When I Woke Up, I Had Three Romantic Partners - Chapter 25

After getting off the plane, Chi Jinqing hurried to finish shooting the commercial, and then took advantage of the director being nearby to audition for a role.

Director Yu Zhi was dressed very casually, and the meeting place was a film set that other had just finished using. Since the scheduled time hadn’t arrived, he used the spare time to audition actors.

Because none of the actors had the script, the director selected a segment on the spot for everyone to try out.

Yu Zhi was looking for actors, so he wouldn’t start the audition without giving them any background information. He cleared his throat and began to tell everyone the background story of the second female lead.

“This character is called Duan Rong. She is deeply devoted to and quietly protective of the female lead, Qingchen. Her background is quite tragic. She was abandoned by her parents when she was young and was picked up and adopted by an elderly garbage collector.

Growing up, the only person her age who was gentle to her was Qingchen. Qingchen never shunned her or made her feel that there was anything wrong with her situation. Therefore, toward the consistently outstanding Qingchen, Duan Rong is humble and sensitive.”

“The scene you are about to perform is when the second female lead, Bai Qi, confesses her love to Qingchen, and Duan Rong overhears it. She then goes to Qingchen to ask about it, and the situation arises when she is told that Qingchen and Bai Qi are truly in love.”

In this emotional context, there is little room for grand expression, but it is difficult to stand out.

The reason Su Yunhui said this role would make her popular was mainly because Su Yunhui had read the script and understood many of the plot points, but Chi Jinqing was unaware of this. Therefore, she was hesitant about what to express in this short segment.

There were many restrictions on performance, and she didn’t quite understand how to convey that sense of sensitivity, low self-esteem, and profound emotion.

Chi Jinqing held the script and did not go first.

The first person to take the stage was a young actress. Her age was similar to Duan Rong’s, but she had undergone too much cosmetic work, which resulted in a particularly stiff facial expression.

Although she tried very hard to move her face, her muscle control was clearly insufficient. As a result, the self-pity wasn’t apparent, but a sense of horror was.

Yu Zhi rubbed his temples and waved his hand, “Next one.”

The second person to go on stage was a relatively new actress with a small reputation. She had played the female lead in two dramas, but both had failed.

She was initially reluctant to audition for a supporting female role this time, so she seemed somewhat distracted. Yu Zhi noticed that her heart wasn’t in it and waved her off before she could finish, inviting the next person.

The next person was an experienced actress who had played many supporting roles. However, her acting was too polished, lacking the youthful innocence that Yu Zhi desired. Yu Zhi frowned but ultimately wrote down her name.

“Next one.”

After more than a dozen people had gone, Yu Zhi had selected one or two actors he was relatively satisfied with.

Among this group, several were pushed into the audition by investors, but because none of them met his requirements, he unceremoniously dismissed all of them.

It was this uncompromising nature that made it infinitely harder for his films to secure investment than others.

Although this was only a supporting female role, many people came to audition, and those who made it to the end generally had some skill.

Apart from a few obvious cases of stiff, post-surgery faces unable to make expressions, the others performed very well.

Director Yu Zhi didn’t say much; he watched calmly.

Chi Jinqing took a deep breath. Looking at the script in her hand, she felt like she might be finished. She had never experienced this kind of pressure before. How was she supposed to act?

Finally, it was her turn. She took a deep breath. The others were already sitting to the side waiting. She walked to the center and nodded, signaling that she was ready.

The person acting opposite her was Director Yu Zhi’s assistant, who mechanically recited the lines she had repeated more than a dozen times.

Assistant: “Teacher Chi, are you ready?”

Chi Jinqing: “Mhm, let’s start.”

The assistant had read the lines so many times that she could recite them without looking at the script.

Qingchen: “Rongrong, what’s wrong? Why are you rushing so much?”

The assistant’s voice was so flat that it almost took Chi Jinqing out of the scene. Sometimes, she had to admire the people in the entertainment industry who could seamlessly immerse themselves in the role despite such monotonous delivery; they were truly dedicated.

However, detaching from the script and immersing herself in the world of Duan Rong, Chi Jinqing’s gaze changed. Her eyes instantly became cautious and shifty, filled with disbelief, unwillingness, and deep fear.

“I…”

The moment Chi Jinqing spoke, Yu Zhi became serious. Regardless of anything else, just with that expression, he felt that the actress might have truly grasped the essence of the character Duan Rong.

“I…”

‘Duan Rong’ opened her mouth several times, but each time she started, she bit her lower lip and stopped. She seemed unable to speak, not even daring to look up, afraid that the emotions in her eyes would overflow and be discovered by Qingchen.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on Chi Jinqing, who was tense. Her expression of wanting to speak yet being unable to do so made the assistant involuntarily enter the scene, subconsciously adopting the role of Qingchen.

Qingchen noticed her abnormality and softly asked, “What is it? Is there something you want to tell me?”

Duan Rong quickly glanced up at her, then lowered her eyes. Her lips were trembling and white from being clenched so tightly. After several long moments, she finally whispered, “I… I heard that you’re… you’re with Bai Qi?”

