" suddenly appeared in his mind: the deep sea where sunlight cannot reach, the flowing wedding dress, and eyes suddenly widening behind an oxygen mask.
He stroked his chin and replied, “Interesting. But the underwater murder case should be changed to stargazing in a cage—the audience should watch the wife desperately gesturing for help at the ‘underwater starry sky’ that her husband promised to take her to see in an underwater cage. That kind of dramatic tension would be cruel enough.”

Fan Binbin gasped, "Uh, as expected of you, Director Chen. Just imagining this scene gives me goosebumps. So you've agreed?"

"Hehe, you think you're the only one who thought of that? Actually, this kind of movie is quite common! If we were to make one, the copyright would be a real problem, and with so many remakes these days, it's not easy to come up with something new!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

“These aren’t problems for you, are they?” Fan Binbin said happily.

"Hmm, let me think about it! You go to sleep early, goodnight!"

"good night!"

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo originally wanted to call a few other women, but when he checked the time, it was already past two o'clock.

I figured they were all probably asleep by now, so I didn't make any more calls.

Back in the bedroom, Jing Tian was already lying there, but she wasn't asleep.

Chen Mo lay down next to her, and Jing Tian asked, "Have you finished making all the calls?"

"No, I was chatting with Sister Binbin for a while, it got too late, they're probably all asleep!" Chen Mo shook his head and said.

Jing Tian leaned against Chen Mo's chest and asked curiously, "What are you talking about? It's so late."

"She also wants to act, so we chatted a bit longer because she had a bit of an idea," Chen Mo explained.

"Oh!" Jing Tian didn't press the matter further. She yawned, found a comfortable position, and then closed her eyes to sleep.

Chen Mo held her in his arms and fell asleep without realizing it.

The next morning, Chen Mo sent New Year's greetings to everyone.

After finishing his "household chores," Chen Mo played with his daughter for a while. Only after his parents took the little one out to play did he go to his study.

Remembering the conversation I had with Fan Binbin last night, I took out my notebook and wrote down "The Vanished Her" in it!
The previous film, "The Vanished," was undoubtedly a box office success, but to be honest, the movie itself had too many plot holes.

The success can only be attributed to "selling fear" and accurately grasping social hotspots and the surge in women's safety awareness!
The film focuses on real-life cases of wife-murder, such as the Thai pregnant woman's fall from a cliff and the diving murder case, exposing the dark side of human nature and resonating with the widespread societal concern about women's safety. However, in terms of film quality, this movie is truly subpar!

Why do you say that?

To be honest, the suspense in the opening of "The Vanished" was quite good, but the whole film can only be described as a qualified "topical commercial film"!
It has obvious shortcomings in terms of logical rigor and character depth!
The original version started strong but faded quickly, with the truth relying entirely on coincidence.

Chen Mo recalled the original version of "The Vanished Woman" and then went to watch several related overseas films, such as "The Single Man's Trap".

At the same time, Zhao Ming was also asked to collect information on several relevant real-world cases.

Just as Fan Binbin said, this kind of subject matter not only aligns with the current trend of women's safety awareness, but also exposes the dark side of human nature.

But the prerequisite is that the filming must be good!

Chen Mo began to analyze where the problems lay in the original film.

First, the case design lacks practical feasibility!
The premise that the husband committed the underwater murder by "adjusting the oxygen tank" has obvious flaws:
Professional diving equipment undergoes rigorous inspection, and a husband's unauthorized adjustment of the oxygen tank is practically guaranteed to be detected.

Secondly, how could the husband ensure his wife's death without becoming a suspect? Since it was premeditated, this must have been a consideration, right?

The original storyline is severely lacking in supporting details regarding alibis or fabricated accidents.

Another issue is the motive for the crime. In the original version, He Fei's husband's motive for the crime revolved solely around "high-value insurance," which can be said to lack in-depth psychological characterization and is also somewhat illogical.

If it's just a disappearance, how could the insurance company possibly pay out immediately?

But He Fei is in dire need of money, so isn't this a bit far-fetched?

Another point is the issue of the photos. It's 2022, yet the original version doesn't contain a single photo of the wife. Even the photo used to file the police report is a photo of her back, but then a photo of her face appears in the missing person notice later.

Not only that, brother, the photos of her shown in the video are so hard to find. There are very few people who can verify her identity. They can't find her locally, nor in China, because she just returned to China not long ago. She has no relatives or acquaintances. But then there were photos of her that were taken and made the news. Are the photos hard to find? Is it because there is no internet or because it is blocked and there is no VPN?

It gives the impression that these realistic logics were ignored in order to create suspense!

