I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Four celebrities are vying for the male lead role: Yan Yikuang, Li Naiwen, Liu Dehua, and Zhang Yi.

Cheng Sheng knew three of the four people, and he also knew Zhang Yi from another memory.

This person is destined to be a powerful artist.

In 2025, he was awarded the title of "National First-Class Actor", becoming the third actor to receive this honor after Li Baotian and Chen Daoming.

This professional title evaluation is conducted by an authoritative institution in China's literary and artistic circles, reflecting that their artistic achievements have been officially certified.

Zhang Yi's acting career can be described as a "textbook example of a comeback".

After being admitted to the Jingdu Military Region's Zhan You Drama Troupe in 97, he was ridiculed as "the only person in the troupe who can't act" because of his appearance, and could only play minor roles and work as a stage manager.

It wasn't until this year that he rose to prominence with his role as "Squad Leader Shi Jin" in "Soldiers Sortie," where his crying scene at Tiananmen Square became a classic. However, he became depressed due to being too immersed in the role.

Over the next decade, he continued to break through in works such as "Chicken Feathers Flying to the Sky," "Operation Red Sea," and "Cliff Walkers," winning the Huabiao Award and the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor twice, becoming the first male actor to simultaneously achieve a "Grand Slam" in both film and television.

In particular, when "Raging Storm" aired in 2023, Zhang Yi's portrayal of police officer An Xin, from black hair to white hair, captivated the audience with 20 years of forbearance and perseverance.

Some netizens dug up footage of him observing the lives of grassroots police officers for three consecutive months to get closer to the role and exclaimed: "He wasn't acting; he lived his life as the character."

This "immersive performance" made him what the director described as an "explosive actor who gives you goosebumps."

Cheng Sheng never expected that Zhang Yi would come to audition for the male lead in "Ten Red Army Soldiers".

With Zhang Yi's acting skills, he's definitely capable of playing the male lead, but...

Looking at Zhang Yi's photo, Cheng Sheng frowned. Zhang Yi looked depressed in the photo, clearly still recovering from the experience of watching "Soldiers Sortie".

This image definitely wouldn't work if he were to play the male lead.

"Forget it, I'll just be a backup option for now."

Cheng Sheng thought to himself.

Then they considered whether the other three suited the male lead's character.

Liu Dehua is a good fit for the male lead, but Cheng Sheng feels out of place, mainly because he's too handsome. Playing a Red Army soldier from that era would make people mistake him for someone in an idol drama.

Needless to say, Yan Yikuang is also unsuitable.

Lee Nae-moon!
If it were a villain, Cheng Sheng would definitely choose him.

The male lead is supposed to be a righteous Red Army soldier, but Li Naiwen doesn't have that kind of charisma now. He would be more suitable to play a villain.

Next, Cheng Sheng looked at the candidates for the female lead.

Eight female artists, including Li Xiaoran, Zeng Li, Yu Feihong, Liu Naicha, Zhao, Zhang Baizhi, Li Shuangbing, and Fan Shuangbing.

After watching, Cheng Sheng suspected that Peng Da Mo had ulterior motives, otherwise why would he choose only beautiful women?

And that doesn't even include those who were eliminated. If you include them, just how many people are vying for the female lead role in this drama!

Of these eight, Cheng Sheng could eliminate half of them at once.

Liu Naicha, Zhao Mou, Zhang Baizhi, Li Shuangbing, and Fan Shuangbing were all eliminated by Cheng Sheng.

That leaves only Li Xiaoran, Yu Feihong, and Zeng Li.

If we're talking about feelings, Cheng Sheng should choose Zeng Li, since he and Zeng Li have the best relationship.

Zeng Li is just too beautiful.

The female lead in "Ten Red Army Soldiers" is also quite beautiful, but she isn't as radiant as Zeng Li.

Reason told Cheng Sheng that Yu Feihong was the ideal female lead, and Li Xiaoran was also a good choice. After all, both actresses were really good at acting, and as long as they were willing to sacrifice their image, they would really fit the female lead's image. The names Zeng Li, Li Xiaoran, and Yu Feihong kept flashing through his mind.

Ultimately, emotion prevailed over reason, and he decided to give Zeng Li a chance.

I called Zeng Li and invited her to dinner at a restaurant near the neighborhood.

Cheng Sheng arrived at the restaurant first, ordered a few dishes in advance, and then went to the private room to wait for Zeng Li's arrival.

A few minutes later, her phone rang, and Zeng Li was already outside the restaurant.

As Cheng Sheng left the restaurant, he saw Zeng Li standing at the entrance.

As a big star, Zeng Li was still very careful, wearing a mask to cover her face and avoid attracting the attention of passersby.

Cheng Sheng led Zeng Li into his private room, which gave him time to observe her.

Zeng Li had clearly dressed up specially today, wearing a black dress and red high heels, her hair loose, and her face made her seem like the embodiment of both angel and devil, possessing the aloofness of an angel and the allure of a devil.

His eyes lit up when he saw Cheng Sheng.

Zeng Li seemed to sense Cheng Sheng's strange gaze, and was secretly delighted. She couldn't help but think: It was worth spending more than two hours getting ready.

From the moment she received Cheng Sheng's call, she ignored the strange looks from the people at the company and went straight home, where she picked out clothes and put on makeup.

I'm planning to meet Cheng Sheng later and give him a good wow factor.

Seeing Cheng Sheng's performance, Zeng Li felt that her efforts in dressing up had not been in vain.

Cheng Sheng handed her the menu and asked her to order a few more dishes she liked.

After all, the dishes he ordered before were all his own favorites.

Once the waiter had served most of the dishes, the two began to eat and chat.

Cheng Sheng wasn't in a hurry to talk about the new movie.

But Zeng Li was anxious!

She's already had an interview, but she doesn't even know if she's been selected.

She thought Cheng Sheng was looking for her to talk about the new movie, and she was happy that she might have been selected.

Seeing Cheng Sheng like this, she began to feel uneasy, wondering if she was not valued and that Cheng Sheng invited her to dinner to comfort her.
"Cheng Sheng, have you cast the female lead for your new movie?" Zeng Li asked.

Cheng Sheng smiled slightly and said, "If I were to cast you as the female lead, and it would make you look like an ordinary woman in her thirties with rough skin, would you play the role?"

"what!"

Zeng Li was startled and subconsciously touched her face.

Smooth and fair.

"Can I wear makeup?"

Zeng Li, who loves beauty, said pitifully.

Just thinking about how rough her skin looked, she couldn't bear to look at herself.

Cheng Sheng shook his head.

While makeup could achieve this, this is a patriotic film, so it would be better to stay true to reality. (End of Chapter)