He had just married a policewoman when he was diagnosed with criminal genius.

"What good news?"

"It's approved!" Sun Dazhi's voice cracked with excitement on the other end of the phone. "The movie has passed censorship!"

Lu Chen said, "So fast?"

"Yes, just three days!" Sun Dazhi said. "It can be released in three days!"

"I've booked the entire premiere theater. You and Sister Jiang are both coming," Sun Dazhi added. "It's on me. It's the best theater in the whole of Jiangbei."

Lu Chen laughed: "Alright, then we won't stand on ceremony."

After hanging up, he called Jiang Xue.

After all, it was his first movie to be released.

"The movie has been approved and will premiere in three days."

"So fast?" Jiang Xue was also taken aback on the other end of the phone. "Didn't they say the review process usually takes at least thirty working days?"

"Our film is so positive," Lu Chen said. "Combating online fraud and anti-fraud propaganda—this kind of subject matter will definitely get approved quickly."

Jiang Xue nodded.

"Okay, then I'll go to the premiere with you!"

three days later.

Jiangbei Wanda Cinema, the largest IMAX theater.

Sun Dazhi booked the entire venue; the hall, which could seat 300 people, was packed to capacity.

Besides Lu Chen and Jiang Xue, there were also many people in the industry, as well as some media reporters.

This was all thanks to Sun Dazhi's best efforts and the connections he could make.

It was all to generate publicity for their own movie.

The lights dimmed, and the movie began.

On the screen, Lu Chen, wearing a floral shirt and smoking a cigarette, stands in the very center of the telecom fraud park.

His eyes were calm, so calm it was unsettling.

Every expression, every movement, was just right.

Not just right.

They look so alike.

The hall was very quiet.

It was so quiet you could hear your neighbor breathing.

When the movie ended, the lights came on, and the applause lasted for a long time.

Sun Dazhi walked onto the stage, took the microphone, and said with a smile, "Thank you all for coming to the premiere today. This film was not easy to make, but I am very satisfied with the result."

He paused, then said, "I especially want to thank Lu Chen. To be honest, his performance in the film really surprised me."

This is not a compliment.

Among a group of academically trained actors.

Lu Chen's acting skills can be described as natural.

It added a lot to the play featuring Sun Dazhi.

It gave him a strong boost.

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Lu Chen remained seated, not moving.

Jiang Xue tugged at his sleeve: "Aren't you going up and say a few words?"

Lu Chen shook his head: "No, let Director Sun speak."

After the event, Sun Dazhi found Lu Chen.

"How are you feeling?"

"It's alright," Lu Chen said, "but watching myself act is a little awkward."

Sun Dazhi laughed heartily: "That's exactly right. Good actors always have this feeling when watching their own work."

He patted Lu Chen on the shoulder, preparing to leave.

"Wait a minute." Lu Chen called out to him, taking a script out of his pocket. "Here, take this."

Sun Dazhi took it and glanced at the cover.

A World Without Thieves.

"A new script?" he asked.

"Yes," Lu Chen said. "Take a look and see if you're interested."

Sun Dazhi flipped through the pages, his eyes lighting up.

"I'm interested, of course I'm interested."

Here are the immediate reactions from numerous media outlets and film critics after watching today's premiere ceremony.

Sun Dazhi knew then that the movie was a sure thing.

Foresight.

The script for "All In" was given to me by Lu Chen.

Without Lu Chen's script and his portrayal of the villainous big boss, the result today would never have been the same.

Sun Dazhi naturally had to take Lu Chen's newly written script seriously.

Sun Dazhi flipped through it again and nodded: "I'll go back and take a good look."

……

On its opening day, "All In" had a pitifully low number of screenings.

Nationwide, cinemas combined only accounted for 4.7% of screenings. Sun Dazhi stared at the data on his phone for a long time, then closed it, then reopened it; the number remained unchanged.

He made a phone call to Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen, the film schedule is out."

"How many?"

"4.7".

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

"It's okay," Lu Chen said, "Take your time."

Sun Dazhi hummed in agreement and hung up the phone. He sat in his office chair, looking out the window at the sky, thinking, "It's good enough that my first movie is even released; so be it if it gets a low number of screenings."

The next morning, the first thing he did when he woke up was to reach for his phone.

The data has been updated.

Screening rate: 10.3%.

Sun Dazhi rubbed his eyes and looked at it again.

You read that right.

He sat up, found Lu Chen's number, and dialed it.

"Lu Chen, your screenings have increased by ten percent!"

"So fast?"

"I don't know what happened, but it just went up."

Sun Dazhi hung up the phone and started scrolling through online comments. He wanted to know what had happened.

The internet is in an uproar.

Three movie-related topics are trending on social media: #AllInOne# #NeverWillGoToTheNorthAfterWatchingThis# #TheVillainIsTooScary#.

He clicked on the first topic, which was full of viewers' reactions after watching the show.

"After watching 'All In,' I hid my mom's passport."

"I was originally planning to go to the North, but now I'm not going, I'd rather die than go."

"The scene in the fraud park was so realistic that I had nightmares about that big villainous boss in the telecom fraud."

"I suggest including it in the must-watch list for primary and secondary school students; it's more effective than any anti-fraud propaganda."

Sun Dazhi scrolled down and saw another topic: #Who played the villain in the desperate gamble?#

He clicked on it and smiled.

Everyone below is asking questions.

"Who's that actor playing Manager Lu? I've never seen him before."

"I checked the cast list, and his name is Lu Chen. It seems to be a complete novice acting for the first time."

"An amateur? You're telling me this is an amateur? This acting skill is better than half the entertainment industry, okay?"

"I got goosebumps when he appeared on screen. His eyes didn't look like he was acting."

"I suggest a thorough investigation; this doesn't seem like an act."

"I also wonder, did they actually go to a scam park to experience life there?"

"Stop messing around, he's just a good actor."

Sun Dazhi read through each item one by one, grinning from ear to ear.

He called Lu Chen again.

"Lu Chen, you're famous now."

"What?"

"Everyone online is asking who you are, saying your acting skills are phenomenal, and suggesting a thorough investigation."

Lu Chen chuckled on the other end of the line: "That's an exaggeration?"

"It's not an exaggeration at all," Sun Dazhi said. "Just you wait, the number of screenings will definitely increase again today."

On the third day, the data came out.

Screening rate: 29.8%.

It's close to 30%.

Sun Dazhi's hands trembled as he looked at the number.

He sent the screenshot to Lu Chen with the caption: "Thirty percent".

Lu Chen replied with an emoji: a dog head, accompanied by the text "Not bad".

What do you mean by "not bad"?

Sun Dazhi really wanted to run to the other end of the phone to see if Lu Chen was really that calm.

This reduces the screening rate from less than 5% to less than 5%.

It was pulled up to 30%!

The difficulty of this is self-evident.

You should know that when it comes to making films, your connections don't matter.

Even big-budget films directed by famous directors.

There will be more screenings when it first starts airing.

However, if the box office is poor, the number of screenings will realistically be reduced directly.

After all, movie theaters aren't charities; whoever performs well gets to play!

The fact that the film's screening share increased from 5% to 30% speaks volumes about its excellence.

Sun Dazhi then looked at the box office data again.

Day 1: 23 million.

Day 2: Seventy-one million.

Day 3: 180 million.