Hear this life

When they were almost at the company, Wen Tingli suddenly said with full confidence: "I'm not worried at all, really. I've been preparing for so long. This role was meant for me."

But when she got off the bus, she forgot to take her bag with her and rushed across the street. Lu Shicheng chased her, grabbed her and stuffed the school bag into her hands.

Wen Tingli herself was dumbfounded, because she usually valued her book bag more than her own eyes.

"I……"

Lu Shicheng touched her head sympathetically and pointed at his watch.

【I'll come find you later. 】

"Yeah." Wen Tingli picked up her school bag and crossed the road again. After she walked a long way, she turned around and saw Lu Shicheng looking at her worriedly.

Seeing her looking back, Lu Shicheng raised the corner of his mouth and made an encouraging gesture to her.

He was protecting her, and this silent protection seemed more heartwarming than ten thousand words of encouragement.

She suddenly felt sweet in her heart, raised her head and patted her chest towards him.

"Wait for my good news."

When she went in again, Wen Tingli looked back every few steps until she could no longer see Lu Shicheng, and then she reluctantly looked away.

Many colleagues had already come to the office on the first floor. Wen Tingli went straight to the office upstairs to look for Huang Yuanshan. Suddenly, she heard a burst of laughter behind her, and a large group of people came in, surrounding a gorgeous girl.

Wen Tingli couldn't help but gasp, Yu Peiling was actually ten times more beautiful than on the screen!
Several colleagues in the hall also seemed to have lost their souls, staring blankly at Yu Peiling. Yu Peiling joked with the people around her as if no one was around: "That's Lu Shicheng? Huh."

The word "Huh" can make people think more than direct praise.

The manager beside her smiled and continued, "It's unforgettable, right? The second and third masters of the Lu family are famous for their good looks. This young Mr. Lu looks even better than his two uncles, especially his elegance and calmness. I don't know what words to use to describe him. He is truly a god-like figure! Fortunately, he was born in the Lu family. If he was born in a poor family, he would have been a famous actor with this appearance."

Wen Tingli didn't like hearing people talking about Lu Shicheng in that tone. She glanced at the man and he looked like Yu Peiling's manager.

Yu Peiling smiled lazily: "What is he doing here so early in the morning?"

"It is said that--"

The conversation stopped abruptly, and several people saw Wen Tingli in front of the stairs.

Yu Peiling's eyes lit up and she stopped to look at Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli introduced herself attentively: "Hello, Miss Yu, my name is Wen Tingli, and I am a newly recruited actress of Golden Film Company."

Yu Peiling was not arrogant. She nodded with a smile as a greeting, and then said to the manager beside her, "Huang Yuanshan's vision for selecting new people is getting better and better."

The thin and dark manager glanced at Wen Tingli warily, then motioned Yu Peiling to look behind him.

Another group of people came in from the main gate, among them was a petite woman in a lilac dress, it was Xiao Diejun. Accompanying Xiao Diejun in were Huang Yuanshan, several veterans of Golden Pictures, and three producers.

Xiao Diejun has a pretty square face with almond eyes, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a pretty nose. Even when she doesn't speak, she always has a smile on her face, which makes people like her at first sight.

Seeing Yu Peiling in front of her, the dimples on Xiao Diejun's lips twitched.

"Are you here too?"

"Can't I come?"

"Then I'll go." Xiao Diejun left as soon as he said that.

Everyone burst into laughter, and several veterans of the Golden Company came forward to invite Xiao Diejun back.

"No! No! You two are well-known good friends in the industry. You can't make such a joke."

Xiao Diejun then grabbed the arm that Yupeiling stretched out to her, and the two of them walked up hand in hand with smiles on their faces. Everyone surrounded them, and except for Huang Yuanshan who hurriedly gave Wen Tingli a look, the others had no time to pay attention to her.

Wen Tingli didn't care. She was just curious about when Zhou Manru and Le Zhiwen would come. After standing downstairs for a while, she heard a "dong dong dong" sound on the stairs. Huang Yuanshan came downstairs again with a large group of people and said that Zhou Manru and Le Zhiwen's car had stopped in front of the building.

As soon as Zhou Manru came in, Wen Tingli couldn't help but hold her breath. Miss Zhou was not talkative, her temperament was a bit lazy, and her facial features seemed a bit plain, but her figure and charm were more outstanding than the previous two female stars. Standing in the crowd, she was like an elegant white swan, and her every move seemed to be flowing with gorgeous light.

Wen Tingli couldn't take her eyes off the show. She had seen every scene of Zhou Manru, no matter it was a crying scene or a comedy scene, every scene left a deep impression on her. She always felt that Zhou Manru was the most talented actress among the younger generation.

Le Zhiwen is the youngest of the four and is also the one dressed the most simply, wearing a men's white western shirt and camel-colored overalls. She has a cold temperament but is quite polite to others. When she glanced at Wen Tingli, she immediately pushed through the crowd around her and walked towards Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli walked forward happily.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

"I heard that you were admitted to St. John's Vocal Music Academy as you wished. Congratulations."

"I remember you went to Hujiang University, studying medicine, right?" During this long summer vacation, students from the same class always asked this question when they met. Even Le Zhiwen was no exception. She asked this, which showed that she had been paying close attention to Wen Tingli's movements since the end of the competition.

"It was Hujiang University, but my score was not high enough for the medical department." Wen Tingli said with a smile, "In the end, I changed my application to the education department."

Before Le Zhiwen could speak, a producer came over and said, "Miss Le, the refreshments in the reception room are ready. Please go upstairs."

Without further ado, everyone took Le Zhiwen away. Wen Tingli had no choice but to follow him upstairs. She looked up at Zhou Manru who was walking in front of her, and she only regretted that she had not been able to talk to her just now.

The second floor has a lighting room, dressing room, wardrobe room and actor's lounge, as well as a spacious photo studio where the audition was held.

