After Transmigrating as the Vicious Female Supporting Character, I Ran Away While Pregnant - Chapter 5

“Boss, I have news. I heard the company also arranged for Xie Shixian to audition.”

Chen Yue came to tell Mo Yueshuang with indignant anger, but Mo Yueshuang only smiled indifferently: “There are so many people auditioning today; it’s not surprising the company arranged for Xie Shixian to come.”

“But they clearly knew you’d be here! Same company, same manager—it’s an industry rule not to compete for the same drama. How can they do this?”

Mo Yueshuang suddenly laughed: “There is no such rule. It’s just that in the past, everyone kept up appearances by not competing with colleagues for the sake of saving face. But this is Director Wen’s drama, and it’s aiming for international awards. Besides, given the popularity of the original work, if it weren’t for the fact that Huaxia is the most suitable filming location, it might not have even fallen to us. Although Huaxia artists have gradually gone international over the years, our film and television works still can’t compare to the three major artistic powers abroad.”

“Oh, your temperament… you’re really worrying me to death. They’re bullying you to your face, and you’re still so soft-spoken.”

Chen Yue grumbled a few more words of protest, then realized that complaining here wouldn’t solve anything. It was better to handle the logistics for Mo Yueshuang so she wouldn’t hold her boss back.

Mo Yueshuang knew Chen Yue meant well, but Chen Yue’s temperament needed to change. Things were different for her now; without the company’s operations, promotion, and PR, she realized just how difficult it was to navigate the entertainment industry.

Inside, an actress finished. Xie Shixian, whose number was called, suppressed her nerves, took a deep breath to relax, and walked in.

“Hello, Director. Hello, teachers. I am Number 28, Xie Shixian.”

“Are you ready? If you’re ready, let’s begin. Everyone is in a hurry.” Director Wen had been in seclusion for half a year for this drama, to the point that he didn’t know this fresh face was currently the hottest trending rookie idol.

But even if Director Wen had known, with his explosive temper, he would be just as blunt as ever.

Xie Shixian felt a moment of helplessness. Since her debut, she had been pampered everywhere she went. This was the first time a director had spoken to her so curtly, but it was only a momentary emotion.

Xie Shixian quickly composed herself and entered character. The Di Xue played by Xie Shixian was shrewd and capable, her eyes mimicking the ruthlessness of a wolf. A male crew member acting as a foil came over with a script and read the lines to her.

“Di Xue, I saved you. In the middle of that zombie swarm, I charged in desperately to rescue you. Can’t you see my heart for you yet?”

“Chen Zhe, I bought you; you are my slave. Isn’t it only right for a slave to save his master?” Di Xue was unmoved. Even though she had just experienced a brush with death, her expression remained indifferent, even carrying a hint of mockery.

The apocalypse had seen the return of slavery, and Chen Zhe was the slave Di Xue had saved and bought three years ago.

Although he had no special abilities, Chen Zhe, who had learned martial arts before the apocalypse, could barely protect himself against low-level zombies. However, because he was too handsome, he had been targeted by certain people after the outbreak, captured, branded, and turned into a slave.

Chen Zhe had lived peacefully for twenty years in a society of equality, freedom, and human rights. After the apocalypse broke out, he still couldn’t quite accept reality, even now as a slave.

But Di Xue was different. She was nine years old when the virus broke out and wandered into the apocalypse in a daze; she was a complete member of the new generation of apocalyptic humans.

In her eyes, there was almost no difference between Chen Zhe and the large black dog she kept. If she had to name a few differences, it was probably that the black dog was more obedient, while Chen Zhe and the other slaves she kept were quite disobedient.

“For you, I am willing to throw away my life. I love you!”

A mature, charming male confession—if this were a normal young girl before the apocalypse, she would certainly be moved by now.

But Di Xue only felt she had heard a joke: “Every slave should be willing to throw away their life for their master. If you can’t do that, you aren’t fit to be a slave.”

In the apocalypse, one might not even be fit to be a slave. One might be kept and used as bait when a zombie tide hits, or sent to a “brothel” for special services.

After watching Xie Shixian’s performance, Director Wen’s admiration was beyond words. Back then, his senior fellow had chosen Mo Yueshuang out of ten million people; now, he too had found a talented “good sprout” out of ten thousand.

“Good, good, good!”

Wen Tingzong said “good” three times, showing he was quite satisfied with this actress.

With fifty artists auditioning today, finding one who satisfied the director by the 28th was truly rare.

In many casting calls, one might not encounter even one or two such people in an entire day.

While the others followed suit in being satisfied and happy, they all instinctively looked at Li Sheng. Today was essentially Li Sheng’s home court; without her approval, no one dared to take it upon themselves to make a final decision on the casting.

Li Sheng was not that excited, nor was she that happy. Her expression remained indifferent as she said in an unchanging tone: “Next.”

Li Sheng flipped through the files of all the actresses auditioning today and eventually saw her “old acquaintance,” Mo Yueshuang, at Number 48.

The novel didn’t explicitly state what drama was being filmed; it only said that after many twists and turns and with the help of the male lead Ji Ruodong, Mo Yueshuang eventually became the female lead.

Now, without the appearance of the male lead Ji Ruodong, she wondered if Mo Yueshuang could be selected based on her own strength.

If she weren’t the female lead of the novel, Li Sheng would actually look forward to her being selected because Mo Yueshuang’s temperament was a perfect fit. One could say they were the same kind of people—the sharp edges in their hearts had long been worn down, and they worked hard just to live well after seeing reality clearly.

But unfortunately, Mo Yueshuang was the female lead. Once selected, they would have to stay in the same crew and interact day and night for several months from the start of filming to the end.

Soon it was Number 45. Li Sheng really couldn’t stand seeing someone portray Di Xue so idiotically in front of her.

