Paramount, Qionzhou Film and Television Base.
Neon signs flashed as soft jazz music echoed throughout the venue.
The crew was currently shooting a pickup scene of an intelligence exchange between Zhou Jinnan and the Paramount head hostess, Qiao Wan.
The actress playing Qiao Wan was Tang Han.
She was a well-known serious dramatic actress in the domestic film industry, holding two heavyweight Best Supporting Actress trophies.
Invited by Xu Pingqiu, she had specifically cleared her schedule to make a guest appearance.
The clapperboard snapped.
“Action!”
Zhou Jinnan, dressed in a well-tailored dark red striped suit, walked through the noisy crowd holding a wine glass.
He walked up to the booth and pulled Qiao Wan onto the dance floor.
Under the spotlight.
Zhou Jinnan held Qiao Wan's hand with his left hand, wrapping his right arm around her waist.
The two danced to the music.
With a swift spin, Zhou Jinnan leaned down, using the camera angle to draw close to Qiao Wan's face.
With a playful smile on his face, the words he uttered were incredibly cold. “South Dock, Warehouse No. 3. The goods have been moved.”
As their bodies crossed, Qiao Wan's hand slid past Zhou Jinnan's waist. The paper slip held between her fingers slipped into his suit pocket completely unnoticed.
“Cut! Let's get a safety take!” Xu Pingqiu shouted into his walkie-talkie.
Jiang Yue let go decisively and immediately took half a step back. “Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Tang.”
Tang Han pulled her shawl closer, looking closely at Jiang Yue with amazement in her eyes.
“Your reaction speed in receiving acting cues is top-tier even in films. I hope we can work together in the future.”
After a short break, the crew began setting up the final scene of 《The Hidden Sentry》.
This was also Jiang Yue's final wrap-up scene.
According to the plot, the failure of the “Oriole Plan” and Lu Cheng's death had caused massive waves within Juntong.
Zhou Jinnan had avoided suspicion by being heavily injured. Later, a new Chief would take office, and he would be promoted to Captain of both Squad One and Squad Two.
On the other side, Tang Jingran, who had experienced so much, finally woke up from his confusion.
He saw through the corruption, infighting, and profit-first nature of Juntong, realizing this organization was never about saving the country or its people.
Introduced by Wen Yuchu, Tang Jingran submitted an application to the underground organization and became an underground member.
However, he still had a doubt in his heart.
When the “Oriole Plan” closed in, he and Wen Yuchu were trapped at the contact station, a dead-end with no escape.
But in the end, they escaped too easily.
The gap in the defense line, seemingly due to Zhou Jinnan's corruption and negligence, was too deliberate.
The subsequent manhunt felt more like a superficial show—loud thunder but little rain.
All clues pointed to the Squad One Captain, Zhou Jinnan.
Now, with the Shanghai mission wrapped up, he and Wen Yuchu were about to head to a new battlefield.
Before leaving, Tang Jingran had to seek an answer.
Through Qiao Wan, the only intermediary who could contact Zhou Jinnan, he sent an invitation to meet.
Silence fell over the set.
“Action!”
The first floor of Paramount.
The dance floor was crowded and decadent.
Tang Jingran, wearing a deep gray trench coat, sat alone in the corner booth.
His gaze was deep. On the glass table in front of him, two glasses of whiskey remained untouched.
Then, he lifted his wrist to check his watch.
Exactly 9:00 PM.
Time was up.
The sofa opposite him remained empty.
Qiao Wan approached with a tray, bending down to remove one of the glasses and sliding the bill under the coaster.
“Sir, the person you are waiting for is busy tonight.”
Tang Jingran looked at the bill, falling silent for two seconds before smiling with relief.
Not coming was the best answer.
Tang Jingran pulled out a few bills, pressed them on the table, stood up, and buttoned his trench coat.
Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly stopped.
Outside the VIP boxes on the second floor, there was a protruding balcony railing.
One of the hallway bulbs was broken, making the light very dim.
Someone was standing in the shadows. He couldn't see who it was clearly, but the familiar tall silhouette and smoking posture made him certain it was the person he was waiting for.
In the shadows, Zhou Jinnan wore only a shirt, his tie loosened.
His left hand held a half-burned cigarette, and his right arm rested lazily on the railing.
His face was half-hidden in the darkness, with only the red glow of the burning cigarette illuminating his jawline.
His gaze pierced through the noise below, bypassing the men and women on the dance floor, landing precisely on Tang Jingran.
Below.
Tang Jingran looked up, his eyes meeting the shadow on the second floor.
Across a distance of a dozen meters, through the smoke and surging music, their gazes seemed to meet for a brief second.
The second floor.
Zhou Jinnan's right fingers tightened slightly on the railing. He casually picked up the wide-rimmed glass of imported liquor beside him.
Watching Tang Jingran's figure disappear at the door, he slowly tilted his head back and drank the liquor in one gulp.
“Why didn't you go see him?” Qiao Wan's voice came from behind him.
She had walked over to the shadow at some point.
Zhou Jinnan didn't turn back. “If I saw him, what would I even say?”
“A simple 'take care' might have been the best comfort for him.”
“Comfort is the most useless thing in this world. It only creates weakness and unnecessary attachments.”
Zhou Jinnan casually placed the empty glass on the railing, his tone returning to its usual coldness. “My existence is so that people like him can walk toward the light without any attachments.”
Qiao Wan fell silent.
She took a cufflink from her purse and handed it over.
“This is new intelligence.” She looked at Zhou Jinnan's profile and said softly, “I've always remembered how you helped me back then. But my helping you isn't entirely to return the favor. In this kind of world, someone has to do something.”
Zhou Jinnan took the cufflink, his fingertips quickly rubbing it where she can't see, confirming the microfilm inside.
“Thanks.”
...
“Cut! Print!”
Xu Pingqiu stood up, clapping loudly.
The set was quiet for a second, then erupted in cheers and applause.
“Congratulations to Jiang Yue for wrapping up!” the crew coordinator shouted.
Jiang Yue, who had looked incredibly lonely just a second ago, immediately shed his cold mask.
He loosened his tie, leaped down the stairs from the second floor with his long legs, a bright smile on his face.
“Thank you, Director! Thank you, everyone! This tight shirt was making it hard to breathe!”
Jiang Yue rubbed his face while bowing slightly to express his gratitude, making everyone burst into laughter.
This instant transition out of character completely dispelled the sadness of the wrap-up.
Since this was the final scene of the entire drama, Chen Jiaming, Han Song, and Chen Yunjie, who had already wrapped up their scenes, also came over to join the fun.
Seeing Jiang Yue's lively demeanor, Su Binxuan and Chen Yunjie couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Chen Jiaming and Han Song each stepped forward holding a bouquet of flowers, shoving them into Jiang Yue's arms without a word.
“Brother Jiang, congratulations on wrapping up!”
Chen Jiaming patted Jiang Yue's shoulder, his tone filled with admiration for his junior. “Heaven blessed you with talent, and you still work so hard. You have a long road ahead of you.”
Han Song hooked his arm around Jiang Yue's neck. “You promised to treat us to a meal! I've written down every time you beat me up in the script in my little notebook!”
“No problem!” Jiang Yue agreed readily.
In the final wrap-up photo, Jiang Yue stood in the dead center, holding flowers, making a peace sign, smiling freely.
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