Pu Rong naturally had no idea what Xiao He was thinking at this moment and was still curious about how Xiao He caught the thief. "So, Old Xiao, did you really catch a cross-dressing guy on the spot?"
Xiao He: "...Shouldn't the focus be on the thief?"
Pu Rong gave Xiao He a hearty pat on the back. "Hey, it's all the same! Just tell me what happened back then!"
Xiao He could only pick out the main points and roughly explain it to Pu Rong. Pu Rong gave him a thumbs-up. "Brother, you're this one."
Under those circumstances, even he wasn't sure if that person was really the one who stole his phone. He never expected Xiao He to be so certain and stubborn about his belief. From that alone, Pu Rong felt inferior.
"It was just luck."
Xiao He shrugged.
"I think I just heard someone humble bragging," Lin Yipeng walked over to tease.
Xiao He blinked innocently. "Huh? Who? I don't know anything."
Lin Yipeng rolled his eyes irritably. "Alright, let's get down to business. I have news about a major drama audition. I guess you'd be interested. Your current project wraps up tomorrow, so you can check it out on the side."
Xiao He pointed at himself. "Me?"
Lin Yipeng nodded. "Yeah. Pu Rong isn't really suitable for that role."
Pu Rong was speechless. "Hey, I'm right here. Why am I not suitable?"
Lin Yipeng gave him a sidelong glance. "They want a dark and ruthless villain. Are you sure you can pull that off?"
With his straightforward looks, Pu Rong said, "...Forget I said anything."
Xiao He's interest was definitely piqued. "What role?"
"Spy war drama, captain of a fake party agent team, one of the main villains," Lin Yipeng explained. "Although he's officially the fourth male lead by billing, his screen time is pretty substantial."
"A spy war drama…"
Xiao He pondered for a moment.
That era would surely be bloody, tragic, and brutal.
Such a villain role, Xiao He didn't even have to ask to know there'd be plenty of bloodshed involved.
But... if he went, there was no guarantee he'd get chosen!
Besides, it sounded like a big production…
Xiao He asked curiously, "With such a juicy role, why hasn't anyone else come for it?"
Competition in the Chinese entertainment industry was obviously fierce. If Xiao He hadn't relied on dumb luck, he might not have made it into three drama projects in a row.
"Of course it's a mad scramble."
Lin Yipeng cleared his throat and showed a strange smile. "So the actors pre-selected before got so competitive, they're all unavailable now."
Xiao He: "..."
Wait, didn't that just reveal a lot of information?
Xiao He swallowed and suddenly didn't want to wade into this mess.
But Lin Yipeng had a strangely confident attitude toward Xiao He. "Don't worry. After they replaced actors five times, the only requirement left for the role is acting skill, fitting the character, and no weird antics. I think you'll definitely be fine."
Wait, did he say five times?
Xiao He: "...What kind of role is it that they replaced actors five times and still aren't satisfied?"
Sometimes, Xiao He thought maybe he could believe in some superstition. If it didn't work five times, that role was probably cursed! Aren't people in showbiz supposed to be superstitious?
Lin Yipeng raised a finger and seriously analyzed for Xiao He. "The first actor was sent by the investors. The director didn't like him but reluctantly used him. Turns out that guy was two-timing, and his investor's original partner found out. So the first actor got kicked out."
Xiao He: "Hiss."
That was definitely deserved!
"The second actor was ready to go, but since the first actor suspected he was the leak, he got hit by a car on the way out and is now in the hospital recovering."
Xiao He: "Uh…"
"Don't worry about that one. The first actor is already out of the way, so he can't harm you."
Xiao He: ...
"Later, since so much time was wasted, the third backup actor the director liked had already committed to another project and couldn't free up his schedule, so number three was out too."
Xiao He: "...Isn't the crew going to find a master to check this?"
Lin Yipeng clapped his hands. "The producer thought the same! So they found a master to check the fourth actor's fortune. Turns out this fourth actor's fate was bad—not cut out to be a star—and clashed with the crew's energy, bringing financial misfortune. So the fourth one was also passed over."
Xiao He: ...
"Ahem, here comes the final twist!"
Faced with Xiao He's indescribable expression, Lin Yipeng revealed the last piece of information he knew—
"The fifth actor they found afterward wasn't very skilled, but the master said his fortune matched the crew's very well. They had even started filming, but then the producer discovered that the master was in cahoots with number five, deliberately sabotaging number four. The master also took the chance to scam the producer for money. The producer was so angry he called the police to arrest the master and kicked out number five as well."
Xiao He: "...What a straightforward and unpretentious way to compete."
Other people's business battles use boiling water on money trees, but here they bribed a master to say someone brings financial misfortune.
Who could withstand that? Financial misfortune, seriously!
Xiao He thought this was truly despicable. "What about the previous number four?"
"Number four thought the master was right, so he quit the industry and went back to inherit the family business."
Xiao He: ...Sixth young master experiencing life on earth.
"But speaking of which—" Xiao He eyed Lin Yipeng suspiciously. "How do you know so much?"
This had to be inside info from the crew, right? It shouldn't have leaked outside. How did Lin Yipeng find out?
"Hmm." Lin Yipeng just crossed his arms and arrogantly raised his head. "Guess."
Xiao He: "No thanks."
He already guessed this guy's identity was unusual when Zhuo Jianhua recommended the script, but he didn't care. If the other party didn't want to say, he was happy to play dumb.
"So boring." Lin Yipeng pouted. "But there's one more thing I have to warn you about—"
"Say it."
"This is the crew where Su Shengxi currently works."
Su Shengxi? Xu Youyou's boyfriend?
Xiao He sincerely asked, "I've been doing pretty well lately, right? Do you want me dead that badly?"
If his identity got dug up by netizens, then he and Xu Youyou's real and fake boyfriend would be in the same crew.
How dramatic would that be? He didn't dare imagine.
Lin Yipeng said, "So what? You're innocent in Xu Youyou's matter. You can't just not go because you're afraid of being scolded by netizens. This is a great opportunity. Are you sure you won't go?"
"I don't…"
"That would be a pity. This role is super villainous, kills a lot of people, and most actors can't pull it off—"
"—Of course I'm going!"
Xiao He stood up, eyes determined and solemn. "No other reason. I just want more people to learn about that past and help more remember history!"