She was no longer cold in her critique but directly scolded with sharp words: “Do you have any professional cultivation? Can you show even the slightest respect for the profession of acting? I’ll overlook the fact that you can’t memorize your lines, but who gave you permission to ad-lib a hug with Chen Zhe?! What is this nonsense about ‘this life and the next’? Do you think Di Xue is moved by just any random cat or dog? Please leave here immediately!”

“What right do you have to say that to me? Is it wrong for an actress to have her own unique interpretation of the script? I only acted out the Di Xue I understood; the Di Xue I envision is like this. I don’t think there’s any problem with my acting, and whether I leave or not is for the Director to decide.”

As the words fell, everyone’s gaze turned to Wen Tingzong. This big man felt a headache at that moment.

“We will consider it carefully. Please go back and wait for notification.”

The actress, Dong Wenjun, was just about to thank the director and leave when she heard Li Sheng’s voice: “No need to wait for notification. I’m telling you now: you are eliminated.”

Dong Wenjun’s debut and smooth career to date were thanks to a financial backer. Her previous backer was a rich old man who doted on her and even wanted to leave his “yellow-faced wife” at home to marry her. Unfortunately, that old man’s business failed; although the divorce was successful, he left with nothing.

She kept a low profile for a while until she was noticed by a wealthy and handsome “Prince Charming.”

Their relationship was currently as thick as honey. Being able to come for this audition was also thanks to the Prince Charming’s word, but she didn’t expect anyone to dare treat her like this under her backer’s influence.

In Dong Wenjun’s mind, the female lead role in this drama was already internally hers; her coming was just a formality. She didn’t expect to be bullied like this by the crew.

“Who the f*** are you?! Is it your place to boss people around here?”

Relying on her backer’s favor, Dong Wenjun wasn’t afraid of these people. Even a big director needs money to film, right? Her backer lacked nothing and had plenty of money; daring to offend her was offending a mountain of gold and silver.

Li Sheng, being a newcomer, didn’t understand the convoluted rules of the industry. She simply didn’t like this person: “Director Wen, either she goes, or I take my script and leave.”

“Ms. Li, look at what you’re saying. Our principle is to highly restore the original work. As the creator of the original work, if you feel it’s unsuitable, we naturally won’t hire her.”

Although the backer behind her was indeed very powerful, the most important thing right now was to appease Li Sheng, the original author.

Now, no one cared how powerful the actress’s background was. Two staff members came in and escorted her out.

The pushing and shoving to get her out the door was hardly more discreet than carrying her out and throwing her.

Chen Yue had poured a cup of water for Mo Yueshuang and looked up just in time to see this scene. She had been in the entertainment industry for several years and was someone who had seen big waves, but this was the first time she had seen someone kicked out of an audition in full view of everyone.

“What happened, Boss?”

“It’s other people’s business; we should mind our own.” Mo Yueshuang only took one look before pulling her focus back to the script. It would be her turn soon, and Mo Yueshuang suddenly felt the same nervous trepidation she had when she first entered the industry.

Chen Yue set aside her gossiping heart and quietly stayed by Mo Yueshuang’s side until a staff member came out and called Mo Yueshuang’s number.

“Boss! Good luck!”

Chen Yue knew this opportunity was rare—it could be said to be a watershed in Mo Yueshuang’s life. If Mo Yueshuang were selected, Dayi Entertainment would have to weigh Director Wen’s status in the circle before trying to exploit her again.

Mo Yueshuang composed her emotions and tried to relax as much as possible, entering the audition with the best mindset.

“Hello, Director. Hello, fellow evaluation teachers. I am auditioning candidate Number 48, Mo Yueshuang.”

Mo Yueshuang saw Li Sheng in the evaluation group. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes, but she hid it well. Aside from her own internal feelings, her subtle emotional changes weren’t captured by anyone—including Li Sheng, who had been staring at her since she entered the room.

“Are you ready? If you’re ready, let’s begin.”

They were all industry insiders and naturally knew what was going on with the widely circulated gossip and black material outside. Those who had seen Mo Yueshuang’s work admired her; now that these things had happened, that admiration was tinged with even more regret.

Mo Yueshuang nodded and then entered character. Just as she was about to start acting, a cold voice suddenly called out “Stop.”

Everyone looked at Li Sheng in surprise. Director Wen’s heart skipped a beat. Before Mo Yueshuang arrived, he had been leaning toward Xie Shixian. Now that Mo Yueshuang had entered character and stood before him, it was as if Di Xue had truly come to life from the book. Director Wen hoped Mo Yueshuang could be selected.

But now Li Sheng had called for a stop before she even saw the performance—could she be planning to eliminate her directly as well?

The moment the stop was called, Mo Yueshuang immediately stepped out of character. Her eyes were now clear and bright, lacking Di Xue’s decisiveness in killing, but the same resilience remained in both pairs of eyes.

Li Sheng could see that Mo Yueshuang was nervous, even a bit afraid?

Li Sheng took out a manuscript and left her seat, walking slowly over to Mo Yueshuang: “Can you try this scene?”

Li Sheng had suddenly called for a stop, yet no one blamed or blocked her. And now that she had produced a script manuscript, Mo Yueshuang was certain of Li Sheng’s identity.

She took the pages of the manuscript. The handwriting was a bit hurried, but the charm of every stroke was there, with a sense of freedom and ease between the lines.

This was the scene where Di Xue’s close friend planned an escape from the laboratory, but because Di Xue was betrayed by a subordinate, the rescue was not timely. When she saw her friend again, the friend was already a lifeless corpse on the experimental table.

This scene required showing Di Xue’s psychological state and her further growth after experiencing betrayal and the parting of life and death.