CHAPTER 66

The title of this detective film series by Huo Bijun is very simple: he plays a detective who also has the surname Huo, hence the name "Detective Huo's Case Files 3."

The character of Detective Huo is entirely based on the true character of Huo Bijun.

He is vain, loves to wear suit, attracts women, has an ex-wife, and has children...

Isn't this just him?

To make the character more likable, the screenwriter added many "down-to-earth" flaws to Detective Huo: he is somewhat lecherous, loves to drink, has been single for years, his suits are often wrinkled, and his hair is too long...

However, he is tall and handsome, with fair skin. His disheveled appearance gives him a casual laziness and charm that fans adore even more.

Huo Bijun is a favorite among countless women, he is loved across generations. However, to be honest, Xiaoyuan has little interest in him.

She had always felt indifferent toward him because of her connection to He Chenying. Even though he acted and directed very well, He Chenying was her idol. When they divorced, citing incompatibility, and their son stayed with He Chenying, Xiaoyuan instinctively felt repulsed by him.

Later, she noticed his impressive professional skills, and since He Chenying didn't have a falling out with him, their relationship appeared amicable in the photos, showing he cared for their child. Xiaoyuan's feelings shifted from disdain to indifference.

However, since they would be collaborating, she had to set aside her personal feelings and fully immerse herself in the script.

The investment cost for each installment of the "Huo" detective film series is high, and the time spent refining the scripts increases with each new film. The connections between the installments are minimal, making them more like standalone stories.

To maintain the vitality of this IP, each script has its own unique characteristics: The first installment leans toward comedy and lightheartedness, the second has a more serious and slightly dark tone, while the third one focuses on realism.

Five years ago, a homeroom teacher at XX High School, Yang Yi, was convicted of molesting and assaulting nine female students and was sentenced to five years in prison. One week after his release, he was murdered in a gruesome manner. His limbs showed signs of being bound, and while conscious, he had his g3nitals cut off, bl3eding to death with his eyes wide open, unable to close them.

Huo Bijun plays Detective Huo in this movie.

Xiang Xiaoyuan plays one of the nine female victims, the female lead, Meng Xiaozhou. After being assault3d, Meng Xiaozhou reported to the police and accepted interviews with reporters, exposing the true nature of this monstrous teacher.

Yang Yi was young and good-looking, generally friendly and approachable, getting along well with his students. Many female students like him, and under the pretense of tutoring, he got close to those he targeted, repeatedly succeeding in his advances.

The female students admired him but didn't fully understand the situation. After the incident, some of them didn't even realize it was s3xual as$ault. With his sweet talk, he would say he liked them and that they could date once they got into college. Even those who did have a sense of what was happening were afraid to speak out.

After Meng Xiaozhou exposed the truth, it created a huge uproar. In an instant, rumors spread, and the victimized girls faced even more humiliation and condemnation. When the parents couldn't find Yang Yi, they went to Meng Xiaozhou's home, berating her for being shameless. They criticized her for not hiding the incident and for speaking out everywhere... claiming she just wanted to be in the spotlight and dragging their daughters into it.

At school, Meng Xiaozhou was ostracized and isolated. Her parents frequently argued about the situation, which took a significant toll on her mental health. Unfortunately, she was then involved in a car accident that injured her spinal nerves, leaving her unable to walk.

Her parents divorced, her family fell apart, and she became disabled. She failed her college entrance exams and couldn't attend university. One could say that Yang Yi ruined her entire life.

After Yang Yi's body was discovered, she was immediately ruled out as a suspect.

Following the accident, she was unable to walk and spent her days in a wheelchair, completely defenseless. Yang Yi was 1.75 meters tall and weighed over 75 kilograms, there was no way she could have killed him.

The police conducted thorough investigations into the families of the other victimized girls but found nothing, so they returned to the starting point—Meng Xiaozhou.

To portray Meng Xiaozhou, Xiaoyuan cut her hair to shoulder length, dyed it black, lost about seven to eight pounds, and practiced in a wheelchair for several days beforehand.

This film had ample funding, so the accommodations for the actors were quite good. During her downtime, Xiaoyuan would sit in a wheelchair around the hotel, pushing herself around.

