After Secretly Marrying the Top Celebrity, I Fell in Love - Chapter 8

In the lounge, the air conditioning was running high, with gusts of cool air blowing steadily from the vents.

Five people sat side by side on the judging panel. Ye Manqing was in the very rightmost, an inconspicuous position, with Fu Yu sitting next to her.

Ye Manqing was a special guest star in the drama, with very few scenes. However, this special guest appearance was only decided the previous night. Even Fu Yu had just found out.

Director Zhang Mingxiu sat in the middle of the judging panel. Next to him were the female lead, Fu Yu, and Associate Director Chen. The screenwriter of the drama sat on the far left, and Ye Manqing sat on the far right.

Fu Yu wore exquisite full makeup and a gorgeous maple-red long dress that made her stunning. She looked even prettier in person than on the big screen, with a graceful figure, a slender waist, and long legs.

A head of black, voluminous waves flowed over her shoulders and back, with a few strands of raspberry red highlights adding a touch of allure. A pair of dazzling mother-of-pearl earrings, subtly hidden in her long hair, sparkled on her ears.

Although Ye Manqing was in the most inconspicuous position, she was enough to capture the attention of everyone who entered the lounge, making her presence instantly noticeable.

The woman possessed a face like a model’s, with deep, captivating features, so exquisitely beautiful that she seemed otherworldly.

A black blazer was draped over her slender shoulders, giving her a casual, laid-back look. Her eyes were like water, and her hair was like clouds. One moment, Ye Manqing was looking at Bai Yiyan with a smile in her eyes, and the next, she turned her head to talk to Fu Yu beside her.

Fu Yu leaned over, getting very close to Ye Manqing. Her two sexy, full red lips occasionally moved, whispering something to Ye Manqing. Fu Yu’s smile was exceptionally bright, unlike the official smile she gave the camera; it was a genuine, relaxed smile, every gesture exuding charm.

Bai Yiyan’s appearance instantly caught Fu Yu’s attention, and her expression froze slightly.

Having been in the entertainment industry for more than ten years, what kind of beautiful woman hadn’t Fu Yu seen? The entertainment industry was never short of beauties, whether naturally endowed or the result of “technological advancements”—there were countless of them.

But the little beauty in front of her was clearly different; her features were simply stunning!

It wasn’t just her pretty face; her skin and figure were also superb, estimated to be at least five feet seven inches tall. What was even rarer was the little beauty’s exceptional temperament, giving off an aloof, ethereal beauty, with eyes that were clear, pure, and untouched by the mundane world.

“Bai—Yi—Yan.” Fu Yu lowered her eyes to look at the name on the score sheet, frowned, and turned to look at Ye Manqing sitting beside her.

“Who is this person? Do you know her?”

Ye Manqing gently shook her head and said, “I don’t know her.”

Fu Yu fell silent, quietly gazing into Ye Manqing’s eyes, trying to determine if the woman was lying. But Fu Yu seemed to forget that Ye Manqing sometimes acted in front of her, too.

Besides, when it came to acting, no one could surpass Ye Manqing.

“Little Bai.” Zhang Mingxiu sat on the judging panel, twirling the fountain pen in his hand, and spoke up to remind the distracted Bai Yiyan.

Zhang Mingxiu was used to it, as everyone who entered the lounge would first be momentarily stunned, all because they saw Ye Manqing.

Bai Yiyan was no exception; the moment she entered, her gaze was captivated by Ye Manqing.

“Director Zhang, hello. Associate Director Chen, hello.” Bai Yiyan snapped back to attention, bowing slightly to the judges below and greeting them politely one by one.

“Good morning, esteemed judges.”

Ye Manqing turned sideways, her narrow eyes slightly curved at the corners, her gaze lightly resting on Bai Yiyan’s face.

“Little Bai, you may start your performance.” Zhang Mingxiu showed his characteristic kind smile and said to Bai Yiyan.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Zhang Mingxiu had a great personality and was known in the industry as a good-tempered director, but a good temper didn’t mean he was easily swayed, nor did it mean he would casually allow investors to push actors into the crew.

