We asked you to make an anti-corruption film, but you made one in the name of the people!

The ratings for "The Rage" have surpassed 3%.

It's not CCTV-1, it's CCTV-8.

What does it mean for CCTV-8 to break 3?

The highest viewership rating for prime-time slots on Channel 8 in the past five years is 2.7.

"Rampage" has already reached version 3.0 and is still going up.

Director Chen of CCTV's film and television department couldn't sit still any longer.

He called Sun Jianguo: "Old Sun, our station wants to do an interview program and invite the cast and crew of 'Raging Storm' to come. Director Lin Mo, Teacher Zhang Yi, and Teacher Zhang Songwen, all three of them should come. We'll arrange for Sa Beilin to be the host; he volunteered."

Upon hearing the name Sa Beining, Sun Jianguo laughed: "Sa Beining? Isn't he running 'Let's Talk'?"

"He came to us on his own initiative." Director Chen laughed. "He said he's a huge fan of 'The Storm,' and he insisted on hosting this interview."

Sun Jianguo hung up the phone and went to find Lin Mo.

Lin Mo is in the editing room looking at the new script for "Police and People Working Together".

Sun Jianguo pushed the door open and came in: "Xiao Lin, CCTV called and wants to interview you."

Lin Mo looked up: "Another interview?"

"This time is different." Sun Jianguo sat down next to him. "The interview with the crew of 'Raging Storm' will be with you, Zhang Yi, and Zhang Songwen. The host is Sa Beining."

Lin Mo's eyes lit up when he heard the name Sabelin.

Sabine.

In his past life, he enjoyed watching Sa Beining's shows.

The composure of "Today's Talk," the humor of "Let's Talk," and the uninhibitedness of "Who's the Murderer"—this person is an all-around host who can talk about anything and make anything interesting.

Moreover, his background in legal programs makes him a perfect fit for interviewing a crime drama like "Raging Waves."

"Okay." Lin Mo nodded. "When?"

"Three days later. CCTV said, you decide the time and the format, the only requirement is that Sabellin wants to talk to you for a while longer, for as long as you like."

Lin Mo smiled: "Alright, let him talk."

He sent Zhang Yi a message: "Brother Yi, it's a CCTV interview, the host is Sa Beining, are you coming?"

Zhang Yi replied instantly: "Teacher Sa? Come here."

Lin Mo sent Zhang Songwen another message.

Zhang Songwen replied, "Director Lin, isn't Sa Beining very eloquent? I'm afraid I can't out-argue him..."

Lin Mo replied, "Who said you had to win the argument? You can just sit there."

"All right."

The interview was scheduled for three days later at CCTV headquarters.

Lin Mo asked for leave from the Ministry of Public Security a day in advance.

Zhang Yi was filming in Yanjing and happened to have some free time.

Zhang Songwen flew in from Hengdian the night before and stayed at a hotel arranged by CCTV.

The three of them met at 2 p.m. on the day of the interview in the underground parking lot of the CCTV building.

The three of them stood together, and Zhang Songwen spoke first: "Brother Yi, Director Lin, I'm a little nervous."

Zhang Yi glanced at him: "It's normal to be nervous."

Lin Mo laughed: "You nailed Gao Qiqiang in one take, and now you're nervous in front of the camera?"

Zhang Songwen scratched his head: "Gao Qiqiang is Gao Qiqiang, and I am Zhang Songwen. Zhang Songwen is not very good at speaking."

Zhang Yi added with a smile, "It's okay, Teacher Sa will talk. You can just sit and listen."

The three of them walked towards the studio.

In the corridor, you can see someone standing at the studio door waiting from afar.

Not very tall, with a face full of wrinkles when he smiles—Sabelin.

He saw three people walking towards him, quickly stepped forward, and stretched out his hand from afar.

"Director Lin! I've heard so much about you!" Sa Beining shook Lin Mo's hand vigorously twice. "I've watched all of your films, 'In the Name of the People' and 'All or Nothing'! I'm a fan! Really! I'm not just being polite!"

Lin Mo was a little overwhelmed by his enthusiasm: "Teacher Sa, you're too kind."

Sa Beining then turned to Zhang Yi and shook hands: "Mr. Zhang Yi, your acting in 'The Storm' was absolutely superb!"

Zhang Yi smiled and said, "Thank you, Teacher Sa."

Finally, it was Zhang Songwen's turn.

Sabellin grasped his hand, looked him up and down, and suddenly said, "Boss Gao, you didn't bring any fish today?"

Zhang Songwen paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

With just that one sentence, Zhang Songwen's tension dissipated by more than half.

"Teacher Sa, I'm not doing business today," Zhang Songwen replied, following his lead.

