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

Chapter 757: “Bro” Is a State of Mind~

When Lin Yipeng stepped onto the stage, many people started asking questions about the third installment.

After all, based on the quality of *Thief Catcher 2* that everyone had just seen, most of the crowd present knew that this theatrical release would surely rake in another massive profit.

And what else keeps a long-running series alive, if not the ability to make money?

As long as there were returns and development prospects, who in their right mind would just leave money on the table?

Not to mention, the post-credits scene had made it perfectly clear—*Thief Catcher* definitely had a third installment in the pipeline; the only question was how long it would take to bring it out.

But judging by the trajectory of *Thief Catcher 2’s* May Day season release, anyone with even a slight understanding of the industry knew that the third film’s investment was no longer a concern. It all came down to what Director Lin Yipeng had in mind.

But would Lin Yipeng simply tell everyone his plans?

Of course not!

Focusing everyone on the *Thief Catcher 2* right in front of them was the real priority!

So when several people asked, Lin Yipeng just gave a shy smile, then with a tone half bitter and half self-pitying, he said, “Thank you all for your love of Thief Catcher! But for now, the third installment will need to wait a bit. At the very least, we need to see how *Thief Catcher 2* performs in theaters. As you all know, our first *Thief Catcher* didn’t even qualify for a theatrical release—so here, we must sincerely thank several theater chains for their support…”
“For *Thief Catcher 2* to make it to the big screen, our production team is truly overjoyed, and we’re grateful for everyone’s kindness. However, I can’t guarantee whether the third installment will go smoothly. But I can promise that as long as there’s an opportunity, we’ll fight to bring *Thief Catcher 3* before you all as soon as possible…”

Uh, to be honest, it was mostly just playing the sympathy card.

After all, as everyone knows, every success story is usually accompanied by a little motivational tale of first suppressing, then elevating.

As for how much truth was in those stories and how much was fabrication—that depended on how each viewer chose to interpret them.

Anyway, Xiao He stood off to the side, listening to Lin Yipeng recount how grueling it was to negotiate screening allocations with theater chains, and he almost couldn’t keep a straight face. He had to stiffen his expression and nod along with a deeply serious and solemn air.

Yeah, it was really tough. Every single theater chain he visited, the moment they heard the names *Thief Catcher 2* and Xiao He, agreed without a second thought.

It was truly admirable how Lin Yipeng respected his own hard work by making the rounds to each theater chain personally.

As for investment?

Lin Yipeng had been gradually taking over his father’s connections and businesses over the years. By now, this second film had already become an exclusive investment project between him and Ling Hui. As long as they had money, they could keep pouring it in. They weren’t worried in the slightest, okay?

Xiao He, at least, didn’t see a shred of Lin the Director’s hardship.

But Xiao He certainly wasn’t about to expose him, so he just kept nodding along.

However, as he nodded, the questions suddenly turned back to him.

“Teacher Xiao! Teacher Xiao!”

Among the crowd, a few people were the most enthusiastic when asking questions, frantically waving their hands the moment it was time to pick someone. The host took a closer look and spotted a middle-aged man among them. Immediately sensing a promotional angle, the host quickly picked the most excited fans—or rather, the one next to Father He.

Father He had been happily observing, never expecting the microphone to make its rounds and land in his hands.

Instantly, the man who had been chatting animatedly with others just moments ago stiffened up like a primary school student called on by the teacher. When he stood up, he was at a loss for what to do, finally squeezing out a single sentence: “Brother Xiao, actually, me, my daughter, and my wife—we’re all your fans! We really like you! And I really love this *Thief Catcher* film you starred in!”

As soon as he said that, warm laughter rippled through the crowd.

Even the people on stage couldn’t hold it together. Lin Yipeng and Pu Rong were both suppressing laughs, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Being called “Brother Xiao” by a middle-aged man roughly the same age as his own father—Xiao He felt deeply embarrassed.

OK, OK, I get it, I get it. “Bro” is just a state of mind, not an age.

Meanwhile, Hemiao, who hadn’t been picked, watched from the side with burning envy.

Fam, who understands this? You bring your parents to a celebrity event, and your old father gets the spotlight first.

What a mix of envy, jealousy, and hate!

Fortunately, the host had excellent hosting skills. Sensing Father He’s nervousness, he immediately took over the conversation with a joke, then skillfully guided Father He with conversational techniques to help him relax and stop being so tense.

Soon enough, Father He returned to his previous state:

“I think this film is really great. From the Jiangnan water towns in the first movie to the lonely desert city in the second, every martial arts fight scene and every part of the plot is deeply moving… Thank you all so much for letting an old wuxia fan like me relive the joy of my youth…”

And sure enough, Father He really had some thoughts. Once he picked up the microphone and started expressing his opinions, he just kept talking without stopping.

The *Thief Catcher* production team didn’t interrupt him, though; instead, they listened attentively to what he had to say.

In truth, someone like Father He delivered the most genuine feedback. He wasn’t a fan chaser, and he didn’t have that cautious, fawning attitude. Although he admired the young man Xiao He, he wouldn’t blindly defend him.

So hearing an evaluation like this was actually a good thing for the production team.

After listening to Father He’s words, Lin Yipeng sincerely bowed to Father He to express his gratitude: “Thank you, sir, for your review. Our production team will definitely work even harder in the future, and we hope you’ll continue to support our work.”

Father He hadn’t expected Director Lin Yipeng to be so humble, so he quickly bowed in return. Meanwhile, Hemiao beside him was frantically tugging at his clothes: “Dad, Dad, get me an autograph, please, Dad! My dear dad!”

Finally, just as Father He was about to hand the microphone back, his paternal love reignited. He raised the microphone again and asked Xiao He, “Ahem, well, Brother Xiao, my daughter really likes you… could I ask for your personally signed autograph?”

Xiao He had originally thought Father He needed to add something else, but upon hearing his request, he couldn’t help but laugh and cry. Raising his microphone, he promised, “Thank you, uncle, for your liking, and thank you to your daughter as well. After this event ends, our staff will hand out small gifts to everyone here as a token of our production team’s gratitude. These include posters for *Thief Catcher 2* and the personally signed autographs of the main actors. We hope you’ll all enjoy them!”

“Yay!”

Hemiao clenched her fists in excitement, and the rest of the crowd also buzzed with enthusiasm.

Although official roadshows and premieres usually give out some small gifts and merchandise, the chance for autographs wasn’t something everyone got.

Normally, only special guests could receive personally signed items, while regular audiences got printed copies.

No one expected the *Thief Catcher 2* production team to be so generous this time, leaving personally signed autographs on posters for everyone!

Especially Xiao He’s autograph! It was already being scalped for five figures on the market!

The thing was, Xiao He, that guy, seemed to hand out personally signed items at every offline event, but he rarely actually showed up at offline events!

So with fewer events, there were fewer personally signed items, leaving the Little Box fans “tormented” to death. Even trying to get an authentic one online was extremely difficult.

This fan-chasing trip was totally worth it!

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