Chapter 23
Jiang Bailu gave her a rather serious look, and Zhai You immediately shut up.
With gazes coming at her from every direction, Zhai You couldn’t tell who Jiang Bailu was referring to. But then she remembered that Jiang Bailu had a special intuition for this sort of thing.
Whenever someone disliked her, Jiang Bailu could clearly sense it.
And when surrounded by malice, Jiang Bailu would feel even worse, like someone who couldn’t swim falling into the water—unable to breathe, capable only of struggling helplessly.
Such a pitiful trait, needless to say, existed so the righteous love interest could pamper her, allowing her to play the part of a delicate dodder flower.
But dodder vines were actually incredibly tenacious.
She wasn’t some fragile, weak little girl at all.
The corners of Zhai You’s lips lifted happily.
Why could Jiang Bailu sense it on her behalf?
And she still claimed Zhai You wasn’t in her heart.
Thinking of that, Zhai You’s mood practically exploded with joy!
Even if everyone under heaven found her unpleasant, it didn’t matter. In circumstances like this, she, Zhai You, wanted nothing more than to firmly grab Jiang Bailu’s hand!
Zhai You’s hand couldn’t help moving. She completely ignored whoever was secretly watching her and pretended to look straight ahead as though nothing were happening, while her fingers quietly crept toward Jiang Bailu.
In the end, her fingers curled slightly, tentatively taking Jiang Bailu’s hand.
It was a little smaller than Zhai You’s, fitting perfectly inside her palm—
Jiang Bailu lowered her head in confusion and heard a voice from above. “There are too many people here. Let’s hurry upstairs and find Director Guo.”
After saying that, Zhai You strode toward the elevator. Ignoring the varied expressions throughout the lobby, she pressed the button for the eighth floor and entered together with Jiang Bailu.
Only the two of them were inside the elevator.
Zhai You didn’t let go of her hand, and Jiang Bailu showed no intention of pulling away either.
Jiang Bailu was thinking about the person who hated Zhai You.
Zhai You’s fingers twitched as though cramping, her heart both nervous and delighted.
Every tiny bit of acceptance from Jiang Bailu was proof that Zhai You was moving closer to her goal.
When they reached the eighth floor, there were clearly far fewer people. Most of those present were staff members.
Before Jiang Bailu could react, Zhai You instantly withdrew her hand.
Only when her hand suddenly felt empty did Jiang Bailu realize they had arrived.
“Are we going straight to see Director Guo? We don’t need to line up?”
“We’ll line up. Aren’t they lining up over there? As for the people downstairs, at most they’re small-time actors fighting for supporting roles.” Zhai You didn’t think much of it.
Several of the people waiting on the eighth floor were recognizable second-tier actresses in the industry.
They struggled from one film and drama to another, waiting for that one opportunity to explode in popularity instead of remaining like they were now—known by name within the industry, yet extremely easy to forget.
If they disappeared for a few years, there would be no trace of them left in the industry.
Among them was Tan Shilan, famous for her exceptional bearing.
There was also Lou Chulu, who had been acting for many years.
These two were people Zhai You occasionally saw in video edits while scrolling. They had a certain level of popularity and would probably land fairly substantial roles in the drama.
She just didn’t know whether they would be willing to play supporting roles—
supporting roles beneath a newcomer and Zhai You, at that. If word got out, it would practically be a humiliation.
There were also several male actors present. Zhai You didn’t care much about them, but she could still recognize one of them: Shui Yuanming.
Shui Yuanming was already in his thirties, yet his fans were still wildly devoted, calling him the best big brother.
Zhai You withdrew her gaze.
While she was sizing them up, they were also secretly looking at her and at Jiang Bailu beside her.
Tan Shilan took the initiative to stand and greet her. Her posture and manners had clearly been professionally trained. Every movement was elegant without seeming affected or artificial in everyday life.
“You’re Zhai You, right? I hope we’ll have the chance to work together.”
Perhaps in Tan Shilan’s mind, she and Zhai You would be co-leading the drama.
