Fang Rui walked toward the edge of the rooftop step by step. His steps were relatively steady, but the exhaustion from the non-stop manhunt could no longer be hidden. The weeping of the victims' families and the heavy responsibility of personally crushing this evil once and for all weighed heavily on his shoulders.
He reached out and pulled out his handcuffs, not giving himself even half a second of hesitation.
“Click.”
When the cold metal ring locked around Shen Xu's left wrist, Shen Xu showed no reaction from beginning to end, as if everything happening before him had absolutely nothing to do with him.
Fang Rui circled behind him, preparing to cuff the other hand.
Right then, Shen Xu finally moved.
He slowly raised his right hand, proactively offering his wrist to Fang Rui. His movement was excessively calm, completely suppressing any sense of surrender, leaving only a suffocating provocation.
It wasn't that you caught me; it was that I let you catch me.
“Click.”
His hands were completely locked.
Fang Rui stared at him, squeezing out three words through gritted teeth.
“It's over.”
This line was a declaration of victory, and also his way of giving closure to all the victims.
Only then did Shen Xu look up, his eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
He looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists. His gaze didn't seem to fall on the restraints binding him, but rather on a poorly crafted but passable trinket.
Then, he looked up again, his gaze passing over Fang Rui's shoulder to fall upon the distant, countless lights of the city.
The next second, he took half a step forward.
Every muscle in Fang Rui's body instantly tensed up, almost expecting Shen Xu to resist.
But Shen Xu merely leaned down, bringing his lips close to Fang Rui's ear.
Because of the handcuffs, leaning forward was awkward, but his movements remained unhurried and composed. The distance between them was so close that Fang Rui could almost smell the residual chill of the night wind on him.
There were no lines, only a soft, exhaled breath that was nearly swept away by the wind.
Then, Shen Xu stood up straight and looked at Fang Rui, the corner of his mouth merely twitching upward in a slight, subtle curve.
It wasn't quite a smile, but closer to a condescending pity.
Having done all this, he didn't spare Fang Rui another glance. Turning around in his handcuffs, he walked away with terrifyingly steady steps, heading toward the police officers on standby.
Not a single word was spoken throughout the entire process.
Yet every gaze, every movement of his silently told everyone:
You won, but you also lost.
Only Fang Rui was left standing on the rooftop.
The breath from just now, so soft it was almost inaudible, seemed to linger by his ear, refusing to dissipate.
He had clearly captured Ghost, yet for some reason, he felt as if he had fallen into a deeper, darker trap.
“Cut!”
Li Cheng's voice came through the walkie-talkie. He didn't shout at the top of his lungs, but anyone could hear the satisfaction in his voice.
He stood up and nodded heavily.
“That's a take!”
“Cameras A and B, make sure you save all the footage from that take!”
With that call, the suffocating pressure surrounding Jiang Yue instantly vanished.
He turned around, returning to his usual easygoing self. After taking off the handcuffs, he naturally stretched his wrists, which had been slightly chafed.
Lin Ze let out a long breath, his eyes filled with nothing but admiration as he looked at Jiang Yue.
The crew members on set finally breathed a sigh of relief as well, whispering in hushed tones.
“Holy crap, he didn't say a single word, but why do I feel like that was even scarier than the shouting match earlier?”
“Exactly. That silent contempt... it's like the police are absolutely nothing in his eyes.”
“This newcomer has some real skill. He held the scene together with just his eyes and movements.”
Li Cheng strode over and patted Jiang Yue heavily on the shoulder, the praise in his eyes completely impossible to hide.
“Good job, kid.”
Jiang Yue looked at the constantly flashing light screen in front of him, his mood quite pleasant as well.
【Ding! Strong emotional fluctuations detected...】
【Lin Ze's high praise and recognition: Prestige points +60】
【Li Cheng's satisfaction and shock: Prestige points +50】
【Admiration from the entire crew: Prestige points +90】
【Current Prestige points: 575】
After lunch, the shooting continued.
At 2:30 PM, inside a real-life independent bookstore rented in downtown Donghai, Assistant Director Old Wu was holding a megaphone, his voice already hoarse from shouting.
The stagehands ran back and forth setting up camera positions, while the lighting crew adjusted the natural light streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The crew of 《Manhunt》 had relocated here to shoot Ghost's introductory scene, as well as a few daily casual scenes.
Originally, these shots had been filmed by Zhang Yu.
But now that he was gone, the previous footage was completely useless, so they had to start over.
Behind the monitor, Li Cheng drank strong tea while discussing the scene with the screenwriter, Tang Feng.
“In the first two conflict scenes, Jiang Yue gave it his all, delivering an incredibly intense and full performance.”
Li Cheng pointed at the monitor, his tone serious.
“These introductory scenes are meant to deceive the audience.”
“On the surface, Shen Xu is just a warm, easygoing bookstore clerk.”
“What I want is this extreme contrast.”
Tang Feng scratched his head, looking a bit troubled.
“Director Li, Jiang Yue's oppressive aura is too strong.”
“Can he really pull off an innocent, harmless vibe?”
As the screenwriter, he was well aware of Jiang Yue's track record on set.
In Tang Feng's mind, this guy carried a certain level of danger.
Asking a guy who could play a crazy villain so convincingly that it felt like his real self to play a bright, cheerful boy next door...
The idea sounded absolutely ridiculous.
“Don't worry too much.”
Li Cheng said this, but his follow-up was brutally honest.
“I don't know either. Let's see how it goes first.”
“If it really doesn't work, we'll just have him dial it back.”
As they spoke, the curtain to the dressing room was pulled back.
Jiang Yue walked out, having changed his clothes.
The crew had prepared a short-sleeved gray plaid shirt and light-colored jeans for him. He wore very little makeup, and his hair was only simply styled.
The stray hairs on his forehead hung naturally. He looked clean and refreshed, with an easygoing smile hovering at the corners of his lips.
Tang Feng stared blankly.
The Jiang Yue before him stood tall and straight, his features clean and bright. There wasn't a single trace of madness left in him.
Instead of the bone-chilling villain from the camera, he looked exactly like a college boy who had just stepped off a university campus.
Tang Feng couldn't help but swallow hard.
This switching speed...
Did they swap him out for someone else?
Jiang Yue walked up to Li Cheng, his attitude respectful.
“Director Li, when do we start?”
Right now, he had only one thought in his head.
Finish filming early, get the final payment early. In this day and age, how could regular wages ever be as satisfying as this?
Li Cheng sized him up, and the heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.
He had truly struck gold.
“Right away.”
Li Cheng pointed toward the checkout counter.
“Tang Feng modified some details. He didn't add any lines for you, but he added a little something.”
Tang Feng stepped forward and handed Jiang Yue a prop—an old pocket watch.
The glass cover was cracked, and the edges were worn down, looking as if it had been used for many years.
“Teacher Jiang.”
Tang Feng called him 'Teacher' more naturally than anyone else now.
“In the original script, Shen Xu was just a pure villain.”
“But your scene yesterday made me feel like he has a deep-seated sense of abandonment in his bones.”
“So, I wanted to add a touch of tragedy to him.”
Tang Feng pointed at the pocket watch.
“This pocket watch represents his only attachment in this world.”
“It could be a family member who passed away early, or the only person he ever cared about in his past. You can interpret it yourself.”
“In this scene, a police officer comes to buy a book.”
“Once the officer leaves, give this pocket watch a reaction.”
Jiang Yue took the pocket watch, ran his fingertip over the rough cracks on the glass cover, and nodded.
“Sure.”
How to act was up to the boss.
Rate on N.U.
