Chapter 13

Leng Xiang looked calmly at the casting director. The casting director smiled and explained, “I’m not saying you’re bad. It’s just that you’re too beautiful. This role is for a maid—how could she be prettier than her mistress?”

The two newbies nearby burst into laughter at the director’s words.

The casting director continued, “Moreover, you look really familiar. Have you acted in that one…?”

Leng Xiang said nothing.

The casting director was quite young and hadn’t been in the industry too long. It was unclear if he had heard about the scandal from a few years back.

If what he remembered was her Shadow Queen-winning film Farewell, and if he knew about what had happened back then, landing this role would be highly problematic.

The casting director racked his brains for a while before his eyes lit up. He finally remembered. “Didn’t you star in Beauty Light?”

Leng Xiang: “…”

The casting director said, “I was obsessed with that drama back in high school. I’d rush home after school to watch it. Were you the little girl who played the female lead in her youth? The one in the first ten episodes? Wow, what a coincidence. You were even a bit younger than me back then—just over ten years old, right? Do you still remember that role? I loved watching your scenes.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

The Xiao Shi Entertainment newbie: “…”

The Linglong Films newbie: “…”

Leng Xiang’s mouth twitched. She barely managed to straighten her expression before asking, “What about this role, then?”

The casting director got excited for a moment before snapping back to reality. “This role? I still can’t give it to you.”

Leng Xiang: “…”

The casting director said, “I really like you, honestly. You’re much more suited to the second female lead. Our female lead is already locked in, but you’d definitely nail the second female lead.”

Leng Xiang recalled the second female lead’s character setup. She was a venomous beauty with a vicious heart—sinister, ruthless, and capable of every evil deed. She could kill her own flesh and blood and frame the female lead for it, incite the entire harem into chaos, and whisper poison in the emperor’s ear to accuse the female lead of rebellion. If the female lead hadn’t acted swiftly, she might have been done in by the second female lead.

Her morals were utterly twisted. She’d stop at nothing to climb the ranks—a total villain.

Leng Xiang: “…”

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if this was a compliment or an insult.

The casting director went on, “First off, you’re too beautiful—even prettier than the second female lead in the next studio over. That doesn’t fit.

“Second, your aura. Even at thirteen or fourteen, you could play so arrogant and domineering. You’ve grown up now, but some things about your presence don’t change much.”

Back when Leng Xiang was at her peak, critics had described her looks with four words: coldly stunning and unparalleled.

She had a naturally aloof look and rarely smiled. She didn’t socialize much in the industry either, and with her surname Leng, it might have started as a joke, but those four words eventually became her signature.

She could play villains, princesses, empresses, or concubines.

She could also handle nuanced literary films. Just sitting in front of the camera, gazing coolly into the lens, was enough to make viewers forget to breathe.

But asking Leng Xiang to play Maid No. 1? Her image clashed too hard with the role. It was an unsolvable mismatch.

Leng Xiang pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

This was the best role Shen Cheng had fought for her so far. If she couldn’t even seize this chance, how would she face Shen Cheng when she got back? Tell her the casting director thought her aura didn’t fit?

If an actress couldn’t handle something like this, what kind of actress was she?

The casting director sighed too. He genuinely liked Leng Xiang, but she truly wasn’t right for it.

If the second female lead role hadn’t already been internally decided, he really would have pushed Leng Xiang next door to give it a shot.

The casting director turned his gaze to the two newbies from Linglong Films and Xiao Shi Entertainment, wondering which one might fit better. As he pondered, he heard Leng Xiang speak up beside him.

“I want to give it a try.” Leng Xiang pressed her lips together and met the casting director’s eyes squarely. “At least give me a chance.”

If it was just one chance, the casting director could certainly oblige.

He flipped through the script and selected a scene.

Maid No. 1 brought a food box to the female lead, who was trapped in the cold palace. On the surface, she pretended to obey the second female lead, but secretly, she worked to get the female lead out—approaching the emperor and revealing the truth.

Outwardly, she had to act disdainful toward the female lead, tossing the food box at her feet, mocking her a couple of lines, then leaving. But once the cold palace door shut, she leaned against it and wept.

This was a solo monologue scene.

The casting director pointed at the Xiao Shi Entertainment newbie. “You first.”

The Xiao Shi Entertainment newbie was an ordinary young girl—not particularly striking in looks, but with a clean appearance that fit Maid No. 1’s loyal-to-her-mistress vibe.

Her acting was stiff, though. Her mockery was overdone, the shift from scorn to sorrow when she turned to leave was too abrupt, and she couldn’t cry.

The casting director shook his head and signaled the next one.

The Linglong Films newbie did better. She was pretty without being out of place.

Her performance was solid—tears flowed during the cry, and her mocking voice trembled. She smartly captured the layered emotions of this “play within a play,” avoiding stiffness.

The casting director nodded in satisfaction.

Finally, it was Leng Xiang’s turn.

Truth be told, the casting director felt sorry for her. If he remembered right, Leng Xiang had been only fifteen when she filmed Beauty Light. Now, she looked about twenty-four or twenty-five. Ten years later, auditioning for a role so mismatched with her image felt like a desperate move.

Leng Xiang stood before him. The instant he called “action,” her eyes changed.

She was no longer the aloof Leng Xiang. Her gaze turned humble and lowly. She carefully lifted the prop food box, scanning her surroundings anxiously and helplessly. She approached the cold palace door, peered inside, her eyes filling with heartache.

This action wasn’t in the script at all.

She took a deep breath before entering. In that instant, her eyes shifted again. She pushed the door open, tossed the food box carelessly to the ground, and stared into the empty void.

No one was there for line reads—it was all on their own instincts.

Leng Xiang’s mocking laugh was soft. She derided the female lead’s downfall, but her voice carried hidden sorrow and helplessness.

After delivering her lines, she didn’t linger. She turned and left as if on the verge of emotional collapse.

She shut the palace door firmly and slid down against it into a crouch.

In that process, Leng Xiang’s expression twisted for a split second.

The casting director had thought she was showing Maid No. 1’s overwhelming grief, culminating in that face.

But in reality, Leng Xiang was in pain.

She and Jiang Sisi had gone too hard the night before—her waist still hadn’t recovered. The squat pulled at her thigh muscles, the aching soreness shooting up her spine. Caught off guard, she gasped inwardly.

She barely held her expression, and tears fell.

Half acting, half real pain.

The casting director was stunned. Leng Xiang crying was heartbreaking—it almost made him forget she was performing.

After she finished, it took the casting director a long time to recover.

In experience and skill, Leng Xiang lapped these two newbies several times over.

The so-called image mismatch? No issue for her. Her Maid No. 1 was strong and brave, yet utterly pitiable.

And that’s exactly what the role demanded.

The gap between a seasoned actress of ten years and raw rookies was like heaven and earth. He had indeed underestimated her.

Faced with the overwhelming difference, the two newbies exchanged glances and quietly stepped back.

The casting director took a deep breath. He was genuinely excited and nearly choked.

Auditions here announced results on the spot. Just as he was about to congratulate Leng Xiang, a woman’s voice came from the doorway.

“You’re auditioning for the third female lead, right? Got results yet? Lend us someone—we’re short an opponent for the second female lead next door.”

Leng Xiang and the others turned to look.

Leng Xiang raised an eyebrow.

Enemies on every path—running into her anywhere.