Playing the Eighth Route Army, the system is forcing this on me?

Ning Qiang nodded in satisfaction.

A rough hand slammed heavily on Yi Zheng's shoulder.

The force made Yi Zheng's shoulders involuntarily sag.

Yi Zheng gave a dry laugh, his facial muscles showing a hint of stiffness.

He knew in his heart that although Director Ning said he wouldn't give face to anyone, he was actually indebted to Director Kong.

After all, he knew his own image better than anyone else.

Even though I've gradually figured out how to control the system's passive skills in the last two days, I've deliberately suppressed that uncomfortable feeling of sleazy.

But once he put on that Eighth Route Army uniform, he looked every bit the "traitor" who was ready to surrender to the enemy at any moment.

If it were any other director, they probably would have had the production crew ask him to leave long ago.

In order not to let Director Kong down, Yi Zheng took a deep breath and tried to straighten his chest.

"Director Ning, I will definitely do my best."

With his effort, his slightly loose gray military uniform was stretched taut, making him look more like a spy who had infiltrated the ranks to gather intelligence.

On the other hand, Ning Qiang, seeing Yi Zheng's expression, was not displeased at all; instead, the excitement in his eyes grew even stronger.

He circled Yi Zheng twice, his fingers, which held a cigarette, tapping in the air repeatedly.

"Great, this feels amazing!"

"Yi Zheng!"

Ning Qiang waved his hand.

"Judging from your appearance, there's no need for you to even audition!"

"Whether we audition for the pangolin role or not is irrelevant; let's just sign the contract!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the previously noisy dressing room turned their heads.

The actors sitting in the dressing room, who were memorizing their lines, started talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Director Ning didn't say that a few days ago!"

"The few people who came for interviews a few days ago were all upright and good-looking, but he didn't like any of them."

"On the contrary, this guy doesn't look like a Eighth Route Army soldier at all; he signed right away?"

An older actor next to him pushed up his reading glasses and snorted.

"You look younger now, don't you?"

"This is Hengdian! I'm just doing a favor, going through the motions."

"They even tried on the costumes. I've seen people sign contracts without even trying on the costumes."

Several extras also started whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with doubt and jealousy as they looked at Yi Zheng.

"Isn't Yi Zheng quite popular online lately? I guess he got the role by bringing his own funding."

"That's right. Didn't you see Director Ning just say he wouldn't care about face? He turned around and signed the contract right away. Isn't that a slap in the face?"

"Someone who looks like that can play a member of the Eighth Route Army? Then I could play Li Yunlong."

The young man snorted coldly.

"That's the power of capital, you know?"

"Didn't you see the news? This guy's all the rage right now!"

"Of course I saw it! What do you mean by 'murderers without mercy'?"

"What? The lie detector is malfunctioning?"

"It's all scripted!"

"Yes, they brought their own star power to the production team."

Another fat actor chimed in.

"that is."

"We've been studying our lines like hawks every day."

"They took the role as soon as they arrived."

"There's nowhere to reason in this world."

"We, who are serious actors, are the ones being squeezed out and have no food to eat."

The murmurs buzzed around the room like flies.

Yi Zheng stood in the center, looking somewhat awkward.

However, he did not expect Director Ning to be so direct, not even going through the motions.

They just signed it right away?

Is there any problem here?

Yi Zheng also began to have doubts.

Although it only really came to the forefront in the last few days.

But I've been working in Hengdian for four years now.

Which director doesn't nitpick when casting?

Don't tell me you're only playing a supporting role.

Even if the main characters, even if those top-tier celebrities come, it won't matter.

To get a contract, at the very least, there should be an audition.

All I did was put on some makeup.

Could it be that my image is actually quite upright?

Who knows?

After all, directors also have their own personal preferences.

Maybe Director Ning just happens to like this kind of thing.

But on second thought, it's probably better not to have to audition.

If he were actually asked to act in it, he was genuinely afraid that his "sleazy demeanor" would distort the overall tone of the entire series.

The key point is that he had planned to stay up all night to catch up on his studies last night.

Who knew that in the end, catching up on sleep would turn into catching up on rest!

Right now, my mind is still completely blank about how the Eighth Route Army should act out the scenes.

"Director Ning, are you sure you don't want to try a segment?"

Yi Zheng tentatively spoke up, not wanting to make things too difficult for Ning Qiang, nor wanting to be labeled a "nepotism benefactor."

Ning Qiang completely ignored the doubts and glared at the actors.

He turned back and continued to show his usual smile.

"Yi Zheng, you have a very sophisticated air about you."

"Playing a member of the Eighth Route Army isn't as difficult as you think. Just be yourself, just be yourself!"

Ning Qiang chuckled as he patted Yi Zheng on the shoulder.

"Ignore them. Are you available this week? If you are, let's start filming right away."

Seeing Ning Qiang's resolute attitude, Yi Zheng could no longer refuse.

"Don't worry, Director Ning. I'll check the schedule with Director Kong later. I'm ready to be deployed at any time."

Ning Qiang smiled with satisfaction and turned to shout to Xiao Li, who was still standing there in a daze.

"Xiao Li, go get the contract, sign it now!"

Xiao Li seemed to wake from a dream and nodded repeatedly.

Yi Zheng glanced at the contract briefly. The contract did not clearly specify the performance content, but only stated that the fee would be charged per show.

Because there are not many sessions and the amount of money involved is not very large.

It's just 100,000 yuan.

However, this is equivalent to spending two years as an extra.

Besides, I'm not too concerned about money right now.

After all, one million from "De Xian" is already a considerable sum.

Without giving it any further thought, Yi Zheng quickly signed the contract.

After signing the document, I finally felt a little more at ease.

Although this role came out of nowhere, it was at least the first step in his career as a Best Actor winner.

Ning Qiang took the contract and nodded in satisfaction.

Then it seemed like something suddenly came to mind.

"Oh, right, Yizheng."

Do you know how to cook chicken?