My husband was no pushover either

Having an outsider overhear an argument was bound to be a little awkward.

Wen Yu gave a slight nod in greeting.

He and Xu Shi weren't particularly close. They had only occasionally crossed paths a few times while filming.

Wen Yu was the top-billed male lead, while Xu Shi didn't even qualify as an eighth-billed supporting actor.

"Heh, I told you not to audition for the second male lead. Just look at the sort of people you're sharing a waiting room with now." Wen Yu's manager covered his nose and rolled his eyes.

"That's enough." Wen Yu shot him a glare.

His manager, Zhang Ya, had an excellent reputation in the industry and was known as the strictest person in Chinese entertainment.

Single-handedly, he had taken Wen Yu and Xia Shian from obscurity to their current status as top stars.

After giving birth, he had focused exclusively on managing Wen Yu. That had also marked the beginning of Wen Yu and Xia Shian's split as an on-screen couple.

"I heard ages ago that someone pulled strings to get the first audition slot. Sure enough, being shameless saves you years of effort."

"Stop..."

Wen Yu didn't have the nerve to tell his own manager to shut up. He looked at Xu Shi apologetically.

Xu Shi had never been one to indulge anyone. "Naturally, that's still no match for someone's brilliant tactic of using alcohol and drugs, then marrying into a wealthy family on the strength of a child."

Wen Yu: "?"

"Nonsense! How do you know about that?" If not for the cameras, the manager would have rushed over and hit him.

Entirely unafraid, Xu Shi gave a lazy whistle. "I also know..." Your child isn't your husband's.

Before he could finish, Xiao Chi hurried over and covered his mouth. "Please, just say a little less."

Zhang Ya had spent more than twenty years clawing his way through the industry. He was now a top-tier manager with enough connections to blacklist a minor celebrity on a whim.

Xiao Chi smiled apologetically at the two of them as he pulled Xu Shi outside.

The moment the waiting room door closed, Xiao Chi couldn't help warning him, "There are some things you really can't just say. Do you know who his husband is? We can't afford to cross him!"

Xu Shi rolled his eyes. "Oh."

My husband was no pushover either.

He was already the vicious cannon fodder. Whose approval did he still need to worry about?

Xu Shi knew Xiao Chi meant well, so he said nothing more and obediently went to the makeup room to get his makeup done.

Today's auditions were only for the second male lead. As a specially invited actor, Xu Shi didn't have to go through round after round of selection like the stars in the hall. He could audition directly in front of Song Zhixing.

Going first, Xu Shi was a little nervous.

Xiao Chi handed him a bottle of water. "Since even Wen Yu is auditioning for the second male lead, how about we try for the male lead instead?"

He felt the competition for the male lead might actually be a little less fierce...

Standing below the stage, Xu Shi quietly glanced sideways at the audience seats.

They were empty.

A sense of pressure sprang up, and he was too nervous even to drink any water. "The male lead is a police officer. What about this face of mine looks like an upright character?"

He had only this one chance. He wanted to see whether the plot could be rewritten for him.

He was determined to compete with Wen Yu this time. He wanted to see whether living here meant he could only ever make way for the protagonist.

"Mr. Xu, please come onstage." Song Zhixing's assistant extended a hand in invitation.

Xu Shi nodded slowly. "All right, thank you."

Taking a deep breath, Xu Shi handed his phone to Xiao Chi and glanced at the lit screen as he did.

There was no reply from Xie Yanci.

He couldn't even think to tell me, "Good luck."

What good was all that power and status if he couldn't even secure a minor role his spouse wanted?

Hmph!

Xu Shi couldn't be bothered to waste his emotions on a certain someone. He secured the microphone at his waist, turned, and went straight onto the stage.

The curtain opened.

The theater was spacious and quiet. Song Zhixing sat alone in the vast seating area below the stage.

He had put away his usual lazy amusement and reclined against his seat, his long legs crossed and a fountain pen held between his fingers.

He raised his eyes, directing his scrutinizing gaze toward Xu Shi.

Xu Shi shivered instantly. Taking a deep breath, he stood at center stage and bowed.

The scene he would perform was one in which the male lead began to suspect that the second male lead had killed his own husband and asked him to come to the police station to give a statement.

It was a scene consisting entirely of seated dialogue.

An acting class Xu Shi had watched a few days earlier had said that scenes like this placed greater emphasis on the actor's attention to detail, revealing their interpretation of the entire character through those details.

It seemed some last-minute cramming did help.

The stage held only a simple set: a table, two chairs, and a crew member to read opposite him.

Xu Shi walked over and sat in the chair opposite. The camera began rolling.

He took a deep breath.

"Action!"

Song Zhixing stared intently at the monitor.

Xu Shi wore a loose, pale blue suit. His long, straight black hair fell to his waist, and his lightly made-up features were sculpted and exquisite, with a faintly aggressive edge.

He crossed his long legs, his red-soled leather shoe accidentally brushing the trouser leg of the man opposite him.

"Sorry."

Xu Shi narrowed his alluring, peach-blossom eyes slightly, his smile not reaching them. It was obvious that the brush of his shoe had been deliberate.

Was he flirting with the male lead opposite him?

Song Zhixing raised an eyebrow. He really liked this improvised addition.

It captured the second male lead's reckless reliance on his beauty and his unhinged fearlessness just right.

"Mr. Xia, please describe your movements on the day your husband died once more." The crew member wasn't a professional actor and didn't play along with his improvisation, merely reading stiffly from the script as instructed.

Xu Shi lowered his eyes as though thinking.

The camera cut to his right hand.

Xu Shi wore a wedding ring on his ring finger. He had specifically dug it out of the cabinet for this audition.

Recalling how Xie Yanci looked when he was thinking, he imitated him, idly turning the wedding ring on his finger.

The small movement of his hand seemed somewhat nervous, but when the camera cut back to his face, he still wore a faint, unhurried smile.

He said evenly, "I was at the office during the day. After I got home, I received a call from my assistant and went back to the office."

Even Xu Shi himself found the lines a little coincidental as he spoke them.

The crew member opposite him offered absolutely no emotional response. He was practically a block of wood.

According to the script, the male lead was somewhat suspicious at this point.

Xu Shi lowered his eyes, fully immersed in the role. His slightly narrowed eyes were now feigning composure as he considered how to respond.

The corners of his lips slowly lifted into a meaningful curve. "Officer, there's surveillance footage to back up every word I've said."

His tone was unhurried, yet it carried the pressure of someone accustomed to authority.

Xu Shi wasn't a calculating person. All these little details were things he had observed in Xie Yanci.

"Cut."

The performance ended.

Song Zhixing raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the camera to land directly on Xu Shi.

His eyes narrowed slightly. The scrutiny in his gaze hadn't diminished in the slightest; he even began studying him closely.

Xie Yanci's little lover was this good at acting?

Song Zhixing instinctively turned to look toward the rear door of the seating area.

In the dim corner, the Alpha's tall figure was completely concealed in the shadows, not particularly conspicuous.

A second after that gaze reached him, he turned and left.