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The auditions were held in batches. Auditions for the leads had finished long ago, and the main cast had already been settled. Today's auditions were for the supporting roles.
Ye Mo was auditioning for the role of [Xia Mei]. Her turn had not come yet, so she and Shen Yan found seats near the back of the waiting room.
More and more people arrived in the waiting room. Those who came late did not even have anywhere to sit and could only stand.
Quite a few people ran into acquaintances in the waiting room and gathered in twos and threes to chat. Naturally, everyone was discussing the upcoming auditions, and the whole waiting room was steeped in anxiety and tension.
Finally, it was time to audition for [Xia Mei]. A crew member came in to have the auditionees draw lots. On Ye Mo's side, her manager, Shen Yan, went in her place.
Not long after Shen Yan left, a laugh filled with derision suddenly came from in front of Ye Mo.
"Some people really have no self-awareness. They don't have a shred of acting ability, yet they actually dare to audition for a film directed by Ji Minghe..." The familiar voice carried its familiar sneering mockery.
Ye Mo lifted her eyelids and looked over. Sure enough, she saw He Zhen's annoying face.
As it happened, He Zhen was looking at her too. Their
eyes met instantly, and for a moment, the people around them seemed to see the flash of blades and the glint of swords.
Speaking of He Zhen, she and Ye Mo had debuted in the same year. The two of them probably just were not destined to get along: they had been rivals since their debut. Not only were their fans deeply at odds, but the two stars themselves could not stand the sight of each other either.
Whenever He Zhen ran into Ye Mo, she always had to come over and get a few digs in, just as she was doing now.
Of course, Ye Mo felt she was entirely innocent. She had no intention of making an enemy of He Zhen, but that did nothing to stop He Zhen from coming over to make trouble every time she saw her. Who knew what it was about Ye Mo that rubbed her the wrong way?
Right now, He Zhen showed no restraint whatsoever in mocking Ye Mo, continuing sarcastically, "I remember a certain someone's acting in her last drama. It practically burned your eyes. The viewers tore into her again and again... And after all that, she still has the nerve to shamelessly audition for Director Ji's film. Director Ji isn't blind. How could he possibly pick her?"
As Ye Mo listened, she casually shifted her gaze away from He Zhen-He Zhen was talking about "a certain someone." What did "a certain someone" have to do with her, Ye Mo?
Since no names had been named, she had no interest in volunteering to fit the description.
Besides, Ye Mo knew perfectly well how to make He Zhen angry. When dealing with He Zhen, all you had to do was ignore her, and she could work herself into such a rage that she stamped her feet.
Sure enough, when she saw that Ye Mo had merely glanced at her before casually looking away, He Zhen's face twisted.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?" She stormed over angrily and stood looking down at Ye Mo, demanding rudely, "Are you deaf?"
Ye Mo looked up at her. After a breezy "Oh," she continued just as breezily, "Sorry, so you were talking to me? I thought a dog was barking."
At that, He Zhen's eyes widened, and she raised her voice in disbelief. "You're calling me a dog?!"
Ye Mo smiled, her meaning self-evident.
Seeing this, He Zhen grew even angrier. But then, as though something had occurred to her, her expression changed, turning smug and disdainful. "You're here for the role of [Xia Mei], aren't you?"
At the mention of [Xia Mei], quite a few actresses in the waiting room pricked up their ears-many of them had come for that role too.
Although [Xia Mei] was not the female lead in Chase, her part was unquestionably important and full of standout moments. As the male lead's wife who had died young, her presence ran throughout the entire film, and she was a very important reason why he kept pursuing the killer.
With a role like that, everyone could already imagine how much attention she would attract once the film was released.
This was absolutely the most important female role after the female lead.
And now, according to He Zhen, Ye Mo had her sights set on this important role of [Xia Mei]?!
For a moment, quite a few people began looking at Ye Mo with odd, subtle expressions. The meaning in their eyes was obvious; they were only a step away from mocking her outright.
He Zhen was not nearly so polite, directly ridiculing Ye Mo. "Do you really have that little self-awareness? With acting so bad it burns people's eyes, do you think you're worthy?"
"If I'm not worthy, are you?" Ye Mo shot back with a sneer. "Or do you think the role of [Xia Mei] is already in the bag for you?"
He Zhen gritted her teeth. "I never said that! Don't slander me!"
"Then what gives you the right to judge whether I should be at this audition?" Ye Mo sneered. "Even Director Ji Minghe hasn't told me I'm unworthy of auditioning for him, yet here you are, a dog catching mice, meddling in things that are none of your business!"
"Besides, you probably don't know this, but Director Ji personally invited me to audition!"
Hearing that, He Zhen blurted out a denial without even thinking. "Impossible!"
She glared bitterly at Ye Mo. "Your acting is so bad. Why would Director Ji possibly invite you to audition?"
Ye Mo said, "...Well, obviously because Director Ji thinks I'm a very good fit for [Xia Mei]. Have you forgotten what [Xia Mei]'s most important quality is?"
What was [Xia Mei]'s most important quality?
...It was loveliness.
At that realization, not only He Zhen but everyone present had a slight change of expression. Clearly, they had all thought of it.
In Chase, [Xia Mei] and the killer represented two extremes. The lovelier [Xia Mei] was, the more starkly she highlighted the killer's cruelty, and the more the audience could empathize with the protagonist. That was why [Xia Mei] had to be played by someone beautiful.
And Ye Mo's beauty was practically universally acknowledged. Otherwise, netizens would not have described her presence in the entertainment industry as outright "using her beauty to commit crimes."
Looking at He Zhen, who had abruptly fallen silent, Ye Mo touched her own face and sighed leisurely in an infuriating tone. "I can't help it. Who told me to be so beautiful? I just fit [Xia Mei]'s character so perfectly..."
He Zhen was furious and could not help saying, "So what if you're beautiful? I believe Director Ji ultimately values acting skills! With your acting, I don't believe you can land the role of [Xia Mei]!"
Ye Mo stood up and walked over to He Zhen.
She was a full head taller than He Zhen. As she lowered her eyes to look at her, an oppressive air instantly bore down on He Zhen. For a moment, He Zhen felt her scalp prickle, and she could only stare wide-eyed at Ye Mo, refusing to back down.
But Ye Mo suddenly smiled. "Then let's make a bet."
He Zhen was a little bewildered. "On what?"
Ye Mo stared straight at her and said, enunciating every word, "On whether I can get the role of [Xia Mei]! If I win, whenever we run into each other from now on, you'll stay out of my way..."
"And if you lose?" He Zhen asked eagerly.
Ye Mo smiled. "If I lose, then no matter the occasion, whenever we run into each other, I'll stay out of your way!"
She raised her chin slightly and looked at He Zhen with proud defiance. "Well? Do you dare?"
He Zhen said, "..."
He Zhen hesitated. Looking at Ye Mo's confidence, despite knowing perfectly well just how awful her acting was, she suddenly felt a little uncertain at this very moment.
Ye Mo was so confident. Could she have found some incredible acting teacher in this short time and taken lessons to improve her acting?
He Zhen was no longer quite so sure.