Opportunity

The next day, Jing City, a certain hotel.

A low-budget web drama was holding auditions here. Cao Shiyu sat in the hallway, quietly waiting to be called by the staff.

The role she was auditioning for today was very small and insignificant. If roles were ranked by importance, the one she was auditioning for today could barely be considered female role number five, if such a ranking even made sense.

It had already been two years since she graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. Among her classmates, some had even won Best Actress awards. Yet, she was still anxiously waiting to be chosen for a trivial role!

The thought made her feel a wave of dejection.

She considered her acting skills to be at least above average, so why wasn't anyone willing to give her a chance to perform?

Her classmate Yan Yun, was her acting or her appearance better than hers? How could she win the Golden Eagle Best Actress award?

Cao Shiyu held a knot of frustration in her heart.

She wasn't afraid of small roles, because she believed that as long as she put her heart into every role she got, the person who would appreciate her and give her an opportunity would eventually appear before her.

Three years? Or perhaps five?

She was willing to wait!

Even if she had to wait ten years for it, she would never easily give up on the path of acting.

A few days ago, she had auditioned for a role in Young Bao Qingtian, named Chang Yu.

This TV series was very popular right now, and many people around her were talking about it.

At that time, her agent, Sister Lan, had auditioning opportunities for two dramas, but unfortunately, the audition times for both were exactly the same.

Sister Lan wanted her to audition for another drama, one with a much smaller investment than Young Bao Qingtian. The role she was supposed to audition for also had little room for development.

However, Sister Lan had a slight connection with the assistant director of that drama. According to Sister Lan, as long as her performance wasn't too bad, as long as she showed even a little bit of acting skill, that role would be hers.

But she had still resolutely chosen to audition for Young Bao Qingtian. Although her rational mind kept telling her to choose the other drama, she still chose to audition for Young Bao Qingtian, a drama where she had almost no chance of success.

She had long accepted the reality that her life was destined to be more arduous. She had even mentally prepared herself to be an extra for more than a decade, or even longer.

But could she please have one last dream?

She swore that after this, she would never have such daydreams again!

The day before the audition, she prayed silently.

"Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jade Emperor, Jesus, Balala the Fairies, all the gods and Buddhas in heaven, can tomorrow's outcome be decided solely by acting ability? If my acting is better, will you choose me?"

Perhaps her prayers had worked. This audition might truly be the fairest one she had ever dreamed of.

Because she had inadvertently overheard the casting director say: "This one isn't bad either, but unfortunately, she's still a little worse than Xia Qing, who just went before her."

When she met her agent, Sister Lan, although Sister Lan asked casually, Cao Shiyu knew that Sister Lan was actually hoping she could create a miracle.

But reality is not a novel, nor is it a TV series. There are no protagonists in reality, nor are there miracles. In reality, there is only the cold, unavoidable truth.

Undoubtedly, she had failed her audition again!

However, unlike her past failures, this time she had truly failed based on her own abilities!

All signs indicated that her acting might indeed not be as good as that person named Xia Qing. This time, her loss was not unfair!

Sister Lan must have been utterly disappointed in her by now?!

She remembered when she first signed with Sister Lan, Sister Lan would tell everyone she had found a treasure. She also said that at most, Cao Shiyu would definitely make a name for herself in the entertainment industry within a year.

But now, two years had passed unnoticed, and she, Cao Shiyu, had still achieved nothing!

Her luck was truly terrible!

Except for the audition for Young Bao Qingtian, where she was genuinely outmatched, all her other auditions had ended in failure due to various unexpected factors.

"Cao Shiyu!"

The staff member finally called her name.

"We'll be recording the entire session, is that okay?"

"No problem!"

"Alright, let's begin. Please start with a self-introduction!"

"Hello director, my name is Cao Shiyu, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama."

"Have you read the script?"

"Yes, I have!"

"Good, let's try the interrogation scene. I'll play the other role!"

"Are you sure it was him who assaulted you that night?"

Cao Shiyu's expression gradually turned sorrowful. With a hint of sadness in her voice, she said, "I don't remember. It was very dark that night, there were no streetlights. I struggled with all my might, but he was too strong."

"So you didn't get a clear look at the assailant's face!"

Cao Shiyu's eyes grew more pained as she said, "He kept telling me to shut up, to behave, or he would kill me. I was so scared, so scared, but I still struggled desperately. He suddenly slapped me, and I felt something sweet gush into my mouth. I didn't dare to move, not one bit. Later, someone passed by, and he got scared. He held me down forcefully, his hands still choking my neck. I couldn't breathe, and then..."

Cao Shiyu looked up, tears streaming down her face, falling onto the script in her hands.

Cao Shiyu knew her audition had failed again as she walked out of the audition room.

The director had actually been quite satisfied with her performance; she could tell that much. For a moment, she even thought she'd gotten the part. Even though it was just a minor role, a fifth female lead, and the production didn't have a huge budget, the feeling of having her acting recognized was truly wonderful.

But just as the audition ended, the director took a phone call. As she was about to leave the room, she heard him exclaim, "If I can't even decide on a fifth female lead, then what's the point of me being a director?!"

Cao Shiyu understood perfectly what those words meant.

She stepped out of the hotel and received a call from her agent, Chen Lan.

"Hello, Sister Lan!"

"Shiyu, where are you now?"

"I'm at the entrance of the Jinming Hotel. The audition you arranged, remember?"

"Of course, of course. Is the audition over?"

"Yes, I just came out!"

"Alright, come to the company right away. I'll be waiting for you here."

"Sister Lan, I'm too tired. I just want to go home and sleep. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

She could still endure the physical exhaustion, but the mental fatigue was about to crush her.

The role she auditioned for today was so insignificant, yet she still failed.

The director seemed satisfied with her, but he couldn't make the final decision.

She wondered if some investor's relative had taken a liking to this minor role. Maybe the investor was a cheapskate too? If a boss with some money wanted to promote someone, would they even consider a role like this?

The fact that she could only get roles like this meant the investor's influence wasn't that great either!

Cao Shiyu chuckled wryly, almost bursting into tears as she did.

At that moment, the voice on the other end of the line said, "Shiyu, I know you're tired, but you've persevered for two years. Your career is just starting to pick up now. You absolutely cannot lose your spirit at a time like this!"

Cao Shiyu asked in surprise, "Sister Lan, what are you talking about? What career picking up? Are you saying I got the role I auditioned for today? No, didn't you just ask me if I had finished the audition?"

Thank you to "Sha Hua Piao Xue" for the monthly ticket, and thank you to all the readers who collected, recommended, and commented. The updates are a bit slow, please bear with me. Starting tomorrow, I will strive to guarantee at least two updates daily.