After ending the chaotic “clash of masters” in the lounge, Jiang Yue returned to his hotel with a mind full of questions.
What did they mean by “feel the charcoal fire at the bottom of the Secret Service's pressure cooker”?
What did they mean by “find the rust deep within the character's heart”?
Thank goodness he was a cheater backed by a system. Otherwise, relying solely on the comprehension of a non-acting science student, he could rack his brain to death and still have no idea how to act.
The night passed in silence, and his sleep quality was excellent.
The next morning, at the Chedun Film Park.
Before the morning mist had even dispersed, the crew of 《The Hidden Sentry》 was already in full swing.
The first scene was set in the reconstructed lobby of the puppet government's Secret Service.
In the dressing room, Jiang Yue changed into a dark pinstripe suit.
The stylist deliberately unbuttoned the top button of his shirt collar.
This subtle adjustment broke the rigid formality of the suit, exuding an indescribable casualness.
The hairstylist used hair gel to style a retro side-parted slicked-back look, leaving a few stray strands falling across his forehead. Combined with Jiang Yue's excellent facial features, it instantly established the image of a playboy who trifled with the world and acted capriciously.
Charming, but not greasy.
Jiang Yue stood up, casually grabbed half an orange from the table, and walked toward the actual lobby set.
“OK, this is the right feeling.”
Xu Pingqiu leaned halfway out from behind the monitor and nodded in satisfaction.
Ten minutes later, everyone was in position.
The lobby lights flared, instantly bringing out a cold, dim, and historical atmosphere.
“All departments attention! Scene one, take one, ready—Action!”
Thud!
Fu Xiao kicked a student hard in the stomach.
The student collapsed onto the terrazzo floor, curling into a ball while clutching his stomach.
All around him, a crowd of students with their hands tied behind their backs knelt on the ground, all of them bruised and battered.
“Stubborn, are we? Let's see if your bones are harder, or if the branding irons of the Secret Service are!”
Fu Xiao roughly tore open his uniform collar, his face full of hostility. “Take them to the interrogation room!”
Two agents were about to pounce and grab them.
“First thing in the morning, Captain Fu, this temper of yours—”
“Cut!”
Xu Pingqiu raised his walkie-talkie. “Jiang Yue, you entered too late. You only strolled in when they were about to drag the guy away.”
Jiang Yue flashed an “OK” gesture in Director Xu's direction and quickly retreated to the door to find his state again.
For this kind of ensemble scene, which heavily tested positioning and coordination, outtakes were practically a daily occurrence.
The camera movements and the extras' reactions were polished five times before they finally met Xu Pingqiu's standards.
“One more time! Everyone, perk up and pay attention to your reactions!”
“《The Hidden Sentry》, scene one, take six, Action!”
This time, the atmosphere was completely spot on.
Just as Fu Xiao's order left his mouth and before his subordinate agents could move, a voice laced with sarcasm and laziness drifted in from outside the door.
“Yo! First thing in the morning, Captain Fu, this temper of yours could set the bureau's roof on fire!”
Zhou Jinnan made his appearance.
With his left hand in his trouser pocket and his right hand holding half a peeled orange, he strolled in slowly.
His leather shoes clicked rhythmically against the terrazzo floor. His posture was relaxed, exuding an unbridled arrogance.
Fu Xiao's face darkened, and he glared at the approaching Zhou Jinnan. “Squad Two is handling a case. Keep your nose out of it.”
“Handling a case? Captain Fu, you call arresting a few poor students handling a case?”
Zhou Jinnan walked forward, casually broke off a segment of the orange, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed mindlessly.
He circled the kneeling students, his critical gaze sweeping over them, the disgust in his eyes completely undisguised.
When he reached a thin student wearing black-rimmed glasses, he stopped.
“Have they been searched?”
He asked an agent next to him, his voice muffled by the food.
The agent froze and instinctively replied, “We just brought them back, not yet...”
