After the horseback action scenes, Jiang Yue spent a few days being closely monitored by Jiang Kaiwen.
Following He Chuan's reminder, the crew had prepared a unified statement in advance to prevent anyone from blowing his injuries out of proportion if the photos leaked.
Only a few long-range photos of him wrapping up work leaked online, showing nothing of importance. At most, people could see a bandage on his left wrist and guess that he had been filming many action scenes lately, so it didn't cause much of a stir.
Every day upon returning to the hotel after wrapping up, the first thing Jiang Yue did was sit on the sofa, roll up his sleeves, and change his dressings.
Jiang Kaiwen enforced this routine even more strictly than the daily call sheet.
Sometimes, just as Jiang Yue picked up his script, Jiang Kaiwen would remind him from behind, “Change your dressings first.”
Meanwhile, knowing that Jiang Yue was attending the Penguin Annual Gala, He Chuan rescheduled any scenes he could in advance, and tried to ensure the remaining few scenes avoided putting too much strain on his left arm.
Su Qing, on the other hand, was busy coordinating the itinerary between the studio and the brand.
Over the past few days, the data for 《The Hidden Sentry》 continued to climb due to a series of promotional events on the platform, such as signed photos.
Its popularity on Penguin Video remained firmly in the top three, with related topics trending for several consecutive days. Although the overseas buzz wasn't overwhelming, it had already reached the target range that Lamerd valued during their additional evaluation.
Last night, when Lin Lin sent the contract upgrade confirmation to the studio's email, Su Qing reviewed the terms and sent a two-word message in their work group chat today.
【It's done.】
Jiang Kaiwen stared at those two words for a full half-minute before suddenly raising his hand, nearly tossing his phone onto the sofa.
Jiang Yue saw it too. It would be a lie to say he felt absolutely nothing.
In the most prominent position on the confirmation letter was written: Lamerd Asia Region Spokesperson.
With those words finalized, the popularity, data, and word-of-mouth that 《The Hidden Sentry》 had garnered after its broadcast were all converted into concrete resources.
He hadn't thought much of it while filming and cooperating with promotional materials earlier, but now that the results were right in front of him, a belated warmth welled up in his heart.
“Ouch, gentler, please. This hand of mine just put its life on the line for 《The Pivot Bone》.”
Jiang Yue leaned back on the hotel sofa, watching Jiang Kaiwen use an iodine cotton swab to wipe around the scabbed edge of the wound on his inner left wrist, before applying a new breathable bandage.
“Oh, so you do know you put your life on the line?”
Jiang Kaiwen rolled his eyes, though his movements softened a bit. “The fans online are about to praise you as the next-generation martial arts actor, yet here you are complaining about the pain. Why didn't you think about the pain when you were filming?”
Jiang Yue didn't reply.
It wasn't that he didn't feel the pain while filming; it was just that once the camera started rolling, pain took a back seat.
Jiang Kaiwen finished applying the bandage and pushed his phone screen in front of Jiang Yue.
The screen still showed the confirmation letter forwarded by Su Qing and tomorrow's red carpet schedule.
“Third Brother.”
Jiang Kaiwen threw away the cotton swab. “It still feels unreal to me. Asia Region Spokesperson... Are we really partnered with an international top luxury brand just like that?”
Jiang Yue pulled down his sleeve and pressed his cuff with his fingertip.
“The upgrade confirmation has already been sent. You still haven't snapped out of it?”
“It just doesn't feel real yet.”
Jiang Kaiwen chuckled. “Counting the time, the people sent by Lamerd should be arriving soon. Third Brother, your body is still in shape, right?”
Jiang Yue looked up at him, his gaze filled with confusion.
Jiang Kaiwen immediately added, “I didn't mean anything else. I'm just concerned about whether the haute couture will fit you perfectly.”
Tomorrow was the annual Penguin Annual Gala red carpet.
As Lamerd's newly appointed Asia Region Spokesperson, the brand attached great importance to Jiang Yue's first red carpet look.
Lin Lin had mentioned that because time was tight and they couldn't tailor a new one from scratch, the headquarters had specially sourced an unreleased autumn/winter haute couture sample suit from their Paris workshop.
Not only that, but they had also dispatched two master tailors to fly to the country with the sample suit, and then travel overnight to the hotel near the Beijiao Film and Television Base to make personal adjustments for Jiang Yue.
Listening to Jiang Kaiwen's chatter, Jiang Yue knew very well that this wasn't a sudden act of charity from the brand.
Lamerd wanted commercial value, buzz, and a continuous upward momentum. What he needed to do now was to seize it firmly.
As they were speaking, the doorbell rang.
Jiang Kaiwen immediately stood up. “They're here, they're here!”
