Pregnant with the Alpha Best Actress's Child - Chapter 17.2

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Sang Zhijiu’s dangerous thoughts. “Hello?”

On the other end was Lin Jiahe’s somewhat sleepy voice, “Zhijiu, are you awake? Akang will be waiting downstairs for us in half an hour. Wash up, we need to head to the interview location.”

Sang Zhijiu took a deep breath. “Mm, I’m awake.”

Lin Jiahe paused, then laughed, “It’s rare for you to be so punctual. My little girl has finally grown up, and ‘Mother’ is truly relieved!”

Sang Zhijiu gritted her teeth. “Bah!” She hung up the phone and lay back on the bed, covering her forehead. About five minutes later, she finally moved again, propping herself up and walking slowly to the bathroom to freshen up.

After a simple breakfast in the car, they arrived at their destination. The interview location was a small hotel inside the film city. It wasn’t too early or late, and the hotel was relatively quiet. Jiang Mengzhi had been thoughtful and specifically booked an extra room for Sang Zhijiu so she could have a private lounge, separate from the other three candidates. Once Lin Jiahe settled Sang Zhijiu in, she left to catch up with acquaintances and gather information.

To Sang Zhijiu’s surprise, just as she took out the script for some last-minute cramming, the room door was pushed open. She looked over in surprise and saw a foreign face. Zhan Yuerou held a candidate’s number plate, looking first at the room number and then at Sang Zhijiu. She appeared completely harmless. “Um, Senior Sang Zhijiu!” she asked confusedly, “I’m here for the interview for the crew codenamed L. May I ask if this is the candidate lounge?”

Sang Zhijiu was momentarily dazed. Strictly speaking, this was her private lounge, but she was indeed one of the candidates, so saying it was a candidate lounge didn’t seem entirely wrong. Additionally, Zhan Yuerou looked delicate and was an Omega, which naturally garnered goodwill from others. Sang Zhijiu glossed over the specific details and said directly, “The interview room is right next door. You can wait here.”

Zhan Yuerou smiled, “Okay, thank you!”

Sang Zhijiu replied with a polite smile, “You’re welcome.”

With permission, Zhan Yuerou became bolder. She walked over to Sang Zhijiu and, as if inadvertently glimpsing the manuscript by her hand, said in surprise, “I couldn’t believe it just now. Are you also here to interview for this role?”

Sang Zhijiu didn’t feel there was anything to hide and nodded in acknowledgment. Zhan Yuerou stuck out her tongue. “Whew, so you’re also participating in the interview. Then I have absolutely no chance.”

Sang Zhijiu paused and instinctively comforted her, “Why do you say that? Everyone is competing fairly.”

“Fair competition?” Zhan Yuerou was very surprised. “Since you’re here, hasn’t the role already been decided internally?” She acted as if she were very experienced in these matters. “I know how it works and won’t go around talking nonsense, so don’t worry!”

Sang Zhijiu frowned. For some reason, after just a few sentences, she had lost all liking for this girl. However, out of basic social principles, she didn’t show it. She simply turned her head and stopped responding, pretending to be focused on her script.

Zhan Yuerou sighed to herself. “Actually, you don’t need to worry. I know I won’t get this role. I came here today to see if I could get a small supporting role.”

Sang Zhijiu found this odd and couldn’t help asking, “You’ve made it to the finals, and your goal is only a supporting role?”

This time, Zhan Yuerou stopped speaking. The two shared an awkward smile and fell silent.

In fact, Zhan Yuerou was not originally among the three candidates. One of the original three happened to be a background actor in the film city, just like Zhan Yuerou. However, the pressure of the finals, combined with some family issues, caused that girl to give up the opportunity and fly back to her hometown. Zhan Yuerou received this news immediately. At that time, the compensation payment Fan Wu had sent her was still fresh in her hands, so she used the money to pull strings and contacted the casting staff. After taking a bribe, the staff member recommended Zhan Yuerou as a substitute when mentioning the matter to the person in charge, Liang Shuang. With time running out, Liang Shuang didn’t think too much of it; since they had planned for three people anyway, she agreed.

