The male lead auditions for The Actor had taken place the day before. To everyone’s delight—or perhaps expectation—the role was secured by Starwood’s own Cao Wenrui.
While others celebrated, Zhong Ying took it as a matter of course. Cao Wenrui’s looks and temperament were a perfect fit for “Jiang Ci’s husband,” and his acting skills were certainly commendable.
With the male lead settled, it was finally time for the “Jiang Ci” female lead auditions.
“Xiao Ying, are you nervous?” Outside the hall, Tang Qi handed her a bottle of water.
Zhong Ying replied flatly, “There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
“True. You’ve always been quite Zen about these roles—if you get it, great; if not, it’s no big deal,” Tang Qi said with a smile.
Zhong Ying shook her head, a sharp, focused glint flashing in her eyes. “No. I must get the role of Jiang Ci.”
“Why? Do you like the character that much?” Tang Qi was puzzled; it had been a long time since she had seen such a competitive fire in her artist’s eyes.
Clutching her script, Zhong Ying gave a meaningful smile. “I just don’t want to let my ‘fan’ down.”
After waiting for a long while, the auditions still hadn’t started. A staff member came by to explain that one of the judges hadn’t arrived yet, so everyone needed to wait a bit longer.
“What kind of judge has such a huge ego? Making all of us wait here?” Among the crowd, a beautiful actress couldn’t help but snap. “How are they going to compensate us for our wasted time?”
Her voice wasn’t quiet, and it immediately drew a lot of attention. Someone recognized her as Liu Jinyao, a popular “starlet” from a major TV station. She was a regular on variety shows—her acting might be mediocre, but her celebrity status was undeniably high.
Zhong Ying cast a fleeting glance her way and then ignored her.
“Jinyao Jie, please calm down. Let’s just wait a little longer. Here, have some water,” her young assistant urged quickly.
“Don’t pull me! This is so annoying. If they’re going to audition, then get on with it. What is this crew dragging their feet for? I have another scheduled appearance this afternoon!” Liu Jinyao brushed off her assistant’s hand, her face full of impatience.
“Hmph. You’ve barely acted a day in your life, yet you have the nerve to come to The Actor auditions and make a fool of yourself,” a crisp, pretty voice rang out from the crowd, speaking without the slightest reservation.
It was Bai Lan.
Zhong Ying was actually quite familiar with her; she had worked on a TV series with this girl once. Bai Lan was a newcomer, but she was incredibly talented.
“Who are you calling a fool?!” Liu Jinyao had a fiery temper as well. She marched up and got right in the girl’s face. “And who do you think you are? I’ve never even seen you before!”
Bai Lan was choked up by that remark. She had been a “child actor” for three years and had some seniority despite her age, so she immediately shot back: “I’m talking about you! You have no talent for acting, yet you dare show up here. Do you even know what the ‘big screen’ is? Acting ability—do you have any?! All you do is hoot and holler. Since you’re here to audition, you’d better fix your attitude first!”
Liu Jinyao let out a scoff. “I don’t have acting skills, but you do? If you’re so talented, why aren’t you famous?! I don’t even know your name!”
“You…”
“What does acting ability have to do with being famous?” Zhong Ying asked softly from the side. Though her voice was light, it carried clearly to everyone in the nearly silent hall.
She put down her script and stood up, looking down slightly. “Bai Lan’s acting is indeed very good. She isn’t ‘famous’ because she keeps a low profile and doesn’t play the clown on variety shows and social platforms for attention.”
“You…”
“Moreover, my point is this: when competing for a role, understanding the character and researching your opponents is what you should be doing. Making a scene in the audition hall only makes you look low-class, regardless of your status or your acting ability.” At this point, Zhong Ying frowned slightly.
If they hadn’t been bothering her while she was reading the script, she wouldn’t have bothered to speak up.
Liu Jinyao was suddenly rendered speechless. Bai Lan also felt a bit embarrassed after being scolded for having “no class,” but seeing that it was Zhong Ying who spoke, she quieted down.
Holy crap, did someone really just shut down Liu Jinyao like that? The thought flashed through the minds of the onlookers. Everyone in the industry knew to some extent that a “vase” like Liu Jinyao definitely had a powerful patron backing her.
“Who are you calling an attention-seeker?! Who are you calling low-class?! Who do you think you are!” Liu Jinyao finally snapped out of it and exploded in front of everyone.
In all her time since her debut, this was the first time someone in the industry had refused to give her face so publicly! She stomped over to Zhong Ying in a few quick strides. “Who the hell are you?!”
She was furious and her tone was vicious, but unfortunately, even in high heels, she was still a head shorter than Zhong Ying.
Zhong Ying looked down at her, her eyes narrowing slightly. “My name is Zhong Ying. What of it?”
Uh…
She actually looks… a little terrifying?