After Kissing the World-Weary Female Supporting Character [Transmigration] - Chapter 16

Li Yu: “…” Suddenly, I understand where Senior Lin’s  ‘old father’ feeling comes from.

Her ultra-professionalism compelled Li Yu to pretend she hadn’t seen anything, and she silently shielded Song Xingzi’s  phone screen.

The audition progressed quickly. In about an hour, after Song Xingzi had reviewed various answers and the audition material sent by Lin Shu, a plump man came out to call the next person.

“Number Five, Song Xingzi.”

“I’m here,” Song Xingzi handed her phone to Li Yu and quickly walked up.

Li Yu was deliberating whether she should offer some encouraging words to her artist not to be nervous upon entering, when the plump man opened the door and invited Song Xingzi inside.

Has Teacher Song had a proper audition before? Will there be an issue? Why am I starting to feel inexplicably worried? Li Yu sat down on the bench, beginning to contemplate the meaning of life.

Song Xingzi, however, was not nervous. The moment she entered, she saw the large iron wok set up in the middle of the room, with two camera rigs next to it. Her eyes lit up, and she walked straight toward the wok.

It’s been so long since I’ve seen an earthen stove pot! The people in this crew are so nice! The props are abundant!

A row of people sat opposite her. The young man in the center clearly looked displeased. The woman next to him nudged his arm, then said in a warm voice, “You are Song Xingzi, right? You may begin.”

Being suddenly addressed, Song Xingzi looked confused for a second, then bowed. “Hello, teachers.”

When she straightened up, the delicate, frail quality of a swaying willow tree had completely faded from Song Xingzi. Her eyes were bright, and she walked steadily to the stove, scanning it up and down. She then turned to the fully stocked preparation table, showing an approving gaze.

The woman who had spoken warmly just now sat up straight. She was the author of this book and one of the main screenwriters, Qi Nanchun. Just from Song Xingzi’s gaze and movements, Qi Nanchun, who adored cooking, knew that Song Xingzi was a kindred spirit.

The segment Song Xingzi was auditioning for was when Fang Miao  first entered the palace. She has just arrived at the Imperial Kitchen to observe her future workplace and decides to try making a dish to test the tools. She then encounters a newly selected imperial concubine who, unable to contain her temper, brings people to cause trouble. In the ensuing dispute, Fang Miao accidentally knocks over the Noble Consort’s ginseng soup, beginning her chaotic palace life in a series of mishaps.

It seems the new celebrity signed by Starlight is quite good. Qi Nanchun secretly nodded and watched Song Xingzi’s performance with a subtle smile.

Next, Song Xingzi rolled up her sleeves, took off the hair tie on her wrist, and tied up her hair, then mimed the action of tying on an apron. She gripped the large cleaver with both hands and danced it across the chopping board with meticulous precision. Qi Nanchun felt as if she was watching how fresh ingredients were transformed from decay into wonder under her hands.

Having prepped the ingredients, Song Xingzi put down the cleaver and expertly crouched down to check the fire. Her fair, jade-like hand held a black wooden stick, which she moved left and right inside the stove opening to promote airflow. Seeing the fire catch, she added two pieces of chopped wood, stood up, and took a rag hanging on a line to wipe her hands.

Suddenly, as if she had heard a piercing sound, the feeling of a seamless flow was abruptly broken. Song Xingzi frowned. Interrupting a chef while cooking is like clamping a crying child’s mouth—it only leads to a worse result.

“Who are you all? Don’t you know it’s extremely impolite to interrupt a cook while working?” Song Xingzi’s hands didn’t stop. She grabbed the iron spatula and began to flip the ingredients in the wok. “What are you staring at? Haven’t you ever seen a woman cook?”

Suddenly, as if she had been abruptly pushed, her figure staggered, and she fell backward. Even though she tried her best to move to the side, the iron spatula she instinctively held still knocked over the bowl, plate, and all, of the ginseng soup held by a maid.

Song Xingzi stood up, bringing the iron spatula down upon the eunuch who had pushed her. At the same time, she fought back using all four limbs against the people who were colluding with the troublemaker. She did not forget to apologize to the maid who was accidentally injured: “Sister, I’m so sorry! I’ll make you a new bowl later, and I promise it will be better than the last one.”

