The Audition

Having just finished his exams, Jian Ye immediately returned home to immerse himself in gaming, a stark contrast to the preceding period of intense academic pressure.

Once liberated from his studies, he had been running wild. Just yesterday, he had gone out with his roommates for a night of unrestrained fun. Today, however, he was holed up in the game room, completely cut off from the world. He only answered two calls from Yi Siyu and ignored messages from everyone else.

Jian Ye, the younger, was absolutely dominating in the virtual world.

Yi Siyu indulged Jian Ye’s whims, letting him play to his heart’s content. Aside from reminding him to eat his meals, he did not disturb him unnecessarily.

“Ah Ye, those two times you were almost wiped out, wasn’t it I, your brother, who saved you? Don’t worry about my affairs; just protect yourself!” Li Xiangchi shouted into his headset from the internet cafe.

Around them, the sounds of shouting, clicking mice, and keyboard clatter filled the air.

Liu Mingchang, sitting beside Li Xiangchi, chimed in, “Oh, you two are both terrible. It’s my superior skill that allows me to carry two people.”

Jian Ye retorted, “It was clearly Zheng Yan who carried three of us! We’re all equally bad; no one’s better than anyone else.”

Zheng Yan’s voice came through the headphones, laced with amusement. “The important thing is that we won, isn’t it?”

Zheng Yan took off his headphones and looked at the others. “Are you guys still playing? I’m planning to head back.”

Liu Mingchang checked the time. It was indeed evening, so he nodded. “Alright, let’s go back then. Just tell little Jian Ye.”

“‘Little Jian Ye’ is our class’s exclusive nickname for our younger brother. Why are you calling him that?” Li Xiangchi teased intentionally.

Liu Mingchang ignored him and spoke into his headset. “We’re heading back to the dorm now, alright? We’ll play with you again tomorrow.”

Jian Ye immediately replied, “Mhm! Head back quickly, and be careful on the way.”

Jian Ye had thoroughly enjoyed his gaming session today, feeling utterly invigorated. He had also been sitting in front of the computer for a long time, so he stood up to stretch and then washed his face. Aunt Wen had prepared dinner much earlier and kept it warm in an insulated box. Only now did Jian Ye begin to feel hungry, so he took out the food and began to feast.

While eating, he checked his phone, only to discover that Mo Huan had called him ten times on WeChat. What could be so urgent? Ever since he had finished his call with Yi Siyu, he had put his phone on silent to avoid disturbances while gaming. He hadn’t even touched it afterward.

Did Senior Mo Huan have something urgent to discuss?

Jian Ye didn’t call back. Instead, he simply sent a question mark.

Almost instantly, another WeChat call came through from the other party.

Jian Ye put down his chopsticks, quickly took a sip of water, and then answered.

“Hello…” The young man’s voice carried a note of uncertainty. He had a nagging feeling that the other party was looking for him about something significant.

“Xiao Ye, where are you? Are you alright?” Mo Huan’s voice was filled with urgency, yet it also conveyed a touch of concern for him.

“I… I’m at home, I’m fine. I’m eating, Senior. What’s wrong?” Jian Ye asked, puzzled.

“You scared me to death! You weren’t answering my calls, and I thought something had happened to you. I went to your dorm to look for you, but your dorm lights were off. Were you with your roommates?” Mo Huan breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, I’m at home. But I was just playing games with them and didn’t check my phone, so I missed your calls. I’m sorry.” Jian Ye thought to himself, ‘Good thing it wasn’t Siyu-gege’s call, otherwise, who knows if he would have suddenly rushed back.’

Yi Siyu hadn’t been home these past few days, having gone on a business trip to City B. He would video call Jian Ye every day. With CEO Yi away, Jian Ye felt quite relaxed and free at home.

Mo Huan mentally organized his words, and after a moment, he began to explain about the Farewell to Summer production team recruiting actors at their school today.

“It’s my fault for not notifying you in advance. I was so focused on how to recommend you to Director Wu. Director Wu was waiting for you at the audition today, but you didn’t show up. So, Director Wu called me, and then I couldn’t reach you… I… I’m sorry, it’s my problem.”

“It’s alright, Senior Mo. Thank you for recommending me to the director. Missing it… well, then so be it. It’s just a shame I let your good intentions go to waste.”

Jian Ye finally understood. Mo Huan had actually managed to secure him a significant supporting role in an IP drama all by himself. From the sound of it, his audition would have merely been a formality; the director had already decided to cast him.

If the role had fallen through because he hadn’t shown up, in Jian Ye’s previous world, he would have regretted it bitterly. However, the current Jian Ye felt he had many more opportunities and wouldn’t lament missing this one. He even felt he could take more time to hone his skills, not needing to rush into acting so soon.

“No! You didn’t miss it! Xiao Ye, I called you now to tell you that Director Wu wants you to go for a solo audition tomorrow. The role of Luo Ying hasn’t been given to anyone today; it’s still open!” Mo Huan exclaimed excitedly.

Jian Ye was somewhat stunned. It hadn’t fallen through yet?

‘What virtues do I possess? To actually make the director hold another audition just for me? Am I getting VIP treatment?’
‘Is there really no problem with this director? He wouldn’t be thinking of… taking advantage of me, would he?’
‘Hiss!’

Jian Ye was aware of the sordid affairs in the original world; the higher one climbed, the murkier the waters became. Jian Ye had transmigrated before he could get involved in any of that.