Having been in a wheelchair for years, Meng Xiaozhou had a very limited range of movement and was quite inconvenient in her actions. Coupled with the drastic changes in her life, her personality became very gloomy.

The scene Xiaoyuan was about to perform was the third time the police came to speak with her, and this time, Detective Huo was there as a consultant.

This was the first scene where the two would act together.

The male actors Xiaoyuan had previously encountered were either newcomers or idol actors without formal training. This was the first time she faced a truly top-tier actor.

Huo Bijun wore a suit that had clearly never been ironed, with a typical men's hairstyle parted to the side, slightly long, and a hint of stubble. He smiled at her while sitting in the chair, exuding a charmingly roguish vibe.

"Don't be nervous, we're just going to chat. I just read your book, are you preparing for self-study exams?"

Xiaoyuan pursed her lips, and looked down at her knees. "...Yes."

"How many subjects have you passed?"

"...I still have two left."

"Oh, impressive." Huo Bijun gave a thumbs-up. "Which university do you want to attend?"

"...Bin Polytechnic University."

Huo Bijun looked at the thin girl in the wheelchair, his eyes flickering for a moment before he smiled and said, "Was that your first choice when you took the college entrance exam?"

The girl in the wheelchair fell silent. She didn't lift her head, his words felt like a pair of large hands pressing down on her delicate neck, overwhelming her. She lowered her gaze, "..."

Huo Bijun's eyes slightly narrowed, and his tone held a hint of a comforting sigh. "That's okay, it's been five years... It's never too late for a dream to come true."

The girl still didn't speak. She remained quiet for a longer moment before slowly raising her head to look at Huo Bijun.

His expression changed as he noticed something strange in her demeanor. The corners of her lips curled up, but her eyes blank. Then she slowly smiled and said, "Yeah."

Huo Bijun's expression shifted slightly.

"Cut!"

The entire set fell silent.

Huo Bijun gestured toward the camera crew, who had worked with him on several films, and they understood each other well. The crew chief immediately nodded and gave an "OK" sign.

Only then did Huo Bijun smile at Xiaoyuan and say, "Let's do another take."

"You don't need to be nervous, I'm not a police officer. We're just going to chat. I just read your book. Are you preparing for self-study exams?" He repeated his lines, this time not sitting on the sofa but walking over to her desk to take a look, casually flipping through a book.

Meng Xiaozhou originally came from a well-off family. After her parents divorced, her father gave them some money and moved to another city, cutting off all contact for five years. Her mother, who used to run a small business, had to give it up to take care of her daughter. Meng Xiaozhou underwent a failed surgery that left her unable to walk. Life became even harder, her mother took on multiple jobs to make ends meet, working herself to exhaustion until one day she collapsed and never got up again.

After her mother's death, Meng Xiaozhou lived off the savings her mother left her, relying on welfare for a while. Fortunately, community staff kindly arranged for her to work at a library in a nearby neighborhood, providing her with some income.

The apartment she rented was small, with just a single bed and an old desk that served as her study table. There was only one chair in the room.

Huo Bijun changed his approach this time, standing up and walking around while delivering his lines. The room was small, and as he passed by her, he created a slight breeze. Almost simultaneously, Xiaoyuan shrank back, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably for a moment.

Huo Bijun caught this in his peripheral vision and reacted as if "Detective Huo noticed her movement."

She gave him the cue, and he responded.

He silently praised her in his heart, brilliant!

Meng Xiaozhou, having been as$aulted, would inevitably have a conditioned reflex of resistance and fear towards the approach of men.

The girl in the wheelchair softly murmured, "Mm."

"How many subjects have you passed?" Detective Huo casually asked, as if it were nothing.

"...I still have two left." her voice was even smaller now.

"Oh, impressive," Huo Bijun tilted his head to look at her, smiling as he praised, "Which university do you want to attend?"

"..." The girl raised her head this time, and her expression was completely different. Encouraged by his compliment of "impressive," she saw a greater hope. However, she felt a bit timid, she no longer had the confidence she once had while studying. She whispered, "...Bin Polytechnic University."

"Whoa~"

"Wow."

The two very different performances elicited surprised reactions from some of the crew members outside.

Huo Bijun was also inwardly surprised and let out a soft hum. He looked deeply at the girl in the wheelchair, set the book down, and walked back to sit in his chair again. "Was that your first choice when you took the college entrance exam?"