After they sat down, several bosses from Golden Pictures were reluctant to start the show. Yu Peiling couldn't help but yawn, "Boss Huang, why don't we start earlier? I have to rush to Hangzhou this afternoon to attend the fan meeting held for me by the West Lake Grand Theater."

There's a natural wit in the way she speaks that makes it impossible to get angry.

"Right away!" Huang Yuanshan immediately signaled several assistants to go downstairs, and it was obvious that he was waiting for someone.

Xiao Diejun and the others looked at each other in bewilderment. The director was here, the producer was here, and all the relevant crew members were here too. What other important people could have missed the show?

Suddenly, a staff member came in and winked at Huang Yuanshan, and several people came in at the same time. Not long after, Huang Yuanshan and others came in accompanied by a woman.

Wen Tingli's eyes suddenly widened. The woman had a round face, short hair and a sweet smile. She was the middle-aged lady she had seen at the amusement park last time.

"The moon shines on the clouds!" someone spoke first.

Even if you have never met Yue Zhaoyun in person, you must have heard of her name. She is one of the most popular novelists today. Her book "Red Dust Time" alone has sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Two years ago, Santong Company adapted the book into a movie, and the box office after it was released actually exceeded the most popular American comedy at the time. After that, several companies successively adapted her three novels into movies, all of which achieved impressive box office results.

There is a superstitious saying circulating in the industry now, that Yue Zhaoyun's books are very popular at the box office and are extremely good at supporting actors, so major companies are almost scrambling to buy them.

The manager named Chen next to Yu Peiling was the first to jump up. "When did Ms. Yue come to Shanghai? Where did you stay? Peace Hotel? Oh, the room at Peace Hotel is too small. How about we arrange accommodation for you? This is Peiling. She has wanted to meet Ms. Yue for a long time."

The assistant beside Xiaodiejun was not to be outdone and also squeezed forward and said, "Ms. Yue, please sit here."

Yue Zhaoyun seemed to be unaccustomed to this kind of occasion and didn't know where to look for a moment. Huang Yuanshan had no choice but to help.

"Alright, alright. Ms. Yue prefers quietness over noise. She rarely comes out for social events. We had to ask her many times to come to Shanghai. Don't be too enthusiastic or you might scare her away."

Yue Zhaoyun pointed to the sweat on his forehead and said to everyone, "Please don't laugh at me. I sweat when I'm in a crowded place, especially when I'm in front of beautiful women. I get nervous. I don't know when I can change this habit."

When she spoke, she had the unique frankness and humor of the people of Beijing, and everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh. Yue Zhaoyun was arranged to sit next to Mr. Du of Feidi'er, but as soon as she sat down, she bowed and greeted Zhou Manru at the opposite table. Zhou Manru also changed her casual attitude just now, took the initiative to leave her seat, and spoke to Yue Zhaoyun warmly while holding her hand.

Wen Tingli couldn't help but recall that Zhou Manru's first starring role was "Chunshen Past" adapted from a book by Yue Zhaoyun. Zhou Manru became famous from then on. It seems that the two have maintained a good relationship since then.

Huang Yuanshan then pulled Wen Tingli and Le Zhiwen forward to introduce them.

Yue Zhaoyun and Le Zhiwen obviously knew each other, and she called him "Xiao Wen" as soon as she spoke. However, when she met Wen Tingli, she showed a meaningful smile.

Wen Tingli couldn't help feeling uneasy. So far, she had met Yue Zhaoyun twice. Once was at Lu Mansion, and that night Yue Zhaoyun watched her and Lu Shicheng leave in the crowd. The other time was at the amusement park, and she was with Lu Shicheng again.

I don’t know what impression these two times left on Yue Zhaoyun.

Fortunately, what she was least afraid of was trying to get close to others, so she immediately prepared some words in her mind, intending to leave a good impression on Yue Zhaoyun as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Ms. Yue, I—"

At this time, Liu Menglin, the big boss of Golden Pictures, came over and interrupted the conversation: "Ms. Yue, the tea is here, please sit over here!"

Wen Tingli was once again left aside. It was fine with her, but Huang Yuanshan couldn't stand it anymore. He asked his subordinates to help Wen Tingli find a seat next to Le Zhiwen. When he looked for her, he noticed that the other four female stars had gold-engraved name tags on their desks, but Wen Tingli didn't even have a paper card in front of her.

Others would inevitably be annoyed, but Wen Tingli was a broad-minded and confident person. Not only did she not feel her self-esteem was damaged, but she was very interested in looking at the big stars who she could only see in the movies.

Huang Yuanshan said with a smile at the top: "Our company's "Southern Beauty" is about to start shooting. The investment in the film is as high as 120,000 yuan. It is strictly prepared and produced according to the scale of Hollywood, and strives to create an influential boutique movie. The director is Huang, the producers are several seniors from Feidi'er Company, the screenwriter is the famous writer Ms. Yue Zhaoyun, and everyone knows the photographer. (Note) He graduated from the New York Film Academy in the United States and is now well-known in the industry. Mr. Zheng Xiaozhang. He was the photographer of "The Raging Tide", which had the highest attendance rate last year..."

Everyone looked calm, but Wen Tingli could clearly sense an undercurrent beginning to surge. After spending a few months in the studio, she had a preliminary understanding of the industry and knew that the investment scale and production team of this film would be enough to impress any popular actor.

"The protagonist of the play, Nan Qi, is a woman with a complex personality. She debuted as a student at the age of 16 and ended her life at the age of 31. Her role runs through the entire film, which is a great challenge to the actor's acting skills and appearance. After many discussions, the company unanimously agreed that casting should be done with great caution. After soliciting opinions from many parties, it was finally decided to select the heroine through auditions. Miss Luo Shuhong from our company was originally one of the candidates, but because of some temporary problems yesterday, she took the initiative to apply for withdrawal this morning... In short, it is a great honor to invite the best young actresses in the Shanghai film industry to participate in the audition. In order to be fair, the competition will adopt an open audition and open scoring system. Participants include Chairman Weng of the Shanghai Film Association and Manager Dai Luoen of the Carlton Cinema..."

