When this was mentioned, He Xin immediately put away her phone and gestured an apology. I initially thought she was being unreasonably biased, but we calmly watched Song Qirong. Perhaps it was due to the previous incident, but I always worried something would happen to him again.
This episode took a long time to film, and Director Yan had to yell "Cut" countless times. They had only reached the scene where assassins arrived at the tavern. Those men quickly killed the staff downstairs and, within minutes of reaching the upper floor, had surrounded Song Qirong and his companions.
At that moment, the other officials were terrified, but only Song Qirong calmly continued drinking, "I knew it was you. Your proactive move now only solidifies that fact!"
"Hmph, my master orders no mercy! Song Qirong, I shall send you on your way!"
One man in black drew a long sword, and the others immediately lunged forward. Song Qirong suddenly flipped the table, sending numerous wine glasses crashing. The men in black attacked with their swords, and several officials fell to the ground. Song Qirong drew his ancestral Dragon Spring Sword and parried for a while. After taking down a few assassins, he deliberately knocked over nearby smoke, instantly obscuring the surroundings. However, Song Qirong could not escape.
Just then, a master from the Song family appeared. A young woman in purple entered the scene and, from behind, dispatched all the men with swift slashes. Seeing this purple-clad girl, I thought it was the same person who had protected me before, but upon closer inspection, she was an actress.
Her name was Song Yiren. Noticing me staring at her, Director Yan proudly said, "This is the new actress I found. I had originally planned for Xiao Rui to be the lead, but I realized this master figure was more suitable. I've already removed Xiao Rui's scenes from the script or changed them to be played by Song Yiren. You have no objections to this, Detective He, do you?"
"It's acceptable. It's the only way now. Besides, I've watched many historical dramas before, and the male lead's first wife usually dies early. Your decision aligns with reality."
"Indeed, I believe this work will undoubtedly reach the pinnacle of historical dramas, even surpassing all of Mr. Yan's previous works."
For some reason, when Mr. Yan was mentioned, I noticed He Qiming's expression seemed displeased.
Perhaps it was a mere illusion.
This time, the filming concluded without any incidents. I thought we could finally finish safely.
Director Yan was overjoyed and applauded continuously. The crew members, having finished filming, were still immersed in their work.
I had never seen people so dedicated to their craft in filmmaking before. The entertainment industry isn't necessarily all chaos. There are people who genuinely love the art of acting. It's just that once many achieve success, they become arrogant, disregard everyone else, and even commit outrageous acts.
I had seen too much of this kind of entertainment news. Thinking about it, Director Yan invited He Xin and me to dinner. I initially hesitated, as there might still be matters to attend to at the bureau. However, Director Yan's persistent invitation left me with no choice.
As the crew prepared to drive off, He Xin and I had just stepped out of the tavern when, inexplicably, a loud bang echoed from upstairs.
We heard it clearly and recognized it as a gunshot!
Everyone became vigilant. Director Yan's face twitched. He Xin and I exchanged glances and immediately rushed upstairs to the floor where the scuffle had occurred. There, I found a woman lying on the ground!
This woman was none other than the lead actress, Song Yiren!
Her chest was covered in blood; it seemed she had been shot there. Seeing her condition, Director Yan shrieked, "Quick, call an ambulance!"
"It's no use. She's already dead!" I saw the dilation of Song Yiren's pupils and shook my head with a sigh.
"What? No way? The role I just found has died again. What am I supposed to do?" Director Yan showed no concern for the deceased but focused entirely on the television series.
I had no intention of discussing this with him. I put on my portable rubber gloves, felt her limbs, and then touched her neck, forehead, and the back of her head. I deduced, "The cause of death was severe blood loss from the brachial artery in her chest. The bullet passed directly through her ribs from behind. Time of death was five minutes ago!"
He Xin called for police support. This time, Director Yan didn't obstruct them, merely watching the scene helplessly, muttering, "What a sin! Is this TV series truly cursed?"
When the crew members came upstairs and saw the scene, they were all terrified. Some even frantically took off their work clothes and told Director Yan, "We quit! I'm not doing this anymore! I'm not doing it!"
"It seems the people outside were right. This TV series is problematic. If we continue filming, not only the lead actress will die, but we all will! We'll all be cursed to death!"
"I don't want to die. It's just a job, right? We can go to other film companies."
"Shut up! If you want to leave, get out immediately! But you won't get a single penny of your deposit back!" Director Yan roared.
"Fine! Mr. Yan, remember this. We will sue you! We'll ruin your reputation!"
A few people argued and turned to leave. Director Yan had no intention of dealing with them, his gaze fixed on the deceased Song Yiren, probably contemplating how to handle the situation.
When backup arrived, Liu Yuning was among them. Seeing the body on the ground, she said, "The lead actress again? This can't be a coincidence, can it?"
"I wish it were. He Qiming, where are your people?" I suddenly called his name. He Qiming calmly emerged from the crowd, "I'm here. I haven't left!"
"Alright, the police are here. Everyone stay put and be interrogated one by one."
He Qiming glared fiercely at me. I asked Xie Chuchu and Xiao Dong to conduct the autopsy while I stood up and surveyed the surroundings. Gao Mingqiang and Xiao Yuande used various precision instruments, and I shone my invisible reflection tube everywhere. On the windowsill, I discovered faint footprints. There were also indentations on the trees opposite, left by a grappling hook. It seemed the killer was very agile. After shooting the victim, they used a grappling hook from here, stood on the tree, and escaped.
It's likely they entered the room using the same method. I turned and asked the people around, "Didn't everyone go downstairs earlier? Why did Song Yiren come back up alone?"
A girl with short hair immediately replied, "No! Miss Song was still upstairs tidying up. I wanted to accompany her, but she told me to go downstairs first, so I went down to wait. I didn't expect that shortly after I went downstairs, I heard a gunshot from upstairs. I rushed upstairs anxiously and found Miss Song lying in a pool of blood..."