Married in a Daze - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
The trailer for Cold Palace set off a wave of excitement online. The public's opinion of Qin Zhenzhen's performance in the trailer was fairly positive. Several fans of the original novel said it looked good and even started promoting it. For some reason, an emoji battle erupted beneath her Weibo posts, and various group chats were flooded with her reaction images. Her follower count kept climbing. Unfortunately, she paid no attention to the outside world, throwing herself wholeheartedly into acting.
The signal deep in the mountains wasn't very good. Sometimes calls could get through, other times there was no signal at all. So, Qin Zhenzhen would usually send Lu Ruyun a few messages in the morning and wait until she returned in the evening to pour out their hearts to each other.
Thinking about how she had to endure a long-distance relationship right after confirming their relationship, without even having time to enjoy the sweetness, she sucked in a cold breath. How miserable.
After lunch, everyone took a short break. Qin Zhenzhen held the script and rehearsed lines with Ji Lu. After finishing, she suddenly remembered that Lu Ruyun had an audition today. She wondered how her preparations were going.
After some thought, Qin Zhenzhen still felt a bit uneasy. She put down the script and called Lu Ruyun.
The phone rang several times before it was answered.
"Zhenzhen." Lu Ruyun's voice was as gentle as ever, but to a lover's ears, even a sparrow's chirp sounds like a nightingale's song. To Qin Zhenzhen, hearing her name called so softly was just too pleasant. She even deliberately stayed silent, making Lu Ruyun call her name again.
Hearing no response from Qin Zhenzhen, Lu Ruyun asked, "Zhenzhen, what's wrong? At this hour, shouldn't you be filming?"
Qin Zhenzhen glanced around. "We're on a break right now."
"Are the mountain scenes finishing this afternoon?"
Qin Zhenzhen nodded. "Yes. I'll be back in three days."
As she said this, she felt a surge of happiness, a joyful glint appearing in her eyes. Lu Ruyun, hearing the change in her tone, also felt quite pleased, her lips curling upward. "Then I'll clear my schedule for then."
Qin Zhenzhen hummed in confusion. "Clear your schedule for what?"
Lu Ruyun's voice was light and clear. "To pick you up at the airport."
Qin Zhenzhen's ears flushed slightly red. Seemingly stirred by the thought of seeing each other in just two days, heat rushed to her cheeks, her eyes sparkling. She bit her lip. "Okay, if you don't think it's too much trouble."
Lu Ruyun said something softly. Qin Zhenzhen lowered her head, her entire pretty face covered in a blush. She cleared her throat. "I'm hanging up."
Only after hearing a goodbye from the other end did Qin Zhenzhen hang up.
After hanging up, she remembered she had meant to ask about Lu Ruyun's audition. Mentally rolling her eyes at her past self, she turned and sent Lu Ruyun a message: Good luck at the audition! [Cute].
After sending it, she stared at Lu Ruyun's profile picture, increasingly feeling that Lu Ruyun had the potential to be her anti-fan.
Receiving the message, Lu Ruyun could imagine Qin Zhenzhen's expression. She lowered her gaze: Okay.
The second round of auditions for Drunken Dreams of Jianghu didn't have as many people, and even fewer contenders for the female lead. He Shuangshuang had already shown Lu Ruyun the profiles of the other candidates earlier.
Besides Zhu Yao, there were two others: one was a newcomer, the other had debuted four or five years ago and had acted in several TV dramas.
The newcomer debuted last year in a group and just went solo this year. She had filmed one movie with decent results. As for Zhu Yao, there was no need for explanation—Lu Ruyun knew her quite well.
Drunken Dreams of Jianghu belonged to the category where the original novel wasn't popular, but the game based on it was a huge hit. Therefore, game fans outnumbered book fans many times over. When the original work was first adapted into a game, many in the industry had a wait-and-see attitude, expecting it to flop. Wuxia games evolved quickly, and this novel didn't have a massive fanbase, so everyone thought it would be phased out within a couple of years.
Who would have thought the game would explode in popularity after its public beta? It was partly luck. Their company originally planned to launch another game, but it was delayed. So they used this one as a replacement, investing heavily in promotion.
