Ten minutes later, another dozen or so people gathered outside the safety line at the end of the street.
Some carried two large bags of ice jelly, others hugged a case of room-temperature mineral water, and someone even held up a small whiteboard with writing on it:
【No crowding, no shouting, no entering the set.】
Below that, there was a line of smaller text:
【You don't have to accept our food, but could you at least let Brother Yue take a look at our banner?】
Jiang Kaiwen read it out loud, nearly doubling over with laughter.
Jiang Yue was also a bit surprised. He walked up to the inside of the safety line and nodded to them from a few meters away.
“Thank you, everyone. You don't need to give us anything. It's hot today, so keep it for yourselves to drink.”
The girls in the front row immediately nodded. One of them, suppressing her excitement, called out in a low voice, “Brother Yue, do your best with the filming! We won't disturb you!”
Another added, “We're just passing by!”
Jiang Kaiwen looked at the identical whiteboards and bags of supplies in their hands and couldn't help but chime in, “You guys prepared quite thoroughly for just 'passing by.'”
The girls burst into laughter. This setup indeed didn't look like they were just passing by.
Jiang Yue smiled and said, “Head back early. Don't get sunburned.”
Just as he finished speaking, Cheng Songran poked his head out from behind him, his tone serious. “Don't post the exact location details online.”
The fans immediately answered in unison, “Understood!”
With that kind of discipline, anyone who didn't know better would think Cheng Songran was conducting military training for students.
By this point in the travel blogger's video, the bullet comments were already flooding the screen.
Because the camera was far away, the voices of their conversation were muffled and intermittent, but their movements and the text on the whiteboard were clearly visible. Later, fans who had been on-site even added a text version of the interaction in the comment section.
However, what truly made this video go viral was a subsequent unexpected incident.
The man in sunglasses who had just been stopped by security refused to give up. He looped around and slipped out from another alley.
This time, he held a cup of milk tea, pretending to be a fan who had also come to deliver treats.
Just as he approached the safety line, before he could even speak, the young girl holding the mineral water turned to look at him warily.
“Who are you?”
The sunglasses guy was taken aback. “A fan.”
The girl looked him up and down. “Who's your bias?”
The sunglasses guy stuttered, “Jiang... Jiang Yue.”
The girl pressed on, “What's Jiang Yue's Super Topic called?”
Sunglasses Guy: “...”
The expressions of the girls nearby instantly changed.
One of them immediately raised her whiteboard and flipped it over from the "don't disrupt the shoot" side to reveal even larger characters written on the back:
【Say No to Proxy Photographers. Keep Away From the Set.】
Jiang Kaiwen burst out laughing.
“Holy crap, the fans are more professional than security.”
The security guards also walked over and politely escorted the sunglasses guy away.
This time, before the sunglasses guy could even say he was just passing by, he was blocked outside the alley entrance.
Watching this scene, Cheng Songran fell silent for a moment before deadpanning, “These fans are good. They save on security costs.”
Jiang Kaiwen immediately turned around. “I know what you're thinking, and don't even dream about it. Fans aren't outsourced labor for the crew.”
Cheng Songran sighed. “What a pity.”
Jiang Yue shot him a helpless look.
“Director Cheng, that's enough.”
Cheng Songran shrugged. “I'm just reasonably assessing available resources.”
This segment was also captured by the travel blogger.
When the video was first uploaded online, the title was quite plain:
【Ran into Jiang Yue's crew in Shancheng. The fan visit felt like military training, the young director is as stingy as an accountant, and the tall staff member next to him has such long legs.】
No one expected this video to trend within two hours.
In the comment section, people quickly explained that the young director was Cheng Songran, the director of 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》, and the tall, masked staff member was the manager from Jiang Yue's studio.
The tone of the comments was remarkably unified.
【LMAO, what kind of crew is this? Realistically poor, and they don't exactly live a glamorous life either.】
【Fans: We won't disturb the filming, we just want to feed you. Director Cheng: We can't accept the food, but you can leave the purchasing channels.】
【Director Cheng looks so young. Why does this feel like college students doing a group project?】
【Jiang Yue is so down-to-earth. He doesn't put on any airs at all when standing there.】
【The main thing is that the three of them standing together has such a great vibe. Jiang Yue looks like the actor himself, the director looks like the demon king of the set, and the manager looks like a tall, long-legged, long-suffering assistant.】
【Who's the masked manager? His figure is great too. Is the competition among entertainment industry managers this fierce now?】
【Director Cheng, you really know how to live frugally.】
【The fans' on-site counter-reconnaissance is hilarious! The part where they asked for the Super Topic name made me cringe so hard on behalf of the sunglasses guy that I could've built a whole skyscraper.】
In the blink of an eye, new trending topics popped up:
#JiangYueCrewFanVisitDiscipline#
#PrisonersGameInTheMirrorAllComedians#
#JiangYueDirectorManagerInOneFrame#
#DirectorChengSpendsMoneyOnTheBlade#
Originally, 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》 hadn't even had a formal official announcement yet, and its official account was like an empty shell that had just connected to the internet.