Huang Yuanshan's assistant Tan Guiwang distributed the script to the four actresses one by one. Wen Tingli knew the script by heart and did not read it when she received it. Huang Yuanshan winked at her from above. Wen Tingli was puzzled and opened it, and was dumbfounded.

It turned out to be a three-act play that she had never seen before.

"Since Miss Wen from our company had memorized the script during the preliminary selection, in order to be fair, we will not use the original script this time. Instead, we asked the original author, Ms. Yue Zhaoyun, to rewrite three scenes based on the character of the heroine. All of them are monologues, which are the life scenes of Nan Qi when she was 16, 24, and 31 years old. Each scene is eight minutes long..."

The more Wen Tingli listened, the more flustered she felt. Compared to the other female stars, her only advantage was that she was familiar with the script, but now even that advantage was gone. The key point was that two of the three scenes required intense body movements to express emotions, but her arms—

Before Wen Tingli could think about it, a colleague came over and asked her to go to the dressing room to get ready. A stage manager named Zhao rushed in angrily and said, "A lot of reporters from the newspaper have come downstairs."

Everyone was in an uproar.

"Didn't we agree to keep it confidential? Who informed the newspaper?"

Le Zhiwen glanced sarcastically at Xiao Diejun and Yu Peiling opposite him. Yu Peiling rolled her eyes at Xiao Diejun, but Xiao Diejun stared at Zhou Manru with a half-smile.

Only Zhou Manru remained calm and composed, crossing her legs and reading the script in her hand.

Wen Tingli's eyes also followed the movements of several female stars. At first, she guessed that these reporters were hired by Yu Peiling's manager. Later, she suspected that it was Xiao Diejun who spread the news. Now, she was completely confused.

She only saw that everyone wanted to grab this role.

"We really can't stop them! Boss Liu, Director Huang, Mr. Gu, why don't we let them come up."

"Only thirty reporters are allowed to go upstairs, with each newspaper getting one quota. Also, the manuscript must be reviewed by our company's public affairs department before it is sent out." Huang Yuanshan took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face.

When the four female stars went to the dressing room, thirty reporters blocked the corridor.

"Ms. Zhou, you haven't filmed a movie for more than half a year because of your injury. Do you have anything to say to the fans when you come to Golden Pictures for the audition?"

"I heard that Mr. Ma from Dadong Bank is pursuing Miss Yu Peiling recently. Is this true? Miss Yu, please tell me a little bit.

"Mr. Xiaodie! Mr. Xiaodie, look here! You and Yu Peiling have always been strong rivals. Are you confident that you can beat Yu Peiling this time?"

"Ms. Le Zhiwen, please stay. You will be starting school in mid-September. Have you ever thought about the conflict between your university studies and filming? How do you plan to resolve this conflict?"

Wen Tingli's ears were about to explode from the noise, but luckily there were few people on her side, and she only got into the dressing room after a short while in the corridor. The other female stars were each blocked in a corner for interviews. In Wen Tingli's opinion, the interview was just a cover, at least half of these reporters were fans of the movie, and no matter what the final result was, all major newspapers would inevitably speak for their favorite female stars, and a fierce battle of public opinion would be inevitable at that time.

After finally settling these reporters, friction arose over the order of the competition. The four female stars all requested to go on stage earlier, saying they had other arrangements, but none of them wanted to be the first to audition.

After that, the situation became noisy when choosing the dressing rooms. The female stars themselves hadn't even said a word yet, but the managers were already fighting over the two independent dressing rooms closest to the inside.

After all this commotion, the audition wasn't started until after nine o'clock.

As expected, Wen Tingli was arranged to audition first. Needless to say, this was again at the instruction of the three producers. For a small role like Wen Tingli, the sooner the better.

In order to prevent others from noticing that she was playing with an injury, Wen Tingli specially picked out a long-sleeved cheongsam to change into, put on some final touches on her makeup in front of the mirror, and hurried on stage.

As soon as I entered, I felt countless eyes were directed at me. Sitting at the table in order were Chairman Weng, Liu Menglin, Huang Yuanshan, and three producers. Each of them had the right to score independently, and the one with the highest score would win.

Ms. Yue Zhaoyun watched the game as an important guest.

Wen Tingli looked at the audience and then at the reporters on the outer corridor. She was the least favored one. The atmosphere around her told her this. At least three important judges at the table yawned openly, and the eyes of the reporters were indifferent and critical. This made her feel that no matter whether she just went through the motions or tried her best, it would not change the outcome.

It was an illusion, she immediately told herself, not to give up until the last moment.

"Ms. Wen, let's start." Huang Yuanshan tried his best to speak in a businesslike tone.

The first scene has only one line of text.

[Sixteen-year-old Nan Qi returned home from school and unexpectedly discovered that her mother had coughed up blood again. ]

According to Wen Tingli's understanding, the focus of this scene is on the word "again".

"Again" - this means that this is not the first time that Nanqi's mother has coughed up blood, so it is wrong to panic blindly. Here, Nanqi must show an experienced concern.

This scale is difficult to grasp. If you overact, it will seem fake, and if you don't act enough, it won't move people. Wen Tingli only recalled the scene when her father was hospitalized. No, it was not the first time her father was seriously injured by Qiu Dapeng, but the times when his condition worsened.

What kind of emotion did you have at that time?

Perhaps the experience left such a deep impression on Wen Tingli that she entered the state in just two seconds.

As soon as the scene was over, the producer stopped yawning and there was a deep silence inside and outside the house.

