Chapter 2

In her previous life, Shen Yan was so focused on getting back together with Meng Yi’an that she stopped concentrating on her career, which led to her being blacklisted by Meng Yi’an later on. As a result, she only became a familiar face in the entertainment industry without any real achievements.

After a more-than-three-hour ride, Shen Yan arrived at the film city. Her determination grew stronger with each step. This time, she was determined to stand on the highest podium. With that, she walked confidently inside.

There were quite a few actors coming for auditions, some even without any acting experience.

In the corridor, a long line had formed. After receiving her number, Shen Yan stood at the back.

Listening to what the other actors were saying, Shen Yan learned that due to the low investment in the production of this drama, most of the cast were newcomers. More than half of the people auditioning were just extras in the film city, hoping to secure a role with actual lines.

It was precisely for this reason that there were so many people auditioning for this drama.

Since there were no chairs available outside, Shen Yan had been standing for a while and her legs started to ache.

“President Meng is here at the film city!” A young girl rushed in, excitedly announcing the news, even forgetting to pick up her number.

Shen Yan slightly turned her head, then continued to stand in line with a blank expression.

As for Meng Yi’an, Shen Yan could honestly say that she had let go of him.

Back then, she had pursued Meng Yi’an and got exhausted from it.

Meng Yi’an once told her to jump from the third floor to give her a chance at reconciliation. Shen Yan jumped. He once made her go out in the middle of the night in the heavy rain to buy coffee, and Shen Yan did it. He threw the coffee on the ground, and Shen Yan went to buy it again. Because she liked him, Shen Yan tolerated everything, believing that Meng Yi’an would eventually see her sincerity.

But later, in front of the female lead, he called her a vain woman, and everything he did was just to take revenge.

Meng Yi’an said, “I was with her in the beginning only because she was beautiful and willing to be with a poor guy like me. As for liking her, I never liked her, not even a bit!”

Because of this, Shen Yan could remain so calm toward Meng Yi’an. When she first came back to life, she was overwhelmed with emotions and, wanting to distance herself from him, she acted as if she still cared about him.

Now that Meng Yi’an had arrived at the film city, the actors auditioning were all talking about him.

“President Meng invested in this drama, and the director is his friend. He probably came to visit the set.”

“President Meng is really handsome. I saw him from afar last time, and he looked even better than some of the popular male stars. Especially his aura, it’s like he’s a young master from an ancient noble family.”

“I wonder who will be lucky enough to be President Meng’s girlfriend.”

“I think the woman who could be President Meng’s girlfriend must be a rich young lady.”

He Han walked over with a thoughtful expression. Then, her gaze landed on Shen Yan, and she walked towards her, holding a cup of hot coffee, smiling at Shen Yan.

“Yan Yan.” As she spoke, He Han suddenly tripped and staggered forward as though she was about to fall. The coffee in her hand was thrown out in an instant.

Shen Yan, at the same time, quickly spun around and avoided it.

Since no one was there to support He Han, she fell to the ground, staring at Shen Yan in disbelief.

Shen Yan smiled but said nothing.

Shen Yan had once read an entertainment news article. When the drama Chen Fei first aired, the crew went to walk the red carpet together. He Han had argued with another supporting actor who had a decent amount of screen time before walking the carpet. Later, when they entered the venue, He Han tried to apologize to that actor with a glass of red wine, but she tripped and spilled the wine on the actor’s clothes. The actor had argued with her, but netizens sided with He Han, claiming she was just trying to apologize.

It was because of this incident that when He Han walked over with the coffee, Shen Yan simply spun around and stood to the side.

All the other auditioning actors were watching He Han. He Han smiled at Shen Yan, then said, “Fortunately, the coffee didn’t spill on your clothes.” After that, she stood up and asked, “What number are you for the audition?”

Shen Yan pretended to be slightly stunned, then asked, “And you are?”

“Yan Yan?” He Han laughed, “What’s the joke? We have the same agent.”

Shen Yan: “Sorry, my agent has many artists under him.” After saying that, she added, “I’m Shen Yan. You are… Lin Yu?”

He Han realized that Shen Yan probably understood her intentions today. Looking at the expressions of the people around her, her cheeks grew warm. She said, “Shen Yan!” Then she hurriedly ran off.

After being reborn, Shen Yan no longer wanted to suffer.

Standing there, Shen Yan continued to wait for her audition. After more than half an hour, it was finally her turn.

He Han waited outside the audition area for a while, then came in to continue waiting. When she saw Shen Yan enter for the audition, she clenched her fists.

Since this was just for ordinary roles, the only judge was the assistant director. As long as the assistant director approved, the actor would be cast.

