How did I become famous?

"Inspector Chen, what brings you here?"

"Someone called the police, saying that they were blocked at the store entrance by thugs."

"..."

Five minutes later, the two men, having explained the whole story, sat at the shop entrance smoking.

"Speaking of which, I'm quite envious of this Japanese kid." Chen Yongren's melancholy eyes were unfocused. "At least he can still strive towards his dream."

Fang Bie chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his lips: "Being a civil servant isn't so bad, it's a secure job."

Officer Chen sighed, his stubble gleaming and his eyes filled with melancholy: "Who doesn't have a dream? But dreams always have to succumb to reality."

Looking at the blue sky and white clouds, he said leisurely, "I once thought about finding a job to make a living. Civil servants are stable, so after graduation I took the police exam. Originally, I was thinking of working while looking for opportunities to become an actor."

"But then another three years, then another three years, and now it's almost been ten years." Chen Yongren smiled bitterly. "Now, I'm just an outsider in the entertainment industry."

Fang didn't try to persuade him.

Being a police officer is a stable job, and it's respectable to talk about it. It's unrealistic to suddenly bring him into a movie.

Besides, Fang Bie was still aiming to make bad movies.

Bringing people into this and talking about their dreams is just taking advantage of them.

At the very least... it's still better for Chen Yongren to be a beat cop in Hengdian than to be an undercover agent in "Infernal Affairs".

After a long silence, Chen Yongren raised his head: "Director Fang, I have a favor to ask."

"Speaking."

"May I see your script?"

"sure."

Fang went back and brought him the script for "Captain China".

Chen Yongren quietly flipped through the script.

Half an hour later, he put down the script, silently lit a cigarette, and said, "That's good."

Fang Bie was taken aback: "What's so great?"

"The script is really good." Chen Yongren's eyes were melancholy as he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "A hero like this is the dream of so many people when they were young."

Fang Bie: "Inspector Chen, it seems you made the right decision to leave the entertainment industry."

You can even think this terrible script is good? Looks like you don't have any talent for the entertainment industry.

Being a policeman isn't bad.

Chen Yongren's eyes grew even more melancholy.

Is being an actor really that difficult?

"I don't know, I've never been one. But..." Fang Bie flicked the ash off his cigarette butt, "If you want to be a serious actor, it's probably very difficult."

This applies to every industry.

............

Meanwhile, on the other side, at an educational institution's recruitment event.

Zhao Qiumei, who works for an educational institution recruiting students, is standing under the blazing sun handing out flyers to the middle-aged and elderly people she has attracted.

Suddenly someone called out to her.

"Autumn Plum".

Zhao Qiumei turned around, startled: "What's wrong with you...?"

The newcomer was a fat man with shoulder-length hair.

This man's name is Liu Mang.

He looked around. "Let's talk somewhere else. Is now a convenient time?"

Zhao Qiumei nodded: "Come with me."

The two found a shady spot.

"Old Liu, what do you want?" Zhao Qiumei fanned herself with the flyer in her hand. "Your child needs to go to tutoring classes? I remember you're not married or have children, right?"

"It's not that." Liu Mang wiped the sweat from his forehead, his expression serious. "Come back."

Zhao Qiumei's expression was indifferent: "Come back for what?"

"You were the top production assistant among our group. You managed everything on set perfectly back then," Liu Mang explained. "This time, I've joined a big shot, and no one in the industry will try to suppress us anymore."

Although he didn't know much, he could guess from the few words Fang Bie exchanged with Su Mulin and the conversation between Su Shi and Su Mulin that day that this was an incredibly powerful figure.

Moreover, although he wouldn't admit it, he did acknowledge in his heart that Fang Bie was indeed a super genius.

"If it weren't for your big sword being arrested, we wouldn't have been kicked out of the circle." Zhao Qiumei said expressionlessly.

"I was set up too," Liu Mang sighed. "It's true that I was wrong to drag you all into this, but this is an opportunity. Do you really want to drift along like this forever? Don't you want to go back and slap those guys in the face?"