"That's a pity," Saberin said seriously. "I'd also like to ask you, which version of Sun Tzu's Art of War is the best?"

Lin Mo laughed beside him.

Zhang Yi smiled slightly.

That's the kind of ability that Sabine has.

You'll forget where the camera is within three sentences.

The studio lights were very bright.

The set was simple—a long table, four chairs, and a large screen behind them displaying the logo of "Raging Storm".

Lin Mo sat in the middle, Zhang Yi to his left, and Zhang Songwen to his right.

Sabellin sat opposite him, holding a cue card in his hand, but barely looking at it.

The director counted down in his headset: "Three, two, one, action!"

Sabine smiled at the camera, that signature crease smile.

"Hello everyone, welcome to today's special program. I'm Sa Beining."

He pointed to the large screen behind him.

"There's a TV series that's been incredibly popular lately. Let me give you an example. Last week, I went to the market to buy vegetables, and the lady selling them said to me, 'Hey Sa, I haven't watched your "Today's Talk" show in ages. I'm watching "Raging Storm" now.' I said, 'Ma'am, I host "Today's Talk," but I didn't direct "Raging Storm."' She said, 'I know, but director Lin Mo is more handsome than you.'"

The whole audience laughed.

Lin Mo was amused as well.

Sabellin turned to Lin Mo: "Director Lin, did you hear that? You're now threatening my position."

Lin Mo waved his hand: "Teacher Sa, you must be joking."

"No jokes." Sabellin's smile faded, and he became serious. "Director Lin, to be honest, since 'Raging Waves' aired, it's achieved a viewership rating of over 3, over 10 billion views online, and has trended on dozens of topics. Behind all these numbers, what do you think is the most important thing?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said, "The most important thing is that the audience is engaged with the story."

"How did you get in there?"

"Gao Qiqiang wasn't born a bad person; he was forced into a corner by life," Lin Mo said. "The audience feels sorry for him not because he wasn't bad, but because they saw why he turned bad. This sense of empathy is more powerful than any preaching."

Sabellin nodded, then suddenly looked at Zhang Songwen: "Professor Zhang Songwen, how do you understand Gao Qiqiang?"

Zhang Songwen remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he said something that silenced the entire room.

"I've been playing minor roles for over ten years."

"After graduation, I spent ten years as an extra. I played eunuchs, security guards, and passersby. Sometimes I would wait all day for a scene, and I only had three lines. The director said, 'You acted very well, but you're not famous. I'll never get a lead role.'"

He paused.

"I understand Gao Qiqiang. He didn't want to be a bad person; he just wanted to survive. He had no choice. It wasn't that I didn't want to be famous back then; I just had no choice. I waited for many years, but the opportunity just wouldn't come. You can only wait."

Sabine did not respond.

The studio was silent for several seconds.

Then Sabine said, "Now the opportunity has come."

Zhang Songwen nodded and smiled, "Yes, I'm here. Director Lin gave me this opportunity."

The smile wasn't big, but it was genuine.

Sa Beining turned to Zhang Yi: "Mr. Zhang Yi, what was it like acting opposite Mr. Zhang Songwen on set?"

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and then spoke up: "We don't talk much on set."

Why?

"No need to say anything," Zhang Yi said. "When he stands there, he is Gao Qiqiang, and when I stand there, I am An Xin. We don't need to act as rivals; we are rivals."

Sabine pressed further, "So how would you rate his performance?"

Zhang Yi thought for a moment and said four words: "He deserves an award."

Zhang Songwen paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Yi.

She wanted to say thank you but felt it was too sentimental, so in the end she said nothing and simply shook hands with Zhang Yi.

The handshake was firm, but very short.

Sabellin watched this scene, remained silent for two seconds, and then said to the camera: "Dear audience, this is what good actors are. On stage, they are rivals; off stage, they are friends."

He paused, then changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming more relaxed.

"Okay, now that we've finished discussing some serious topics, let's talk about something lighter."

Sablin took out his phone, pulled out a picture, and showed it to the camera.

"This is a product that's recently become a bestseller on Taobao—the same suit worn by Xu Jiang. Sales have already exceeded 30,000 pieces. Director Lin, are you aware of this?"

Lin Mo laughed: "I know. Teacher Jia Bing even told me that he wore that suit to film a scene, and now the same style is being sold all over Taobao."

"Have you ever thought about charging some royalties?" Saberin asked earnestly.

Lin Mo shook his head: "I didn't take it, but Teacher Jia Bing said he regretted it. If he had known that he would get one yuan per item sold, he would have bought a villa in Sanya by now."

The whole audience laughed again.

Sa Beining then pulled out another picture: "And this—'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu. Because Gao Qiqiang was reading 'The Art of War' in the TV series, the book sold out online. Zhonghua Book Company reprinted 500,000 copies, which sold out again in two days."