Shen Yan introduced herself, then heard the assistant director say, “You’re very suitable for this role. Perform this scene.”

As soon as the assistant director finished speaking, a staff member handed Shen Yan a script. Shen Yan glanced at the assistant director before continuing to look at the script. The script given to her was for a concubine role in the drama, and Shen Yan had already seen Chen Fei before but hadn’t noticed this character.

Not thinking much about it, Shen Yan quickly skimmed through the script.

The scene the assistant director wanted her to audition for was that of a talented lady entering the palace after the male lead falls for her. She was praised for her pure and beautiful appearance, and the emperor favored her, promoting her to a higher rank as soon as she entered the palace. Later, the female lead became jealous, and the emperor saw her less often. To make up for it, he promoted her further. In the end, this character remained in the palace, peaceful and uncontentious, rising to the rank of Lan Fei.

When the female lead and Chen Fei had a falling out, the emperor thought of Lan Fei. Lan Fei had a heart-to-heart with the emperor, and their relationship was one of mutual understanding.

Although the female lead also loved the emperor, there were many women in the palace. Over time, she began to act in front of the emperor. Eventually, the emperor suffered a stroke and could no longer speak. The throne passed to the female lead’s son. While all the concubines were busy flattering the female lead, Lan Fei went to visit the emperor and spoke with him about court affairs.

A few months later, Lan Fei stopped visiting the emperor, but the female lead went to see him.

“Why can’t you just love me alone?” After asking this, the female lead said, “Lan Fei exiled me to the border.”

This was Lan Fei’s fate.

Shen Yan slowly turned the pages of the script with a calm expression. Her eyes sparkled like stars, making her incredibly beautiful.

The assistant director said, “No need for an audition. You can join the cast right away!”

This character in Chen Fei was one that the director wanted to cast only when they found the right actor. If no suitable candidate was found, the role would not be filmed. This was because the character required a high standard: pure, clean aura, and beauty, making it hard to find.

The assistant director intended for Shen Yan to audition, but seeing how she was reading the script, he felt it was unnecessary. He said, “Just perform the role as you are now.”

Shen Yan didn’t ask more questions and simply said, “Should I go to the set now?”

“I’ll talk to the director, then we’ll contact your agent to sign the contract. You can go to the set and start filming,” the assistant director replied, still excited, then called out, “Next!”

After Shen Yan left the audition room, the role of the female lead’s maid was still being auditioned. Since the Chen Fei production team was in a hurry to get actors into the cast and the audition was for supporting roles, they were finalizing actors on the spot.

As Shen Yan walked out, the auditions for the maid role continued. He Han, who was standing nearby, smiled as Shen Yan passed by, but Shen Yan didn’t even slow down, walking right past her.

He Han was irritated by Shen Yan’s attitude. She grabbed Shen Yan’s wrist and, in a voice that only they could hear, said, “Shen Yan, aren’t you already confirmed for the role?”

Shen Yan shook off He Han’s grip, glanced at her, then continued walking leisurely.

He Han was about to say something, but looking around at the people nearby, she said nothing. She just became even more focused on her audition, determined to succeed.

After leaving the audition room, Shen Yan wanted to call her agent but decided it would be better to visit the entertainment company in person.

It had rained yesterday, and although the film city had excellent drainage, there was still some water on the road from the rain that had fallen all night.

Walking along the road, Shen Yan thought about what she needed to do after returning from the entertainment company. She planned to go to the supermarket to buy some food for the fridge, but then she remembered that she was about to join the cast. It would be better to buy something to take with her to the set—some instant meals to throw into the fridge would suffice.

Not far away, a luxury car was driving, and the driver, glancing at Shen Yan ahead, instinctively looked at the backseat where Meng Yi’an sat. This was the same girl who had begged Meng Yi’an to reconcile with her just yesterday.

Closing his laptop, Meng Yi’an raised his gaze and saw Shen Yan in the distance. His eyes narrowed, and he coldly said, “Speed up.”

The driver didn’t dare to reply, quickly increasing the speed.

The car sped past Shen Yan, and the rainwater on the road splashed up, wetting the hem of her dress. Holding her dress, Shen Yan turned her head to look. The license plate seemed familiar, and soon she realized whose car it was—Meng Yi’an’s car!

Shen Yan looked at her dress for a while before remembering that it was a gift from Meng Yi’an. He had saved up money for a month to buy it for her.

When they were together, Meng Yi’an often gave Shen Yan gifts, all of which he had saved up by living frugally.

Releasing her grip on her skirt, Shen Yan turned her gaze forward and continued walking.

In the car, Meng Yi’an sneered but said nothing. His expression grew colder.