Li Baixi’s mother’s current partner, who is nominally Li Baixi’s stepfather, is a very charismatic director. His dominance on set is as famous as his talent.

Of course, the fact that investors allow him to be so domineering also indirectly proves his talent.

Two years ago, during the filming of a period drama, a young actor didn’t memorize his lines well, and the director made him stand as punishment for three hours on set. The young actor’s team didn’t dare to complain.

That film later became a critical and box office success, setting a benchmark for that year.

The film currently being prepared is a prequel to that one.

The main story is about a pair of senior and junior disciples who sever ties and end up on opposite sides of the law, only to be brought together again in middle age by a wrongful case. The prequel, with the same cast and crew, focuses on the senior disciple’s story before his fall from grace.

The actors playing the middle-aged senior and junior disciples, Actor Lu and Actress Qiao, are recognized as powerful performers who can hold their ground. With the main story’s reputation and the director’s prestige, this project became a coveted opportunity even in its preparation stage. Many young actors, regardless of their ranking, considered it an honor just to appear in the film.

Everyone wanted a piece of the action.

So, when Cheng Ping received an audition notice, his entire team was shocked.

“What? How? Who?”

The team hadn’t even worked on it because they had no confidence that Cheng Ping could be cast – what reason did today’s Cheng Ping have to be selected?

Just recently labeled as arrogant, with public opinion at an all-time low and mediocre skills, his only asset was his face. But the industry was full of beautiful people.

Everyone was puzzled, and after asking around, no one knew how Cheng Ping was chosen.

Finally, the manager hesitated and said, “Maybe there’s a role with a character that matches your personality?”

Cheng Ping retorted, “What kind of character? Someone who also talks back to everyone?”

“No, no, don’t say that about yourself.”

“You’re stuttering.”

“I’m not.”

Meanwhile, Li Baixi’s mom also asked him, “Are you sure you don’t want to tell that young man the truth? Give him a heads-up so your uncle can look out for him on set.”

Li Baixi immediately said, “Don’t tell him.”

His mom sighed, “Doesn’t this make us look bad?”

“No, it’s me who’s making you look bad.”

Li Baixi has always been secretive about his family and never mentions them to anyone. His life is already unconventional enough, and adding his peculiar family background would be suffocating.

“Besides, that young man needs some tough love from a famous director… it will be good for him.” Cheng Ping vowed to improve his acting, and Li Baixi hoped he would join the crew with the purest intentions.

On the day of the audition, Cheng Ping left two hours early and arrived an hour ahead, only to wait outside.

Neither the team nor Cheng Ping had much confidence. Cheng Ping wanted to rehearse in advance, but the director was so unique that he didn’t even provide a script excerpt after notifying him of the audition, expecting him to improvise on the spot.

By the time Cheng Ping had his second cup of coffee, the audition room door opened, and a figure emerged, surrounded by others, putting on sunglasses as they walked.

Cheng Ping looked up and the person glanced at him lightly as they passed by.

Through the sunglasses, Cheng Ping didn’t recognize the face.

After the person walked away, the manager leaned in and whispered a name – it was a popular young actor.

The manager gossiped, “I’ll tell you so you have some idea, but don’t overreact – he calls Zhang the Movie Star his godfather. The kind you’re thinking of.”

Cheng Ping: “…”

The manager continued, “Zhang the Movie Star’s film company is one of the investors. This young actor must have been pushed in by him.”

Cheng Ping: “…”

The manager cautiously said, “Which means, if you succeed in the audition, you’ll have to work with him.”

Cheng Ping snorted, “I don’t care.”

Meanwhile, the young actor’s team was also gossiping about Cheng Ping.

“Oh my god, why is he here? His company didn’t invest any money!”

The team quickly investigated but couldn’t find out who helped Cheng Ping get in.

“Maybe he’s desperate for work and recommended himself, hoping for a stroke of luck,” the young actor’s assistant laughed.

The young actor also snorted, “Good luck to him then.”

Cheng Ping auditioned as if in a daze.

Without looking at the manager’s expression, he knew how poorly he had performed.

After all, facing such a prominent director, the aura accumulated over the years made Cheng Ping nervous from the start.

Cheng Ping wanted to express his emotions fully, but when he delivered an angry line, the sound came out as if he were being choked rather than from his chest.

The assistant next to the director turned red from holding back laughter.

Cheng Ping stood there with a blank face. The director said nothing and just let him leave.

“No worries, do your best and leave the rest to fate. You still have a lot of potential,” the manager said.

“You’re stuttering.”

“I’m not!” The manager was furious.

