The moment Xu Pingqiu stepped out, the lounge fell dead silent. It was as if the air had been instantly sucked out of the room, and the tension became visibly thick.
Chen Jiaming picked up his thermos, his fingers idly stroking its outer wall.
With his eyelids half-drooped, he looked at first glance like a retired old man dozing off in a park.
But in the blink of an eye, his entire aura sank.
At this moment, the man sitting in the chair was no longer the two-time Best Actor award winner, Chen Jiaming.
Instead, he was the Chief of the Secret Service, a man who held the power of life and death, whose hands were stained with blood—
Lu Cheng.
Suddenly, he lifted his eyelids, his gaze landing squarely on Jiang Yue.
There was not a shred of politeness in his eyes, only the coldness and calculation that belonged to “Lu Cheng.”
This was his key to entering character, and also a signal thrown to his opponent.
“Captain Zhou,” Chen Jiaming said coldly. “If we can't track down this shipment and are held accountable, who do you plan to have shoulder the blame?”
An attack without warning.
Su Binxuan and Chen Yunjie clenched the scripts in their hands.
There was no such dialogue in the script at all; Chen Jiaming was completely improvising.
Facing such immense pressure, Jiang Yue leaned against his folding chair, looking as steady as an old dog on the outside, but in his mind, he had already swiftly summoned the system.
The traits he had drawn while playing Chu Yan were mostly related to classical poise and cold weapon skills.
Now he was playing a slick, veteran Republic-era agent, which required military combat, firearm tactics, and the disguise of a streetwise rogue.
If he didn't use his cheats now, what was he waiting for?
“System, High-Tier Ten-Pull.”
【Ding! Consuming 10,000 Prestige points. Drawing...】
After a flash of white and green lights, Jiang Yue locked his eyes onto a card glowing with a purple light.
【Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Purple-Tier Trait: Slick and Smooth.】
【Slick and Smooth (Purple): Once loaded, the host will master various dialects, codes, and underworld slang. Your body language will naturally carry an extreme sense of streetwise relaxation, allowing you to instinctively adapt to any social environment and form a perfect mask of disguise.】
Still not enough!
“Another ten-pull!”
【Ding! Consuming 10,000 Prestige points. Drawing...】
Once again skipping the white and green light clusters that were temporarily useless.
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Purple-Tier Trait: Armed Instinct.】
【Armed Instinct (Purple): Once loaded, the host will perfectly master military combat, dagger fighting techniques, and the tactical use of mainstream firearms. All movements will rely on muscle memory, forming the most direct and lethal combat instincts.】
Without any hesitation, Jiang Yue directly loaded the two new traits along with 【Zhuang Zhou's Butterfly Dream】.
In reality, only two or three seconds had passed.
Jiang Yue's temperament underwent a drastic change. He sank into his folding chair in an extremely relaxed manner, looking as if he had no bones.
He casually picked up a prop pack of Hatamen cigarettes from the table, tapped one out, and deftly spun it between his fingertips.
He was in no hurry to answer, only tapping the filter of the cigarette gently against the table twice.
“Chief,” Jiang Yue spoke, his voice carrying a reckless, rogue-like charm, yet mixed with just the right amount of obsequiousness. “You're really wronging me with this, Chief. Those little monkeys under me just didn't do their jobs right. I'll slap them all silly when I get back.”
At this point, he leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming as if he were calculating something, looking incredibly shrewd and worldly.
“But as for this blame... looking across the entire Secret Service, who else but a towering giant like you could possibly shoulder it?”
This was an exquisite display of deflecting the pressure.
Jiang Yue effortlessly absorbed the pressure and even managed to flatter the other party in the process.
The corner of Chen Jiaming's eye twitched slightly.
Seeing this, Han Song, who was sitting nearby, felt his urge to act ignite, and he entered character in a split second.
He stared intently at Jiang Yue, his voice fierce: “Zhou Jinnan, stop playing dumb with the Chief! I think you don't want to investigate this at all! Does your Squad One dare to claim your hands are clean regarding the whereabouts of this shipment?”
Jiang Yue slowly turned his head to meet Han Song's gaze.
The smile on his lips didn't fade, but a fierce, protective glint leaked from the depths of his eyes.
“Oh, Captain Fu,” Jiang Yue played with the cigarette and slumped back, leisurely crossing his legs. “Biting already? Whether my Squad One is clean or not, the Chief knows as clear as day.”
