Chapter 526: I'll Do This Favor

Most people in the industry knew full well that Luo Mo would eventually enter the film industry officially, but no one expected everything to come so quickly.

"Is his brain wired differently from ours?" many industry insiders thought to themselves.

Following a normal person's line of thinking and planning, generally speaking, one would make one of the following two choices.

The first is to take advantage of the box office explosion of Monkey King: Hero is Back and the constantly increasing market share of domestic animation films to strike while the iron is hot, rushing to get Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child finished this year to rake in a wave of box office earnings.

As the post-credits scene of Monkey King: Hero is Back, this film announced that Luo Mo intended to build Huaxia's own Myth universe.

This was clearly a major move, a plan spanning several years or even longer.

Yet, judging by Luo Mo's current attitude, he didn't seem to be in a hurry at all.

"Slow work yields fine products; animation production cannot be rushed." Luo Mo had no intention of making a quick buck.

Based on the current progress, it would be good if Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child could be released during this year's Spring Festival slot.

If any difficulties were encountered along the way, it might even have to be postponed further.

Impatience is useless.

The other option is to take advantage of having won the "Best Actor" award to act in another television series.

With this honor added to his resume, whether selling to a television station or a video platform, the price could climb to a higher tier.

To put it simply, in the eyes of many, Luo Mo's current approach is practically going against money!

This is no longer a question of whether it is rational or not; this is completely wasting the excellent situation at hand.

Even if you are ambitious, even if you want to strike while the iron is hot, can't you play it safe first and finish reaping the dividends?

I really don't understand what he is thinking.

As for the people in the film circle, some of them had a very direct thought: "Luo Mo, don't you come over here!"

These past few years have been a period of explosive growth for the film industry; the total number of cinemas in the country has been continuously increasing, and more and more films are breaking the 100 million mark at the box office.

The total annual box office for the film industry each year is significantly higher than the previous year.

Huaxia has already become the world's second-largest film market.

In this flourishing situation, a large number of new films are produced every year, and there are many new projects every year.

Those who plan to release new films this year are the most annoyed by newcomers like Luo Mo.

Whether he can succeed is indeed an unknown.

However, with his popularity, his traffic, and his personal appeal... he can definitely squeeze everyone else's screen allocation.

If screen allocation is squeezed and a portion is plundered by this young man, then the box office will be affected.

—Would it kill you to film another year of television series?

At the same time, there is another reason why the industry does not welcome people like Luo Mo.

That is, it is very difficult to cooperate with him.

If he were just a pure Actor, then this would be simple.

With his acting skills, his appearance, and his popularity, he would definitely be a hot commodity.

Investors like him, directors like him, screenwriters like him... oh right, he can also do the Singing for the theme song!

But it just so happens that this person is overflowing with talent and is an all-around player.

That stance is as if to say: "Of all the talent in the world, I, Luo Mo, possess twelve pecks, while the rest of the world owes me two!"

If you are an investor or a capital provider, you cannot cooperate with him; he is not short of money himself and can invest on his own.

Only companies like Penguin and Xinyu can participate.

If you are a screenwriter or a director, you also have almost no opportunity to cooperate with him.

At most, those who are Actors can go to act in his films. However, you don't know if it will be a box office hit in the end, as it is his live-action film debut after all.

He is too "unsociable."

Everyone has no conflict of interest.

Many traffic stars have a giant web woven by capital behind them, involving many people, many companies, and many circles.

Luo Mo does not.

Capital in the circle hates this kind of person the most.

This is a "lone wolf."

Staying away from the wolf pack, not following everyone to ravage, hunting all by himself, biting off one piece of fat meat after another, and perhaps even thinking in his heart—you are not a wolf pack, you are a pack of dogs.

Therefore, every time Luo Mo sits at a new gaming table, he is inevitably squeezed into a Corner, and then stared at by a group of people.

Thus, Luo Mo is also very clear that he cannot proceed step by step anymore.

"Unlike when I first started, when I wasn't famous yet, I could play slowly step by step, playing small cards first, just like fishing; if someone threatened me, I would then counter with a big card."

Now, too many people can't wait to kick him out of the game the moment they get a chance.

"So, I can only throw a bomb right from the start."

"Let them never be able to handle it."

But fortunately... he always has a bomb in his hand!

Besides, didn't I not plan on doing this for too long anyway? I was still thinking about retiring early.

Then—let's go all out and make a scene!

………

………

The next day, Wang Rong specifically called Luo Mo and said, "My Director Luo, it seems you aren't very well-liked."