Alas, two fists could not defeat four hands. The maid who was accidentally injured hurriedly called the original instigator over. Song Xingzi was seized and forced to kneel on the ground. Her cute, smiling face was streaked with red and black, yet she showed no fear. She glared fiercely at the approaching person. Her wolf-like gaze then slowly softened. She was helped to her feet and muttered her thanks, “Tha-thank you, Ji… Thank you, Noble Consort Mu.”

The scene ended there. Qi Nanchun secretly nodded. She loves to cook, her eyes are pure, and her acting is acceptable. More importantly, she can break away from her inherently frail type and embody the feeling of Fang Miao. Overall, she felt the female lead should be Song Xingzi.

The man who had looked displeased earlier now looked slightly better, but he still had a sour face and remained silent. Qi Nanchun then gently went through the motions. “Xingzi, may I call you that? We still need to discuss the audition results. Would you mind going out and waiting for a moment?”

That was close. Song Xingzi had been so deeply immersed in linking the Noble Consort with Jiji  that the name almost slipped out. Song Xingzi stood in front of the row of people, composed and focused, and began to contemplate what she should have for dinner.

“Yes, thank you, teacher.” Song Xingzi didn’t recognize any of the people in front of her, so she followed the advice she had looked up: call those you know by their title (Director, Editor, or Senior, and politely address those you don’t know as ‘teacher.’ That way, she wouldn’t make a mistake.

She had finally let go of her persona and returned to her true self for a while, only for it to end so quickly. Song Xingzi felt a bit reluctant as she walked out. To the anxiously waiting Li Yu, this meant: It’s over! Teacher Song definitely had a problem. I shouldn’t have hesitated! Decisiveness brings victory, hesitation brings failure!

“Teacher Song, it’s alright! You’re always the best!” Li Yu handed the phone back to Song Xingzi, her little apple face earnestly encouraging her.

Song Xingzi returned her an uncomprehending smile, propped her chin on her hand, and began to think about when she could stop pretending to be someone else. It’s so uncomfortable and awkward.

Inside the room, the row of interviewers gathered their chairs around the table to discuss the final candidate. In reality, it was just the screenwriter and the director discussing. The producer, supervisor, and assistant director were all from Starlight, so the final selection didn’t make much difference to them.

Qi Nanchun favored Song Xingzi, but Zhao Yu  was clearly unhappy with Song Xingzi’s use of backdoor connections. She looked at the still-furious Zhao Yu and asked, “Zhao Yu, what do you think of the last one?”

“Not great. She even got the lines wrong. No good.”

Qi Nanchun: “Then who do you favor? Jiang Hanyan is too old. Ma Yixuan can’t cook at all. Are we going to use a body double every time she enters the kitchen?”

“I think Gu Zhu  is stronger than that Song Xingzi. After all, we’re just picking the general among the cripples.”

“Why are you being so obstinate? You were just saying that Gu Zhu was suitable for Princess Yongle.”

Zhao Yu responded poorly to both soft and hard tactics and also wanted to save face. He crossed his arms and said angrily, “What do you mean ‘obstinate’? Look at her, she even used backdoor connections for the audition, and she has such a delicate and fragile look. Can she handle hardship? She probably won’t even be willing to do wire work; we’ll have to green-screen her in.”

Qi Nanchun was nearly driven to laughter by Zhao Yu. “So what do you want to do? A supplementary audition? Ask her to act out the wall-climbing scene?”

Zhao Yu slammed his hand on the table. “A supplementary audition it is! Wang Qiang, go notify Song Xingzi to do an extra audition this afternoon—the wall-climbing scene!”

Wang Qiang was the plump man from the beginning, the assistant director of the crew. He had a great temper and smiled as he agreed, then went out to call the person.

“Zhao Yu, why are you so immature? This is your first TV drama. What good is it to offend people?” Qi Nanchun sat down, feeling exasperated. Zhao Yu realized the impropriety of his words as soon as they left his mouth, but he couldn’t bring himself to apologize to Qi Nanchun.

Anyway, that Song Xingzi seems bold and willing to go all out. It should be fine.