Jiang Yue went back to WeChat and replied to Li Cheng.
“Got it, Director Li. I'll repost it right away.”
Right after the message was sent, Li Cheng replied in a second.
“What's your Weibo username?”
“The show's official Weibo is about to tag the main cast, but we can't find your account.”
Jiang Yue stared at the message and fell silent for two seconds.
Then he typed a reply: “One moment, let me register one.”
Ten minutes later.
A new user appeared on Sina Weibo.
The ID was very simple.
Jiang Yue.
The profile picture was also a fresh photo—a casual yet highly textured side profile under the lights of the Hengcheng hotel lobby.
Jiang Yue found the official Weibo account for 《Manhunt》.
The latest post was the trailer that had just gone live.
He clicked repost.
His caption was purely casual: “See you on May Day.”
After posting, Jiang Yue tossed his phone onto the bed, completely ignoring the notifications that began to pop up frantically on the screen.
It was certainly a good thing that 《Manhunt》 was gaining traction. It could be considered a strong start.
But what was more urgent right now was tomorrow's tough battle.
《The Grand Game》.
Xu Pingqiu's crew.
This was not an assembly-line production crew that one could just play around in.
That he was able to suppress Zhang Yu at the script reading was largely due to the bonus of the system trait, 【Vocal Control】.
But tomorrow would be different.
Tomorrow was the actual shoot.
He had to manage his positioning, catch the camera angles, and hold his ground in front of a group of veteran actors who oozed talent in every scene.
That would be the real test of his abilities.
Jiang Yue called up the system panel.
【Current Prestige points: 5500】
He had plenty in reserve, at least enough to handle tomorrow's opening.
Jiang Yue walked into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed cold water on his face.
The sudden chill jolted him fully awake.
Then, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
...
The next day.
At six in the morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
In the Palace of the Qin King scenic area at the Hengcheng Film and Television Base.
The massive machine of 《The Grand Game》's crew had already begun running at high speed.
Stagehands were sweating profusely as they laid down camera tracks, and the lighting crew raised several massive crane arms.
Extras clad in heavy armor lined up on the plaza.
Even the air was thick with the unique tension that preceded the rolling of the cameras.
Jiang Yue sat down in the dressing room at exactly six-thirty.
Period styling was a meticulous job.
He first changed into a navy-blue robe embroidered with subtle patterns, and then the makeup artist stepped forward to put on his wig and style his topknot.
The character of Chu Yan was a hostage prince who had been trapped in the capital for ten years.
His look couldn't be too sharp, nor could it be too luxurious.
He had to look like an easygoing person drifting with the tide, yet also carry a touch of sickly gloom.
By the time Jiang Yue finished styling and walked out of the dressing room, the sky outside was fully bright.
At the edge of the set.
Zhang Yu had also finished his makeup and costume.
He wore a green official robe, a black gauze cap on his head, and a fish tally hanging from his waist.
The character of Lin Zhaonan specialized in inspection and impeachment, and was a well-known stubborn thorn in the imperial court.
Seeing Jiang Yue walk over, Zhang Yu's gaze lingered on the robe for two seconds before he indifferently looked away.
As for Jiang Yue.
He didn't even spare him a glance.
“All departments, pay attention!”
“We roll at exactly eight o'clock!”
Assistant Director Zhao Gang held a walkie-talkie, sweating profusely as he coordinated back and forth among the crowd.
Xu Pingqiu sat behind the monitor, holding a thick script in his hand, his eyes sharp as a hawk's.
Today's first scene was the Grand Imperial Court.
The major opening scene of 《The Grand Game》, it was also the first free-for-all among all the core factions.
In the court, the Emperor sat high upon his dragon throne.
The peace faction led by the prime minister and the war faction led by the Minister of War were arguing heatedly over the border war.
The male lead, Lin Zheng, was still using the alias Xiao Yi at this time.
Thanks to some maneuvering, he was currently standing in the corridor outside the hall with his hand on his saber, secretly observing this grand game of chess.
Meanwhile, Chu Yan, played by Jiang Yue.
As the southern hostage prince and the heir of the Prince of Zhennan, he was “specially permitted” by the Emperor to stand at the very end of the hundred officials.
