Su Qing quickly replied with an ellipsis.
Right after, she sent another message: 【Fine, you guys eat. Come back early tomorrow after you're done.】
Jiang Kaiwen looked at the line of text. Just as he was about to hand the phone to Jiang Yue, another message popped up on the screen.
【Also, don't let the boss eat too much spicy food. The online meeting with the top luxury brand is the day after tomorrow. We don't want his face to be bloated by then and leave a bad impression.】
Jiang Kaiwen looked down at the bright red chili oil dipping sauce in front of Jiang Yue, then at the duck blood that Jiang Yue had already swished into the pot, falling into a brief silence.
As if sensing his gaze, Jiang Yue looked up and asked, “What's wrong?”
Jiang Kaiwen turned his phone face down, his expression solemn.
“Sister Qing says to eat less spicy food.”
Jiang Yue's chopsticks paused.
Cheng Songran slowly pushed a plate of duck intestines in front of Jiang Yue, his tone solemn. “How can that be? Don't listen to her! Brother Jiang, you only get one wrap party.”
Jiang Kaiwen said angrily, “Director Cheng, don't fan the flames! The online meeting with the top luxury brand is coming up. Will you take responsibility if his face is bloated?”
Cheng Songran thought for a moment and asked a completely brainless question: “Can we fix it in post?”
Jiang Kaiwen: “It's an online meeting! Live!”
Cheng Songran regretfully pulled the duck intestines back, as if mourning for the wasted delicacy.
“Then it really would be hard to fix.”
Watching the two of them seriously debate whether his face would bloat, Jiang Yue found it amusing. He didn't even know himself to be someone whose face bloated from eating spicy food.
He put down his chopsticks, took a sip of the ice jelly beside him, and said unhurriedly, “I know my limits.”
Jiang Kaiwen didn't believe him at all. “Last time you said you knew your limits, you ended up ordering two extra portions of crispy pork after finishing your spicy noodles.”
Jiang Yue corrected his phrasing: “Director Cheng was paying for that.”
Cheng Songran immediately nodded. “Yes, I can testify to that.”
Looking at the two of them, Jiang Kaiwen suddenly felt like he was the only sober person left.
The wrap party went on until past eleven in the evening before dispersing.
Cheng Songran handed out wrap-up red envelopes to everyone in the crew. The red envelopes weren't very thick, but printed on the cover was the title of 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》 and a single sentence.
【May everyone trapped in the mirror find their way out.】
When Jiang Yue received his red envelope, his fingertips paused slightly.
This sentence was very fitting for Chen Jingan's ending, and it also felt like proof of what everyone in the crew had endured together over the past few months.
Jiang Kaiwen leaned in to take a look and whispered, “Director Cheng finally doesn't seem like Director Cheng for once.”
Cheng Songran happened to walk past and heard him.
“I'm not stingy with red envelopes,” he said. “You can't skimp on sentimentality.”
Jiang Kaiwen nodded. “And the hot pot bill?”
Cheng Songran: “The hot pot bill can be written off.”
Jiang Kaiwen: “...”
As expected, the sentimentality never lasted more than three seconds.
At the entrance of the cave hot pot restaurant, the crew took one final group photo.
Jiang Yue stood in the center, with Cheng Songran on his left and Ding Zhengxin, Yang Qiong, and others on his right. Jiang Kaiwen stood in the back row, managing to peek half a head above the crowd purely due to his height.
The promo guy shouted the countdown: “Three, two, one!”
Everyone raised their wrap-up red envelopes together.
“Happy wrap for 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》!”
The moment the shutter clicked, Jiang Yue suddenly had a very clear feeling.
Chen Jingan's story had ended, but Jiang Yue's next scene was still ongoing.
On the car ride back to the villa, Jiang Kaiwen finally couldn't help but open the list of resources sent by Su Qing. Densely packed email titles filled the screen.
Historical dramas, mystery genres, platform-customized dramas, sports brands, smartphone endorsements, and online meetings with top luxury brands were all crammed together.
Jiang Kaiwen more he looked, the more excited he became, wishing he could hold a meeting on the spot.
“Third Brother, look at this script! The director's resume is incredibly solid!”
“And this one, a platform S-Tier project!”
“This sports brand is good too. It can ride on the wave of your high jump popularity.”
“And the top luxury brand goes without saying. Even if it's just a preliminary contact, once word gets out, it'll be enough to keep the marketing accounts writing for three days.”
Jiang Yue leaned against his seat, listening with his eyes closed.
Only when Jiang Kaiwen talked until his throat was dry did he open his eyes.
“Filter the scripts first.”
Jiang Kaiwen froze. “We're not looking at commercial endorsements first?”
Jiang Yue explained, “Let Su Qing handle the initial terms and timelines for the commercial stuff first. No need to rush. Besides, there's an online meeting coming up. We'll see how it goes then.”
Jiang Kaiwen was quick-witted and soon understood what he meant.
