The standoff ended with Jay lunging at me—only for Sylvia to bodily block him.
He took two shuddering breaths, glared daggers at me, then melted into syrup for Sylvia:
"I'll head in first. An assistant will fetch you soon. Just walk straight in, alright?"
Sylvia nodded, starry-eyed: "Yes, Brother Jay."
Post-goodbyes, she turned to me: "How could you speak to him like—"
"He's your Brother Jay, not mine."
Her shock was almost satisfying—until a voice called:
"Sylvia Shui! You're up!"
Audition Room
The space screamed "power": floor-to-ceiling mirrors, multiple cameras, and a panel of five industry heavyweights—plus that idiot Jay—seated at a raised desk.
I claimed a front-row seat, ready for the show.
Sylvia stood center-stage, radiating fragile innocence. An assistant handed her two script pages: "Ten minutes to prepare."
Jay murmured: "You've got this." Barf.
Credit where due: Sylvia was competent.
Clear diction, decent emotional range, purposeful eye shifts. A bit rehearsed, but Director Luo seemed pleased.
Assistant: "Take a seat. Next—Su Yunyi!"
Enter the villainess.
I straightened up, buzzing.
Original Su Yunyi was legendary—a triple-crown Best Actress destined to outshine Sylvia before her downfall.
Surely Shen Lang's panic attack in the stairwell was just nerves?
The door swung open.
Shen Lang stumbled in—barefoot, heels dangling from his fingers.
"Before you ask—" He raised the shoes. "—I trip in these."
Director Luo's frown deepened. The assistant shoved script pages at him.
Shen Lang spent ten minutes pulling faces at the text, then tossed it aside: "Ready!"
What followed wasn't acting. It was a crime.
The scene: Princess Changping discovers her beloved husband's treason, executes him, then realizes his innocence—requiring gut-wrenching grief veiled by royal stoicism.
Shen Lang's "performance":
"Husband! I, Changping, treated you well! Did Great Wei wrong you?!" (Monotone shout)
"Why... why—" (Pause) "Shit. Line?"
The panel's faces curdled.
Shen Lang jogged to retrieve his script, then read the rest flatly.
Jay broke the stunned silence:
"Director Luo's handpicked lead, everyone."
"Su Yunyi!" Luo slammed the table. "What was that?"
Shen Lang beamed: "My agent said phone it in! 'The role's yours anyway!'"
Jay snorted.
"But honestly?" Shen Lang scanned the room—eyes landing on Sylvia beside me.
He pointed: "Just cast her. The heroine plays the heroine—saves us all a reshuffle later."