On the surface, Chu Yan didn't have a single line in this scene.
A total background extra.
But in Xu Pingqiu's plays, there were no idle hands, let alone meaningless background characters.
Jiang Yue silently walked to his position.
At the very end of the hall, near the high threshold.
In front of him was a dense crowd of civil and military officials in court robes, and further ahead was the unattainable dragon throne.
This spot had the dimmest lighting, a blind spot most easily blurred out by wide shots.
But for Chu Yan, this position was absolutely perfect.
He was never meant to be exposed to the light in the first place.
Xu Pingqiu raised his megaphone, his voice echoing throughout the entire hall.
“Group scenes are all about state of mind!”
“Don't think you can slack off just because the camera doesn't have a close-up on you!”
“For today's court session, I want the undercurrents of the entire court to surge! Everyone must have ghosts in their hearts, and everyone must be plotting their own schemes!”
His sharp gaze swept across the entire venue like a knife.
“Prepare for the shoot!”
The clapperboard snapped shut in front of the camera with a sharp “clack”.
“Action!”
Inside the hall, the atmosphere dropped to freezing point, and a heavy sense of oppression rushed over.
The prime minister, played by a veteran actor, took a step forward, his voice steady yet carrying an irresistible majesty.
“Your Majesty!”
“The supply lines for the northern front have been cut! Sending troops now is undoubtedly sending our soldiers to their deaths!”
The Minister of War did not back down an inch, retorting on the spot.
“If we do not fight, the northern defense line will surely fall!”
“By then, the capital will be in grave danger!”
The back-and-forth between the two veteran actors was incredibly intense, instantly pulling everyone on set into the scene.
The entire court was like a pot of water on the verge of boiling.
And in the blind spot at the edge of the camera's frame.
Jiang Yue stood quietly with his hands hanging down.
It was indeed difficult for the camera to catch his face.
But after standing for less than three minutes, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Something was wrong.
The feel wasn't right.
Modern clothes and ancient costumes had completely different centers of gravity.
Long robes, wide sleeves, intricate crossed collars, and the hair crown pressing down on his head.
Wearing these things would completely alter a person's shoulder and neck posture, stride length, and even their breathing rhythm.
Jiang Yue had 【Micro-Expression Master】 to control his face, and 【Vocal Control】 to anchor his presence.
But deep down, he was still an easygoing college student who had never received classical posture training.
He stood too cleanly, too straight.
Even when he deliberately relaxed his shoulders, there was still a trace of modern military training left in his posture.
Chu Yan should definitely not be like this.
Chu Yan was a hostage prince.
A desperate man who had survived for ten years under the enemy's blades by keeping his head down and playing the fool.
The spine of such a person should have long been bent by reality. How could he possibly stand so straight?
In this high-level game where everyone was a cunning old fox acting their hearts out, relying on face alone wouldn't save him from becoming cannon fodder.
Jiang Yue lowered his eyelids.
Even the backdrop had to compete.
Without spending some points, how could he compete with these big shots?
“System.”
He murmured in his heart, “Activate Mid-Tier Draw, ten-fold draw.”
【Ding—】
【Consumed 1,000 Prestige points to perform a Mid-Tier ten-fold draw...】
【System scanning current predicament: Host is in a large-scale historical group scene environment, lacking classical physical memory.】
【Situation adaptive mode activated, prize pool weights adjusted...】
The familiar deep-blue light screen instantly burst open across his retina.
Ten streaks of light flashed one after another.
Seven white lights.
Two green lights.
The last one was a piercing purple glow.
The white and green traits before it were mostly auxiliary skills like 【Basic Positioning】 and 【Cold-Resistant Constitution】.
They were useful, but not what he urgently needed right now.
Jiang Yue's gaze locked onto the purple card.
【Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Purple-Tier Trait: Ancient Grace in the Bones.】
【Trait Description: Body language is the trace of history settled in the bones. After equipping this trait, your muscle memory, spinal curvature, stride, and breathing rhythm will automatically adapt to the characteristics of the current era and social class.】
【Note: Clothing will no longer be a constraint; it will become a second skin extending from your body.】
A trace of a smile flashed in Jiang Yue's eyes.
It came at the perfect time.
“Equip.”
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