Yet, before the hype from Chu Yan's sword dance had even faded, this passerby video perfectly connected to it. Fans and netizens followed the clues to track down the account.
The official account's follower count grew from a few hundred to tens of thousands, and then to over a hundred thousand.
The young man in charge of operating the official account stared blankly at the constantly updating data in the backend. Clutching his phone, he rushed up to Cheng Songran.
“Director Cheng, our official account's followers are skyrocketing!”
Cheng Songran was currently explaining the positioning for the next scene to Jiang Yue. Hearing this, he didn't even turn his head.
“How much did it grow?”
“Over a hundred thousand, and it's still rising!”
Cheng Songran paused.
Beside him, Jiang Kaiwen gloated, “Director Cheng, you've saved on promotional costs again.”
Cheng Songran looked up, glancing at the fans who had already dispersed in the distance, and then at Jiang Yue.
After a long pause, he said earnestly, “Brother Jiang.”
Jiang Yue: “Hmm?”
Cheng Songran: “When you pass by the street corner tomorrow, you can be a bit more natural.”
Jiang Yue: “...”
Jiang Kaiwen instantly bristled. “Are you treating my brother as a free promotional standee?”
Cheng Songran corrected him, “It's natural candid footage.”
Jiang Kaiwen: “Is there a difference?”
Cheng Songran: “Yes. Standees can't act.”
Jiang Yue got a headache from their bickering and raised his hand to stop them.
“Let's shoot first.”
As soon as he spoke, Cheng Songran immediately picked up his walkie-talkie, and Jiang Kaiwen handed over the fan.
The two who were just undermining each other switched back into work mode faster than anyone.
A few fans who hadn't left in the distance watched this scene and quietly took a few wide-angle photos.
In the photos, Jiang Yue lowered his head to listen to Cheng Songran explain the scene, while Jiang Kaiwen stood beside him, blocking a bit of the sun for him. The walls of Shancheng's old street were mottled, and the river breeze blew from afar, carrying the summer heat.
There were no beautifying filters or deliberate posing, yet after these photos were posted, the comment section fell into a rare silence for a moment.
Then, someone left a comment:
【Suddenly, I understand why everyone loves watching their daily life on set so much.】
【Because it doesn't feel like forced fan service. It feels like a group of people who are genuinely serious about filming, and just happen to be genuinely hilarious on the side.】
【Jiang Yue seems to have a great relationship with the director, and his manager is so protective of him. This kind of atmosphere is really comforting.】
【I was just here for the gossip initially, but now I'm actually looking forward to 《Prisoner's Game in the Mirror》.】
That night, when Jiang Kaiwen scrolled through these comments, the corners of his mouth curled up in an uncontrollable smile.
“Third Brother, look. Netizens say the three of us have a great vibe.”
Jiang Yue had just finished showering, his hair not yet completely dry. Hearing this, he looked up at him.
“What kind of vibe?”
Jiang Kaiwen handed the phone over.
“They say you're the core of the set, Director Cheng is the tsundere director, and I'm the tall, long-legged, long-suffering manager.”
Jiang Yue was also amused after reading the comments. “Quite accurate.”
Jiang Kaiwen protested, “How is that accurate? Why am I the long-suffering one?”
Jiang Yue glanced at the water bottle, mini fan, script folder, power bank, and takeout bag in his hands.
Jiang Kaiwen followed his gaze downward and fell silent for two seconds.
“Fine.”
He reluctantly admitted, “It's not entirely inaccurate.”
Cheng Songran happened to pass by the door. Hearing this, he pushed the door open and poked his head in.
“We're leaving at six tomorrow. Don't be late.”
Jiang Kaiwen's face fell. “Six o'clock?!”
Cheng Songran said in a cold tone, “We're shooting a sunrise scene tomorrow.”
Jiang Kaiwen: “Can the sun rise a bit later?”
Cheng Songran: “Go negotiate with the sun.”
Jiang Yue couldn't help but chuckle.
Cheng Songran looked at him. “Get some sleep early, Brother Jiang.”
Jiang Yue nodded. “Okay.”
The door closed again.
Jiang Kaiwen stood in place clutching his things and let out a long sigh.
“Third Brother, I finally understand why netizens say this crew is so down-to-earth.”
Jiang Yue wiped his hair. “Why?”
Jiang Kaiwen said in a pained voice, “Because other crews go viral through red carpets, luxury cars, and photoshopped pictures.”
“Our crew goes viral through lunch boxes, mini fans, Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid, and a six-o'clock sunrise.”
Jiang Yue thought about it for a moment before offering some comfort, “That's good. At least it shows that what people really want to see is a group of people seriously making a movie.”
Rate on N.U.
