“Cut!”
Cheng Songran's voice rang out at just the right moment.
Yet, no one on set moved immediately. Everyone was still deeply immersed in the scene, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Cheng Songran stood up from his chair and slammed the walkie-talkie in his hand onto the table with a loud clatter.
He turned toward the rooftop, using every ounce of his strength to shout, as if trying to release all the surging emotions in his chest.
“《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》! That's a wrap!”
After a few seconds of silence, the quiet set erupted into synchronized applause and excited cheers. There was excitement over wrapping up the shoot, but even more so, the relief and relaxation of working folks who had finally finished their job.
Jiang Yue walked down from the edge of the rooftop set.
Jiang Kaiwen rushed forward and stuffed a water cup into his hand.
“Third Brother, your acting just now was too real! I almost thought you were too deep in character and were going to leave the industry along with Chen Jingan!”
Jiang Kaiwen joked, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.
Jiang Yue took the cup, tilting his head back to drink a few gulps to soothe his throat.
Hearing this, he smiled. “How could I? Director Cheng hasn't paid me my final balance yet.”
Cheng Songran had just run over from behind the monitor, and when he heard this, he froze mid-step.
“Brother Jiang, don't worry.”
With a serious expression, he tried to assure Jiang Yue of his integrity. “You won't miss a single cent of your final balance.”
Jiang Kaiwen immediately looked over warily. “Director Cheng, why does that sound less like a promise and more like the groundwork for a negotiation?”
Cheng Songran was silent for two seconds.
“Let me rephrase that, then.”
He said seriously, “Finance will start processing it tomorrow.”
Jiang Kaiwen only then nodded in satisfaction. “Now that sounds reliable.”
The assistant director and stage manager nearby looked at each other and laughed.
Ding Zhengxin also walked over and patted Jiang Yue on the shoulder.
“Teacher Jiang, thank you for your hard work.”
Jiang Yue stopped joking and replied seriously, “It's what I should do. Everyone worked very hard.”
Standing to the side, Cheng Songran looked at the cameras and lighting rigs on the rooftop that hadn't been packed up yet. Surprisingly, his eyes grew a bit red.
He quickly lowered his head, pretending to read the daily call sheet.
Jiang Kaiwen, being sharp-eyed, exposed him on the spot. “Director Cheng, are you crying?”
Cheng Songran immediately said coldly, “No, the wind is just strong.”
Jiang Kaiwen looked up at the completely sealed stairwell entrance, then at the sky that had cleared up from overcast.
“This wind sure knows how to pick its spots.”
Cheng Songran: “...”
Jiang Yue felt that these two simply loved exposing each other, though watching them bicker was also one of his great pleasures outside of work.
That evening, the crew held their official wrap party at that extremely authentic cave hot pot restaurant in Shancheng.
Steam billowed inside the old air-raid shelter as dozens of people crowded into a single private room. The nine-grid red oil soup base bubbled away, filling the air with the dominant aroma of chili and beef tallow.
“Come! Let me propose a toast to everyone first!”
Cheng Songran raised a bottle of Shancheng beer, his cheeks flushed red from the steam. “These past few months, everyone has worked so hard! I have a bad temper and lost my temper on set quite a few times. I'll down this first to apologize to everyone!”
“You're too polite, Director Cheng!”
“Exactly! A strict director makes a good show!”
“That's not a bad temper, that's caring about the quality of the final product and saving budget on reshoots!”
Cheng Songran didn't say much more and tilted his head back to down half the bottle, only to end up coughing fit to wake the dead.
While swishing his beef tripe in the hot pot, Jiang Kaiwen gloated, “Director Cheng, your alcohol tolerance is even worse than your stinginess.”
Cheng Songran glared at him. “I did that to save money for post-production special effects and promotion! Now that we've wrapped, of course we have to celebrate!”
As he spoke, he added in a whisper, “But the receipt has to be billed under the crew's name so we can write it off as tax later.”
The entire table burst into roaring laughter.
The promo guy happened to pass by holding a behind-the-scenes camera, pointing the lens at Cheng Songran's face.
“Director Cheng, is there anything you'd like to say to the audience at the wrap party?”
