27: Audition

At that time, Chu Yilan was reviewing documents in his study when he heard three knocks on the door.

He didn't even have to guess to know who it was.

"Come in."

Shen Lian pushed the door open and entered, pulling out a bouquet of golden daisies from behind his back. "How is this color?"

Chu Yilan didn't answer.

Shen Lian knew his temperament and wasn't annoyed. He found a vase and arranged them himself, then told Chu Yilan about today's progress: "Everything went smoothly. The screen test is in three days, and it'll take about half a month of preparation before joining the production team."

Chu Yilan: "Mhm."

Shen Lian said softly, "In other words, you won't be seeing me for a long time after half a month."

Chu Yilan: "..."

In the silence, Chu Yilan looked up somewhat helplessly. "Shen Lian, what makes you think I'm clingy?"

Shen Lian just smiled. "Fine, I'm the clingy one."

Man, remember what you just said!

Hu Kailan didn't dare arrange anything else for Shen Lian, fearing he'd get distracted. Although he had swallowed his pride to secure the role of the fourth male lead in the drama silent no more for Shen Lian, and Shen Lian had given his word, he was still worried that Shen Lian would ruin his reputation.

Jiang You shared all sorts of acting tips and short videos on WeChat, but Shen Lian remained unmoved. It was as if the whole world was in a rush, yet he was the only one leisurely watering the flowers on the balcony.

Chu Yilan didn't say it explicitly, but he turned around and instructed his subordinates that if things didn't work out, he could invest in silent no more... In Chu Yilan's eyes, Shen Lian being a bit lazy or having poor acting skills wasn't a big deal.

On the day of the audition, Jiang You drove over early.

She had already passed her interview and kept Hu Kailan's instructions firmly in mind.

"Oh, has your aura changed?" Shen Lian teased after getting into the car. "You're starting to feel like a gold-medal assistant."

Jiang You's face flushed instantly. "Stop praising me, Brother Shen."

Shen Lian had given Jiang You this opportunity. Star Opening was much better than Entertainment Company. Those who had been watching the drama in the group chat were biting their tongues in envy when they found out she had followed Shen Lian to Star Opening. Jiang You was determined to prove herself!

At the audition site, the pre-selected leads didn't need to show up, including Zheng Ge. The remaining roles with lines and screen time still needed to be screened.

In fact, Shen Lian likely didn't need to come either, but Hu Kailan had insisted, hoping to put some psychological pressure on him so he would work harder.

silent no more was a historical drama with parallel plotlines of court intrigue and the jianghu. It told the story of the protagonist, the son of a noble Chancellor, whose family was destroyed overnight. To clear his family's name, he wandered the jianghu, growing while evading pursuit, and eventually returned to officialdom to become a virtuous minister.

And Shen Lian was playing the fourth male lead, a lackey of the imperial court who hunted the protagonist.

Shen Lian expressed that he really liked this role's positioning.

Behind a long glass window, the director and several screenwriters were already feeling numb.

Sure enough, it was already good if one out of a hundred supporting actors stood out. In a production, between social favors and investors, quite a few misfits had been shoved in.

So when Shen Lian took the stage, Director Dai Tong was rubbing his face, and the other screenwriters were also lacking interest, their eyes listless.

Shen Lian took the script as usual. This part was an improvisation, asking him to act out the scene where he first chases the protagonist to a cliff's edge.

There were notes for facial expressions, but for someone with average acting skills, it was basically impossible to convey this kind of emotional progression.

Shen Lian sat on a wooden prop horse.

One of the producers leaned back in his chair, intending to close his eyes and rest. Having been tormented all morning, he just wanted a break.

Hu Kailan arrived just in time and patted Jiang You's shoulder. "How is it going?"

Jiang You was startled, but seeing who it was, she quickly said, "Brother Hu, it's just about to start."

Hu Kailan nodded, staring nervously at the audition hall, praying in his heart, Shen Lian, just act somewhat normal, and that'll be enough.

