Chapter 4
“You clearly know that if you talk to Sister Ai like that, you might really have to leave Ding Sheng Company in the future!”

“Aren’t you all the same kind of people anyway? In my years at Ding Sheng Company, people get replaced just like that. Oh, I forgot—you wouldn’t understand the pain of people like us!” Su Jinfan deliberately feigned surprise, widening her eyes dramatically.

Su Jinfan’s sudden outburst infuriated Li Mochen, who grabbed her arm tightly. “Do you even realize what you’re doing? Do you know how badly you’ll suffer if you go through with this?”

Li Mochen held her arm firmly, causing Su Jinfan some pain. She glared at him defiantly, refusing to back down.

It makes sense—Li Mochen was willing to break up with her and choose Liu Xin just to climb to the position of director. Even if he’s pretending to be compassionate and helping her now, she couldn’t care less.

Being treated like a commodity—used when valuable and discarded when not—was something Su Jinfan could never accept.

Su Jinfan suppressed her emotions and met his stern gaze. “Li Mochen, let me tell you this! You’ve never truly respected me from the start, but after everything you’ve done, I’ve come to despise you even more!”

“Since you don’t believe I’ll succeed, and we have nothing to do with each other anyway, shouldn’t you be secretly laughing?” Su Jinfan crossed her arms, shook her head, and walked away.

“You…” Li Mochen was momentarily speechless, standing quietly in place without saying a word.

The sound of Su Jinfan’s high heels echoed incessantly in the quiet hall. She tightly wrapped her arms around herself. Shen Bai still hadn’t left, sitting in place waiting for her. She forced a smile again, the same as before.

“Kid! That smile of yours is even uglier than crying.”

After speaking, Shen Bai gently patted Su Jinfan’s head. “Xiao Fan, don’t be sad. No matter what, I’ll be by your side.”

The warmth of her fingertips touching the long hair, Shen Bai gently held Su Jinfan, who felt as if her body had been electrified. She struggled slightly, and Shen Bai’s hand froze mid-air, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

“Xiaofan-jie!” Tianxin’s voice came from behind. “Xiaofan-jie, I just ran into Director Li at the stairwell. He gave me the address for ‘Chang Ge’ and told me you were here. You know what? It’s the first time I’ve seen Director Li look so upset!”

Su Jinfan’s assistant had been her personal aide ever since she joined the company. Fans envied and resented her for being able to interact with their goddess so directly. Though she was about the same age as Su Jinfan, she was far more meticulous in her work.

“Xiaofan-jie, ‘Chang Ge’ is currently casting female actors right now. If we go any later, I’m afraid all the roles will be taken…” Tianxin was a sensible girl. She knew Su Jinfan was no longer in a position where scripts came to her—now she had to actively seek them out.

“It looks like you’re going to be busy today.” Shen Bai shook his head and pressed the elevator button. “Let’s go, I’ll drive you there.”

    ……

Since this film wasn’t backed by Ding Sheng Productions, Su Jinfan had to wait for the director to slowly select roles, even though she had a pass.

Even in this small audition space, the place was packed with people of all kinds—some were college students dreaming of stardom, while others were minor celebrities with a bit of fame.

Thanks to the pass from Ding Sheng Productions and her slightly special status, Su Jinfan was assigned a private dressing room. Holding the script for a short scene she had prepared, she sat down to study her lines.

“Chang Ge” is a film that tells the story of a Qing Dynasty woman, Chang Ge, navigating and growing within the imperial harem.

The role Su Jinfan is aiming for is not the typical naive and sweet female lead paired with a tall, rich, and handsome male lead. Instead, the female lead comes from a prestigious family, enters the palace at a young age, and evolves from innocence to sophistication. Just reading a single excerpt from the script is enough to be deeply captivated by the storyline.

This is a role that portrays the sorrow of a Qing Dynasty woman, but the film is told from a female perspective. If luck is on their side, it could attract a large audience. However, the character’s age span from fifteen to thirty-five, combined with the intricate rules and postures of a period drama, presents the most challenging elements to master in this production.

For this role, even a highly skilled actress might struggle to capture the innocence of a fifteen-year-old girl—too young, and she lacks the grace and charm of a woman from ancient times.

So, up until now, the female lead for this drama still hasn’t been finalized.

“Su Jin Fan?”

Su Jin Fan was memorizing her lines, carefully analyzing the personality of the character, when she turned her head and heard a woman shouting.

This girl did look somewhat familiar—she was the third female lead in Su Jin Fan’s previous movie. The girl was younger than Su Jin Fan but had a very playful appearance. However, she had always played various naive roles, so she never became a big star. People called her Nan Hong, the actress whose dramas were popular but not herself.