This was how Zhan Yuerou ended up at the hotel for the interview. Even her “entering the wrong room” was not a coincidence. Fu Xinyan and the other candidate knew each other and were chatting warmly in the actual lounge. Zhan Yuerou saw that they were unfamiliar and figured they were nobodies just like her, so she decisively left to try her luck near the interview room. Since Lin Jiahe happened to be out, she actually managed to catch “the big prize,” Sang Zhijiu.

About thirty minutes later, Lin Jiahe returned to the room, poked her head in, and said, “Zhijiu.” Her words stopped abruptly as she saw Zhan Yuerou occupying the sofa. Her brow furrowed immediately. “Who are you?”

Zhan Yuerou was quite well-behaved. “Hello, I’m here to interview for a role.”

Sang Zhijiu saw her embarrassment and briefly explained for her. Lin Jiahe’s expression remained somewhat dark. “The candidate lounge is not here. You should go to room 307 on the third floor. Never mind.” She looked at Sang Zhijiu. “Zhijiu, get ready. It’s your turn in five minutes.”

Sang Zhijiu took a deep breath, nodded, and stood up from her chair. As she prepared to leave, Zhan Yuerou approached her again. “Senior Zhijiu, my turn is also starting soon. Can I go over with you?” She smiled. “I’m a bit nervous.”

Sang Zhijiu was even more nervous. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the interview itself, but the more one cares about something, the greater the fear of failure. This interview concerned whether she could fulfill her promise to her mothers, so it held a very important position in her heart. However, even though she wasn’t in the best state and didn’t have much liking for the Omega in front of her, her years of habit as a Beta made her maintain an excellent gentlemanly grace. Looking back at Zhan Yuerou, Sang Zhijiu nodded and said, “Mm, let’s go together.”

Thus, as Fan Wu and Liang Shuang were leaning together discussing the performance of the previous two candidates, they saw Sang Zhijiu and Zhan Yuerou walking in from the door together. Both Fan Wu and Fan Zhengzhi on the other side were stunned.

Liang Shuang was somewhat confused. “What’s wrong? Do you think Fu Xinyan isn’t good enough?”

Fan Wu recovered and shook her head. “No, it’s just that she hasn’t reached my expectations yet.” She glossed over the matter and looked at Zhan Yuerou, frowning slightly.

Liang Shuang explained appropriately, “The girl named Xu Xinyi gave up her candidacy, so the people below recommended a new candidate. That’s the one next to Sang Zhijiu, named Zhan Yuerou. I just looked at her resume; nothing interesting. She was just a background actor like Xu Xinyi. Watch her performance later; if she’s no good, just dismiss her.”

Fan Wu lowered her head, gave a soft “mm,” and then called over a staff member to give some instructions. The staff member followed the orders and quickly arranged for Zhan Yuerou to perform first. Zhan Yuerou was stunned but helplessly nodded in agreement.

Lin Jiahe breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Sang Zhijiu aside. “Just right. Watch her first so we can avoid any accidents later.”

Sang Zhijiu rubbed her nose. “There won’t be any accidents. I wonder what tricks Fan Wu is playing now.”

Lin Jiahe whispered, “Watch your tone! Be more polite to our future director!”

Sang Zhijiu pouted and remained silent. However, her mood soon lightened significantly because Zhan Yuerou’s performance was truly terrible. Sang Zhijiu hadn’t seen the previous two candidates and didn’t know Zhan Yuerou was a last-minute substitute. Seeing her clumsy acting, she asked blankly, “Um, are all the candidates at this level?”

Lin Jiahe also scratched her forehead. “I don’t know either.” But she quickly reacted, whispering into Sang Zhijiu’s ear cheerfully, “You didn’t even act this poorly when you first debuted. If all three candidates are at this level, then we’re set this time, aren’t we?”

Sang Zhijiu pursed her lips. “Impossible. Liang Shuang is in charge of the casting team.” She looked at Zhan Yuerou. “Maybe she’s too nervous and didn’t perform well?”

