Chapter 204: Noboru Nagano and Leonardo

In the largest conference room of Feimin Entertainment, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the long table. Chen Daoming sat upright at the left end of the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface; Duan Yihong leaned back in his chair, his sharp eyes scanning the script; Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun whispered to each other, occasionally laughing softly; Wu Mengda smiled warmly at everyone, like a patriarch.

"Boss Xiang is here!" The assistant opened the door, and everyone immediately stood up.

"Boss Xiang!"

"A Fei!"

"Xiang Dao!"

"Avien!"

The chorus of greetings made Xiang Fei smile. He raised his hand and said, "Please sit down. Today, we're just here to discuss our understanding of the characters."

Chen Daoming spoke first, his voice steady and strong: "Uncle Seven is a fascinating character." He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. "On the surface, he's the revered patriarch of Tang Renjie, but in truth, he controls the entire underground network. I plan to use two distinct gazes to differentiate his public and private states."

Xiang Fei nodded. "Daoming always grasps his characters with precision."

"I'm curious," Chen Daoming turned to Wu Mengda, "how will Da Shu portray Tang Ren? This role isn't easy to nail."

Wu Mengda burst into laughter, his wrinkles relaxing. "I'm going to add more street-smart flavor. Tang Ren isn't just a comic figure—he's a seasoned veteran who's fought his way through years in a foreign land."

Duan Yihong took over: "For Qin Feng, I want to emphasize his inner conflict." His fingers tapped the table unconsciously. "Beneath the calm exterior of a genius detective lies an uncontrollable urge toward crime."

Li Bingbing interjected: "For Kiko, the hacker girl, I want to add some anime elements." She gestured. "Pink wig, gothic outfit, but her eyes must be sharp."

"As for Detective Chen Ying," Zhou Xun said in her signature husky voice, "I need to show the competence of a career woman, while preserving her inner softness."

Wang Qianyuan suddenly spoke: "For Song Yi..." He paused. "I want to portray him as an elegant madman."

The conference room fell silent.

"Excuse me." Leonardo DiCaprio raised his hand and spoke in accented Chinese: "For the serial killer Springfield, I believe he..." He suddenly switched to English: "should be a mirror to Qin Feng's dark side."

The interpreter opened his mouth, but Xiang Fei replied directly in English: "Exactly. He is the embodiment of Qin Feng's dark side."

Noboru Nagano stood up, bowed, and spoke halting Chinese: "Noda Hao—I want to portray the Japanese detective's discipline, and... humor?"

Xiang Fei scanned the room, his gaze piercing. "Your understanding of the characters is excellent. This film will create..." He paused. "An unprecedented detective universe."

After the meeting ended, the actors gathered in small groups to chat.

Li Bingbing pulled Zhou Xun aside: "Xun Ge, we need to design our scenes together carefully."

Zhou Xun nodded. "I think Chen Ying and Kiko should have a sense of mutual understanding."

On the other side, Duan Yihong and Leonardo were engaged in a heated discussion in English, occasionally sketching on the script.

Wu Mengda acted as an impromptu translator, helping Noboru Nagano communicate with the others.

As they were leaving the conference room, Wu Mengda suddenly called out to everyone: "Wait! Shouldn't we take a group photo? Such an all-star cast—would be a shame not to leave a memory!"

Everyone laughed and gathered together. As the photographer pressed the shutter, Leonardo gave a peace sign, Noboru Nagano gave a thumbs-up, Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun leaned their heads together, Duan Yihong and Wang Qianyuan wore serious expressions, Chen Daoming maintained his signature refined smile, and Wu Mengda made a silly face.

Xiang Fei stood in the center, gazing into the lens, his eyes resolute.

This photo was later called by the media "The Peak Portrait of the Golden Generation of Chinese-language Cinema."