Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Lin Bufan rubbed his temple helplessly as he watched the conversation drifting further and further away. He then raised his hand to make a "pause" gesture and said, raising his voice, "Everyone! Listen to me!"

The noise in the living room gradually subsided, and everyone looked at Lin Bufan.

Lin Bufan cleared his throat and then said, "First of all, regarding the script, you can raise any opinions you have. During the filming process, we will also make adjustments based on the actual situation."

"Can it really be changed?" Mika's eyes lit up and she immediately raised her hand: "Then I want to change the setting of the dead!"

"I want to get rid of the lobster monster!" Zhang Wei followed closely behind.

"I want to get rid of eunuchs!" Zhan Bo also hurriedly expressed his opinion.

Lin Bufan pressed his hand, signaling for silence. "The character settings serve the plot, and any rash changes will affect the overall structure. However—" Lin Bufan deliberately dragged out his words, noticing the expectant gazes of the crowd before continuing, "We can adjust the details as appropriate without affecting the main plot. For example, Mei Jia's character could have some flashbacks, Zhang Wei's lobster monster could be made more handsome, and Zhan Bo's Wei Zhongxian could have some more dramatic moments."

Seeing that everyone was still about to argue, Lin Bufan quickly changed the subject: "The most important thing now is that the crew is ready and will officially start filming in two days!"

"So fast?!" Zeng Xiaoxian exclaimed, "What about my radio show? You know, I'm the radio station's gold medal host. The station can't do without me!"

Hu Yifei rolled her eyes and slapped Zeng Xiaoxian on the back of the head: "You? You're a gold medal host? The cockroaches on your radio station are more prominent than you!"

After despising Zeng Xiaoxian, Hu Yifei also revealed an embarrassment: "I have classes every week, I can't keep asking for leave!"

Lin Bufan had already considered these situations: "It's okay, we will flexibly arrange the filming according to everyone's schedule. Those who have work can focus on their work first and then come to the crew after get off work. Office workers can concentrate on filming on weekends and holidays. Moreover, our filming is basically indoors with green screens, so we can do it in Shanghai."

When Lu Ziqiao heard this, he immediately jumped up excitedly: "Great!"

When Chen Meijia heard Lu Ziqiao's excited shout, she immediately rolled her eyes and chewed potato chips with a crunching sound: "Hey, some people don't have any proper jobs, why are they so excited? Are they afraid that they will delay you from participating in those weird human science experiments?" When speaking, Meijia deliberately lengthened her tone, and her words were full of contempt!

When the others heard what Mika said, they immediately let out a meaningful "Huh~~" in unison, with an expression of "those who understand will understand" written on their faces.

When Lu Ziqiao heard Meijia's ridicule, he immediately became anxious: "Chen Meijia! You are insulting my personality. You know, I haven't participated in human science experiments in a long time!"

Then, Lu Ziqiao straightened his back and said with a righteous look on his face, "I'm now a well-known blogger on Douyin. The account "Lu Xiaobu Teaches You How to Fall in Love" already has 15 followers. I believe it won't be long before I..."

Zeng Xiaoxian stopped Lv Ziqiao from continuing his boasting and asked questioningly, "Wait! You asked for likes and reposts earlier about that video of sows lining up to fall into a ditch. Wasn't the account called Rural Farming Expert? How did you change it to Lv Xiaobu teaching you how to fall in love?"

After Zeng Xiaoxian's reminder, the others also remembered:

"Yeah, I liked that video too. I remember that account had less than 1 followers, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I follow that account, but it only has about 8000 followers!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Ziqiao even forced me to give his postpartum care guide for sows a thumbs up last week!"

……

Lü Ziqiao remained unfazed after being exposed. Instead, he tossed his hair with a smug look on his face. "Don't you understand? When you're in the world of martial arts, having multiple accounts is crucial!" He counted on his fingers, "Lü Xiaobu Teaches You Love is my main account, Rural Farming Expert is my sideline, and I also have a personal trainer, Teacher Lu, who posts photos of his abs..."

Mika sneered and said disdainfully: "You? And you have abs?! Are you trying to make me die of laughter?"

"Are you challenging me?" Lu Ziqiao suddenly straightened his back and looked around at everyone with a serious face.

"no……"

Zeng Xiaoxian was just about to speak when Lu Ziqiao suddenly raised his hand: "Okay! Then I accept your challenge!" After that, he took out his mobile phone and swiped the screen quickly with his fingers.

Curious, everyone gathered around to see Lu Ziqiao open a video. It showed him shirtless in the gym, his eight-pack abs etched with sharp relief, a healthy glow under the bright lights. As he performed various bodybuilding exercises, the lines of his muscles, as clear as sculptures, became visible.

"Holy shit!" Zhang Wei was the first to scream, his jaw nearly dropping. "Is this... is this really you?"

Zeng Xiaoxian snatched the phone away, his eyes almost popping out of his head: "This...this...how is this possible?"

Hu Yifei pinched Lu Ziqiao's belly and curled her lips in disdain: "It's as soft as dough. The video is obviously fake!"

