After We Broke Up, She Started Pursuing Me [Entertainment Industry] 59

Chapter 59

The two of them locked eyes, both a little surprised and awkward.

Zhou Jinsi looked at the person before her. Perhaps because it was a private outing today, she wasn’t overly dressed up, just in a simple T-shirt and jeans. She even only had a light gloss on her lips.

But with those recognizable features, Zhou Jinsi only paused for a second before she recognized her.

Seeing her still in a daze, the other person took the initiative to speak first.

“A friend of Qinqin’s?” Ji Chen still had that faint smile.

Zhou Jinsi lowered her gaze, her lips curving into a smile, and nodded.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Ji Chen silently sized up Zhou Jinsi. She really hadn’t expected to run into her at the welfare institute. After all, if there was one connection between Zhou Jinsi and the welfare institute, it would be Shi Qin.

Has Shi Qin already told her everything?

“Mhm, I just came to take a look,” Zhou Jinsi replied politely.

Seeing Ji Chen, Wang Yan, who was behind her, immediately came over with a welcoming smile.

“Chenchen, you’re here.”

Ji Chen nodded and smiled at her, this time with a more vivid smile.

Seeing the two of them exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Jinsi said her goodbyes and left.

She had the same doubt as Ji Chen: why was she here?

From the director’s reaction, the two of them seemed to be acquaintances… Could this have something to do with Shi Qin?

Zhou Jinsi hadn’t forgotten that night when Shi Qin had dinner with Ji Chen. That day, her mood was clearly cheerful.

Unable to figure it out, Zhou Jinsi could only bury the doubt deep in her heart.

Unbeknownst to her, after she left, a gaze silently followed her.

Ji Chen watched her walk away before slowly closing the door.

Seeing her action, Wang Yan asked, “Chenchen, do you two know each other too?”

Ji Chen chuckled lightly. “Mhm, she’s Qinqin’s…”

Her tone paused slightly, and the curve of Ji Chen’s lips widened.

“…very good friend.”

Hearing this, Wang Yan nodded thoughtfully.

Observing her expression, Ji Chen asked, “Does she come here often? I haven’t run into her much before.”

“Oh, no. She came to see me about something today.”

“Something?” Ji Chen probed.

Wang Yan sat down and took a sip of water, then glanced at the photo frame on her desk. In the photo, Shi Qin sat in the middle of everyone, a shy smile on her face.

“It’s nothing. She just wanted to ask about something related to Qinqin. I thought it wasn’t convenient to talk about it, so I didn’t.”

Ji Chen was also a regular visitor to the welfare institute. Wang Yan had known her for a long time and knew that her relationship with Shi Qin was good, so she didn’t plan to hide it.

“I see…” Ji Chen lowered her eyes, the smile on her face gradually fading, and some thoughts were also hidden away.

.

At the audition for Lu Xing’s new movie, “Delicate Flower,” a crowd had gathered.

Not just staff, but also a considerable number of artists were there to audition.

The main roles, such as the male and female leads, had already been cast. Today’s auditions were for the remaining supporting roles that had not yet been decided.

And the role that Shi Qin was vying for was particularly popular.

In the days leading up to the audition, Shi Qin had read the movie’s plot and character descriptions several times.

“Delicate Flower” was a rare film in the current market that told the story of a strong female lead.

The entire movie began from the female lead’s perspective, a story about a woman’s experiences with love, hate, and various emotions throughout her life. The underlying themes of human nature, morality, and ethics were all worthy of deep thought from the audience.

And the supporting role that Shi Qin was auditioning for, Jiang Han, was one of the female lead Chen Jiaohua’s mistresses in the movie.

In the movie, Jiang Han was born into a poor family. Her mother passed away early, leaving her with a sick father, living in a small room of about twenty square meters for many years.

Because her father was ill and couldn’t work, they lived on the meager income from picking up trash and government subsidies. Jiang Han dropped out of school early. The owner of a noodle shop, seeing her pitiful situation, let her stay and work as a child laborer.

When she grew up a little, with her somewhat good looks, she went to a nearby tavern to work as a waitress. Local ruffians would often come to tease her, and even offered to buy her for a night.

Though poor, Jiang Han was strong-willed and would not choose to sell her body for so-called money.

Until one day, her father suddenly fainted at home. A hospital check-up revealed that his illness had worsened. If he didn’t get treatment soon, he wouldn’t have much time left.

But the cost of treatment was something their family could not afford at all.

And just as Jiang Han was struggling with whether to cast aside her dignity and sell her body, she met Chen Jiaohua, who was immensely wealthy but treated like an outcast, not valued at all.

Chen Jiaohua was promiscuous by nature. Lacking familial love, her need for affection was extremely high. Rumor had it she was a “sea king” (a player) who didn’t mind men or women.

After learning this, Jiang Han felt that selling her body to a woman was better than to those ugly men, so she took the initiative to seduce her.

After a night of pleasure, the two became secret lovers. Chen Jiaohua gave her a large sum of money for her living expenses, which Jiang Han then used for her father’s treatment.

But after acting for so long, it became difficult to distinguish between what was real and what was fake.

Unknowingly, Jiang Han developed real feelings in this secret relationship. She fell in love with Chen Jiaohua.