Soon we enter the second scene.

[Twenty-four-year-old Nan Qi looked at the surging river below the bridge and wanted to jump off countless times, but in the end, her will to survive made her walk off the bridge.]

As for how to act out this scene, Wen Tingli had pondered it for a long time alone in the dressing room. The 24-year-old Nan Qi was no longer the naive girl she used to be. No matter what kind of hardship life brought her, she had always endured it with strength. What kind of blow had it been this time that made Nan Qi completely lose the confidence to live? She believed that it was not only the pain of daily life, but also perhaps the betrayal and deception from relatives and friends.

Wen Tingli imagined the mental state of "Nanqi" along the way, and tears unknowingly welled up in the corners of her eyes.

The people in the room looked at Wen Tingli's performance as critically as possible, but her face truly showed a genuine sorrow and despair, which could not be more genuine.

Under the gaze of everyone, Nan Qi staggered to the bridge head, looking down with a blank expression, as if there was wind blowing and making her eyes sore. She stood at the bridge head with a wooden face, unconsciously clasping her arms. At this moment, her shoulders shook violently.

Soon, beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead and her face turned pale. At the same time, strong and complex emotions finally appeared on her face. She began to break down and cry, and her lips and chin trembled uncontrollably.

With just these few actions, everyone understood.

This "Nan Qi" had just suffered a severe beating and her whole body was covered with wounds, so it was so difficult for her to move. Her pain was also mixed with a strong sense of fear and hatred.

The strange thing is that even though we know it's a performance, people can't help but misunderstand that the actress is really injured. It's too realistic. Every frown and every shiver she makes people's hearts tighten.

Huang Yuanshan was the only one present who knew what was going on. While she was cheering for Wen Tingli in her heart, she was also secretly cursing her for disregarding her own life for the sake of the performance. There were a few times when she was so worried that she almost jumped up from her seat. In the end, for fear of affecting Wen Tingli's state, she forced her to sit down.

After the scene was over, the house was no longer as peaceful as before, but instead it was like a pot of boiling water, buzzing non-stop.

As people in the arts and entertainment industry, we all know that excellent actors can often portray different emotions such as grief vividly, but not everyone can act out physical "pain" so realistically.

The scene just now made people grit their teeth unconsciously, and they began to look at the unknown actress in front of them with a new perspective.

By the third scene, there was a hint of anticipation in the looks from people around.

Huang Yuanshan became worried. If the last scene was not better than the first two scenes, it would only make people feel disappointed. It would be worse than "not good at the beginning, but good at the end".

On the other hand, actors can sense the audience's expectations of them, and when the pressure is too great, they are prone to making mistakes.

She nervously clenched her hand into a fist and put it to her mouth and coughed.

She was right, Wen Tingli was indeed worried about how to perform.

[31-year-old Nan Qi sat alone in her room at dusk smoking. After finishing a cigarette, she took out a gun from the drawer and pulled the trigger against her temple.]

There was no cause or background, and no one knew why Nan Qi did this.

Screenwriter Yue Zhaoyun didn't even spend time describing Nan Qi's expression and emotions at the moment.

This scene gives the actors maximum room to perform, but it also makes people feel like they have no idea where to start.

I got through it at the age of 24, so why did I leave so decisively this time at the age of 31?
What on earth was going through Nanqi's mind when she was sitting alone in front of the window smoking?

Until the last moment, Wen Tingli still hadn't decided how to perform.

"Miss Wen, the time has come."

Wen Tingli gritted her teeth and took the props handed to her by the staff. There was a table and chairs "in front of the window". She walked over and sat down thoughtfully. When mirror No. 2 was pointed at her, her state of mind instantly changed.

The face was still the same, the clothes had not changed, but the eyes and posture looked ten years older. The way he smoked was very skillful, even a little greasy, and his sitting posture was a little "improper", with one hand on his chest and the other hand lazily holding a cigarette.

Everyone was so stunned that they could not breathe. No one could connect the "Nanqi" before them with the "Nanqi" in the first two scenes.

"Nan Qi" quietly blew smoke rings out of the window, with no intense emotions on her face. On the contrary, she was very open-minded and calm.

She lowered her head to brush off the cigarette ash and hummed a song. It was the "Fisherman's Song" that was popular ten years ago. The tune was a bit sad, but she sang it very easily.

After humming halfway, Nan Qi suddenly remembered something and chuckled. After that, she stopped smoking and humming. She just stood there with the pipe in her mouth, thinking about something.

For a long time, she looked more like a wooden sculpture than a real person. There was no hatred or sadness on her face, only a blankness. She was so quiet that even her hair hung there motionless.

Seeing this, some people in the room couldn't help but loosen their collars. It was too depressing, an indescribable feeling of dullness weighed on their hearts. The woman looked like she was trapped in an invisible abyss, which was the swamp in her life. Now Nanqi was slowly sinking with the mud, and no one could reach out to pull her up.

This scene evoked deep-seated fears in many people. The road of life is never smooth, and one can only climb out of the swamp by one's own strength. However, this woman was obviously exhausted, because only the deepest despair could make the limbs produce such an anesthetic feeling of weakness.

Nan Qi didn't react until her fingers were burned by the cigarette, but she didn't immediately throw away the cigarette. Instead, she mechanically turned her head and stared at it, which made her look more like a hollow person.

As she watched, tears flowed from her eyes without warning, but a world-weary smile appeared on her lips. She threw away the cigarette, leaned into the drawer and took out a pistol. Her movements were calm and her expression was casual, just like she was looking for cosmetics in the drawer on any normal day.

Then, she pointed the gun at her temple as if jokingly. There was a small mirror on the table, and she gestured in front of the mirror, as if she was looking for a position that suited her best.

Suddenly, she resolutely pulled the trigger.

