Chapter 39#
An Unexpected Incident
After taking half a day off, Lu Yan returned to the crew.
As soon as he arrived, he was of course greeted with countless congratulations. Lu Yan smiled and said thank you to each person. Gao Xizhe, as always, gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder and laughed loudly, “Lu Yan, great job! You come in and take home two Best Awards right off the bat—fantastic!” Lu Yan modestly said a few words, but in his mind he thought, this is only the beginning.
Filming was nearing its end. The earlier scenes—the design of the death trap and the unfolding of the mystery—had been shot very well, and with post-production editing, the effect would surely be even better. The focus now was on how to better unravel the puzzle and leave a more thought-provoking ending.
On this point, Lu Yan had detailed discussions with Gao Xizhe.
Under the camera, the young doctor was no longer wearing a white coat, but on his hands were a pair of white gloves. He looked down from a height at the young man curled on the ground, covered in blood and still trembling violently. His face was expressionless, his lips pressed tightly together, and his gold-rimmed glasses glinted under the strong light, exuding a chilling coldness. The young man was still wearing a plaid shirt, with his hair dyed in flashy colors.
As if sensing the gaze on him, the young man lifted his head with difficulty. Seeing the person standing nearby, a glimmer of hope flashed in his dying eyes. The will to survive made him stretch out his hand, trying to grasp something, and he stammered, “Doctor… save… save me…”
The doctor turned slightly to avoid the hand, then crouched down and whispered in the young man’s ear, “Do you remember Fang Yuchen? The girl you killed.”
The young man’s pupils shrank sharply, his eyes filled with despair and terror. “You… you… who… are you?”
The doctor gave a cruel smile. “I’m her brother. Her real brother. Her only relative.”
The young man curled up even tighter, trembling as he defended himself, “I… I didn’t… didn’t kill her, no, I just… just… didn’t save her… that’s all…”
The doctor slowly straightened up, his gaze icy. “So I won’t kill you either. I’m just… not saving you.”
With that, the doctor cast one last look of pity and hatred at the young man, turned around, and walked out, even considerately closing the door behind him.
The young man left in the shot gradually stopped trembling.
After the camera stopped, the young man remained lying on the ground until someone came over and kicked him. Then he scrambled up, still looking a little dazed.
The person who kicked him saw this and couldn’t help but laugh, “What, not willing to get up yet? You really think you’re dead?”
The young man quickly spat and almost jumped up, “Bah bah bah, good luck, good luck! Don’t jinx me, okay? That was me getting into character, ‘in character,’ you know? Hey, from the look on your face, you don’t get it.”
The other person smiled nonchalantly. “Yeah, you know what? That scene just now was pretty good. Much better than when you started.”
The young man, embarrassed by the compliment, scratched the back of his head and chuckled.
Just as he was about to go wash off the fake blood, he saw Lu Yan walking in from behind the backdrop wall. Without caring about his messy state, he hurried after him. “Brother Lu.”
Lu Yan turned back, saw the young man, and smiled gently. “Xiao Xu, something on your mind?”
The young man’s name was Xu Jun. He usually worked as an extra on various film sets, often playing small roles like thugs or hooligans. This time, he had somehow struck luck and was picked by Gao Xizhe to play this fairly important role. However, Lu Yan thought Gao Xizhe had good judgment. Although Xu Jun’s acting was a bit inexperienced, he had potential. Most importantly, the young man had a great attitude. He might seem a little casual because he often played thugs, but in reality, he was serious and hardworking. So, when Lu Yan had free time, he didn’t mind giving him some pointers. With this kind of senior attitude, Lu Yan almost forgot that he wasn’t actually much older than Xu Jun.
Xu Jun’s eyes narrowed a bit when he smiled. “Nothing much. It’s just that the look in your eyes just now was so terrifying, I almost thought I was really going to die.”
Lu Yan had heard too many similar compliments, so he just smiled and said nothing.
Xu Jun continued, “Brother Lu, you’re amazing. Not only do you act well yourself, but last time you taught me how to get into character and immerse myself in the role. I tried it, and my acting has improved a lot compared to before.”
Lu Yan nodded. “You’ve really improved a lot in these last few scenes.”
