Chapter 499: The Arrival of

Tian Ou, who had been "out of contact," had been overwhelmed during this period, but finally felt at ease.

During this time, Tian Ou had only been busy with one thing—paying back taxes.

As for whether this matter would be exposed in the future, he had no idea.

Just after the New Year, a celebrity who had evaded taxes was made an example of to warn others.

Good heavens, it scared a whole group of people into rushing to pay their taxes voluntarily.

In the entertainment industry, there were many people paying back taxes, a great many.

Some were exposed, while others were not.

But compared to those celebrities active in the public eye, Tian Ou, as a director, worked mostly behind the scenes, so he was barely better off.

After finishing these matters, the first thing he thought of was the S-tier variety show, Director Show.

——Return to Make Money!

Tian Ou knew that Ning Dan would find a film director from within the industry to temporarily fill in for him, but Ning Dan had not told him who it was.

This was normal; it was Tian Ou who had caused trouble for the Director Show production team, so he certainly had to offer a sincere apology.

It was not that Ning Dan was coddling him and reporting everything to him. Moreover, this person could not be reached at all.

Although variety show directors had always been at the bottom of the contempt chain in the directing circle, Ning Dan, after all, had great influence, strong methods, and abundant resources.

Furthermore, she had a unique charm.

Tian Ou was a very practical person; toward good-looking women, his temper was much better.

After dialing Ning Dan's phone number, the first thing out of his mouth was an apology he considered full of sincerity.

For example, treating her to a meal, or punishing himself with three cups of wine.

For example, preparing milk tea, snacks, and drinks for everyone on the production team.

On Ning Dan's end, there was no reaction; her attitude on the phone was cold, and she did not say much.

After expressing his stance, Tian Ou began to inquire: "Director Ning, which director from the industry is coming to help with our show this time?"

Hearing the words "our show," Ning Dan frowned slightly, feeling a bit of disgust, and directly spoke the name of that man: "I found Luo Mo."

"Ah, it's Luo Mo. Then I must thank him properly. When the time comes, I will personally... hmm?" Tian Ou froze.

"Who couldn't you find? You had to find this 'old flame'?" Tian Ou's heart was greatly shaken.

One must know, the box office of Luo Mo's Monkey King: Hero is Back had exceeded his Car King, making him the Newcomer director with the highest debut film box office.

Originally, this title was Tian Ou's greatest pride, and also his biggest bargaining chip for pulling investment from financiers.

But now, he had been kicked off the throne by Luo Mo.

Yet, he still found it hard to accept.

We both shoot live-action films, what is this of yours? You, damn it, are an Animation!

What kind of thing is this? The work we do every day is different, with a world of difference.

And the most fatal thing was that he had once "slipped" and liked an article on the internet bashing Monkey King: Hero is Back.

At the same time, with Luo Mo filling in for a period, netizens would definitely dig up old accounts and compare the films they directed.

"Comparing short films, I'm not afraid," Tian Ou thought to himself.

"But Luo Mo has high popularity and high traffic; on the internet, his side will definitely have a louder voice," Tian Ou was speechless.

It was supposed to be a film director; does Luo Mo count?

Has he ever shot a live-action film!

After pondering for a few seconds, Tian Ou inquired about the current progress of the show over the phone.

Upon learning that the second short film of the "Family" genre was just in the preparation stage, Tian Ou immediately stated: "Director Ning, I can return now."

"I haven't been idle during this time, and I've prepared three scripts..." He began to talk non-stop.

"No need, Director Tian should wait for the next stage," Ning Dan refused directly.

"I... this... alright then."

"I am still very busy here, I'm hanging up first. Director Tian can take this time to prepare well for the content of the next stage," Ning Dan was about to hang up.

"Okay."

After the call ended, Tian Ou leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

He suddenly felt his temples throbbing.

"This variety show, Director Show, has suddenly become a bit difficult to handle!"

"I want to see what kind of thing Luo Mo will film."

"Film and television are two completely different things. Didn't your old partner Guan Fei become 'Flop Fei'?"

"Let's wait and see."

In the end, Tian Ou decided to call a few screenwriters over to have a good chat.

Regardless, because of the intrusion of this Top Traffic, Luo Mo, the show Director Show had ultimately changed from "Simple Mode" to "Difficult Mode."

