When Qin You jumped out of the taxi, the clock on her phone had just struck eleven.
Balancing on seven-centimeter heels, she found a vantage point where she could keep an eye on the entrances of both KFC and McDonald’s, then settled in to wait patiently.
She only hoped that Director Wang hadn’t left X University yet. If she couldn’t catch him this afternoon, her chances of fighting for a role in this drama would be slim.
Half an hour later, she spotted her target.
A middle-aged man wearing a sweater vest sauntered slowly into the McDonald’s.
Director Wang looked much younger than the version the audience would eventually come to know; currently, even his hair was still jet black.
She immediately rushed toward him.
Qin You had been standing some distance away. By the time she burst into the McDonald’s, he was no longer near the glass doors. She scanned the area and quickly locked onto her target amidst the crowded room.
Despite being a billionaire, Director Wang was quite ordinary-looking. If it weren’t for the fact that this unremarkable face would later become one of the most recognizable in the entertainment industry, Qin You might have lost track of him the moment she stepped inside.
She walked quickly toward the table where Director Wang was sitting.
“Hello, Director Wang Wucheng. I know your auditions have already concluded, but I really want to fight for the role of Ling Yu. I believe I am the perfect fit for her.”
Qin You paused for a moment after hearing her own voice. She wasn’t sure if it was the influence of that silk ribbon, but her voice was now much lower and huskier than the original host’s voice in her memories. However, she quickly composed herself and didn’t let this minor surprise distract her.
The middle-aged man, holding a small hamburger, paused mid-bite. He frowned and looked up.
“Who are you? How did you know I was here?”
After asking, his gaze dropped back to his burger as if the person standing before him didn’t exist.
“I missed last night’s audition due to an accident, but I didn’t want to give up, so I looked up your information online.”
“Public information,” Qin You added quickly.
“In a previous exclusive interview with *AC Finance*, you mentioned your lunch habits. I simply guessed that you might not have left X University yet, so I came here to try my luck.”
Qin You wasn’t lying. She had indeed done some searching while in the taxi, though she was working backward to find evidence for a result she already knew.
Wang Wucheng raised an eyebrow.
Qin You took that as a sign to continue, though she would have proceeded even without it.
“While reading your script, a question kept bothering me. In these twenty pages, the character with the most screen time and the most apparent growth is Fang Ziyu. Everyone seems to think she’s the female protagonist. However, I couldn’t understand one thing: the opening of the story should set the tone for the entire script, but if Fang Ziyu is the protagonist, her noble and aloof demeanor actually contradicts that tone.”
“So, I kept wondering—if Fang Ziyu isn’t the protagonist, then who is?”
“When the character Ling Yu first appears, she’s on the phone, but the conversation is cryptic and guarded. If she’s truly just a cannon fodder character meant to interfere between the male and female leads, why include that phone call in the plot?”
“Director Wang, do you think my analysis makes sense?”
“If Ling Yu has a backstory, shouldn’t she be played by an actress who can convey that depth? I feel like I understand her, and I want to become her.”
Wang Wucheng scoffed and looked up with a cold gaze. “If you like the character that much, where were you during the previous ten auditions? Since you read my interview, you should know that I hate people who aren’t punctual the most.”
“Since you love analyzing so much, why don’t I give you the pen and let you write it?”
Director Wang’s lips curled into a mocking smile, but Qin You didn’t take the sarcasm to heart. All she needed was an opportunity. Now, Director Wang’s attention was fully focused on her, his sharp, soul-piercing gaze fixed on her.
That kind of stare could easily make someone shrink back, wanting to run away or crawl into a hole.
But it also meant he was finally seeing her.
Qin You relaxed. She took a few steps back and stood still about two tables away from Director Wang.
She raised her hand and lowered her head slightly. Reaching for the end of the wooden hairpin with her left hand, she created a graceful curve with her arm before pulling it out. With a soft *clack*, she set it on the table.
Her hair tumbled down like a waterfall. Qin You began to walk toward him, her movements lithe and captivating.
The parents nearby, who had brought their children for lunch, stared at this strange woman in confusion.
Many people had already been casting odd glances at Qin You since she entered the shop in her elaborate attire. She was a beauty, but who wore such things to a McDonald’s? Their looks were more bewildered than appreciative.
Now that she was walking as if she were on a runway, the strange looks intensified, accompanied by undisguised whispering.
But an actor must have a sense of conviction. Even in a bustling fast-food restaurant, surrounded by people who didn’t know they were part of a scene and looked at her as if she were insane, she had to exude an aura of noble elegance.
A faint, determined smile played on Qin You’s lips, making her look exactly like a viper-like beauty closing in on her prey.
Her posture was relaxed and graceful, yet the sway of her hips evoked a primal desire—a perfect fusion of elegance and allure.
As she walked under the dim, yellow lights of the McDonald’s, the noisy crowd and strange stares in the background were completely incongruous with her actions and appearance. Yet, it gave off the impression that she wasn’t the one out of place; the environment was.
Wang Wucheng raised an eyebrow again. His directorial instincts subconsciously began to frame her with the perfect background and lighting.
She should be walking under the dim lights of a dark bar, with a cold white light hitting her from the upper right to sharpen her features. More importantly, shadows should be used to highlight those eyes.
And the faint, knowing smile within them.
Qin You slid into the seat opposite Director Wang. She crossed her arms and rested her chin on them lightly. The smile on her face deepened until it looked almost genuine, and then she tilted her eyebrows.
This was the very first scene of Ling Yu’s appearance in the script—this was exactly how she approached the person she intended to seduce.
Wang Wucheng had to admit that she was right. She truly was suitable for the role of Ling Yu. Her appearance and her movements were identical to the Ling Yu he had imagined for this scene.
However, he leaned back and looked at the half-eaten burger in his hand before speaking slowly.
“I remember who you are now.”
“Qin You. The big celebrity of the moment. You don’t look like your photos, so it took me a moment to place you.”
“Let me guess. You consider yourself a somewhat famous actress and originally had no interest in a web drama. But now you’re mired in scandal and have offended the heir of Tianbai Film Company. In your desperation, you’re thinking that any role will do, even if it’s just a supporting character in a web drama.”
“Since you’re currently burdened by the scandal of being a failed mistress, you know you can’t get a role like Fang Ziyu. So, you’ve set your sights on this ‘bad woman’ who only appears in two scenes.”
“Are you trying to use this to transition your career?”
“As for that long-winded analysis… let me guess again. You aren’t satisfied with playing a supporting role with so little screen time. You’re trying to convince me that the character should be more important just so you can add scenes for yourself, aren’t you?”
Qin You reached out and pushed her phone right under Director Wang’s nose.
“I have evidence that can immediately prove I wasn’t the mistress between Gu Tianbai and Chen Ren. If I wanted to, I could reverse the online public opinion right now.”
“I want to know if Ling Yu is the person I imagine her to be. If she is, I want to become her completely. I can hold onto this evidence until the show is released. I’ll announce the truth the moment Ling Yu’s true identity is revealed in the drama.”
There was a hint of madness in her words. To achieve total integration with the character, she was actually willing to endure prolonged vilification. Wang Wucheng looked up once more, re-evaluating this young girl.
“And even if I’m wrong… I hope you’ll still consider me, Director Wang. Wouldn’t such a massive news reveal be perfect for promoting the new drama?”
Qin You smiled again.
She was strikingly beautiful, and her smile was almost moving. But the ruthlessness in her previous words remained, adding a layer of coldness to her gorgeous radiance.
A long silence followed.
“Leave me your email. I’ll send the contract to you later.”
“Thank you, Director Wang.”