Cheng Songran's eyes were red from coughing, yet he forced himself to put on his director's persona.
“Please look forward to 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》. Every cent we spent was put to good use.”
Jiang Kaiwen chimed in dryly from the side, “Like security, venues, chicken drumsticks in our lunch boxes, and today's tax-deductible receipt.”
Cheng Songran raised his hand, wanting to snatch his beef tripe.
Jiang Kaiwen was quick and pushed the plate toward Jiang Yue.
“Third Brother, protect me!”
Jiang Yue picked up a piece of beef tripe and calmly placed it into the pot.
“Can't protect you.”
He said, “I'm eating this piece.”
Another wave of laughter erupted at the table.
Amidst the lively atmosphere, Jiang Kaiwen's phone vibrated. He picked it up and answered.
“Hello, Sister Qing. We're eating right now, what's up?”
On the other end of the line, Su Qing was clearly excited, speaking much faster than usual. “Kaiwen! The studio's inbox blew up again today! The luxury brand went from an inquiry email to an official online meeting request! There are also several A-Tier scripts pressing us about his schedule!”
Jiang Kaiwen's hand holding the phone trembled, and the duck intestine he had just picked up dropped back into his bowl with a plop.
“An o... official invite?”
He unconsciously lowered his voice, his eyes widening like saucers.
“Yes! Exactly what you're thinking! There are also endorsements for sports brands and smartphones! Quickly tell the boss to prepare. Since the shoot has wrapped, don't linger too long in Shancheng. You guys need to hurry back for a meeting to decide on our next direction!”
Jiang Kaiwen sat up even straighter.
“Sister Qing, wait a second. Say that again.”
His Adam's apple bobbed. “It's an official online meeting invite from a top luxury brand, not just a polite inquiry from their PR?”
Su Qing confirmed, “It's not just a polite inquiry. They sent a clear agenda.”
Jiang Kaiwen sucked in a breath of cold air.
Now, even Cheng Songran looked over.
Jiang Kaiwen hung up the phone, his mind still in a daze.
He leaned close to Jiang Yue's ear, lowering his voice as much as possible, babbling with excitement. “Third Brother, Third Brother, listen to me! An A-Tier production! And most importantly, an official invite from a top luxury brand!”
Jiang Yue was focused on scooping a freshly cooked piece of pork aorta out of the boiling red oil. Hearing this, he merely lifted his eyelids without showing much emotion.
He rolled the pork aorta in the sesame oil and minced garlic dipping sauce, blew on it, and then popped it into his mouth, narrowing his eyes in enjoyment.
“Mm.”
“Mm? Just an 'mm'?”
Jiang Kaiwen grew anxious, feeling as if his punch had landed on cotton. “This is a top luxury brand! It's a resource that countless people would fight tooth and nail for, yet still can't reach! Aren't you excited?”
Jiang Yue slowly swallowed the pork aorta, picked up another piece of fresh beef tripe, dipped it into the center of the boiling nine-grid pot, and watched the bubbling broth intently as he began to count silently in his head.
One, two, three...
Counting to the eighth second, he flicked his wrist and precisely scooped up the slightly curled beef tripe, glistening with red oil.
“Of course I'm excited.”
He placed the beef tripe into Jiang Kaiwen's bowl and finally spoke, “But if the tripe cooks for even one more second, it'll get tough.”
Jiang Kaiwen looked at the tender, crunchy, and texturally perfect beef tripe in his bowl, then at Jiang Yue's completely unperturbed face. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Don't lie to me just because I'm not highly educated, is this really what excitement looks like?
On the phone were top luxury brands, A-Tier scripts, and new endorsements—resources that could shake half the entertainment industry. Yet his Third Brother's biggest concern right now was that this piece of beef tripe couldn't be cooked for more than eight seconds.
He sighed helplessly, picked up his chopsticks, and resignedly ate the piece of beef tripe.
Whatever, even if the sky fell, it would have to wait until they finished eating.
He picked up his phone and replied to Su Qing: 【Sister Qing, don't worry yet. The man himself says to let him finish this hot pot first.】
Rate on N.U.