He sneered, his eyes sweeping up and down Han Song.
“But your Squad Two, on the other hand, spends all day catching poor students. Now that you've squeezed all the profit dry, are you coveting your brother's work?”
The moment he finished speaking, Jiang Yue flicked his wrist and tossed the cigarette onto the table with a sharp slap.
“If you want to snatch the credit, just say so! The Chief is still sitting right here. Snapping at people in front of him... that's not very proper behavior, is it?”
With just a few words, he turned the tables, not only driving a wedge between the Chief and the Squad Two Captain but also digging a pit for Han Song.
“Enough.” Chen Jiaming tapped his finger on the table, his voice quiet but carrying an undeniable authority. “Dog eat dog, but don't dirty my office.”
He swept a cold gaze over both of them. “Find the goods, and bring the suspects back alive to finish the job. If you can't, you'll each take a bullet. Get out.”
The confrontation ended.
The low pressure in the lounge dissipated, and the air began to flow once more.
Han Song wiped his face, pulling himself out of character, and gave Jiang Yue a big thumbs-up. “Brother, that reckless attitude of yours just now made me really want to slap you.”
The corner of Jiang Yue's mouth twitched slightly. He thought to himself, is that supposed to be a compliment?
But seeing the excited expression on Han Song's face, he knew it was indeed meant as praise.
“You went easy on me, Brother Han.” Jiang Yue switched states in a second, his entire demeanor returning to its usual composure. “Once we start the actual shoot, I'll still need you to guide me into the scene, Brother Han.”
At this moment, Su Binxuan and Chen Yunjie, who were sitting to the side, looked at each other. The shock in their eyes had long since turned into admiration and anxiety.
This clash of masters had allowed them to see their own shortcomings much more clearly.
Su Binxuan took a deep breath and said with a bitter smile, “Teacher Chen, Brother Han, Brother Jiang, after watching you guys trade blows, I realized I thought too simply of my character. Director Xu said to stay clean amidst the stench of blood, but I've always struggled to grasp that balance.”
Chen Yunjie also nodded like a chick pecking at grain. “Yes, yes, yes! I was only thinking about being upright, but I didn't figure out how to use that to save my own life.”
Chen Jiaming unscrewed his thermos, took a slow sip of goji berry tea, and then looked at the two newcomers.
“Who do you think has a steadier hand—someone who looks at ledgers every day, or someone who looks at dead bodies every day?”
As soon as these words dropped, the two newcomers fell into deep thought.
The meaning behind these words was actually very deep. For those in the action squad, who dealt with dead bodies year-round like living devils, they were so used to torture and bloodshed that their humanity had long since gone to the dogs. Killing was as routine as eating and drinking, so their hands were naturally steady.
On the other hand, the office workers sitting in the archives room danced on the edge of a knife every day. Their nerves were always stretched to the breaking point. At the slightest sign of trouble, their instinctive reaction was fear.
Watching this heartwarming scene of "veterans guiding newcomers," Jiang Yue nodded deeply in cooperation, acting as if he had seen through this logic long ago.
In reality, the little person in his mind was already frantically flipping tables.
No, seriously, big bro, what are you doing?!
Can the riddle-makers please exit the crew group chat!
Can't you just directly output the conclusion?
How is this any different from those tech giant leaders who talk about "underlying logic" and "matrix empowerment" all day?
Are you just picking on honest people to swindle!
Jiang Yue had completely figured it out. This Best Actor Chen and Director Xu were like long-lost brothers from different parents; they both loved to speak in vague, mystifying riddles.
When he turned his head and saw the two "newcomers" with enlightened expressions as if they had just received the wisdom of a lifetime, Jiang Yue also had an epiphany.
So everyone in the room is a master, and I'm the only code monkey who can't understand the high-level jargon of the entertainment industry?
For the rest of the time, Jiang Yue could only bite the bullet, welding the profound mask of a "genius young actor" onto his face as he continued to go over the lines with these big shots.
But complaints aside.
Although he had a system and cheats equipped, today's close-up observation of real combat indeed gave him some new insights into the profession.
As for how much he could actually improve...
Jiang Yue curled his lips silently in his heart, estimating it was probably equivalent to the effect of a few White-Tier Traits.
Rate on N.U.