He is someone with social butterfly syndrome; he has too many friends in the circle, and he is clear about any news.

Luo Mo replied in a very pretentious way: "Either be lonely, or be vulgar."

Wang Rong first praised: "That was well said, it has flavor, eh... but why do I feel like you are scolding me?"

"How could that be?" Luo Mo said with a smile: "Producer Wang, you only just realized now that I'm not very likable? But we've already signed the Contract; you can't escape being the male lead and 【Producer】 of this film."

After finishing, he added jokingly: "Of course, if you're willing to pay me the breach of contract fee for nothing, I'd be very happy too. Once the money is in hand, how about we just stop filming altogether?"

"What is this? Are you just trying to scam me out of my money?" Wang Rong was caught between laughter and tears.

Although he sensed that Luo Mo came with the 【Boycotted by the Industry】 attribute, Wang Rong wasn't panicked.

He was a person who could handle all sides by nature; he had encountered this kind of situation many times and knew how to deal with it.

In fact, this afternoon, Luo Mo Studio would announce to the public that Wang Rong would serve as the male lead for Luo Mo's first live-action film.

At the same time, he would also serve as 【Producer】 for the film crew.

By three o'clock in the afternoon, this news was released.

In an instant, it immediately sparked heated discussion across the entire internet.

"Ox! A Best Actor has joined!"

"So Luo Mo went to 【Director Show】 to recruit people. I feel bad for Ning Dao; she's become a tool person again."

"A strong alliance!"

"Is Luo Mo not playing the male lead himself this time? I thought he would act in it himself."

"Unbeatable. Which Newcomer film director has this kind of prestige? Collaborating with a Best Actor-level Actor right from the start!"

Indeed, this kind of treatment was the envy of others.

Luo Mo's starting point was too high; this was a finish line many directors would never reach in their entire lives.

Shen Shaoqiu, the boss of Xinyu, was having a rare moment of leisure today, taking his daughter Shen Yinuo out to play golf.

Luo Mo had told him that the male lead for the film had already been chosen, but who it specifically was remained a secret for the time being.

Regarding Luo Mo's projects, Shen Shaoqiu only ever provided support and never interfered.

Whoever he wanted to choose, he chose.

At this moment, Boss Shen was sticking his butt out, preparing to get the ball in the hole in one stroke.

Shen Yinuo was on the side scrolling through Weibo on her phone when she suddenly got excited, trotted over, and silently kicked the ball away.

"Nuo Nuo, hey, you!" Shen Shaoqiu was stunned.

"Dad, look quickly!" Shen Yinuo handed her phone to him.

Shen Shaoqiu took a look, his pupils constricted slightly, and his face revealed astonishment.

"Wang Rong?" He glanced at his daughter.

"Right! Luo Mo actually managed to pull Wang Rong in!" There was a hint of admiration in Shen Yinuo's tone.

This kind of thing was too exaggerated; it exceeded many people's imaginations.

Shen Shaoqiu knew very well that if he went to invite Wang Rong to join, he likely wouldn't be able to.

This young man was growing too fast.

Shen Yinuo looked at Shen Shaoqiu and suddenly said: "By the way, Dad, isn't a portion of Luo Mo's contract with our Xinyu about to expire?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Shaoqiu nodded with difficulty.

Luo Mo had signed several contracts with Xinyu, involving different content and different fields.

There were indeed some contracts that were about to expire.

Both he and Shen Yinuo knew very well that for the current Luo Mo, Xinyu was already an expendable existence.

But Xinyu could not exist without Luo Mo!

Don't look at how Xinyu has now replaced Pineapple Entertainment's position in the music industry, becoming one of the four major companies in the music scene.

But once they lost Luo Mo, while Xinyu wouldn't necessarily be beaten back to its original form, its status would definitely not be secure.

He knew Luo Mo's temperament very well.

However, he no longer owed Xinyu anything either.

"During this period, the company's top management has actually been worrying about this problem." Shen Shaoqiu didn't intend to hide it from his daughter.

"Ah? Why didn't anyone talk to me? I'm a shareholder too!" Xiao Shen's first reaction was actually that she wasn't being taken seriously.

Shen Shaoqiu: "........."

When he first saw Luo Mo getting close to Shen Yinuo and Jiang Ningxi, he was truly worried that something might happen.

Young boys and girls, you never know.

It wasn't as if he, Shen Shaoqiu, hadn't been young once.

But thinking about it now, if there really were such a son-in-law... Sigh!

