An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter 29 – An Unexpected Surprise

It was nothing. She had broken three broken ribs before, and they eventually healed. This was practically just a bruise.

For her, it was all in a day's work.

"Do you have to do these double jobs?" asked Fang Xiaocheng. "They're so dangerous."

"Well, there's going to be an audition for supporting actors this afternoon. If I'm selected, I can officially join the cast."

Ugh… this girl can't be helped.

But Fang Xiaocheng saw the excitement on Xu Xiyan's face, and couldn't bear to rain on her parade.

"Well, good luck."

…

It was nearing noon when the gig ended. For lunch, Xu Xiyan and Fang Xiaocheng took Ying Bao to a nice, quiet hotel downtown.

Xu Xiyan went to the bathroom, and when she came back, she accidentally entered the wrong private room.

As she opened the door, she saw two people, a bearded middle-aged man and a beautiful woman, sitting inside and having their meals.

The man and the woman seemed intimate towards each other, but seeing that Xu Xiyan had intruded, they quickly separated and pretended to look nonchalant.

Oh f*ck, what's going on?

Realizing her mistake, Xu Xiyan apologized, but as she spoke, she recognized the woman as the famous actress from Zstan, Qi Liya.

Xu Xiyan had seen several of Qi Liya's performances in Chinese historical palace dramas. She admired her acting skills and had learned a lot from her. It was a rare opportunity to encounter her favorite actress and, of course, she didn't want to miss the chance to get her autograph.

"I'm sorry, but… are you Qi Liya?" Xu Xiyan stood in the doorway uncertainly.

"I've watched several of your shows and I love all your performances. Could I… trouble you for an autograph?"

Xu Xiyan was like a starstruck groupie, smiling gleefully as Qi Liya approached.

Qi Liya had no choice but to take out a pen and sign her an autograph.

When Qi Liya had finished, Xu Xiyan spoke once more.

"Miss Qi Liya, you look even beautiful in person than on screen. Can we have a photo together?"

Qi Liya was reluctant, but still agreed to take a group photo. After the photo was taken, she immediately spoke a word of caution.

"I hope you will not share our photo onto the Internet. I don't want it to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings…"

"No problem, I won't. I will keep it to myself."

Xu Xiyan put away her mobile phone and when she turned to leave, she glanced at the bearded man next to Qi Liya.

He looked so familiar, but she could not put her finger on it.

The bearded man looked cold for the entire time. Could it have been that his mood was destroyed by Xu Xiyan's intrusion?

After all, if he were a director, seen spending time alone with an actress, news about their scandal might spread if he wasn't careful.

Xu Xiyan had no idea that the bearded man was a director, and she certainly hadn't thought that a chance encounter like this would bring her any unexpected surprises.

After lunch, Xu Xiyan rushed over to the audition venue and let Fang Xiaocheng return home with Ying Bao.

The audition was for a drama called "Red Sleeved Beauty," a new Chinese historical palace drama produced by the industry-famous director, Huang Guoqiang, and his personal team of professionals.

There were rumors that Qi Liya was Huang Guoqiang's favourite lead actress, and Xu Xiyan wondered whether Qi Liya would star in this drama.

But Xu Xiyan didn't really care who was chosen as the female lead--she would be auditioning for a minor role, a character who was a palace maiden with just a few lines in the script.

Although there wasn't much screen time for that character, a role was a role.

And what she was truly interested wasn't the part, but the prowess of the director, Huang Guoqiang.

He was a genius, incredibly well-respected in the world of directors. Any actor who participated in his films—even as a greenhorn—had the chance of becoming famous.

So this audition was a crucial opportunity. If Xu Xiyan could seize it, it would likely to bring her near unimaginable gains.