I have the face of a great demon.

A gentle breeze blows, and the moonlight shines like silk.

In a simple yet solemn mansion, the blue bricks and gray tiles show the weight of time even more clearly in the night.

In the courtyard, lanterns sway gently, illuminating a busy yet orderly scene.

The servants moved about among them, their faces showing a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

A new life is about to be born in our household.

Deep within the mansion, a solemn ancestral hall stands quietly, its candlelight flickering and illuminating the patriarch's tall and imposing figure.

Holding three incense sticks, he knelt solemnly before the ancestral tablets, silently reciting his most sincere prayers.

"May our ancestors bless our wife so that she may give birth to a son and continue the family line."

A tall, slightly thin servant rushed in, and before he could even stand still, he shouted impatiently:

"Master! Master! What wonderful news! The lady has given birth to a son."

"Card!"

A thunderous roar suddenly exploded, as if even the air itself trembled.

A man wearing a distinctive multi-pocket vest barged into the antique setting and launched into a tirade against the servants.

"What kind of good news are you acting out? When a servant announces good news, there has to be a certain joy!"

"Look at you, your face is as long as Mount Changbai. Did you come here to announce a bad day?"

"Smile, smile! Smile obsequiously, make sure the master feels your joy!"

The young man playing the servant scratched his head sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, Director Zhang, I didn't act well. Please give me another chance, I promise I can do it this time."

At the director's command, the scene came alive again, and the actors quickly adjusted their state, ready to film another take.

"Card!"

"Card!"

"Card--!"

……

Where is the smile I want?

"Can't you even laugh at yourself?"

"Are you facial paralysis? Give me a smile."

"That smile is uglier than a cry."

After countless takes and the director's spittle was practically spraying the servants' faces, Director Zhang, known for his strict demands, finally snapped.

"Where's the assistant director? Who found these actors?!"

"Director Zhang, Director Chen is in charge of the extras."

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang flew into a rage: "Where's Chen Qian? Where the hell is he? He's let me down at such a crucial moment!"

"Coming! Coming! Director Zhang, you wanted to see me?" A chubby man ran up, but before he could even stand up straight, he was berated by Director Zhang.

"Hey Lao Chen, what's wrong with your casting choices? It's like you're blind!"

"Even though they are just extras, we should still find some experienced extras who have lines."

"Hiring a newbie is just asking for trouble!"

"Director Zhang, I'm looking for experienced extras. This actor has been working at the film studio for five years."

As Director Chen spoke, he glared at the bewildered servants beside him and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Liu Xingchen, what's wrong with you?"

"Five years as an extra wasted? You can't even play a small, good-for-nothing role?"

Director Zhang was also puzzled. After five years as an extra, how could he be so bad at acting?

"You've been an extra for five years? What kind of roles have you played?"

Liu Xingchen replied, "Director Zhang, I have been an extra in many films, such as the recently popular 'Battle of Taierzhuang'."

"Oh, what role did you play?"

"I played a Japanese soldier... the kind who gets shot to death by machine gun fire."

"..."

"I also acted in 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'... playing a commoner who starved to death by the roadside."

"..."

After listening to Liu Xingchen's rambling monologue, Director Zhang couldn't help but speak up:

"No way, so you've been playing corpses all these years?"

Although it is sad, it is true.

After graduating from high school, Liu Xingchen came to the film and television city and, along with countless others who dreamed of becoming stars, began his career as an extra.

I don't know if it's just bad luck, but every time he gets a role, it's always to play a corpse; he never gets any scenes with living people.

He tried and persisted time and time again, but to no avail.

It seems that all directors treat him as a standard corpse, never using him as a living person.

He's a professional corpse dealer.

He has given up hope of becoming a star and is considering changing careers.

However, after five years as an extra, he had never shown his face in a film, which made him very unwilling.

So he gave Director Chen a gift, asking him to arrange a role for him that would give him screen time.

Just to fulfill a dream of acting, and to leave behind even a brief moment in a play.

But even so, he still messed up the performance.

Liu Xingchen had to reflect on his actions.

