Never Forget (GL) - Chapter 5

For her final move, Ye Zhuyi stood with her back to the judges, her figure as graceful as a bamboo. Her head was bowed and slightly turned, as if about to look back but too shy to do so.

The music stopped, and the bright, hot lights on the stage dimmed. The indoor lights came on. Ye Zhuyi, breathing softly, turned around and bowed respectfully.

“Well done, well done.” Ye Zhuyi’s performance was a pleasant surprise for Lu Buping. She was full of praise, her eyes smiling. “The results won’t be out until everyone is done and we’ve had a discussion. Go home and wait for a notice.”

“Okay, thank you, Director Lu,” Ye Zhuyi said, nodding. Before she left, she couldn’t resist looking at Qin Zhizhen.

Qin Zhizhen was leaning against her chair with her arms crossed, her eyes lowered, as if she was deep in thought. As if sensing her gaze, Qin Zhizhen suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting Ye Zhuyi’s.

As if caught doing something wrong, Ye Zhuyi’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away and scurried toward the door.

Zhou Wen anxiously warned, “Hey! Watch out for the—”

Before she could finish the word “step,” Ye Zhuyi’s foot missed a step. Thankfully, the stage wasn’t high, so she only twisted her ankle. She stumbled a few steps and managed to steady herself. The staff member who tried to help her, on the other hand, fell to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Zhou Wen and Ye Zhuyi asked in unison.

The staff member waved their hand and got up.

Ye Zhuyi also quickly said to Zhou Wen, “I’m fine.”

Her ankle hurt a bit. Ye Zhuyi didn’t dare to look up at Qin Zhizhen. She just wanted to get out of there as fast as she could, half-running, half-hopping out the door.

“That girl, so charming when performing, so clumsy off stage,” Zhou Wen said, shaking her head with a laugh as she watched Ye Zhuyi’s back disappear. She nudged Qin Zhizhen with her shoulder. “What were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking the dance was very good,” Qin Zhizhen said, curling her lips as she looked away. “But…”

“But what?” Zhou Wen pressed.

Qin Zhizhen casually finished her thought. “I thought she was a captivating demon, but she’s just a rabbit.”

A rabbit scurrying away, hopping and skipping.

The people around her were first stunned, then broke into smiles. Some found the description so fitting that they burst out laughing.

“Haha, that’s a perfect description,” Lu Buping said. He picked up Ye Zhuyi’s resume, read it twice, and sighed, “The dance was good, and the acting was good, too. It’s hard to believe this girl has only been in three web series. She has talent. She reminds me of that person.”

Zhou Wen teased, “Oh, besides Zhenzhen and that person, I’ve never heard you praise anyone for their talent.”

Lu Buping chuckled, not commenting further. He handed Ye Zhuyi’s resume to the assistant.

Ye Zhuyi was unaware of anything that happened in the audition room after she left. As soon as she was outside, Ke Shu rushed to her. “How was it? What was Director Lu’s reaction?”

Ye Zhuyi didn’t answer. She took a couple of steps and leaned against the wall. Her foot hurt, her legs felt weak, and her heart was pounding. How long has it been since I was this nervous?

At this moment, she suddenly felt alive.

Noticing Ye Zhuyi’s limp, her flushed face, and her weak demeanor, Ke Shu’s heart sank. Was she too nervous and made a mistake? Like that other actress before.

Ke Shu called Xiao Qiao over, and together they helped Ye Zhuyi back to where they were sitting. “It’s okay. There will be many more auditions like this. It’s good enough that you got to show your face.”

After Ye Zhuyi sat down, Ke Shu looked at her watch. “Take a rest. When your foot feels better, we’ll take you home.”

“Sister Ke,” Ye Zhuyi said, pursing her lips, “I want to wait for the results here.”

The assistant director had said earlier that the results would be out after the auditions were over. They would call the successful candidates by midnight. If you didn’t get a call, you were out.

Most of the actresses who had already auditioned were still in the lobby, waiting to know the results so they could plan their schedules.

Ke Shu looked at her in surprise. She was always the first to leave after an audition. This was very unusual. Ke Shu didn’t give it much thought. She just wanted to leave now, as she felt Ye Zhuyi had no chance. But she was afraid of disheartening Ye Zhuyi and didn’t know what to say.

Seeing the conflicted look on Ke Shu’s face, Ye Zhuyi said considerately, “Do you have something to do, Sister Ke? I can wait for the results here by myself. Xiao Qiao, you can take Sister Ke back to the office.”

“Oh, no need. I’ll just take a taxi. You stay here with Yi Yi and wait for the results. Take her home tonight.” Ke Shu waved her hand, signaling for Xiao Qiao to sit down. She took a few steps and then turned back. “Remember to tell me when the results are out.”

Ye Zhuyi nodded. “Okay.”

After Ke Shu left, Xiao Qiao handed Ye Zhuyi her phone, a packet of tissues, and a bottle of water. Ye Zhuyi thanked her softly, carefully wiping the sweat from her forehead with the tissues. Then she twisted the cap off the bottle.

The cap had already been twisted open. It came off with a light, effortless turn. Xiao Qiao had always been so thoughtful. Ye Zhuyi thanked her again.

