In the hall, the staff had long been waiting for Su Yao's arrival. They were waiting specifically for her. No one else had such a privilege, which instantly gave Su Yao a splitting headache.
On the surface, the company seemed to like her very much and wanted her to play the lead female role. However, this kind of differential treatment made others think that Su Yao was being a diva.
For example, Wu Shanshan beside her. She was acting cute and following behind Su Yao, but inadvertently showing envious looks. She wished she could gobble Su Yao up alive. Clearly, she was younger and prettier than Su Yao. Why did Su Yao deserve such treatment?
"Miss Su, please follow us." The staff member made a gesture of invitation to Su Yao.
Su Yao nodded, then looked back at Li Yin and said, "You wait outside."
Su Yao followed the staff member forward, not noticing at all that Wu Shanshan behind her was smiling insidiously.
Since it was an audition, they would only pick a short segment from the part of the script she had received for her to perform. However, Su Yao never expected that the staff would take her to the dressing room.
It was an audition with makeup on!
This movie was adapted from a novel. The name of the novel was rather silly, *The Revenge of the Eldest Princess*, simple and straightforward, with nothing attractive about it. However, the plot and writing style were quite good.
The name of the adapted movie was quite nice, *The Long Maple at the Endless Night*.
After thinking about the plot for a while, Su Yao's makeup was done. The moment she put on the costume, everyone around was amazed. Even Su Yao felt that she was Li Changfeng in the novel.
She was wearing a long red dress with long sleeves, and there was a golden flower ornament on her forehead. When she didn't smile, she really looked noble and elegant. Unfortunately, Su Yao couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Miss Su looks really beautiful. The role of Li Changfeng is surely yours," the staff member who had brought Su Yao here said with a smile.
"Oh? I thought I didn't even need to audition. Isn't your company 'interested' in me?"
The staff member probably didn't expect Su Yao to be so straightforward and put the matter on the table directly. For a moment, he felt a bit embarrassed. Fortunately, Su Yao immediately gave him a way out.
"Later, when I heard that you invited Director Jiang He, I thought that 'interested' might just be 'interested', with no other meaning. Right?"
The staff member quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes. Miss Su, do you think... it's time to go for the audition?"
"Sure. We can't keep Director Jiang He waiting."
The audition was temporarily arranged in a dance studio. All four walls were full of mirrors. The moment Su Yao walked in, everyone inside was stunned.
"Su... Su Yao?" A staff member in the back row even asked in disbelief.
"Y... Yes, it's me." It was the standard Su Yao-style answer, which made everyone present laugh.
Jiang He, with his half-white hair, coughed twice. "Let's start. Perform the part where Li Changfeng goes on a marriage alliance directly."
No one expected Jiang He to choose this part, the most difficult one. Because it was originally a scene with an opponent, but the audition required a solo performance. Moreover, this part highlighted the character of Princess Li Changfeng a lot.
Su Yao thought for a while and immediately got into the role. In her mind, Li Changfeng had always been a perseverant woman, or rather, a man who dedicated himself to the country and the people.
The scene in the audition was the scene where Li Changfeng was forced to go on a marriage alliance after helping her younger brother gain the world. And the one escorting Li Changfeng was the former imperial son-in-law, now the great general, Chu Ge.
Since there was no one to play Chu Ge, Su Yao needed to imagine a Chu Ge, which was the most difficult part.
The moment Su Yao opened her mouth, her voice was a bit hoarse, which just fit the background of the novel, the vast desert.
There was no one in front of Su Yao, but her eyes seemed to be staring at someone. There was sadness in them, but also relief.
"Chu Ge, what's the point of asking these questions now? I was Princess Li Changfeng before, and I still am now. Back then, the only people I needed to protect were you, Zijing, and the current emperor. But now, I also need to protect the vast rivers and mountains."
Su Yao, in her wedding dress, suddenly turned around. She clenched her fist, but the moment she looked up, she let it go. Her closed eyes also opened, and she stared blankly in one direction.
"You once asked me if I regretted what I had done. I can tell you now that I've never regretted it. If Shen Wan didn't die, it would be me and the emperor. I feel guilty, but I don't regret it. If I had to do it all over again, I would still make the same choice."
Su Yao suddenly knelt down and bowed deeply in the direction she was looking.
When she looked up again, she looked at the empty space beside her and showed a girlish smile.
In the original novel, it was also like this. Li Changfeng bowed towards the direction of her homeland, and Chu Ge did the same, as if thanking heaven and earth.
During the short performance of less than two minutes, there was no other sound in the dance studio except Su Yao's own voice.
"Alright!" Jiang He waved his hand directly. "It's her. I have something to do and I'll leave first. You can just take a look at the rest."
If it weren't for Jiang He's sudden interruption, everyone would still be immersed in the previous performance. Su Yao raised her eyebrows and immediately laughed again. She almost instantly detached herself from the role of Li Changfeng.
"Okay, then thank you, Director Jiang. If there's nothing else, can I go remove my makeup first?" Su Yao pointed at the gorgeous clothes on her body. "It's too thick. I'm feeling hot and uncomfortable."
Seeing Jiang He wave his hand, Su Yao simply bounced out of the dance studio.
On the other end of the camera, Chu Chao was in a very good mood and also very shocked. He didn't come back to his senses until Su Yao disappeared from his sight.
Wu Tian behind him flattered, "Why don't we just change the name of the male lead to yours?"
Chu Chao wasn't that stupid. If he changed it to his own name, Su Yao might just quit the performance. He turned his head and gave Wu Tian a cold look, and the latter immediately shut his mouth.
But he still had to give praise. Chu Chao said, "Let your mistress play the second female lead. Consider it a reward."
"Thank you, thank you, Young Master Chu."
After removing her makeup, Su Yao walked out refreshed. Unexpectedly, she met Wu Shanshan again. It was only then that Su Yao remembered where she had met her.
It seemed to be a reality show two years ago, an outdoor one. Wu Shanshan sprained her foot and couldn't walk, so Su Yao carried her all the way. Unexpectedly, after the show was broadcast, her fan base of female fans soared. At that time, Wu Shanshan's company even bought a hot search for Wu Shanshan's injury, but unexpectedly, Su Yao stole the spotlight.
No wonder she always felt that this girl seemed to be imitating her today.
"Senior, you're out! The lead female role must be yours! I believe in you, senior!"
There were quite a few other artists coming out of the dressing room. Hearing what Wu Shanshan said, they all glanced at Su Yao intentionally or unintentionally.
"Not bad. I just had to work hard. How about you? I heard that there weren't many people auditioning for the second female lead. That's not right."
It was estimated that half of the entertainment industry's female stars wanted to become famous through this IP. Even if they couldn't get the lead female role, they would still want to try for the second female lead. How could there be so few people?
Wu Shanshan on the opposite side suddenly looked embarrassed. She clenched her fists tightly. She thought she had disguised herself well, but Su Yao saw it all.