His Name

Xia Qing exclaimed in shock, "What do you mean the role is gone?"

Yu Juan replied, "It means the role has already been given to someone else."

Xia Qing: "That's impossible. Director Kong was very impressed with me during the audition. There were still other actors who hadn't auditioned yet, and he directly told me the role was mine. Giving it to someone else? Impossible! The director clearly appreciated me so much!"

Yu Juan pursed her lips, feeling extremely frustrated herself, but the information she had just received was absolutely true.

Xia Qing's face slowly turned red, like a hot coal, and her chest heaved.

"No, I need to call the director. I have to get to the bottom of this!"

Xia Qing took out her phone and found Director Kong Teng's number in her contacts. She didn't dial immediately, but paced back and forth in the room four or five times before finally making the call.

"Hello, Director Kong," Xia Qing said, taking a deep breath and speaking in a friendly tone.

"Yes, this is he!" the voice on the other end replied.

"Director Kong, it's Xia Qing. I auditioned for the role of Chang Yu yesterday. You even praised me, saying I perfectly matched all your imagination for the character of Chang Yu. Do you remember?"

"Yes, yes, I remember. You're that singer, right? You sing well. I often listen to your songs when I'm driving."

"Thank you, Director Kong. You flatter me."

"You're calling about the role, aren't you?" the voice on the other end asked proactively.

"Yes, yes. Director Kong, my agent just told me that the role has been given to someone else. Director Kong, did you find someone more suitable than me? Director Kong, actually, I didn't have a deep understanding of the role of Chang Yu when I auditioned. I've read the script back and forth no less than five times in the past two days, and I've memorized most of Chang Yu's lines. I dare say my understanding of the role now is much deeper than it was during the audition. Director Kong, could you give me a fair chance to compete with the person who replaced me?"

"Xia Qing, actually, I haven't even met the actress who replaced you. Let's cooperate again in the future. This time, it's probably not going to work out," the voice on the other end said after a moment of silence.

"Director Kong hasn't even met her? Then how..." Xia Qing asked in surprise.

"It's the screenwriter's decision. The screenwriter said he met a very good actress, who is practically a replica of the Chang Yu in his mind. If it were any other screenwriter saying this, I probably wouldn't believe it, but screenwriter Li... Let me put it this way, I even think he could direct this drama and the results wouldn't be much worse than mine."

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I genuinely think you are very suitable for this role. The screenwriter said he met a suitable candidate. Perhaps it's because he hasn't met you yet. One thing you can be sure of, screenwriter Li's character is absolutely impeccable. The actress he chose must have impressed him with her skills, not through any shady means. If you can convince the screenwriter, I'd still be happy for you to play the role of Chang Yu."

After hanging up the phone, Xia Qing's fighting spirit was rekindled.

If the person who replaced her relied on solid acting skills, then she wouldn't be afraid.

She was confident in her own abilities and believed that her portrayal of Chang Yu would be no worse than anyone else's.

If the other party lacked skill and relied solely on her looks, then she might truly be helpless.

She had her own principles.

But from the director's words, screenwriter Li's character was beyond reproach. His desire to replace her might simply be because he felt the person he met was very suitable.

However, as the director said, this screenwriter Li hadn't met her!

"So how does he know that I, Xia Qing, wouldn't be a more suitable candidate? After he meets me, couldn't he think that I'm actually more suitable?"

"Sister Yu, please check who exactly got the role of Chang Yu!"

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. She wanted to see just how good the acting of the person who squeezed her out was.

"Cao Shiyu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, with no representative works. The only information available online currently is two commercials and a terrible anti-Japanese war drama." After a while, Yu Juan handed the laptop to Xia Qing and pointed to the information on the screen.

"No representative works, only two commercials and a supporting role in a poorly received war drama?"

Xia Qing suddenly let out a scoff.

She felt the role of Chang Yu could still be hers.

As long as the screenwriter was truly as the director said, and his character was impeccable.

