To help boost their brother's view count, the two of them had chipped in to buy a one-month VIP membership.
Thus, the fourth episode loaded seamlessly.
Because the "Ghost" case was too bizarre, the higher-ups had directly parachuted in Fang Rui, an experienced criminal investigator, to take over.
The confrontation between the two sides quickly reached a fever pitch.
Following the clues, Fang Rui finally cornered Shen Xu on a rooftop on a stormy, lightning-filled night.
What followed was the legendary confrontation that netizens would later watch on repeat until they knew every frame by heart.
Fang Rui, played by Lin Ze, was drenched from head to toe, his eyes bloodshot.
Holding his gun with both hands, his raspy voice was laced with grief and indignation:
“They aren't just data!”
“They are living, breathing human beings!”
Yet Shen Xu just stood there quietly in the rain, listening.
The playfulness in his eyes was like someone watching a dying grasshopper struggle.
He spoke neither too fast nor too slow.
Every word he uttered carried a bone-chilling coldness.
With just a few words, he nearly ground Fang Rui's psychological defenses into the dirt.
One had completely lost control of his emotions, while the other was chillingly calm.
The immense contrast instantly pushed the dramatic tension to its absolute limit.
In front of the screen, Lu Ming and Chen Haotian had completely stopped breathing.
At this moment, no one was thinking about the logic of the case itself anymore.
All of their attention was firmly gripped by Shen Xu.
This villain.
He was incredibly arrogant, terrifyingly steady, and completely insane.
Without even moving much, his sheer presence subtly suppressed the male lead.
On screen.
Fang Rui finally broke down and roared, snapping off the safety of his gun.
The dark, hollow muzzle of the gun was pressed right against Shen Xu's chest.
Shen Xu looked down at the barrel.
He smiled.
Then, he slowly raised his right hand.
Extending his index and middle fingers, he casually pushed the deadly barrel aside, as if brushing dust off his shoulder.
“Shoot.”
Those three light words.
They carried a lofty pity, a deep-seated mockery, and a spine-chilling trace of anticipation.
“Bang!”
The progress bar of the fourth episode abruptly reached its end.
The screen instantly cut to black.
The heavy ending theme song blared abruptly in the dead-silent dormitory.
Only the heavy breathing of the two boys could be heard.
Lu Ming stared at the black screen, his neck turning stiffly toward Chen Haotian.
He swallowed hard with great difficulty.
“Old Chen, Brother Yue's attitude toward us in daily life... is usually pretty decent, right?”
Chen Haotian didn't say a word.
He merely reached out and silently, extremely slowly, pushed the stainless steel fork he had used to eat his instant noodles five centimeters further away from Lu Ming.
Seeing this gesture, Lu Ming almost lost his mind on the spot.
“Wait, what do you mean by pushing the fork away?!”
Chen Haotian pushed up his glasses, his face devoid of emotion.
“Maintaining a safe distance.”
Lu Ming: “...”
That sounds even more terrifying than the villain, okay?!
Just then.
The bullet comments that had been accumulating on the screen exploded like a burst dam.
Dense, colorful text completely covered the screen.
【Ahhh, "Shoot"! What kind of peerless psycho line is this?! I'm completely stunned!!!】
【Help! I'm not afraid of a villain being bad, I'm afraid of him being both handsome and psycho!】
【He looked so much like a decent human being in the bookstore, but on the rooftop, he's a fucking ghost!】
【Where on earth did this actor pop up from? Does the domestic entertainment industry always feast this well?!】
【Holy crap! It ends here? Penguin Video, are you playing games with us?! Would releasing one more episode today kill you?!】
【I suggest we immediately investigate this man's ancestry for three generations! There is absolutely no way that gaze is just acting!】
【My mom asked why I'm kneeling on my bed while watching my phone... I'm already heading to Xiaohongshu to camp for fan edits. Nobody is sleeping tonight!】
Gulp.
Lu Ming swallowed hard once again.
He finally recovered from the spine-tingling aftereffects.
Grabbing his phone from the table, he pulled up Jiang Yue's number and dialed.
Beep—
The call was picked up quickly.
The background was a bit noisy; the faint voice of a crew coordinator could be heard shouting to pack up and move equipment.