"Bang——" With that sound, Nan Qi collapsed on the table like a shattered statue.

The feeling of dead silence flooded the room like a surging tide. The room suddenly became silent. Everyone seemed to be choked by the invisible cold water, and their chests felt stuffy and suffocated.

I don't know how long it took, but Huang Yuanshan suddenly stood up. He was really trying too hard! He was totally risking his life!

Given Wen Tingli's current injury, it was impossible for her to perform so smoothly without any delay, but she did it.

Her action of raising her hand to grab the gun was as decisive as it could be. Correspondingly, the wound must have been as painful as it could be, but her face did not show any trace.

This performance stretched people's heartstrings to an extremely tight level, and then cruelly cut them off all at once. In just a few minutes, Huang Yuanshan felt like she had died with Nan Qi. She felt uncomfortable all over and just wanted to breathe deeply.

I don't know who burst into cheers first: "Good!" Applause broke out.

***
Without waiting for the scores to come out, Wen Tingli hurried out of the house.

Just now she was relying on her willpower to hold on, but now she couldn't hold on for a moment longer. Her injured shoulder was throbbing with pain, and she was sweating coldly.

A large group of reporters surrounded us.

"Miss Wen, I recognized you. You were the champion of the last youth drama competition. No wonder Boss Huang said you are a genius. You were so smart just now."

The more Wen Tingli tried to get out of the situation, the harder it was to move. Huang Yuanshan had to host the game and didn't come out, otherwise he could have helped her out. She could only smile and say, "I'm so sorry, I have to go to the bathroom as soon as possible. Can I accept your interview later?"

The reporters were anxious to get back as soon as possible to keep an eye on Yu Peiling, who was the second to appear, so they were unwilling to let Wen Tingli leave.

"Just say a few words! Miss Wen, is this your first time filming a movie? Have you ever played a minor role in other movies before?"

At this time, Yu Peiling came out with a group of people. She had been resting in the dressing room as required. When she came out, she was a little confused to see the reporters were so enthusiastic about Wen Tingli. The manager surnamed Chen looked at Wen Tingli warily and said with a dry smile, "Excuse me, excuse me, it's Miss Yu's turn to audition."

However, the reporters were eager to get some interview materials from Wen Tingli, but they couldn't get her no matter how hard they tried.

Suddenly someone forcibly separated the crowd and came over.

"Miss Wen, Boss Huang said earlier that you sprained your ankle and asked me to come over to treat you. How is it? Can you still walk? Come with me over there to see him."

Wen Tingli exclaimed in surprise: "Dr. Louis."

Without saying anything, Louis helped Wen Tingli walk out. He was a famous doctor in Shanghai, and the reporters had all heard of his name. They couldn't stop him for a while, so they watched them break through. Suddenly, someone said, "Isn't that Mr. Lu?"

The reporters all looked back, and Wen Tingli's heart skipped a beat as she also looked back. Sure enough, she saw the tall figure standing on the other side of the corridor.

Next to Lu Shicheng were Kuang Zhilin and Deputy Manager Shen, who was in charge of business at the gold company. Behind them was Luo Guangming, the director of "Sands of Time".

Deputy Manager Shen and Luo Guangming were talking to Lu Shicheng with saliva flying, but Lu Shicheng's eyes were looking over here.

He glanced at Wen Tingli, then winked at Doctor Louis, who quickly said to Wen Tingli, "Miss Wen, let's go."

Wen Tingli didn't dare to let her smile show on her face, and turned around obediently with Louis.

Yu Peiling had already walked over there. She seemed to be very interested in Lu Shicheng and kept staring at his face all the way. When she reached him, she stopped and waited for him to greet her.

She didn't believe that Lu Shicheng had never heard of her. She was a little curious about how a reserved and elegant young man like him would approach her.

Lu Shicheng's attention was always on the side, and he turned and left after a while.

Yu Peiling suddenly felt disappointed, pouted, and walked into the photo studio with her head held high.

"Mr. Lu has come all the way here to watch Miss Yu's audition, right?" Someone said in a muffled voice, so loud that everyone was startled.

Lu Shicheng frowned in surprise, and Kuang Zhilin was also stunned, but he immediately swallowed back his denial.

Luo Guangming hurriedly smiled and said, "No, Mr. Lu is here to discuss the investment in Sands of Time."

But he forgot that the more he explained such things, the more likely it would lead to speculation. As soon as he responded, the reporters immediately became excited.

"Is it such a coincidence? Why did you come to your company to discuss business on the day of Miss Yu Peiling's audition? By the way, I have never heard that the Lu family is interested in the film industry before. Why did Mr. Lu suddenly want to invest in movies this time? Is it because Miss Yu is going to star in the movie of Golden Pictures this time, so he specially escorted her in this way?"

"Mr. Lu, when did you meet Miss Yu Peiling?"

Lu Shicheng didn't respond and went straight upstairs.

The reporters had no choice but to turn around and surround Yu Peiling's manager.

The man surnamed Chen just said ambiguously: "Well... I have no comment, no comment."

Wen Tingli was almost furious. She saw everything just now. It was Manager Chen's words "Mr. Lu came all the way here to watch Miss Yu's audition" that caused the commotion.

She really wanted to grab this man's triangular face and ask him if he had any shame.

Yu Peiling is really something. Why did she hire such a person as her manager?

Wen Tingli was still angry when she went to the lounge to reapply the medicine. Suddenly, she heard someone next door say, "This Chen Maoqing is really amazing. He just said something and added a piece of news to Yu Peiling. The other party is the Lu family. No wonder Yu Peiling is so popular. In my opinion, all the people around Xiao Diejun and Zhou Manru are not as good as a guy named Chen in causing trouble. Just wait and see. Even if Miss Yu fails in the audition today, she will dominate tomorrow's newspapers with new news."