Over there, after seeing Shen Lian nod, the staff member shouted loudly, "Scene 103, Action!"

Actually, the scene Shen Lian was in was quite ridiculous. He was riding a wooden prop horse with nothing in front of him, which was rather comical.

But the moment Shen Lian closed and then opened his eyes, his aura changed.

A sense of wickedness overflowed from his eyes. As the young imperial lackey watched the once-illustrious son of the Chancellor reduced to such a state, he couldn't have been more delighted.

Shen Lian even swayed his body twice. A screenwriter suddenly sat up, realizing that Shen Lian was mimicking the body's movement while a horse was walking.

The screenwriter patted Director Dai Tong's arm.

"Retribution?" Shen Lian recited the lines, mocking and excited, like a vicious dog baring its fangs. "What is retribution? Your Lin clan occupied high positions. When your early-dead father was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, would he dare say there wasn't a single wrongful case in his hands?"

The young man tilted his head back and laughed. The joy of imminent revenge flooded his eyes, yet he didn't look like a petty man who had just come into power.

The character Li Kuan, played by Shen Lian, was sinister and ruthless enough, but he wasn't a brainless character.

To become a Centurion of the Jinyiwei at only twenty, a Principal Sixth Rank, his intelligence and strategy were naturally not low.

Shen Lian had pondered over this character and felt there were still many areas worth developing. However, he couldn't suggest this to the director—that would be overestimating himself. He could only take the opportunity to act it out and see how the director would filter it.

"Li Kuan" suddenly withdrew his smile, staring forward with a gloomy expression. There was the protagonist, his enemy, the descendant of the sinners he had wanted to kill with his own hands for over ten years while he lay awake at night. He raised his hand and, with a low tone as if to sever nightmares and shackles, said, "Kill them!"

Director Dai Tong had stood up at some point, watching Shen Lian with his arms crossed. His brows were tightly knit, but his eyes were flickering with excitement.

As the struggle and slaughter ended, "Li Kuan's" expression changed abruptly. He dismounted and chased to the edge of the cliff. When he looked down, his eyes were like ink that wouldn't dissolve. "Search! I want him found, alive or dead!"

Finally, he slowly raised his head to look behind the glass window. The ruthless chill in his eyes made even the director shudder.

Li Kuan! This is Li Kuan!

After finishing the lines, Shen Lian let out a breath, gradually letting the character's aura dissipate. Then he grinned at the director, returning to that appearance of someone who didn't seem to care about anything yet was very reliable.

"This is Shen Lian?!" Dai Tong asked the Assistant Director.

"This is Shen Lian???" Hu Kailan asked himself.

Jiang You was now a total Shen Lian fan. "My Brother Shen is so fierce!"

Coming out of the audition hall, Shen Lian had his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Just as he was about to say something, someone grabbed his arm.

"Shen Lian?" The other person was about twenty-four or twenty-five, with a somewhat square face. He was fair-skinned and had nice features, but his overall vibe made people uncomfortable.

Wei Fanchen. Shen Lian matched the name. He was also a minor star far beyond the eighteenth tier. He wasn't worth mentioning, but this person was also part of the army of people chasing after Zhou Tangsi.

This production team could be renamed Spare Tires United, Shen Lian thought mockingly. Zhou Tangsi must feel quite a sense of accomplishment watching Zheng Ge get jealous every day, right?

If you're sick, go see a doctor.

Shen Lian's eyes lowered. "Let go."

Wei Fanchen was stunned, seeing that Shen Lian was like a completely different person from before.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Shen Lian's temples, and strange images flashed through his mind. A villa, a fire, and amidst the rolling smoke, he seemed to see a figure fleeing in panic through the Original Host's perspective.

"Get lost!" The disgust in Shen Lian's heart reached its peak. He swung his hand to push Wei Fanchen away, pressing one hand to his temple as he staggered back two steps.

"Brother Shen!"

"Shen Lian!"

Hu Kailan and Jiang You rushed forward.