Chapter 134: Mr. Yan's Casting

Xiang Fei stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his fingers tapping lightly on the rosewood desk. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a golden patch of light on the floor.

"Cai-ge," he suddenly spoke up, "among Wang Zhiwen, Li Youbin, and Chen Daoming at the company, who has time available recently?"

Cai Wen pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a sharp glint reflecting off the lenses. He picked up the brick phone and skillfully dialed the number of Dong Xiaoming, the Artists Department manager.

"Hello, Manager Dong? Director Xiang wants to ask about Wang Zhiwen, Li Youbin, and Chen Daoming's recent schedules."

A slightly hoarse voice came from the other end: "Li Youbin happens to have a month free. He's going to film 'Flying Tigers' next month."

Cai Wen looked toward Xiang Fei, who gave a slight nod.

"Alright, please ask Teacher Li Youbin to come to Director Xiang's office." Cai Wen hung up the phone and turned to Xiang Fei. "Teacher Li Youbin has a month available."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Xiang Fei's mouth. "That's enough."

Half an hour later, the office door was knocked lightly.

"Come in."

Li Youbin pushed the door open and walked in, his posture upright as a pine. He wore a simple dark blue shirt, the cuffs slightly rolled up, revealing his sturdy forearms.

"Director Xiang." His voice was deep and forceful.

Xiang Fei gestured for him to sit, pushing a neatly bound script across. "Take a look at this role."

Li Youbin took the script with both hands. The gold-foiled title "Tang Renjie Detective" on the cover glittered in the sunlight. He flipped to the first page, his brow slightly furrowed, then relaxed.

For a moment, the office was filled only with the rustle of turning pages. Xiang Fei sipped his tea unhurriedly, yet his gaze remained fixed on Li Youbin's face, observing every subtle shift in his expression.

When he turned to the scenes for "Mr. Yan," Li Youbin's fingertip paused on the page. He looked up, a glint flashing in his eyes.

"This role..."

"Suits you very well, doesn't it?" Xiang Fei set down his teacup; the base met the desk with a crisp sound.

Li Youbin lowered his head to read a few more pages, then suddenly chuckled: "Indeed interesting. The godfather of Tang Renjie in Thailand — refined on the surface, ruthless within."

"Is one month enough?"

Li Youbin closed the script, his gaze blazing: "Enough."

"Then it's settled." Xiang Fei sat up straight. "We depart for Thailand next week."

"Alright." Li Youbin gave a slight nod. As he turned to leave, his back was as straight as a soldier's.

That evening, Li Youbin ran into Ng Man-tat and Zeng Zhiwei rehearsing lines at the company café.

Three days later, in the conference room of Fei Min Entertainment, the core creative team of "Tang Renjie Detective" gathered together.

Xiang Fei stood before the projector, pointing at a map of Bangkok: "Mr. Yan's headquarters is set in this dock warehouse. On the surface, it's a seafood business, but in reality..."

Li Youbin sat in the front row, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. From time to time, he jotted notes in the script, his handwriting bold and forceful.

After the meeting ended, the attendees filed out one by one.

A week later, Fei Min Entertainment's chartered plane landed at Bangkok Airport. Li Youbin was the last to descend the boarding stairs, wearing sunglasses and a dark grey stand-collar Zhongshan suit, looking especially striking under the tropical sun.

"Teacher Li!" A crew member jogged over. "Your car is this way."

Li Youbin gave a slight nod and walked with steady steps toward the dedicated car. In the distance, Xiang Fei was chatting with a local Thai producer; seeing him arrive, he nodded from afar.