Sister Red was persuaded by Li Guorui. She decided to stay by Brother Ming's side and steal intelligence to help the police solve the case.
However, Sister Red was ultimately no professional spy. As every deal was busted by the police, Brother Ming gradually realized there was a mole among his people. During the final arrest operation, the police wiped out the entire gang of drug traffickers based on Sister Red's clues. But the drug lord, Brother Ming, had prepared in advance and escaped to T Country with several trusted subordinates.
To retaliate against Sister Red, Brother Ming knocked out and abducted the Sister Red who had already been placed under police protection before he left. On the smuggling boat, he injected her with drugs and handed her over to his men. After the boat arrived in T Country, Brother Ming tossed Sister Red directly into T Country's red-light district, turning her into the lowest kind of streetwalker.
A year later, Sister Red died when her addiction flared up, leaving behind only an infant, Fang.
Eighteen years later, Li Guorui, who had been tracking the drug lord Brother Ming, came to T Country because of another case and accidentally discovered Fang's identity. Li Guorui had not expected Sister Red to be dead, nor that she had given birth to Fang before her death. He had never expected Fang to be born addicted to drugs, growing up in garbage dumps by drinking the milk of stray cats and dogs. Unable to escape the grip of his addiction, Fang would do anything to earn money for drugs. Despite his young age, his ruthless methods, boldness, and black heart had already made him the leader of a somewhat notorious local gang.
Li Guorui could not accept Sister Red's son becoming like this. He found Fang and told him about Sister Red. Li Guorui told Fang that Sister Red had not been a prostitute, but a hero. He said that Sister Red had not abandoned Fang on purpose, and urged Fang to turn over a new leaf. Otherwise, Sister Red would not be happy in heaven either.
At the same time, Brother Ming, who had entrenched himself in T Country, also discovered Li Guorui's whereabouts. He decided to use Fang to wipe out Li Guorui and his group in one fell swoop, avenging himself and his brothers...
Director Mai Chengliang directly selected Best Actor Liu Jiawei to play the male lead, Li Guorui, and Best Actor Wang Zhen to play the chief villain, Brother Ming. As for Sister Red, he invited the renowned Best Actress Liang Yulin to make a guest appearance.
This was also what the producers and investors wanted.
Unfortunately, Mai Chengliang had yet to find a suitable actor for Fang, another key character.
After accepting the role, Liu Jiawei read the script and recommended someone to Director Mai Chengliang.
It was Lu Heng, who was far away in Beijing working as a child laborer.
During the filming of Autumn Dew White, Best Actor Liu had already witnessed Lu Heng's talent and diligence. While staying at a Beijing hotel, he had also watched Exchanging Lives and personally seen Lu Heng confront the human traffickers.
Fang was a major role with plenty of scenes and demanding requirements, so the casting was particularly selective. The actor's age, acting ability, fighting skills, and perseverance were all indispensable.
Mai Chengliang had originally thought highly of Ji Wenxi, a newly popular idol from Hong Kong, and Ji Wenxi had been quite willing to take the role. Unfortunately, during the final negotiations, Ji Wenxi's agency refused the strict requirement that Ji Wenxi lose thirty jin for the role. Mai Chengliang would hardly lower his artistic standards for an artist's so-called idol image. The two sides simply could not reach an agreement, and the matter ultimately fell through.
So Liu Jiawei took the opportunity to recommend the candidate he favored. Before Lu Heng came for the audition, he first showed Mai Chengliang footage of Lu Heng participating in Exchanging Lives.
Lu Heng's unpolished image and fierce fighting skills immediately won Mai Chengliang over. He promptly had his assistant call Huaxia Imperial Entertainment and extend an audition invitation.
The audition was in Hong Kong.
Come to think of it, this was Lu Heng's first time in his life taking a plane to Hong Kong.
More than a decade earlier, this international metropolis known as the "Pearl of the Orient" still radiated incomparable glamour. Crowds bustled through its streets, and it truly deserved its reputation as a shopping paradise.
Time was the most wondrous painter in this world, using the years as its brush to freely paint one magnificent picture after another.
Accompanying Lu Heng to the audition were Huaxia Imperial Entertainment's president, Wei Zhanjie, and his son, Wei Linxuan. Though the father and son claimed to be accompanying him to an audition, they actually had another important task. It was simply inconvenient for the media and outsiders to know, which was why they were being so secretive.
Fortunately, once the group arrived at the hotel, they went their separate ways.
After resting briefly, Lu Heng headed straight to the audition.
The audition excerpt he received had been personally selected by Director Mai Chengliang.
Ever since watching the footage from Exchanging Lives, Director Mai had formed a preconceived impression. He had no doubts about Lu Heng's appearance or fighting skills; he was only worried about Lu Heng's acting.
So he straightforwardly chose a scene in which Fang suffered a drug withdrawal episode and had Lu Heng perform it.
This was also one of the most explosive and shocking scenes in the entire film.
Because of his mother, Fang had been addicted to drugs from the moment he was born. Without parents or family to care for him, Fang was tossed into a garbage dump as a baby and grew up drinking the milk of stray cats and dogs near the trash.
The mother who should have sheltered him with love left him with nothing but addiction, illness, and humiliation. The shadows of his childhood made Fang cold and ruthless, while the addiction lingering in his body also affected his temperament. On one hand, he retained the fierce instincts of a wild beast; on the other, he secretly envied the warmth of a family.
When Fang was small and weak, he was once adopted by an elderly couple who collected recyclables. They had no children, so they treated Fang as their own grandson.
However, Fang had been addicted since the womb. Whenever his addiction flared up, he recognized neither family nor friends and wanted only drugs. The elderly couple had no money to give him, and he would even lay hands on them.
During an accidental shove, Fang, in the grip of his addiction, personally pushed his grandfather into the corner of a table, splitting his forehead open and drawing a great deal of blood.
Seeing his unconscious grandfather and terrified grandmother, Fang regained his senses and burst into tears. He knew there was no hope left for him in this life. Unable to bear seeing the disappointment and fear in his grandparents' eyes, Fang fled the house in a panic.
This was the scene Lu Heng had to audition with.
Lu Heng was a little overwhelmed when he received the script.
Sitting in the audition room, Mai Chengliang said with a genial smile, "Don't be nervous. Perform it however you want. I just want to see your potential."
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