50: Director, believe me, I'll lose the muscle quickly and go back to being a fit young man.

Originally, he just wanted the actor to strike a pose for him to see.

He really didn't expect the actor to actually know how to do this.

Even if he did, it shouldn't have been this fast; at least he should have been given time to offer a warning.

Although they were blanks, they were still dangerous after all.

Before Lin Texian could even say "be careful," Lin Pei had already started shooting at the target.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Unexpectedly, every single shot hit the bullseye.

He looked exactly like someone who had been handling guns for decades.

Moreover, at this moment, the temperament on Lin Pei had completely changed.

His whole body exuded an extreme ferocity that made people shudder.

It was as if the air had inexplicably become terrifying.

Miraculously, when Lin Pei put the gun away, that aura vanished instantly.

After a long while, Lin Texian finally snapped out of it.

With Lin Pei's bulk and the temperament he showed while shooting...

This wasn't an assault team soldier; he was practically a Terrorist himself.

He had been quite frightened just now.

Coincidentally, there were Asian-faced Terrorists in the film with quite a bit of screen time.

Lin Texian discussed it with Lin Pei.

"Lin Pei, to be honest, I originally reserved the role of Xu Hong, the vice captain of the Jiaolong Assault Team, for you."

"But seeing your temperament when you were shooting just now, I think you're more suited... more suited to play a Terrorist."

Lin Pei was stunned!

Wasn't the originally reserved role quite good?

He was one of the leads, and most importantly, a positive character.

How did the director decide he was suited for a Terrorist just because he demonstrated some shooting?

After obtaining the Fierce Bandit Skill 2.0, handling firearms was second nature to him.

Did he get a bit carried away for a moment and bring out a Terrorist temperament?

Sigh.

It was truly bizarre.

Every time he auditioned for a positive role, the director would suggest he play a villain.

Did he really look that much like a villain?

No way.

Since the director had considered letting him play a positive role, he had to fight for it no matter what.

After all, once he played his first positive role, there would be a second.

But if he kept playing villains, it would be hard to reverse his negative image in the public's mind.

Now, even going to the supermarket involved facing layers of obstacles, usually scaring off a few old ladies.

What would happen if he kept playing them?

"Director, I still want to fight for the vice captain role."

"I can adjust my gaze and temperament according to the character."

The director believed this; good actors could generally achieve that.

For example, the feeling Lin Pei gave him now was already different from before.

However, he voiced another concern.

"Lin Pei, for the role of the vice captain, your bulk is too large."

"This... will seriously affect your temperament."

Lin Pei was taken aback upon hearing this.

Hmm? Bulk too large?

Meaning he was too buff?

But didn't Teacher Zhang Ze say the buffer the better?

Had he gone overboard with the buffness?

He thought this was his absolute advantage, but it ended up affecting his temperament?

Lin Texian said, "The physique of our Dragon Country people is different from Westerners; our soldiers' builds aren't that exaggerated."

"Our soldiers are strong, agile, and full of spirit."

"Look at those Eagle Country soldiers; they don't look as spirited as ours."

"Even if their builds take up two-thirds of the frame, everyone's focus still remains on our soldiers."

"That's the charm of a protagonist."

Lin Pei nodded.

Well said.

When he was a kid watching a famous Japanese children's series and saw Ultraman fighting monsters, he thought the same thing.

As expected of a profound director, he explained it clearly in just two sentences.

He looked down at his own physique.

Indeed.

With these muscles, the military uniform size would probably have to be twice as large as everyone else's.

Not to mention the wasted fabric, under the director's lens, even as the protagonist, he would likely become a background piece.

Moreover, it was seriously inconsistent with the neat and dashing image of Dragon Country soldiers in the audience's hearts.

Considering the audience's perception, it couldn't be too, too, too exaggerated.

Lin Pei suddenly felt enlightened.

Strange, why hadn't he been able to think so deeply before coming here?

Could it be that the muscles were so big they were squeezing his brain?

"Ahem, Director Lin."

"Whether you believe it or not, I have a way to make my muscles disappear quickly."

"There's still some time before the movie starts filming anyway. By then, I guarantee I'll be completely refreshed."

"I really hope to play the role of the vice captain."

Lin Texian was a bit skeptical.

These were muscles, not edema; could they just vanish whenever he wanted?

And they were of a 'King Kong' scale.

The method the young man mentioned... surely he wasn't planning to follow Female Celebrities and inject Botox into his body?

Whoa.

To slim someone down by a whole size, with this workload, wouldn't they run out of needles in Hengcheng?

By then, all the Female Celebrities in Hengcheng would be pacing around in anxiety.

Putting aside whether the effect would be good, who could stand having so many needles injected into them?

And the cost wouldn't be small either.

No matter how he thought about it, Lin Texian felt the young man was sacrificing too much for this role.

"Xiao Lin, getting too many of those injections isn't good for your health."

"Instead of going through all that trouble, why not just play a role that suits you at this stage?"

"I think that Terrorist role..."

Sensing the direction was wrong, Lin Pei immediately cut off the director's words.

"Director Lin, believe me."

"I really don't need injections."

"Ahem... my physique is such that I gain muscle fast and lose it fast too."

"Give me a few days, and I guarantee I'll be a size smaller."

"Director Lin, I still want to fight for the role of our vice captain."

Lin Texian was somewhat surprised.

Was there really such a peculiar physique?

But he had heard Zhang Ze say that this young man was extremely talented and seemed to master everything with ease.

It wouldn't be surprising if his physique was different too.

He decided to trust Lin Pei once.

"Alright, I'll reserve this role for you. Let's meet again once you've adjusted your physique."

...Not long after, Lin Pei came out of the studio and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He didn't expect that specifically switching to his buffed-up form would actually become an obstacle to a successful audition.

If he had known, he wouldn't have switched.

Fortunately, the director finally agreed to reserve the role for him.

He must seize this opportunity and shape this positive character well.

Lost in thought, Lin Pei wasn't really looking where he was going.

Thud!

Oh.

It felt like he bumped into something hard.

Lin Pei snapped back to reality and looked forward.

He saw an exceptionally handsome man standing in front of him.

The man's muscles were bulging; although they couldn't compare to Lin Pei's, they definitely crushed those of ordinary people.

Crucially, Lin Pei recognized this man.

Peng Yuyan!

Right.

One of the films in Lin Texian's "Action Trilogy," "Operation Mekong," starred Peng Yuyan.

Presumably, he was also here to see Director Lin?

Peng Yuyan barely managed to steady himself, his gaze slightly dazed.

Strange.

He trained so hard and had such a stable base.

Who could possibly knock him back?

Looking up at the person who bumped into him, his eyes suddenly widened.