It was clear that the main character in this scene wasn't the heroine, played by Selena Baiyan, but the male lead.
Mr. Wenmo, a comedian by birth and a frail-looking man, stood swaying, covered in blood and dust. Yet his eyes held a feverish, icy glint as he stared only at the "corpse" before him.
The "corpse" was a burly giant of a man, with a gaping hole in his forehead. His features were no longer recognizable.
Mr. Wenmo spat viciously on the ground and tottered forward, trying to keep going. But after only a few steps, his legs gave way, and he crumpled to the ground. Kneeling there, he stared at the hill ahead and let out a ragged "huh-huh" breath. He mumbled a line that couldn't be made out, then toppled over, clutching the dirt and weeds of the wilderness as he breathed his last.
Feifei wore a baseball cap and held her breath as she stared at the monitor. Only after Mr. Wenmo's image on the screen had finally collapsed did she lower her hand and let out a sigh of relief. "Cut!"
She stood up again, straightened her cap, and announced in a clear voice, "I hereby declare Cold Hill wrapped!"
The whole crew erupted into thunderous cheers.
The nearly two months of filming had clearly been grueling. Many of the crew members Yu Lian had met before looked dusty and exhausted. Mr. Wenmo, the male lead, even had very noticeable sunspots on his face. And he was a Karadan, a people renowned for their smooth, dewy, and resilient skin.
Now that filming was "wrapped," everyone's cheers were naturally full of joy. But Yu Lian could tell that they weren't just celebrating the end of a hard job. They sounded more like people who had accomplished