Chapter 161 Tricks

If you care about online comments, you have already lost.

Song Wan only gave them a cursory glance before turning off her phone and heading toward the audition room.

Seeing Song Wan, a few people opened their mouths in surprise. Noticing that she kept walking straight ahead without looking at anyone, one of them couldn't help but nudge his companion beside him.

"Hey, look, is that Song Wan?" he asked softly, carefully avoiding her gaze.

The person next to him looked puzzled. "It really is Song Wan. What about it?"

That person smacked his lips and said, "There are rumors online that Song Wan has already been pre-selected for the female lead. To think she'd show up here now..."

"Who cares about her? It has nothing to do with us anyway." His companion rolled his eyes.

Anxious, the man continued, "I was thinking, could we try to get on her good terms? Then maybe the role of Zhou Ya..."

His companion shot him a look and sighed, "At a time like this, what good would getting on her good terms do you?"

The companion possessed self-awareness, knowing that given his and his friend's acting skills, they would likely be eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

Even if Song Wan were a "naïve and worldly-unwise" celebrity whom two people with obvious "ulterior motives" could try to flatter, no matter how "naive" someone was, it would take time to butter them up, wouldn't it? By that time, they would have already been eliminated, rendering any flattery useless.

Besides, Song Wan's manager was Gao Xiang. Even if Song Wan were naive, wouldn't Gao Xiang screen the people around her?

After thinking about it for a moment, the man had to admit that his friend was right, and he quietly dropped the idea.

***

As soon as Song Wan stepped into the audition room, she caught the collective gaze of the three directors.

Startled, she asked, "What? Do none of you recognize me anymore?"

Zhou Qi was the first to laugh. "We just didn't expect you to show up this afternoon."

He was well aware that Song Wan intended to keep a close eye on all the casting for *Starlight*, but since she had suffered a quiet setback at Cai Qi's hands just that morning, he naturally assumed she would choose to lie low for a while and take things slow.

Money-wise—no, Qian Fu—sat nearby with a smile, his eyes carrying a teasing glint.

Cai Qi, on the other hand, gave her a curious sweep before turning his head away and ignoring her entirely.

Song Wan raised an eyebrow. Exactly how had she offended Director Cai?

However, now was not the right time to ask. Just like in the morning, the cameras were still rolling.

Song Wan found a secluded spot, made sure the actors entering wouldn't notice her, and sat down.

The order of the auditioning actors had also been meticulously designed—

These were all renowned master directors who had been treated with utmost deference year round, so their tempers naturally couldn't be too mild. Furthermore, they weren't here to help cast out of courtesy to the crew, but simply because they were good friends of Director Zhou.

For both public and private reasons, the production team had to ensure these directors enjoyed their time during the casting process.

At the very least, they couldn't let them fly into a rage simply because they hadn't encountered a single watchable actor for hours.

Therefore, the crew's staff had deliberately interspersed a few actors with some industry reputation—guaranteed to have at least passable acting skills—into the audition queue.

The first auditioning actor was also a carefully selected newcomer from a film academy, rumored to possess decent acting chops.

The actor profiles on the desk beside the directors clearly detailed their personal information.

*Swish*—

Song Wan froze. Looking at the stack of white paper thrust before her, she turned her head to look at Shi Yi, who had suddenly sat down beside her, completely baffled.

Shi Yi nudged his chin, gesturing for her to take them.

Raising an eyebrow, Song Wan obediently accepted the stack, flipped through it, and couldn't help her astonishment.

She whispered, "The actors' resumes and the background checks conducted by the crew? Why are you giving these to me?"

Aside from the directors in charge of auditions, such materials were strictly confidential.

Shi Yi, however, didn't seem to care. "You're basically representing the production's investors anyway. There's no harm in letting you take a look."

He trusted Song Wan's character; she wouldn't do anything malicious and self-defeating like leaking the documents.

Song Wan was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly.

Shi Yi shrugged and turned his gaze back to the center of the room.

The first auditioning actor was already standing before the directors.

His appearance was above average, matching the physical description in *Starlight*—anyone whose appearance deviated too much had already been weeded out during the open casting call and stood no chance of appearing in the audition room. Yet, the timid, cringing look between his brows made Song Wan frown.

She opened the actor's file: Kang Jian, a junior at the Imperial Film Academy, who had worked as an extra on numerous sets and even landed a minor speaking role in Director Cai's movie.

A respectable resume.

However, Kang Jian's personality—as described both on his resume and in the crew's background check—was sunny, outgoing, and easygoing, the kind of person who could instantly hit it off with anyone on a film set.

Song Wan: ……Are you kidding me?

Yet she didn't assume the file was wrong; she simply couldn't help casting her gaze toward Director Cai Qi sitting right in the middle.

Word had it that many actors who had participated in Director Cai's films viewed him as a lifelong trauma and refused to ever work with him a second time.

After a moment's thought, Song Wan instantly understood why.

Kang Jian was indeed behaving completely out of character because of Cai Qi. Had he known prior to submitting his resume that Cai Qi was one of the three auditing directors, he probably wouldn't have applied at all.

But since he had already submitted it, he was naturally unwilling to give up easily.

This opportunity was simply too good.

After taking a moment to adjust himself, he quickly regained his composure.

Of course, upon closer inspection, one could still see that he kept avoiding Director Cai's gaze, treating the man like a devastating natural disaster.

