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Chapter 14
The audition for Xiangshou Rensheng didn’t start on time.
“Why hasn’t it started yet?”
“No idea, maybe the director is busy.”
“Let’s just wait a little longer.”
Seeing the delay, Shen Yan sent a message to Zhou Ruo before continuing to wait.
After more than an hour, the audition finally began.
Once it started, the waiting area grew quiet. Some newcomers were visibly nervous. Shen Yan, however, remained unfazed, scrolling through her phone, simply waiting for this whole process to be over so she could leave.
The lead roles were auditioned first, with supporting roles following later. Shen Yan had expected to wait for four or five hours, but unexpectedly, the audition for her role was moved up. Though surprised, she considered it a good thing.
A staff member called out, “Number 8, Shen Yan!”
She stood up leisurely and walked into the audition room.
The audition took place in a small theater, with a stage in the front and audience seating in the back. The first row was occupied by the judges, each with a nameplate displaying their position.
A staff member handed Shen Yan a microphone. Holding it, she stepped onto the stage, scanning the judges’ table. When she spotted Meng Yi’an, she was momentarily surprised but quickly masked her emotions, returning to a calm expression.
Shen Yan was breathtakingly beautiful—so much so that she caught people’s attention at first glance. Her aura was both pure and radiant, a contradictory yet captivating charm that made people want to look at her longer.
Director Wu of Xiangshou Rensheng brightened upon seeing Shen Yan. He thought she had potential, but after checking her résumé, he hesitated. She was this stunning yet had only played a third-tier role in a web drama?
Was she just a pretty face? Did she have exaggerated, over-the-top acting?
Meng Yi’an leaned back in his chair, tapping his finger lightly on the table. His gaze, open and undisguised, remained fixed on Shen Yan. Any trace of the slight intoxication he had earlier was now gone.
Shen Yan introduced herself briefly: “Hello, I’m Shen Yan, a junior college graduate.” She kept it simple and didn’t bother listing her past works. The judges wouldn’t recognize them anyway.
Well, except for Meng Yi’an—he knew. He had once sent her to a film set himself. He had even warmed her hands for her after filming.
Recalling this, Shen Yan felt relieved that she had been reborn. Otherwise, if she saw Meng Yi’an now, she wouldn’t even know how to react.
The director instructed, “Perform a scene where you persuade your sister-in-law not to divorce your brother.
Shen Yan stood still, unmoving. After a long moment, she bent slightly at the waist and said, “Director, I’m sorry, I forgot my lines.”
Everyone: “……”
Shen Yan figured that behaving like this meant she definitely wouldn’t pass the audition. She explained, “I’m nervous, I…” Before she could finish, she turned to leave.
Just then, applause rang out from the audience. It was Meng Yian.
Meng Yian narrowed his eyes at the stage, his thin lips parting slightly as he said, “Well acted.”
Meng Yian was the biggest investor in Xiangshou Rensheng. Since he said it was a good performance, what could the others say? They simply didn’t know how to respond.
Shen Yan’s steps halted, and she turned to glance at Meng Yian.
Meng Yian said, “Your portrayal of helplessness was excellent. The role is yours. Go sign the contract.” After a slight pause, he added, “You can wait for your agent to sign it with you.”
This wasn’t just about waiting for Zhou Ruo to sign the contract—this was forcing Shen Yan to act in a drama invested by Meng Yian.
Shen Yan thought, Meng Yian hates me this much. He must be doing this to torment me.
She refused, “Mr. Meng, just the audition made me this nervous. If I actually act, I might be even more anxious. I don’t think I’m suited for this role.”
I don’t want to act. Do you get it?!
The other judges felt like Shen Yan was here to mess around. First, she forgot her lines, and now, even when Meng Yian personally assigned her the role, she was saying she wasn’t fit for it. If that was the case, why did she even come to the audition?
Meng Yian’s voice was calm and unhurried. “I think you’re very suitable. And your acting is excellent.”
Shen Yan had no way to refuse now. If Meng Yian went directly to Zhou Ruo, that contract would definitely be signed.
Lowering her gaze, Shen Yan said, “Thank you for your recognition, Mr. Meng. I’ll come back with my agent to sign the contract.”
After Shen Yan left the theater, the director of Xiangshou Rensheng announced that the role she auditioned for no longer needed further auditions.
Shen Yan held her phone and called Zhou Ruo. “Sister Zhou, where are you?”
Hearing the slight dejection in Shen Yan’s voice, Zhou Ruo immediately assumed she had failed the audition. She was about to tell Shen Yan to go back to the hotel, but Wang Peng, who was beside her, spoke up directly. “Shen Yan called? Tell her to come over and have dinner with us. I’ll treat her to a meal, hahaha.”
Zhou Ruo: “That’s not necessary.”
Wang Peng: “Sister Zhou, you can’t just leave Shen Yan out because she didn’t pass the audition.” As he spoke, he picked up his phone and texted Zheng Rou. “I told Zheng Rou to come over after her audition too. She can chat with Shen Yan about acting.”