This replacement ended up becoming the company's flagship product. For five or six years, it consistently ranked in the top five on game charts. Over the years, the game's merchandise expanded significantly. The company that bought the adaptation rights started getting restless, wanting a piece of the pie too.
Before deciding to audition, Lu Ruyun had already read the entire original novel and watched numerous game videos to understand the plot thoroughly.
The second round of auditions was scheduled for a little past one in the afternoon. When Lu Ruyun arrived, two people were already in the waiting room. Zhu Yao hadn't arrived yet. Lu Ruyun stepped inside. The newcomer who had just debuted was named He Xin. She had a sweet appearance, with two cute little canine teeth when she smiled.
The other was Zhou Huyue, who had been in the industry for several years. She was touching up her makeup. Seeing Lu Ruyun enter, she gave a slight smile and greeted, "Teacher Lu."
He Xin also followed suit. "Teacher Lu."
Lu Ruyun nodded at them with a smile and sat down nearby.
Within a few minutes, the door opened. Zhu Yao stood at the entrance wearing a red jacket, a short skirt, and high heels inside. She walked with a slight sway of her waist, exuding boundless grace.
Zhu Yao's gaze swept over everyone, pausing briefly when it landed on Lu Ruyun.
She was, of course, aware that Lu Ruyun was also auditioning. In fact, before coming, her manager had repeatedly warned her not to be affected by Lu Ruyun. The source of the leaked damaging information hadn't been found, and this was a prime opportunity for her to climb back up. If she couldn't get her act together now, she shouldn't expect good resources in the future.
Zhu Yao understood perfectly. It's easy to add flowers to the brocade, but hard to send charcoal in snowy weather. Recently, when she was being criticized by the entire internet and trending on hot searches daily, friends she once considered close quickly distanced themselves, afraid of being implicated. She had also messaged directors and production teams she had worked with before, but her messages sank without a trace.
That's how society is. Being in favor and being out of favor are two different worlds.
If she wanted to stand up again, she had to seize this opportunity.
Zhu Yao glanced at Lu Ruyun from the corner of her eye and lowered her eyelids.
After Zhu Yao arrived, a strange atmosphere settled in the room. Putting aside her recent scandals, back when she left the Like a Dream set, there were rumors she pursued Lu Ruyun, failed to win her over, harassed her, and was eventually driven off the set. Now she was reappearing here.
Put nicely, it was perseverance. Put bluntly, it was being a pest. So, He Xin and Zhou Huyue only gave her a brief glance before looking away, not even greeting her.
Zhu Yao didn't seem to care, sitting quietly.
Soon after, a staff member called them to get makeup and costumes. Lu Ruyun followed the staff. After changing, a stylist was waiting for her. It wasn't until she stepped onto the stage that she learned the format of the second round: each of the four of them would play a role and perform a scene together live.
Lu Ruyun had participated in many auditions and encountered similar situations, but usually, it was between the male and female leads or two main actors, mainly to see if there was on-screen chemistry. A scene with four competing actresses performing together was relatively rare.
But since the director arranged it this way, no one dared to object.
The script was fixed, and roles were assigned randomly.
He Xin drew the role of the female lead. Zhu Yao drew the role of the supporting female character, a young lady from a prestigious family. Both Lu Ruyun and Zhou Huyue drew the roles of maidservants.
Zhou Huyue frowned unhappily upon seeing her card. She had read the script. The maidservant role barely had any lines. The highlights of this scene were primarily on the female lead and the supporting female character. Her luck was truly bad.
In contrast to Zhou Huyue's displeasure, He Xin was overjoyed. The female lead had so many shining moments in this script; she felt she had the best chance of being selected.
A gleam also appeared in Zhu Yao's eyes. If she had drawn the maidservant role just now, she felt it would be difficult to stand out.
Lu Ruyun's expression remained calm. She just read the maidservant's script another two times. Director Qi sat on a stool not far away, clearly observing the changes in everyone's expressions. The person next to her whispered, "We can start."
Director Qi nodded to a staff member, who hurried onto the stage to confirm once more with the four actresses. The props were fine, and they were ready. The staff member gave an OK sign. Director Qi nodded. "Begin."
This scene was actually a common trope in many TV dramas.
