Several seconds passed.
Behind the monitor, Xu Pingqiu finally grabbed his walkie-talkie, his voice still a bit raspy.
“Cut!”
He cleared his throat and waved his hand. “Prepare to transition to the next scene.”
As soon as the command was issued, the tense atmosphere on the set instantly dissolved.
The extras all relaxed in unison, and the props team quickly jogged over to clean up the broken porcelain shards on the ground.
The actor playing Xue Ming was helped down by the staff, his gaze still vacant, clearly shaken by the raw emotion Jiang Yue had just unleashed.
The whip lashes earlier had indeed been faked.
But the mad-dog-like oppression Jiang Yue had delivered right to his face was just too damn suffocating.
Zhang Yu dismounted his horse and snatched the water bottle handed over by his assistant.
Unscrewing the cap, he took a massive gulp.
Looking down, he realized that his palm gripping the plastic bottle was completely slick with cold sweat.
During the confrontation scene just now, he had clearly been riding a tall, majestic horse, representing absolute justice, and his lines had been delivered from a position of authority.
Yet the longer the scene went on, the more suffocating it felt, and he had been completely dragged along by Jiang Yue's rhythm.
It was like he had seen a ghost.
Zhang Yu clenched the plastic bottle, making it crackle loudly, and ground his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
This guy... is he a monster?
On the other side of the set, Jiang Yue strolled over to the resting area.
The moment he silently unequipped the trait in his mind, the previous violence and grief vanished without a trace.
Accepting the water handed to him by a stagehand, he threw his head back and drank half the bottle.
...
May 1st, 8:00 PM, Penguin Video.
The web drama 《Manhunt》 officially launched across the internet right on time.
Donghai University, boys' dormitory.
Lu Ming and Chen Haotian were each holding a bowl of braised beef instant noodles, sitting in front of a small, temporary table set up in the middle of their dorm room.
On the computer screen, the Penguin Video playback interface was open.
Lu Ming slurped a large mouthful of noodles and mumbled indistinctly, “Hey, I say, what is Brother Yue actually busy doing in that crew? It's been almost half a month. He won't even tell us what role he's playing. Keeping it so mysterious. Today is the premiere of the web drama he filmed, and he didn't even come back to take a look.”
Chen Haotian pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose and stated objectively, “He sent a message this morning saying he has to stay in Hengcheng for at least another half-month. He told us to watch it first and write him a review afterward. To keep up with the schedule, the crew's shooting periods are very tight. It's normal that he can't make it back.”
Lu Ming nodded and grinned. “Alright then. I want to see what kind of name the heartthrob of our computer science department can make for himself after crossing over into the entertainment industry.”
Saying that, he hit the spacebar.
A fast-paced intro theme with a strong sense of suspense flashed by.
The first episode officially began.
The scene transitioned into a quiet, elegant independent bookstore.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the large glass windows, refracting into slender, warm beams of light in the air.
Beside a solid wood bookshelf, a young man was leaning over, meticulously wiping down a table with a rag.
The young man wore a clean, grey plaid shirt.
His features were clean and bright, and a highly approachable smile hung on the corner of his lips.
It was indeed Jiang Yue.
His character in the drama was named Shen Xu.
A law-abiding, hard-working bookstore clerk.
He looked completely harmless, even carrying the peaceful, artistic vibe of a literary youth.
“Yo, he actually looks the part,” Lu Ming almost choked on the noodles he hadn't swallowed yet, nearly spitting them out. “Isn't this exactly how he looks when he goes to the library to study? This drama's casting director is pretty awesome. Brother Yue is basically playing himself.”
Chen Haotian nodded in agreement.
《Manhunt》 had a total of twenty-one episodes.
The entire drama was divided into six different case arcs, with a fast-paced plot that never dragged.
According to the platform's usual practice, three episodes were released for free on the premiere day, while VIP members could watch one extra episode.
The content of these four episodes was just enough to push the first case, the "Ghost" case, to its climax.
The first two episodes were relatively steady.
The core plot revolved around a bizarre "accidental" car crash that the criminal investigation team had just taken over.
Shen Xu was merely background dressing, with a pitifully small amount of screen time.
But every time he appeared, he was gentle and polite.
He even lent a thoughtful hand when a female police officer, Qin Rui, came to the store looking for obscure criminal investigation books.
It had to be said that the production value of this drama was indeed top-notch.
The costumes, makeup, props, and filters did not disappoint.
On-screen bullet comments had already begun to pop up with sporadic, organic recommendations:
【This show is actually pretty good. The pacing is great!】
【Great production quality. Definitely adding this to my watchlist!】
【Wait! This bookstore guy is so handsome! I need this man's entire background info in three minutes!】
On the screen.
Qin Rui walked out of the bookstore with a hint of suspicion.
After she turned around, Shen Xu slowly lowered his head.
His fingertips gently stroked an old pocket watch with a cracked face.
His gaze was gentle to the absolute extreme.
So gentle that no one could possibly find any fault with it.
Lu Ming gave a fair assessment: “His acting is pretty good. Very natural.”
Chen Haotian nodded in agreement. “From what we've seen so far, it really doesn't look like his first time acting.”
However, as the progress bar reached the latter half of the third episode, the plot suddenly took a sharp turn.
Qin Rui finally locked her suspicions onto Shen Xu through a series of clues.
When she stood in the bookstore, fully geared up, and coldly spat out, “We have already secured evidence of you hacking into the city's traffic control system,” Shen Xu actually chuckled, as if he had just heard a very poor joke.
Then, he fished out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and unhurriedly rested them on the bridge of his nose.
The instant the temples of the glasses hooked over his ears, his entire aura completely transformed.
Lu Ming and Chen Haotian acted with uncanny synchronicity, setting down their instant noodle bowls at the exact same time.
On the screen.
Shen Xu sat in front of the computer, his long, slender fingers rhythmically tapping on the keyboard.
The cold, white light of the monitor cast an eerie glow across his face.
His face, which had originally been pure and free of any impurities, suddenly exuded a refined, well-dressed danger that treated human life like grass.
Lifting his eyelids, he looked toward Qin Rui.
His voice was smooth, completely devoid of any rise or fall.
“Officer.”
“Who do you think is faster? Your bullet, or my enter key?”
The dormitory instantly fell dead silent.
Lu Ming's mouth hung slightly open, having completely forgotten to chew.
Chen Haotian didn't say a word either. He merely silently pushed his cup of instant noodles a bit closer to the center of the table, setting it down more securely.
The plot continued to race forward.
Shen Xu was taken in for interrogation.
But the police were utterly dumbfounded, because all traces of the crime had been completely wiped clean from the lowest levels of the network.
Aside from a few lines of meaningless code, they couldn't find a single shred of physical evidence to pin down this suspect.
In the end, the police had no choice but to release Shen Xu due to "insufficient evidence."
Shen Xu walked out of the police station's main doors with his hands in his pockets.
Just as his foot stepped onto the final stair, he stopped without any warning.
Then, he slowly turned his head back and grinned at the security camera overhead.
The moment that smile appeared, Lu Ming felt a chill shoot straight up from his tailbone to his crown, sending a wave of numbness through his scalp.
Rubbing the goosebumps on his arms, his neck turned stiffly like a rusted gear as he looked over at Chen Haotian.
“Old Chen... is, is this fucking Brother Yue?”
Chen Haotian remained silent for two seconds, then pushed up his glasses.
“Analyzing purely from a biological appearance perspective, yes.”
Lu Ming: “...”
Even at a fucking time like this, you can still maintain this kind of scientific research spirit.
Truly rigorous.
Rate on N.U.