Qingchen seemed oblivious to the emotion in Duan Rong’s words: “Yes, she confessed to me, and I accepted.”

Duan Rong’s heart severely tightened. She clutched her clothes, finding it hard to breathe. The sadness and fear, combined with the feeling of losing everything, threatened to drown her.

Her heart felt as if it were tightly squeezed by a hand, numb yet sharply aching.

Her eyes were stinging, and her breathing was difficult. She felt completely frozen.

In that instant, Chi Jinqing’s mind went blank, and her ears were ringing. She felt as if she couldn’t hear anything anymore.

Chi Jinqing’s face instantly turned pale as paper. She looked like a thin, painted butterfly, swaying precariously in the wind—fragile and without support.

“Rongrong? Rongrong? What’s wrong?”

The assistant looked at Chi Jinqing, who seemed on the verge of collapsing, and cried out in surprise, “Teacher Chi, Teacher Chi, are you okay?!”

Chi Jinqing was still somewhat disoriented when she snapped out of the role. She shook her head, “I’m fine, thank you.”

Seeing that Chi Jinqing was genuinely okay, and that her acting was simply too good, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief and said with a wry smile, “No problem. Teacher Chi, the way you looked just now, like you had lost everything, was so relatable. I felt truly guilty, as if I had actually done something to you.”

Chi Jinqing was still slightly lost. That feeling of losing everything wasn’t something she had simply acted out; it felt more like a natural reaction from the body, a conditioned reflex to acting.

She bowed to Director Yu Zhi to indicate that she had finished her performance.

Yu Zhi nodded in affirmation of her performance. He stood up and closed his script, saying with a kind smile, “Today’s audition is over. I will have my assistant send out notifications later. Thank you all for your hard work today.”

“It was nothing.”

“Goodbye, Director Yu Zhi.”

Everyone was quite aware of each other’s circumstances. If they were to discuss it, everyone understood where the role would ultimately land. The only people who could truly compete with Chi Jinqing were those two older supporting actresses.

As they left the set, everyone dispersed. The assistant rushed over with a water bottle: “Sister Chi, how did it go?”

Chi Jinqing took the water bottle and sipped some water. Her mood was not very high, and she shook her head, still somewhat unable to step out of the character: “Just okay, I guess.”

The assistant fanned Chi Jinqing and asked curiously, “Was it difficult?”

She hadn’t watched an audition before and didn’t know what it was like inside.

Chi Jinqing took the fan and fanned herself, still shaking her head: “It wasn’t particularly difficult.”

She got into the private van, and the driver started heading towards the hotel. She described the general character setting and content of the script to the curious assistant.

“It mainly depends on the direction the director wants to take. If he’s not going for an artistic style and prefers the current trend, I probably won’t get the part.”

The direction of her performance, based on the segment, was more in line with previous aesthetic trends—leaning toward restraint and a literary style. She had a relatively low acceptance of the current trend of explosive, over-the-top acting.

She just didn’t know if the director wanted to make a breakthrough or stick to his usual habits.

Just as they left, another director walked out from behind the scenes. She smiled warmly at Yu Zhi and asked, “Have you made your choice? Who do you think is better?”

Yu Zhi massaged his legs and said, “If I have to say, Bai Yufei is naturally better. Her acting is outwardly expressive and quite striking, especially the profound sorrow and the easily recognizable depth of Duan Rong’s feelings for Qingchen, which can be seen without a single word.”

Associate Director Yang Hong: “But I see that your satisfaction with her hasn’t reached its peak.”

Yu Zhi hesitated and nodded, “That’s right, because I prefer the other person’s interpretation.”

Yang Hong had partnered with him more than once or twice and could easily guess his thoughts: “Is it that Chi Jinqing?”

“Mhm.”

Yu Zhi recalled Chi Jinqing’s performance. Just a glance brought out the atmosphere, and the hesitant pauses, along with the restraint and self-abasement of Duan Rong, were exceptionally well-portrayed.

Based on his preference, Chi Jinqing was more suitable. Her acting had more atmosphere and inner depth. However, based on currently popular choices, Bai Yufei was better at externalizing the emotions and moving the audience’s hearts.

Yang Hong laughed helplessly: “What’s so difficult about choosing?”

Yu Zhi glared at her and muttered, “If I want to break through the current state, I have to pick someone different, but then what I shoot won’t be what I truly want.”

The difficulty arises when a person wants both things.

“You should just focus on your own filmmaking, and go with what you want.”

Yang Hong patted his shoulder: “A breakthrough doesn’t come from the actor, but from the overall picture and the details. If you force yourself to merge with the actor’s style, will the final product still be yours?”

Yu Zhi considered this and agreed. Gritting his teeth, he finally sent Chi Jinqing a notification of acceptance, asking her to prepare, as he estimated filming would start in about three months.

Chi Jinqing, who had just arrived at the hotel, took a shower and was catching up on sleep, while the assistant, who received the notification, was stunned. She clutched her phone, so happy she wanted to spin around.

If Chi Jinqing hadn’t been asleep, she would have probably rushed in right now to congratulate her.

“Ahhh! Our Qingqing is the best!”