This director is vindictive.

Chapter 328 The truth comes out! This movie is a feast for those who appreciate good looks; the plot is just a bonus.

Chen Mo felt like he had been caught in the act of adultery.

Okay, actually it was pretty exciting.

He was actually fine, but he was a little worried that the fairy sister might be too shy to back down.

A glance over revealed that she had her head down and her ears were already bright red.

Fortunately, it seems that everyone was taking care of the newly joined "sisters" and didn't mention Liu Yifei.

But as she was leaving, Yang Mi suddenly said to Liu Yifei with a mischievous grin, "Hello Xiao Qi, goodbye Xiao Qi!"

Then Zhang Yuqi added, "Hello Xiaoqi, goodbye Xiaoqi!"

A series of "Hello, Xiaoqi, goodbye Xiaoqi!" made Liu Yifei's face turn as red as an apple.

Liu Yifei fled in panic, but for some reason, although her steps were hurried, they were also filled with a hint of excitement.

Now that the cast has been cast, the filming date for "Sunny Sisters" has been set.

Now that Chen Mo had made his decision, he naturally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and take down "Seventh Brother" as soon as possible.

After all, the fairy sister was indeed the "white moonlight" he once longed for.

Men, those who know, know.

Unfortunately, ever since that separation, "Xiao Qi" has been avoiding Chen Mo and almost never spends time alone with him.

She would either drag Yang Mi along, ignoring Yang Mi's teasing, or she would bring along other people. Her main goal was to never give Chen Mo, that scumbag, a chance to bully her.

For the school scenes in "Sunny Sisters," Chen Mo chose an old middle school whose architecture perfectly matched the era of the film.

The school uniforms were all custom-made, although Chen Mo didn't have high expectations for the adaptation of "Sunny Sisters".

However, the costumes, makeup, and props still need to be perfected.

The main reason is that although the cast is strong, the hype has long overshadowed the plot itself.

On the day it was turned on.

Hundreds of mainstream media, entertainment media, and independent media professionals from all over the country gathered at the event!
This also shows how much attention this film has received.

The main issue is that the film itself isn't particularly noteworthy, but its casting process during preparation almost completely overturned the casting philosophy of the entertainment industry.

Even when Feng Dagang was casting for "Youth," he made a big show of it, but he only selected a few people. However, "Sunny Sisters" was just outrageous!
The main characters, the seven sisters, caused quite a stir back then because of Chen Mo and his six female confidantes. Even this film was only made possible after netizens egged him on, and Chen Mo bought the adaptation rights.

However, this was only the beginning.

The sudden addition of Liu Yifei, an undisputed top-tier actress in the entertainment industry, to the group as "Xiao Qi" is already enough to attract attention. Not to mention, joining the "sisterhood" group of "Sunshine Sisters" is seen by many as tantamount to tacitly joining Chen Mo's harem universe.

Then it sparked a wave of nostalgia among female celebrities, and then swept up all the new generation of actresses.

Although the main characters are only the fourteen girls, both old and new, this film has more than just the girls; it also features the "villains."

They were all women!

Honestly, it's already absurd enough that a school could gather so many top-tier good-looking actors in a single film.

After all, even at the Central Academy of Drama or the Beijing Film Academy, a single acting class might not produce so many outstanding girls in all aspects.

However, so many characters appeared in "Sunny Sisters" at once, which means that the casting itself was already distorted.

Therefore, Chen Mo simply went all out and even chose the most attractive young actresses in the entertainment industry to play the villains.

Since they can't win in terms of plot, they might as well create an unprecedented level of visual appeal in terms of cast!

So, on the day of the launch, at the launch press conference.

Time: 10:30 AM
Location: A temporary stage set up on the playground of a retro-style middle school for the press conference!

When Chen Mo appeared on stage with 14 lead actresses, the sound of camera shutters clicking was deafening. The stage was filled with stunningly beautiful actresses arranged in two rows—on the left were the "mature group" including Yang Mi and Liu Yifei, and on the right were the "youthful group" including Zhao Jinmai and Zhou Ye. The scene was a veritable explosion of visual appeal in the Chinese entertainment industry!
That's not all; on the other side, there were also several up-and-coming actresses from the entertainment industry.

It can be said that the entire cast of actresses from the Chinese entertainment industry totaled more than 20.