As for Jiang Bailu?
A young girl she didn’t recognize.
Lou Chulu was resting with her eyes closed. Hearing the conversation, she glanced over once before closing her eyes again.
Shui Yuanming had considered coming over to greet Zhai You, but then remembered the rumors that she only liked female Omegas, or female Betas at worst, so he stayed where he was and started chatting with the male actor beside him instead.
There weren’t many male roles with substantial screen time in this drama.
Every man present was a competitor.
Their competition was even fiercer than among the actresses.
“You two just came up from downstairs, right? There are really a lot of people.” Tan Shilan smiled naturally.
“Yeah, there are a lot of people.”
Zhai You responded absentmindedly. She gestured for Jiang Bailu to follow, then found a seat and sat down, joining everyone else in “waiting in line.”
Tan Shilan’s extremely beautiful, gentle eyes—the same eyes fans claimed could intoxicate someone with a single glance—flickered.
She chose a seat beside Zhai You. “What kind of scene do you think they’ll ask us to audition with later?”
As an investor, Zhai You surely knew more than the rest of them.
Everyone immediately pricked up their ears and listened carefully.
“No idea.” Zhai You told the truth. “I haven’t contacted the screenwriter at all. But whatever scene they choose should be about the same.”
After all, she and Jiang Bailu had rehearsed together for several days at home. They were prepared.
To everyone else, what they heard was:
No idea. Doesn’t matter. I’m already cast anyway.
Tan Shilan chose to smile politely.
They waited for staff members to call them in one by one.
One actress went inside.
One actress came out looking unsettled.
Anyone who had watched Director Guo’s previous works could tell that he cared greatly about acting ability and didn’t like flashy, superficial gimmicks.
That was why his productions were never particularly popular, but their quality was consistently strong.
Deliberate Love happened to make up for Director Guo’s weakness.
The novel had already been extremely popular before filming even began.
It had nearly a million bookmarks and came with its own built-in audience. As long as the quality was solid, ratings shouldn’t be a problem.
Perhaps this would become a drama in which Director Guo and screenwriter Luo Yin elevated each other.
The only unstable factor now was whether Zhai You would cause an accident.
If she ruined Director Guo’s reputation…
Well, there wasn’t much Director Guo could do about it.
Capital could be incredibly annoying sometimes.
So outside of the leads, Director Guo became even stricter and pickier with casting.
Several actors went in one after another, and nearly all of them emerged looking deflated.
No one had expected a campus drama to have so many requirements.
When it was Shui Yuanming’s turn, he went in.
When he came back out, he wore the first relaxed smile anyone had seen.
The other male actors nervously asked, “What role?”
Shui Yuanming answered, “Teacher.”
He had also come aiming for a good role, but with his age, he obviously couldn’t play a student. Playing a teacher wasn’t bad.
At the very least, he was the first person to pass.
Shui Yuanming looked satisfied. When he passed by Zhai You, he even took the initiative to greet her. “I’ll be counting on Student Zhai to take care of me from now on.”
Zhai You couldn’t help looking disgusted. “Why would a teacher need a student to take care of him?”
Shui Yuanming: “……”
Then it was Lou Chulu’s turn.
More than ten minutes later, she came out with a neutral expression.
She had probably passed but wasn’t satisfied with the role.
Next was Tan Shilan.
She stood up and spoke meaningfully to Zhai You. “I hope you’ll wish me success.”
“That won’t do.” Zhai You replied lazily. “I won’t hide it from you. The female lead role is already gone.”
The gentle gaze Tan Shilan’s fans praised instantly chilled.
Dazed, she looked toward the person beside Zhai You, frowned, then still entered the audition room.
Jiang Bailu had remained silent the entire time, so quiet that if Zhai You weren’t there, people might have ignored her completely.
Only after Tan Shilan left did she ask, “If you remove every external factor, what do you think our chances of succeeding are?”
