"Director, the male lead has finished putting on his makeup," a staff member said, running over.
The director's eyes lit up and he nodded, "Good, good, tell him to come over quickly."
"I just went over, he's getting ready to change into his costume," the staff member replied.
The director nodded and looked towards Ji Nian, saying, "Perfect timing, you will act opposite the male lead next. I want to see what your understanding of this role is like."
Shen Shuyao, who was beside them, saw Ji Nian's stunned expression and laughed, "Director, why don't I go first? I haven't acted opposite the male lead yet."
"Shuyao, I'm quite confident in you. When I signed you on, I felt your image matched the female protagonist very well. But as you know, previously..." the director lamented, forced by capitalists to reluctantly let someone else play the female lead. Fortunately the role had been recast now.
"Um..." Ji Nian was taken aback, damn it, not only did she have to audition, but she also had to act with the male lead? That would just make her even more nervous!
"Who is the male lead?" Shen Shuyao asked carefully.
The director was about to answer when he saw Ji Nian's expression. He was suddenly shocked and thought, oh no! The male lead and Ji Nian...
"Director," a voice suddenly rang out. The director's body stiffened and he turned to look at the newcomer.
At the same time, Shen Shuyao also turned to look, her eyes filled with shock.
Ji Nian stared into the man's eyes. The pain in her heart quickly spread through her whole body and she stood frozen in place, unable to move.
The man was wearing white ancient costume attire, an aloof look in his eyes and a carefree attitude. His graceful bearing was like a fairy who had fallen to earth.
Seeing the woman in red, Ba Ge's eyes widened in shock and he couldn't help but cry out, "Ji Nian? What are you doing here?"
Ji Nian felt like she couldn't breathe properly, the stabbing pain in her heart making her almost suffocate.
Even though she had never seen this person before, when she finally came face-to-face with him, her mind - no, her entire consciousness - knew clearly that this man was Cheng Liran.
The man's eyes also flashed with surprise. Although he often saw her in the trending news, the last time they had met face-to-face was when she had stormed into his company to make trouble.
"She's...a last minute decision for the second female lead. She happened to come by today to audition," the director explained, looking at the man. "Liran, is this ok with you?"
Cheng Liran nodded. His expression didn't change - he had already shown this woman a lot of face previously. It was her own greed and dissatisfaction that led to the legal troubles.
"I'll follow the director's arrangements," Cheng Liran replied lightly.
"What about you, Nian?" The director looked towards the dazed Ji Nian.
Shen Shuyao worriedly grabbed her hand and whispered, "Nian."
Ji Nian took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the interfering thoughts in her mind. She knew it was the lingering emotions of the original Ji Nian, but her current consciousness had control of the body. She could not let herself be disturbed.
"No problem," Ji Nian answered, forcing down the pain in her chest.
She couldn't refuse this. If she rejected it today, not only would she cause trouble for Shen Shuyao, but the director would also be left with a bad impression.
Besides, this man had no personal relationship with her. Since he could remain calm and collected about it, she absolutely could not back down at the last minute.
The director was surprised by the woman's composure, a glint of appreciation in his eyes. "Alright then, get ready. You two take a look at the script first. We'll start the audition in five minutes."
Ji Nian took a deep breath, trying her best to keep her head down and eyes on the script in her hands. But she couldn't comprehend a single word.
Five minutes later, the director cleared the set and had the two of them stand on stage. "Ready? I'll just randomly pick a scene."
Cheng Liran nodded, glancing at the woman beside him out of the corner of his eye. Her whole demeanor seemed...different somehow.
"Let's try this one then - the male lead, Bai Ruoyuan, warns and rejects the second female lead, Song Yu," the director decided after some thought. This scene seemed usable. With a wave of his hand he said, "Action!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a cold aura emanated from Cheng Liran's body. His face held a hint of disdain and warning as he looked at the woman, saying flatly, "You have committed all manner of evil deeds, using your family's power and influence to gather mobs and form cliques. On the pretext of liking me, you targeted Luo Luo. I have already shown you too much mercy."
On stage, Ji Nian couldn't help meeting the man's eyes. Her mind went blank again. The stabbing pain in her chest blurred her vision so she couldn't see clearly.
Seeing that the woman was just standing there without responding, the director asked in confusion, "Nian! What's going on?"
The set became deathly quiet as everyone looked up at the woman on stage. Down below, He Yi was also tense with nerves.
"This role doesn't suit you. Your acting skills can't carry it," Cheng Liran said quietly, turning to look at her.
Ji Nian took another deep breath, feeling irritated as she continued to struggle with that inner consciousness. She turned to look at the director and asked, "Can we try again?"
The director's expression turned grim but he nodded in agreement.
Cheng Liran quickly got back into character. "You have committed all manner of evil deeds, using your family's power and influence to gather mobs and form cliques. On the pretext of liking me, you targeted Luo Luo. I have already shown you too much mercy."
Ji Nian met the man's eyes. His lone and proud gaze carried an aura of unmatched arrogance. His cold, indifferent tone made tears well up in her eyes and spill down her cheeks.
Ji Nian knew this audition was definitely over for her. But she stubbornly struggled through her lines anyway, the pain in her chest continuing unabated. She forced back her tears and looked at the man.
"Bai Ruoyuan," Ji Nian said with difficulty, tears dripping down one by one. In a hoarse voice she continued, "Don't you remember, you once saved me..."
For some reason, when she uttered the words "you once saved me", the force within her body seemed ready to burst out.
"I truly love you," Ji Nian said, reciting the lines. But her mind suddenly shattered as she uncontrollably cried out at the top of her lungs, "Why can't you just love me back! Why! Why!"
The director below the stage, along with all the staff, were stunned into silence. Cheng Liran looked at the woman's desperate tears in surprise.
"Hahahaha!" The director started clapping from below. "Well done, very nice! This is the kind of feeling you want to evoke."
Hearing the director's words, Ji Nian instantly regained her senses. She saw that Cheng Liran had already walked off stage. As her mind cleared, she wondered - what on earth did she just do?
The director walked onto the stage and patted the woman on the shoulder, beaming with satisfaction. "Welcome aboard. Hurry up and get your makeup touched up, then we'll take some official shots for the contract. We can sign the paperwork today too."
Coming down from the stage, Shen Shuyao walked over admiringly and said in a low voice, "Nian, you were so amazing! Your tears fell instantly and the look of despair as you gazed at him was incredible. Even I was drawn into the performance!"
He Yi was still dumbfounded. Since when did her client become such a superb actress? She stared wide-eyed in disbelief and asked, "Sis, you have to tell me honestly - have you been secretly getting acting lessons outside?"
Ji Nian still had a dazed look, as if wondering where she was and what she was doing. She blankly replied, "Would you believe me if I said this was just a fluke accident?"
