After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows-Chapter 142 Dispute

The audition was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Finally hearing the prompt for her audition, Lin Xuefei quickly suppressed the wild thoughts in her mind, took the makeup bag handed by the assistant to touch up her makeup swiftly, and after sitting quietly for a moment, walked to a place near the main door of the studio to wait.

Yet she was still hesitating whether to audition for the role of Jiang Ling’an, which she preferred, or to settle for another alternate role, even as she was about to step in.

It wasn’t until she stood on the stage, facing the gaze of Director Wei and a group of judges, that she bit her lip decisively.

Take a gamble, she refused to believe she was inferior to Jiang Lingxi!

Basement Level.

In fact, compared to the auditions for leading cast members on the first floor, there were indeed more people auditioning for special roles in the basement level.

After all, there are only a few leading actors even if you count them all, and a TV series has the most small roles with little screen time.

The entertainment industry is like a pyramid, with only a few making it to the very top levels, the majority are extras and actors in minor roles at the middle and lower levels.

For them, there’s no reason to miss Director Wei’s new drama audition.

Who knows, landing even one minor role might be their ticket to stardom.

Many came here with such ambition, so it’s easy to imagine how many people came to audition.

If the first floor was like a quiet upscale mall, then the basement level was like a noisy marketplace.

Jiang Xiyu hadn’t had a pleasant expression since stepping into the basement, listening to the low but still buzzing chatter around due to the sheer number of people, her face darkened even more.

Xiao Tao used her somewhat plump figure to occupy a small relatively quiet space for her, and Jiang Yuting specifically returned to the car to fetch noise-cancelling headphones for her, which stopped Jiang Xiyu from losing her temper. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Even though each person’s audition time for these small roles was kept under two minutes, with most only having a minute to perform, the sheer number of people made the waiting time grow endlessly.

Just as Jiang Xiyu was getting close to not being able to endure any longer, Jiang Yuting reached out and took off the headphones she was wearing, "Get ready, it’s your turn next."

Jiang Xiyu didn’t even have time to sigh in relief before noticing that Jiang Yuting’s expression seemed a bit off, "What’s wrong?"

Jiang Yuting hesitated, then sighed, "The role you prepared to audition for, the maid Qing Yuan to Emperor Yuan Zhao, has just been confirmed with a suitable candidate. Shall we..."

"I won’t!" Before Jiang Yuting could finish, Jiang Xiyu sharply interrupted, gritting her teeth and looking up at the large screen not far away that was continuously scrolling.

The screen listed all the special roles to be auditioned with suitable candidates’ names in green, while the names for unchosen roles were in red.

The role she had her eye on was still in red ten minutes ago, and she assumed it would be hers once she auditioned.

But now it was green, snatched away by someone named Pei Xinyuan.

"I don’t know which backwater corner this small-time actor crawled out of, acting with Xu Qingmei, like they even measure up!" Jiang Xiyu said as she picked up her dress and rushed into the audition hall, "I have to see who the casting director will choose between me and that Pei Xinyuan!"

Jiang Yuting reached out but didn’t stop her.

Seeing her looking so fierce, she hesitated but decided to let it be.

She felt much like Jiang Xiyu; she hadn’t even heard of the name Pei Xinyuan, likely someone minor or an extra. If she were the casting director, she’d definitely pick the one with more fame.

As for Pei Xinyuan, she could only say sorry in her heart.

The role you aimed for wasn’t yours to take!

*

The struggles inside the audition hall had no impact on the serene atmosphere of the lounge.

Xu Qingmei woke up comfortably after half an hour of rest, eating yogurt and fruit handed by her assistant, asked indifferently, "Is the audition outside over?"

"It should be about half an hour more, do you want to go out for a walk, sis? You might want to see the quality of the actors auditioning, after all, they’ll be acting with you later."

Xu Qingmei thought for a moment, nodded, "Alright, it’s been years since I’ve been in the country, I wonder if the domestic actors’ skills have declined." Putting down the fruit fork, she stood up lazily with her assistant’s attentive support.

"No one can match up to you, sis."

Leaving the lounge, the audition hall on the first floor was just a short walk down the corridor.

The two entered through a side door without disturbing the ongoing audition in front.

Xu Qingmei saw Wei Minmin sitting in the corner and simply sat nearby.

She thought she would quickly hear Wei Minmin softly greet her, but she already had the reason for her coming over ready.

Unexpectedly, after waiting almost ten seconds, the person next to her seemed asleep, showing no reaction at all.

Xu Qingmei couldn’t help but frown and turned her head to look over.

Seeing the girl with her eyes open and clearly awake, yet as if in a daze, not noticing her presence.

She had to speak first, "Minmin?"

She called twice before waking her up.

"Ah, it’s Qingmei sis, what brings you here?"

"I got a little bored in the lounge, so I came to see how the auditions are going." Xu Qingmei feigned casualness, "What were you thinking about earlier, I called you twice?"

"Nothing, nothing." Wei Minmin shook her head quickly, meeting Xu Qingmei’s eyes she seemed to have something she wanted to say but was hesitant.

When she learned earlier that her uncle was going to have Xu Qingmei play the lead, she was completely in favor.

She’s famous, excellent in acting, truly no one in the domestic can compare with Xu Qingmei.

But that was before acting a scene with Jiang Lingxi.

And after that, even though Jiang Lingxi was gone, her mind kept revisiting the moment on stage where Jiang Lingxi looked at her.

It was like a thorn, she didn’t want to remove it despite her intentions.

So seeing Xu Qingmei now, she realized that her heart had already tilted towards Jiang Lingxi.

But regardless of where her heart inclined, the final decision was her uncle’s, not hers.

As for Xu Qingmei, who was still unaware that someone had auditioned for the lead female role, she truly didn’t know what to say.

"Just thought everyone acted quite well."

"Good, as long as their acting is up to standard, I won’t have to work hard to lead them."

Wei Minmin hummed lightly, nodding her head perfunctorily.

Half an hour passed, and as the last actor finished their audition and bowed to leave, Wei Xiao wrote down his evaluation of the actor on the paper before putting down the pen and stretching with a long sigh.

"Thank you, professors, for your hard work. Tonight I’ll treat everyone to dinner, let’s just..." He didn’t finish the sentence when he saw his eldest niece sitting in the corner, along with Xu Qingmei who had come at some point, and paused in his speech.

"Almost forgot, Teacher Xu hasn’t auditioned yet, sorry for the wait, shall we do it now?"

Xu Qingmei heard this and after a moment of surprise, nodded with a smile, rising to walk towards the stage, "Okay, Director Wei is indeed thorough. Which scene would you like me to perform?"

"The scene where Emperor Yuan Zhao sends Wei Fuying to the battlefield, Minmin, go and act with her."

Wei Minmin nodded, went up the stage, and stood opposite Xu Qingmei.

"Director, you haven’t given me my lines yet."

Wei Xiao slapped his forehead, "Almost forgot." He quickly wrote on a slip of paper and had someone pass it over.

Unfortunately, Jiang Lingxi didn’t ask for lines before her performance!