“No manners!”
Zhou Jinnan's face turned cold. He shoved the remaining half of the orange into the agent's chest and kicked the bespectacled student hard in the shoulder.
The student tumbled backward, and Zhou Jinnan bent down in tandem.
He roughly plunged his hand into the student's overcoat pocket to rummage through it. When he pulled his hand out, two silver dollars were clamped between his fingers.
“Looks like a pauper, but he still has a couple of bones left in his pocket.”
Zhou Jinnan tossed the silver dollars in his hand. Hearing the crisp clinking sound, a satisfied smile instantly broke across his face.
He shamelessly pocketed the money and waved his hand in disgust.
“This kid is mine. As for the rest of these paupers, Captain Fu, take them away quickly. They're an eyesore.”
Fu Xiao laughed out of sheer anger and pointed at his nose. “These are key suspects. You want to snatch them right in front of me?”
“Hey, don't make it sound so ugly.”
Zhou Jinnan casually brushed off the hem of his suit jacket.
“This kid is a distant nephew of one of my neighbors. His mother asked me to look out for him.”
“Besides, what grand principles does he understand? I'll just ask him where his family's savings are hidden, squeeze him dry, and dump him on the street.”
“What, Captain Fu? Are you really going to argue with Squad One over the grease from just a few silver dollars?”
He portrayed his mercenary, unprincipled character to absolute perfection.
“Shameless!”
Wen Yuchu, a clerk from the archives room, stood at the corner of the stairs holding a stack of files and barked in anger.
Wearing her uniform skirt, she glared at Zhou Jinnan. “Trading your compatriots' lives for silver dollars—you don't even have the basic decency of a human being left! Scum!”
Being cursed at in public, Zhou Jinnan didn't get angry at all. Instead, he grinned.
He strolled over to the foot of the stairs and looked up at Wen Yuchu.
“Officer Wen, I don't know about human decency. But I do know that in this Secret Service, decency won't fill your stomach, but silver dollars will.”
He lowered his voice and leaned in closer.
“Since you feel so bad for them, how about... you pay five silver dollars, and I'll sell all these students to you?”
“You...”
Wen Yuchu was so choked by this rogue logic that she couldn't utter another word.
In the shadows of the second-floor corridor, Tang Jingran, a clerk from the archives room, coldly looked down at the farce below.
The veteran agents in the lobby looked at Zhou Jinnan, their eyes also filled with disgust.
“A dog that values money over life.”
Someone muttered in a low voice.
Fu Xiao sneered, stepping closer. “Zhou Jinnan, if you dare to take him out of those gates today, I will immediately report this to the Chief and have him skin you alive!”
The lobby fell instantly silent; no one spoke.
Click.
The double solid-wood doors at the far end of the second floor were pushed open.
Lu Cheng, the Chief of the Secret Service, wearing a crisp long robe, walked to the top of the stairs with his hands behind his back.
He looked down upon the lobby from above, his gaze sweeping over Fu Xiao, and finally landing on Zhou Jinnan.
“What's the noise about?”
Lu Cheng spoke, his voice carrying a suffocating pressure.
“Has the Secret Service turned into a wet market? Is it your turn to weigh things by the pound here?”
Fu Xiao gritted his teeth and reported, “Chief, Zhou Jinnan is openly accepting bribes and intends to let a suspect go!”
Lu Cheng's eyelids drooped slightly, his gaze toward Fu Xiao devoid of any warmth.
He didn't ask for the reason, nor did he look at the group of students.
“He is my man. How he does things is not for any of you to criticize.”
In Lu Cheng's eyes, even if Zhou Jinnan was a dog, he was a useful dog in his hands, and no one else was allowed to touch him.
Zhou Jinnan still wore his cynical smile. “Thank you for your guidance, Chief. Then your subordinate will take this kid away to interrogate him first.”
With that, he grabbed the bespectacled student's collar and dragged him toward the exit.
Rate on N.U.
