Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Could it be broken? Chapter 12: Chapter 12 Could it be broken? âPhew, Shen Jinghe, ah, Shen Jinghe, you must be professional, and not dismiss me just because Iâm your familyâs adopted daughter.â
Shen Jinghe was looking through the profiles of several auditioners when he suddenly lifted his head after hearing Wenyanâs thoughts.
His movement was a bit exaggerated, causing the director sitting next to him to glance over.
âWhatâs the matter?â
Shen Jinghe looked at the director with confusion, âDidnât you hear that?â
âHear what? Their self-introductions?â
Because of this interlude, the auditions and self-introductions temporarily ceased.
Wenyan was also somewhat puzzled.
âWhatâs going on, what is Shen Jinghe doing? Did he just glance at me? I havenât even started my self-introduction, is he planning to nip me in the bud?â
âHow about now?â Shen Jinghe glanced at Wenyan, who was still keeping her lips tightly sealed, and asked the director again, âDid you hear it this time?â
The director shook his head in bewilderment, âNo. Jinghe, if youâre tired, you should go back and rest.â
âNo, Iâm not tired! Letâs continue.â
This time, Shen Jingheâs gaze was fixed directly on Wenyanâs face.
Wenyan met his eyes for 0.01 seconds before quickly averting her gaze, pretending to not recognize him at all.
âWhatâs the deal with this Shen Jinghe? Is he mentally unwell or something? Asking weird questions about hearing something and then staring at me, itâs quite frightening.â
Shen Jinghe: âŠ..Whoâs the frightening one here??? She even dares to accuse him of being mentally unwell!
His mind was fine!
He had undergone psychological counselling just last month after playing the role of a psychopath, and he was very healthy indeed.
Shen Jinghe pinched the bridge of his nose, reminding himself to focus on the work at hand and not to get distracted.
The self-introductions soon reached Wenyan, who was the last one. As soon as her speech ended, the director called out two names.
âYou two, please step out, the rest stay.â
Although the director didnât explain why, Wenyan had her guesses.
The commonality between the two actresses who had just left was that they had undergone cosmetic surgery; their facial expressions were not very natural when they spoke.
Just when Wenyan thought they were moving on to the next stage of the screening, Shen Jinghe suddenly spoke up.
âWenyan. I think she can leave as well.â
âWhy?â Wenyan blurted out with a question.
The director was also puzzled, âWhy is that?â
âBecause this Miss Wen looks down on people in our profession. A person who sneers at acting, what exactly is her intention in coming here?â
Wenyan: ⊠was left speechless.
The director looked back and forth between Shen Jinghe and Wenyan, âDo you two know each other?â
âNot at all!â Wenyan quickly denied.
With Shen Jinghe behaving like this, even if she admitted knowing him, he wasnât going to let her get in through the back door, so why bother.
âTeacher Shen, could you have mistaken me for someone else? Although youâre renowned throughout the entertainment industry, and Iâm familiar with all your works, this is definitely the first time we are meeting today! How could you say such a thing?â
âAhhh, Shen Jinghe is trying to kill me! In such a situation, I donât even have a chance to apologize. Spirits of heaven and earth, Supreme Venerable Sovereign, please manifest and save me!â
Shen Jinghe raised an eyebrow, now she realized her mistake, addressing him with honorifics? Too late.
However, her acting was indeed not bad, her mind was clearly in a panic, yet her face didnât show any of it!
Supreme Venerable Sovereign, huh.
Shen Jinghe slightly curled up the corners of his mouth, âYou say you know all my works well, then list them out. Missing one wonât do.â
Wenyan: âŠHe seems to be serious, what do I do?!
What else can you do? He definitely doesnât realize he has actually memorized all his works, hahaha!
âOkay, then let me list in detail, and if I get anything wrong, please correct me, Teacher Shen.â
Wenyan started from a toothpaste commercial that Shen Jinghe shot when he first entered the business, and recounted all the way up to the crime-themed movie he had just completed.
She recited everything without a single omission, exceptionally fluently. Shen Jingheâs face turned dark as he listened.
The director, on the other hand, felt like this actressâs command of lines must be solid.
He said to Shen Jinghe with a smile, âYou donât even recognize her, how do you know she looks down on our profession? To me, she seems like your fan. She remembers all your works since your debut, without missing a beat. Who do you think she is? You seem to hold quite a grudge.â
Shen Jinghe: âŠWho said I donât recognize her?
But since Wenyan had already denied it, Shen Jinghe naturally wouldnât insist on acknowledging her as his foster sister.
He could only say indifferently, âSomeone unrelated. I didnât rest well last night and remembered incorrectly.â
The director didnât take this little episode too seriously and nodded, âOkay then, letâs continue.â
Next, the director tested their lines and acting.
Two were eliminated during the line recital round, leaving only four people in their group.
The final acting prompt the director gave them was that of a country girl entering a modernized big city for the first time.
The four performed freely, with some showing faces contorted in exaggerated expressions and stiff demeanors, but only Wenyan performed the best, and even Shen Jinghe couldnât pick out any faults!
The director was very decisive. After the four had finished performing, he immediately pointed out three names.
âYouâve been eliminated, you can try your luck with other productions. Wenyan, go home and wait for the notification.â
Wenyan was very happy to hear this result, âThank you, Director, and thank you to all the judges!â
However, she didnât get carried away. After all, this was only the initial audition, and the director hadnât given her a definite answer yet.
Moreover, there was still Shen Jinghe, a ticking time bomb. If he badmouthed her in front of the director, it would be game over.
[Shen Jinghe, you are the most, most, most handsome, the number one in the world, please donât mess with me! I will definitely apologize to you when I get the chance!]
From the judgesâ seat, Shen Jinghe silently rolled his eyes: âŠ
He, of course, knew he was handsome, but âworldâs most handsomeâ was a bit too much. This woman says one thing and means another, truly sick.
â
After the audition, Wenyan didnât leave.
She felt it was better to address the issue with Shen Jinghe sooner rather than later, to clear the air.
So, she stayed at the venue and waited.
Eventually, she waited from 2:40 in the afternoon until 8:00 in the evening when everyone had finally left the place.
The first to come out were two judges, followed by the director and his assistant.
From beginning to end, Wenyan had not caught sight of Shen Jinghe.
This struck Wenyan as odd.
She couldnât help wondering if she had missed him leaving while she went out to buy dinner?
But she remembered clearly that couldnât be the case; after buying dinner, Wenyan overheard other girls discussing Shen Jingheâs outfit for the day.
And it seemed the lights in the room had not been turned off, so Shen Jinghe should still be inside.
Wenyan waited outside for a while longer, saw that no one else was going to look for Shen Jinghe before she quickly slipped to the door of the room.
The room door was ajar, leaving a small gap.
Through this gap, Wenyan saw Shen Jinghe lying on the table, his hat fallen to the ground.
âOh no!â Seeing this, a thought suddenly popped into Wenyanâs head, âHe couldnât have passed out, could he?â