Just as she was about to confess, she saw Chen Jiaohua kissing the male lead, and only then did she realize she was just a mistress for someone to vent their frustrations on.

And in her despair, her father found out the source of her high medical fees. He felt she had disregarded ethics and thrown away her dignity. The gossip from the neighbors shamed him even more, and in a fit of rage, he chose to end his own life.

After her father’s death, Jiang Han completely broke down. In the end, wearing the necklace Chen Jiaohua had given her, she hanged herself at home.

The high stakes of this movie also brought a lot of attention to Jiang Han’s character. The character’s experiences were extremely tragic, and her personality was distinct. The numerous scenes of emotional outbursts also became a major highlight of the film.

After passing the initial screening, besides Shi Qin, there were two other actresses auditioning.

One was Song Zhi, a rising acting star in recent years, with above-average looks and commendable acting skills. The other was Yin Hong, a former child star, whose looks were still a bit youthful, but whose acting was exquisite.

As the last one, after finishing her makeup and styling, Shi Qin stood in a corner to watch the other two’s performances.

Zhou Jinsi silently walked to her side and asked in a low voice, “Are you nervous?”

Shi Qin’s new movie was, for a rare change, being filmed locally. Zhou Jinsi had taken the initiative to apply to be her little assistant. To avoid being gossiped about by malicious people, she had even specially covered herself with a hat and a mask.

Shi Qin looked at the thoroughly bundled-up Zhou Jinsi before her and couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m fine.”

“Aren’t you hot? Wearing a mask all the time.”

Zhou Jinsi shook her head and glanced at the people around them. Everyone was watching the performance; no one was paying attention to them.

Seeing her action, Shi Qin thought to herself that actually, if someone wanted to observe a little more, they would be able to tell. After all, with Zhou Jinsi’s height, it was hard not to notice.

After their brief chat, they turned their attention back to the set.

Song Zhi and Yin Hong had both chosen the same scene.

It was a scene of an argument with the female lead. On one hand, she was scorning her for being promiscuous and dissolute. On the other, she was in pain for still being mired in such a forbidden love, feeling both hatred and a sense of unwillingness for a love she couldn’t have.

This emotional scene was a mix of various feelings, and the difficulty was not low. Moreover, the actress playing the female lead was not on set, which meant the auditioning actress had to perform directly to the camera without a real person to interact with.

Song Zhi was a rising star backed by capital. Although her acting had improved in her recent dramas, on set, without any editing, her performance in this scene could only be described as mediocre, just passing.

But Yin Hong, as expected of a former child star, accurately captured the character’s emotions at that moment, expressing the pain and conflict in her heart brilliantly. Just this one audition scene moved many people on set.

Shi Qin glanced in Lu Xing’s direction. She saw that although he was not smiling, he also gave an affirmative nod.

Just as she was lost in thought, her finger was suddenly and secretly hooked.

Zhou Jinsi leaned over slightly, squeezed her hand, and whispered in her ear, “I believe in you.”

Shi Qin looked up at her, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly. She was about to say more when Mo Li walked over with two cups of milk tea.

Mo Li was already used to seeing the two of them being so lovey-dovey. She thought to herself how she used to always feel the atmosphere between these two was strange…

Shi Qin understood the teasing in Mo Li’s eyes and, a little embarrassed, lightly tapped Zhou Jinsi. But that person thought she had something to say and leaned her face closer.

On the side, Mo Li watched the two of them being so sweet and sighed to herself.

Indeed, no matter how much fanfiction you read, it’s not as exciting as seeing the real thing in person.

·

After the first two had finished their performances, Shi Qin was soon called to the stage.

Unlike the previous two, Shi Qin knew that if she competed with that scene, she might not perform as well as Yin Hong. That emotional outburst was very quick and required the actor to get into the rhythm fast.

She also chose an argument scene, but it was with her father.

After Jiang Han’s affair with Chen Jiaohua was exposed, her father was furious.

And Jiang Han had originally tried to persuade her father to understand that this was also out of her own good intentions. But in the argument, Jiang Han’s suppressed emotions couldn’t be controlled, and she told her father about the pressure she had accumulated over the years, which was also one of the reasons she had fallen in love with Chen Jiaohua.

The difficulty of this scene was no less than the previous one.

But the emotions were progressive. Jiang Han’s feelings went from an initial calm statement, to gradually breaking down, to a final collapse. This series of changes required the actor to have sufficient emotional investment.

To fit Jiang Han’s state at this time, Shi Qin had also put special thought into her makeup and styling.

She covered up her original complexion, making her face look pale. In addition, she had some acne marks painted on her face, the damage caused by long-term use of low-quality cosmetics.

But even so, the moment she stepped on stage, she still made everyone’s eyes light up.

Shi Qin was dressed simply, standing in the center like a little white flower. Due to her pale and lackluster face, and her thin and frail figure, her whole body exuded a sense of fragile brokenness.

But the stunning beauty brought by her exquisite features had not disappeared; in fact, it was even more so.

A person who looked as if she were a lotus that could be admired but not touched, was now mired in the mud due to a cruel fate.

Everyone, including Lu Xing, was very curious and looked forward to how she would interpret this scene.