‘I wonder about this place.’

Jian Ye hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Where is the address I need to go to tomorrow?”

“It’s at a hotel. I’ll send you the location directly on WeChat.” Mo Huan finished his sentence and then seemed to pause. Jian Ye thought he would hang up after a couple of words, but the other party neither spoke nor ended the call.

Jian Ye asked, “Senior, is there anything else?”

Mo Huan chuckled. “No, I just wanted to say… Xiao Ye, I’m really looking forward to acting with you. I believe you can handle this role. No one is more suited for Luo Ying than you.”

He wasn’t particularly interested in campus dramas, having played several minor roles in them before. However, at this stage, his popularity had soared due to his dancing, so he could use this opportunity to slowly pivot towards an acting career.

Both the director and Senior Mo Huan trusted him so much this time, which touched Jian Ye. This was indeed a rare opportunity.

[System 748: Host, have you decided to go? Aren’t you afraid the director might have ulterior motives?]

[Jian Ye: Don’t I have you? What am I afraid of?]

[System 748: Host trusts Second System so much, Second System is so happy! The system store has pepper spray, ten times more effective than products on Earth. Host, don’t be scared, let me protect you!]

Jian Ye smiled, saying nothing, and quickly pulled up the electronic version of Farewell to Summer to read. The novel wasn’t very long, only a little over 200,000 words. Jian Ye finished it by the early hours of the morning.

He had to admit, Mo Huan’s words were true: no one was more suited for Luo Ying than him. Based on the book’s description of Luo Ying, it was practically tailor-made for him.

Driven by professional habit, Jian Ye reflexively began to outline a character biography for Luo Ying—something he always did before portraying a role. At three in the morning, after finishing the character biography, Jian Ye finally fell asleep.

The next morning, he went to Director Wu Xiaozhi’s location according to the address. When the director opened the door, he had just woken up, his hair still disheveled. Hearing the knock, he had assumed it was the hotel cleaning staff. Upon opening the door, however, he found an exceptionally handsome young man.

With barely a glance, Director Wu recognized who stood before him.

“Jian Ye?”

“That’s right, Director Wu, it’s me. I’ve arrived.” Jian Ye faced the director neither subserviently nor arrogantly, his voice clear and bright.

There was no hint of nervousness or timidity typically seen when facing a prominent director, which made Director Wu look at him in a new light. This young man was remarkably composed, exuding confidence. He was indeed very different from other college students.

“Come in,” Director Wu said with a smile. “I said nine o’clock, but you’re here at eight. Do you really like this role?”

After entering, Jian Ye nodded. “There are some things about Luo Ying… that are quite similar to me.”

Director Wu assumed Jian Ye was referring to the fact that they ‘both knew how to dance.’

In reality, he meant that ‘they are both orphans.’

Luo Ying also had no parents, didn’t know who his birth parents were or where they were, and grew up in an orphanage. He was lucky enough to attend school and later worked part-time to earn his university tuition, but his life didn’t last until that moment. When Luo Ying first entered high school, he was bullied. Some unruly classmates liked to mock and tease him about not having a father or mother.

Jian Ye could deeply empathize with this feeling. He had encountered similar situations before, though the difference was that Jian Ye in the original world wasn’t as gentle and silent as Luo Ying. When bullied, he would gather a group of kids from the orphanage and fight back to vent his anger.

Cowardice was not in his nature. Some people are simply bullies who pick on the weak and fear the strong. Once they knew you were a tough opponent, they wouldn’t dare to casually lay a hand on you again.

If not for the current ‘green tea’ persona restricting his actions, he would definitely have accidentally revealed his fierce side, letting others know that he wasn’t as soft-natured as he appeared on the surface.

“Have you read the original novel?” Director Wu asked.

“I have.”

“You read the whole thing? That was quite fast.” Director Wu smiled with satisfaction and handed him a script. “Act out this segment as your audition piece. I’ll record it.”

This recruitment was public; direct selection without an audition was not allowed, and all audition segments would be recorded and filed. Jian Ye had missed the audition yesterday, so today was essentially a makeup recording.

Jian Ye quickly scanned the content of the audition segment. It described Luo Ying, after his homework and books were once again torn up by classmates, silently dancing in the dance studio during a sunset evening after school. As he danced, he suddenly began to cry.

With only those few words, Jian Ye closed his eyes. Without waiting for more than a few seconds, he instantly entered character and began to perform.

He slowly raised his hands, initiating a movement. With an upward palm and a spin, he turned his back to the camera. Jian Ye’s back appeared frail. His movements today were somewhat stiff, clearly indicating he wasn’t fully in the zone.

His back was slightly bowed, his beautiful shoulder blades pushing against the fabric of his clothes, revealing the exquisite contours of his physique. Suddenly, he stood up and performed a front handspring. His legs were unstable as they fell through the air, and his knees hit the ground, causing him to slide.

Director Wu was startled by this scene, thinking it was a genuine mistake. Just as he was about to step forward, he noticed the young man kneeling on the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly.

After a few seconds, he made an effort to stop the trembling, and his face gradually turned towards them.

In the camera, the young man’s profile was as radiant as moonlight, the corners of his eyes wet and red. Tears silently streamed down to his chin, and the sight of his glistening eyes and tear-streaked face instantly broke one’s heart.

“Director, I’m done.” In a split second, Jian Ye’s face broke into a cheerful smile.

Director Wu: “…”