Walking up to the gloomy apartment building, Han Fei tapped lightly on the Room Door. A moment later, a Staff Member walked out."Director Jiang Yi asked me to come for an audition, but I've run into some trouble recently, so maybe..." Before Han Fei could finish, he was enthusiastically dragged inside the apartment."You're finally here! Director Jiang is throwing a fit. These newcomers are getting more and more ridiculous; they can't capture the feeling he wants at all. Director Jiang has already rejected several people in a row.""I haven't acted in a ghost movie before, and I have something very important to do tonight...""Director Jiang! The new Actor is here!" The Staff Member shoved a script directly into Han Fei's hands. "A normal audition would have a dedicated space, but we're a low-budget thriller-suspense film, so we don't stand on ceremony. Hurry over; Director Jiang and the others are getting impatient."Holding the photocopied script, Han Fei was pushed into a room where six Actors of varying ages were standing against the wall, none of them daring to speak."Do you call this acting? Have you ever truly respected this profession? This is absolute nonsense!" In the center of the room, a Middle-aged Man was pointing at the Actors and speaking very sternly.His voice was so loud that it brought one of the young girls to tears."Still crying? Why is the fake blood only on your clothes? Why isn't there any on your face or hands? Do you think the killer would take special care to avoid dirtying your face when hacking you?""I'm telling you, if you're afraid of getting dirty or tired, don't be an Actor! I don't care if you were arranged by the investors; if you're here to act in my drama, you do it my way." Director Jiang had a fiery temper. He used to be a teacher at the New Shanghai Film Academy and had even taught Han Fei's class.After lecturing them for a while, Director Jiang finally looked at Han Fei. "I heard about your situation. I have a role here you can try."Sensing the atmosphere, Han Fei found it hard to refuse outright, so he said euphemistically, "Director Jiang, I've never acted in a thriller before.""The audience can pigeonhole an Actor, but an Actor should never pigeonhole themselves. You are an Actor, understand?" Director Jiang walked over to Han Fei with the script. "This drama is adapted from a true case from a few years ago—the human body puzzles. The killer hasn't been caught yet. To make it easier to get into character, I suggest you look at the news reports from that time and try to understand the character's inner thoughts.""Then who am I playing?""The Police announced seven victims in the human body puzzles case, but the killer actually used the victims' body parts to piece together an eighth victim. You'll be playing the second victim—Wei Youfu." Director Jiang spoke very quickly, constantly flipping through the script. "Let me give you a brief rundown of the scene. Wei Youfu is an ordinary white-collar worker. He returns home late after working overtime only to find his wife isn't there. He sends her several messages, and she replies saying she went back to her parents' house. Overworked and exhausted, he doesn't think much of it and goes straight into the Bedroom. Now, here's the key: his wife didn't actually go back to her parents'. Wei Youfu's wife is already dead, and the killer is hiding in the bathroom disposing of her body. The messages from earlier were also sent by the killer.""I'd like to ask, what is Wei Youfu's personality like?""Listen to me first. The hardest part of this scene is the latter half. While Wei Youfu is half-asleep, he hears the bathroom door open, and his wife's head is placed at the doorway. Just as his fear is ignited, an even greater terror strikes! The killer walks out of the bathroom and makes him the second target." Director Jiang circled several key points on the script. "We can't put scenes like body disposal on the big screen, so we have to rely on your facial expressions to let the audience feel that cruelty. You must use your fear to drive the audience's fear! Can you do it?""I'll give it a try. After all, I've never dealt with the thriller genre before." Han Fei's dream was to be a Comedian; he didn't know how he had ended up auditioning for a horror movie."Good! Let's go to the set to get a feel for it." Director Jiang beckoned and led several cameramen to the second floor. "This is the filming location we've chosen. Originally, we wanted to film at the actual crime scene, but we couldn't get in touch with the owner of that Haunted House."The room had been pre-treated for light-blocking. Once the curtains were drawn, it became dim and gloomy."Everyone get ready! Cooperate! The male antagonist hasn't arrived yet. Stagehand, put on a mask and go to the bathroom to play the killer. You need to time it right: open the door, place the head, then burst out of the bathroom."Five minutes later, everyone was in position, and the room instantly fell silent.Seeing Director Jiang's signal, Han Fei gradually entered the state.Lying in the dim Bedroom, his body slowly submerged in darkness, Han Fei closed his eyes.He didn't even need to act; the terrifying memories from last night surfaced in his mind.A gloomy, icy, bone-chilling cold; an inescapable despair.Snap!A soft sound suddenly echoed in the quiet room. Han Fei opened his eyes groggily. His gaze swept across the Living Room and finally fixed on the bathroom door lock.It was as if everything had been rehearsed many times. That wandering gaze gradually found focus. Before Han Fei was fully awake, the bathroom door handle turned on its own.Light was distorted as the bathroom door was pushed open a crack.A chilly wind brushed past his cheek. It felt as if a world of the dead was hidden behind that pitch-black door.His pupils constricted, and his heart thundered. When five fingers reached out from the crack in the door, the fear in Han Fei's memory was triggered!His blood accelerated, his heart rate spiked, and his adrenaline surged. Han Fei's face instantly turned deathly pale. His body triggered a self-protection mechanism, and his psychological fear directly caused a physiological reaction.The wife's head rolled out from the crack in the door. That familiar face rolled across the Living Room floor. She seemed to be smiling, yet also seemed to be chasing him, and even more so, seemed to be questioning him why he didn't come to accompany her.The fear hidden deep in Han Fei's consciousness was activated. At that moment, the bathroom door was thrown wide open. A dripping knife came into view, and the killer charged out from the darkness!Familiar darkness, familiar fear—only this time, he had nowhere to run!The pale face hidden beneath the lampstand in his mind overlapped with the killer in front of him. The fear in the depths of Han Fei's heart exploded. The real threat of death made him produce the most terrified expression!That look in his eyes was indescribable. Even the killer running toward Han Fei stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look behind himself."CUT!"Director Jiang, holding the script, rushed over and roared furiously at the Stagehand playing the killer, "Why did you look back?! You're the killer! What are you looking back for?!""No, Brother Jiang." The Stagehand took off his mask, his face also covered in cold sweat. "When I saw Han Fei's expression just now, I really thought there was something behind me, so I unconsciously turned my head to look.""You're the damn killer, what are you afraid of?! Such a perfect shot wasted, you're infuriating me!" After saying that, Director Jiang ran back into the Bedroom and personally helped Han Fei up. "Han Fei, your acting has improved so much! You have a talent for thrillers! I feel like you were born to act in them!""Is my acting really that good?" Han Fei's mood finally calmed down, and his expression returned to normal."Of course! You acted as if you had personally experienced it. It's incredible!"
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