It can absolutely be said that she is at the pinnacle of beauty in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Of course, although the scene was very lively, the reporters focused on more than just that.

The interview session began quickly.

When reporters raised their hands to ask questions, the first one called on was a reporter from Channel 6.

"Hello Director Chen, I am Dou Qian, a reporter from Princess Six. Netizens are jokingly calling this film, 'Sunny Sisters,' the 'Chinese entertainment industry's selection of concubines.'"

A campus ensemble drama featuring over 20 top-tier beauties—such a school simply doesn't exist in reality. Even top art schools in China would struggle to find so many stunningly beautiful women in a single class. Does such a casting compromise the realism of film and television production?

This question hits the nail on the head.

From a cinematic perspective, and from a realistic standpoint, everyone's youth is different.

But at least the people around you are all different, just like the original version of Chen Mo's "Sunny Sisters" has people of all shapes and sizes, which makes it seem more real.

However, Chen Mo's version completely subverted the "realism" of the original!
Chen Mo was prepared for this and tactically leaned back, saying, "This teacher has definitely never been to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Film Academy or the Central Academy of Drama."

The audience erupted in laughter!
The reporter, Dou Qian, insisted, "I did participate, but I can say I didn't!"

Chen Mo was also somewhat helpless. Well, what the reporter said was indeed correct.

After all, those who were selected are all outstanding students from various art schools.
Being selected for this play, whether as a lead or supporting role, proves that they have higher qualifications than their classmates in some aspects.

Chen Mo then said seriously, "Okay, you're right. If we judge this by the standards of a typical campus drama, the cast is indeed unrealistic. But—let's watch a preview clip!"

He then gestured for the preview clip to play: the clip showed Zhao Jinmai being caught by Yang Mi eating prop snacks, and a comparison of Wen Qi and Fan Binbin's "world-weary" faces with their eyebrows raised in unison.
Chen Mo continued, "What we want to present is not a 'real campus,' but a 'dreamy replica of youthful memories.' Just as 'La La Land' uses song and dance to create dreams, 'Sunny Sisters' uses good looks and sentimentality to create dreams."

Yang Mi secretly gave a thumbs-up to the camera from the audience!
However, Yang Mi had actually asked Chen Mo the same question.

Chen Mo didn't answer like that back then.

At this point, the second reporter was called upon. This reporter from Tencent Entertainment asked, "But the original novel, 'Sunny Sisters,' focuses on the friendship between ordinary girls. Aren't you afraid that your adaptation, featuring an all-female cast, will be criticized as 'unrealistic'?"

The reporters below all nodded in agreement, clearly indicating that this was also the question they wanted to ask.

After all, this cheat code is way too overpowered!

It can be said that these two consecutive questions were the key points that the reporters were pointing out, and also the biggest flaw in the casting of this film.

Chen Mo shook his head with a wry smile, before he could even speak.

Liu Yifei, who was standing to the side, suddenly took the microphone and said to the media reporters, "When I was 18 years old and filming 'May Love,' some media said, 'Where can you find such a beautiful transfer student?'"

Laughter erupted from the audience, but everyone was somewhat surprised that Liu Yifei would say such a thing.

They knew Liu Yifei's style all too well; she wasn't the talkative type, and she certainly wouldn't say something like, "Where can you find such a beautiful transfer student?"

This kind of self-praise is definitely not the style of the fairy sister!

So why is this happening?

Chen Mo looked at her in surprise!

At this moment, Chen Mo could only sigh, "It's truly the hardest thing to bear the kindness of a beautiful woman!"
Clearly, Liu Yifei spoke out after seeing herself being harassed by reporters.

At that moment, Yang Mi chimed in, "Exactly! Back then, 'Tiny Times' was criticized for being 'fake,' but now it's become a retro aesthetic textbook for Gen Z."

As she spoke, she turned to Chen Mo and raised an eyebrow: "Director Chen, you're a decade ahead of the industry!"

Chen Mo was completely dumbfounded. Good heavens, this is unbelievable! "Are you two here to sabotage me?"

Why compare it to anything else but "Tiny Times"?
However, Liu Yifei and Yang Mi's words successfully drew the attention to them.

