Chapter 41

"Han Fei, I'm sorry to trouble you again." Seeing Han Fei come over, Director Jiang warmly welcomed him: "The main reason is that you are a great actor. Due to cost considerations, we used many new actors in this drama, and most of them can only perform, but they can't perfectly portray their characters."

"I don't mind, but will adding more scenes affect the overall plot? Every minute in a movie is crucial. If my scenes are increased, the main character's portrayal might not be as perfect."

"The script needs to be revised." Director Jiang's expression was serious: "Due to some plot issues, the victim's family is very emotional."

Director Jiang is very strict with the actors, but he becomes very understanding when dealing with the victim's family.

"We adapted this from a real case, so we must consider the feelings of the victim's family."

"Yes." Director Jiang patted Han Fei's shoulder: "Go get your makeup done. To make Wei Youfu's character more three-dimensional, we need to add some daily life scenes."

Han Fei entered a vacant room downstairs, which was the temporary makeup room, and sat in the corner.

The makeup artist dressed him in the clothes Wei Youfu often wore before his death, styled his hair to match Wei Youfu's, and made some minor adjustments to his face makeup.

Holding the newly written script, Han Fei quietly flipped through it. At that moment, the door to the makeup room was pushed open.

"Still making changes after everything is done? I'm really impressed!" A young man over 1.8 meters tall entered the makeup room, followed by a woman in her thirties.

"Who knew the victim's family would change their minds at the last minute? They are causing a commotion outside, and we have no choice but to make changes." The woman carried a bag and held several documents and scripts.

"I just don't get it, why did you choose this drama?" The young man vented his anger on the woman: "No traffic, no funding, and a cobbled-together cast. Don't let this drama ruin my reputation."

"It's the company's decision. There have been few similar themes in recent years, so there's still a chance for it to become popular." The woman whispered, seemingly afraid the young man would hear, and continued: "Director Jiang's skills are unquestionable. Although he hasn't made any box office hits, he hasn't made any bad movies either. Ah Cheng, just cooperate with the director and make the changes."

"You make it sound so easy." Just as the young man, Ah Cheng, was about to retort, a commotion came from outside the apartment building, as if someone was arguing.

Ah Cheng and his agent ran out to see what was happening, while Han Fei, who had finished his makeup, was completely uninterested. He found Director Jiang and prepared to finish filming and leave as soon as possible.

He no longer cared about trivial matters. Instead of focusing on such things, he thought about how to catch the deranged serial killer who had murdered seven people and truly bring justice to the victims.

Han Fei's mental state had far surpassed that of most people, which could be attributed to the healing game he had played.

It was noisy downstairs, and the victim's family seemed to have entered the residential area. Director Jiang had no choice but to lead Han Fei to the shooting location upstairs: "We want the audience to feel that Wei Youfu was once just like them, a living person with his own life. This way, when he is killed, the audience will have a stronger sense of empathy. So I hope you can add a daily life scene before Wei Youfu's death."

"Understood." For others, playing Wei Youfu would be difficult, but not for Han Fei. He had met Wei Youfu and remembered all of his expressions.

A kind person, after experiencing despair and pain, has an even more heart-wrenching expression.

"I will play him well."

Entering the shooting room, all the information about Wei Youfu in Han Fei's mind gradually filled his body, and at that moment, he was no longer himself.

Working late into the night, he returned home with a tired body. His eyes were filled with weariness, but deep within that weariness was a faint sense of satisfaction.

Sitting on the comfortable sofa, he looked at a photo of himself and his wife, and his eyes gradually softened.

Gently wiping the photo, he planned to surprise his wife. In a few days, a large wedding photo might hang in the house.

As he thought about where to hang the wedding photo, his phone started vibrating, and he answered it.

His father's nagging and reminders made him feel like a child again, and only in front of his father could he let his guard down.

"I know, don't worry, take care of yourself too..." After hanging up, Han Fei turned and walked toward the bedroom, knowing it was a doomed ending.

"Youfu!" Before he could walk far, Han Fei suddenly heard an old man's voice from the stairs outside the camera's view.

The thin old man put down the banner in his hand and walked into the shooting location in a daze: "Don't go in, Youfu..."

Han Fei, who was heading to the doomed room, stopped. He recognized the voice; it was Wei Youfu's father's voice.

Turning his head, Han Fei saw the old man holding the banner, and his expression was touching.

"Who let the victim's family in!" The camera director and the production assistant grabbed the old man's arms, trying to pull him away.

"Wait!" Han Fei hurried over: "The old man is old, don't treat him like that."

He protected the old man behind him: "Let's talk calmly."

"What's there to talk about? We had already agreed, but now they changed their minds and don't want us to film. Isn't this just trying to extort money?" Ah Cheng leaned against the door frame, ignoring his agent's warning looks.

"You're talking nonsense!" The thin old man clenched the banner in his hand: "At first, you said filming a movie would let more people know about this case and help us find the killer! That's why we agreed! But what are you filming? You're just making it up!"

"We are making a movie, catching the criminal is the police's job, and you signed a contract." Ah Cheng, who was much taller than the old man, looked down at him: "We've already filmed most of the scenes. Because of your actions, do you know how many changes we have to make? Our film, my time, do you know how much it all costs?"

"You're the ones who broke the agreement first!" The old man became increasingly agitated. Hearing the commotion, several more people holding banners ran up from downstairs; they were all family members of the victims in the human puzzle case.

"What's going on?" Han Fei was also puzzled; he didn't expect the argument to be so intense.

"Most of the scenes are finished, and the victim's family probably saw our promotional clips and trailers." Director Jiang sighed softly and lowered his voice: "I also wanted to film it my way, but the investors don't agree with my ideas. In reality, the killer hasn't been caught, but they want a perfect ending."

"A perfect ending?"

"Yes, the case can't be released without a resolution, so the screenwriter made up an ending. Simply put, the protagonist has a sudden burst of luck and manages to defeat the killer at the last moment."

"Since it's based on a real case, it's best not to make up an ending. That's disrespectful to the audience and the victim's family." Han Fei glanced back at the old man. After so many years, he still goes to the police station every year. The pain of losing a loved one is like a lifelong shackle that can never be removed.

"We have no choice. At this point in the filming, we can only hope both sides calm down, take a step back, and talk it out." Director Jiang shook his head, looking worried.

"It's fine." Han Fei's eyes slowly narrowed, hiding the sharpness in his gaze: "This drama will have an ending, and we won't have to wait long."