"Alright."
Liu Rulan nodded. "There are still many videos online about you rescuing people with the speedboat. If you're interested, you can take a look."
"It was so far away then, they probably couldn't have captured much..."
Xiao He opened the video with some doubt.
It was actually footage shot from a drone's perspective!
Although the drone was still quite far away, the overhead angle provided a wide view, and they had zoomed in and captured the situation perfectly.
The main parts of the video were: Xiao Chen repeatedly using his eagle-eyed vision to point the way, Sister Liu taking off her shoes to rescue people, and Xiao He steering the boat with cool, stylish drifts.
Of course, the driver who jumped off the boat to rescue people at the time was also very impressive and worthy of respect, but compared to the actions of professionals, the rescue efforts of Xiao He's team undoubtedly provided more discussion points.
Netizens quickly offered their sharp comments—
["I'm dying of laughter, what kind of talented people are in Xiao He's team? This is absolutely ridiculous!"]
["The little assistant repeatedly 'placed wards' and caught two people, earning MVP! Sister Liu 'jungled' by going into the water to accumulate good karma, but Xiao He only knew how to drive the boat! Xiao He is a carry who got carried!"]
["Is this the power of naturally talented netizens? No matter how hard I try to meme, I can't keep up with you all, I'm really laughing myself to death."]
["Wait, am I the only one who thinks Xiao He's big drifts were super cool? They seriously impressed me."]
["No one's saying they weren't cool, it's just that Xiao He rescuing people is basically standard operation for him now, we're all used to it."]
["Hahaha, if Xiao He sees these comments, he's really going to be speechless because of you all."]
Xiao He himself: ...I've seen the comments, and yes, I am indeed a bit speechless.
Xiao He was really impressed by these netizens. What's wrong with playing a few less memes each day!
Just at that moment, Xiao He's phone rang again.
Seeing the name on the caller ID, Xiao He was very surprised.
[Director - Wang Xingyuan]
Wang Xingyuan was precisely the idol drama director of Xiao He's first famous work, "Heart of Embers." Later, he successfully entered everyone's sight through his role as Mu Ze in "Heart of Embers," and "Heart of Embers" also benefited from this, achieving quite good results.
It's just that later, as Xiao He continuously joined new productions and got to know more people in the industry, he hadn't been in contact with anyone from that crew for a long time.
He never expected that Director Wang would personally call him this time.
Xiao He first showed the name to Liu Rulan.
Liu Rulan immediately matched the name to the person and nodded slightly to Xiao He: "Answer the call first, hear what he has to say."
"Okay."
Normally, when someone you haven't contacted for a long time suddenly reaches out, they must have something to ask you. Although Xiao He didn't know what Wang Xingyuan's purpose was, it was very likely related to him trending on Hot Search.
"Hello? Director Wang." Xiao He started the call with some pleasantries. "Long time no contact, how have you been recently?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Xiao. Sorry to bother you at this time, I'm shamelessly disturbing you..."
Wang Xingyuan's attitude this time was much better than before. It was clear that Xiao He's status and position had gradually changed in the minds of these people; he was no longer the small supporting actor or extra who could be ordered around casually.
However, Xiao He felt that Wang Xingyuan didn't need to be like this. His impression of Wang Xingyuan had always been quite good. If Wang Xingyuan's attitude was the same as before, Xiao He might actually feel more comfortable.
"Director Wang, is there something you need my help with?"
Xiao He got straight to the point.
"Well, it's like this—"
Wang Xingyuan didn't beat around the bush either and directly stated his purpose.
"I'm currently also filming a TV series in Haishi. An actor playing a very important role has run into some problems and needs to be replaced temporarily. But this role mainly has a scene where the actor drives a speedboat. I really haven't found a suitable candidate on such short notice—and then, I happened to see your video rescuing people in Haishi. So I wanted to ask if you might have time recently to help us out by stepping in?"
As expected, it was an acting invitation.
And moreover, it was an emergency rescue situation.
