The makeup artist thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... two thousand as a minimum. I've worked with many film crews, and they generally offer this price to new actors."

"Two thousand as a minimum..." Zhu Jinzhao's eyes widened in surprise, "Two thousand yuan a day! I couldn't earn that much even if I did ten part-time jobs!"

The makeup artist smiled helplessly: "That's why celebrities make so much money."

"My goodness..." Zhu Jinzhao took a deep breath. Because of the considerable salary, she suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for the job.

The makeup artist styled her hair and then went to the side to get a clean set of clothes.

"Do your best, young lady. If this show becomes a hit, you'll have a future. Then your pay will be more than two thousand."

Zhu Jinzhao took the clothes from her, stared at herself in the mirror for a few seconds, then nodded emphatically: "Yes! I will act well!"

After changing clothes, Zhu Jinzhao was pulled away by the assistant director to rehearse the scene.

She played a mute character, without a single line throughout the entire performance. When rehearsing with other actors, she didn't need to go over her lines; she only needed to make facial expressions and mimic movements.

"Zhu Jinzhao, come here." The assistant director, sitting in front of the monitor, beckoned to Zhu Jinzhao.

Zhu Jinzhao walked over with the script in her hand, her eyes still a little dazed: "Assistant Director."

The assistant director frowned and grunted, "This is your first time acting, let me tell you some things to keep in mind."

"Okay." Zhu Jinzhao took a few steps closer and squatted down next to the assistant director.

The assistant director, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, said quickly, "This Fuling is the second male lead's biological younger sister. She became mute in an accident when she was very young."

"Our cast is practically all villains. From the leads to the supporting characters, everyone has done a lot of bad things, except for Fuling. After Fuling became mute, her family sent her to the countryside for separate upbringing. She's a kind and innocent person who hasn't experienced the corruption of society, so when you're playing her, you have to pay attention to your expressions and movements. Don't portray her wrongly, understand?"

Zhu Jinzhao thought carefully about the assistant director's words, and after a while, he replied, "I think I understand."

The assistant director glanced at her sideways, flicked the ash from his cigarette in front of her with two fingers, and said, "You don't need to think of this as so difficult, because you and Fuling are actually quite similar in some ways."

"Huh?" Zhu Jinzhao didn't quite understand what he meant. "Me and Fuling are alike? How are we alike?"

Assistant Director: "You all have a kind of simple-mindedness about you, which gives people the impression that you're not very bright."

"..." Zhu Jinzhao's expression cracked slightly. "Thank you..."

Assistant Director: "So you don't need to panic at all! If you really don't know how to act, just be yourself! You can't go wrong playing yourself."

Zhu Jinzhao sighed inwardly: "Okay..."

The assistant director got up from his chair and casually pulled Zhu Jinzhao up as well: "Let's go, let's go rehearse our lines, don't waste time."

Zhu Jinchao followed behind him with her head down.

"Every morning!"

Jiang Jingwen cupped her hands around her mouth like megaphones and seized the opportunity to shout "Zhu Jinzhao!"

Zhu Jinzhao turned around with a sullen look on her face and saw Jiang Jingwen and Shi Jing cheering her on with clenched fists.

"Perform well, you can do it!"

Zhu Jinzhao let out a long breath and forced a smile: "Okay!"

"Teacher Su, please say your own lines."

Although the assistant director disliked Su Ying, he still had to respectfully address her as "teacher" on the surface.

Holding the script, Su Ying gave Zhu Jinzhao a disapproving look: "Where did you find these new actors?"

The assistant director replied with a forced smile, "Time was tight, so we found her among the extras. Her appearance is a perfect match for Fuling, even more so than Xu Ruiyan."

"Heh..." Su Ying chuckled lightly, it was hard to tell whether it was mockery or disdain, "You're lucky, you got such a special role right away."

Zhu Jinzhao smiled timidly: "I will act well."

"..." Su Ying ignored her, opened the script and began mechanically reciting her lines.

While getting her makeup done, Zhu Jinzhao memorized her lines and reacted appropriately after Su Ying finished reciting her lines, based on her own understanding.

The assistant director's eyes lit up immediately: "You acted quite well, you have a lot of talent."

"Really..." Zhu Jinzhao didn't expect to be praised, her heart beat faster and her cheeks flushed.

The assistant director nodded approvingly: "He has some talent, but also some problems."

Zhu Jinzhao stared intently at him and quickly asked, "What's the problem?"

The assistant director's answer was quite patient: "Fuling is mute. Although a mute cannot speak, they can still make some incoherent sounds. You are being misunderstood by Teacher Su. You are explaining in a hurry, and you can't help but make hoarse sounds in your throat."

"For example, uh uh uh, ah ah ah, or you combine them."

Zhu Jinzhao listened very attentively, and immediately demonstrated afterward: "Uh... ah..."

"That's right!" The deputy missile snapped his fingers, and a smile finally appeared on his face, which had been tense all morning. "Just act like this and continue."

Those few words boosted Zhu Jinzhao's confidence exponentially. Clutching the script, she suppressed her excitement and nodded to the assistant director, saying, "Thank you, assistant director."

The assistant director smiled and waved his hand, unable to help but sigh, "New actors are still easier to communicate with..."

"Teacher Su, please continue," Zhu Jinzhao said respectfully to Su Ying, adjusting his expression.

"..." Su Ying's face darkened, and she rolled her eyes at her without any attempt to hide it, before continuing to recite her lines.

Zhu Jinchao pursed her lips, knowing that she was unhappy again.

"Why does she look so grumpy even when rehearsing a scene?" Jiang Jingwen watched Su Ying from the corner, a bad feeling suddenly rising in her heart.

"..." Shi Jing didn't respond to her. His brows furrowed, his gaze shifting back and forth between Su Ying and Zhu Jinzhao, his eyes dark and brooding.

"After you finish reciting this line, Teacher Su will slap Fuling hard across the face." The assistant director stood between the two, raising his voice to instruct, "You don't need to actually slap her during rehearsals; you'll slap her when we officially start filming! Zhu Jinchao, can you accept that?"

Thinking of the two thousand yuan, Zhu Jinzhao said confidently, "I can."

Assistant Director: "OK. Ms. Su, please remember to fake the fan during rehearsals."

"Hmph..." Su Ying chuckled ambiguously, ignoring him.

Zhu Jinchao glanced at her expression and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

As the rehearsal began, Su Ying finished reciting her lines with a cold and arrogant expression, then raised her hand high and slapped Zhu Jinzhao hard across the face.

Zhu Jinzhao thought she would listen to the assistant director and pretend to fan him, so she only lightly dodged, but unexpectedly—

"Smack!"

A sharp crack rang out as Zhu Jinzhao received a sudden and heavy slap to the right cheek!