Chapter 11 A Unique Performance

• "But Director, would you please give me a chance? I really need this opportunity!" Su Luoli begged.
• If she was not selected, her skills were not up to par. However, she was unwilling to accept the result if it was because someone had purposely made her late!
• "Miss, don't you think that everyone here needs this opportunity?" One of the directors disdainfully patted the profiles in his hand.
• "Miss, now you know the rules of the industry. Next time, bring your memory along and you won't make a wasted trip." The director did not bother to raise his head. He looked over at his fellow director and, holding on to the stack of profiles, they stood up.
• "Director, please, I really…"
• Both directors ignored her. They did not even glance at her as they walked past her. As assistant directors, they did not want to see any more girls like this.
• Su Luoli could only watch from the side as the two assistant directors left.
• Wen Qingmu just happened to walk over. Catching sight of her disappointed expression, he asked, "What happened?"
• Su Luoli shook her head. "The audition is over. There's no more chance for me. Let's go."
• Wen Qingmu frowned. "Where's the restroom?" he asked.
• Su Luoli pointed to the left. "Keep going that way and it's on the left when you reach the end."
• "Alright. You wait for me here, don't run off! I saved you today. It wouldn't be right if you ran away!" Having said that, Wen Qingmu walked off in the direction Su Luoli had indicated.
• Su Luoli sighed. She had not thought about giving him the slip. Even though she knew this man was probably not a good person, he had saved her today. She was grateful. Plus, he still had her naked photos.
• She found a chair to sit on, and quietly waited for Wen Qingmu.
• What was the man doing in the toilet… A whole twenty minutes had passed.
• Just as Su Luoli was suspecting that the man had already left, he showed up again in front of her.
• "I thought you fell into the toilet! That took forever!'
• "Relax, I'm so tall and big, how could I fit!" Wen Qingmu replied.
• "Let's go."
• As they were about to leave, a crew member walked up. "Are you Su Luoli?"
• Su Luoli nodded.
• "It's like this. After some discussion, the directors have not yet found a suitable actor for the supporting role. After the assistant director mentioned that you were still here, they've decided to give you a chance."
• Su Luoli froze. They had talked about some special opportunity the last time, and she was a bit nervous.
• "This can't be another trap, right?"
• "What are you afraid of? I'll go with you!" Wen Qingmu placed his hand on Su Luoli's shoulder.
• She immediately shrugged it off. "Okay then."
• The crew member brought Su Luoli and Wen Qingmu upstairs. He stopped outside a room. "Miss Su, please enter. The directors are waiting."
• Su Luoli gave Wen Qingmu a significant look.
• "You'll be fine! I'll just be out here. Cry out if you need help and I'll come rushing in."
• Su Luoli nodded. This was the third floor and sunshine was coming in through the windows. Everything would be alright, and this man would be just outside.
• She pushed open the door to enter. As she entered, she saw—sitting front and center—Director Lin Chuan speaking to the two assistant directors from before!
• Oh God, Director Lin Chuan was going to watch her audition!
• Su Luoli's heart suddenly jumped to her throat!
• An assistant next to Director Lin Chuan saw Su Luoli enter and hurried to her side, passing her a sheet of paper. "This is the dialogue. You have three minutes to prepare."
• Su Luoli's hands were shaking as she took the paper.
• The assistant shook his head on seeing this. If this girl had so little courage, this would not work out.
• Su Luoli took a deep breath to steady herself and started memorizing the dialogue on the paper.
• There was not much dialogue on the paper, but with no description of the scene, she had to imagine the situation herself based on those lines.
• The three minutes passed quickly.
• The assistant alerted Director Lin Chuan, and the directors wrapped up their discussion.
• "Okay, you can start. Don't be nervous and just perform," Director Lin Chuan said.
• Su Luoli nodded and stood in front of the directors.
• No costume, no music, no description of the scene, with only just a few lines of dialogue.
• This was a big challenge for any actor, but also a chance to express themselves without limitations.
• Even the two assistant directors who had been rude to Su Luoli paid attention.
• Just as everyone was waiting for Su Luoli's performance, she suddenly fell to the floor with a crash.
• Even Director Lin Chuan was shocked, not to mention the two assistant directors, and everyone was unsure where this was going.
• Lying on the floor, Su Luoli's body was trembling, and she slowly pulled herself up, her arms barely supporting her body. She was shaking, as if she would collapse the next moment.
• "Lian Wei and I grew up together. We've always been together since we were little. He's always been good to me and I love him. I really love him. And I only love him…"
• Su Luoli's eyes were filled with the glistening of unshed tears. There was both emotion and a stubbornness in her eyes.
• She bit her lips as she spoke.
• After she had spoken, she screwed up her eyes in pain and let her tears flow down her face.
• Director Lin Chuan looked at the girl, her hair in disarray and scrapes on her body. She seemed particularly appropriate for these lines.
• The performance had taken only two minutes, but the three directors took a while to come back to themselves. It was as if they had been sucked into the scene.
• Su Luoli wiped her face and got up off the ground. "Director, thank you for watching my performance."
• Director Lin Chuan rubbed at his beard. "Your performance is quite special. Some people spoke the lines really happily and some were weeping. You've gone for something in-between."
• Su Luoli smiled. "I'm not going to hide it from you, Director. I might have taken a shortcut because I've read this novel. When I saw the dialogue, I thought about the scene where Rose had been beaten. That's why I performed like this."
• This historical drama had been adapted from a novel, so Su Luoli had stayed up several nights in a row to finish it.
• "The novel has over two million words. You finished it?" Director Lin Chuan was surprised.
• Su Luoli nodded. "Yes, I finished it."
• "Then tell me what you understand about this character."
• "Rose is the first love of the main character Lian Wei, and is his childhood friend. Her lower social status makes her feel inferior, and in the novel, she comes across as weak. In reality, she is non-confrontational, but has a stubborn streak within her. I think the author named her Rose because she has thorns."