"Alright then, let me take a look at the script."
Xiao He opened his phone and began reviewing the script Wang Xingyuan had sent to his email.
The script was titled "Sea Fog Pursuit."
The story takes place around the early 2000s, when the protagonist Mu Wen, fresh out of university, returns to his hometown to clean up the antique shop left by his recently deceased grandfather.
Unexpectedly, a group of people shows up at his shop that day.
These people speak a dialect he can't understand, using extremely awkward Mandarin to inquire about the old man's whereabouts. Upon learning that Mu Wen's grandfather died accidentally, their expressions turn grim. When they discover Mu Wen just graduated with an archaeology degree, they forcibly drag him away.
Of course, they're not taking Mu Wen tomb raiding. Their main purpose is to have Mu Wen help authenticate a batch of antiques recently smuggled from a neighboring country.
It's only then that Mu Wen realizes his grandfather had been working for these people all along—authenticating antiques, determining authenticity, even appraising and grading them for transport packaging... No wonder grandfather left behind a substantial inheritance after his death. This money wasn't earned from running the antique shop at all, but from helping these people with their illegal business!
But as the final beneficiary, Mu Wen has no chance to refuse now, especially during that era when these guys even carried guns. Mu Wen can't escape and is forced to disguise himself as a local fisherman with them, boarding a fishing boat heading toward dangerous international waters.
On that ship, Mu Wen sees things he previously only encountered in books and museums.
Particularly that Buddha head they somehow chopped off from somewhere—the face remains perfectly intact, the great Buddha appearing compassionate and kind. But perhaps due to guilt, under Mu Wen's terrified psychological state, he actually feels the Buddha is glaring at him ferociously, an unknown Sanskrit chant whispering in his ears, interrogating his soul.
That day inevitably changes Mu Wen's fate.
He obediently helps authenticate the batch of antiques, then follows the group's instructions to sort and arrange the items properly. Finally, sitting on the drifting small boat, he watches helplessly as these people sail away with the antiques toward distant Western countries.
Eventually, Mu Wen takes the payment and hush money from these people and safely returns to his grandfather's antique shop. In the following period, he begins taking over his grandfather's previous work, running authentication for these people.
Meanwhile, the police who've been monitoring this group launch their own operations.
A silent battle between black and white unfolds across the sea...
The character Wang Xingyuan needs Xiao He to play is Mo Tun, the small leader responsible for maritime transport within this antique smuggling ring.
Mo Tun is ruthless, cunning, and treacherous. He repeatedly leads people across international waters, shuttling between China and two neighboring small countries, transporting large quantities of antiques and other contraband. Even during that era, he was among the most rampant criminals. The police list him as a key capture target and attempt to arrest him multiple times, but he always slips away smoothly, elusive like an eel.
This character only appears through mentions in the early storyline. Mu Wen merely accidentally sees his back during one transaction and gets brutally beaten by nearby lackeys as a warning. Therefore, Mu Wen maintains constant fear and terror toward this character.
Only later, after gaining the trust of land transport personnel and gradually infiltrating the criminal organization, does Mu Wen finally meet this person face to face.
During their first meeting, Mo Tun cruelly kills a subordinate who betrayed him right in front of the protagonist.
This scene receives minimal description, but Mu Wen returns vomiting violently and suffers nightmares for three to four consecutive days, his fear of Mo Tun reaching new heights.
Even until the end, the police never capture him alive—instead, they kill him on the spot during a sea pursuit...
Xiao He quickly scans through the script and soon forms a general summary of this character.
This character's persona isn't particularly unique—many film and television portrayals of crime bosses share these traits: ruthless methods, cruel tactics, terrifying presence. But admittedly, within the current domestic entertainment industry, very few young actors can actually portray this role effectively.
Because he needs to be ruthless enough to make audiences feel the protagonist's fear through the screen, his performance must carry sufficient presence, and his acting skills must overpower other actors.
This character only appears through mentions in the early storyline. Mu Wen merely accidentally sees his back during one transaction and gets brutally beaten by nearby lackeys as a warning. Therefore, Mu Wen maintains constant fear and terror toward this character.
Of course, Xiao He doesn't need to worry about this at all.
Liu Rulan is busy with other matters nearby. Noticing Xiao He putting down his phone, she looks up and asks, "What do you think?"
"Acceptable." Xiao He nods. "I think Director Wang might actually fulfill his entertainment industry dreams with this one."
This script is quite special—it creates a third perspective between the police and criminal camps, following the entire case through protagonist Mu Wen's viewpoint, who originally belongs to neither side. He's both participant and recorder.
The conflict between both sides is written exceptionally well too. These criminal gang members are not only bold in their actions but also extremely cunning. The police repeatedly try to trace sellers and buyers along their trails but often fail. Meanwhile, the criminal gang frequently attempts to exploit various loopholes to smuggle antiques but gets intercepted and confiscated by police multiple times.
Although the series isn't particularly long—roughly 16 episodes total—Xiao He feels that as an ordinary viewer, he'd quite enjoy this type of drama.
Liu Rulan also notices Xiao He's satisfied expression and nods: "I've already checked your recent shooting schedule. You have fight scenes these next few days with very heavy filming workload—definitely no time to go over. But after the fight scenes, Director Ren scheduled about two days off for you. Let me ask Director Ren first to see if he's willing to give you one extra day off."
According to Wang Xingyuan's emergency rescue situation, it typically doesn't take much time—usually just two to three days to complete filming all scenes for this character.
Xiao He hesitates slightly: "Director Ren wouldn't mind, right?"
Isn't this what's called "schedule juggling" in the entertainment industry?
Liu Rulan immediately understands: "Oh, you mean schedule juggling?"
Xiao He nods: "Yes, I heard fans in the circle really oppose it."
Liu Rulan chuckles: "You're learning more and more now. But don't worry—this barely counts as anything. You're not playing a major role there, just short-term emergency help. After discussing with Director Ren, he'll usually agree. It's just adjusting your later shooting schedule without delaying the crew's overall progress."
Actually, in earlier years, schedule juggling was seen as proof of an actor's dedication and hard work. During Hong Kong cinema's peak era, almost all stars there juggled schedules—not doing so meant you weren't popular enough. At most, some stars filmed 14 movies in one year.
Only later, when chaotic schedule juggling frequently occurred and actors without capability forcibly took on multiple roles, did the term gradually become negative.
Generally, fans and directors dislike schedule juggling for two main reasons: seamless transitions between multiple productions easily reduce performance quality, and if a lead actor juggles schedules, it highly likely affects the entire crew's filming progress—other main cast must wait for the juggling actor to return before resuming work.
Liu Rulan pats Xiao He's shoulder, half-teasing, half-dismissive: "You small fry should just wash up and sleep early. I've seen the most hardworking person in the circle—17 dramas plus several other commitments in one year. Don't you worry about this."
Xiao He: ?
Huh?