A Treasure Discovered, A Role Lost

The segment of the script, when performed, lasted barely over a minute. Director Wu had personally overseen all the auditions for this part yesterday.

Yet, no one had approached the role with Jian Ye’s particular method of acting. When other students performed, they either sniffled with dry sobs, shedding no actual tears, or collapsed onto the floor, weeping uncontrollably and messily.

Anyone who truly understood the character of Luo Ying knew him to be gentle yet resilient, never revealing his vulnerabilities in front of others. Even when he cried in private, it was always in silence, without a sound.

Jian Ye possessed an exceptional understanding of the camera. He seemed to instinctively know which angles would be most captivating, even revealing only half of his profile when weeping. This approach felt far more sophisticated than simply turning his full face to the camera. Moreover, as a dance major, Jian Ye had incredible control over his body. He deliberately faked a botched backflip, even deceiving Director Wu himself.

It had been a long time since Director Wu had been genuinely startled in person. In that moment, he was both stunned and delighted. He had truly stumbled upon a treasure. Initially, he had only thought Jian Ye’s looks and dance background suited the role, but now he realized Jian Ye was far more than that.

Director Wu mused internally: ‘This child can truly act. He gets into and out of character quickly. He’s a natural for this profession. Perhaps… I should poach him for my own company?’

However, according to the dean, Jian Ye was also a prodigious dancer with exceptional physical capabilities. If he continued on that path, he was destined to become a top dance artist.

Jian Ye, of course, had no idea that in those few seconds, Director Wu was already contemplating recruiting him in the future.

He pondered internally, ‘Did I not perform well just now? Or was my interpretation incorrect?’

It had been too long since he last acted, and he felt uncertain.

“Director Wu,” he said, “if you feel that segment was too short and didn’t show enough, you can give me another scene, and I’ll perform it again.”

Director Wu snapped back to attention, shaking his head with a smile. “No need. That one segment is more than enough to confirm.”

‘Confirmed… What does that mean? Confirmed he doesn’t want me, or confirmed it’s okay? Could you be clearer!’

“You have a Weibo account, right?” Director Wu asked.

“Uh, yes,” Jian Ye replied, caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.

“In a while, once all the roles are confirmed, we’ll make an official announcement. We’ll tag you then, so remember to repost it. There’s nothing else today, you’re free to leave.”

Director Wu held Jian Ye in high regard, his gaze softening with affection as he looked at the young man.

Jian Ye was momentarily bewildered before nodding in response. “Ah, alright. Thank you, Director Wu.”

Walking out of the hotel, Jian Ye still felt a little disoriented.

‘Did I just get the role?’

[System 748: Host, why the sudden lack of confidence? That director’s mouth was practically stretched to his ears just now.]

[Jian Ye: Was it?! I didn’t notice at all. He didn’t show any emotion. Truly an experienced director.]

[System 748: It’s fine. This system detected his emotional value for you. The director is very happy.]

[Jian Ye: When did you start being able to detect other people’s emotional values? Weren’t you only able to detect mine?]

[System 748: Every time the host achieves a milestone, the system also upgrades with the host, and its functions are gradually optimized. Host, I’ve become stronger. Aren’t you happy?]

[Jian Ye: Hiss, there’s such a thing? Well, congratulations then. I’m happy for you?]

[System 748: Yay! Host, you can do it too!]

Meanwhile, someone else was pacing anxiously.

“Director Fei, you absolutely guaranteed me that the role of Luo Ying was mine, that I only needed to go through the motions.”

Xiao Chun trembled with rage when he received the notification that he hadn’t secured the role of Luo Ying.

The person on the other end stammered, “Yes… I did say that… I didn’t expect the chief director to come in person yesterday. I… I really did strongly recommend you to him. He saw your performance yesterday and said it was ‘acceptable, let’s see.’ Who knew he would suddenly make a private decision on the candidate today.”

Xiao Chun could not accept this outcome. He pressed, “What do you mean by ‘private decision’? Who is that person? I’ve looked into everyone who auditioned yesterday; no one was particularly amazing. If Director Wu didn’t even pick me, how could he pick someone else?”

“I’m not entirely clear on the specific reasons. Director Wu invested in this drama himself, so he definitely has the final say. We all thought he would choose from the people who auditioned yesterday, in which case you would have had a very good chance. Who knew he would arrange a separate audition for one boy, and then pass him…”

“What did you say?” Xiao Chun’s voice suddenly sharpened, his emotions flaring. “A separate audition? Is that even allowed?”

“Uh… there have been precedents for that, so it can’t be considered against the rules. How about this, I’ll find you another supporting role. This time, I guarantee you won’t be rejected. For those cannon fodder roles, I still have a say—hey? Why did it cut off?”

Xiao Chun was furious. He slammed the phone onto the floor, shattering the screen. His plans had been ruined. He couldn’t understand why his luck was always so bad, always falling short by just a little, unable to reach the finish line. Since Xiao Chun himself was powerless, he could only seethe with indignation.

He went to the restroom and splashed cold water on his face. Ten minutes later, having calmed down slightly, he picked up a different phone and called the person back.

“Director Fei, I want to ask, what’s the name of the person who passed the audition?”

At the Elysium Bar.

A young man dressed in trendy clothes.