Xiao He was somewhat hesitant: "Director Wang, what type of TV series is it?"
It wouldn't be another brainless, melodramatic romance idol drama, would it? Asking him to play the villain who turns evil?
Although, in a way, Director Wang could be considered his first benefactor, that didn't mean Xiao He had to go act in such a brainless role again. He still couldn't forget the plot where Mu Ze smoothly killed this and that, almost even killing the female lead, only to be very carelessly shot dead by the male lead in the end.
It looked brainless, and actually, it was brainless to act in too.
"It's a crime investigation drama, mainly about antique smuggling," Wang Xingyuan quickly said. "I've already sent the script to your collaboration email. You can take a look. The role I want you to fill in for is one of the more important villains in the later stages, a leader responsible for the transportation side, named Mo Tun."
Xiao He: "..."
Mo Tun? The name doesn't sound like a local.
But then again, isn't Director Wang specialized in filming idol dramas? When did he start filming crime investigation dramas?
Of course, "Heart of Embers" doesn't count; that still falls under the idol drama category.
"Let me check my schedule first."
Xiao He replied conservatively. "Director Wang, you know I'm currently filming on an island too. I'm not sure if I have time to come save the situation. Let me have my agent ask around first, and then we'll see the situation, alright?"
"Of course, of course. I'm counting on you. This role is very important to our crew. I'm really forced into this situation, shamelessly coming to you, I'm truly sorry to disturb you." As Wang Xingyuan spoke, somehow he remembered the first time he met Xiao He and the request Xiao He made to him. As if guided by a ghost, he added, "This character kills decisively, acts ruthlessly, and is always 'stabbing people' when he appears. You'll definitely be interested!"
Xiao He: "..."
Seriously? Even after all this time, Director Wang, your misunderstanding of me is still this deep?
Well, who told him that back then, in his desperation, he randomly sought help and directly confessed his eager "stabbing people" idea?
Forget it, forget it.
After hanging up, Xiao He discussed the matter with Liu Rulan: "When did Director Wang start filming crime investigation dramas? Sister Liu, do you know anything about the situation?"
Liu Rulan nodded: "This actually has to do with you!"
Xiao He was surprised: "Huh? Me?"
"Yes. Because of the role you played, 'Heart of Embers' gained some popularity. Many people were deeply impressed by the character you portrayed, but they also felt regret about the plot of 'Heart of Embers.' They thought Director Wang's crime investigation style was quite strong; it's just a pity the plot was really somewhat brainless, making it hard to watch. Then, somehow, this Director Wang seemed to awaken his directorial dream and decided to genuinely try his hand at crime investigation dramas."
"However, people in the industry aren't optimistic about his move. Many are waiting to see him fail."
A director who has been filming terrible idol dramas for years suddenly switching to crime investigation dramas—just saying it out loud makes people shake their heads.
After all, no one would expect a director who only knows how to film lovey-dovey plots to be able to vividly portray high-brow suspenseful stories.
"Do you want to go save the situation?" Liu Rulan asked.
Xiao He nodded: "A bit. After all, Director Wang treated me quite well back then. But I still need to look at the script and check the filming schedule here first."
If the script is too bad, then sorry, he's not just about killing anymore these days; he wants prestige!
Liu Rulan picked up her phone and started typing: "Alright, then you read the script. If you decide, I'll help you ask Director Ren on our side, and then confirm the filming duration with Director Wang."
Xiao He was surprised: "Sister Liu, you don't object?"
Liu Rulan paused, carefully recalling: "Actually, very few people remember that Director Wang became famous years ago thanks to a ten-minute suspense music video."
If she remembered correctly, it even won some award at the time. It's just that many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and very few people remember this incident.
Liu Rulan felt that since Wang Xingyuan dared to return to this track, it definitely wouldn't be a decision made on a whim.
"Director Wang actually has such a background?"
Xiao He suddenly felt that this was different from the idol drama director in his impression.
Liu Rulan, however, was already used to it: "These days, everyone's just trying to make a living."