Soon, a reporter raised his hand and shouted: "Isn't the casting standard too appearance-oriented? For example, Li Gengxi and Gao Yuanyuan don't look alike, but they were selected just because of the 'broken look in their eyes'?"

Gao Yuanyuan is a veteran in the entertainment industry, and she handles these kinds of small situations with ease.

She smiled and showed her phone: "I just received a comparison picture photoshopped by netizens - screenshots of my crying scene during my audition for 'Spicy Love Soup' when I was 23 years old."

The screen showed the two people's profiles, both with tears in their eyes and their eyes downcast!
She continued, "The essence of youth is the inheritance of a certain 'spirit'."

Fan Binbin suddenly chimed in, "Does it have to look alike? Then I suggest we just use AI face swapping!"

The whole audience burst into laughter!

However, Chen Mo was speechless, because this was not the scene he wanted at all!
He genuinely didn't intend to promote it the way he used to, because it wouldn't be appropriate. But then, a few women managed to turn the situation around completely; what could he do? He was in a real bind!

At this point, another reporter asked, "With so many actresses in the same group, how do you balance the screen time and avoid disputes over billing?"

Chen Mo was about to answer when Jing Tian grabbed the microphone and spoke first: "We have things more important than billing order on set—"

Then the big screen suddenly cuts to behind-the-scenes footage: Yang Mi and Zhang Yuqi are playing rock-paper-scissors for the last piece of fried chicken, while Fan Binbin secretly steals the whole box of crayfish!

"Pfft!" Many people at the scene burst out laughing.

Chen Mo was also dumbfounded. These things were not arranged by him; they were obviously prepared in advance by these people.

Oh well, let them be. Anyway, this movie was made for them to "have fun" with!

"As you can see, food safety is the crew's top priority," Zhao Liying said, shrugging.

Finally, the microphone was back in Chen Mo's hands.

At this point, another reporter asked, "Director Chen, this remake is so different from the original. Are you confident in the film? Can you predict its box office performance?"

This kind of question is very versatile.

Normally, Chen Mo would definitely say he was very confident, then make a box office prediction, and the news would come out.

"Actually..." Chen Mo glanced at the group of beautiful young actresses from the entertainment industry, and then at the densely packed media reporters standing below.

He suddenly sighed and said, "To be honest, I was initially against this film!"

"???" The media reporters were full of question marks.

"Because I explained so much before, but in reality, I've laid my cards on the table, I'm not pretending anymore, it was all bullshit!" Chen Mo shrugged.

"???"

Chen Mo's answer caused a few seconds of silence in the room.

Everyone was clearly confused by Chen Mo's answer.

No, why are you doing things differently again?

How are we supposed to write this?

They must have received some form of payment for their travel expenses to get here.

Moreover, since the movie has only just started filming, the reports are bound to be positive.

But bro, do you have to be so direct? What do you mean by saying all of that is nonsense?

Not only were the media reporters dumbfounded, but Chen Mo's confidantes and the young actresses were also completely bewildered.

Is this how you do publicity?

"Director Chen, do you mean you lack confidence in this film?"

"Director Chen."

The next moment, the reporters below went wild, and they all became incredibly excited.

This is big news! Absolutely big news! Chen Mo himself said so! So you can't blame them for taking the money and not doing their job!
"Everyone, please be quiet!" Chen Mo's ears were ringing, so he quickly made a gesture to press down.

"Let me be frank, I also want to say that I have a lot of confidence in this movie, absolutely confidence, but I really can't do it!"

"Because, as that reporter said before, which school is so amazing that it can gather so many students with the highest level of good looks in middle school? So it's distorted, too distorted!"

"As for the claims that 'La La Land' uses song and dance to create dreams, or 'Sunny' uses good looks and sentimentality to create dreams, those are all complete nonsense!"

The reporters below fell completely silent.

But the voice recorders and cameras in their hands were already on.

This is definitely going to be headline news again!

The director himself has given up! He's already giving up before filming even started; it's absolutely outrageous!
"How did this movie come about, and what was the original intention behind its production? It was never a remake of 'Sunny' or a replication of the youthful sisterhood depicted in the show! It was more of a personal, personal motivation!"

"So what do you mean? If you're looking for something to resonate with during your youth, I suggest you don't buy tickets to see this movie. You'll probably be disappointed!"