The reason he agreed to let Bai Yiyan audition. Firstly, he had to give Ye Manqing face. Secondly, he had personally witnessed Bai Yiyan’s acting skills. It was no exaggeration to say that Bai Yiyan’s acting was better than many professionally trained actors from acting schools, but it was a shame that she had no background and was too much of a grassroots talent.

However, Zhang Mingxiu had one thing he couldn’t understand: for a stunner like Bai Yiyan, there must be many investors willing to support her, so why was she still just a small-time extra?

The Nine Heavens is a wuxia drama. The female supporting character, Zhou Zhi, was originally the cherished daughter of a prestigious sect. However, because her betrothed fiancé (the male lead) fell in love with someone else, she couldn’t handle the blow, leading to a drastic change in personality and a fit of insanity.

The third scene was precisely Zhou Zhi’s reactions after learning that the male lead broke off the engagement, mostly involving internal monologue with few lines of dialogue.

Suddenly, at a gesture from the associate director, all the stage lights went out. The next second, the light above Bai Yiyan’s head suddenly turned on.

Only one single, soft, orange-yellow light.

Bai Yiyan first slightly lowered her head, brewing her emotions. Then, she suddenly raised her eyes, and a pair of tear-filled brown pupils looked towards the judging panel.

In an instant, her entire aura changed, with no trace of Bai Yiyan remaining.

Her eyes, brimming with tears, seemed to have crushed deep, complicated feelings, making one feel heartbreaking sorrow that was hard to suppress.

Bai Yiyan’s tightly closed lips trembled slightly. One would have thought she was about to start reciting her lines, but she said nothing.

On the judging panel, Zhang Mingxiu’s entire emotion was instantly mobilized. He focused intently on Bai Yiyan on the stage, anticipating her next move.

With a soft “plop,” a large, crystal tear escaped her eye. Bai Yiyan gently bit her lower lip, her eyes filled not only with unconcealed grief but also a sense of defiance.

Bai Yiyan stared at the air with unwillingness, choking out, “Senior Brother, how could you… treat Little Zhi this way.”

“…!” Zhang Mingxiu suddenly sat up straight, his eyes brimming with pleasant surprise.

Yes! It was exactly this spirit of defiance!

On the right side of the judging panel, Ye Manqing had been watching Bai Yiyan’s performance the entire time, and her originally calm and composed expression gradually became a little serious.

The most surprised was Fu Yu, who suddenly widened her mesmerizing, clearly-lashed eyes, looking at the little beauty on the stage with disbelief.

Instantly getting into character is great; instantly crying is very difficult.

This person could not only cry instantly, but the crying wasn’t just simple sadness—she also added other emotions into it, instantly making the character come alive and become vivid and complex.

Ten minutes later, the performance ended.

In the center of the stage, Bai Yiyan forced herself to step out of the character and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with her fingertip. Simultaneously, the lights on the stage lit up.

The stage lights were bright, and the brilliant light gathered around Bai Yiyan.

A clear tear was hanging from the tip of the beauty’s chin, reflecting light under the illumination, like a mermaid’s pearl tear.

A delicate flush of red appeared at the corners of both eyes; although the emotion had been withdrawn, the traces of crying were still on her face.

Bai Yiyan smiled as she looked towards the judging panel, then slightly bowed to the judges, indicating that the performance was over.

“Little Bai, thank you for your performance just now.” Zhang Mingxiu met Bai Yiyan’s gaze and said impassively, “As for the audition result, I’ll let you know later.”

“Thank you, Director Zhang, thank you, Associate Director Chen.” Bai Yiyan bowed to the judging panel again, her gaze lingering on Ye Manqing’s face for two seconds.

“Thank you, esteemed judges.”

On the judging panel, Ye Manqing had already changed her posture. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her back was lightly leaning against the chair. During the two seconds that Bai Yiyan looked at her, she offered the other party an approving smile.

Bai Yiyan left the lounge, took her bag from a staff member, and said, “Thank you.”

Standing still, Bai Yiyan lowered her head to take out her phone, ready to check the time. The moment the phone unlocked, a WeChat message popped up.

She clicked it open, and it was a message from Ye Manqing.

Ye Manqing: [Wait for me in the car for a while. I still have something to take care of here.]

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