"It's mainly about your aura and physique," Hou Rongxuan quickly explained while patting his chest in assurance. "I guarantee no one will recognize you after makeup!"
Xiao He's looks wouldn't qualify as breathtakingly handsome in the entertainment industry where beauty was commonplace, nor was he some pretty idol type. Yet his facial features were well-proportioned and three-dimensional—exactly the kind of malleable appearance directors loved. He could convincingly play either a heartthrob or an ugly character without breaking audience immersion.
Simply put, he had a chameleon face.
The only drawback was Xiao He's overly gloomy temperament and piercing gaze, which gave him a distinctive aura. Without proper cultivation, he might end up typecast as a professional villain.
But wasn't that already many actors' dream career path?
Hou Rongxuan looked at Xiao He with sincere eyes. "Please, you must consider this. This case is extremely important to many people! I originally planned to use AI face replacement as last resort, but seeing you... I inexplicably feel you're perfect for this."
With the other party speaking to this extent, Xiao He would seem pretentious if he kept refusing. He lowered his gaze to the newspaper in his hands before finally nodding. "Alright. But I'm not professionally trained, so don't expect too much regarding acting—"
"Ah, no problem! Just perform naturally!"
Hou Rongxuan excitedly pulled him along, face brimming with joy.
Xiao He's expression darkened.
Hmph. "Natural performance"? What an insult!
And so they departed immediately, with Xiao He following Hou Rongxuan to their filming set.
This entire mountainside served as a shooting base, featuring everything from dreamlike castles to ancient manors. Even the nearby cliffs had crews queuing to film "falling" scenes, with many locations recognizable from popular dramas.
The "Heart of Embers" crew Xiao He previously worked with had occupied a particularly lush forest area mid-mountain. Now Hou Rongxuan led him to a small factory beside those woods.
Called a factory, it was actually just prefabricated sheet-metal sheds their crew had erected, mostly empty inside for storing equipment. One corner neatly displayed various props and set decorations, with artificially aged background walls and stained floors—clearly the filming area.People greeted Hou Rongxuan along the way, which he cheerfully acknowledged. Knowing nobody, Xiao He silently followed behind until they reached a smaller shed where Hou Rongxuan introduced him to the special effects makeup artist.
Feng Songyue was a sharply dressed young woman who carried herself like a corporate elite. With refined makeup and frameless glasses, her stern expression made her seem more like a white-collar professional than a makeup artist if not for their location.
"Hello, Mr Feng," Xiao He politely greeted.
"Sit."
Feng Songyue remained expressionless, completely unfazed by Xiao He's intimidating aura as she unceremoniously pinched and examined his face, contemplating her makeup plan.
After checking her watch, she stated flatly, "It's too late today. Just do basic makeup now, take face molds, then proper makeup tomorrow."
Hou Rongxuan knew special effects makeup took time and simply nodded. "Fine, let's test it first."
Meanwhile, news about Hou Rongxuan bringing a young man to set spread quickly.
"So the director actually found someone to play Third Brother?" Liu Zehang asked his assistant in surprise.
"Yes, and quite good-looking too," Assistant Zhou nodded. "Just seems unapproachable with that gloomy aura."
"How interesting," Liu Zehang propped his chin. "Recognize him?"
Zhou shook his head. "Doesn't seem industry-connected."
Such distinctive presence was unprecedented in his experience.As Second Brother's actor, 27-year-old Liu Zehang was two years younger than his character's prototype. Among new-generation actors, he belonged to the more skilled group. Since he didn't mind playing villains either, Hou Rongxuan had cast him.
For the more pivotal First Brother role, Hou Rongxuan recruited established mid-career actor Bao Wei, though he hadn't arrived yet today.
"I wonder about this Third Brother's acting," Liu Zehang sighed, considering his company's recent situation. "Hope he won't drag us down."
Taking this role had required overcoming significant pressure. Liu's agency had grown impatient lately, pushing him toward idol dramas to compete with trendy newcomers—completely contradicting his original aspirations.
But everyone was chasing clout these days.
As his agent put it: "Can't you pursue popularity, skill, commercial value and awards simultaneously?"
The first time Liu heard this, he nearly hanged himself at his agent's doorstep.
Was this even human logic?
Only after tremendous effort had Liu convinced his company to let him join "Killing Life."
Director Hou's films might not earn blockbuster profits lately, but they consistently received critical praise and stable box office returns—making them reliable investments. This particular script, painstakingly refined over two years with clear award ambitions, had attracted widespread industry interest during auditions. Liu had leveraged his youth to secure the "Second Brother" role.
But Third Brother's requirements—based on a sensitive real-life case, demanding victim family approval, and requiring young actors to deliberately uglify themselves—had eliminated most candidates, with the rest rejected by the director.
Now suddenly a suitable actor appeared...
Liu felt apprehensive.Given their numerous shared scenes, poor acting from this "Third Brother" could negatively impact his own performance. But with the director's decision made, objections were pointless.
He could only hope this newcomer proved competent...
"Xiao Zhou, I brought that case you wanted."
While Liu and Zhou discussed the newcomer, a simple-faced but lean man entered the lounge carrying a case.
Liu immediately stopped talking as Zhou stepped forward to inspect it. "This is exactly what we needed. Thanks, Uncle Li!"
"Ah, no problem!"
Wiping sweat, Uncle Li casually asked, "So did you see that new actor? Heard he's quite handsome—nothing like 'Zhu Third Brother.' Xiao Zhou, you saw him?"
"Me?" Zhou glanced at Liu, who nodded slightly before Zhou smiled. "Just glimpsed him passing by. Didn't leave much impression."
"Oh, I see..."
Uncle Li nodded as if making small talk. "Well, just curious. I'll head out now."
"Alright, see you later, Uncle Li."