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

Luo Mo's feeling these past few days was: "I'm so greedy for food!"

After the nutritionist arrived, he felt he couldn't satisfy his cravings anymore.

Men have very strong cravings, in every aspect.

However, in terms of losing weight, the effect was indeed significant.

As night fell, "Reset" finally ushered in its update.

The eighth episode was high-energy throughout; the audience had been waiting bitterly for a week and finally reached the ninth episode.

At the very beginning of the ninth episode, it was revealed that the "Pot Auntie's" room had previously caught fire, and the kind-hearted Lao Jiao had even rushed over with a fire extinguisher to put it out.

This connected directly to the later parts where Lao Jiao was about to be kicked out of the garage, the fire department was coming to inspect, and the garage was no longer allowed to be rented out.

This made many viewers feel angry as they watched.

"Wow! Lao Jiao is such a good person, so full of Kindness!"

"It's one thing that you've got nowhere to live because of her, but you still want to blow him up!"

"This woman is just too vicious!"

"Why, why would she take revenge on society like this!"

"Never mind why; even if there were ten thousand reasons, this woman can't be washed clean!"

"Pot Aunt is truly too terrifying!"

The Drama at the beginning also effectively explained that the bomb was developed by Pot Aunt herself.

What's interesting is that in the bullet comments of this episode, many people are frantically mentioning Luo Mo.

"Let me see the performance of the newly crowned Best Actor."

"Suddenly feel that the membership fee spent on 'Reset' is even more worth it!"

"Good heavens, since when does a Best Actor act in a web Drama? Worth it!"

"Came here by reputation, and ended up binge-watching eight episodes in one go a few days ago!"

Throughout the ninth episode, Luo Mo's reaction after accidentally killing someone was incredibly realistic, especially when he was cleaning up the bloodstains.

And the content of this episode wasn't as high-octane as the eighth, returning instead to a slow-paced rhythm.

Everyone is now curious, can the 【Loop】 really continue?

It wasn't until the tenth episode updated on Saturday that the answer was given.

Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing were back on the bus.

This time, they understood that the power of two people is limited, and they needed to mobilize the other passengers on the bus as much as possible.

When Drama Critic Xiao Cai watched this episode, she couldn't help but say: "The foreshadowing is finally going to be used!"

She initially thought that this time, 【Cat Apostle · Asthma Conqueror · The One Chosen by Light】—Lu Di, would play a key role.

But Luo Mo's tropes are not so easy to guess.

Next, a simple sentence made Xiao Cai feel like her heart had been poked.

At this very moment, Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing had edited text on their phones, pretending to be police officers who needed the passengers' cooperation.

They showed the text on their phones to the passengers on the bus.

When Xiao Heyun showed it to Lao Jiao, he saw his gaze slowly leave the phone screen, his eyelids drooping slightly, his expression grave; it was clear there was fear, conflict, and evasion in his eyes.

Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing exchanged a glance, and under her questioning gaze, he slowly shook his head.

He felt that this middle-aged man probably wouldn't help.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Lao Jiao suddenly tugged on his sleeve.

"Young man," he said softly.

He glanced at the pressure cooker inside the red plastic bag and asked only one question.

"Does this count as a courageous act for a just cause?"

A simple sentence that moved Xiao Cai immensely.

"So the 20,000 yuan reward for the courageous act mentioned earlier was really foreshadowing!" Xiao Cai felt this plot was simply superb.

At the same time, Lao Jiao had seen Pot Aunt's house on fire and had heard the explosion, which was also very important.

His previous expression was actually him contemplating the truth of the claim that "there is a bomb on the bus."

Xiao Heyun was stunned as he listened to Lao Jiao's words.

He didn't understand why he would ask such a question.

Naturally, he also didn't know what exactly was contained behind this simple sentence.

It was a father's heavy love for his daughter.

It was also the immense sorrow of a father at the bottom of society.

You have to know, the reward for a courageous act that Lao Jiao's coworker received was only 20,000 yuan.

He was too humble, so humble that even being told he couldn't live in the garage anymore could fill him with worry.

A speck of dust from the era, when it lands on him, can become a mountain.

Facing this question, in the eyes of a normal person, this kind of act of extending a helping hand is naturally a courageous act for a just cause; there's nothing more to say.

So Xiao Heyun looked at Lao Jiao and nodded blankly.

Lao Jiao looked at him without any hesitation.

"I'll help with this."

(PS: Just one 4,000-word chapter today, going out for scraping therapy tonight)

(End of this chapter)