The girl's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip. There were no lines in the script at this point, and she hadn't spoken during the first take. However, Xiaoyuan swallowed hard, as if she were swallowing something bitter, and then she nodded.

This was a pitiful girl, her grades had always been excellent. If it weren't for Yang Yi, she could have been accepted into Bin Polytechnic University and become a student at one of the top ten universities in the country.

She could have had a happy and fulfilling family life as well.

Anyone with a bit of sympathy would be moved by her courage to stand up again and would feel even more heartache for the suffering she had endured in the past.

Influenced by Xiaoyuan's performance, Huo Bijun's gaze softened a bit.

However, even though Detective Huo felt sympathy for her, his instinct told him that Yang Yi's death was somehow related to her, in his eyes, she was still a suspect.

His tone still carried a hint of probing, "That's okay, it's been five years... It's never too late for a dream to come true."

The girl's eyes became even redder, glistening with tears. Her lips trembled slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

The cameraman zoomed in, capturing that small smile, which was layered with bitterness, comfort, and confusion, evoking a deep sense of sympathy.

......

It was clear that the two of them had been both performing and improvising in that moment.

After becoming a director, Huo Bijun really enjoyed improvising with his co-stars. Being both a director and a senior actor, some actors found it difficult to keep up with his rhythm when they were suddenly brought in, leaving them feeling frustrated.

The production team had been with Huo Bijun for several years, and it was the first time they had seen someone withstand the pressure and spar with him in a back-and-forth manner without any sign of stage fright.

Xiang Xiaoyuan had become quite popular recently, generating a lot of buzz. Many people in the crew were genuine fans, while others were just observing, curious, or gossiping.

In the acting industry, one can immediately tell the depth of an actor's skills as soon as they perform. The entire crew came to watch those two scenes, thoroughly enjoying the experience. By the end, many people applauded, and some even whistled.

Huo Bijun looked at her deeply, a broad smile on his face. "You're really impressive."

Xiaoyuan's portrayal of Meng Xiaozhou was entirely different in the two takes, and the more he thought about it, the more interesting it became. He decided to discuss with the assistant director which version was better.

"Let's take a break for now." he called out.

An assistant approached and said, "Director Huo, Teacher He has arrived."

Huo Bijun smiled and quickly walked out. "Chenying."

Xiaoyuan took several sips of ginger tea that Tiantian had prepared for her and slowly exhaled, feeling a bit calmer.

In fact, throughout the entire scene just now, she had been in a tense state of mind, so much so that she found it hard to collect herself after it ended. She hadn't noticed the reactions of the people around her, and it took her several sips of water to regain her composure.

"Sister Xiaoyuan, are you feeling better?" Tian Tian, with a hot water bottle in hand, bent down to ask with concern.

"I'm fine." Xiaoyuan smiled at her. She initially wanted to ask if anyone had come to visit the set, as the atmosphere seemed livelier.

At that moment, Tiantian straightened up, and Xiaoyuan's view widened. She looked out and saw He Chenying chatting with Huo Bijun.

"Teacher He has been here for a while, she's been watching you and Director Huo act." Tiantian said excitedly, her tone filled with joy. She added quietly, "I was standing right next to her just now, and I was so nervous."

It seemed like it had been over two years since she last saw He Chenying. It felt as though they were quite familiar, but in reality, they weren't. During the filming of "Choice," they hadn't talked privately, and she hadn't even gotten He Chenying's autograph.

Xiaoyuan blinked and looked at her.

During her most difficult and frustrating times, He Chenying had mentioned her in a media interview, saying she was very talented.

She hadn't forgotten those words.

At that time, those affirmations had inspired her and motivated her, and even now, thinking back on it, warmth filled her heart.

In the dimly lit set, He Chenying's profile seemed to glow, exuding an aura of elegance and grace as she stood there.

Xiaoyuan stood up and took a couple of steps, feeling the urge to greet her, but hesitated, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, and stopped in her tracks.

At that moment, He Chenying turned her head and glanced over, the corners of her lips curving into a gentle smile. Her gaze was like a soft, beautiful mist as she smiled and nodded at Xiaoyuan, saying, "Long time no see."

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