Wen Tingli was stunned when she heard this.

Louis didn't care about these things at all and was only busy checking Wen Tingli's injuries.

"Miss Wen, can you please take care of your physical condition before you risk your life?"

Wen Tingli looked ashamed: "When did you come?"

"We came during your second act."

"Then Mr. Lu, he——"

"Also there."

So Lu Shicheng had seen her audition! Wen Tingli asked with bright eyes, "What did he say?"

Louis smiled bitterly: "What else can I say, Mr. Lu is naturally very worried, Miss Wen, we all know that you really want to fight for this opportunity, but you must remember that health is the first priority. Without health, all efforts will be zero."

"Yes, yes." Wen Tingli sighed guiltily, "By the way, I don't want to wrap too much gauze, it would be best if it can't be seen through the clothes."

"Mr. Lu has explained all these things. Don't worry, I have a way."

After treating her arm, Wen Tingli put her coat on over her cheongsam again and accidentally pulled the wound, causing her to let out a hissing sound.

"Do you feel the pain now? Take these two pills first."

Wen Tingli was taking medicine while her ears were busy listening. Ever since Yu Peiling went in, there had been a continuous applause in the corridor, which made her heart beat fast. Although she had tried her best in the audition, she had no idea whether she could win.

She was planning to go out and watch other actresses' performances. Anyway, her audition was over and she didn't have to worry about breaking the rules. But she didn't expect that the pills Louis gave her contained some sleeping pills, and before she could come up with a suitable reason, she fell asleep on the sofa.

Suddenly I heard someone calling me in my ear.

"Miss Wen! Miss Wen!"

Wen Tingli opened her eyes and was startled. In addition to Louis, there were a bunch of people standing in front of her.

The director in charge was a director named Bao, who was in charge of the reception for today's audition. Seeing Wen Tingli wake up, he smiled and said, "Miss Wen, everyone is waiting for you over there."

Wen Tingli didn't react for a moment. "What?"

"All the actors' auditions have ended, and Chairman Weng is about to announce the results of the competition."

***
When Wen Tingli rushed to the conference room, it was already a scene of chaos.

"How dare you come up with such a score? Even the unknown Wen Tingli got 87 points, but Miss Yu Peiling only got 80 points. Check your conscience, do you believe this score? You dare to announce such a ridiculous result to the public. Aren't you afraid that the public's spit will drown your Golden Pictures?"

Huang Yuanshan tried to calm everyone down: "Don't worry, everyone. These scores were given on the spot by several judges. In addition to Chairman Weng and the producer, reporters from various newspapers were also present when the scores were given. If you don't believe us, you should at least believe the opinions of the outside world. Whether this result is objective or not, just ask them."

The reporters didn't want to offend both parties, so they could only smile and say vaguely: "The performances of the actresses are all good, and it's hard to tell who is the best."

Chen Maoqing and the others were not willing to give up. They took advantage of Huang Yuanshan's inattention and snatched the column with the score. They looked at it and shouted, "Look, Miss Wen scored 94 points in the second act, while the other four female stars only scored more than 80 points on average. How can a scene of jumping into the river create such a big gap? Mr. Huang! If you have already decided on the candidate, just say so. Why use Miss Yu's fame to promote your new play?"

A producer coughed awkwardly.

Chen Maoqing immediately stopped talking and walked over.

"Boss Du, what do you say?"

Everyone knew that several investors of Feidi'er Company had decided to let Yu Peiling or Xiao Diejun play the role. For this purpose, they personally visited several actresses with the script. Boss Du was the producer who invested the most, and he was also the one who was most opposed to Wen Tingli's role. Everyone hoped that Boss Du would say something fair.

Boss Du's smile was a little forced: "In fact, the score of the second act is the least suspenseful."

After hearing this, even the female stars lost their temper. Xiao Diejun was surprised: "It's not that bad by ten points. Boss Du, please tell me specifically where my performance was bad?"

Another person also said: "When our Miss Zhou was auditioning, there was a lot of crying outside. I don't believe that with Miss Zhou's acting skills, she can lose to a newcomer. If I don't make things clear today, no one will be convinced!"

Boss Du thought for a moment and said, "The performances of the actors are indeed at the highest level ever, but Miss Wen did not act out this scene in the traditional way. Her pain was not limited to her emotions, but also reflected in her body. Her performance was so realistic that everyone on the scene believed that she was really 'injured'. In view of this, the numbness and despair of the heroine when she first appeared on the stage, and her resolute decision to give up suicide because she felt it was not worth it later... This series of emotional changes all became reasonable. I have been immersed in this industry for so many years, and this is the first time I have seen such a rich and layered performance on the spot. To be honest, when I watched Miss Wen's performance just now, I couldn't help but sweat. In view of this, I gave her a high score when grading, and there was absolutely no favoritism or fraud."

Huang Yuanshan took the opportunity to say, "How about this. In order to ensure the fairness and transparency of the competition, our company has prepared copies in advance. Copies of today's audition clips will be sent to the five contestants for collection. If you don't believe us, you can always compare the clips in the video yourself. You will know what's going on at a glance."

At this point, the atmosphere slowly calmed down, but Zhou Manru's assistant said angrily: "By the time the copies are made, you'll have already started filming. Even if we feel it's unfair, who can we go to for justice? Anyway, you've already used this audition to build up your reputation for your new film in advance. Boss Liu, Director Huang, you've planned this delaying tactic very well!"

"That's right, stop it!" The room became noisy again, and an insider from Golden Pictures slipped a ball of paper into Chen Maoqing's hand while no one was paying attention.

Chen Maoqing opened it suspiciously and sneered as soon as he saw it.

"Boss Du, Boss Liu, Chairman Weng, please allow me to confirm one more thing: Miss Wen's skill in acting out pain in the second scene moved you, so she deserves a high score?!"

