Chapter Five: The Socialite Actress of Modern Society—Part Five

The next day, at the casting site for "Xiyan."

"Xiandu, let me tell you, don’t be nervous when you go in. The role of Lian Zheng is at most the fourth female lead. It’s best if you get it, but if you don’t, it’s okay—you’ll gain experience, and more opportunities will come our way in the future..."

Huo Ying held Xiandu’s hand as they sat outside the audition room, unable to calm her nerves.

Because it was the fourth female role, the number of auditionees wasn’t large. But Director Wei was a renowned filmmaker; his dramas always became hits upon release and were known as “explosive shows waiting to happen.”

So even for the fourth female lead, dozens of people had come to audition.

Xiandu was the last one, number 074.

“Sis Ying, you’ve said it three times already. Don’t worry—I’m in a good mindset.” Unlike Huo Ying’s anxiety, Xiandu appeared calm and composed.

“I’m just concerned,” Huo Ying admitted. “After all, this is the first role we’re auditioning for on our own. But Director Wei is very particular about casting, so there shouldn’t be any shady dealings. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have waited until the last minute before shooting to find Lian Zheng’s actress.”

“Xiyan” is adapted from a novel of the same name. It tells the story of Zhu Yan, a girl from a fishing village whose village is destroyed by demons. She escapes to the Qingyun Sword Sect to become a disciple of Master Yuqing, purging demons and defending the righteous path, eventually becoming a celebrated figure and forming a partnership with Master Yuqing.

Lian Zheng, the role Xiandu was auditioning for, was a spy planted by the demons close to Zhu Yan. Disguised as a fellow villager, they fled together to the sect after their village was slaughtered. Early on, she is a fellow cultivator alongside the heroine; later, she betrays her, pushing her off a cliff—an event pivotal to the heroine’s turn to the ruthless path.

If portrayed well, the role evokes sympathy; if poorly, it incites scorn.

However, Lian Zheng’s role was notoriously hard to please—no matter how well the actress performed, criticism was inevitable.

Fans of the novel despised the villainous character but held extremely high standards for her portrayal—after all, the author repeatedly emphasized Lian Zheng’s beauty, fueling readers’ vivid imaginations.

Now, with shooting imminent and no actress cast, discussions online were already heated.

“Number 074, Jiang Xiandu—”

“Alright, Sis Ying, I’m going in now. Wait for my good news!” Xiandu sprang up like a fish leaping, leaving no chance for Huo Ying to respond.

“Sigh—” Huo Ying reached out but couldn’t catch her.

[Host, why are you in such a hurry? Can’t you take it slow?]

Xiandu rubbed her arm. “I can’t stand others being so enthusiastic.”

[Oh—]

Wangcai, the system, thought their host was more flustered by others’ enthusiasm than anything else.

……

At the audition room.

Wei Lai was a bit troubled:

The last auditionee had just finished, yet he still hadn’t found the right fit. There were plenty of beautiful women, some with solid acting skills, and even several with both, but none captured the essence of the role.

Lian Zheng, though a minor character, underwent a drastic transformation—from an innocent flower to a ruthless figure—which was difficult to portray.

Yet, the actresses either came off as foolish or overly venomous.

Their understanding of Lian Zheng was superficial.

With filming close, no suitable candidate meant many scenes involving the heroine couldn’t be shot, and the previously arranged locations had to be reconsidered.

The investors wanted to impose their own choice on the cast, but Wei Lai had protested fiercely to prevent that.

Seeing the exhausted crew lazily wiping down equipment, Wei Lai felt a bit dispirited.

Should he just accept the investor’s pick? Setting aside everything else, she was indeed the most fitting candidate...

But it felt like a regretful compromise.

“Hello everyone, I’m auditionee number 074, Jiang Xiandu, here to audition for Lian Zheng.”

The sudden voice snapped Wei Lai out of his thoughts.

A young woman dressed in a clean white shirt stood in the lone beam of light, her eyes sparkling with autumn’s warmth, and a radiant smile that seemed to brighten the dim room.

Wei Lai looked up, comparing her to the others: she was beautiful, but Lian Zheng’s beauty was fragile and harmless, whereas this auditionee’s bright and flamboyant face didn’t quite match.