Isn't that so?

………

………

Hangzhou, the filming site of Director Show.

Luo Mo had started a new round of auditions.

Before the show Director Show officially started, Ning Dan had come to ask for Luo Mo's opinion.

Luo Mo suggested that they could find actors of different age groups.

Some middle-aged, or even actors of Old Age, could also be invited to try out.

Ning Dan listened and found a portion who could carry the acting.

At the same time, there are people of different age groups, so there can be fewer restrictions when creating the script.

For example, this time he needs two middle-aged actors, one male and one female.

Luo Mo will first pick from his own camp; if he really cannot find good ones, he will have to go outside to invite them.

According to the program rules, one can find their own 【External Aid】, but there are many restrictions.

For the four directors, this kind of external aid is best avoided if possible.

It is more embarrassing to lose, and even if you win, it looks bad.

Luo Mo has relatively high 【Requirement】s for these two middle-aged roles.

Because he will compare them with the original actors from Earth.

On Earth, the actor who played the father in the movie is named Gao Yalin.

Many people might know him; many people might not be familiar with the name, but they can recognize him upon seeing his face.

This veteran actor has played many classic roles, such as Xia Donghai in "Home with Kids".

When he is being funny, he is truly funny.

But when he starts acting, he is also truly top-tier.

This kind of family-themed drama is his forte to begin with.

What makes Luo Mo feel quite regretful is that there are not many strong middle-aged or elderly actors in the original Tian Ou camp.

"Why does this guy only pick little fresh meat, little flowers, and people with buzz..."

Of course, it could also be that these older people are more inclined toward Li Dongliang and Fang Jie.

After Luo Mo looked at the camp list, the first person to attract him was definitely—Song Ge.

Then, it was actually a few actors he was personally interested in.

Among them was a middle-aged male actor named Xu Ruihong; he had seen the movies he acted in, and he had even won the Best Supporting Actor award twice.

After Luo Mo had him audition, he was shocked.

He knew this actor would be good, but he didn't expect him to be this good.

Honestly, Xu Ruihong gave him great confidence, feeling that this short film would not be bad.

The afternoon passed in busyness.

It was time for dinner, and the program team had prepared dinner for everyone, which was quite sumptuous.

After eating, everyone had to continue working.

Filming a variety show is quite exhausting; after all, everyone's schedules are hard to coordinate, so it is usually busy from morning till night.

For Luo Mo, there is one more thing tonight that he needs to pay special attention to.

"Reset" will be broadcast on Penguin Video tonight!

Non-member users can watch one episode today, and tomorrow is Saturday, when another episode will be updated.

As for the honorable Penguin Video VIPs, they can rely on the 【Member Early Access】 function to watch four more episodes.

In other words, many viewers can watch five episodes in one go tonight!

As for the third episode of "Director Show", it will be broadcast on Sunday.

At this time, if you open any major social platform, you will definitely see the words "Reset" on the hot list.

The 【Mist Theater】 of Penguin Video and the 【Suspense Theater】 of Pineapple TV are about to start fighting.

Strictly speaking, Song Ge counts as half a 【Pineapple person】, after all, part of his contract is signed with Pineapple Entertainment.

He was idle today, so he observed Luo Mo.

Seeing that Luo Mo's new drama was about to air, he acted as if nothing was happening.

Song Ge naturally hopes that the performance of "Hunting Crime" can be better than "Reset", after all, this drama is a brother piece to "Mist Crime".

But looking at the popularity across the entire internet, "Reset", which hasn't even aired yet, has already rubbed "Hunting Crime", which is currently airing, on the ground.

What Song Ge finds most infuriating is that being handsome really has its benefits.

There are actually netizens commenting under Luo Mo's stills: "My fallopian tubes, which have been blocked for years, suddenly cleared up after seeing this photo."

As for Luo Mo himself, he just took out his phone and glanced at the ranking of "D Da Diao Ka Nong" on the 【Hot Song Chart】 of Penguin Music.

"Do you think the one being threatened today is the film and television circle?"

"No, it's the music scene too!"

"And the thing threatening their chart rankings is actually... a ringtone."

(PS: Second update, seeking monthly tickets.)

(End of this chapter)