The Audition Begins

Just as Qin Ran had guessed, the screenwriter was indeed quite different from the director. In fact, the two could be described as "completely opposite"—well, not entirely. There was a certain resemblance in their appearance, which gave Qin Ran a sense of familiarity.

The screenwriter arrived almost immediately after being called, showing up very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that by the time Sister Li had arranged the meeting and booked the tea house, the screenwriter was already on her way. Sister Li asked the waiter to clear away the tea that the director hadn't even touched, and to prepare a new pot.

They hadn't been sitting there for long when a ride-share vehicle pulled up outside, and a woman with long hair stepped out, her head lowered. Since they were sitting on the second floor, they couldn't see her clearly until she came upstairs.

When the screenwriter reached the second floor, her appearance became clearer. She wore glasses, her hair was a bit messy, and she looked somewhat disheveled—quite similar to the director. Her overall demeanor, however, was completely different from the director's; she seemed timid and easily intimidated, as though she could be pushed around.

Once seated, she greeted them hesitantly, stumbling over her words.

Sister Li introduced her: "This is screenwriter Xiaoyue. This is her first script being adapted into a TV drama." Xiaoyue blushed as she was introduced, becoming even more reserved. "Hello, I'm Xiaoyue," she murmured, her voice barely audible. She appeared to be in her mid-to-late twenties, someone who hadn't been in the professional world for very long.

But it was clear that the past few years had been tough for Xiaoyue; her confidence seemed to have been nearly crushed. After finally selling her first script and then being summoned by the biggest investor, Xiaoyue had rushed over without delay.

Although Xiaoyue appeared timid and shy, she managed to express her concerns clearly: "Before selling the script to the director, I made it clear that the script couldn't be altered freely."

"I'm not asking you to change the script," Qin Ran replied, her tone softened, acknowledging the screenwriter's nervousness. She also suffered from social anxiety at times, though not as severely as Xiaoyue. "In fact, I hope you stick to your vision. I think your script is excellent, and even if this director doesn't fully recognize it, sooner or later, it will be appreciated."

Qin Ran's eyes sparkled with approval as she continued, "If you come up with any new scripts in the future, feel free to bring them to 99 Entertainment. As long as the work is solid, we'll offer you a fair deal."

Being recognized for her talent, especially as an equal, was a new and wonderful feeling for Xiaoyue. She blinked in surprise, then nodded in gratitude. Qin Ran gestured towards the tea, encouraging her to take a sip. "Try it; this is Mingqian Biluochun."

The tea was indeed top-quality Mingqian Biluochun, priced at 2,000 yuan per liang (around 50 grams). The tea, once brewed, had a fresh green color and a subtle sweetness—perfect for those who might not appreciate overly bitter tea. Though Xiaoyue wasn't well-versed in tea, she often drank it while working on scripts to stay alert. She didn't have a sophisticated palate but could immediately tell this was high-quality tea. She savored the flavor and made a mental note of its appearance and taste, thinking it might come in handy for a future script.

As they continued to drink tea and chat, the atmosphere became more relaxed. Qin Ran didn't mention any special treatment for Yu Shuman during the audition but simply enjoyed the conversation. When the tea session ended, they said their goodbyes and Qin Ran returned home, where she informed Yu Shuman that she would also be attending the audition—a fact that she mentioned with some pride.

However, Yu Shuman's reaction wasn't quite what Qin Ran had expected; she seemed a bit troubled. Qin Ran was puzzled. "Shuman, don't you want me to be there?"

"It's not that..." Yu Shuman shook her head. "I'm just worried that I might get nervous with you watching."

Hearing such an adorable concern, Qin Ran couldn't resist lunging forward to plant a kiss on Yu Shuman's cheek, making a loud smooching sound and leaving a wet mark. Yu Shuman, slightly embarrassed, wiped her face and jokingly smeared the moisture onto Qin Ran's face in return.

"Ah! Shuman, you're being mean!"

"You started it!"

The two of them played around for a bit before Yu Shuman returned to studying the script for her audition. She was auditioning for the third female lead—a role that wasn't particularly extensive but still had its moments. As the big boss, Qin Ran had already gotten her hands on the script.

If you stripped away the layers of suspense, the story wasn't that groundbreaking. It was set in a large building where a security guard, who had worked there for three years, was suddenly found dead. Despite a thorough investigation, no suspects were found. However, the sharp-eyed male lead—a local police detective—felt that something was off.

As he unraveled the mystery, he discovered that the truth was far more complicated than it seemed: the building's ten residents were all involved in the guard's death. Each one had a hand in his murder.

The third female lead, the role Yu Shuman was auditioning for, was one of these residents.

From Qin Ran's perspective, the story wasn't particularly novel; it bore similarities to the classic film "Murder on the Orient Express," which followed a similar structure. But what mattered was how the story was executed. In this case, the driving force behind the residents' actions was their collective desire for revenge against the guard, who had committed a heinous crime fifteen years earlier—an unsolved case of home invasion, rape, and murder.

The third female lead was the victim's student at the time. The victim had been tutoring the third female lead as a part-time job to pay for her own studies. On the day of the incident, the victim had hidden the student and faced the intruder herself, ultimately sacrificing her life.

The victim had protected the student at the cost of her own life.

When the female lead found the third female lead, the latter didn't hesitate to join the quest for vengeance.

Over the years, several other residents had moved into the building, each with a close connection to the victim. Whether they were friends, family, or people the victim had helped, their shared trauma had stayed buried until the female lead's arrival reawakened their resolve. Together, they plotted and executed the guard's murder.