Sigh...

He sighed inwardly, resigned to accepting the investor’s candidate.

Yet, out of respect for the auditionee—or perhaps to convince himself—Wei Lai flipped the script to the scene where Lian Zheng is bullied by sect members and handed it to Xiandu.

“Perform this.”

Xiandu took the script, glanced over it, and recognized the scene.

During auditions, key scenes were selected to test the actor’s skills.

Before coming to audition, Xiandu had studied Lian Zheng thoroughly and developed her own interpretation.

“Begin!”

She took a deep breath, and her once flamboyant aura instantly softened, becoming fragile and pitiful.

“Don’t... don’t come closer!” Xiandu retreated, pressed against the wall, finally crouching weakly, her body trembling.

The actor playing the bully sneered, “You and Zhu Yan, two wild girls from a fishing village, think you deserve to enter Qingyun Sword Sect? Be smart and leave, or you’ll regret it!” He raised a fist toward Xiandu’s face.

Xiandu lowered her gaze, shrinking back fearfully, seemingly resigned.

But Wei Lai clearly saw that before closing her eyes, her expression was one of disdain and resistance. Only after her eyes briefly flicked to the distance did she quickly suppress it, returning to a pitiful state!

This was because Lian Zheng saw the heroine Zhu Yan arriving, so she held back from fighting!

Such subtle detail was absent in the previous auditions!

Wei Lai was thrilled, standing up from his chair and staring fixedly at Xiandu.

The performance continued:

The actress playing Zhu Yan stepped in front, defending Xiandu with the authority of a direct disciple of Master Yuqing, driving away the bullies and leading Xiandu away.

The trainee bullies looked furious but bowed their heads in submission due to their lower status.

The actress comforting Xiandu led her away.

Xiandu sobbed quietly but glanced back at the bullies—a look filled with deadly intent!

Wei Lai was both excited and relieved, feeling like he had been on a roller coaster.

“Number 074,” Wei Lai glanced at the list, “Jiang Xiandu, tell me your understanding of Lian Zheng and why you chose to act her this way?”

“Hello, Director Wei. I believe that although Lian Zheng is a spy sent by the demons to be close to Zhu Yan, she genuinely grows to like Zhu Yan during their time together. She hides her demon’s vicious and vengeful nature. Rather than just pretending for the mission, Lian Zheng voluntarily binds herself with the chains of so-called friendship.”

“Even though she later betrays Zhu Yan by pushing her off the cliff, she knows this is the only way to spur the heroine into seeking revenge on the demons. In a way, she ‘pushes’ Zhu Yan mentally...”

After speaking, Xiandu wasn’t fully confident—this was her first acting role, relying solely on her interpretation.

Like answering a reading comprehension question, she felt she had submitted a satisfying response but didn’t know Wei Lai’s standard answer.

After a long silence, applause echoed through the empty room.

“Good! Very good!” Wei Lai set down the script, clapping enthusiastically. The others around were puzzled, having formed a fixed impression from the day’s earlier auditions, thinking Xiandu’s performance was just showy.

Wei Lai approached Xiandu, admiring her. “The role of Lian Zheng is yours!”

……

Xiandu stepped out of the audition room, feeling as if she hadn’t heard any confirmation.

“Wangcai, did I complete random task four?”

[Let me check… The panel says no. Maybe the main system sent the task to our outdated device, and it hasn’t registered yet. It should update soon!]

“You guys are really stingy.”

Xiandu and a delighted Huo Ying were about to leave the audition venue when they bumped into Bo Yue and Jiang You’an walking arm in arm around the corner.

“Xiandu...” Bo Yue saw her and instinctively withdrew his hand.

But Jiang You’an held Bo Yue’s hand tightly, their fingers interlaced, eyes full of provocation as they looked at Xiandu.

Huo Ying put away her smile and scowled at them.

Huo Ying had heard about the situation between Xiandu and Bo Yue before, so she naturally bore them no goodwill.

Xiandu pulled Huo Ying away without a glance.

Now was not the time.

“Xiandu...” Bo Yue wanted to follow but was blocked by Jiang You’an stepping sideways.

“Brother Yue, didn’t we say we’d meet Director Wei? We shouldn’t be late.”