Yu Wei had only just returned to Yunjing from Z City today. After taking refuge with Jin Bo for a while, his exes had temporarily quieted down. He had wanted to return for a long time. Ever since he saw Jian Ye dance, his mind had been consumed.

On the day Yunjing Media University held its Cultural and Arts Festival, he had unintentionally stumbled upon Jin Bo’s sister’s live stream. He watched Jian Ye’s entire dance performance without blinking. In that moment, a very impure thought arose within him, something he had never experienced before.

When he had been in a relationship with Jian Ye previously, he had simply treated him like a pet, without any sexual desire. This had much to do with the change in Jian Ye’s demeanor.

Jian Ye had once been weak and prone to tears, always looking at him with pleading eyes, buying him things, clinging to him like a shadow. Coupled with the green hair he had dyed, which obscured his eyes, Yu Wei had never truly looked at the person.

Like his previous exes, Jian Ye was just another person seamlessly transitioned into the role. Some relationships didn’t even last three days before ending. Yu Wei never retained any deep impressions of such people.

If Jian Ye had lasted a bit longer than the others, it was only because he was obedient and never defied Yu Wei’s words. This had inflated Yu Wei’s self-esteem and chauvinistic tendencies immeasurably.

For the past few days, Yu Wei had been replaying and recalling all of Jian Ye’s past virtues. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had lost out. Such a wonderful, charming person, and he hadn’t even kissed him. He must be the biggest idiot in the world, right?

He found someone to recover his previously deleted photos, which contained only two pictures of Jian Ye, both from when he had green hair. He wondered if his current affection had thickened his filter for Jian Ye; he even found Jian Ye’s unconventional old look to be incomparable.

He then pulled out a current video of Jian Ye and watched it repeatedly. The person in the video danced lightly, twirling, their eyes flowing with emotion, their complexion radiant. Every smile, every frown, every surprise, every anger made his heart pound.

Later, learning that Jian Ye had opened a Weibo account, Yu Wei immediately followed him. This boy even looked good when he was studying; he looked good everywhere. How could he have just thrown him away?

He hadn’t noticed Jian Ye before, but now that Jian Ye was popular and had countless admirers, it would be many times harder to pursue him. Moreover, Jian Ye had once said he didn’t want to see Yu Wei because seeing him would make him sick, would make him sad.

After falling for Jian Ye, Yu Wei began to tread carefully. He genuinely didn’t want to make Jian Ye sad.

When Yu Wei was lovesick, he liked to drink. Alcohol could numb his nerves, and after sleeping, he could even see his beloved in his dreams—how wonderful. However, his alcohol tolerance wasn’t very good. When he drank too much, he tended to talk too freely.

Before long, he started bragging to a group of hooligans in the bar.

“Bartender, one Hell Tequila, make it strong for me.” A man with a captivatingly ethereal appearance sat next to Yu Wei. Yu Wei didn’t notice him, and the man also ignored the drunk Yu Wei, as he himself was in an extremely foul mood.

The bartender glanced at the new face and couldn’t help but say, “Is this your first time here? You look like you’re still in school?”

The man didn’t bother to answer, giving a slight nod.

The drink was mixed and handed over. The man downed it in one gulp. The spicy liquor burned his throat, and his heart and lungs instantly grew hot.

“Young man, don’t drink this too fast, or you’ll end up like him.” The bartender kindly gestured to the drunk Yu Wei beside them.

Xiao Chun scoffed, not paying much mind.

When he learned the name of the person who passed the audition, he felt as if struck by lightning. Director Fei said the person Director Wu chose was named Jian Ye, also from their school’s dance department.

The answer didn’t seem entirely unexpected, yet it struck him as absurd. Thinking about the reasons, it seemed perfectly reasonable for Jian Ye, as the ‘heaven-sent purple star’ of the academy, to be favored by teachers, the dean, and directors.

Xiao Chun couldn’t deny Jian Ye’s brilliance, but why did he always have to compete with him for things? Jian Ye was incredibly popular now. The fame, praise, and unimaginable opportunities he had received were already more than enough, weren’t they? Why couldn’t he even yield a supporting role in a drama?

Jian Ye hadn’t even participated in the audition yesterday. If Director Wu had confirmed his choice, it could only mean Jian Ye had approached Director Wu privately today. This feeling of having something he had almost obtained snatched away at the last minute was truly infuriating!

This incident deepened Xiao Chun’s hatred for Jian Ye.

He drank another glass of liquor, his stomach burning as if it were being pierced. Just as he was about to ask for a glass of ice water, he heard the drunk young man next to him boast, “See this dancer? This is my boyfriend, hehe!”

Xiao Chun, annoyed, was about to leave, but his peripheral vision caught something, and he froze on the spot.

The figure he had just been cursing in his mind was now appearing in the video. It was still the performance from the cultural arts festival, Jian Ye in an exotic red outfit, dancing with both allure and grace.

“How do you know who he is? You say he’s your boyfriend, you’re lying, aren’t you?” Xiao Chun asked, deliberately probing.

“Of course I know who my person is. He’s Jian Ye, my most beloved treasure… boohoohoo…” The more Yu Wei spoke, the lower his tone became, eventually dissolving into tears. “Even though we broke up, he’s still my treasure.”

Xiao Chun chuckled. “An ex-boyfriend, then?”

How interesting. Even when out drinking to drown his sorrows, he could still dig up some gossip. Xiao Chun sobered up a bit, pondering his next question.