Jiang Yue opened the file and scrolled through the rest of Ghost's scenes from beginning to end.
As it turned out, the character didn't have many scenes, but tomorrow's schedule was highly concentrated. One or two of them even required him to deliver lengthy blocks of dialogue with the lead actors.
Reading further, Jiang Yue's brow gradually furrowed. Although he had managed to stun everyone with his two scenes today, his mind remained perfectly clear.
If one broke it down, acting wasn't all that different from writing code.
Blocking and lines served as the basic framework. Emotional outbursts, eye contact control, and facial expressions were the core algorithms running on top of it.
Most ordinary actors could build a stable framework; they knew exactly where to stand, how to turn, and when to deliver their cues. But once it came to emotional outbursts, their faces tended to go blank. Viewers would look at them for two seconds and immediately lose immersion.
Jiang Yue was currently the exact opposite.
He possessed system traits: 【Refined Scoundrel】 and 【Micro-Expression Master】.
This was equivalent to having two top-tier plugins installed on his face.
As long as the camera was on his face, his gaze and expressions would be output with absolute precision.
The trouble lay here as well: his underlying system was too primitive. He didn't know how to find the camera, didn't understand blocking, and had never practiced the pacing or cadence of delivering lines.
Jiang Yue stroked his chin and gave himself an evaluation.
“A tractor chassis with the engine of a top-tier supercar.”
Still, he didn't panic.
If he didn't understand blocking, he would just listen to the director's instructions on set tomorrow. He would go wherever the director told him to go.
As for the lines, Jiang Yue was even less worried.
After all, he was a student in the Computer Science Department at Donghai University who had won national scholarships for three consecutive years.
Memorization was really not a difficult task for him.
After sorting out his thoughts, Jiang Yue printed the script out directly.
He pulled out a red pen and, like dissecting a product requirements document, broke down the lines line by line, marking the emotional shifts sentence by sentence.
While memorizing his lines, he also tried to manipulate his facial muscles.
The purple trait 【Micro-Expression Master】 quietly activated.
Under the cheap fluorescent light of the dormitory, Jiang Yue's originally bright and clean features gradually grew cold, and his entire temperament shifted with it.
The corners of his lips slowly curled upward, yet his smile carried not a trace of warmth. The depths of his eyes were terrifyingly still, as if some cold entity were hiding behind a screen.
This entity was staring coldly at the world across an invisible interface—patient, calm, and carrying an indescribable sense of danger.
Lu Ming, who had just finished rushing his draft, stretched. He turned his head, about to ask what they should have for dinner.
The next second, his gaze collided with Jiang Yue's face.
Lu Ming shuddered violently, and the thermos in his hand clattered to the floor with a loud bang.
“Y-Yue...”
Lu Ming swallowed hard, his voice trembling.
“What's wrong with you? Don't scare me.”
“We just repair computers. There's no way you fixed your way into an antisocial personality disorder, right?”
Jiang Yue deactivated the trait and withdrew his expression. The coldness vanished instantly, and he returned to being the clean, easygoing college student he usually was.
He smiled and said, “It's nothing, I just got a part-time job. Come on, let's go grab some skewers.”
Lu Ming stared at him for several seconds before finally letting out a long, slow breath.
“Holy shit.”
“That look in your eyes just now was seriously terrifying. I almost called the police.”
Jiang Yue smiled and didn't explain. He tidied up his desk and stood up.
“Let's go, call Old Chen. My treat today, eat as much as you want.”
“Awesome!”
The moment Lu Ming heard about food, he was instantly re-energized. He grabbed his phone and dialed.
“Hey, Chen Haotian, stop burying your face in books at the library.”
“Brother Yue made some money and is treating us to barbecue on the back street.”
“Get over here now!”
A rustling sound of turning pages came from the other end of the line.
Soon, Chen Haotian's steady voice rang out.
“Give me five minutes.”
“Meet you at the library entrance.”
Chen Haotian was the "Postgraduate Entrance Exam God" of their dorm.
Their other roommate had already gone out of town for an internship and rarely returned to school.