Zhou Ruo’s smile stiffened slightly. “Shen Yan, come over for dinner. We have an appointment later, so we can head out together afterward.” She had already planned it out—after exchanging a few words at dinner, she would take Shen Yan and leave.
Meanwhile, Zheng Rou was feeling frustrated. She had been confident about passing the audition, but unexpectedly, she didn’t even get a chance to audition. Her agent had told her to come for dinner, and she felt awkward about it. She wanted to mention the failed audition over the phone, but decided it was better to say it in person.
After all, she wasn’t some big star. Like Shen Yan, she shared a manager with several other artists. She planned to thank her agent for the opportunity and apologize for not getting the role.
Having thought it through, Zheng Rou turned to leave but suddenly stopped after a few steps. She asked the staff member nearby, “Who got the role?”
Staff: “Contestant No. 8, Shen Yan.”
Shen Yan?
Zheng Rou had never heard of this name before. She assumed it must be some newcomer with connections. Thinking this, she felt a lot more relieved.
Shen Yan walked slowly. The thought of joining a drama invested by Meng Yian filled her with unease. She had already imagined countless ways he could make things difficult for her—adding extra scenes, forcing her into dangerous stunts like diving into water or hanging from wires, or even having other actors physically attack her.
Lost in thought, she suddenly recalled her past life.
She chuckled self-mockingly. Maybe she was overthinking it. In her past life, Meng Yian had broken her heart into pieces, and she had endured it all. This time, it was just joining a drama he invested in. Fine. She would take this as an opportunity and focus on doing her best.
Even though Shen Yan had finished her audition first, she was so preoccupied with thoughts of Meng Yian that Zheng Rou actually arrived at the restaurant before her.
When Zheng Rou stepped in and saw so many agents, she was stunned. Wang Peng was also taken aback.
Wang Peng: “Wait… you’re done with the audition?”
Zheng Rou: “I didn’t even get to audition. Someone was already chosen before the rest of us could even try out. Normally, they should let everyone audition before making a decision, but this time, as soon as that person finished their audition, the role was finalized. It seems like they had connections. The whole audition process was just for show.”
Hearing this, Zhou Ruo’s smile became a little less forced. So Shen Yan didn’t fail due to a lack of ability—it was just favoritism at play.
Wang Peng, although displeased, quickly smoothed things over. “Well, I wanted you to gain experience anyway. No worries, we’ll keep trying for future auditions.”
“Yeah, it’s just one audition.”
“I wonder if our artists will get their chance to audition.”
“I just asked—auditions are still ongoing for the other roles. It looks like only this particular role was taken before others could audition.”
“The production team is so unnecessary. If they had already decided on the actress, why even hold auditions and make people travel all the way here?”
Wang Peng, ever the optimist, laughed. “Well, even if we didn’t get to audition, since we’re already in B City, I’ll treat everyone to some local specialties.”
By the time Shen Yan arrived, they were already discussing dinner plans.
Clearly, Wang Peng wanted to elevate Zheng Rou’s status. As soon as he saw Shen Yan, he asked, “Did you audition?”
Shen Yan pursed her lips slightly. “I did.”
Wang Peng: “At least you got the chance to audition. Our Zheng Rou didn’t even get that. If she had, maybe they would’ve considered giving her another role.”
After sitting down, Shen Yan simply greeted Zhou Ruo and stayed quiet.
Right now, she just hoped Meng Yian would quickly fall for the female lead. That way, he wouldn’t have time to bother her—he’d be too busy supporting the lead actress and getting jealous over the male lead.
Zhou Ruo chuckled. “Our Yan Yan didn’t pass the audition because they had already chosen someone with connections. Otherwise, I think she would have gotten the role.” Since no one here passed the audition, she might as well hype Shen Yan up.
Even if Zhou Ruo didn’t actively promote Shen Yan, Shen Yan was still under her management. Now that Wang Peng was indirectly comparing Zheng Rou to Shen Yan, it was essentially a competition between their agents. Zhou Ruo wasn’t about to back down.
Shen Yan, however, looked confused. A trace of doubt flickered in her bright eyes.
What are they talking about? What “connected” actor? She hadn’t auditioned for any role other than Xiangshou Rensheng.
Zhou Ruo added, “After all, Yan Yan is beautiful.”
Zheng Rou was pretty too, but compared to Shen Yan, she lacked that extra charm.
Zheng Rou remained silent. These were all agents talking—she wasn’t in a position to offend anyone.
Wang Peng replied, “Well, there are plenty of beautiful people in the entertainment industry, but beauty is an advantage.” There were countless pretty faces in the industry, but only a few became famous. In his eyes, Zheng Rou had both talent and good looks, which made her a stronger contender for success compared to Shen Yan.
The group watched as Wang Peng and Zhou Ruo went back and forth. After a while, one of the agents suddenly asked, “By the way, who actually got the role?”
Shen Yan hadn’t figured out the situation yet, so it was Zheng Rou who answered the question. She said, “I asked the staff, and they said the one who passed the audition was Shen Yan.”
