Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 781: The Art of Playing the Fool...

As for Zhou Zhiyi, you could say he was a fraud, yet he always got the job done properly. His two other partners each had their own special skills and shortcomings.

One had been born with Yin-Yang eyes, able to perceive anomalies and even communicate with ghosts, but he was naturally timid and terrified of spirits, especially malevolent ones. Once targeted by a ghost, he couldn't protect himself, so despite learning a great deal of knowledge, it remained purely theoretical. He had been cast out by his family.

The other excelled at drawing talismans and setting up formations. Logically, someone with such talents would be perfectly suited to being a Feng Shui master, helping people arrange their home layouts. But because he was self-taught, most of what he'd learned involved sinister techniques, often using blood as a medium to summon ghosts, lure spirits, and set traps... None of it was for blessings or good fortune. So not only could he not help with Feng Shui placements, if he didn't turn the employer's home into a haunted house, that was already considered a win.

So these three, when separated, each had fatal flaws. But when they came together, they actually had some real skill.

Genuine anomalies, they would handle. Fake anomalies, they would debunk.

For each "anomaly" case, they had clear divisions of labor: one would summon the ghost, one would question the cause of the anomaly, and one would clean up and deal with the root of the problem.

Through their teamwork, they had managed to make a name for themselves.

As for the specifics—

When faced with a similar house anomaly, a fake master hired from a street stall would claim it was haunted, setting up an altar for rituals that dragged on for forty-nine days. Not only did the money disappear, but the anomaly remained unsolved.

But when Zhou Zhiyi arrived, he would go through the motions with a bunch of incomprehensible "Western instruments," inspecting the house and systematically pointing out a series of problems that sounded perfectly reasonable and scientific. Then he would solve them all for the homeowner, ensuring the house was no longer abnormal.

On the surface, science came out victorious!

With this balancing act, Zhou Zhiyi's anti-metaphysics approach had become surprisingly popular. Many white-collar workers and middle-class individuals who had heard of his exploits, thinking of their own stubborn, superstitious parents and elders at home, were more willing to seek out Zhou Zhiyi for help. Some even came with the primary goal of convincing their elders to stop believing in all that superstitious nonsense! Ghosts and monsters were all fake!

But no one would ever imagine that Zhou Zhiyi and his team were actually the real deal—a genuine Celestial Master squad.

—Not even the audience, at first.

-

Yes, Director Zhuang really knew how to play the fool, and he clearly understood what the audience liked to see.

The opening script of "Dragon" didn't immediately reveal the true identities of Zhou Zhiyi and his team as Celestial Masters. Everyone watching would just assume these guys were fearless troublemakers who didn't believe in ghosts, staunch anti-superstition warriors armed with science.

So when the first minor supernatural incident was resolved, the truth finally came to light.

One second they were passionately talking science, the next they were swinging peachwood swords at ghosts. How was that not an early plot twist and satisfying payoff?

And this core concept of wrapping metaphysics in science left viewers wondering: was Director Zhuang genuinely trying to explain the supernatural with science, or was he ultimately acknowledging that anything beyond human understanding was simply metaphysics?

Well, that question would have to wait until the film's release, when netizens could debate it after watching.

But without a doubt, this film was less of a pure ghost movie and more of a thriller-suspense hybrid, laced with a touch of dark comedic humor.

It was clear that even with this type of film, Zhuang Hongyi hadn't abandoned his popcorn blockbuster style, just like "The Phantom Thief Alliance." The humor and suspense coexisted, but he hadn't forgotten his original vision for this work—the necessary horror and gore were all there.

Looking at it this way, Zhuang Hongyi might really be a genius. He was born to make money with this kind of content.

Even Xiao He, after reading the later parts of the script, couldn't help but feel this way.

"Where's Director Zhuang?"

After bidding farewell to President Mao, Xiao He walked while frowning in confusion. "He was still here just a moment ago after we wrapped up!"

How had he vanished in the blink of an eye?

Xiao He had wanted to discuss the script further with him.

"Oh, I know about that."

Xiao Chen answered in a low voice. "The people from that hotel came to apologize again."

Xiao He raised an eyebrow. "How ruthless did Director Zhuang have to be to make them come and apologize every single day?"

He distinctly remembered that before filming started, those people had already stopped causing trouble. Xiao He had assumed Director Zhuang had just crushed them, but now they were back again?

That was way too exaggerated.

"Ah, I don't know about that either."

Xiao Chen scratched his head.

"Forget it, let's go check it out."

A bit curious, Xiao He turned and headed toward the temporary office in the building.

Just a few steps in, he saw the hotel boss from last time, bowing and thanking someone before turning and walking out.

When the man saw Xiao He approaching, his steps faltered for a moment, then he plastered on a fawning smile—a far cry from his earlier arrogance.

Xiao He ignored him, only giving him a faint glance before continuing forward.

The man, not wanting to embarrass himself further, lowered his head and hurried away.

Xiao He reached the doorway and coincidentally ran into Zhuang Hongyi.

"What's up? Did something happen with the production team?"

Seeing it was Xiao He, Zhuang Hongyi asked with some surprise.

"No, I just heard that hotel guy came back again, so I came to check," Xiao He replied, then asked with concern, "Everything okay on your end, Director Zhuang?"

Their relationship was fairly good by now, so their casual conversations had lost much of their earlier formality.

"Ah, thanks. I'm fine."

Zhuang Hongyi rubbed his brow, glanced at the time, then stood up. "Come on, it's just about mealtime. Let's walk and talk."

"Sure."

So the two walked out together.

Along the way, Zhuang Hongyi finally explained the situation to Xiao He.

It turned out that the guy who had just left had indeed come to apologize—about the incident in the hotel lobby last time.

But this time, beyond apologizing, his main goal was to invite Zhuang Hongyi to the September luxury cruise gala in Hong Kong.

"Cruise gala?"

Xiao He was a bit surprised, his mind immediately flashing with images of extravagant, lavish scenes.

And in reality, it was indeed a grand affair.

"It's just a way for those big shots to entertain themselves. Back in its heyday, a lot of people went. It was all the influential and powerful figures from Hong Kong's elite circles. Every event was a huge spectacle. Countless people inside and outside the industry would kill for an invite, even the media and paparazzi would stake out the port, ready to transmit the latest news."

Zhuang Hongyi said, then curled his lip. "But later, after the Chen family—the ones who always hosted it—collapsed, the glory days faded. Government regulations tightened, so they stopped holding big events like this for the past few years."

"But just now, I heard that guy say a few families are thinking of reviving it this year..."

Zhuang Hongyi shrugged. "Looks like we got lucky, right on time."