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

Langfang is more than 40 kilometers away from Yanjing, a one-hour drive away.

Old Zhao brought his team over in advance.

Choosing a location, setting up the shed, installing lights, and testing equipment kept them incredibly busy.

He sends Lin Mo a message every day to report on his progress, with a format as uniform as an official document.

"Director Lin, the courthouse set is ready today."

"Director Lin, Jing from the police station will be taken care of tomorrow."

"Director Lin, the actors' dormitories have been arranged."

Lin Mo always replied with a single word: "Okay".

On the morning of the day filming began, Lin Mo took the earliest high-speed train to Langfang.

Old Zhao picked him up at the station in a slightly worn GL8, the car covered in mud, clearly from driving back and forth between the film set and the hotel these past few days.

"Director Lin!" Old Zhao leaned out of the car window, grinning and waving.

Lin Mo got into the car, and Lao Zhao started the engine, talking non-stop: "The courthouse is set up exactly as you said—old, not new. The chairs in the corridor were bought from a second-hand market. The table in the conference room has a slightly crooked leg, so a piece of cardboard was placed under it. The same goes for the duty room in the police station. The rules and regulations posted on the wall are photocopies of real documents."

"How many actors have arrived?"

"Teacher Fan arrived last night, Lei Jiayin and Ma Li just arrived this morning and are on their way to the set. Zhao Liying arrived at 10 o'clock, and Xu Yajun and Zhang Yi arrived in the afternoon. Gao Ye and Aruna are already on set. Aruna is practicing her villainous face in front of the mirror in the dressing room."

Old Zhao laughed at this point.

The car turned into the Langfang Film and Television Base.

Several gray buildings, not tall, looking like government offices, with signs already hung at the entrance—Langfang Municipal People's Procuratorate.

"This sign needs to be taken down after the auction," Old Zhao pointed.

"Take the picture first, then pick it."

The lights in the photography studio are already set up.

Liu Cixin was squatting on the floor adjusting the color temperature when he saw Lin Mo enter. He nearly spilled his milk tea: "Director Lin! You're here!"

Old Sun carried the equipment and moved around, from the courtroom entrance to the defendant's dock, muttering to himself. He saw Lin Mo nod and continued walking.

Art director Lao Zhou stood in front of the courtroom set, a rendering tucked under his arm, his expression as satisfied as a carpenter who had just finished building a cabinet.

Fan Wei had arrived and was sitting in the audience, holding a thermos. When he saw Lin Mo, he stood up, but instead of coming over, he stood still, nodded, and smiled.

Lin Mo walked over and shook hands with him: "Teacher Fan, thank you for coming all this way."

Fan waved his hand: "Langfang is considered far? When I was young, I was filming, carrying my bedding on a green train, and it would take me a whole day and night. Now, an hour's journey is considered far?"

Gao Ye peeked out from the dressing room, her hair already styled in a bun, her face lightly made up—the look of prosecutor Lü Lingling.

As soon as she saw Lin Mo, she waved and said, "Director Lin! What do you think of my look?"

Lin Mo looked him up and down and nodded.

Gao Ye withdrew in satisfied.

Aruna followed her out, sporting a buzz cut, a crooked mouth, and a swaying gait.

Before he could speak, Lin Mo said, "That's right." Aru grinned and said, "Director Lin, I haven't acted yet."

"You don't need to act, you look just like it standing there."

Aruna scratched her head, unsure whether to be happy or cry.

Just after 10 o'clock, Zhao Liying arrived.

She was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, her hair casually tied in a ponytail, and she had no makeup on. The studio was quiet for a moment when she pushed the door open and came in.

It's not because she's a top star, it's because her outfit doesn't look like that of a top star at all.

"Director Lin." She walked over and gave a slight bow.

Is there traffic?

"It's alright, there's no traffic jam in Langfang." She looked around and saw Gao Ye. Their eyes met, and Gao Ye gave her a thumbs up.

Zhao Liying smiled.

Lin Mo glanced at her and said, "Hao Xiuping's look should be simpler. Her clothes—buy them at a flea market, wash them until they fade, and keep them plain, without any embellishment. The audience should know from the first glance that this woman has been tormented for a long time."

After listening, Zhao Liying nodded seriously.

