"Cut—"
"Good, this take is done."
After reviewing the footage, Ren Changwen nodded to Xiao He and Liu Zehang, then said to Liu Zehang: "Lin Yu'an is coming to shoot his solo scenes."
"Okay."
Liu Zehang walked to his designated position and stood ready, while the makeup artist beside him quickly touched up his makeup. Xiao He, having completed his own task, came to a relatively quiet spot in the corridor and sat down to rest.
Just at that moment, Liu Rulan approached.
"You had a call earlier."
"Who was it?" Xiao He asked curiously.
"The director from when you filmed 'Thief Catcher'," Liu Rulan replied. "I think his name is Lin Yipeng."
Although 'Thief Catcher' was filmed before Liu Rulan signed Xiao He, she now needed to keep track of all his previous work as well.
"Calculating the timing, it should be about time for Thief Catcher to be released," Liu Rulan handed the phone to Xiao He. "He's probably contacting you about this matter."
Liu Rulan hadn't had any contact with Lin Yipeng yet, so she didn't take the initiative to discuss this matter with him, preferring to wait until Xiao He was available.
Xiao He thought back to the timeline and realized it was indeed about right. He had joined the 'Thief Catcher' crew right after finishing 'Killing Life', and now that 'Killing Life' had already been released, 'Thief Catcher' should be following soon after.
So Xiao He informed Director Ren and went with Liu Rulan to the break room.
"Hello, Xiao He?"
When he called Lin Yipeng back, the other party answered almost immediately.
"It's me," Xiao He said.
"Ah, I knew you'd be busy lately," Lin Yipeng sighed with relief. "I heard you're about to go to the island, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach you later, so I needed to communicate with you in advance."
"Is that so—wait, how do you know I'm about to go film on an island?"
Xiao He just realized something was off.
This wasn't right. Lin Yipeng was far away from his current crew, and he didn't usually post on social media. How did this guy get this information yet again?
"Haha, immortals have their mysterious ways~" Lin Yipeng chuckled proudly. "Let's just say I have my sources."
Xiao He: "...I'm starting to suspect you're some kind of hacker."
Always invading people's phones, otherwise how would you know everything?
"What? Can't I just have extensive connections?"
"Heh, I don't believe you. You better be careful, or I'll call the police on you."
"Fine then, let 'Thief Catcher' go down with me—"
"Never mind then."
After their "friendly" exchange, Lin Yipeng finally got to the main business.
"'Thief Catcher' will officially premiere on Penguin Video on July 9th. Make sure to promote it on all your platforms when the time comes."
Although 'Thief Catcher' had been shot from the beginning with the aesthetics and standards of a theatrical wuxia film, it was ultimately just a web movie that could only be distributed online. Everyone had mentally prepared for this.
However, even as a web movie, they still needed to fight for exposure. Lin Yipeng had been running around to various video platforms with the finished product these past days, and finally reached terms and contracts with Penguin Video, allowing 'Thief Catcher' to have its premiere on their platform with certain exposure support.
With a former national child star transforming into a wuxia swordsman, supporting actor Xiao He gradually making his mark in the entertainment industry, plus Lin Yipeng's mysterious network of connections and the quality of 'Thief Catcher' itself, everyone believed it would achieve good results.
Xiao He noted down the date and agreed: "Alright, but I'll probably already be on the island when it premieres. If there are any issues then, you can contact my agent."
"Sister Liu, I know her," Lin Yipeng said with a drawn-out tone. "Don't worry, I'll keep in touch with her about subsequent matters."
"Okay, then July 9th it is. Wishing 'Thief Catcher' massive success."
"Thank you."
After hanging up, Xiao He forwarded Lin Yipeng's contact information to Liu Rulan. "I completely forgot about this, sorry. I should have given you his contact details earlier."
Liu Rulan picked up her phone, opened the contact card Xiao He had sent her, then raised an eyebrow.
Oh? This Lin Yipeng was already in her contacts.
How interesting.
Since Liu Rulan had so many contacts, she had to check the notes in her contact list to remember who he was and when she had added him.
Then her expression suddenly turned peculiar: "This Director Lin Yipeng—how did you originally connect with him?"
Xiao He: "Huh?"
Xiao He thought back for a moment, then answered: "When I was in the 'Killing Life' crew, Senior Zhuo Jianhua recommended him to me. He said his friend's child wanted to make a film and was looking for actors, and I happened to be suitable. So I went to meet him and that's how we got acquainted."
Liu Rulan thought about how hard she had worked to get this contact information, and her face showed a benevolent smile.
Xiao He: "...Sister Liu, don't look at me like that. You're scaring me."
Liu Rulan gritted her teeth, looking at Xiao He who seemed completely unaware of his good fortune. She huffed and crossed her arms as she walked out: "I'll help you prepare for the upcoming promotions. You better take this seriously these next few days—promote more, engage more. 'Thief Catcher' needs to be a massive hit!"
Xiao He: "Okay?"
Why did Sister Liu look like she wanted to eat someone?
Who pissed her off this time?
...
After completing the pre-island storyline filming for 'Law of the Jungle' in Shanghai, the crew finally prepared to head to Haishi.
Speaking of Haishi, one naturally thinks of its ocean, beaches, coconut juice, seafood... This would be Xiao He's first time visiting Haishi.
Whether it was psychological or not, the moment Xiao He stepped off the plane, he first noticed the faint scent of the sea in the wind. The smell wasn't unpleasant—instead it made him feel physically and mentally refreshed, as if breathing in the scent of freedom.
The only downside was the heatwave that hit them along with this sea breeze.
Haishi in July was undoubtedly hot and sunny. Their temperature today had already reached 32°C, and the UV radiation needed no further explanation—it was practically a tanning paradise. If you didn't handle sun protection properly, you could become a completely different skin tone between morning and afternoon.
Because of this, Liu Rulan had made Xiao He apply sunscreen in advance and forced him to cover up completely with sun-protective clothing.
Even Director Ren emphasized that several key creative personnel from the crew should apply sunscreen and take protective measures before leaving the airport.
Xiao He really didn't want to wear all this, especially the sun-protective clothing. He was already hot, and wearing these clothes and pants made him even hotter, feeling like he was being tortured by the heat.
Liu Rulan seemed to notice Xiao He's reluctance. Adjusting her own sun-protective face mask, she said with calm authority: "If you want to visibly darken in the movie, then go ahead and take it off."
Xiao He: "..."
Just say I'll get tanned! Why call it "darkening"!