Lu Ziqiao snatched the phone back and puffed out his chest confidently, "What do you know? I painstakingly photoshopped every ab muscle! Do you know how many parameters I had to adjust? Do you know how much lighting and shadowing I had to do?" He swiped his fingers across the screen, growing increasingly excited. "I spent three whole hours editing these biceps! I used five layers for these waistline! How can you say they're fake? This is also the fruit of my labor!"

Tang Youyou rolled his eyes: "Come on, nephew, what's the difference between this and fakery?"

"Fake it?" Lu Ziqiao shook his head bitterly. "Aunt, you're so out of date! Who on Douyin doesn't photoshop their pictures these days? Look at this fitness blogger. I saw him downstairs last week enjoying a barbecue and drinking beer, and he still has eight-pack abs in his videos. And this food blogger, he's clearly a 200-pound fat guy, but he's photoshopped to look like he weighs only 90 pounds in his videos!"

Zeng Xiaoxian leaned over and said, "If you say so, I can also photoshop myself into Daniel Wu?"

"Of course!" Lu Ziqiao excitedly opened the beauty software: "Look at this AI face-changing function, not to mention Daniel Wu, it can even Photoshop Arnold Schwarzenegger for you!" As he said that, he Photoshopped Zeng Xiaoxian's face onto a muscular man.

Hu Yifei snatched the phone away and looked at the eye-catching "muscle Zeng Xiaoxian" on the screen, curling her lips in disgust: "Bitch Zeng, if you look like this, I'll jump off the building right now!"

"Hey!" Zeng Xiaoxian protested unconvincedly, "I'm handsome too, okay? At least I'm better than Zhang Weiqiang!"

Zhang Wei, who was caught in the crossfire, immediately jumped up and said, "Teacher Zeng, what do you mean? I was known as the legal ace, Daniel Wu, in school!"

Chen Meijia chewed potato chips and complained, "Then Zhang Wei, the quality of your school's batch is too poor, isn't it?"

Guan Gu Shenqi suddenly raised his hand and said seriously, "According to Xiao Rizi's latest research, beauty software can cause cognitive impairment in virtual appearance. Long-term use can make it difficult to distinguish between reality and virtuality."

Zhan Bo added: "And from a technical point of view, Ziqiao, the abdominal muscles you photoshopped in have obvious lighting errors, and the muscle texture is unnatural. Professionals can see it at a glance."

Lu Ziqiao waved his hands dismissively: "Hey, who in the audience cares about this? The important thing is the visual effect!" He lowered his voice mysteriously, "Let me tell you a secret, I've received six fitness supplement advertisements thanks to this abdominal muscle video, and I earned this much!" He made an "eight" gesture as he spoke.

"Eight hundred?" Zhang Wei's eyes lit up.

"Eight thousand!" Lu Ziqiao proudly tossed his hair. "And as long as I keep posting videos, it will definitely be even higher next month!"

Hu Yifei sneered: "So you plan to keep deceiving people with fake videos?"

"How can this be called cheating?" Lu Ziqiao said confidently, "This is called internet marketing! Which internet celebrity doesn't package themselves these days? I'm just following the trend of the times!"

Lin Bufan couldn't bear it any longer and clapped his hands, interrupting, "Alright, alright, enough about photo editing techniques. Let's get back to business—" Lin Bufan shook the script in his hand, "Filming will officially start in two days. Everyone, get ready. We'll hold a press conference then."

……

On the day of the launch conference of "Battle of the Forbidden City", the Shanghai International Media Center was crowded with people.

On the huge poster commissioned by Qu Xiaoxiao, Lin Bufan's mecha shape and the movie logo complement each other, and the line of small words below, "The cross-border masterpiece of the father of mecha", is particularly eye-catching.

"Dear media friends, please be quiet!" The beautiful host stepped onto the stage in ten-centimeter high heels, her pink dress swaying gently with her steps. "Thank you all for attending the launch conference of 'Battle of the Forbidden City'. Now, please welcome our producer and lead actor, Mr. Lin Bufan!"

Lin Bufan walked onto the stage in a neat suit, and the flash lights below the stage immediately burst into a continuous stream.

As soon as Lin Bufan raised the microphone, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily in the front row couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Lin, will the movie feature a new type of mecha? How will it differ from the last model released?"

Lin Bufan's mouth twitched. It was obvious that the mecha launch conference had a lot of aftereffects, and people's attention had not yet shifted away from the mecha.

Lin Bufan tapped the microphone lightly with his fingers: "Regarding the question about mecha... This is a surprise. Everyone will know when the movie is released~"

"Mr. Lin!" The reporter from Military Technology stood up. "Has the quantum holographic technology used in mechas been adopted by the military? I heard the military is very interested in your technology."

The scene suddenly became noisy, and reporters' questions bombarded the room like a barrage of bullets:

"Has the energy system's endurance been improved?"

"How much TNT equivalent can the defensive armor withstand?"

“When will the individual combat system be mass-produced?”

Seeing that the reporters were completely focused on the mecha, Lin Bufan glared at Qu Xiaoxiao with some dissatisfaction. What kind of people are they looking for? Don't they know how to screen them?