The age-old story of two women vying for one man. One is a female knight-errant from the jianghu, the other is a young lady from a noble family. Both have shared life-and-death experiences with the male lead and overcome many hardships together. However, the male lead hasn't confessed his feelings to the female lead. The supporting female character always believed she had a chance, so she invited the female lead for tea.
It was called tea, but it was more like a warning. The male lead used to be a street urchin, but later his illustrious family background was revealed. The supporting female character, thinking of social status, believed her chances were higher.
Zhu Yao held a teacup, composed and unhurried as she said to He Xin, "Please."
He Xin, hearing her words, sat down gracefully and generously.
Director Qi quickly exchanged a glance with the person beside her. Neither spoke, just turned their gaze back to the stage. Lu Ruyun, holding a tea tray, stood not far away. Seeing this, she knew He Xin had already lost.
This scene was actually a significant turning point in the drama. The female lead, just entering this environment, should feel oppressed. The atmosphere here was different from the carefree jianghu she was used to. Here, there were constraints everywhere; every word had to be weighed carefully. In the original novel, after this scene, she realizes her fundamental differences with the male lead and begins to think about leaving.
But He Xin's performance was too composed, lacking the necessary sense of inner conflict.
"Xiao Yuan, more tea!" Zhu Yao was much more experienced than He Xin. Seeing her performance like this, she looked quite confident, which made her attitude even haughtier, actually fitting the noble young lady from the original work.
Lu Ruyun and Zhou Huyue stepped forward and refilled the teacups, then stood to the side with bowed heads. Zhu Yao asked, "Has my brother returned?"
Zhou Huyue bowed her head respectfully. "Reporting to the young lady, not yet."
Zhu Yao nodded, her gaze shifting from Zhou Huyue to Lu Ruyun before calmly looking away.
In this scene.
Lu Ruyun had no lines.
She withdrew her focus and looked back at He Xin.
He Xin was also looking at her. Their eyes met briefly. Zhu Yao gave a faint smile. "Please."
"Thank you."
After these polite exchanges, He Xin prepared to take her leave. Zhu Yao stood up to see her out. Lu Ruyun and Zhou Huyue stood behind her. According to the script, the scene should have ended here. But no one called "OK," nor said it was over.
Director Qi remained seated on the stool, her expression serious, as if she hadn't noticed the performance had ended. After seeing He Xin off, Zhu Yao didn't dare act rashly and could only obediently return to her seat and drink tea.
She wasn't a newcomer; she knew the rules of the industry. If the director didn't call cut, she naturally couldn't end it on her own.
But what was the next part of the scene?
Zhu Yao sat on the stool. She had studied the original novel, but it was nearly a million words long. She had mainly studied the earlier parts and hadn't really looked much at the later sections.
An awkward atmosphere settled over the stage. Zhu Yao's expression changed. Just moments ago, she was confident of success; now she was fidgeting uneasily. Lu Ruyun, her expression unchanged, walked to her side, bowed her head, and asked respectfully, "Young lady, shall we return to your chambers?"
Zhu Yao turned to look at Lu Ruyun, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She pursed her lips, silent.
Return or not return?
If she chose wrong, she would have no connection to this drama.
Zhu Yao's heart raced. The way she looked at Lu Ruyun was as if she were seeing her for the first time.
This wasn't the Teacher Lu she knew. Teacher Lu wouldn't be like this. A dazed look crossed Zhu Yao's face. Lu Ruyun's question completely shattered the image she had fantasized about. That gentle, soft Teacher Lu vanished in an instant. Before her was a Lu Ruyun she did not recognize.
So sharp. Why did she ask her this question? If she hadn't asked, they could have just sat there until Director Qi called cut. Then her role would have been practically guaranteed.
But she had to ask.
To answer or not?
Zhu Yao bit her lip. Before she could speak, she heard Director Qi call from not far away, "OK!"
She let out a sigh of relief, her expression instantly relaxing.
A slight smile touched Lu Ruyun's lips. Before she could leave, Director Qi called out, "Miss Lu."
The three on stage looked up. Director Qi smiled at Lu Ruyun. "Miss Lu, could we have a word?"
Lu Ruyun nodded, following behind her without even changing out of her costume. Zhu Yao clenched her hands tightly and slumped onto the stool.
She realized completely and utterly that she was out of the running.
Both for Lu Ruyun, and for Drunken Dreams of Jianghu.
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