"It's mainly your demeanor and your physique," Hou Rongxuan quickly explained, patting his chest to guarantee, "I promise, after I do your makeup, no one will recognize you!"

Xiao He's looks were by no means that of a peerless handsome man or a pretty boy in the entertainment industry, where good looks were commonplace. However, his face shape was very regular and three-dimensional, the kind of highly malleable features that directors would appreciate. He could play a handsome man or an ugly one, both very convincingly, without making people feel out of character.

Simply put, he had a 'role-specific' face.

The only pity was that Xiao He's temperament was too gloomy, and his eyes were quite sharp, making him very distinctive. If not properly cultivated, he might only be able to specialize in villain roles in the future.

But isn't that a path many people dream of?

Hou Rongxuan looked at Xiao He with a sincere expression: "Please, you must consider it. This case is very important to many people! Originally, I planned to use AI face-swapping if absolutely necessary, but seeing you, I inexplicably feel you are very suitable."

Since the other party had said so much, it would be pointless for Xiao He to be coy. He lowered his gaze to the newspaper in his hand and finally nodded: "Alright! But I'm not from a professional background, so you'd best not have too high hopes for my acting skills—"

"Oh, it doesn't matter! Just act naturally!"

Hou Rongxuan excitedly pulled him along, his face full of joy.

Xiao He's face was full of black lines.

Nickname, what do you mean by acting naturally? I feel insulted!

So, without further ado, Xiao He directly followed Hou Rongxuan to their film set.

This entire mountain was a filming base, with both fantastical castles and rustic mountain villas. Even the steep cliffs nearby had many film crews lining up to shoot 'cliff-fall' scenes. Many locations could be found corresponding to popular TV shows.

Previously, the burning heart film crew, where Xiao He was, was located on a particularly lush forested area on the mountainside. And now, where Hou Rongxuan was taking Xiao He, was a small factory next to that forest.

Though called a factory, it was actually a small bungalow built by Hou Rongxuan's film crew in advance with sheet metal. Inside, there wasn't much decoration, most areas were empty, used for the crew to store tools and equipment.

In another corner, various props and decorations were neatly arranged. Even the background walls had been treated to look aged, and there were some mottled stains on the ground, suggesting that area was where the filming took place.

Along the way, people greeted Hou Rongxuan, and Hou Rongxuan responded with a smile to each. Xiao He didn't know anyone, so he could only silently follow behind Hou Rongxuan.

Hou Rongxuan directly led him to the nearby bungalow and had the special effects makeup artist try out the makeup.

The special effects makeup artist was a young woman named Feng Songyue, dressed very professionally.

Her makeup was exquisite, she wore rimmed glasses, and her expression was very serious. If Xiao He hadn't seen her in the makeup room, he would have thought she was an office worker.

"Hello, Teacher Feng," Xiao He greeted politely.

"Sit."

Feng Songyue's face showed no expression, remaining cold. She was completely unaffected by Xiao He's demeanor. Instead, she unceremoniously pinched Xiao He's face, examining him up and down, contemplating the makeup arrangement.

She looked down at her watch and said indifferently, "It's too late today, so I can only do a simple sketch for him first. We'll do the mold later and the official makeup tomorrow."

Hou Rongxuan also knew that this kind of special effects makeup took a lot of time, so he wasn't angry when Feng Songyue said this. He simply nodded: "Okay, let's try it first."

At the same time, the news of Hou Rongxuan bringing a young man to the set quickly spread within the crew.

"You mean the director really found an actor to play Zhu Lao San?"

Liu Zehang looked at his Little Assistant, surprised.

"Yes, and he's quite good-looking," Little Assistant Xiao Zhou nodded. "It's just that his demeanor is too gloomy; he seems difficult to get along with."

"That's quite interesting," Liu Zehang rested his chin on his hand. "Do you know him?"

Xiao Zhou shook his head: "He doesn't look like someone from the industry."

He had never seen such a unique demeanor before.

Liu Zehang, who plays the second brother, is only twenty-seven this year, two years younger than the prototype of the second brother. However, among the new generation of actors, he is considered one of the better ones in terms of acting skills. Plus, he himself doesn't mind playing such villainous roles, so Hou Rongxuan ultimately cast him.

For the more significant role of the elder brother, Hou Rongxuan had brought in Bao Wei, a very capable middle-aged actor in the industry. However, Bao Wei had something to do today and hadn't arrived yet.

"I wonder how this Zhu Lao San's acting skills are," Liu Zehang sighed, thinking about his company's recent situation. "I hope he won't drag the film crew down."

Liu Zehang took on this role under immense pressure. His management company had been quite restless in recent years, forcing Liu Zehang to make money in idol dramas and compete with current popular newcomers for traffic, which was completely different from Liu Zehang's original aspirations.

But there was no other way; everyone in this era was vying for traffic.

As his agent would say: "Can't you grasp traffic with one hand, skill with another, business with another, and awards with yet another?"

The first time Liu Zehang heard such words, he really wanted to find a rope and hang himself at his agent's doorstep.

Listen, are those even human words?

Finally, with great difficulty, Liu Zehang managed to convince the company to participate in this film, born to kill.

Although Director Hou Rongxuan's films these past few years haven't reached the point of making huge profits, they have received very good reviews after release, and box office revenues have been very stable, basically in a state of guaranteed profit. For many investors in the industry, this is definitely the best choice.

Especially this script, which Hou Rongxuan and his screenwriter had painstakingly polished for two years, subtly hinting at aiming for awards. People in the industry were very excited and participated in auditions one after another. Liu Zehang, relying on his youth, bit off the 'second brother' role, a big piece of the pie.

However, the role of Zhu Lao San, due to its special prototype, high demands from the victims' families, and the need for a young actor to play an ugly character, blocked a large number of people, and the remaining ones were all rejected by the director.

But now, a suitable actor suddenly appeared... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Liu Zehang was a little worried.

After all, he had many scenes with this 'Zhu Lao San' character. If the other party's acting skills were poor, it might drag him down.

But since the director had already found someone, there was nothing he could say.

He just hoped the other party would be reliable...

"Xiao Zhou, the box you were looking for, I brought it over for you."

Just ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) as Liu Zehang and Xiao Zhou were discussing the newcomer, a kind-looking, slender man carrying a box walked into the lounge and placed it in the corner.

Liu Zehang immediately stopped the conversation. Xiao Zhou consciously stepped forward to check the box, then thanked the man: "This is what we need, thank you, Uncle Li."

"Oh, you're welcome!"

Uncle Li wiped his sweat and casually asked, "By the way, have you seen the new actor? I heard he's quite handsome, completely different from Zhu Lao San. Xiao Zhou, have you seen him?"

"Oh, me?" Xiao Zhou glanced at Liu Zehang, who nodded slightly. Only then did Xiao Zhou smile and tell Uncle Li, "I just happened to pass by and took an extra look. I don't have much of an impression."

"Oh, I see..."

Uncle Li nodded, seemingly just asking casually, then smiled and said, "Alright, I was just curious. I'll be going now."

"Okay, goodbye, Uncle Li."