"It can be understood this way."

Chen Maoqing snorted coldly, walked quickly to Wen Tingli, pointed at her shoulder and said, "Then why didn't you mention that she was really injured?! Miss Wen was hospitalized yesterday because of a dislocated arm. Today she came to perform in pain with the injury. Isn't it a blessing in disguise? I was wondering why Miss Wen wore such thick clothes when it was not cold today. She wore a long gown during the performance and a coat after the performance. It turned out that she was afraid that we would find out that her arm was dislocated! Chairman Weng, you are the chairman of the Shanghai Drama Association. Please give me a fair answer: Is this called cheating?"

Boss Du and the others all looked stunned. "What on earth is going on? Yuanshan, do you know that she was injured?"

Huang Yuanshan has long since become mute.

"Cancel her results!" Chen Maoqing took the lead in protesting, "In this case, she must be disqualified immediately!"

Seeing the situation getting out of control, Wen Tingli could no longer remain calm and stood up and said frankly: "I am indeed injured! But this has no causal relationship with the result of today's competition. First of all, I don't know what segment I will perform today. Injury is not only useless for the performance, but will seriously hinder some body movements. If I have a choice, I would rather not get injured. Secondly, except for the second scene, the remaining two scenes have nothing to do with the injury."

"Yes, don't forget that Miss Wen also performed well in the first and third scenes. It's too much to accuse her of cheating."

"But it is true that she widened the score gap with the second act! You all heard it just now. Boss Du said that he gave Miss Wen a high score because Miss Wen's performance of 'pain' was realistic enough. This widened the gap of more than ten points. But in fact, that performance was so outstanding entirely because Miss Wen was in real pain. In the final analysis, it was a trick to take advantage of others! What if she was not injured? Could she still get a high score in this part? Not necessarily! Manager Huang, don't hide. If you don't give us an explanation today, you'll see it in the newspaper tomorrow."

Several celebrity agents were arguing more and more fiercely, and the reporters also followed suit. Some of them held up their cameras and took pictures of Wen Tingli non-stop.

Wen Tingli was annoyed, but she could only try her best to protect her head and face with her uninjured hand. However, this could not stop the reporters from pointing their cameras at her face.

"Ms. Wen, if you have a clear conscience, why do you have to hide from the camera? Answer our questions directly."

Some even put their cameras in front of her shoulders. "Ms. Wen, is your injury here? Would you like to let us take a look? Please take off your coat! Are you worried about being exposed like Manager Chen said? Don't hide!"

Suddenly, a figure came over, pushed aside the surrounding cameras, and shouted, "Don't go too far!"

Wen Tingli was shocked. It was Le Zhiwen. Le Zhiwen pushed the reporter's camera away with disdain.

The reporters surrounded Le Zhiwen and said, "Ms. Le, do you also feel that today's audition result is unfair? You must agree to cancel Miss Wen's score."

Le Zhiwen turned and went to the corridor, and a group of reporters hurriedly followed him.

Wen Tingli looked at her back, feeling an indescribable gratitude in her heart.

"Quiet!" Chairman Weng said, "After an urgent discussion, the committee unanimously agreed that Miss Wen's injury was a pure accident. One of the evidences is that today's three-act play was written by Ms. Yue last night. Weng and his colleagues in the drama association can testify to this. Miss Wen's participation in the competition with an injury can only prove that she cherishes this opportunity very much, and it cannot prove that she has the intention to cheat. However, considering that her injury has added a lot of color to the performance in the second round, for the sake of fairness, we have decided to cancel the scores of the contestants in the second act and re-determine the results of the competition based on the total scores of the first and third acts."

Wen Tingli felt as if a basin of cold water was poured over her head, but Chen Maoqing and others were still unconvinced.

"Is that it? Isn't it a malicious violation that she concealed her injury? Just cancel all her scores. Otherwise, how can this be called fairness?"

Huang Yuanshan said angrily, "Last week, we notified Miss Wen to audition. Could it be that she would not attend just because she was injured? Moreover, if Miss Wen came here today and told us that her arm was dislocated, would you say that Miss Wen was trying to gain sympathy?!

"Everyone saw the audition clips. Except for the second act, who could tell that Miss Wen was injured in the first and third acts? Who could?! She was acting with her life on the line. Now that the second act has been eliminated, only the first and third rings are used for evaluation. To be fair, this is unfair to Miss Wen who is participating in the competition with an injury. She didn't say anything. What else do you have to complain about?"

Then he turned the topic to Chen Maoqing alone: ​​"Manager Chen, if you are not convinced, please publish your statement in tomorrow's newspaper and let the public judge it. How about that?"

Chen Maoqing was speechless. Chairman Weng and several producers announced the scores of the two-ring competition again: "Miss Wen Tingli, number one, scored 89 points in the first round and 81 points in the third round; Miss Yu Peiling, number two, scored 83 points in the first round and 80 points in the third round... Miss Zhou Manru scored 90 points in the first round and 80 points in the third round."

The statistical results showed that Wen Tingli and Zhou Manru tied for first place, Le Zhiwen and Xiao Diejun ranked second, and Yu Peiling ranked fourth.

This caused another uproar.

"We've already won two first places. Do we have to compete again?"

Zhou Manru was the first to disagree.

"Sorry, I have to go to the Zhengxin Company studio to shoot a commercial this afternoon."

Another person suggested, "How about this? Your company has invited many people from the arts community to watch the competition today. Why not invite one of the most prestigious seniors to serve as a temporary judge and have him vote to decide the final result. This way, there's no need to re-compete and no one will have any objections."