Especially since it had been in the sea for so long and there was still no change, it was practically an insult to the audience's intelligence!
And then there was the final surprise: the ultrasound image of his wife's pregnancy. Chen Mo was truly speechless.

How can a man who kills his wife feel guilty because of his children? What is this trying to express?
So how do we change it?

To be honest, Chen Mo was having a real headache.

why?
Because if we were to really adapt "The Vanished She", there would be too many details that would need to be changed.

However, you have to admit that the suspense created at the beginning of "The Vanished She" is indeed quite good.

So here's the problem: if we change those things to make the plot more logical, but that weakens the suspense, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?

Chen Mo was a little stumped. How could he make the film more logical while maintaining enough suspense, turning a plot twist into a real one, and keeping the audience guessing about what would happen next, all while making minor adjustments and modifications?

These are the problems.

However, the film "The Vanished" received mixed reviews and was praised by many.

However, it must be said that the choice of subject matter for this film is indeed very insightful.

Because at least, the box office performance of this film in its previous life proved that this genre was indeed very marketable at this point in time.

Copyright issues are easy to resolve.

Chen Mo quickly had the company send someone to negotiate, including obtaining authorization from the parties involved in several real-life cases, as well as from the foreign film "The Trap for Single Men," and so on.

With the new year comes a new look, and Chen Mo is also preparing to start a new job.

After spending a few days at home pondering, Chen Mo first wrote out the original script for "The Vanished She".

Of course, this doesn't mean he's going to use the original script directly for filming. Rather, he'll use the original script as a reference first, then brainstorm to see if he can revise it into a better script.

Chen Mo called Fan Binbin in advance. When the call connected, Fan Binbin's voice was filled with obvious excitement: "You've made a decision so quickly? I thought you'd have to think about it for at least half a month!"

Chen Mo chuckled: "I've done a lot of research, and the cases you mentioned do have commonalities—foreign background, insurance fraud, and the collapse of the perfect husband persona."

But reality is reality, and a movie is a movie; the two shouldn't be confused. It can be used as a reference, but as for the specifics of adaptation, I've written a first draft, but I'm not entirely satisfied with it. I'm planning to go to the company and discuss it with the screenwriting team. What do you think? Want to come along?

“Of course, now?” Fan Binbin asked.

"Ok!"

Upon arriving at the company, Chen Mo had already sent the relevant materials and the first draft of "The Vanished She" to the screenwriting team the night before.

Fan Binbin arrived very quickly.

We arrived at the conference room together, where the screenwriting team was already waiting.

After Chen Mo sat down, he said, "You should have all read the materials I sent you and the first draft of 'The Vanished Her,' right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"This subject matter has the potential to be a hit, but I must plug all the loopholes in my first draft script. What we need to do is—reconstruct the suspense framework using realistic crime logic."

Chen Mo glanced around the conference room, his fingers lightly tapping the table. "First, we need to address the biggest logical flaw in my initial draft of the plot—the implausibility of the oxygen tank murder. In reality, diving equipment requires professional inspection, and unauthorized adjustments are almost impossible to avoid detection. Does anyone have any alternative solutions?"

Li Ming, a screenwriter on the scriptwriting team, pushed up his glasses and said, "We can change the method of murder to a more subtle poisoning. For example, the husband could add a slow-acting poison to his wife's daily vitamins, which would suddenly take effect while she was diving. This would not only be medically logical, but also create the illusion of an 'accidental sudden death'."

Another screenwriter, Wang Xue, asked, "If it's a slow-acting poison, how does the protagonist control the timing of its effects?"

“No need for control, just multiple attempts. One trigger is enough to complete this murder!” Li Ming explained.

"Isn't this a bit far-fetched? In a way, it becomes like dumping a body."

The screenwriters quickly began brainstorming.

How can we solve the photo problem?

"The issue of the photos isn't actually difficult. There are two approaches. First, since neither of them are celebrities, could we use information cocoons and technical means to prevent the male protagonist from finding relevant information online?"

"Is current technology capable of doing these things?"

"Isn't Li Muzi's team's design a bit far-fetched? How could they have fooled He Fei so easily?"

"Isn't He Fei's character too one-dimensional? For example, why does he gamble? Is he a born gambler? Did he ever have a relationship with his wife?"

"Regarding insurance compensation, there shouldn't be any cases of insurance fraud involving disappearances, right? Even if there were, it would take time, and according to the system, He Fei's biggest problem is time. How do we solve this?"

One problem after another was raised, and one bug after another was solved.

But after the brainstorming session ended, Chen Mo discovered an even more troublesome problem.

That is, the entire plot has been completely ruined, or rather, the sense of suspense has been completely destroyed.

(End of this chapter)