Page 36

Father Lou said, "Because that was impossible, kid. Undercover cops always gave far more than movies showed."

"Movies beautified things, but reality was far crueler. Sigh, beautiful endings were hard to come by."

Even if the protagonist successfully completed his undercover mission, there was still a void in his heart that could not be filled. Though the film never stated it outright, after leaving the police station, the protagonist left his cap and badge on the desk.

After hearing Father Lou explain it, Lou Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears, took out her phone, and rapidly typed out a post. "I'm going to promote this movie more!"

"Daughter, help me make one later too." Father Lou wanted to keep up with the times and post on his Moments.

"Me too," Mother Lou said.

Lou Xiaoxiao said, "Okay, okay. Once I'm done posting mine, I'll help each of you with yours."

The protagonist's acting was excellent. The relationship between the protagonist and the second male lead, the villain, shifted from trust to suspicion. Their mutual probing was tense and thrilling enough to make people's hearts leap into their throats. Especially in their confrontation scenes, both actors' performances exploded with intensity, leaving the audience thoroughly satisfied and eager to slap their thighs in praise.

Even more surprising was Xu Yuqing, the third male lead. Although he came from idol dramas and had been shelved for three years, his acting did not hold the film back in the slightest. Not only did he hold his own against the protagonist and the villainous second male lead, he was never overshadowed by them. In the scene where he died and exited the story, his performance was practically better than the protagonist's, faintly giving the impression that he had surpassed him. That scene would absolutely become Xu Yuqing's defining shot. His eyes and expressions were flawless.

Lou Xiaoxiao praised it with all her might. She had so much she wanted to say that a Moments post was not enough, so she also posted on some book app and blog platform.

And Chen Chengrong definitely had not run out of talent. He was still the gifted great director he had once been!

There was not a single flaw to pick apart in this movie's plot logic. The pacing was fast and tight without seeming messy. Instead, it connected so smoothly that you would be confused one second, then suddenly realize, So that's how it is, only to become tense again right afterward as you eagerly anticipated what would happen next.

The director completely understood how to stir the audience's emotions, keeping them fully focused on the movie instead of making them drowsy, bored, or snack their way through the time.

In short, every audience member who walked out of the theater had the same feeling—this movie was going to explode!

Sure enough, only one day after its release, the movie was already receiving a flood of praise online.

Netizens' reviews directly boosted theater attendance, with every showing packed to capacity, even the late-night screenings.

[Fuck, I cried like a dog. Zhuang Xiaowu, come back! Pay me back for my tears!]

[This movie's theme perfectly explained its title, "Black or White." There is no absolute black and no absolute white in this world. The protagonist was acted wonderfully. In the end, he held fast to the justice in his heart. He was an ordinary person, yet not ordinary at all. He was imperfect, but he absolutely became the perfect protagonist in my heart.]

[Among movies whose acting and plot logic have both been put to the test, "Black or White" is absolutely worth watching and supporting in theaters. Chen Chengrong truly deserved his reputation as a genius director. These past four years were not wasted. He really handed in an answer that satisfied the audience. At the very least, I'm satisfied. Now I can be certain that the previous movie was absolutely the fault of the investors and producers. I can't believe that if nothing had happened to Director Chen's family, if he had supervised the filming from beginning to end... Uh, wait. It would have been even better if those actors who had been forced into the cast were removed. That movie probably would have been very good too.]

[If all investors were like President Cai, that would be great. He respected the director's opinions, didn't randomly add or alter scenes, and provided financial support when necessary. The sugar daddy everyone dreamed of, haha.]

[President Cai definitely didn't lose out on this investment. The movie exploded!]

[Our Little Xu is amazing!]

[Wuwu, Little Xu finally made it through. So great! I'm going for a second viewing.]

The movie's popularity had Jinbai Entertainment celebrating, but Star Universe Entertainment was deathly quiet. Gao Su's face was dark.

The movie being good was entirely Chen Chengrong's credit. Cai Jinbai had merely invested in it. He had just gotten lucky.

The project his own company was preparing next might flop terribly. Just wait and see.

"I remember that 'Family Matters' has already started filming, right?" Gao Su asked.

The assistant replied, "Yes, it's been filming for a while."

Gao Su asked, "Does the company have any scripts of the same type?"

"Yes, Boss Gao. You mean...?" the assistant asked hesitantly.

Gao Su said, "Make one of the same type. Hire me the best director and actors. Bring them in, assemble the team, and start filming."

Clearly, Gao Su was planning to go head-to-head with Jinbai Entertainment again.

"Yes, Boss Gao." The assistant immediately turned and went to handle it.

Cai Jinbai paid no attention to Starlight's movements. The explosive success of "Black or White" was already inevitable. They only needed to keep things stable from here on.