After receiving Lin Bufan's gaze, Qu Xiaoxiao immediately rolled her eyes: "What are you staring at! If it weren't for the reputation of the mecha, with our makeshift team, no popular stars, no well-known director, no professional screenwriters, and all the leading actors are amateurs, even third-rate entertainment reporters wouldn't bother to come, okay?"

Seeing these reporters being so unprofessional, Lin Bufan had no choice but to use his ultimate move: "Regarding the technical issues regarding mechas, please allow me to ask Dr. Lu, the head of the mecha R&D team, to answer them for you!"

Zhanbo, who was hiding backstage eating a small cake, was suddenly called and pushed onto the stage with cream still hanging on the corner of his mouth.

Zhan Bo took the microphone blankly, and without asking the question, he spoke: "Uh...this quantum entangled dark energy coupling system..."

The reporters in the audience immediately took out their recorders, their faces full of anticipation.

"...Actually, it's through the yin-yang transformation principle of Tai Chi Bagua that dark matter energy is arranged into the Five Elements..." Zhan Bo casually picked up a mineral water bottle and gestured, "Just like this water bottle, in eleven-dimensional space, it's both full and empty..."

The reporter from "Science Beauty" had a trembling hand and dropped the recorder to the ground.

"...So we use the Zhouyi deduction algorithm to balance the quark confinement phenomenon..." Once he started talking, Zhanbo gradually regained his composure: "Just like what my cousin wrote in her paper, using Yang-Mills theory to prove that Tai Chi gives birth to two opposites..."

The white-bearded old professor from Science magazine suddenly covered his chest and was carried out by the staff again.

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Qu Xiaoxiao rushed onto the stage and snatched the microphone from Zhan Bo: "Dear media friends, let's put the focus back on the film itself! Now, please welcome the leading actors of 'The Forbidden City'!"

As Qu Xiaoxiao finished speaking, Lu Ziqiao was the first to rush onto the stage. He had specially worn a shiny silver suit today, and his hair was slicked back with oil, looking like a catfish that had just come ashore.

"Hello everyone! I'm Lü Xiaobu!" Lü Ziqiao slid to his knees and landed in the center of the stage, striking what he considered his coolest pose: "I play Lü Bu, the fiercest general of the Three Kingdoms, in 'The Battle of the Forbidden City'!"

The reporters in the audience looked at each other in confusion, and some whispered, "Who is this? Why haven't I seen him before..."

Lu Ziqiao's ears were pointed, and he immediately straightened his back. "I'm normal if you haven't heard of me! But my Douyin account, 'Lu Xiaobu Teaches You How to Fall in Love,' has 15 followers!" He took out his phone and shook it. "I share relationship secrets every day. The latest episode, 'How to Attract a Goddess with Photos of Your Abs,' has already been viewed over 50 times!"

Zeng Xiaoxian chuckled backstage: "Those fake abs he spent three hours photoshopping?"

Hu Yifei rolled her eyes. "50 views? I think 50 reports is more like that!"

On the stage, Lv Ziqiao became increasingly excited as he spoke: "Family! Follow my Douyin account. Not only can you learn how to flirt with girls, but you can also be the first to see the behind-the-scenes footage of me filming 'Battle of the Forbidden City'..."

Tang Youyou rushed onto the stage, pulling Lv Ziqiao behind her, a professional smile plastered on her face. "Hello, media friends! I'm actress Tang Youyou, and I play Diao Chan in 'Battle of the Forbidden City'!"

Tang Youyou secretly pinched Lu Ziqiao fiercely and said in a low voice, "Nephew, please restrain yourself! This is a movie press conference, not your live broadcast to promote products!"

Lu Ziqiao grimaced in pain, but he didn't forget to flirt with the audience: "Family members, remember to pay attention~"

Tang Youyou rolled her eyes, turned around and continued into the microphone: "As a professional actor, I am very honored to be able to participate in such a big production this time. The role of Diao Chan is a big challenge for me..."

Hu Yifei strode onto the stage and snatched the microphone. "I'm Hu Yifei, playing Dongfang Bubai." After a pause, Hu Yifei glanced sharply at the audience. "Anyone have any objections?"

The reporters in the audience all shook their heads, and one timid one even closed his notebook.

Zeng Xiaoxian approached with a sly expression: "Hi everyone, I'm Zeng Xiaoxian. I play one of the Five Tiger Generals in the movie!" Then, Zeng Xiaoxian deliberately lowered his voice: "Let me reveal in advance, I, the Five Tiger General, am a powerful being with five souls, even more powerful than Lu Bu!"

Immediately, a whisper arose from the audience:

"Five souls? Isn't this schizophrenia?" the Entertainment Weekly reporter muttered.

"Can a psychopath be the protagonist? This movie is doomed..." The editor of "Movie World" adjusted his glasses.

Zeng Xiaoxian burst into tears!

Finally, the press conference came to an end amidst a lot of discussion.

The next day's entertainment headline: "Shocking! The new film starring the father of mecha is all psychotic!" Subtitle: "On how a technology company was dragged down by the entertainment industry"