"Congratulations on wrapping up!"
After finishing the final scene, Xiao He's filming concluded, along with Li Hanyue who also wrapped up on the same day.
Liu Zehang handed flowers to both Xiao He and Li Hanyue.
"Thank you."
Xiao He looked around at everyone, his eyes showing traces of reluctance and emotion.
This past month with the crew had been an incredibly novel and unforgettable experience for him.
Xiao He felt he probably wouldn't forget it for a long time.
Even Bao Wei and Zhuo Jianhua came over to congratulate him.
Hou Rongxuan patted Xiao He's shoulder and said meaningfully: "I originally wanted to introduce you to another director, but Teacher Zhuo told me he'd already made the first move. I couldn't very well compete with him. Let's work together again when there's an opportunity."
Several people then gathered around Li Hanyue to offer encouragement, creating a particularly strong atmosphere of farewell.
However, when Xiao He saw the hundred points he'd painstakingly accumulated, his sadness about parting instantly disappeared, and he could barely suppress the urge to laugh up at the sky.
Haha! Finally! He'd finally grinded out a hundred points!
—This also indirectly showed just how inhuman Zhu Third Brother was, squeezing out even this one draw for Xiao He.
Thinking about the scenes he'd filmed, Xiao He sincerely hoped Zhu Third Brother would be caught someday.
Holding onto this hope, Xiao He pressed the lottery button.
The lottery interface remained as plain as ever, instantly displaying the prize when clicked—
[Congratulations on obtaining "Hacking Skills (Beginner Level)", automatically learned]
[Hacking Skills (Beginner Level) Details: Entry-level hacking techniques from the database, more conducive to committing crimes online.]
Xiao He was dumbfounded.
Huh?
What kind of prize was this? I'm already a computer science major, and you give me beginner hacking? Who are you looking down on? Drawing this is no different from getting nothing—
The next moment, Xiao He was thoroughly proven wrong.
Suddenly, a wealth of hacking-related knowledge appeared in his mind, far surpassing anything he could have learned in school, as if directly opening the door to a new world, elevating his understanding and application of computers and networks to an entirely new level.
If the previous Xiao He was just an ordinary programmer who coded without striving for perfection but merely functionality, now he was a black ghost capable of freely navigating networks, delving into core mechanisms, and skirting the edges of the law.
—That was a completely gray area.
But this wasn't what surprised Xiao He the most.
"Just beginner level?" Xiao He clicked his tongue.
If "beginner" already placed him in the upper-middle tier domestically and internationally, what level would higher-tier hacking skills be?
Unfortunately, that remained unknown for now.
-
After packing up, Xiao He planned to return to school first, waiting for the new crew's filming notice.
He invited Li Hanyue to go together.
Li Hanyue waved her hand and instead extended an invitation: "A friend is coming to pick me up. Brother Xiao, why don't you ride back with us?"
Xiao He checked his ride-hailing app, about to agree, when an unfamiliar black car slowly pulled up beside them.
"Teacher Xiao, Teacher Li, where are you heading? I can give you a lift."
The car window rolled down to reveal Li Zhicheng in the driver's seat, addressing them both.
Recognizing Li Zhicheng, Xiao He immediately grew wary: "Uncle Li? Aren't you staying with the crew today?"
"The director asked me to purchase some more props," Li Zhicheng explained, a shadow passing through his eyes. "Get in, it's not easy to get a taxi here."
What's this guy's angle...
Xiao He narrowed his eyes.
He'd been too busy lately to deal with him, and now this guy was making the first move?
Xiao He curled his lips and waved to Li Hanyue: "Then I'll ride with Uncle Li. See you."
With that, he opened the car door and got into Li Zhicheng's vehicle.
Li Hanyue nodded: "Okay, bye Brother Xiao~"
Li Zhicheng leaned out to look at Li Hanyue: "Teacher Li, aren't you coming too?"
Li Hanyue explained: "My friend will be here soon, you two go ahead."
Li Zhicheng: "..."
The man's expression darkened momentarily as he turned to look at the innocent-faced Xiao He beside him, but ultimately said nothing more, stepping on the accelerator to drive out of the film studio.
Inside the car, an eerie silence settled between them.
Xiao He decided to remain composed, keeping his hands naturally on his lap and looking straight ahead, the picture of docility.
Li Zhicheng glanced at the young man through the rearview mirror, seemingly deep in thought, then reached for a cigarette: "Do you smoke?"
"No thanks, I don't smoke."
"Alright."
Li Zhicheng lit a cigarette for himself, slowly exhaling smoke.
Xiao He quietly rolled down his window.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Li Zhicheng finally spoke: "Student Xiao, you're from Hu University, right? What made you want to become an actor?"
Xiao He raised an eyebrow: "Some accidents and a bit of luck. Also, I really wanted to expose Zhu Third Brother's vile nature to the world, so I accepted the director's invitation."
"I see—" Li Zhicheng twisted his lips, "You're quite the righteous one."
Detecting the sarcasm in the man's tone, Xiao He decided to take the initiative: "Uncle Li, you've been watching my performances this whole time. How do you think I did? Accurate enough?"
Li Zhicheng: "I don't know much about acting, but I imagine if the real Third Brother saw you, he'd be quite shocked. Your face is indeed very similar."
"Is that so—"
Xiao He drew out his words, his gaze piercing through the smoke to study the lean man before shifting away: "Uncle Li, do you think they'll ever catch the killer in their lifetime?"
"Heh." Li Zhicheng chuckled, "Naturally I hope they catch the killer soon, but it's been over twenty years. Who knows what condition the killer is in now."
"True, but this reminds me of a news story I saw before—"
Xiao He said seemingly casually.
"A fugitive wanted by police for years actually hadn't gone far. All this time, he'd been lurking near the victim's family, enjoying the thrill of watching their suffering and the police's long-term failure—Uncle Li, do you think Zhu Third Brother might be the same, hiding near the victim's family all these years? Maybe he even knows a crew is about to film the murder case he committed?"
Li Zhicheng froze, his cigarette trembling as ashes scattered onto his pants, though he paid no attention, instead turning to stare coldly at Xiao He.
Meeting the man's scrutinizing gaze, Xiao He pretended not to notice, smiling back: "What's wrong, Uncle Li? Just making conversation. What do you think Zhu Third Brother's reaction would be if he knew? Might he want to visit the set? Maybe even critique my performance as 'Zhu Third Brother'?"
The young man's smile contained no malice, but his criminal aura lent it a mocking, teasing quality, as if he already knew everything clearly.
Li Zhicheng licked his dry lips: "I wouldn't know about that."
"Speaking of which, Uncle Li, your accent is quite strong. Are you also from C Province originally? What brought you to Shanghai?"
Li Zhicheng rubbed the steering wheel: "Just came to broaden my horizons."
"After all—" He smirked at Xiao He, "Student Xiao's knife skills really opened my eyes. It was my first time seeing such techniques—quite different from the usual methods."
"Student Xiao, how... did you practice those knife skills?"
"It's the Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique."
The young man said quietly.
"Uncle Li, do you know? The key to deboning lies in efficiency and aesthetics. If you're fast enough, you can see the prey's muscles twitch from lingering nerve reflexes, the bones dancing under the blade. But if you're too slow, the knife might get stuck between bones, making creaking sounds—that would really damage both the work's completion and efficiency."
Li Zhicheng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Oh?"
He looked up at the rearview mirror, where the young man seemed to know he was being watched, his gaze suddenly piercing through the mirror to meet Li Zhicheng's. Those pitch-black eyes were identical to someone's from twenty years ago, brimming with pure malice: "Uncle Li, have you ever experienced that?"