As long as this Cao Shiyu didn't get ahead through "that kind of thing."

As long as the screenwriter still valued acting skills and suitability for the role when choosing actors.

Then she still had a chance.

Although she also had no representative works, and in the first two years after graduation, she had also filmed several anti-Japanese war dramas, more than half of which never even made it to release.

Although in terms of acting experience alone, she and this Cao Shiyu were practically neck and neck.

Yet, Xia Qing inexplicably felt confident that her acting skills were definitely superior to Cao Shiyu's.

"Sister Yu, please check the information on the screenwriter of Young Bao Qingtian and try to arrange a meeting. I want to see him."

Yu Juan nodded and made a phone call.

Xia Qing clicked on the commercials Cao Shiyu had filmed.

One was for chewing gum, and the other was for shampoo.

After watching the two commercials, Xia Qing's confidence grew even stronger.

"This woman's appearance is indeed excellent; she's more than enough to be a pretty face, but her acting... At least in these commercials, she wasn't as good as me. However, it's true that the actor in the same group during the audition that day was slightly better!"

"If the director wasn't lying to me, and if this Cao Shiyu genuinely convinced the screenwriter with her 'strength,' then this role is still mine, Xia Qing's. With real skill, I'm definitely no worse than her!"

"Sister Yu, have you found the screenwriter's information yet? I think we still have hope for the role of Chang Yu!" After reviewing her opponent's information, Xia Qing's mindset suddenly relaxed, and she said.

Yu Juan's expression was even more grim than when she had received the call saying the role was gone.

"Sister Yu, what did you find out?"

Seeing Yu Juan's expression, Xia Qing inexplicably had a bad premonition.

"Xia Qing, the screenwriter for Young Bao Qingtian is named Li Xun!"

Xia Qing's brow furrowed reflexively.

Every time she heard that name, something bad was sure to follow.

The time before last she heard that name was because of those two songs—As Long As There Is You and Unburdened Heart—and her streak of topping all the charts with every new song was broken.

Just now, her mother had called and mentioned that name several times, and the role she had thought was a sure thing had slipped through her fingers.

Now Yu Jie had found someone named Li Xun, and her expression had suddenly turned so grim.

"Is it possible that I, Xia Qing, am just destined to clash with this name?!"

Xia Qing didn't really believe in such things. Compared to the ethereal concept of fate, she believed more in human determination overcoming destiny!

"Yu Jie, can you help me schedule a meeting? If he's really like what the director said, then we still have a good chance."

Yu Juan looked at Xia Qing without moving.

Xia Qing said, "Yu Jie, why are you looking at me like that?"

Yu Juan said, "Xia Qing, the screenwriter for Young Bao Qingtian is named Li Xun!"

Xia Qing said, "What does his name matter? ...Wait, Yu Jie, do you mean they're the same person?"

Yu Juan nodded. "Don't you think it's a coincidence? You just released new songs, As Long As There Is You and Unburdened Heart, and they came out right after and successfully challenged you. You just got a role, and he immediately replaced it with someone no more suitable than you. If Li Xun is him, then doesn't everything make sense?"

Xia Qing shook her head and laughed. "Him? Capable of writing a script like Young Bao Qingtian? Impossible! Unless he's a completely different person inside and out. As Long As There Is You and Unburdened Heart were released at the same time because we happened to pick a release date for Young Bao Qingtian! In short, it's impossible. I know him too well; he doesn't have the talent. He couldn't write scripts or songs when we were together, and he certainly can't now that we've broken up. He didn't have the talent today, and he won't tomorrow! His strength lies in delivering dozens of orders today and a hundred tomorrow, and that's it!"

The room fell silent.

After about ten minutes, Xia Qing suddenly asked Yu Juan, "Yu Jie, is Penguin Video a Fortune Global 500 company?"

Yu Juan nodded. "Of course. Penguin Video successfully entered the Fortune Global 500 after its independent listing. IQIYI Video is too."

Xia Qing stared blankly for a moment, then dialed her mother's number.