Truly Dedicated to Art (Lily ABO) - Chapter 8

“Was that the last one for today?”

The woman leaned lazily against the back of her chair. She wore a beige oversized shirt paired with dark gray silk wide-leg pants. Her dark tea-colored mid-length hair was loosely tied into a low ponytail. The large black-framed glasses made her face look even smaller and more delicate. Her round, amber-colored almond eyes narrowed slightly, and her small, cute nose wrinkled. Her normally sweet and gentle appearance now showed clear impatience.

There was also a faint hint of irritation in her tone.

The assistant director, Zhou Ke, hurriedly soothed her: “Sister Lan, don’t worry, there’s still one more. I heard this one is pretty good!”

Wei Lan let out a cold laugh. “Haven’t you said that about every single one? Is there anyone in this world you don’t think is good?”

Zhou Ke smiled apologetically. “Just be patient. If you don’t like her, you don’t have to take her. You’re the director, so you have the final say.”

“The investors keep stuffing so many ugly, useless people in for auditions every day. Doesn’t my time matter? Maybe I should just stop filming this drama and sit here doing auditions all day instead.” The more Wei Lan spoke, the angrier she became. She took a sip of water to calm herself down before continuing, “I’m already used to their acting being so terrible I can’t even look at it, but now not a single one even has decent looks or aura. The words ‘nepotism hire’ are practically written on their faces. What the hell am I supposed to film?”

The screenwriters and producers sitting on both sides heard her openly complaining about the investors. They exchanged a quick glance and silently lowered their heads, staring at their notebooks and pretending to be dead.

Zhou Ke was used to her temper. She kept her head down and let her vent, then casually checked the list. “The last one… I’ve never heard of her.”

Wei Lan rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the ceiling. “As if any of the previous ones were big stars.”

“The ones before had at least some small reputation. This one I really haven’t heard of. She looks like a complete newcomer.” Zhou Ke tried to recall.

Wei Lan slumped back in her chair, too lazy to respond.

“Oh, I remember now. This one seems to be under Cheng Lingheng. Yeah, that’s her. Cheng Lingheng contacted me a couple of days ago.” Zhou Ke suddenly remembered and pulled out her phone to scroll through it.

“So what if she’s under Cheng Lingheng? Last time Zheng Ling came to my set and nearly pissed me off to death. She couldn’t even pass one scene after shooting for two whole days.” Despite her words, Wei Lan unconsciously sat up straighter.

Zhou Ke thought to herself: Who was the one praising her to the skies last time?

But she still coaxed gently, “Who told our Director Wei to have such high standards? This kind of meticulous and perfectionist attitude is truly a model for the entire industry.”

Wei Lan gave a light snort.

A knock sounded at the door at the perfect moment — knock, knock, knock. The rhythm was clear and the force was just right.

“Please come in,” Zhou Ke called out.

As the door opened, a woman in a snow-white chiffon dress walked into the room. Her ink-black long hair was neatly pinned up at the back of her head. Her face was as pure and beautiful as a lotus emerging from water, with a faint, gentle smile on her lips.

“Hello, teachers. I’m Yu Shuinao, auditioning for the role of Xue Zhao.”

Wei Lan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Her gaze focused on Yu Shuinao’s brows and eyes as the black pen in her hand spun lightly between her fingers.

She spoke lazily, “Try the ‘Asking Heaven Mirror’ scene.”

The drama was titled Asking the Heart. The synopsis: The young sword cultivator Chu Li, carrying the blood debt of her sect’s extermination, is saved by Xue Zhao, the Palace Master of the number one immortal sect, Xuanji Palace, and taken in as her disciple. Chu Li hides the seeds of revenge deep in her heart. In front of her master, she conceals her sharpness, unwilling to taint Xue Zhao’s pure, transcendent immortal-like nature. Years later, the Asking Heaven Mirror in Xuanji Palace issues a warning — demonic energy is stirring in the mortal world and a great calamity is approaching. Xue Zhao decides to disguise herself and descend the mountain to hunt demons. Chu Li also volunteers to go down the mountain, secretly planning to investigate the truth behind her sect’s destruction and seek revenge. In the turbulent jianghu, Chu Li discovers that her sect’s extermination is intertwined with the great calamity facing the mortal world. All clues point to the fact that she must sacrifice her life to awaken the demon-slaying divine sword “Asking Heart Sword” to protect the common people. Along the way, Chu Li’s feelings for Xue Zhao quietly change, and the forbidden master-disciple relationship gradually blurs under the disguise…