“If you weren’t involved, I’d say zero percent.” Zhai You possessed absolute self-awareness. “With you, it’s one hundred percent.”
“We only did basic rehearsals for those few days.” Jiang Bailu felt a great deal of pressure, worried she hadn’t prepared well enough.
If she had paid even more attention and worked even harder, perhaps Zhai You would perform better too.
Jiang Bailu now didn’t want Zhai You to be criticized.
It made her uncomfortable, almost as if she herself were the one being insulted.
Even though Zhai You appeared not to care at all, looking perfectly relaxed and even turning toward her with bright eyes whenever she noticed something amusing and wanted to share it.
There wasn’t a trace of negative emotion in Zhai You’s eyes.
She was so positive that Jiang Bailu wanted to stand up and say something.
She wanted to tell those people online that there was no need to curse Zhai You so harshly.
This woman might perhaps be a little muddleheaded sometimes, but she wasn’t bad at heart.
Jiang Bailu didn’t even realize that what she was doing now was the legendary—
double standard.
“That’s not what I meant.”
Zhai You let out a helpless sound and awkwardly said, “It’s simply because the person acting opposite me is you.”
They were a match made in heaven, destined for each other.
Whether inside the drama or outside it, that was what Zhai You believed.
If she was acting with Jiang Bailu, then everything would come naturally.
There was nothing to worry about.
Jiang Bailu took a deep breath. “Forget it. There’s no point in all these hypotheticals. I should focus more on myself. You fought for this role for me, so I can’t make mistakes.”
If she performed badly, that would truly embarrass Zhai You.
Tan Shilan came out of the room wearing almost the exact same expression as Lou Chulu.
When she passed Jiang Bailu, she even looked at her several extra times.
Then she left without saying a word, not even greeting Zhai You.
She needed time to calm down.
Now it was Jiang Bailu’s turn.
She followed the staff member inside, and Zhai You followed right behind her. Under the staff member’s hesitant expression—clearly wanting to stop her but not daring to—Zhai You entered the audition room ahead of time.
The audience area had no lights on.
Director Guo and screenwriter Luo Yin were seated in the first row, with several tables in front of them. The assistant director was there as well.
The stage was illuminated by spotlights, making it easier to clearly see an actor’s performance.
When they saw Zhai You, Director Guo and the others weren’t surprised.
They simply handed Jiang Bailu the script.
Luo Yin spoke gently to Jiang Bailu. “Don’t be nervous. Just give it a try.”
Director Guo nodded too.
The assistant director thought: Of course she can just casually try. I can barely be bothered to watch.
Jiang Bailu accepted the script, looked it over, then stepped onto the stage.
This happened to be a scene she had rehearsed with Zhai You before.
Zhai You sat in the audience and didn’t compete with the directors for a front-row seat.
Because the area was too dark, Jiang Bailu couldn’t clearly see her face, but she could feel Zhai You’s gaze.
It was even more intense than the directors’ and made Jiang Bailu nervous.
This was a scene with an extremely powerful emotional outburst.
She didn’t know why the directors had chosen this particular scene.
Jiang Bailu’s fine, delicate brows slowly drew together.
A thin layer of ice gradually covered her eyes.
Her breathing became faster and faster, exposing the restless pounding of her heart.
The corner of her mouth split into a smile containing just the right amount of malice and pity.
*
“You’re supposed to play an Alpha.” Zhai You leaned vaguely close beside Jiang Bailu, looking at the excerpt she had copied down.
Jiang Bailu had written many notes in her notebook, including her own interpretations.
But there was one problem.
How was an Omega supposed to portray an Alpha’s presence?
Jiang Bailu’s pheromones smelled like sweet honey.
Her personality was also somewhat aloof yet gentle, the easiest kind of person to get along with—
a hedgehog without spines.
Soft enough that cruel people would think she was easy to bully, while kind people would inevitably soften toward her.
How was someone like that supposed to portray an Alpha?
What was an Alpha like?
Zhai You bared a little canine tooth. “Want me to let you experience it?”
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!