"Mr. Shen?"
"..."
"Ahem, Mr. Shen?"
Shen Jingwei snapped back from his reverie, blinked once, and answered, "I am sorry for spacing out just now."
The judges laughed heartily. All but Yan Renzhong, whose facial expression was hard to decipher.
"I see that you are wondering why Mr. Yan is here," one of them said. "Mr. Yan is going to play the protagonist in the drama, and the character you are auditioning for has a lot of chemistry going on with the protagonist. Naturally, he should help to decide whether you will be a great fit."
The protagonist?
Emperor Yan was going to play Supreme General Zhang Fengxi?
The one who was head over heels for Liu Wenyuan until he was not anymore?
Shen Jingwei clenched his fists.
If he knew Yan Renzhong would be here, he would never agree to come!
He would rather prepare an emergency blanket to intercept Zhu Dongyi for when he jumped from the twentieth floor!!!
Zhu Dongyi! He howled in his heart. I hope someone spills hot coffee on you today!
"I am not the casting director," Yan Renzhong solemnly said, tearing his gaze away from Shen Jingwei and looking at his fellow judges. "I am just here to give my opinion, nothing more than that."
Shen Jingwei forced himself to smile.
He was not interested in Yan Renzhong's opinion, whatever it might be.
"Alright, enough with the small talk. Let's start with the audition," the casting director spoke.
"First off, please introduce yourself."
It was a meaningless part of the audition, because, first of all, the entire panel of judges were holding his meticulously prepared actor profile in their hands.
Secondly, the actor in question was expected to highlight his achievements throughout his career.
But what if his achievements were so-so, or better said meaningless?
Naturally, the conversation would shift in the opposite direction.
"I understand that you came out as a homosexual man three years ago."
There it was.
Shen Jingwei struggled to maintain even breathing and steely composure.
"Yes," he confirmed.
"That means that you won't have any problem doing intimate scenes with men, correct?"
Uh.
It actually went a little better than the last time people asked him this question.
"I would if it's real."
The judges broke into laughter. All but Yan Renzhong, of course.
"Of course not. We are not filming X-rated movies here."
The casting director happily put a tick on his list.
It almost seemed like he was mainly concerned about this point.
Next to him, the movie director trailed down Shen Jingwei's profile with one finger.
"I see that you have acted in period dramas before."
"Yes," Shen Jingwei replied. "I played a servant twice, and soldier thrice."
"All cannon fodders," the movie director rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The others too, fell into contemplation.
Shen Jingwei almost blurted out, "I have been praised for my performance in staging death scenes."
"Have you had any martial arts training before?" One of the judges asked.
"None."
"Not even when you acted as soldiers?" He asked again.
"I was taught several basic movements, but it hardly count as martial arts training," Shen Jingwei spoke truthfully.
His eyes wandered to Lu Shui the author, who gave him both thumbs up for no reason at all.
"..."
Afterward, they made him read some lines from the script.
And they also gave him a wooden sword and asked him to swing it around to "check his form and posture".
Throughout the audition, Yan Renzhong did not give his opinion at all. He merely pinned Shen Jingwei with a stare, making the latter's skin crawl in discomfort.
At any rate, Shen Jingwei was thankful for his silence. Whatever he said behind Shen Jingwei's back later on held no meaning for him.
"Thank you. We shall inform you the result of the audition within a few days," the assistant said after thirty nerve-wracking minutes.
Shen Jingwei panted slightly.
He returned the wooden sword to the assistant and said, "Thank you for the opportunity to present myself, judges."
As soon as Shen Jingwei stepped out of the audition room, he marched out of the building.
Now that the audition was over, he could enjoy a can of cold beer for dinner tonight at last.
With Lin Ruoye participating in the audition, the hope of landing the role was infinitely small, so to say a speck of dust in an entire galaxy.
Here's to hope that he did not have to run into Yan Renzhong, ever again.
Just as luck would have it, he ran into another person he did not want to meet.
"Little Shen, hello."
Shen Jingwei narrowed his eyes at Yan Renzhong's manager, Wen Guilin.
"Manager Wen."
Wen Guilin was Yan Renzhong's only manager, the one who promoted Yan Renzhong's career from the beginning until now. She was the person Yan Renzhong trusted the most, and for a very good reason.
She did not hesitate to trample on other celebrities' careers if it meant that Yan Renzhong could shine a bit brighter on the stage.
Shen Jingwei's aversion must be visible across his face because Wen Guilin put away her cigarette and said, "Are you still holding a grudge against what happened three years ago?"
Shen Jingwei scoffed.
"Do I have to answer the question?"
Wen Guilin sighed.
"If you must hate, hate me. I was the one who spread the video, not Little Yan."
"It doesn't matter. Farewell, Manager Wen."
Shen Jingwei stalked away, ignoring the iron lady's eyes at the back of his head.
He was not an idiot. Of course, he knew that Yan Renzhong did not personally distribute that accursed video.
It had to be his manager.
But so what?
Yan Renzhong did not bother telling the truth.
He would rather lower his head, play innocent, and step on Shen Jingwei's shattered reputation to advance further.
Emperor Yan was that despicable.
----------
Author's note :
Mini theater!
Wen Guilin: I tried coaxing your wife for you. It didn't work.
Emperor Yan : *irritated* Must I do everything on my own?
Wen Guilin : If you still want to reclaim your wife, yes."