“Hello?”
Jiang Yue's voice sounded just as usual, carrying a hint of relaxation from having just finished work. “Finished watching the premiere?”
Lu Ming opened his mouth, but found himself at a loss for words.
He didn't know how to bring it up.
Should he ask how his acting had suddenly become so god-tier?
Or ask whether the Ghost was actually dead for good?
Ultimately, a powerful survival instinct took over.
Lu Ming took a deep breath. “Brother Yue.”
“Be completely honest with me.”
“You haven't actually done anything illegal out there recently, have you?”
On the other end of the line, Jiang Yue clearly paused.
Following that, a soft chuckle came through.
“That was just the script.”
“Don't project it onto reality.”
His tone was casual and flat.
But to Lu Ming's ears, it felt as if Shen Xu's condescending indifference on the rooftop was still creeping through the phone line.
Lu Ming cast a long, lingering look at the stainless steel fork that Chen Haotian had deliberately pushed away.
He suddenly felt that...
Old Chen was right. This distance indeed wasn't very safe.
Jiang Yue put down his phone.
On the screen, a dozen exclamation marks sent by Lu Ming were still glowing.
Leaning against the headboard of his hotel bed, he casually opened the system panel.
His Prestige points, which had been just over five thousand, were now skyrocketing.
【Spectator amazement detected, Prestige points +15】
【Spectator awe detected, Prestige points +10】
【Spectator curiosity detected, Prestige points +6】
The notifications flashed rapidly.
The pale blue light screen almost blurred into a single afterimage.
6,200.
7,600.
10,000.
And it hadn't stopped yet.
Looking at the rising numbers, Jiang Yue felt surprisingly calm.
This was well within his expectations.
The reach of the internet was simply incomparable to a crew of just dozens of people.
Jiang Yue closed the panel, deciding not to draw any traits immediately.
Good steel must be used on the blade.
There was no need to get ahead of himself just because he had some Prestige points.
He closed his eyes and made the most of his time to rest.
Early the next morning.
Hengcheng Film and Television Base, Group A dressing room.
Zhang Yu sat in front of the mirror while a makeup artist adjusted his hairpiece.
His assistant stood nearby holding a tablet, a somewhat strained expression on his face.
“Brother Yu, today's Weibo trending searches... are a bit strange.”
Zhang Yu kept his eyes closed, his tone flat.
“Did Xinghui buy a trending search for me joining the cast of 《The Grand Game》?”
The assistant shook his head and held the tablet a bit closer.
“No.”
“It's Director Li Cheng's drama, 《Manhunt》. It made the trending list.”
Zhang Yu snapped his eyes open.
He snatched the tablet away.
In the top three of Weibo's entertainment trending list, several hashtags hung prominently.
#Shen Xu Shoot#
#Manhunt Villain Refined Scoundrel#
#Get Me Everything on This Actor in Three Minutes#
Zhang Yu's face darkened instantly.
He clicked on the top trending topic.
The pinned video was precisely the rooftop confrontation scene broadcasted last night.
On the screen.
The young man wearing a trench coat and gold-rimmed glasses extended two fingers, gently pushing the male lead's gun barrel aside.
The sheer madness of his character practically burst through the screen.
The comment section below was filled with people asking who this actor was.
Some had even set up a dedicated Super Topic overnight.
Zhang Yu's knuckles turned white as his grip on the tablet tightened.
That was his role.
Two months ago.
In the Donghai studio, he had walked away from it himself.
Now, the character had gone viral.
Yet the one who had brought it to life was Jiang Yue.
The very same Jiang Yue who was currently outshining him with superior acting every single day on the set of 《The Grand Game》.
“Brother Yu...”
The assistant called out softly.
“Get out.”
Zhang Yu cut him off directly.
The assistant froze.
“I told you to get out!”
Zhang Yu suddenly raised his voice.
The makeup artist and the assistant were both startled. They quickly scrambled out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
Left alone in the dressing room.
Zhang Yu stared at Jiang Yue's face on the tablet, his breathing growing heavier.
Jealousy.
Regret.
Resentment.
And an indescribable irritation—all of it congested in his chest.
He had lost to an amateur who didn't even have a talent agency.
And he had lost twice.
Rate on N.U.