Jiang Yue was indeed incredibly popular right now, but the higher his popularity, the more careful he had to be with his choices. Chu Yan had already established his labels for historical, political, and action roles, while 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》 was a suspenseful psychological drama.
The next step would determine whether Jiang Yue would just be a flash in the pan or if he could truly establish a solid foothold. In comparison, commercial deals weren't as urgent.
Jiang Kaiwen nodded. “Alright, we'll have a meeting when we get back.”
Jiang Yue closed his eyes again. “Also, don't schedule anything too early tomorrow morning.”
Jiang Kaiwen grew alert. “Why?”
Jiang Yue replied with utmost sincerity, “I ate too much tonight. I might not be able to sleep.”
Looking at his deadpan face, Jiang Kaiwen choked back his words for a long while before squeezing out: “Third Brother, do you actually have any self-awareness as an artist right now?”
Jiang Yue thought about it.
“I do.”
Just as Jiang Kaiwen was about to feel relieved, he heard Jiang Yue continue, “That's why I didn't order a second serving of beef tripe just now.”
Jiang Kaiwen: “...”
The car was silent for two seconds.
The driver in the front seat couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
The next morning, the official account for 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》 finally stopped looking like an empty shell that had just connected to the internet.
A wrap-up Weibo post was published.
【The movie 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》 has officially wrapped. Thank you to all the cast and crew. May the truth pierce through the fog, and may every predicament find its exit.】
There were nine attached photos.
The first was the crew's group photo, the second was the silhouette of Jiang Yue standing at the edge of the rooftop, and the third was a still of Ding Zhengxin sitting in a prison uniform.
The fourth was a behind-the-scenes shot of Cheng Songran clinging tightly to the monitor, and the fifth, acting as a blooper photo, showed a sudden shift in style: Jiang Kaiwen shielding a plate of beef tripe, glaring warily at Cheng Songran.
The comment section immediately went wild with laughter.
【First four photos: Pure suspense film vibes. Fifth photo: The crew's actual survival conditions.】
【Jiang Yue's silhouette on the rooftop is so storytelling-heavy. I'm already looking forward to Chen Jingan.】
【Teacher Ding's prison uniform look gave me goosebumps. Is he actually playing the big villain this time?】
【Director Cheng finally bothered to post on Weibo? Did he manage to squeeze out some promotional budget?】
【LMAO, is the fifth photo a fight over the crew's public resources?】
【So when is Brother Yue returning to Donghai? He should be able to take on commercial endorsements now, right? Bring on the endorsements! I'm ready to watch Brother Yue do a live stream to promote products!】
Seeing this, Jiang Kaiwen immediately handed his phone to Jiang Yue.
“Third Brother, the netizens say they want to see you do a promotional live stream for endorsed products.”
Jiang Yue had just finished washing up. He glanced at the comments and asked in confusion, “What's so interesting about that kind of live stream?”
Jiang Kaiwen fell silent for two seconds.
“It's not interesting for other people,” he said. “But for your fans, even if you just sit there flipping through a PowerPoint, they could still edit a three-minute video out of it.”
Jiang Yue: “...”
The more Jiang Kaiwen thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
“I've even thought of the title: 'Jiang Yue's First Appearance After Wrapping Up—He Actually Endorsed This!'”
Jiang Yue draped his towel over the back of the chair.
“Read fewer marketing accounts.”
Jiang Kaiwen said righteously, “I'm just adapting to the future pace of work in advance. This is only the beginning.”
Jiang Yue picked up his phone and replied to Su Qing.
【Arriving in Donghai at noon.】
Su Qing replied instantly: 【Got it.】
The next second, she sent another photo of the studio's conference room.
Yuchuan Media Studio had just finished renovations not long ago. The conference table, projector, and green plants were all set up, looking so clean it seemed as though it hadn't officially opened yet.
Below the photo was a message from Su Qing.
【Boss, the office is ready. Just waiting for you to come back.】
Looking at the photo, Jiang Yue's fingertips paused.
From an unnamed, minor actor to the Jiang Yue whose door was being knocked on by top luxury brands and A-Tier scripts at the same time, time had indeed flown by too quickly.
Standing beside him, Jiang Kaiwen, rare of him, didn't make any jokes.
After a moment, he asked, “Third Brother, are you nervous?”
Jiang Yue put away his phone and looked up at him.
“A little.”
Jiang Kaiwen blanked for a moment; Jiang Yue rarely admitted to such things.
But the next second, Jiang Yue had already picked up his jacket and was wheeling his suitcase toward the door.
“So, let's head back and look at the scripts first.”
Reacting quickly, Jiang Kaiwen immediately grabbed his own suitcase and chased after him.
“Coming!”
As the door clicked shut, the humid wind of Shancheng blew in from the end of the corridor, carrying with it the emptiness that follows a wrap-up.
Jiang Yue cast one last look at the villa he had lived in for several months, then turned and walked downstairs.
Chen Jingan remained in Shancheng.
Jiang Yue was returning to Donghai to take on his next scene.
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