Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 3 Can you come with me?

……

I've been standing outside the elevator for two or three minutes now.

The blush on Li Wu's delicate earlobe lingered for a long time.

I accidentally peeked and got caught red-handed...

But when people see something beautiful and stunning, their instinct is to be unable to look away... Well, you can't blame her.

Li Wu has always been good at comforting herself.

No getting caught up in things, no internal strife.

With this thought, she felt a great sense of relief and began to look for the specific room for the audition.

When Li Wu arrived, there were already three or four artists waiting inside.

Each artist brought one or two assistants, along with a manager who looked very capable.

The agent was giving her artists countless instructions, going over every detail tirelessly, afraid that they might be left out.

The sounds, some loud and some soft, gradually brought liveliness to the empty hall.

Li Wu sat alone in a seat towards the back, quietly preparing for the role she was about to audition for.

After half an hour.

As Li Wu watched the artists gradually fill most of the hall, her initially calm heart began to fill with doubt and tension.

It wasn't until I saw actress Yu Yao, who was trending on social media last night, walk in surrounded by several assistants.

Li Wu was somewhat stunned.

Whispers began to rise from the surrounding area.

"Yu Yao?! What's she doing here too?"

"Exactly, she's already a second-tier celebrity with her own fanbase, why is she even competing for this third female lead role?"

"I heard that the production company is increasing its investment in this drama, and the male lead has been confirmed as Wen Zhiyuan, the national heartthrob. They want to upgrade this drama to an S-level mega-project."

"certainly not!"

Someone lowered their voice and said, "It was clearly Shen Yichen who was going to be the assistant director of this drama, so Huanyu increased its investment and finally decided on the male lead."

"Director Shen? That can't be right."

Faced with the shocked and questioning gazes of the others, the man did not explain, but simply uttered two words with a mysterious expression.

"Fidelity."

Li Wu felt a chill run down her spine.

National heartthrob Wen Zhiyuan, plus genius director Shen Yichen.

This lineup is filled with top-tier actresses competing for this role, so she's not surprised at all.

So a few days later, the agent told Li Wu that she had passed the audition.

While shocked and delighted, Li Wu repeatedly confirmed with her agent whether it was someone with the same name.

Are you really that insecure about yourself?

The agent smiled and forwarded her the email confirming that she had passed the audition, saying, "It's said that Director Jiang and the screenwriter thought your appearance was a good fit for the role."

After chatting for a few words.

The agent added, "Your start date is set for the end of next month, which is more than a month away. To better suit the role, Director Jiang hopes you can learn to play the guzheng."

"We don't expect you to learn it in such a short time. At most, you'll know the basic guzheng fingering and understand some musical techniques."

In the TV series "The World Is Beautiful", the character played by Li Wu has a scene where she plays the guzheng, which is considered a highlight of the character's performance.

"it is good."

Li Wu quickly agreed; she was willing to learn anything that could enhance her character.

……

The agent found a teacher from a music academy to teach Li Wu the guzheng.

It's not one-on-one teaching.

The company isn't that generous to Li Wu yet; she has to learn alongside a dozen other people.

Li Wu didn't care, as long as she could learn.

Li Wu has always been quick at learning things since elementary school.

She can basically understand anything that the teacher explains once in class.

So when the guzheng teacher discovered that Li Wu could perfectly replicate her fingering and rhythm after just one lesson, she couldn't help but praise her talent and taught her a lot of additional playing techniques.

After a class.

Take a 20-minute break.

Inside the restroom, amidst the pattering of running water, several disgruntled and complaining female voices could be heard.

"What?! If she'd already learned it, why did she sign up for a basic course? It's like she's really good at it!"

"That's right. Teacher Lin spends most of the class next to her, so it's like she's her personal tutor. We did pay for it, after all."

"I noticed she wasn't wearing any designer clothes or jewelry. The only decent thing about her was her face. I don't know who paid for her classes, and I don't know what she's learning for..."

The girl's last two sentences were quite meaningful.

Hear the words.

The girls exchanged glances, and in that unspoken moment, they all chuckled softly.

"Who knows?"

The smiles on their lips all carried a hint of mockery.

The "clack-clack-clack" of high heels completely disappeared after entering the restroom.

Li Wucai came out of the inner cubicle.

The mirror in front of the washbasin reflected the girl's pale and beautiful face.

Li Wu reached out and turned on the tap.

The water in late autumn already carried a hint of coolness, and when it flowed over the obvious red mark on my fingertip, it caused a slight tingling sensation.

After washing and drying herself with hot air, Li Wu finally left the bathroom.

Her gentle, serene eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever.

……

After studying for more than half a month, Li Wu was already able to play some simple pieces completely, which could be considered rapid progress. This was also thanks to her extremely long practice time every day. That day...

After the afternoon class, Guzheng teacher Lin Wan suddenly called out to Li Wu.

"teacher LIN."

Li Wu stopped in her tracks, looked at Lin Wan, who was in her thirties and dressed in a white cheongsam, and asked gently, "Is there something you need?"

"Well, I have a performance tonight, and my assistant was supposed to go with me."