Having spent years working behind the camera, these directors excelled at controlling and observing details, emotions, and expressions; naturally, they wouldn't miss this.

Qian Fu couldn't help laughing out loud.

Zhou Qi was even more ruthless. Still holding a grudge over Cai Qi's verbal provocation from the morning, he immediately seized the chance to mock him: "Old Cai, what on earth did you do to this young Kang fellow while filming, that he's now going out of his way to avoid you?"

Qian Fu snorted with laughter and chimed in, "I'd heard that actors who work with you refuse a second collaboration. I used to think it was just a rumor, but seeing this now, it seems there's some truth to it?"

Cai Qi wore a bitter expression. Such rumors actually existed?

Yet upon deeper reflection, his face instantly turned dark: *So that's why!* No wonder when he approached former collaborators to star in his new film, everyone conveniently told him they were "fully booked."

He was the only fool who had actually believed them.

A bunch of liars!

The innocent "they": *Everyone knows that's just polite industry phrasing. We all thought you knew the real reason for our rejections—who knew you actually fell for it?*

Recalling Cai Qi's temperament, Zhou Qi suddenly had an epiphany: "So the reason you keep promoting newcomers isn't because you like working with fresh faces, but because veterans refuse to work with you a second time, right?"

Cai Qi: "..." *Don't stop me, I'm going to hack this bastard to death with a knife!*

Qian Fu roared with laughter, his gaze unable to resist lingering on Kang Jian.

Kang Jian looked utterly bewildered: *Why did the directors suddenly start fighting?*

Song Wan wondered if she should remind the directors that they were still being filmed on camera.

Just as she was about to stand up, the specialized variety show director stationed behind the monitor spotted her movement and immediately raised a hand to stop her.

This was prime variety show material—

The bickering banter of renowned directors, the well-known rumors behind their jokes, Cai Qi's bewildered reaction...

One after another, once put through post-production editing, every single one of these moments would become a comedy highlight of the show.

If they wanted to be a bit unscrupulous and let the promotional team craft a sensational headline, this episode's ratings would be fully secured.

After a moment of consideration, Song Wan ultimately decided to trust the variety show director's professional judgment.

***

Fortunately, after bickering for a little longer, the directors finally quieted down.

Abruptly enlightened about his reputation, a deeply aggrieved Cai Qi glared at Kang Jian, his brows furrowed tightly. "Kang Jian? Begin your performance."

Kang Jian: "..."

He felt that he must have lost his mind to have come to this audition.

Qian Fu eagerly interjected, "Which scene in *Starlight* involving Zhouya, the character you're auditioning for, is your favorite? Tell us why."

Only then did Kang Jian let out a sigh of relief and slowly begin, "My favorite is the scene where Zhou Ya dies."

Before he could explain his reasoning, the three directors narrowed their eyes in unison, and the appreciation that had previously lingered in the depths of their gazes instantly vanished.

Song Wan paused and couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.

Perplexed, Shi Yi asked her, "Is there something wrong with that scene?"

Song Wan shook her head, though her furrowed brow did not relax. "There's nothing wrong with it."

And yet, the fact that there was nothing wrong with it was precisely the biggest problem.

While Zhou Ya's death undoubtedly inflicted a profound impact on Zhou Xi's personality and laid the emotional groundwork for Zhou Xi's later encounter and friendship with the female lead, the scene itself possessed nothing extraordinary.

The young girl behind the box possessed exceptional prose, capable of sketching a vivid, lifelike character in just a sentence or two, yet she herself maintained an attitude of chilling detachment toward death—

To her, death seemed to be the most ordinary thing in the world.

This trait was reflected in every single one of her novels.

The death scenes in all her books unfolded naturally as the plot progressed.

Much like a glass of plain boiled water, it tasted of nothing much while going down, and once finished, left no lingering thrill behind.

Yet it was precisely this ordinary, unembellished, and plain treatment that managed to evoke the deepest sorrow hidden in the reader's heart, without leaving them trapped in lingering grief over the character's demise.

Because of this, many readers had even questioned her profession—

Everyone guessed she must be a doctor, someone inured to the sight of life and death, which explained why she treated mortality so casually.

Zhou Ya's death also continued the consistent style of the young girl behind the box: utterly commonplace. It would bring sadness while reading, but afterward, recalling it might only stir a faint, gentle melancholy rather than leaving a deep impression.

And yet, out of a scene like this, Kang Jian claimed it was his favorite.

Even if he had picked a slightly unhinged or dramatic scene, it would have been far better than choosing such an unremarkable one that barely left a trace in anyone's memory.

Viewing it from Kang Jian's perspective, however, Song Wan understood the deep calculation behind his choice—

The more commonplace a scene or dialogue, the more it tested an actor's true skill.

Furthermore, choosing such a scene practically eliminated the risk of another candidate giving the same answer, allowing him to stand out as unique.

Leaving an impression in the directors' minds would be a massive step toward success.

He simply hadn't considered that the three judges were master directors who had each helmed at least ten film and television projects.

Having experienced so much, they had seen it all. Such petty little tricks...

Cai Qi wore an expression of clear displeasure.

Qian Fu and Zhou Qi exchanged glances before shaking their heads in unison.

Kang Jian instantly broke out in a cold sweat.