After finishing the makeup session, it was already afternoon. Director Hou Rongxuan had long gone to the filming location, leaving only the film's screenwriter, Xia Ze, waiting in the makeup room.
Xia Ze was a tall, slender man around thirty years old, wearing glasses with a pale complexion and an air of scholarly refinement. When he saw Xiao He's full appearance after makeup, his previously dull eyes widened, and his entire face visibly lit up: "Excellent, excellent! This is practically identical!"
Xiao He also bent down to examine himself in the mirror and had to admit Xia Ze was right—he bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to that bastard.
And this was just the result of Feng Songyue's "simple makeup." One could only imagine how accurate the resemblance would be tomorrow when the prosthetics were added.
When Director Hou returned from filming to take a look, he immediately approved Xiao He for the role of "Zhu Third Brother" and rushed to have him sign the contract.
Xiao He glanced at the contract and was first startled by the payment amount.
Due to his Criminal Cheat Skill, Xiao He hadn't sought other work to earn money recently, relying instead on savings from his previous software sales. Coming from an ordinary working-class family, this sum was a small fortune to him.
No wonder so many people dreamed of entering the entertainment industry—the pay here truly dwarfed other fields!
Xiao He, who had nearly become an overworked programmer, nearly drooled in awe.
Hesitating for even a second would be an insult to money!
"I should warn you upfront—this job won't be easy," Hou Rongxuan's smile faded, turning serious. "You'll need to stay with the crew for nearly a month, and most of the time, you'll have to wear this prosthetic makeup. It's summer, so prepare yourself mentally."
Prosthetic makeup actors had it rough, especially in summer. Sweating off the makeup was routine, and the worst-case scenario was skin irritation. Hou Rongxuan was genuinely concerned Xiao He might not endure it.
Xiao He signed the contract without hesitation, then asked earnestly: "Director, could you also write me an internship certificate later? My university requires one."
Fortunately, they were already seniors, so the school barely supervised them. As long as he secured the internship proof, he wouldn't need to return to campus.
Hou Rongxuan: "...Fine, I'll get it done later."Truly a college student—such a straightforward request.
The next day, Xiao He officially began work.
Since his makeup was the most complex, he arrived earlier than all the other actors. The moment he arrived, Feng Songyue started working on him.
After a while, a crew member entered to distribute water.
"Uncle Li, thanks! You're here early again today," another makeup artist greeted the man.
The staff member, addressed as Uncle Li, nodded and unhurriedly placed water bottles in front of Xiao He and the others.
"Thank you."
Out of politeness, Xiao He also thanked Uncle Li.
But the moment their eyes met, Xiao He's smile slowly faded.
Weird…
Uncle Li lowered his gaze, finished distributing the water, and leisurely walked out.
Xiao He stared at his retreating back, brows furrowed.
"Don't frown!" Feng Songyue snapped.Xiao quickly relaxed his expression. "Sorry."
That brief eye contact… there was no mistake!
This Uncle Li was seriously problematic!
He had sensed a fellow criminal's aura from him!
Since acquiring the Criminal Cheat Skill, Xiao He had gained many passive abilities—this one could temporarily be called "Criminal Instinct." He now had an almost supernatural intuition for identifying criminals. Using this, he had once caught a thieving stalker while working as an extra.
This instinct also had degrees. For instance, that stalker had only been a petty thief, not a dangerous criminal. But Uncle Li…
Xiao He smelled blood.
This was absolutely a murderer with more than one life on his hands!
The stench of violence clinging to him was nauseating!
Instinctively, Xiao He wanted to call the police.
But as soon as he picked up his phone, he set it back down.
What would he even say if the police came? That the guy was a killer?
What evidence did he have? How would he explain how he knew?He couldn't just say "like attracts like," could he?
Even he wouldn't have believed that before.
Xiao He sighed in frustration.
He didn't want to end up incriminating himself.
For now, he'd just have to observe carefully…
After sitting for a while longer, Bao Wei arrived.
Since their setup was temporary, there were no individual makeup rooms. The lead actors shared one area, while another section was reserved for supporting cast.
Seeing someone already seated at the adjacent makeup station, Bao Wei—usually the earliest arrival—paused in surprise. Recognizing a new face, he understood. "You're the new actor for Third Brother, right?"
"Hello, Mr. Bao! I'm Xiao He. It's an honor to work with you!"
Xiao He greeted him eagerly, inwardly thrilled.
Oh my god, it's Bao Wei in the flesh!
Bao Wei, thirty-nine, was currently one of the finest actors of his generation, having won a Magnolia Award for Best Actor and a Golden Blossom nomination. His career was still rising.
His participation in "Killing Life" was purely to repay Director Hou—his Golden Blossom nomination had come from Hou's previous film.Since Bao Wei had been very active recently, Xiao He had seen many of his films and shows. Even his mother was a casual fan, blindly choosing anything starring Bao Wei. So Xiao He was quite familiar with him.
—In fact, in an industry flooded with new faces, Xiao He barely recognized any actors nowadays. The turnover was so fast it gave him face blindness.
Bao Wei looked Xiao He up and down, then patted his shoulder approvingly. "Kid, keep up this presence. Very impressive."
When Director Hou had mentioned him earlier, Bao Wei hadn't thought much of it. But seeing him now, the kid was already fully immersed in character—his acting was astonishing.
He wasn't even professionally trained?
Bao Wei sighed inwardly: "Young people these days are terrifying. His performance is so natural, without a single flaw—it doesn't even feel like acting. They're really going to leave us old-timers in the dust!"
With another sigh, he sat down to wait for his makeup artist.
Xiao He was momentarily stunned by the pat. Only after Bao Wei sat did he realize—
Bao Wei thought he was already in character!
He! Wasn't!
Xiao He's smile dropped, his eyes turning weary.
Who understood the weight of the director saying "just act naturally"?
Who understood?!
Certainly not him—and he didn't want to.