Xu Jun grinned. “Thanks to your guidance, Brother Lu.”
Lu Yan patted him on the shoulder. “It’s because you’re hardworking. Keep it up!”
“I will. Thanks, Brother Lu.”
This scene was shot on location.
In a cemetery, the doctor, wearing a black trench coat, stood in front of a tombstone in silent mourning.
The plainclothes detective appeared from somewhere and slowly walked up beside him.
Without even turning his head, the doctor said calmly, “Officer, here to visit a grave too?”
“No, I’m looking for someone.”
“Found him?”
The detective nodded. “Found him.” He looked at the photo, name, and the person who erected the stone on the tombstone and asked, “Is this your mother? She’s very beautiful.”
The doctor replied, “Mm, she is my late mother. Thank you for the compliment.”
The detective casually placed a white chrysanthemum on the tombstone, then raised his hands in a prayer gesture.
The doctor gave him a strange look but said politely, “Thank you!”
“Speaking of which, your mother looks quite a bit like that Miss Fang Yuchen. She’s also buried in this cemetery,” the detective said, seemingly offhand.
“Oh, is that so? What a coincidence,” the doctor said calmly.
“Doctor, do you know Miss Fang Yuchen?” the detective asked, watching his expression.
“No, I don’t,” the doctor finally turned to face the detective, with a faint smile. “I just heard you mention her once. I have a good memory.”
“I heard the doctor has a younger sister. What a coincidence that Miss Fang looks so much like your mother,” the detective hinted.
The doctor smiled. “There are quite a few people in the world who look alike but have no relation. I do have a younger half-sister, but her name is not Fang Yuchen. It’s Zhu Xiaolin. Many years ago, my sister went missing, and I’ve never been able to find her. If you ever get any news of her, Officer, please let me know. I’d be very grateful.”
The detective stared at the doctor’s seamless expression, frustrated. He had no choice but to change the subject. “The cause of Xu Yuan’s death has been determined.”
“Oh, how did he die?” the doctor showed appropriate curiosity.
The detective didn’t answer directly but said instead, “Xu Yuan was a good friend of Fang Yuchen. A year ago, they encountered five other people together. Those five people, as a prank, accidentally caused Fang Yuchen’s death. Xu Yuan didn’t participate, but he did nothing to save her. Perhaps tormented by guilt, Xu Yuan developed psychological problems and went to you for treatment. Unexpectedly, he later decided to avenge Fang Yuchen himself. In the process, he was also injured by those people and eventually bled to death.”
The doctor sighed. “I thought I had cured him. Such a pity. If I had been a little more patient, maybe this tragedy could have been avoided.”
“But it’s strange,” the detective said, staring at the doctor. “Xu Yuan was just an uneducated little thug. How did he come up with such ingenious methods of murder?”
“Now that you mention it, it is a bit odd,” the doctor nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. “But I’m sure you’ve investigated, Officer.”
Flawless. The detective was frustrated but had to say, “He frequently visited forums discussing perfect murders. All the methods he used were found in posts on those forums.”
The doctor pretended to be enlightened. “Ah, I see. It seems the authorities should strengthen supervision over such forums.”
The detective was almost spitting blood. He couldn’t help but say, “But I don’t think it’s that simple. What do you think about reverse hypnosis? That is, when a psychologist, while hypnotizing a patient, implants other intentions into the patient’s mind, making him do certain things.”
“If hypnosis could have such a powerful effect, I’m afraid hypnotists in the world wouldn’t be so free in their work.” The doctor pretended to just understand, then smiled. “So you suspect I hypnotized Xu Yuan?”
The detective stopped beating around the bush. “Doctor, are you really telling me you played no part in all this?”
The doctor smiled candidly. “The law requires evidence. If you can find evidence, Officer, you are free to arrest me. Otherwise, I have nothing to say.”
The detective frowned and said firmly, “I will find the evidence.”
The doctor smiled. “Good luck to you!”
He tightened his windblown coat, turned, and walked away. The detective shouted after him reluctantly, “Everyone must pay for the mistakes they make. No one can get away with it.”
The doctor smirked sarcastically at the camera. How naive!
