The moment Zhang Nanchuan spoke, the entire room fell silent.
Beside Rong Guang, the smile on Jiang Ruyi’s face froze before it could even reach her eyes.
What did he mean by that?
Did it mean that the outcome of Rong Guang’s audition was practically a sure thing?
And judging by the implication in Zhang Nanchuan’s words, had he intended from the start to listen to Chu Feiliang, wanting to see what Rong Guang’s acting was really like, and had just brought her in to go through the motions?
Jiang Ruyi took a deep breath, her eyes filled with unconcealable resentment.
She was, at the very least, a specially invited guest and, in a way, a senior in the industry.
In this circle, seniority was always the most important thing. Her seniority and experience were above Rong Guang’s, yet now Zhang Nanchuan was blatantly embarrassing her!
However, having been in the industry for a few years, she ultimately knew what she could and couldn’t do in certain situations.
Seeing this, Jiang Ruyi was the first to force a smile that could hardly be called friendly. She took the lead and began to applaud as well, saying, “Congratulations, Rong Guang, for actually winning the favor of Teacher Chu and Director Zhang.”
Everyone in the industry knew that although Chu Feiliang was young, her status and acting skills had already surpassed countless others.
Nearly every one of her works was worthy of being written into film academy textbooks, a model for countless students to admire.
Anyone who could earn her approval, as long as they didn’t cause trouble for themselves, had a limitless future ahead of them.
However, Jiang Ruyi’s words were dripping with sarcasm.
After hearing them, many people couldn’t help but harbor other suspicions.
Rong Guang pressed a hand to her chest, as if that could calm the heart that was about to leap out of her body.
She didn’t dare look at Chu Feiliang again, afraid that if she lost control, she would say something like ‘I like you’ in front of everyone… words that would surely attract negative attention to Chu Feiliang.
Pressing her lips together, Rong Guang took a step back and bowed to the few people sitting in front. With a smile full of nervousness, anticipation, and apprehension, she said, “Thank you for the praise, Director, and… and thank you for the praise, Teacher Chu.”
Chu Feiliang shook her head and slowly smiled.
That smile was like a spring breeze melting a lake that had been frozen for months. Rong Guang felt a wave of warmth wash over her.
Then, she heard Chu Feiliang say, “You deserve it. Everyone here saw it for themselves.”
This one sentence once again drew a wave of admiration from the room.
Zhang Nanchuan nodded in satisfaction and unhesitatingly placed the information sheet into Li Yan’s hand for her to keep. Then he said, “You can go back and wait for the notification.”
Rong Guang, visibly excited and nervous, nodded, bowed again, and then left.
Although the audition was for the role of a maid, Rong Guang’s performance had set a high bar, and many of the actors who followed would likely deliver outstanding performances by comparison.
Besides this role, there were other supporting roles that could be chosen from among them.
Before leaving the crowd, she glanced back one more time.
Chu Feiliang was discussing the recent events with the assistant beside her, handing her a few forms. She wasn’t looking in her direction.
An indescribable sense of loss washed over her, but then Rong Guang clenched her fist.
Given her current position, she really didn’t deserve any more of Chu Feiliang’s attention. The praise just now, and the underlying meaning of support and promotion in her words… was already better than anything!
Outside, Chacha and her newly made friend were looking through photos on a phone.
“How is it? I take good pictures, right?” The other young girl shook her head, full of pride. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to learn photography? I have a complete textbook on it. If you give me the photos, I’ll give you the textbook when I get back, okay?”
Chacha looked at the photos in the camera with satisfaction and nodded generously. “Deal.”
Then, she took a lollipop out of her pocket, her chubby face looking exceptionally serious. “Here, let’s bump sticks for our friendship!”
“Bump sticks!” The little friend’s face was also flushed with excitement. She even vaguely felt that she had found a kindred spirit!
Rong Guang watched this scene with amusement. Only when the two had popped the lychee-flavored lollipops into their mouths and started eating with relish did she walk over and say with a smile, “Let’s go, Chacha.”
“Okay.” Chacha scrambled up, put the camera away carefully, and said with bright eyes, “How did it go? Did you beat the drowning dog?”
Rong Guang’s face darkened. “Where did you learn that phrase?”
Chacha scratched her head and giggled. She couldn’t remember.
“Come on, say goodbye to your big sister,” Rong Guang said, patting her head.
Chacha obediently turned around, holding Rong Guang’s hand and waving to the girl who was a few years older than her. “Goodbye, Coconut.”
“Goodbye, Chacha,” Coconut waved back.
After they had walked some distance, Rong Guang asked, “Why do you call her Coconut?”
“Her name is Ye Zi—the ‘Ye’ from ‘leaf’ and the ‘Zi’ from ‘son’,” Chacha explained.
Rong Guang understood. It was a homophone. ‘Coconut’ was quite catchy. [1]
It was already nearly five o’clock. Rong Guang checked the time, planning to take Chacha to eat first, then find a nearby real estate agent to look at apartments.
As she reached the entrance, someone called out to her.
Rong Guang turned around and immediately recognized the person as the assistant who had been following Chu Feiliang earlier. She couldn’t quite remember her full name, as Xiao Lan had left Chu Feiliang’s side not long after, but she knew her nickname was Xiao Lan.
“Sister Xiao Lan.” Rong Guang smiled first, noticing the friendly expression on Xiao Lan’s face as she approached. She felt a little nervous, wondering if Xiao Lan was here on Chu Feiliang’s instruction.
Xiao Lan smiled, took out the item Chu Feiliang had given her earlier from her pocket, and said, “Sister Chu asked me to give this to you.”