Manager Qian, who was beside Zhou Manru, heard this and quickly took over the conversation: "That's a good idea. Why don't we nominate Ms. Yue Zhaoyun for the vote? She is the screenwriter of "Southern Beauty" and knows her characters better than anyone else. Compared to all of you here, she is the most ideal candidate. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Tingli's heart sank. Zhou Manru became famous for playing Yue Zhaoyun in "The Past of Chunshen". Given the friendship between Yue Zhaoyun and Zhou Manru, it was impossible for her to be chosen to play Nan Qi.

It was in vain that she had worked so hard for so long, but in the end, she still had no chance. She bit her lip and looked at Huang Yuanshan for help. Huang Yuanshan was also a little overwhelmed and said hurriedly: "I think we need to discuss this matter carefully--"

Boss Du took the lead and made the final decision: "That's fine. Ms. Yue has been in Peking before and has not participated in the production process and investment of this film. It will be most convincing for her to give the score. Ms. Yue, what do you think?"

No matter how noisy the scene was before, Yue Zhaoyun just sat there and drank tea leisurely. She could no longer act like a hermit. She immediately put down her teacup, looked around, and said cautiously, "Things have come to this point. Yue also hopes for the most reasonable result. But there is one thing I have to say in advance. As the screenwriter of "Southern Beauty", Yue only cast a vote based on my own feelings. I don't want my colleagues in the newspaper to make any form of speculation, slander or innuendo about Yue's choice. After voting today, this matter will end here! If you agree, Yue will shamelessly serve as a temporary judge. If you don't trust Yue to vote impartially, it is better to raise your objection now so that Boss Du can find another expert as soon as possible."

The reporters patted their chests and agreed. "Ms. Yue, please vote. We all trust your vision."

Chairman Weng smiled and said, "Ms. Yue, it's rare for the press to cooperate like this, so just vote."

Yue Zhaoyun folded her hands and placed them under her chin, looked at Zhou Manyun, and then at Wen Tingli.

Wen Tingli felt like she was being scratched by a cat. She had never felt so alone before, as if her fate was completely in the hands of others. She was like a fish that had unfortunately fallen on the shore, and no matter how hard she fluttered, she could not jump back into the sea.

She tried hard to recall every detail of her dealings with Yue Zhaoyun, but she could not find any signs that could make her believe that Yue Zhaoyun would choose her.

She was so nervous that she was sweating all over, waiting hopelessly for the final verdict.

Suddenly I heard Yue Zhaoyun say: "I choose——"

Wen Tingli's heart almost jumped into her throat, and she saw Yue Zhaoyun showing Zhou Manru an apologetic smile. "I choose Miss Wen, her performance style is more in line with my idea of ​​'Nanqi'."

There was an uproar in the venue. Wen Tingli stared blankly ahead. She didn't know if she was too happy. Her mind was as blank as if it had been cleansed. She couldn't hear what the people around her were saying, nor could she distinguish the faces of the people in front of her. She could only vaguely see the encouragement in Yue Zhaoyun's eyes, and Huang Yuanshan happily saying something on the stage. Of course, there were also some malicious gazes... She didn't have time to digest all this. She was stunned for a moment, and a feeling of ecstasy filled her heart.

She wins!
Someone came over and held out his hand to her: "Congratulations."

It was a gentle and friendly tone. Wen Tingli hurriedly shook the other person's hand back: "Thank you, Miss Zhou."

At the moment they held each other, Wen Tingli felt like crying, but Zhou Manru's palm was so soft and warm that she was reluctant to let go.

Le Zhiwen also came over and raised two fingers in front of Wen Tingli: "Twice. But don't laugh too soon, I will definitely win back next time."

This time Wen Tingli didn't let her go, and stepped forward to hug Le Zhiwen tightly.

***
When they went downstairs, reporters had already surrounded the hall. Most newspapers placed their hopes on Yu Peiling and the others, but they didn't expect that a big upset would happen in the end. When the news got out, more and more reporters rushed to block the door of the Golden Palace, and everyone hoped to pry a few fresh and interesting words from the parties involved.

"Miss Wen, do you think you were able to defeat seniors like Xiao Diejun this time? Was it because of your strength or luck?"

Louis tried to lead Wen Tingli to break out, but he alone could not hold off so many reporters.

Huang Yuanshan shouted from the back: "Make way, make way. Miss Wen is injured. If you need to know anything, you can ask me directly. Hey, don't push. Xiao Tan, where are the company's security guards?" Her loud voice was of no use.

In the chaos, I suddenly heard someone say, "What? The male lead of Sands of Time has changed? Hasn't the filming of this drama been completed halfway?"

"Deng Tianxing was fired for repeatedly violating crew discipline, and the company decided to replace him with Movie Emperor Zhu Xiaozhou. The investor is Mr. Lu Xiao, so you can ask him and Mr. Kuang if you have any questions."

Deng Tianxing was fired? Zhu Xiaozhou was cast? This series of news was a bombshell to the journalists following the film. The most surprising thing was that Lu Shicheng stood obediently on the steps and did not leave immediately. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because the Lu family never accepted interviews.

"Mr. Lu! Please stay!" Reporters rushed towards Lu Shicheng.

As a result, more than half of the "meat wall" in front of Wen Tingli was demolished without making a sound. She was happy and hurriedly followed Louis out. At the same time, two people who looked like followers came quietly to help them clear the way, and soon helped them squeeze out.

Louis took Wen Tingli into a half-used black rickshaw and drove to Huiqun Hospital.

Director Liu had been waiting in the surgical clinic for a long time. Fortunately, Wen Tingli's condition was not particularly serious. After re-bandaging and applying medicine, Director Liu had to lecture her. Wen Tingli did not dare to say a word and went back to bed to recuperate. The nurse saw that Wen Tingli was obedient, so he felt at ease and went out to get water with the bottle.

Although Wen Tingliren was lying on the bed, her thoughts were galloping like a wild horse. Suddenly, she heard someone coming outside. She hurriedly got out of bed and walked to the door, saying excitedly, "I won!"

(End of this chapter)