Ye Chu sat on a chair in the waiting room. The girl who auditioned last came out crying.
Her number was near the end of the queue, so she found a seat. Several people left disappointed, and the atmosphere in the waiting room suddenly became much heavier.
Some friends from different schools whispered amongst themselves, while others, like Ye Chu, who had some experience in the industry, sat with their heads down, reading the script.
"How is it? How is it?"
"How scary!"
Ye Chu looked up at the two girls who were talking. They looked young and were probably students from a college.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Youth is wonderful; failing an audition is no big deal, it's just a learning experience. But for people like Ye Chu who have been in the industry for some years, the success or failure of an audition can determine far too many things.
One by one, the people in the waiting room left, and by the time it was Ye Chu's turn, she was among the last ten.
As Ye Chu stood up and entered the room, she could feel the gazes of the remaining people on her back. Her escape had indeed brought her a lot of attention and buzz, but it had also brought her some hostility.
Perhaps because the interviews had lasted too long, half of the interviewers present seemed somewhat listless. When Ye Chu entered, they only glanced at her briefly.
Old Li asked, "Which part of the audition?"
"The second segment." The production team selected three scenes for the audition, and Ye Chu chose the second one, which was the scene where the female lead, Xu Yan, was pierced through the heart by an arrow.
"Props team!" Old Li tried to perk himself up. He saw the props team bring over a soft mat and lay it on the ground. He said, "Pour it in without worry."
Ye Chu didn't waste any time. She found a good spot to stand, then turned her back, tilted her head back slightly, and smiled gently, her gaze falling on the upper part of the sky.
Her left hand was suspended a few centimeters from her lower abdomen in front of her, while her right hand was half-raised and gently beckoned, as if signaling the child who was peering at her from the castle window to come downstairs.
In an instant, those present seemed to see the fictitious castle materialize. They saw a beautiful woman in a classical long dress in the flower field, her left hand gently resting on the slightly raised hem of her dress, her right hand gesturing for her child to come into the flower field.
Sure enough, the child disappeared from the window. The woman waited there for a while, but the child seemed to be moving rather slowly.
Frowning, she turned to return to the castle to investigate. But the visitor didn't give her a chance; something sharp sliced through the air and pierced her heart.
As the pain sensation slowed, her eyes became unfocused...
Seeing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in He Qing's eyes. Was it still not right?
Just as the figure fell, the eyes of the person on the stage met He Qing's, and for a moment his heart ached.
Xu Yan possessed a pair of beautiful eyes. When she was alive, they were as lively and radiant as jewels; after her death, they became as still and desolate as a pool of water. But neither of these moments was when her eyes were at their most beautiful. The most beautiful moment for her eyes was only a fleeting instant—the instant she was about to leave this world!
As life faded, his pupils became unfocused, and his expression became hazy... But at the moment the last tear slid down, a hint of mockery appeared in his eyes.
At that moment, her eyes replaced her lips, uttering the most sarcastic language about humanity.
Everyone froze in place, because just seconds before, He Qing, who had been sitting in his seat, rushed up and hugged Ye Chu, who was about to stand up.
The entire audience heard his fervent and excited voice: "Xu Yan! You are Xu Yan! Xu Yan!"
...
The contract was slapped down in front of Chang Ji and Ye Chu in a very simple and crude manner. The assistant director wiped the sweat from his forehead while giving instructions.
"The specific details are all written in the contract. Although the role hasn't been finalized yet, everything else is ready. You'll be joining the crew in three days at the latest." As he spoke, he handed over some materials: "The roles and information of the other actors in the same group. You can put the others aside for now, but you must find out about the male lead's role first."
The role was decided just like that. Ye Chu looked at the information of the legendary "very important" male lead and was somewhat surprised.
The actor who plays the male lead, He Jiu, is named Qin Ke, a rising star this year. There are even rumors online that he might be nominated for Best Actor at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, becoming the one to break Gu Yu's three-year reign of glory.
"Hmph!" Ye Chu wrinkled her nose and snorted lightly. Her god-like legend wouldn't be easily broken!
...
The weather wasn't very good the day Ye Chu joined the crew; large raindrops pattered against the buildings on both sides of the road.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing." Among the crew watching the heavy rain, He Qing suddenly said, "He Jiu returned to the castle in a downpour. The people in the castle also witnessed his return in the rain."
Qin Ke stood silently beside He Qing, script in hand. He heard the car engine shut off, then the car door opened and closed, an umbrella was opened, and shoes stepped onto the wet ground…
Qin Ke has a habit of getting into character before filming. So when he actually saw Ye Chu, he already mistook her for Xu Yan.
Ye Chu felt goosebumps rise on her arms beneath her coat; Qin Ke's gaze had been strange ever since she joined the crew. She tried her best to maintain a smile and greeted everyone on set.
"Alright, everyone get ready. This rain is going to continue for a while, so we can film the first scene soon," He Qing said, gesturing for Ye Chu and the others to follow.
The castle used for filming was rented at a high price and is said to be quite old. Apart from He Qing, the others only know that the castle owners are a couple from Country Y. As for the history of the castle and why it was built here, it is unknown, just like the castle described in the script.
"You're something else, kid. You actually managed to rent it. But how come this looks so... realistic?" The assistant director was still wiping his sweat, examining everything in the castle as he did so.
"We rented it when we were writing the script, and it's based entirely on this castle," He Qing answered the other person's question casually. Ye Chu walked behind, secretly calculating in her mind that the rent must be astronomical for such a long time.
Ye Chu followed the group slowly, stopping and starting as they went, while the staff dispersed to work on the machines.
He Qing glanced back and noticed that Qin Ke had been silent the whole time, and according to their positions just now, the other person should have been walking beside him.
But when he looked at Qin Ke, he saw that Qin Ke was falling further and further back, and was even showing a tendency to lean towards Ye Chu.
He Qing frowned. Ye Chu was, after all, Gu Yu's wife. He usually didn't like to get involved in these matters, but this time it was necessary to intervene, given Ye Chu's special status. As for Qin Ke… He Qing seemed to think of something, his brows furrowing slightly before quickly relaxing.
He said, "Qin Ke, you should go and prepare."
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