The next day, the online storm still hadn't subsided.
Despite Su Shengxi's solemn statement that he was currently single, and Xu Youyou's denial of any romantic relationship with him, most people assumed they had been forced to "break up" under pressure.
The power of gossip-hungry netizens was truly unimaginable. Given just a suspicious target, they could verify its authenticity from every angle using every method imaginable. Even though no intimate photos clearly showing Su Shengxi and Xu Youyou's faces had surfaced, most netizens had already made up their minds, leaving only die-hard fans from both sides struggling in denial.
However, this had nothing to do with Xiao He or his "Thief Catcher" film crew.
As soon as Xiao He arrived on set, he was surrounded.
When he recounted how he saved Xu Youyou, Pu Rong was startled and immediately pulled Xiao He aside to examine him: "Are you okay?"
Xiao He spread his hands: "I'm fine. That stalker fan was the one who got hurt."
"That's good."
Pu Rong sighed in relief.
"That paparazzi is so unethical, daring to spread such fake gossip. They're absolutely desperate for clicks," Lin Yipeng commented.
Xiao He sighed: "Can't be helped. The commotion was quite big, and with Xu Youyou standing next to me, it's normal they'd twist the facts."
"You should sue them," Pu Rong said indignantly.
"Better not." Xiao He shook his head helplessly. "That paparazzi who took my photo probably doesn't even know who I am. The leaked information didn't reveal my face or identity. Even if we pursued it, there's not much we could do."
At most, he had merely compiled the person's past criminal records and embarrassing information before reporting them to the police and relevant authorities... Well, but that was done by a kind-hearted netizen—what did that have to do with Xiao He?
The unaware Pu Rong sighed again: "True, what a shame that guy got off easy! Damn it!". "Xiao He should stay away from this matter. If he gets involved, he might be accused of chasing clout," Lin Yipeng analyzed calmly.
Xiao He teased their director: "Director Lin, this is high-profile exposure. Aren't you going to take this chance to promote our film?"
Lin Yipeng: "I'd love to, but to save you from being torn to shreds online, let's pass."
Xiao He chuckled.
Indeed, if he dared to claim being the "masked guy" and promote their "Thief Catcher" crew, their entire team would be ripped apart within ten minutes—no need to wait an hour.
Forget it. Better for both dogs and humans this way.
So the topic was dropped, and Xiao He continued filming his scenes.
They had already wrapped up the inn scenes and moved on to outdoor action sequences.
Originally, the setting was supposed to be Jiangnan's water towns, but their crew was too broke to afford traveling there. Using a green screen indoors didn't satisfy Lin Yipeng either, so they settled for shooting at a lakeside park for the final fight scene.
In this scene, Jiang Rushu—who had uncovered the true mastermind behind the government salt smuggling case—successfully obtains evidence but is intercepted by several formidable thief catchers, leading to a brutal confrontation.
At this critical moment, Jiang Rushu's friend Shen Jue arrives and holds off the experts, allowing Jiang Rushu to escape.
The fight scene was divided into two parts: Jiang Rushu's and Shen Jue's.
Jiang Rushu excels in qinggong (lightness skill), moving with agile grace as he swiftly maneuvers between small boats. Shen Jue, on the other hand, has a solid stance and employs broad, powerful movements, mainly fighting different experts on the boats. These two sequences were the most important action scenes in the entire film, and everyone took them seriously. Gripping his bone-cleaving knife, Xiao He felt somewhat nervous and glanced at Pu Rong beside him.
Pu Rong played Jiang Rushu, a master swordsman. He twirled his ornate longsword with effortless flair: "What's wrong? Nervous?"
Xiao He: "A little."
Their crew was so poor they couldn't even afford a martial arts choreographer—Pu Rong, a real professional, had to handle it himself. Even the "expert" supporting actors were genuine martial artists Pu Rong brought from his family's martial arts school, award-winning swordsmen and fighters.
Xiao He was the only amateur among these experts.
How could he not be nervous?
"Don't worry, just go all out. My fellow disciples are all highly skilled—they'll match your moves," Pu Rong reassured him with a smile.
Xiao He sighed: "I'll try."
Hearing that only made him more nervous!
Thinking this, Xiao He opened his Criminal Cheat Skill system.
Since the serial killer video went viral, his points had been steadily accumulating. He now had over 600 points—enough for six draws in the low-tier pool.
But Xiao He had been saving them and hadn't drawn yet.
Considering the upcoming shoot, he felt an itch to try his luck now. His most valued skills so far were [Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique] and [Basic Hacking Skills]. The former helped him land this role, while the latter gave him more control online, helping him avoid cyberbullying multiple times.
Right now, he hoped to draw something like qinggong—that would be perfect.
But given this was a Criminal Cheat Skill system, he wasn't sure if it might contain other bizarre things.
Whatever, just try. Maybe he'd get something useful for later.
Unable to resist, Xiao He reached for the draw button with his sinful claws—
[Congratulations! Obtained "Lifespan +30 days" (automatically redeemed)]
[Congratulations! Obtained "Lifespan +7 days" (automatically redeemed)]
[Congratulations! Obtained "Lifespan +60 days" (automatically redeemed)]
...
[Congratulations! Obtained "Hound's Intuition" (automatically learned)]
[Hound's Intuition Details: Natural criminals can always sense undercover "hounds" nearby. From now on, you can keenly detect hidden "hounds" around you.]
Perhaps his luck had been exhausted by the first two skills—after six draws, all he got were lifespan extensions, except for this one peculiar skill similar to his existing "Killer's Nose," functioning as a passive ability.
And the "hounds" the system referred to? Naturally, the police. Xiao He was speechless.
Great, just great. Now he had it all—one passive skill to automatically identify criminals around him, another to detect nearby cops. Had he become some kind of human recognition machine?
This was... completely useless!!
He had wanted to draw some skills to boost his confidence, but after this disastrous session, Xiao He felt like he was about to faint from frustration.
Just then, Lin Yipeng called out to him: "Shen Jue, get over here! The lighting's perfect—we're starting soon!"
As Xiao He approached, Lin Yipeng pulled him aside and whispered: "Most of these props are one-time use. Try to conserve them—one take if possible."
Xiao He nearly blacked out.
Director Lin, are you treating me like some kind of joke?!