He turned to Zhang Songwen: "Professor Zhang Songwen, do you read 'The Art of War' yourself?"

Zhang Songwen honestly replied, "I hadn't read it before. When I was filming 'The Storm,' I flipped through a few pages to get into character, but to be honest... I didn't finish it."

"You didn't finish watching?" Saberin's eyes widened.

"Yes, it's too difficult." Zhang Songwen added honestly, "It's in classical Chinese, I can't understand it."

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Sabellin laughed so hard he slammed his hand on the table: "Professor Zhang Songwen, the Zhonghua Book Company will cry if they hear you say that! You made someone else's book a hit, but you don't even read it yourself!"

Zhang Songwen quickly explained, "No, no, I only watched part of it! It's just... I didn't finish the rest."

Zhang Yi chimed in quietly, "I can vouch for him, he did have 'The Art of War' with him on set, but he spent most of his time on his phone."

Even Lin Mo laughed.

Sabellin wiped away the tears of laughter and asked again, "Director Lin, when you were writing the script, why did you think of having Gao Qiqiang read 'The Art of War'?"

Lin Mo said, "Because Gao Qiqiang is not the muscle-bound gangster. He uses his brain. He went from selling fish in the old factory street to becoming the boss of the construction group. He didn't rely on fighting, but on scheming. Sun Tzu's Art of War is his philosophy of life - know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. He treats doing business like fighting a war and his opponents like enemies. That's why An Xin pursued him for sixteen years before she finally won him over."

After listening, Sabine paused for two seconds, then said something that made the whole audience applaud.

"Director Lin, you said Gao Qiqiang treats 'The Art of War' as a philosophy of life, but have you ever considered that An Xin also has a copy of 'The Art of War'?"

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Sabellin continued, "But An Xin's 'Art of War' only has four words—'evil cannot prevail over good.' He used these four words to pursue Gao Qiqiang for sixteen years. His hair turned white, his comrades fell, but he never gave up. This is what makes 'The Storm' so moving."

There was a moment of silence in the studio.

Then applause broke out.

Zhang Yi was the first to clap.

Zhang Songwen clapped along.

Lin Mo also clapped.

He looked at Sabine, with only one thought in his mind—this man truly understood "The Storm".

At the end of the interview, Sabine asked a question.

"The three of you, if you had to summarize 'Storm Rage' in one sentence, what would you say?"

Zhang Yixian said, "Justice may be delayed, but it will not be absent."

Zhang Songwen thought for a moment and said, "Some roads, once you start walking them, there's no turning back."

When it was Lin Mo's turn, he looked at the camera and said eight words.

"Combating organized crime and eliminating evil is not just a slogan."

Sabellin faced the camera, his usual smile gone.

"Dear viewers, 'The Storm' is still airing. It airs every night at 7:30 on CCTV-8 and is simultaneously updated on iQiyi. If you haven't watched it yet, hurry up and watch it. If you have, watch it again. Thank you, Director Lin Mo, thank you, Teacher Zhang Yi, thank you, Teacher Zhang Songwen. I am Sa Beilin. See you next time."

The director yelled "Cut!"

Sabine stood up and shook hands with each of the three people.

When he shook hands with Lin Mo, he said, "Director Lin, if you're going to film this kind of movie again, just let me know in advance. I'd like to apply to be your host."

Lin Mo smiled: "Teacher Sa, it's a deal."

Sa Beining released his grip, glanced at Zhang Songwen again, and suddenly said, "Teacher Zhang, if you really can't get through 'The Art of War,' I recommend you read the comic book version of 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.' That's easier to understand."

Zhang Songwen was both amused and exasperated: "Teacher Sa, please stop making fun of me."

Sabellin laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder: "Just kidding, Teacher Zhang, you acted really well, really."

He stopped smiling and looked at Zhang Songwen seriously.

"You just mentioned that you spent over a decade playing minor roles. I want to say—those years weren't wasted. Every role you were rejected for, every line with only three words, every day you waited in a corner of the set—all of that became part of Gao Qiqiang's being. Without Zhang Songwen back then, there would be no Gao Qiqiang today."

Zhang Songwen's nose suddenly stung with tears.

He extended his hand and shook hands with Saberin.

"Thank you, Teacher Sa."

"Don't thank me, thank Director Lin." Sabel turned to look at Lin Mo. "He's the one who picked you out from the crowd."

Lin Mo chimed in from the side, "It's not about being picky, it's about being convinced."

Sablin was taken aback: "Admit it?"

"Yes," Lin Mo said. "When I was writing about Gao Qiqiang, I saw Zhang Songwen's face. I didn't need to choose, I just needed to recognize it."

......