Lei Jiayin and Ma Li came in together at this moment.

Lei Jiayin was wearing a dark T-shirt, and her hair was unkempt, making her look quite ordinary.

Ma Li carried a large backpack and two cups of coffee in her hand. She handed one to Lei Jiayin and drank the other herself. After looking around the film set, she exclaimed, "This courthouse is so realistic. I felt like I was about to go to court as soon as I walked in."

Lei Jiayin muttered from the side, "What did you do wrong?"

"You've talked too much." Ma Li glared at him.

Laughter filled the shed.

At eleven o'clock, Lin Mo stood in front of the monitor and looked around.

The actors were making final adjustments in the dressing room, the lighting technician was measuring the light ratio, the cinematographer was adjusting the focus, and Lao Zhao was standing next to him. All departments were ready.

"Turn it on," Lin Mo said.

There was no incense burning, no unveiling of the red cloth, and no firecrackers. Old Zhao moved a table to the front of the courtroom set, placed a camera on it, and covered it with a red cloth—this was the only remaining sense of ceremony.

Everyone gathered around.

Fan stood at the very front, with Lei Jiayin and Ma Li on either side of him. Zhao Liying and Gao Ye stood side by side, and Aru Na squatted in front. Xu Yajun and Zhang Yi had only arrived in the afternoon, but Old Zhao had already reserved seats for them.

Lin Mo stood in front of the camera and remained silent for a few seconds.

Everyone thought he was going to say something—after all, it was a joint production of three companies, with an amazing lineup and a sensitive subject matter, so he had to say something uplifting.

He said five words: "Turn on the machine, everyone get to work."

As soon as the red cloth was lifted, a few scattered applause erupted.

Old Zhao shouted from the side, "All departments, take your positions!" The stagehand, Xiao Liu, was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening and quickly ran to call people.

Fan Wei walked towards the audience seats with his thermos cup, muttering, "Good, this style is good, it saves us from all the formalities."

The first scene is Han Ming flipping through case files in his office.

Lei Jiayin sat behind the secondhand desk, which was piled high with files, their covers yellowed and the corners curled.

He turned a page, frowned slightly, then turned back to read it again—it was this small action that made Han Ming stand out.

Behind the monitor, Lin Mo didn't call "cut".

At noon, Lin Mo stood at the entrance of the film set to get some fresh air.

Old Zhao walked over with his phone, looking excited: "Director Lin, it's been posted on Weibo!"

The opening photo was taken by Xiao Liu, the production assistant—everyone was standing in front of the courtroom set. There were no beauty filters or editing, and the photo was a bit blurry, but everyone who was supposed to be there was there.

Xiao Chen posted on the official Weibo account of the Yanjing Gang, with the caption: "The filming of Article 20 begins today. The law cannot yield to illegality."

The comment section exploded instantly.

"Filming has started!! Director Lin, are you even human?! Filming started just a week after the official announcement!!"

"Zhao Liying without makeup?? Who is she playing? Why is she dressed so simply?"

"Teacher Fan's posture is always so steady."

"Langfang? Langfang has really made something of itself!! Director Lin is actually filming in Langfang!!"

"What does this mean? It means that Director Lin is about to start working at a high intensity again. 'The Storm' took 58 days to film, 'All or Nothing' took 42 days, and 'Dying to Survive' just finished filming before he started a new project."

"I suspect Lin Mo has a script library in his head; he doesn't take a break after filming one movie and goes straight to the next one."

"expect!"

"Have you counted them yet? How many phenomenal films has Director Lin made? 'In the Name of the People,' 'All or Nothing,' 'The Storm,' 'Dying to Survive,' 'Article 20,' he makes one blockbuster a year."

"The director of 'Dying to Survive' upstairs is Wen Muye, thank you. Director Lin is just the producer."

"Lin Mo was also the main producer, right? Without Director Lin, would Wen Muye have had the opportunity to independently direct a feature film?"

"Alright, stop arguing. Director Lin rose from a clerk to a deputy director, from a director to a producer, and now he's back to directing. His life is more exciting than any movie."

After reading the comments, Lin Mo returned the phone to Lao Zhao and turned to walk into the shed.

Xu Yajun and Zhang Yi arrived in the afternoon, and there was a late-night shoot that evening.