He touched the pendant around his neck. It was a small music box. He twisted it gently, and a children’s song began to play, the little girl’s voice especially pure.
The doctor seemed to hear a girl’s voice from a distant place.
“Brother, brother, I don’t want to leave. I want my brother. Brother…”
“Brother, when I grow up, I’ll come find you. We’ll live together and never be apart.”
“Brother, I miss you!”
“Brother…”
…
And then, on that cold night, the grown girl, in boundless terror and helplessness, could not voice her cry: “Brother, save me, Brother…”
A layer of mist slowly rose in the doctor’s eyes. An endless sorrow seemed to engulf him entirely.
Even if those who harmed you all go to hell, you can never come back.
“Cut!” The camera stopped. But the entire set was silent. Everyone seemed stunned by the doctor’s final sorrowful gaze, as if a sweet, innocent girl had truly lost her young life amid her family’s grief.
It was a long time before the set, as if someone had pressed the mute button, began to buzz again.
Gao Xizhe walked over and patted Lu Yan. “Amazing. We should be able to finish the remaining shots in about a week. You’ve worked hard during this time.” Gao Xizhe was getting excited. “I have a feeling this movie will be even more brilliant and profitable than the previous ones. Lu Yan, you’re a major contributor.”
Lu Yan joked, “Then when the box office is huge, remember to give me a bigger cut of the salary.”
Gao Xizhe laughed heartily. “You’re so money-minded. You’re not short of cash.”
“Not short,” Lu Yan laughed, “but no one ever hates having too much money.”
Gao Xizhe slapped his hand. “From now on, you don’t have many scenes left. Go over the scenes of the other actors again and help me keep an eye on things.”
“Okay,” Lu Yan pretended to think. “Getting me to work as a part-time supervisor—you’ll have to pay me extra.”
“Come on, let’s go eat. I’ll treat you to a private meal.” Gao Xizhe said as he put his arm around Lu Yan’s shoulder.
Gao Xizhe was about the same age as Li Ran, not much older than Lu Yan. Their relationship couldn’t be called a generation-gap friendship, but Gao Xizhe was straightforward and had a similar temperament to Lu Yan. With their shared interests, despite only knowing each other for a short time, their bond was deeper than ordinary.
During this collaboration, Gao Xizhe taught Lu Yan a lot. As a top-tier director, his guidance hit the key points. Combined with his experience, Lu Yan benefited greatly. Lu Yan always had a goal: to make a film that would capture the world’s attention. Though he didn’t plan to take on the director’s role entirely, learning more about it would certainly help him get closer to his goal.
Lu Yan had completed all his scenes, but at Gao Xizhe’s request, he didn’t leave the set early. Today was the last day of filming. Only a few shots remained before the official wrap. It should have been a joyous occasion, but unexpectedly, an accident happened.
The final few shots featured an important supporting character—small role but crucial to the plot. Gao Xizhe had specially invited veteran actor Jiang Peiwen to make a guest appearance. Since Jiang Peiwen had been semi-retired in recent years and rarely took roles, Gao Xizhe arranged all her scenes together to spare the elderly actor from traveling back and forth.
A veteran is a veteran. Just a few shots vividly brought the character to life. Even Lu Yan, watching from the side, was amazed.
After the filming ended, Lu Yan went over to seek advice from the senior actress. Jiang Peiwen had seen Lu Yan’s film “Blade’s Edge,” and she remembered the young actor who had won two Best Awards at this year’s Bai Cao Awards. With Lu Yan’s polished speech and insights into characters and films, the two hit it off.
An accident always comes without warning.
A crew member was pushing a large prop past Jiang Peiwen from behind when he accidentally tripped. The entire large prop wobbled and began to fall, threatening to crash onto Jiang Peiwen’s head. Everyone who noticed froze in shock. The crew member who caused the accident was so terrified he couldn’t move.
At that moment, the only people near Jiang Peiwen were the frozen crew member and Lu Yan. Without a second thought, Lu Yan grabbed Jiang Peiwen, spun around quickly, and lowered his body to protect his head.
The large prop crashed down. Lu Yan felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, back, and left leg, and then he lost consciousness entirely.