The moment Wei Lan finished speaking, Yu Shuinao recalled the scene for a few seconds, lowered her eyelids, and when she raised her eyes again, she had become Xue Zhao, Palace Master of Xuanji Palace.

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the nonexistent Asking Heaven Mirror in the air. Her pupils contracted, her lashes trembled faintly, and her brows furrowed lightly.

After a moment, she turned her head and swept her gaze across the room, her expression carrying the cold, transcendent aura of an immortal descended from heaven.

She was looking at the Xuanji Palace elders and Chu Li who should be present according to the script.

“Starting tomorrow, Elder Qingxu will temporarily take over the duties of Palace Master. I will personally descend the mountain to hunt demons.” Her tone was firm.

In the script, an elder would object to this decision here, but there weren’t enough people to act it out during the audition.

She paused, her voice softening slightly with a hint of recollection: “When Master Xuan Zhi was still alive, she once warned me — the more terrifying the heavenly secrets, the more someone must act as a torch to illuminate the darkness. The common people are innocent in the face of disaster. As the master of a palace, if I hide within these walls, how can I live up to the oath I made to my master?” Her fingertips unconsciously stroked the nonexistent sword at her waist.

The snow-white chiffon dress looked exactly like Xue Zhao’s spotless white robes in the drama.

“Disciple requests to accompany Master down the mountain!” The actress playing Chu Li picked up her line.

After being rebuked by the elders, Chu Li’s tone became even more determined: “On the day I entered Xuanji Palace, I swore to protect the people of the world from calamity. Please allow me to descend the mountain with you, Master!”

Yu Shuinao looked at her with gentle, gratified eyes. The corners of her lips curved into a barely noticeable arc. “Good child.”

She turned back to the elders once more: “Tomorrow, I and Li’er will descend the mountain to hunt demons. I trust that all elders will guard Xuanji Palace well.”

From the plot synopsis, the core character and main focus of Asking the Heart seemed to center more on Chu Li. However, the script Yu Shuinao received was not complete. The subtle details in this section hinted that Xue Zhao’s character was not as simple as she appeared on the surface. In the Asking Heaven Mirror scene, it was not enough to only show Xue Zhao’s compassion for the world as a palace master and her sense of responsibility as a top sword cultivator. A deeper layer of emotion also needed to be performed.

This audition tested not only the actor’s precise delivery of the literal script, but also their deep understanding and analysis of the character and plot, which had to be subtly conveyed.

…

The moment Yu Shuinao finished the audition and got into the car, her assistant Xiao Tang immediately leaned over.

“Sister Shuinao, how did the audition go? What did the director say?” The young girl’s eyes were full of anticipation.

Yu Shuinao curved her lips, then shook her head. “I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait for the notice.”

“You’ll definitely get it! Sister Shuinao, you’re a hidden gem in the entertainment industry. It would be against heaven’s will if you don’t play the female lead…” Xiao Tang chattered on excitedly.

“Alright, alright, stop!” Yu Shuinao couldn’t help laughing. “In your heart I can succeed at anything. I’m going to lose myself at this rate.”

Xiao Tang retorted unconvinced, “I’m just telling the truth! Sister, you seem to be in a pretty good mood. The audition must have gone well, right?”

“Hmm…” Yu Shuinao rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. “I feel… it was okay? But Director Wei’s reaction was a bit strange. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

When she finished performing, Wei Lan’s expression didn’t look dissatisfied, but it also didn’t look particularly satisfied. There was an exploratory look in her eyes that Yu Shuinao couldn’t understand.