The scene returns to the present.
Seeing the situation gradually stabilize, Xiao He exchanged a glance with He Junhao, and the two quietly withdrew from the scene.
Only after returning to He Junhao's apartment did they simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.
"Today was way too intense," He Junhao patted his chest, his face full of emotion. "That old woman was truly infuriating. If you hadn't stopped me, Xiao, I really would've sent her back to kindergarten with one punch."
Xiao He wiped sweat from his brow: "No need to go that far—"
"Oh no, my hotpot!"
He Junhao stared at his nearly dried-out hotpot and scrambled to salvage it: "Ahhh! We left in such a hurry earlier, I forgot to turn off the stove! Good thing we came back in time, or we'd have to call the fire department again—"
Xiao He quickly went to the kitchen to fetch a water kettle and helped add more broth.
After reorganizing the table and bringing the hotpot back to a boil, they prepared to resume filming.
Meanwhile online, news of Xiao He's rescue was just beginning to make waves—
It started with a viral Douyin video of the rescue that drew crowds of netizens.
Filmed from the apartment building's ground level, the video clearly showed white smoke billowing from a unit around the sixteenth or seventeenth floor.
A little girl in floral pajamas stood helplessly on the balcony's outer edge, clinging to the railing while looking down at the crowd below.
The sight made everyone's hearts clench, sharing the filmer's concern for the girl's safety.
—Then the worst happened. The girl slowly crouched down, seemingly losing strength, and in the next moment slipped until half her body hung over the edge, only her hands desperately gripping the railing.
Every viewer held their breath.
God, someone save her!
Amidst the gasps in the video, a figure suddenly appeared—
A young man in a black shirt casually leaped from a balcony several floors below. Moving with astonishing speed and agility, he scaled the building using only his hands and feet, reaching the girl's floor in seconds and rescuing her just before her strength gave out.
When the video showed the young man safely carrying the girl into a neighbor's apartment, viewers couldn't help but cheer along with the crowd in the footage.
[Holy shit! That was insane!!! Mom I think I just saw Superman!]
[Bro, how are you actually this cool?]
[How is this even possible? Are we sure this isn't staged? My jaw's on the floor.]
[Can't be fake—the local authorities already confirmed it.]
[Real incident, happened at the apartment next to mine. All the neighborhood group chats are blowing up with his videos.]
[Salute to the rescuer! [flowers][flowers]]
[Salute to this hero! [thumbs up]]
[Am I the only one who thinks this guy is crazy handsome? He looks familiar though...]
[He reminds me of someone, but I can't place it...]
[OMG IT'S MU ZE! Is this actually Mu Ze in real life? The outfit and those gold-rimmed glasses—I thought I was dreaming!]
[Huh? Who's Mu Ze?]
[You know, Mu Ze! The serial killer Mu Ze!]
[Wait what? The hero is a serial killer?]
[What nonsense is this? We're talking about a real-life hero here, stop spreading rumors.]
[Probably some celebrity's fans projecting. This is serious news, keep your fangirling out of it.]
[No seriously, he's the actor who plays Mu Ze! Go check @XiaoyuDidntSleep's video—she filmed the whole thing and got confirmation from the actor himself!]
[What?!]
As debates about Xiao He being "Mu Ze" erupted, more people flooded to "XiaoyuDidntSleep's" account.
"XiaoyuDidntSleep" was the neighbor who filmed from another angle, later posting selfies and autographs with Xiao He.
[XiaoyuDidntSleep: Everyone, I caught the real Mu Ze! His name is Xiao He~ Super handsome and just saved a child! A genuinely good person, completely different from Mu Ze!]
The photos showed a young woman posing with a sharp-featured young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his calm gaze carrying a hint of Mu Ze's signature chilling morbidity.
The comments exploded.
[Damn, it really is Mu Ze! Need me to call the cops for you?]
[LMAO this photo makes me nervous for you! Feels like Muze's about to chase you with a chainsaw any second.]
[Wait so Mu Ze actually saved someone? This feels surreal.]
[Stop calling him Mu Ze—his name is Xiao He, a great actor! Check out his upcoming show "Thief Catcher."]
[Oh? His name's Xiao He? I totally thought it was Mu Ze.]
[That's his character's name! [facepalm]]
Combining elements of "positive energy," "celebrity," and "heroism," the incident had already hit trending topics by the time Xiao He got the call.
"Huh? I'm trending again?"
Xiao He slurped up a meatball from his bowl as Pu Rong's reminder prompted him to check the trending list.
Sure enough, his name was there.
Since Xiao He hadn't disguised himself during the rescue, this time the headlines actually used his real name—though "Mu Ze" still featured prominently.
Sighing, Xiao He clicked through a few videos before quickly exiting.
"Dude, Xiao He, you've been holding out on me all this time on set?"
Pu Rong's indignant voice came through the phone. "You're basically Spider-Man—you just scaled a damn building like it was nothing? How did I never notice you had this death-defying skill?"
Xiao He played innocent: "You never asked."
If unasked, he'd take it to the grave.
Pu Rong: "..."
After a beat, Pu Rong asked, "By the way, your hands looked injured in the video—you okay?"
"Fine," Xiao He glanced at his fingers. "Just some scrapes. They'll heal in a few days."
"Good."
Before hanging up, Pu Rong remembered something: "Oh right, the director wants you to post something promoting Thief Catcher's wrap-up today."
Xiao He sounded surprised: "You wrapped already? I heard Director Lin dragged you back for reshoots."
Pu Rong chuckled: "We're calling it wrapped anyway. Director picked the date specifically to ride your trending wave."
Xiao He understood immediately: "Got it, posting now."
No point wasting free publicity!