The Role Is Set

"Why does Concubine Xi look very confused and lost? Shouldn't she be happy? She was chosen to enter the palace out of hundreds of people."

He Xinyan thought for a second before responding, "She comes from the far south, and she doesn't know anything about the people or the culture of the north. She has no one she knows to help her, so I think that there should be more helplessness and confusion for her right now."

The man nodded his head in agreement after hearing He Xinyan's answer. A small smile appeared on his face as he leaned back and began playing with the pen in his hand.

Director Ma sat up straight and crossed his arms together, speaking with a serious expression, "There is no problem with your acting. However, your appearance is way too outstanding. Concubine Xi shouldn't be that pretty."

". . ." Being pretty wasn't her fault!

"I believe that the makeup artist can solve this problem."

Ma Qiaoqi didn't say anything further and he turned around to ask the man next to him, who had just spoken. "Mr. Li, what do you think?"

The person smiled, "I think she's pretty good."

Another person sitting at the very edge of the table also nodded his head, "I think she's good too!"

This was when He Xinyan noticed that Gu Yebei was also inside the audition room! He was in the very corner and it was difficult to notice him. When Gu Yebei saw that He Xinyan was looking his way, he waved attractively and smiled.

He Xinyan flinched when she noticed how similar Gu Yebei looked to Gu Yechen when smiling. Were they related in some way, or else why did they look so alike?

After hearing Mr. Li and Gu Yebei's opinion, Ma Qiaoqi stood up from his chair and announced, "Okay, then the role is set. Xinyan, show up and report to the filming crew two weeks later."

A large smile appeared on He Xinyan's face as she bowed down, "Okay. Thank you, Director Ma."

Ma Qiaoqi pointed to the man next to him and said, "You should thank the author."

He Xinyan's eyes widened a bit when she heard what Ma Qiaoqi said. She suddenly realized that the person sitting next to Ma Qiaoqi who had asked her the question was Li Qiang, the famous writer of the book, 'Beautiful Things Past'! He Xinyan was surprised that he also attended the audition.

After noticing Gu Yebei, He Xinyan couldn't help but realize that he was staring at her very intently, and it made her a little uncomfortable.

She thanked Li Qiang one more time before turning around to leave the room. Even as she was leaving, she could feel the intense glare of Gu Yebei following her.

She quickly closed the door and found Wu Minger. Together, they left the audition location and went to go celebrate with a late lunch.

As they ate, He Xinyan mentioned that the writer was at the audition, and Wu Minger began talking about a bunch of gossip about the author, Li Qiang.

"You didn't know? Li Qiang participates in the role auditions for every single drama adapted from his books! Everyone knows this, how can you not know?!"

He Xinyan scratched her head and asked, "Why is he determined to attend all the auditions?"

Wu Minger finished chewing the food in her mouth before replying, "Because the author is a face-judger! Everyone knows this. He can't stand having ugly or even decent-looking celebrities act in his films. He needs every single actor to be good-looking! I heard that even the extras are picked based on which ones look the best."

"How do you know all of this?"

Wu Minger lifted her head proudly, "I am his fan! I read all of his books!"

Wu Minger was about to eat more when her phone rang. She picked it up and opened it to speaker mode. The calling was her older brother, Wu Chenxi.

Wu Chenxi was two years older than his sister, and their personalities were very different. After a quick call, Wu Minger looked up apologetically and said, "My brother wants me to return his car because he needs to use it. I need to go."

Wu Minger drove her brother's car today to get to the audition location.

"But you're not done eating yet."

"It's okay. You eat without me. He said he needs it right now." Wu Minger stood up hurriedly and wiped her mouth with a napkin, "I'm going to go. Bye!"

Before He Xinyan could react, Wu Minger ran off, leaving He Xinyan alone at the table. She looked at the remaining bits of food and sighed. After paying, He Xinyan left the restaurant.

She wandered around on the streets for a few minutes before she walked back to her car.

The sun was beginning to set already as He Xinyan drove back home. The street was silent except for the sound of leaves on the trees rustling as she locked her car and slowly walked over to the front door.

She opened the door and walked in, a little confused about why it was so silent inside the house today. He Xinyan entered the living room and saw three people sitting on the couch. She slightly frowned when she saw each of their expressions.

Li Yuyan was wiping her cheeks with her hand, and He Xinyan assumed that she was wiping away fake tears. When she saw He Xinyan, she looked up and glared at her before continuing to cry. To her side, Li Huiran was gently patting her daughter's back and comforting her. Li Huiran also saw He Xinyan walk in and frowned when she saw her.

Meanwhile, across from them, Bai Jiawei had a serious expression on his face and the anger was clear when he saw He Xinyan walk in.

He Xinyan pretended to not notice as she said calmly, "Hello, dad." She walked towards the stairs as quickly as possible, hoping to escape whatever was happening.

Bai Jiawei stood up from the couch and frowned, "He Xinyan!"