Chen Mo continued to criticize himself.

"Let me be frank, we made this movie purely because those girls wanted to act in it!"

"Of course, it's not to say that this movie has no merits. Look, I've selected so many beautiful women of all styles. If you're just here to enjoy a beauty show, then you can take a look, but that's all. Don't have too high expectations for this movie!"

"As for the box office? I'd rather not say, because I really don't have much confidence!"

After Chen Mo finished speaking, the media reporters below went wild.

Soon, a reporter excitedly raised his hand and asked loudly, "Director Chen! Are you publicly admitting that 'Sunny Sisters' is a 'fan-oriented film'? Just like Marvel superhero movies don't need logic, as long as you watch the heroes assemble?"

This question caused quite a stir among those present!

Chen Mo shrugged: "You can understand it that way if you want—but we're much tougher than Marvel. They can only assemble three or four heroes in each movie, while our movie can fill a nine-square grid just with close-up shots."

Many people couldn't help but laugh.

Isn't that right? With so many beautiful women, it's safe to say that they are undoubtedly at the pinnacle of female celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry.

One reporter continued with a gossipy question: "So the casting was actually based on your 'aesthetic preferences'? Is it true that you gave each actress a score based on her looks?"

Another reporter followed up with, "You just said 'If they want to act, we'll film it.' Does this mean you're compromising on the artistic merit of the film? After all, your previous works were all critically and commercially successful realistic films, and you even won several Best Director awards!"

The question immediately silenced the entire room, and everyone looked at Chen Mo, wondering how he would answer it.

Chen Mo laughed and said, "That's not wrong. After making so many 'serious' films, it's normal for me to be willful once or twice, right?"

"Director Chen, you are a well-known trendsetter in the film industry, having commented on the works of other directors on numerous occasions. So this time, aren't you worried that your film will be attacked by others?" the reporter asked again.

"What goes around comes around, so I have to give them a chance to get revenge, right?" Chen Mo joked with a smile.

The press conference for the start of filming ended, and the media members left excitedly one by one.

It's easy to imagine that Chen Mo's words at this press conference will definitely dominate the trending topics again.

At the same time, several women gathered around.

"Chen Mo, I'm so sorry!" Jing Tian said first, looking at Chen Mo with an apologetic and worried expression.

Because at the time, it could be said that she acted first and informed the authorities later.

Chen Mo chuckled, reaching out to pull Jing Tian close, his fingertips creating static electricity as he ran through her fluffy curls: "Aren't you silly? Our family's wealth is enough to make ten 'Tiny Times' movies that flop."

This immediately earned him an eye roll from Yang Mi!

Chen Mo ignored her and ran his thumb across Jing Tian's furrowed brow: "The more distorted the reporters' stories, the better—tomorrow's trending topic will definitely be #ChenMoAdmitsNewFilmIsFanTargetedMovie#, isn't that more effective than releasing a press release?"

Liu Yifei suddenly turned her head: "So you were on stage just now."

Her long eyelashes fluttered twice: "Are you deliberately being sarcastic?"

"Half truth, half lie."

Chen Mo casually picked up the clapperboard and twirled it around: "It's true that the casting was flawed, but..."

Suddenly, he tossed the board towards Yang Mi, and as she scrambled to catch it, he laughed and said, "Who says movies have to be realistic? Audiences enjoy watching Marvel heroes assemble, don't they?"

Fan Binbin paused in her act of applying lipstick, looking at him with some concern: "What if it really flops in the end?"

"Then let's go for it!"

Chen Mo suddenly snatched the lipstick from her hand and drew a steep box office curve on the back of the billboard!
"A failed attempt at acting can result in a spectacular scene where twenty top female stars appear together—"

He pressed the tip of his pen heavily at the highest point, then smiled and said, "This spectacle alone is worth the price of admission."

Zhang Yuqi chuckled: "So you knew all along? You made us worry for nothing!"

Chen Mo tossed the lipstick back, the metal tube gleaming in the sunlight, and shook his head, saying, "How could that be? I was just thinking..."

His voice suddenly lowered, and he smiled as he unconsciously stroked the stray hairs on the back of Jing Tian's neck: "It's rare that you all want to act. Who cares about artistry or authenticity? Let's have fun first."

(End of this chapter)