“What are you doing here?” Nan Hong had finally found someone to fawn over, calling her “Little Fan” repeatedly with exaggerated affection. If there hadn’t been so few people around, the scene would have drawn a crowd long ago.

She already had a rough idea of the character in mind, but Nan Hong’s interruption completely scattered Su Jin Fan’s thoughts. Instead, it left her fuming with anger, yet she couldn’t bring herself to lose her temper out of pride. She could only force a smile and pretend to be friendly.

The two exchanged only a few pleasantries before the assistant director walked in. “Those auditioning for the role of Chang Ge, please stay. Actors auditioning for other roles, please wait for further notice.”

Meanwhile, in the audition room, several producers and veteran directors shook their heads in frustration. The up-and-coming director Liu Ming still refused to finalize the female lead. Though he was new to the film industry, his principles were all the more rigid for it. In his eyes, no matter how big the star, if they weren’t the right fit for Chang Ge, they couldn’t play the role.

Every character was the soul of the film. If there wasn’t a suitable actor to take on the role, Liu Ming would rather not make the movie at all—especially since Chang Ge was the most pivotal character in the entire production.

Obviously, the others seemed slightly impatient. In fact, they would rather cast a few well-known young actresses for the role—firstly, because they already have a fan base; secondly, because it guarantees buzz; and thirdly, with investors backing them, how could the movie not be a hit?

One by one, the actresses began their auditions. Many were beautiful with great figures, but stumbled over their lines. Some had decent acting skills, but their physicality just felt off. Liu Ming grew increasingly disappointed and let out a sigh.

Su Jinfan cautiously walked in.

“Hey, isn’t that…” The producer patted Liu Ming’s shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Su Jinfan. “Isn’t that Su Jinfan, the one who got into a car accident?”

“Yes, she became famous at such a young age. If it weren’t for all those incidents, she probably wouldn’t be here now.”

Liu Ming glanced at Su Jin Fan—she was indeed a stunning beauty. But women like her had long been dismissed in Liu Ming’s mind, as most young actresses nowadays relied on looks rather than acting skills.

“Let’s begin.” The producer grew interested and spoke to Su Jin Fan, while Liu Ming absentmindedly twirled his pen.

Dressed in Qing Dynasty attire, Su Jin Fan walked a few steps toward the group with perfect posture. As the music softly played, she flashed an innocent smile, her eyes curving like crescent moons, radiant and captivating. Naturally graceful and with exceptional acting skills, she effortlessly portrayed a fifteen-year-old girl without breaking character.

The music grew increasingly intense as Su Jinfan gradually transformed from a young girl into a scheming concubine in the imperial court. The murderous intent and seductive charm in her eyes captivated everyone’s gaze like a mesmerizing painting.

Liu Ming couldn’t take his eyes off Su Jinfan, as if he could see her wandering through the palace, experiencing the sorrow of loss.

This was indeed Changge—or, in other words, the woman before him was Changge herself.

Every line Su Jinfan delivered, every movement she made, vividly expressed Changge’s attitude. Even he began to realize that there truly existed someone in this world who could embody the character he had created—that same unyielding, indomitable spirit.

Until the final short scene, she leaned against a pear blossom tree, her hair dancing in the wind as she silently shed tears. From every expression to every nuance of her demeanor, she shed the innocence of Changge before entering the palace. Could there possibly be anyone more suited for the role than her?

It has to be her!

“Su Jinfan…” Liu Ming flipped through her file, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes as he confirmed with the producer beside him.

Su Jinfan straightened up slightly and gave a faint nod.

“You won the Phoenix Crown Best Actress at such a young age. I remember you were just about to star in a film called…”

She knew all her information was laid out before them—her accolades, her background. Of course, as insiders, they couldn’t possibly be unaware of her gossip. But she was an actress, the one being chosen.

“If she takes the role, it’ll stir up a lot of controversy. After all… she was just replaced by Director Fang Hua, and with what happened before… I’m afraid it might have a negative impact.” The producer and another assistant director cautiously discussed the matter.

“This film already overlaps with Director Fang Hua’s project. If we cast her… wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

“You know, you acted very well.” Liu Ming lightly tapped his pen against the table. Although the producer and assistant director were still chattering incessantly in his ear, he stood up and said, “We don’t need to audition any more actors. I’ve already found the most suitable candidate.”

Su Jinfan nodded with immense joy, not just because she had secured the role, but because someone dared to cast her in such circumstances. She was determined to make a comeback with this film—to prove herself.