"'You'?" Zhao Qiumei frowned. "You want to... bring them all back?"

"Yes, it's a movie with a budget of seven million, but there's no one in the crew. I plan to call you all back." Liu Mang's eyes were firm. "You were all top experts in the industry back then. You were all suppressed and forced out of the circle for various reasons. This is our chance to turn things around."

"I'm just someone who sells courses for an educational institution," Zhao Qiumei said calmly.

Liu Mang shook his head: "This isn't the real you. The real you is the top manager on that film set. You can manage a crew of several thousand people perfectly. I believe this job of handing out flyers isn't the life you want."

Zhao Qiumei turned and left.

"Let's talk about it after you've found everyone."

"Then it's settled!" Liu Mang shouted from behind.

Zhao Qiumei waved her hand with her back to him.

............

A parent-child performance was being held at a kindergarten. The tall and burly Li Bo, with a cigarette in his mouth, was carrying dismantled scaffolding backstage onto a truck.

A fat man blocked his way.

Li Bo looked up, his expression surprised: "Liu Mang? What are you doing here? Is there some event you're organizing and need to set up the venue?"

"No." Liu Mang lit a cigarette as well. "Old Li, I've been working with a film crew, and they're short of sets right now. Come back."

Li Bo lowered his eyes: "Come on, would any production crew still want me these days?"

Liu Mang said seriously, "I know. When the props in that film crew had a problem and an accident happened, someone framed you."

Li Bo shrugged: "There's no evidence for that."

"No evidence is needed. Do you think I don't know your skill level, Li Bo? That kind of accident would never happen under your supervision."

"What's the point of saying all this now?"

"This time it's different. I'm working with a big shot, investing seven million in a movie. Want to come?"

"Not interested."

Li Bo bypassed Liu Mang and went to move his own props.

Liu Mang shouted, "Three days! Three days from now at Fangmu Film and Television Company on Nanshi Street in Hengdian! I'll be waiting for you there!"

Li Bo did not respond.

............

Yuansu Wedding Studio had a special guest today.

People who usually come here are young people who are getting married, planning to shoot wedding music videos, or need to decorate their wedding venue.

And today, it turns out that I'm a single guy.

He was once arrested because of his big sword.

"So what exactly did you come here for?"

Nie Fang, one of the studio's partners, poured Liu Mang a cup of tea. After listening to his rambling for a while, he couldn't help but ask the question.

"I'm asking you to come back to the public eye." Liu Mang took a sip of tea. "You, a top student who graduated from the photography department of the Beijing Film Academy, are here shooting wedding photos?"

"What's wrong with shooting wedding videos? You can make several thousand yuan a month from it." Nie Fang remained unmoved.

Liu Mang turned to the other two: "What about you two, Lao Luo and Pan Shao? A top-notch editor who graduated from USC and a special effects artist from American Dream Studio, are you just going to stay here making wedding music videos?"

"What can I do even if I'm not willing to accept it? Besides, at least I can still make a living this way." Special effects artist Pan Xiao said calmly, "Besides, you gave up yourself, otherwise why would you write songs?"

Luo Wei remained silent during the post-production editing, which was tantamount to him acknowledging Pan Xiao's statement.

"I refuse to believe you're just going to give up like this." Liu Mang lit a cigarette. "Let me tell you the truth, I've hooked up with a big shot this time. It's a seven-million-dollar film with an investor whose background is unfathomable, and the director is a genius. I think working with him will make it a hit. And..."

He paused, then said, "Don't you want to get back everything you lost?"

The three of them remained silent.

Liu Mang stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette, then stood up: "You can think about it yourselves. I'll be waiting for you at Fangmu Film and Television Company in Nanshi Street in three days."

Nie Fang looked up: "Where are you going?"

"I need to find the lighting technician and makeup artist; I need to get them all back."

Liu Mang left, leaving behind three men with uncertain expressions, remaining silent.