I'm just expressionless, always with a blank face. No wonder directors used to only let me play corpses.

They really understand themselves.

Sigh, though unwilling, Liu Xingchen could only leave dejectedly.

The two directors were having an excited discussion, as if Director Chen had brought some good news that made Director Zhang happy.

However, this has nothing to do with Liu Xingchen anymore; they're replacing him.

He plans to leave the film crew, go back to his hometown to find a job, and never act again.

He hadn't taken two steps when Director Zhang called out to him:

"Hey you, the one who's really good at playing corpses, come here, I've got a role for you."

Liu Xingchen was stunned for a moment, then pointed to himself, his face full of question marks.

"Me? I have my own business to do?"

"We're going to film an important scene tomorrow, and there's a villainous role that would be perfect for you."

The big villain? That sounds like an important character.

My luck is about to change!

An excited Liu Xingchen readily agreed.

The next day, the film crew drove to a mountain a hundred kilometers away and came to a cave.

Lights and scenery were set up, and filming was about to begin.

Director Zhang looked at the environment inside the cave and said with satisfaction:

"Old Chen, you've chosen the perfect location; it fits the plot perfectly."

"Oh, it's just a coincidence. A friend recommended this great place."

"There's a stone coffin inside this cave. It's quite old, and the locals have turned it into a tourist attraction, but unfortunately, there are very few visitors."

"I rented this place for very little money. It's perfect for filming this scene. The set and props are all ready-made, so there's no need to change them."

The stone coffin was shiny black, ancient and heavy, and covered with incomprehensible runes, giving it a mysterious feel.

Director Zhang smiled and patted the stone coffin.

"This is it! It has ready-made sets and props, so it saves trouble!"

When Liu Xingchen appeared after getting her makeup done, wow, she looked incredibly cool!

Dressed in black, with a cool crown.

With his perpetually icy face, he looked exactly like a cold-blooded demon straight out of hell, even Director Zhang couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"This costume is nice; it suits the character in the play very well."

"Hehe, Director Zhang, this outfit was found in the stone coffin when this cave was discovered. It's an antique."

"The venue rental was a one-off package deal, and even this outfit was included. I didn't expect it to be such a good deal."

"Really? That's a good deal. It saved the props team a lot of trouble. Hahahaha..."

After all other matters were completed, Director Zhang called Liu Xingchen over and gave him some pointers on the scene.

"Listen up, you are a great demon who has been dead for a thousand years, lying in this stone coffin."

Liu Xingchen felt like a million grass mud horses were running through his mind. After all that, it turns out I was just pretending to be a corpse.

"In a moment, the protagonist will fight someone here, overturn the lid of the stone coffin, and wake you up. You will be a great demon who has been awakened."

Liu Xingchen cheered inwardly, "Long live the director! I can finally live again!"

"You had just stood up from the stone coffin when the protagonist slashed through you with a sword, killing you and leaving you dead inside the coffin. And that was the end of your story."

Liu Xingchen: "..."

Ten thousand alpacas passed by again.

……

Liu Xingchen lay in the stone coffin, the cold stone sending a chill down his spine.

"Don't worry, we'll leave a small gap for ventilation, nothing will happen."

Director Chen comforted him with a word and then ordered someone to put the heavy lid on.

As the stone coffin lid slowly closed, Liu Xingchen was swallowed by darkness.

The surroundings were so quiet that you could only hear your own heartbeat; time seemed to stand still.

After an unknown amount of time, with a loud "boom," the stone coffin lid flew off.

Liu Xingchen perked up; it was his turn to act.

A lightweight mechanism beneath him was slowly lifting him up.

From the outside, he looked as if he were standing still, but he gradually stood up.

Liu Xingchen remembered Director Zhang's words.

At this point, he must close his eyes, and only when he is fully upright will he open his eyes and begin his performance.

Although he was playing a corpse again, this was an important one, and he believed the camera would give him a close-up shot.

Even if I were to lie back in the stone coffin the next moment, it would be worth it.

Come on, let me give it my all and give my acting career a perfect ending.