Tánpàn shí tā zhuānmén chàng hēiliǎn, ràng duìfāng gǎndào yālì.
During negotiations he deliberately played the bad cop to put pressure on the other side.
Tips
culture
In Peking opera (京剧), painted face roles use black to represent uprightness or fierceness - most famously 包公 (Bāo Gōng), the incorruptible judge. 唱黑脸 (to "sing the black face") means to play the tough or bad cop role in a duo.
