Chapter 27

Qiao Moyu asked with uncertainty, "Sister Wu, are you sure they were asking me to audition? There's no mistake?"

"Yes, they invited you. They specifically mentioned your name." Sister Wu further explained, "The official blog for 'First Light of Dawn' has been updated. Go and check it out."

"Alright." After hanging up, she used her phone to search up the official website for the drama.

The journalist, Guan Wei wrote: "The drama 'Light Before Dawn' will be directed by Feng Xuan and will begin production by September 1. Starting next Monday, casting auditions will officially start, and will be held for the following acting positions: Female no.1, female no.2, Male no.2, and all supporting actors. The male lead's actor has already been confirmed. His name will be announced together with the actress playing Female no.1 once the auditions are completed. We welcome auditioners and ask that you follow the posted schedule."

Although the microblog has only been up for half an hour, its high traffic was already unprecedented.

Not only were the novel fans raging from excitement, there were also many actors who posted to show their support.

And the director, Feng Xuan, boasts a great reputation in the industry. He's famous for releasing a smash hit drama every year, and every one of his productions outshines the ratings of all other TV dramas that run within the same time period. As a super producer, he became sought after by actors looking to get their big break.

However, he was very demanding when selecting actors for his works. Rather than focusing on a star's fame, he checks to see if his or her skill is suitable for the role.

Sometimes, the person who passes the audition is an unknown actor, who soon jumps into the entertainment spotlight because he or she was chosen for the role.

Qiao Moyu transmigrated into this world just recently. Although she had heard of Feng Xuan's name on passing, she never thought that other stars could be so crazy about him.

As she scrolled down the rows of comments, she found that all of them were comments posted by front-line stars.

Actor Qiu Shu, who was praised by fans as the nation's son-in-law, commented, "I support Director Feng's drama series! I wonder if I can act as Male no.2? [selling Meng]" **

(T/N: Mai Meng 卖萌 Definition: v. to sell cuteness; to fully display one's cuteness in public in order to draw attention or otherwise benefit oneself)

Previous Film Empress Chen Yilan: "Sends my support to director Feng, I look forward to 'First Light of Dawn!'"

Zhang Cen-Cen, a famous young beauty known for her campus drama said: "Director Feng, can this young girl volunteer for a role?"

Underneath are comments from several netizens: "I really wanna know who's the leading male actor. Is it Zhang Ruohui? Feng Ze He? Or Film Emperor Ye?"

"Replying to the comment above, Film Emperor Ye shouldn't be able to pick up another drama series. He said the reason why he chose 'Sheng Shi' was because he and the writer were friends."

"I hope the leading actress is Xing Wanshuang. There's no better choice, her acting has been great since her debut as a child star!"

I hope Miss Ruohuan plays Female no.1. She's so pretty! I like her a lot!"

"Regardless of who gets chosen for the leading roles, I'm still going to watch this drama since director Feng is taking charge of it himself!"

"Yes, all the previous dramas that director Feng chose stayed true to its original works. Since I'm a big fan of the novel, I'm really looking forward to following this drama. I believe director Feng won't let us down!"

"I can't wait to see it!"

Qiao Moyu's heart trembled as she read the countless comments one after the other. She originally wanted to accept the drama so she could satisfy the original host's dream of becoming a Film Empress. If she could accomplish that, Qiao Moyu could return to her original world.

However, she also knew that her acting skills were still lacking, so she wanted to take advantage of these two days to study the novel for 'First Light of Dawn' so she could practice her acting skills.

At this time, at the Ye family's Mansion.

Father Ye was holding the script for 'First Light of Dawn.' He turned it over before calling for Feng Xuan. "Director Feng, I finished reading the script."

Feng Xuan laughed and said: "Mr. Ye, how do you like it?"

Father Ye replied: "The plot is very good, but it needs a few more details added."

Feng Xuan said with curiosity: "I'd like to hear about it in detail."

Father Ye tapped his fingers on the table: "You can add more ambiguous scenes between the male and female leads. What you have right now is good, but it's still a bit lacking.

Feng Xuan couldn't help but laugh out loudly: "Mr. Ye, to be honest, I'm very curious as to why you suddenly invested in this drama. As far as I know, you've never gotten involved in the entertainment industry before."

"This is a new section of our company right now." Father avoided the topic and instead, asked him directly, "What do you think of my proposal just now?"

"I will add more intimate scenes if appropriate, and of course, it will depend on the audience's response," Feng Xuan replied. "After all, I don't want to ruin my own name as you know."

"I understand." Father Ye said, "Ye Peicheng has already pushed away other projects at this time, so he'll simply be waiting for the shooting to begin."

"Good," Feng Xuan said with a nod. "I will speed up the process of selecting the heroine."

...

The next day, "Light Before Dawn" announced the exact audition time, starting at 9 am Monday, for a total of three days.

Sister Wu made scheduled Qiao Moyu's appointment for the audition to be on Tuesday afternoon. Since Qiao Moyu wasn't familiar with the script, she needed to study the plot while she stayed at home these days.

In addition, the afternoon of the second day was already the halfway point for the audition. By this time, the director would have already seen plenty of actors performing and he would have a general impression of what he's looking for. If Qiao Moyu does well at this time, she can truly impress the director. But if she was scheduled instead for the last day and someone else performs brilliantly before her turn, Qiao Moyu's chances of being selected are much slimmer unless she gives an earth-shaking performance.