At the celebration banquet, Chen Chengrong got drunk and nearly threw his arms around Cai Jinbai and cried. Fortunately, someone helped the director up. Otherwise, if he had really hugged him, President Cai might not have cared, but just look at Vice President Xuan's somewhat terrifying gaze. Director Chen would really be made to suffer for it.

By the way, what exactly was the relationship between the two presidents?

Were they really just brothers?

But what brothers were inseparable like that?

It seemed the two presidents even lived together.

Still, no one dared discuss it openly. Everyone only secretly thought about it to themselves.

In the current film industry, police, gangster, and spy films had long lost their former glory. Yet the explosive popularity of "Black or White" had injected this genre with a powerful shot of adrenaline.

No one knew who started it, but after watching the movie, netizens began checking in on police department websites with one message—[Police officers, thank you for your hard work.]

This drew countless imitators, and people flocked to leave messages on their local police department websites.

[Police officers, thank you for your hard work!]

[The movie really moved me deeply. May every undercover officer return safely.]

[Suddenly, I have the urge to apply to the police academy.]

[This country is so peaceful because there are people fighting for us behind the scenes.]

The movie's success unexpectedly made police department websites across the country popular as well.

Faced with such enthusiastic messages from the public, police departments also responded and interacted with them one after another.

This lively scene continued until the end of the year.

The television drama "Glory," which had previously undergone secret training and filmed overseas, unexpectedly aired before "Family Matters."

It was scheduled for the lively atmosphere of the New Year holiday, alongside an xianxia drama and a period drama.

And amid all this promotion, Star Universe Entertainment also announced the release date of its carefully prepared idol drama.

The two idol dramas were set to premiere on exactly the same day.

Not only did their schedules clash, their genres did too.

Chapter 34

Sharp-eyed netizens sensed that something was off.

[Hiss, both Jinbai Entertainment and Star Universe Entertainment are releasing idol dramas. Are they going head-to-head on the same stage?]

[The genres are the same, and their premiere dates clash too. It's hard to say this wasn't intentional.]

[Just looking at the cast, Starlight has invited nothing but big stars, including some I like, so I'm more inclined to watch Starlight's idol drama.]

[I'm different. I followed The Actors through its third season, and most of the cast in Jinbai Entertainment's idol drama "Glory" are familiar faces from The Actors. I'm planning to give it a try.]

[Why not watch both?]

[Heh, heh. I wonder whose ratings will be higher when the time comes.]

[Looking forward to it, haha.]

[I support Starlight! What is Jinbai Entertainment even doing? It's using rookie young actors for an idol drama and filming while airing it. That's not reliable at all. It's even an original script. I'm really afraid they'll ruin it. But look at Star Universe Entertainment's side—popular young actresses and actors, a major IP script adapted from a famous romance novel. The fanbase is already there. No matter how they film it, it should be good, right?]

[I also think Starlight's drama will be better. Anyway, I'm a fan of the original novel. Although the casting is average, I'm still planning to watch it for the story.]

After that, fans supported their favorite sisters and brothers and vigorously promoted Starlight's idol drama.

By contrast, Jinbai Entertainment had very few fans promoting it, and there did not seem to be much marketing either.

Thus, in the minds of some netizens, if Jinbai Entertainment and Starlight's dramas went head-to-head, Starlight's idol drama was guaranteed to win.

Seeing public opinion heading in that direction, Gao Su's face, which had been dark for quite some time, finally revealed a trace of a smile.

New Moon Villa.

To match the New Year atmosphere, Auntie Cai, Butler Ding, and the others began decorating the house early in the morning, putting up spring couplets, hanging lanterns, buying lucky character decorations, fruit, sunflower seeds, and more.

Auntie Cai had also bought plenty of New Year decorations online, things like "May Wealth Pour In" and "Good Fortune in Everything"...

Cai Jinbai loved the New Year. He had personally cut out quite a few lucky-character window decorations and had Xuan Yu hold up two of them while he took pictures.

"Sit more casually. Don't sit so straight. Raise your left hand a little higher." Cai Jinbai directed him while smiling with satisfaction. "Not bad, Xuan. Just like that. It'd be even better if you smiled."

Xuan Yu tried to lift the corners of his mouth, but forcing himself to smile made his expression incomparably stiff. In the end, his lips fell again in defeat.

"Jinbai, I can't smile," Xuan Yu said.

Cai Jinbai glanced at him from behind the phone camera, thought for a moment, and said, "Then don't smile, Xuan."

"But our Xuan is really handsome. He photographs well. Any pose looks good on camera."

Our Xuan? Xuan Yu immediately could not help lifting the corners of his mouth. Even the originally sharp, angular lines of his face softened considerably.

With a click, Cai Jinbai captured the shot.

Xuan Yu said, "...Jinbai, you weren't praising me just for this, were you?"