It was a piece of white paper folded into an envelope.
The moment Rong Guang saw it, her gaze softened considerably.
She reached out to take it, stroking it gently as if it were a treasure. Knowing she probably wouldn’t get much of an answer, she still couldn’t help but ask, “Did Teacher… Teacher Chu say anything?”
Xiao Lan was a bit surprised, but after a moment’s thought, she smiled and nodded, saying something that would make many people green with envy.
She said, “Sister Chu also told me to tell you, ‘See you on set.’ She also said you’re a talented actor and that you should work hard and not slack off.”
It was just a very ordinary word of encouragement for a junior.
But Rong Guang nodded solemnly. “I will.”
“Keep it up.” Xiao Lan patted Rong Guang’s arm and said with a smile, “I’ve been with Sister Chu for a few years, and I’ve rarely seen her take such an interest in a newcomer.”
Watching Xiao Lan’s retreating back, Rong Guang put the note into her bag for now.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Chacha asked curiously.
“I’ll look at it when we get back.” Rong Guang shook her head, knowing her own tendencies all too well. “If I open it now, I won’t get anything productive done for the rest of the day.”
“Oh.” Chacha nodded and followed Rong Guang at a leisurely pace. “Are you very happy, Sister Guangguang?”
“Of course I’m happy.” Rong Guang couldn’t contain her excitement, a huge smile blooming on her face. “There’s nothing that could make me happier.”
“Really?” Chacha’s eyes flashed, an invisible tail slowly wagging behind her. “Then can you reward me with a five-yuan ice cream? I want to try that Xiangxue’er tub of ice cream. I heard it’s really good.”
“No.” Rong Guang refused mercilessly. “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve already had three today. You’ll get a stomachache if you have another one, Chacha. Don’t forget your period is coming in a week.” Chacha wilted, her tail drooping, looking dejected.
“But after we move,” Rong Guang paused, rubbing Chacha’s cheek with a smile, “we can eat cake together to celebrate.”
Chacha was instantly revived, grabbing Rong Guang’s hand and pulling her straight toward their destination. “I asked the grandpas and grandmas nearby. This agency is a bit more expensive, but their listings are good and they have a lot of resources. Let’s just go with this one, Sister Guangguang!”
Sometimes, when no one was looking, Chacha would have already taken care of all the things Rong Guang still needed to worry about.
Rong Guang felt a little emotional.
When the two returned, no one was in the dorm yet.
The entire room was empty, and because the lights were off, it felt a bit desolate.
However, Chacha was excited. She didn’t want to live in this place; the people here didn’t seem to welcome her very much.
She didn’t know which of Rong Guang’s things were to be taken and which were to be left behind, so she and Rong Guang split the packing duties.
She was in charge of sorting clothes and bedding, while Rong Guang packed up her small, personal belongings.
For reasons unknown to each other, they packed almost nonstop for nearly four or five hours, both hoping to finish the battle in a single day.
Chacha simply disliked living with too many people, while Rong Guang didn’t want the friction caused by these completely unnecessary trifles in life to waste too much of her time.
After all, her goal was very clear, and she didn’t have that much time to squander.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that the two, led by an old man on a tricycle whom Chacha had hired for fifty yuan, finally arrived at their new home with all their bags and boxes.
It was an apartment building with small, two-story duplex units.
The amenities were comprehensive, and there was an electronic security gate downstairs. Each floor required a key card for entry, making it very secure.
The only slight downside was that the management fees and utilities were a bit expensive.
But Rong Guang spent most of her time on film sets, so she wasn’t too demanding in this regard.
She was mainly drawn to the apartment’s lighting and layout. It was open from north to south, and the interior was designed to be almost fully lit by natural light during the day. If her grandmother came to visit, it would be a comfortable place for her to stay.
Neither of them had the energy to unpack their luggage. After just setting up the bedding, they each went to wash up.
The light in Chacha’s room had already gone out. Rong Guang, with her hair down, turned on the bedside lamp, her whole body tense as she stared at the simple envelope placed on the small table.
She didn’t know what was written inside that envelope.
After her rebirth, she had originally prepared herself to possibly relive the process of getting to know Chu Feiliang all over again, but she hadn’t expected something that had never happened before to occur so soon.
In the darkness, only the soft rustle of paper could be heard. Rong Guang subconsciously held her breath and carefully opened the envelope, discovering a simple line of text on the paper.
Chu Feiliang: WeChat ID 158xxxxxxxx
Rong Guang was stunned.
She turned it over and over many times before confirming that this account was indeed Chu Feiliang’s personal WeChat number.
Besides that, a spot in the upper left corner had been scribbled over with a black pen. Rong Guang studied it under the light for a long time before realizing that her own name had originally been written there.
Rong Guang.
This discovery made Rong Guang suddenly nervous again.
Why would Chu Feiliang scribble this out?
Was it because she had written her name, intending to say something to her, but then thought it was too much trouble?
Or was it simply because she didn’t want to say too much, so she just left her WeChat instead?
Or perhaps…
She had unconsciously… written her name?
This thought made Rong Guang feel a little embarrassed.
Rong Guang’s face flushed a little. She thought to herself that she was being far too narcissistic.
[1] The character’s name is 叶子 (Yèzǐ), which translates to “leaf.” This is a homophone (sounds nearly identical) to the Mandarin word for “Coconut,” which is 椰子 (Yēzi). The pun arises from the very similar pronunciation of the two words, with only a slight difference in the tone of the first syllable.