Lin Wan looked into Li Wu's eyes as she spoke, her tone gentle, "But she had an emergency and had to take leave at the last minute. I was thinking, if you don't have anything else to do tonight, could you come with me?"

Done.

When he noticed the slight wariness in Li Wu's eyes.

Lin Wan smiled understandingly, "It's not like I need you to do anything, just look after the guzheng for me along the way, and occasionally hand me something. It should only take three or four hours."

Li Wu still hesitated.

However, after Lin Wan mentioned the specific hourly rate, Li Wu immediately said no problem, "Shall we go now? Is there anything I need to prepare?"

She is short of money right now.

Besides, she'll be studying the script anyway when she gets back, so she might as well earn a little something now.

Hearing Li Wu agree, Lin Wan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "You don't need to prepare anything. We'll set off in about half an hour."

……

We went to a private club deep in a hutong (traditional alleyway). The car wound its way through several lanes before finally stopping in front of a courtyard gate.

The entire clubhouse looks simple and elegant, with white walls and black tiles, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, like a secluded paradise in the world.

After Lin Wan handed over the black invitation card with gold lettering, the people guarding outside the courtyard let them in.

The interior is designed in the style of Suzhou gardens. Pavilions, towers, bridges, flowing water, and winding corridors seem to have no end.

A gentle breeze blew.

The faint sound of string and bamboo instruments drifted through the air, as if someone was playing the pipa.

Lin Wan seemed to be very familiar with this place. She led Li Wu through one corridor after another, and after crossing a small arched bridge, they finally stopped outside a room.

Faint voices could be heard coming from inside. As if afraid of disturbing something, they deliberately lowered their voices.

"Teacher Lin is here."

Inside the room, a woman who was making arrangements saw Lin Wan standing at the door, spoke to the person next to her, and then walked over.

"I was just about to call you; it'll be your turn in half an hour."

The woman was probably around forty years old. She wore a light blue floral cheongsam, which she wore with great charm and grace, her every move exuding elegance and allure.

However, his tone wasn't very pleasant, "So many people are waiting to get in here, I have a whole stack of registration forms in my hand..."

"Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way, so I'm a little late today."

Lin Wan lowered her head slightly, her words full of apology, "I'll remember to come earlier next time."

Standing slightly behind Lin Wan, Li Wu's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing this.
During the nearly month-long guzheng lessons, Lin Wan wore a light-colored cheongsam, exuding gentleness and elegance.

For a moment, it was hard to reconcile with the humble person in front of me.

"Alright, alright, go and get ready—"

The woman waved her hand impatiently, and as she turned around, her gaze inadvertently swept across Li Wu's face.

Her gaze suddenly stopped.

After subtly observing her for a few seconds, the woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's this?"

“My original assistant had something come up, so I asked her to cover for me tonight,” Lin Wan replied gently.

Upon hearing this, the woman glanced at Li Wu again, but said nothing. "Alright, come with me."

The woman led Lin Wan and the others into the corridor.

As we passed by the side rooms, the faint sounds of different musical instruments could be heard coming from inside.

There were erhu, ruan, sheng, jade flute, and chime bells playing "Moon Reflected in the Second Spring"... The music was melodious and very pleasant to the ear.

Li Wu could roughly discern two or three different sounds.

Just as they were about to reach the end of the corridor, a very ethereal and otherworldly voice came, like the murmuring of a stream in a snow-capped mountain or the tinkling of a clear spring in a deep forest.

Li Wu subconsciously glanced to the side—

The pearwood door opened only slightly, and Li Wu only had time to catch a glimpse of the ancient and ornate phoenix-headed harp.

"You can rest here for now. I'll have someone come and call you when it's your turn to play."

The woman walked to the room at the end of the corridor, pushed open the door, and turned to Lin Wandao.

"Okay, trouble."

Lin Wan thanked her gently, then took out her ID card from her bag and handed it to Sister Li with both hands as required.

"And yours?"

The woman casually waved her ID card, then looked at Li Wu, who was standing slightly behind Lin Wan.

"Do I have to pay too?"

Li Wu looked directly at Lin Wan, her clear eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

"It's just a formality; we'll return it to you after the performance," Lin Wan explained quietly to Li Wu, turning slightly to the side.

Li Wu hesitated slightly.

"...Didn't you bring it?" Lin Wan asked subconsciously.

Upon hearing this, Li Wu shook her head slightly.

In previous years, she might not even need to use her ID card once a year. But since coming to Beijing, she has needed it from time to time, so she simply carries it with her at all times.

It's not that you didn't bring it, but that you didn't want to?

Before Lin Wan could try to persuade her again, the woman standing to the side spoke first, "Anyone who wants to get in here has to leave their credentials with me first. In all these years, I've never seen anyone who gets special treatment."

The woman's coquettish, high-pitched voice carried an inexplicable air of superiority.

Li Wu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a faint ripple swept across her clear, pure eyes, but it was so faint as to be almost invisible and vanished in an instant.

Without saying anything, Li Wu took his ID card out of his bag and handed it to the woman.

As she casually took the ID card, the woman glanced at it, then paused for a moment, "Just turned 18?"

Li Wu nodded, her light and clear voice slightly immature, "It was full three months ago."

(End of this chapter)