This Monday, the drama crew for 'Sheng Shi' held a press conference on River Square.

This will be the first time the actors appear in public after their drama was aired.

As the actress for Female no.3, Qiao Moyu was naturally planning to attend. Early that morning, she picked out a light purple dress from her wardrobe. It has a one-shoulder design with an A-line skirt that reached to her knee. The style was more conservative and simple.

She didn't know how to apply makeup, so she went to the dressing room early and asked one of the stylists to apply light makeup.

Her long was tied, leaving some side swept hair to hang loosely on her forehead. Her skin was soft and white, and her light makeup made her face appear even more delicate.

Her pair of clear and serene eyes caused her onlookers to forget the noise all around, creating a feeling of loneliness and independence.

Qiao Moyu came out of the dressing room and happened to meet Ye Peicheng, who was walking towards the backstage. He was also dressed very formally today, with a white shirt, a dark purple tie, and a black suit. This complemented his tall and upright figure, giving a taste of indifference. He seemed to release an unapproachable aura towards people around him.

When their eyes met, Ye Peicheng's eyes were filled with amazement for a split second, but then he instantly recovered his thoughts. Not a trace of emotion was seen on his face later.

Qiao Moyu smiled at him and greeted: "Hello film Emperor Ye."

He nodded faintly and pushed open the door leading towards the backstage.

Qiao Moyu went in first, and as soon as she got backstage, she heard a staff member saying, "What a coincidence we have today. Do you know who built the stage across from us?"

"Who?" someone asked.

It's the drama crew for "Xing Hai," the staff member replied. "It seems they were planning to hold their press conference at Henghai Square, but then there was a sudden accident at their building last night, so they had to temporarily relocate here."

"Isn't that the drama that rivals our 'Sheng Shi'?"

"No way!" the staff member said. "But it's a pity. Even though they have Qiao Ruohuan and Fang Zeze as their leading cast, they still can't compete with our heavyweight actors Film Emperor Ye and Xing Yushuang. They'll have to stand behind us this time!"

"No way!" the staff member said. "But it's a pity. Even though they have Qiao Ruohuan and Fang Zeze as their leading cast, they still can't compete with our heavyweight actors Film Emperor Ye and Xing Yushuang. They'll have to stand behind us this time!"

"Don't say that! I've seen the official blog for the drama 'Xing Hai' before, and it reported that Xing Yichen was visiting his girlfriend on their press conference. It's still an interesting show."

"Is that so? I believe our drama was also invested by the Xing company. Why do I feel like I PK'ed myself?"

(PK–player kill, a fight that's 1 vs.1)

"Yes, it seems that whoever wins or loses, either way all the profits end up at Xing Group, right?"

...

More than ten minutes later, the press conference for 'Sheng Shi' officially began.

The director brought all the actors for the drama onstage. Standing in the center was Xing Yicheng's sister, Xing Wanshuang. Today, Xing Wanshuang's deep red V skirt emphasized her attractive body. Her hairstyle and makeup were also exquisite, and her lipstick was as red as a flame.

However, when the fans and journalists shifted their gaze from Xing Wanshuang to the girl beside her, they couldn't look away.

Although they've seen Qiao Moyu appear a few times on the previous episodes, she appeared even more stunning now.

She wore an ordinary dress and skirt, and the style was a bit charming. However, because of her curvaceous figure, the originally cute dress ended up looking a bit more seductive.

Her neckline revealed a beautiful clavicle line, and a long, slender neck; beneath her skirt were a pair of long, white legs. Her body's curves were alluring and tempting, and yet her face was innocent and serene, as if she was the only one at peace within the turbulent world of Sheng Shi.

These two opposing qualities were perfectly blended in a single person; such beauty caused all onlookers to hold their breath in awe.

The journalist's cameras flashed without end while the fans couldn't hold their excitement as they gazed at that corner of the stage.

Almost everyone's eyes were focused on Qiao Moyu. It was difficult to look away.

Who knows who spoke first, but someone from the crowd of fans shouted: "Film Emperor Ye, your first love is so gorgeous!"

Soon, another one followed and exclaimed: "Film Emperor Ye, your first love is pretty!"

Because the auditorium is open-air, the fan's voice immediately attracted people's attention from all around.

After hearing the fans' shouts below the stage, Xing Wanshuang almost couldn't maintain the composed expression on her face. As she forced herself to be patient, someone from her fan group finally arrived and shouted to her, "Wanshuang, you're so beautiful! We love you!"

However, their cheers were too uniform. It sounded deliberate and unnatural, leaving its hearers a sense of irony. Xing Wanshuang's expression became even more twisted. Meanwhile, there were a few reporters who were excited to see this scene. It seems that they'll have plenty of interesting questions to ask the cast later!

Off to another side of the stage, the director motioned for the fans to quiet down before he proceeded to introduce the actors one by one.

When it was Qiao Moyu's turn to be introduced, the actress looked to the fans below the stage and smiled. Suddenly, the crowds sucked in their breaths in excitement.

At that moment, several assistant vans drove in, led by a black Bentley car. Some people recognized this vehicle to be Xing Yicheng's car.

It appears that Xing Yichen brought Qiao Ruohuan with him.

Author's Afterword:

Qiao Moyu is about to meet the original female protagonist. Their PK is about to begin~