When the door opened, Lin Lin walked in with two French tailors, one of whom was carrying a massive black garment bag.
“Mr. Jiang, we finally meet in person.”
The smile on Lin Lin's face was much more genuine than during their last video conference, carrying the familiarity that came with a finalized partnership.
“Director Lin, thank you for your hard work.”
Lin Lin stepped aside and introduced, “These two are the master tailors dispatched from headquarters, Pierre and Rick. Since time is tight, let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the suit.”
Pierre was a skinny French old man with a tape measure draped around his neck. In somewhat halting Chinese, he said, “Mr. Jiang, we have reviewed your body measurements. They are excellent, but haute couture must be precise down to the millimeter.”
The garment bag was unzipped.
A midnight blue velvet peak lapel suit hung quietly inside.
Under the lights, the velvet fabric shimmered with a deep luster. The edges of the lapels were hand-embroidered with intricate dark patterns using silver thread, exuding an understated elegance.
“Holy crap.”
Jiang Kaiwen couldn't help but curse under his breath.
Even a layman could tell from its texture that this piece was incredibly expensive.
Jiang Yue's gaze fell upon the suit, and his heart skipped a beat as well.
“Mr. Jiang, please try it on.”
Pierre made a gesture.
Jiang Yue took the suit and went into the bedroom.
When he came back out, everyone in the living room fell silent.
Midnight blue was a very selective color; the slightest misstep could make it look like one was trying too hard.
But Jiang Yue had just come from filming on the set of 《The Pivot Bone》. He still carried Lu Ji's cold toughness, yet his eyes remained remarkably clear.
The fabric of the suit was fine and detailed, perfectly ironed without a single wrinkle.
The light reflecting off the fabric cast a delicate, high-end sheen. His entire aura was commanding and powerful, radiating immense presence.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long, slender legs.
Jiang Kaiwen gasped, almost cursing again, but managed to force out, “This is way too good.”
Pierre took a step forward, his eyes shining with pleasant surprise.
He had originally worried that this European-cut sample suit would be too demanding on the shoulder-to-back ratio. He hadn't expected Jiang Yue's shoulders to be so broad and flat, with firm, well-defined muscle lines and no hint of flabbiness.
He pulled out his tape measure and began measuring Jiang Yue.
“Here, let's take in the shoulder line by half a centimeter. And the waist, loosen it up a bit. You need to breathe.”
Beside him, Rick was rapidly taking notes on his tablet.
“Mr. Jiang, have you been working out your muscles lately?”
Pierre squeezed Jiang Yue's arm. “This area is firmer than the data indicated.”
“I've been filming action scenes, so I've been quite active.”
Jiang Yue replied.
He spoke nonchalantly, but Jiang Kaiwen stared at his left wrist from the side, his expression practically screaming, You'd better only be active.
“Excellent, maintain this sense of power.”
Pierre squatted down and began pinning the trouser cuffs. “Haute couture isn't about stuffing a person into a suit; it's about making the suit adapt to their breathing. For tomorrow's red carpet, you will perfectly fit the story Lamerd wants to tell.”
The entire adjustment process lasted for over two hours.
The two tailors pinned the suit thoroughly, ensuring that every contour conformed to Jiang Yue's body curves without compromising the structure of the sample suit itself.
Standing in front of the mirror, Jiang Yue initially just cooperated by raising his arms and turning around. But as his gaze fell upon his reflection, a sense of anticipation finally welled up inside him.
“The altered suit will be delivered tomorrow morning.”
Lin Lin looked at Jiang Yue and nodded in satisfaction. “Mr. Jiang, at tomorrow's Penguin Annual Gala, Lamerd will simultaneously push your Asia Region Spokesperson title across all platforms. Are you ready to take over the trending searches?”
Looking at the pin-covered suit in the mirror, a clear smile tugged at the corners of Jiang Yue's eyes.
“Director Lin, since the publicity is being handed to me, I'll certainly take it.”
After seeing off the Lamerd team, Jiang Kaiwen slumped onto the sofa and let out a long breath.
“Man, when Pierre was measuring you with those pins earlier, I was so worried he'd prick you.”
He turned to look at Jiang Yue, his eyes brimming with excitement. “Third Brother, once we walk that red carpet tomorrow, we'll truly have a foothold in the fashion world.”
The Penguin Annual Gala.
It was one of the most brutal battlegrounds in the domestic entertainment industry. Resources, status, connections—everything would be laid bare on that short, dozens-of-meters-long red carpet.
Jiang Yue touched the spot where the pins had secured the fabric.
The sensation of millimeter-level precision lingered, as if reminding him that tomorrow would be a different kind of set.
Rate on N.U.