In the end, when the male lead confronted them, urging them to reveal the truth and expose the guard for what he really was, the group hesitated but ultimately stood together, willing to bear the consequences of their actions.

The script was well-written and effectively showcased the power of women, highlighting the female lead's courage, cunning, and relentless pursuit of justice, as well as the strength of the supporting female characters. It was no wonder that Sister Li saw potential in it, believing it to be a promising project for the company.

Qin Ran, though not an expert, could see the value in the script.

She even asked, "Shuman, wouldn't you prefer to audition for the female lead? The character is really well-developed."

Yu Shuman playfully tapped Qin Ran with the script. "No way. The female lead is supposed to be in her mid-thirties. Besides, she has several intense scenes with the male lead that require strong acting skills. I'd better stick to a supporting role."

Seeing how serious Yu Shuman was about the audition, Qin Ran relented and watched as she practiced her lines. A couple of days later, the day of the audition arrived. Yu Shuman woke up even earlier than Qin Ran to prepare herself, carefully crafting her appearance to match the character she was auditioning for.

The third female lead was the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, but her traumatic experience had left her emotionally scarred. This kind of character was a far cry from Yu Shuman's usual cheerful and strong persona, making the role a challenging one to portray.

Fortunately, Lucy, an expert makeup artist, had already designed the perfect look for the role. She arrived early with all her equipment and quickly transformed Yu Shuman into someone entirely different from her usual self.

Yu Shuman was dressed in a high-end, pure white dress with simple lines and a light, flowing fabric that made her look delicate and refined. Over it, she wore a cream-colored knit cardigan, adding a touch of innocence to her appearance. Her usual wavy hair had been straightened and pulled back with a cream and daisy yellow headband.

Her makeup was also toned down from her usual glamorous style. The focus was on creating a translucent, fresh look with a subtle hint of exhaustion around the eyes, suggesting sleepless nights.

Seeing Yu Shuman looking so fragile, Qin Ran couldn't help but feel a pang of concern. But from a more objective standpoint, she felt that the lip makeup and the mole under Yu Shuman's lips seemed a bit off. After thinking for a moment, Qin Ran suggested, "Could you tone down the lip color and highlight the mole? I think it might give the character more depth."

Lucy nodded in agreement and checked the time, a bit concerned.

Yu Shuman considered it and said, "We still have some time to adjust the makeup. If it doesn't work, we can always fix it in the car." With that, Lucy went ahead with the changes.

The light pink lipstick was wiped off, and Lucy applied a foundation to mute the lip color further. She then used a special white lipstick to create a ghostly pale effect, before finally emphasizing the mole under Yu Shuman's lip. The result was a different kind of beauty in the mirror—a delicate but eerie presence.

Yu Shuman, examining her reflection, tested out some expressions, blending her character's aristocratic demeanor with a subtle, unsettling vibe. Lucy shivered at the sight, but Qin Ran, on the other hand, praised her enthusiastically: "Shuman, that was amazing! The way you looked both approachable and yet aloof was perfect!"

Yu Shuman blushed slightly and beckoned Qin Ran closer, whispering, "I learned that from Ling Miaohan. She always has that look in her eyes." Qin Ran couldn't help but laugh, thinking that the resemblance was indeed uncanny.

With her makeup and outfit finalized, the group set off for the studio. Thanks to the sufficient funding, the director had rented out an entire large soundstage and built several sets. The auditions were held in the studio's conference room. Qin Ran arrived first, and the producer quickly greeted her and Wu Special Assistant.

"Ah, President Qin, Special Assistant Wu! We're so honored to have you here! The director told me you might come, but I didn't quite believe it. We've prepared seats and tea for you, please have a seat." After a bit of small talk, Qin Ran noticed that the director and screenwriter were already seated.

She had met both of them before. The director merely nodded arrogantly, while Xiaoyue gave her a friendly smile. Since they had arrived on short notice, their seats were placed on the outer edge, which didn't bother Qin Ran.

Once seated, the staff handed out a list of the actors auditioning that day. It was clear that the director was genuinely interested in finding actors who fit the roles, as almost every character, except for the already cast male lead, was being auditioned for.

The competition for the female lead role was fierce. The character was supposed to be around 35 years old, but thanks to good skincare and makeup, actresses ranging from their twenties to their forties could all vie for the part. Many actresses were eager to land this role, as opportunities for women over 30 in the entertainment industry were scarce.

Although the director's personality left much to be desired, he was at least willing to give older actresses a chance, which earned him some respect from Qin Ran.

Before long, the first actress was led into the conference room, followed by the second and the third. Objectively speaking, they were all quite good and fit their characters, but the director's expression remained unsatisfied, as if the actresses hadn't met his ideal.

After a while, the director turned to Qin Ran and asked, "President Qin, have you seen anyone you like?"

Qin Ran retorted, "I don't know anything about acting."

By the time the morning auditions wrapped up, Qin Ran was so bored she was about to start twirling a pen. The director had finally settled on the actresses for the female lead, the second male lead, and the second female lead but was still visibly displeased. He then announced a break for lunch. Qin Ran immediately got up to find Yu Shuman, despite the producer's attempts to coax her into joining them for a "simple meal" at a restaurant. Qin Ran was only interested in seeing Yu Shuman.

The producer was left looking helpless, casting a pleading glance at Wu Special Assistant, but Wu Special Assistant simply went to collect their boxed lunches, indifferent to the situation.

Qin Ran: snaps a photo This gaze is perfect! Shuman, you're amazing! (M-aspect awakening)