Lin Jiahe didn’t care. “Who cares about her.” Despite saying that, she still cautiously massaged Sang Zhijiu’s shoulders. “We just need to be ourselves. Zhijiu, you’ve seen plenty of big scenes, so you absolutely cannot be nervous later!”

Sang Zhijiu took a deep breath. Zhan Yuerou’s performance gave her a subconscious thought that she wasn’t bad at all, and she relaxed a lot. She said firmly to Lin Jiahe, “Don’t worry, I won’t be!”

Meanwhile, Zhan Yuerou ended her mediocre performance. At the judging table, Liang Shuang and Fan Wu couldn’t even find a single word for a critique. Only Fan Zhengzhi, acting as the atmosphere-lifter, stepped forward and said, “Cough, the performance is over? Alright, Miss Zhan, please return to the lounge and wait for news about the next round.”

Zhan Yuerou also knew she had performed poorly. Just now, when she was supposed to be tearful, she had wrinkled her face into a ball but couldn’t squeeze out any tears. She left in embarrassment with a flushed face.

In the next moment, all eyes fell on Sang Zhijiu. Sang Zhijiu could handle being looked at, and after the previous act, she was no longer very nervous. She walked gracefully to the front and politely greeted the three judges.

With Zhan Yuerou as a contrast, seeing this spirited and charming little beauty made even the perpetually expressionless Liang Shuang relax her features. She said, “You heard the rules just now, right? If you’re ready, let’s begin.”

Sang Zhijiu nodded. This was a performance without physical props, requiring the candidate to imagine the villainous nouveau riche’s position toward the judging table so the three judges could clearly see Chen Yue’s expressions and psychological fluctuations.

Sang Zhijiu took a few deep breaths, and her entire aura changed. She was still proud; being a top student plus having the national violin trophy gave her a natural, lofty aura. However, compared to her original self, that sharp edge was softened significantly. Facing the call of a stranger, she initially seemed a bit confused. After stopping, she pointed at herself in surprise, “Calling me?”

As the other party approached to tease her, Sang Zhijiu took a step back and frowned. At this moment, her expression only showed disgust, not fear. Liang Shuang nodded secretly. She was about to praise Sang Zhijiu to Fan Wu when she suddenly noticed something. Sang Zhijiu’s gaze, which was supposed to be on the antagonist, was falling intentionally or unintentionally around Fan Wu. Liang Shuang was somewhat confused. Was she treating Fan Wu as the imagined antagonist? But Fan Wu was clearly Chen Yue’s “white moonlight,” the Mu Yining she loved and relied on most!

The performance continued. The antagonist’s lackeys surrounded her, and he used both soft and hard tactics, throwing a wad of cash in front of everyone and demanding Chen Yue drink the three glasses of alcohol. Staff members and band members crowded around, pressuring Chen Yue to submit. Chen Yue kept looking back in one direction, but her expression became more and more desperate.

Finally, probably confirming that the only person she could rely on would not lend a hand, her eyes filled with tears. With a trace of shame, she drank the three glasses of alcohol one by one. As she finished the action, her gaze was fixed on Fan Wu.

To Sang Zhijiu, if she needed to find an “imagined enemy” in this interview room, Fan Wu was clearly the perfect choice. Recalling their various interactions over the years, she already felt wronged in her heart. Combined with the atmosphere of the role, she vividly displayed her grief and indignation in no time.

As the trial performance ended, everyone gave respectful applause. Sang Zhijiu quickly adjusted her expression, covered her pounding heart, and bowed in thanks. Liang Shuang gave a few simple praises. Seeing that Fan Wu had nothing to say, she also nodded to end the topic. Fan Zhengzhi, however, was very satisfied, smiling so much his eyes were nearly invisible. “Oh, that was truly a wonderful performance! Zhijiu, return to the lounge and wait for the next round of performances. Someone will notify you.”

Sang Zhijiu nodded and left the room with Lin Jiahe. In the interview room, Liang Shuang picked up her critique notes and began discussing with Fan Wu and Fan Zhengzhi. “Alright, all four people have performed. What do you think?”

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