Ye Suhua, though annoyed by her daughter's troublesome actions, still had to cover for her as she was her own flesh and blood. As soon as Ren Kui hung up the phone, she immediately contacted her legal team and reached out to Tian Hua and He Nian.
He Nian had just stepped off the stage when the sponsor's call came.
He was speechless and could only answer the phone, briefly explaining the situation to the other party's lawyer.
After listening, Ye Suhua finally breathed a sigh of relief. At least her daughter hadn't made the first move, so she wasn't in the wrong. As for the remaining procedures, she entrusted them entirely to her legal team.
Of course, she still had to educate Ren Kui, but that would have to wait until the girl turned on her phone.
Ren Kui walked out of the audition hall with a cheerful smile. She didn't need to watch the subsequent auditions, as she was now the first candidate for the female lead, having showcased both her acting and skills.
Back in the waiting area, Han Zhao had already returned to school. Zhuang Yu, Xiang Fei, and others were bored waiting. The moment they saw Ren Kui, they came alive and immediately started asking questions.
Ren Kui recounted the events inside. After hearing it, everyone gave Ren Kui a thumbs-up: "You're amazing! No wonder we saw someone being taken away by ambulance, covering their nose and crying hysterically earlier."
"Alright, I'm done. You guys can suffer here slowly," Ren Kui said with an infuriating smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder and leaving.
...
The audition hall continued, but the judges appeared somewhat disheartened. For an actor, suitability for a role can sometimes be more important than acting skills. The public, even sensing a mismatch between casting and character, will resist from the start. Therefore, chemistry, not only for the judges but also for the audience, is extremely important.
It had to be admitted that after watching Ren Kui's performance, even if her acting wasn't astonishingly superb, her suitability for the role could be described as near perfect.
He Nian irritably tugged at his long ponytail. There were still over thirty people left, but he really didn't want to watch anymore.
Liu Teng couldn't bear to watch, but it was directed at He Nian. He whispered, "Control your expression. The actors on stage can see it."
He Nian had to sit up straighter.
As for Liu Teng, once he started talking, he couldn't stop. He sighed, and though reluctant, he had no choice. "You win this time. I won't interfere with whoever you choose as the female lead."
He Nian gave him a sideways glance. "Do you have better candidates?"
"Fan Yixing is indeed not as suitable as Ren Kui, but she's popular and has traffic. Even if her dramas are terrible, their viewership can easily exceed one hundred million," Liu Teng said.
He Nian chuckled twice. "If I don't invite her, I'll immediately earn seventy million. If I don't invite Lu Liang either, then a hundred million is out there, isn't it? Isn't that appealing?"
Liu Teng was speechless for a while before stubbornly saying, "I refuse to believe it. Is she more powerful than Sun Wukong's Fiery Eyes Golden Gaze? And she recommended seven people. If all of them are truly selected, I'll call her my great-aunt without a second thought."
He Nian glanced at him as if he were an idiot. "I don't know why you're competing with yourself."
Liu Teng snorted. "I'm not convinced, so what?"
He Nian picked up the microphone, his face filled with impatience and annoyance. "Alright, alright, what are you even acting? You're wasting my time."
Cui Min, who was in the middle of her lines, was suddenly interrupted, and her face turned pale.
"Director He, what do you mean? I haven't finished acting."
He Nian waved his hand to urge her on. "Go back and practice your fundamental skills for a few more years. You haven't even got your lines straight."
Cui Min's eyes welled up with tears of grievance. She was number twenty-nine, and many people were watching. This embarrassing scene hadn't happened since the training camp performance.
Shame made her feel like she had nowhere to hide. Cui Min couldn't bear to stay any longer and ran off the stage crying, leaving the audition hall.
Tian Cheng was extremely pleased. Cui Min was inferior to her in every aspect, yet she had such a high opinion of herself, even believing she was on par with Tian Cheng. To Tian Cheng, this was simply an insult.
As her number was called, she walked onto the stage: "Cui Min, I want to make it clear to you that you can never be on the same level as me."
However, when she poured all her energy into her performance, she was stopped by He Nian before she was even halfway through.
"Are you taught by the same teacher? If you're so useless, why are you here acting? You should switch careers early."
Tian Cheng stood there, stunned, as if she hadn't heard him.
Liu Teng clicked his tongue and shook his head. It was just that these newcomers were too overconfident. In the past, almost no newcomers would audition because their agents would tell them that in He Nian's eyes, they were nothing. Even if they auditioned, they would only be scolded.
Thinking about it this way, Han Zhao and Ren Kui, as newcomers, were not easy.
Of course, the fundamental reason was that the script was tailor-made for them by Nine.
"Number thirty-one," Liu Teng called out, and immediately, an actress got up from her seat.
Tian Cheng finally came to her senses, her face flushed like a pig's liver. She could only leave with immense shame. As she reached the door, she saw Cui Min looking at her.
Tian Cheng immediately felt a surge of anger. "That scheming bitch Cui Min, deliberately waiting here just to see if I suffered the same fate."
Especially seeing Cui Min's expression of "If I can't do it, you definitely can't either," it made Tian Cheng so angry she wanted to vomit her breakfast.
"You were rejected too, haha, we're all the same, it's okay," Cui Min said with a smile.
Tian Cheng couldn't hold back any longer and said to Cui Min with a dark expression, "I'm prettier than you, have a better figure than you, and my acting is better than yours. What right do you have to be the same as me? The most pathetic thing about a person is someone like you who doesn't know their place."
Cui Min's sore spot was hit. She angrily retorted, "What I hate most about you is your condescending attitude, thinking you're so invincible.
Bah, if you're so capable, didn't the director praise you even once? Even the tail-enders like Han Zhao and Ren Kui got the male and female leads. You're not even as good as them, so what face do you have to show off to me?"
If it weren't for the fact that many people were waiting in the hall, Tian Cheng would have pounced on Cui Min and slapped her hard. However, though she restrained herself from physical violence, her words were extremely venomous.
"In my eyes, you're a stinking rat in a gutter. I pity you when I walk with you, but you have no self-awareness, thinking that by walking with me, you become like me. Bullshit, your mysterious confidence is hilarious.
You can't even compare to my little toe, so what right do you have to walk alongside me? I've tolerated a fool like you for four years. From now on, if you see me, you'd better take a detour, or I'll curse you every time I see you."
After speaking, she stomped away angrily in her high heels, leaving Cui Min to continue her curses.
Their four-year "plastic friendship" was finally exposed and severed.
...
In her office, Quan Jiu received replies from both Han Zhao and Ren Kui. Both were good news, which greatly relieved her.
Just before noon, Quan Jiu was about to order takeout. As soon as she unlocked her phone, she received a new email notification.
Ever since she received the anonymous email last time, she had guessed that the sender might have other means. Therefore, she had kept her university QQ logged in, and sure enough, another message arrived.
[Your uncle was in a car accident.]