So most of the time, this four-person dorm was the domain of just the three of them.
Ten minutes later, the three of them met at the library entrance and walked toward the school's back street.
The campus paths under the night sky were bustling with people, mostly students who had just finished their evening self-study.
Jiang Yue was tall with long legs, and his shoulders and back were straight. Coupled with his year-round exercise, his figure was very prominent in the crowd.
When he smiled, the corners of his eyes would crinkle slightly, carrying a clean, sunny vibe. He looked like an entirely different person compared to the cold, creepy psychopath in the dorm just now.
Along the way, quite a few girls subconsciously stole extra glances at him.
Sure enough.
Just as the three of them reached the corner of the teaching building, a sweet-looking girl with short hair plucked up her courage and stopped them.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked at Jiang Yue.
“Hi, classmate.”
“Could... could I add you on WeChat?”
Jiang Yue was already used to this kind of situation. He smiled gently, his tone carrying just the right amount of apology.
“I'm sorry, I've been quite busy lately, so it's not very convenient.”
A flash of disappointment crossed the girl's face, but she still nodded politely, turned, and walked away quickly.
The moment she left, Lu Ming immediately nudged Jiang Yue with his elbow.
“Nice one, Brother Yue. 'Quite busy lately, so it's not very convenient.'’”
“Only you could say that with a straight face.”
Chen Haotian also cracked a rare joke.
“Which number is this for the week?”
“The gossip my girlfriend and her friends see on the campus forum can barely keep up with your version updates.”
Jiang Yue laughingly pushed the two of them away.
“Cut it out.”
With that, he led them into the most popular joint on the back street, "Old Place Barbecue."
The moment they stepped inside, the aroma of barbecue rushed over them. The combination of charcoal, cumin, and chili powder instantly whetted their appetites.
Jiang Yue grabbed the menu and waved his hand grandly.
“Boss.”
“Twenty skewers each of pork belly, beef, beef tendon, and chicken wings.”
“And another dozen grilled oysters, plus three large mugs of draft beer.”
Lu Ming's eyes lit up.
“Brother Yue, you really struck gold today, didn't you?”
Jiang Yue handed the menu to the owner.
“Just made a tidy sum.”
Soon, the table was covered with sizzling, oily skewers and ice-cold draft beer.
Lu Ming gulped down a huge mouthful of beer and let out a satisfied sigh.
“Seriously, Brother Yue, what kind of job did you take? That moment in the dorm earlier really snapped me awake.”
“I thought you were possessed.”
Jiang Yue picked up a skewer of pork belly and said casually,
“Just good luck. I went to a film crew to fix their server, and they happened to be short of an actor. The director thought my look was decent, so he had me do a screen test. There are still a few scenes left, and they offered a pretty good price.”
“Acting?”
Lu Ming was instantly intrigued.
“Holy shit, which crew? Any big stars? I'll visit the set some other day and grab an exclusive scoop while I'm at it.”
Chen Haotian also set down his skewer and looked at Jiang Yue.
“That's quite a massive leap across industries.”
“But with your looks, you really shouldn't be cooped up in a server room writing code.”
Lu Ming nodded immediately.
“You've really broadened your horizons, Brother Yue.”
“While others are handing out flyers for part-time jobs, you went straight into show business.”
Jiang Yue was amused by him.
“It's just a minor role.”
The three of them clinked their glasses.
As the ice-cold beer washed down and the savory, oily flavor of the grilled meat spread in their mouths, most of the day's exhaustion instantly melted away.
It was a hearty and satisfying meal. In the end, it cost Jiang Yue a few hundred yuan, but he didn't mind at all.
He had just received six thousand, and there was still a hundred thousand waiting for him once the contract was signed.
Treating his brothers to a barbecue was a complete bargain.
By the time they returned to the dorm, Lu Ming and Chen Haotian were full and content. Before long, they drifted off to sleep.
Jiang Yue took a quick shower and lay down on his bed.
Not long after, he fell asleep too.
Rate on N.U.
