BDB Chapter 13

Jiang Rao didn’t understand why her headache had returned.

While applying a face mask at night to improve her skin, she made an effort to recall the original text. However, due to the overly convoluted escape methods of the female lead in the original story that spanned millions of words, and the overwhelming number of male and female supporting characters seeking help, she found herself completely unable to remember where the next scene was supposed to take place.

But she was sure it wasn’t at home. After all, the female lead’s character was a little runaway wife who needed to interact with the outside world to find chances of escape, which meant the story would keep moving. Thus, her days might not be too idle.

Realizing this, Jiang Rao had asked the kitchen to add an extra chicken leg to her dinner.

The next morning, she meticulously applied her makeup and sprayed on setting spray twice before finally setting out from the ancient castle.

The ancient castle was quite far from the city center, requiring a drive through a highway interchange and then through busy streets.

On this workday morning, she was inevitably caught in traffic and arrived at the audition site close to ten o’clock.

Before the driver had even parked the car, she saw Sister Wang rushing toward her from afar.

She rolled down the car window, and Sister Wang’s scolding voice immediately came through, “Little ancestor, you’re really something. Do you live on top of a mountain? I called you at eight, and you said you had already left, but you didn’t get here until ten. You really are something! Do you know how foul the director’s mood is right now? I’m afraid you might get blacklisted if you’re any later.”

Jiang Rao fully understood Sister Wang’s frustration.

But… her home really was on top of a mountain.

Sister Wang wasn’t asking for a response, so as soon as the car door opened, she grabbed Jiang Tang’s hand and rushed into the building.

The commotion they caused seemed to be quite significant.

Perhaps Jiang Tang’s fame had been underestimated by Jiang Rao.

When Sister Wang led her out of the elevator, she noticed the girls standing outside the door, holding papers and rehearsing lines, all looked up at her and didn’t avert their gaze.

However, the emotions in their eyes weren’t admiration but a mix of disappointment and surprise, clearly visible in their complex expressions.

The next moment, Sister Wang’s words in Jiang Rao’s ear clarified why these people reacted this way.

“It’s fine, our contract is already signed. These people are just here for show. When the press conference happens, just say you got this role through fair competition based on your acting skills, and you’ll definitely gain some new fans.”

Jiang Tang, mimicking Sister Wang, whispered back, “…But what if I don’t have any acting skills?”

The voice that slipped into her ear was sweet and soft, making Sister Wang’s eyes widen. “Is this how you sound when you speak quietly? That’s way too sweet!”

Jiang Rao: “…”

By this time, they had reached the door of the audition room. Seeing Jiang Tang ignoring her, Sister Wang opened the door, pulled her inside, and whispered, “Don’t worry. Acting skills are all about hype. As long as you’re not too awkward and listen to the director to create a few memorable scenes, I can get you some public relations support to boost your acting skills.”

Jiang Rao: “…”

The problem was, her acting skills would definitely be painfully awkward!

She firmly believed that she would fail if she went through a normal audition process, but she feared they might manipulate things behind the scenes and force her to act.

If it were some mindless Mary Sue drama, it would be one thing, but she had skimmed through the outline of Yanyan the previous night, and it was a heavy and realistic story.

The protagonist of the story, Mi Xue, was originally a vibrant and outgoing university student. Like all cherished children, she was optimistic and kind, full of passion for life.

However, the disruption of her beautiful life had stemmed from her kindness.

It all began with an elderly couple who needed to use canes to walk. They claimed they were lost while searching for their children in a foreign place. Now penniless, they only asked for something to eat rather than money. But as she followed them to the so-called snack street, what awaited her was not sincere gratitude but a burlap sack thrown over her head.

When she woke up again, she had been sold as a wife to a man who, though not yet forty, looked older than her father.

Yanyan had struggled, escaped, and the result was a broken leg.

She had tried contraception, used ice packs on her abdomen to force a miscarriage, and the result was even harsher punishment.

Finally, she resigned and accepted her fate.

She gave birth to a pair of twins. When the children were born, they were both healthy and lively, but when she opened her eyes again, she saw only her vigorous son. As for her daughter…

The daughter’s life was summed up in six words by her mother-in-law, who had become numb with the passage of time: “Money-losing goods, drowned.”

The final outcome of the story was, of course, heartening.

Yanyan killed the family that had tortured her. However, when she gathered the women from the village who had also been abducted and set the entire corrupt village on fire, some of those women fought back.

The fire raged throughout the afternoon.

From then on, no one ever left that village.

Jiang Rao understood how serious this film was and knew what kind of image was appropriate for playing Yanyan. 

But she couldn’t take off her makeup.

She couldn’t take it off, not even if she died! If she removed it, she would die!

The director was angrily banging the table, “If you’re unwilling to remove your makeup for the audition, why even come? I think you don’t want to be in this industry anymore…”

A cold, hardened voice came through the earpiece, “Be polite.”

The director’s expression froze, and he cleared his throat. “Miss Jiang, the character of Yanyan is a sweet girl in the early part of the story, but later becomes an abducted woman trapped in a remote village. The makeup should be special effects, not like your heavy makeup.”

Jiang Rao nodded. “I understand, but today’s audition is for acting, not makeup. I believe as a professional director, you can see beyond appearances.”

The director agreed with this statement.

However, although he could see beyond appearances, the real decision-maker, President Li, who was somewhere remote giving instructions via a hidden infrared camera, wasn’t interested in the essence of the performance!

After much debate over the makeup, the director was left with nothing more to say.

After all, the person opposite was a big star. He couldn’t force her to remove her makeup, could he?

Just when he was in a dilemma, a voice finally came through the earpiece to free him. “No need for makeup removal. Let her perform the third script. Everyone else be silent; for every word spoken, the investment amount will be reduced by ten million, and so on.”

The director hurriedly complied.

When he finished clearing the room and giving instructions, Jiang Tang had already finished reading the script.

Jiang Rao wasn’t acting to compete for a role but to buy time to stay here until the unknown plot point ended, so she wasn’t nervous at all.

She didn’t know how to act, but she didn’t need to deliberately perform poorly either.

After all, she didn’t know how to find camera angles or acting techniques; she could only rely on her instincts and the expressions given in the script to improvise.

She looked toward the direction of the director.

Her heavily made-up face had eyes that were clear and pure.

After a brief moment, a fawning expression appeared on her face, and her eyes lit up as she spoke brightly, “Big brother Yan, I won’t run away anymore. I’m already yours, where else could I possibly go? I’m in pain, please let go of me, okay? I’m begging you.”

In the empty room on the second floor, in front of a computer screen.

Hearing that soft, sweet, and coquettish voice reach his eardrums, Li Jueyan smiled gently.

On the first night of his nightmares, she said to him, “I won’t run away anymore.”

On the second night, she said, “I’m in pain, please let go of me, okay?”

On the third night, she said, “I’m already yours, where else could I possibly go? Li Jueyan…”

…

Each night’s nightmare had her voice identical to how it was at that moment.

Was there even a need to remove makeup?

His instincts had never been wrong, and they were certainly not wrong at this moment!

——