“You’re welcome. You don’t have to thank me every time,” Xiao Qiao said. After a moment of silence, she hesitated before asking, “What did you hear back there?”

The actresses in the lobby were chattering in groups. Ye Zhuyi took a sip of water and glanced at the crowd. Jin Yue was very popular right now, and many people were surrounding her as she stood in the center, a wide smile on her face.

“I heard you telling her to have some self-respect,” Ye Zhuyi said candidly.

Xiao Qiao visibly relaxed.

Ye Zhuyi screwed the cap back on the bottle and looked down at the message from Hua Jin on her phone.

An emoji of a face with pleading eyes and a message saying, “Keep a close eye on her for me!”

Ye Zhuyi narrowed her eyes. She handed the bottle of water to Xiao Qiao and asked casually, “Was she trying to get back together with you?”

Xiao Qiao shook her head. “She wanted me to go back and be her assistant.” She let out a sarcastic chuckle, as if the thought was ridiculous.

It was. Xiao Qiao was an employee of Starry Entertainment, while Jin Yue was from Sky Entertainment. Even if Xiao Qiao wanted to, Jin Yue couldn’t just get her back.

Ye Zhuyi pretended to be naive, a look of concern on her face. “Sister Xiao Qiao, would you go back?”

“What are you thinking? I’m good and relaxed here. I won’t go back,” Xiao Qiao said, bending down to put the water bottle in a bag on the floor. Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible. “And I’m never getting back together with her.”

Xiao Qiao gave her a mint. Ye Zhuyi unwrapped it and put it in her mouth.

The topic ended there. Xiao Qiao asked her, “Did you mess up in the audition? Why did you twist your ankle?”

“No, I twisted it when I was coming off the stage after the performance,” Ye Zhuyi said, wiggling her ankle. It already felt much better.

Xiao Qiao: “Was the audition difficult? Do you think you have a chance?”

“It wasn’t easy,” Ye Zhuyi said, glancing at the closed door, not answering the last question.

Since she didn’t answer, Xiao Qiao didn’t press.

Time passed slowly. When they weren’t talking, the wait was especially agonizing, especially when the actresses coming out were all smiling.

Honestly, because of Qin Zhizhen’s reaction, Ye Zhuyi wasn’t sure. She didn’t know if Qin Zhizhen looked the same way at the other actresses. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she felt when she saw the other actresses’ happy expressions.

This slow-burning anxiety reached its peak when all the auditions were over and the people inside would need half an hour to discuss the results.

Ye Zhuyi couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Xiao Qiao looked at her in surprise. It was the first time she had seen Ye Zhuyi this nervous. She was stunned for a moment before saying, “Okay.”

Ye Zhuyi had already left.

Xiao Qiao: “…”

Ye Zhuyi walked to the sink in the restroom and held her hands under the faucet. The water was intermittent and cool on her face, instantly calming her down.

She propped her hands on the cold marble counter, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Droplets of water ran down her jawline, and the flush on her face had faded.

Ye Zhuyi pulled out a tissue and wiped her face, looking in the mirror.

A stall door behind her opened, and the clear sound of high heels tapping on the floor echoed. Jin Yue’s reflection appeared in the mirror.

“Ye Zhuyi?” Jin Yue chuckled lightly, walking to the sink next to her to wash her hands. “I remember you’re a C-list celebrity, right? Director Lu’s films usually don’t give auditions to anyone below B-list. I’m so curious, what did you do to get this chance?”

Her tone was snarky. Ye Zhuyi threw away the used tissue, her eyes slightly raised. Through the mirror, she met Jin Yue’s gaze calmly and asked a question instead of answering. “What do you think, senior?”

Jin Yue turned around and looked her up and down without a hint of politeness. A contemptuous smile appeared on her face. “How would I know? After all, people in this industry will do anything to get famous, right? Heh, I’m just being blunt, so don’t take it personally.”

Her gaze was uncomfortable, and her words were rude.

Ye Zhuyi’s lips curled into a cold smile. She replied with a nonchalant counterattack, “Is it because you do it yourself often, senior, that you would think of others that way?”

Jin Yue subconsciously took a step back, gripping the edge of the sink. Her face froze, a fleeting look of embarrassment and humiliation in her eyes.

Ye Zhuyi raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. She ran a hand through her hair. “I remember the show that made you famous, the director was Cui Gao, right? His female leads are never below A-list. At that time, what list were you on?”

Jin Yue was not even a C-list celebrity then but had managed to replace an A-list actress who had already been cast.

Jin Yue’s eyes suddenly became sharp. Ye Zhuyi didn’t care. She was tired of playing mind games with her and turned to leave.

Behind her, Jin Yue’s gaze landed on her limping right foot.

Ye Zhuyi frowned when she heard the sudden clatter of high heels, thinking Jin Yue was just leaving in a rage.

So, she was completely unprepared when Jin Yue’s hand pushed hard on her back.

There were two steps at the restroom door. Ye Zhuyi lost her balance and fell straight down.

Instead of hitting the ground, as she expected, a cool hand grabbed her wrist. A person’s arm wrapped around her waist, and she fell into a soft embrace.

“Are you okay?” Qin Zhizhen’s clear, cold voice entered her ears from above.

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