Cheng Ping: “…”

“I need to step out for a bit.” As Cheng Ping walked out, the director immediately called Li Baixi.

“Hey, Xixi.”

“Please don’t call me that. How’s the young man?”

“Good face,” the director said earnestly.

The director believed in a theory: a face is one of the foundations of acting. Some faces naturally have expressiveness, while others can’t convey emotions no matter how hard they try.

“Just a bit too young,” the director added, still referring to the face.

“That’s no problem. I’ll handle the face. You want it to look older, I’ll make it look older,” Li Baixi said. “What about the acting?”

“Terrible.”

“…Any hope for improvement?”

The director didn’t speak. After a long pause, he reluctantly said, “He might need to be put through the wringer.”

Li Baixi knew this meant the director had agreed. He quickly thanked him but added a gentle reminder, “You could try a bit of carrot and stick approach. After the stick, give a little carrot.”

He mainly feared that if Cheng Ping were made to stand as punishment for three hours, he’d blow up the set within the first hour.

The director reluctantly said, “I’ll try. When are you coming home for dinner?”

The director’s weakness was Li Baixi’s mom, and Li Baixi’s mom’s weakness was Li Baixi.

Li Baixi laughed, “Soon, soon.”

The project kicked off.

The young actor was shocked when he saw the cast list, “Cheng Ping? Why?”

The prequel’s story involves the senior disciple leading a group of constables, battling wits and courage with the junior disciple’s gang. In the end, there’s a big twist – the junior disciple’s gang isn’t the real villain but has been secretly helping the senior disciple uncover a traitor.

The young actor and Cheng Ping played the junior disciple’s right-hand men, their names next to each other on the cast list, with almost equal screen time.

“Why? Why him?” The young actor had slightly more experience than Cheng Ping and an incomparable backstage support. In terms of acting, they were both mediocre, and in terms of looks, the young actor had spent three million on his appearance.

“Maybe the role just suits him…” his assistant weakly suggested.

The young actor held a grudge for his godfather, showing a unique kind of filial piety, “We’ll see.”

The assistant quickly advised, “Oh, just be low-key on set and take acting seriously. You know the director’s tough; I heard he once cut a big star’s role down to one line…”

The young actor went to confirm with Zhang the Movie Star, “Your company is an investor, so you’re like the boss, right?”

Zhang the Movie Star, hearing the director’s name, instinctively shivered, recalling being scolded mercilessly by the director in his youth.

Zhang the Movie Star downed his drink and raised his voice, “Ha, am I afraid of him?”

The young actor felt reassured.

The day before Cheng Ping joined the crew, Li Baixi flew to a hotel near the set.

He stayed next door to Cheng Ping for the night and knocked on his door early the next morning, “Today, I’ll do your makeup. Let your assistant take notes and communicate with the crew’s makeup artists later to follow this style.”

Cheng Ping was shocked and touched, “Hey, you could have just called the crew. You didn’t have to come all this way.”

Feeling guilty, Li Baixi didn’t want to show his face to anyone on set, “No need to be so formal between sisters.”

Cheng Ping: “…”

Li Baixi took out the Mao Geping invisible powder foundation.

Straight male makeup artist Mao’s powder foundation is a concealer essential.

“The character is a bit older than you and a wandering swordsman, so we need to emphasize a determined contour.”

Using the Mao Geping shadow powder, he dipped the brush lightly and swept it layer by layer from the earlobe down to the jawbone.

Li Baixi, as patient as blending oil paint, casually said, “During the filming, don’t play games. Let me take this chance to catch up to your level.”

Cheng Ping felt like he was being treated like a child, slightly uncomfortable. However, since Li Baixi had traveled so far to do his makeup, he felt soft-hearted and, in the end, solemnly said like a student reciting a pledge, “I’ll do my best.”

Li Baixi held back laughter, “Good.”

The makeup took a bit longer, so Cheng Ping was five minutes late to the set.

The director, sitting behind the camera, glanced at him expressionlessly, “…Go to your mark.”

Cheng Ping thought the director didn’t seem as tough as rumored, perhaps afraid of a confrontation, and obediently went to his mark.

Five minutes later, the young actor arrived late.

The director squeezed the water bottle and glared at the young actor. However, scolding him would mean also scolding Cheng Ping, so he had to grit his teeth and say, “Go to your mark.”

The young actor thought the director was afraid of his godfather and swaggered to his mark arrogantly.

“What’s in your hand?!” the director roared, finally letting out his pent-up frustration.

The young actor: “…”

The young actor took off his watch, “Sorry.”