Chapter 12: I, Ling Qiong, Send the Money! (12)
Having a meal, and out of nowhere, he received a role... Or, to be precise, an audition opportunity—and for the second male lead, no less.
“Am I dreaming?” Lu Wenci slapped both cheeks, still feeling as if his head was in the clouds, unable to believe it was real.
“Good things happen with me around,” Ling Qiong declared boldly, clapping Lu Wenci on the shoulder. “From now on, Daddy’s got your back!”
Lu Wenci: “...”
Should he say thank you?
-
The audition was scheduled in a hurry, leaving Lu Wenci with little time to prepare. He stayed up all night going through the material Song Qingyun had given him.
On the day of the audition, Ling Qiong went with Lu Wenci.
“Why are you coming along?” he asked.
“To give you some support,” Ling Qiong replied, patting the flamboyant vehicle she drove, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “So, what do you think? Is it impressive enough?”
“Just drop me by the roadside,” Lu Wenci responded with action.
Ling Qiong pouted and pulled over. Lu Wenci grabbed his things. “I’ll head in first, then. Thanks for the ride.”
She waved him off, and he closed the car door behind him.
“Su Miaomiao?”
A voice called from the sidewalk, and Ling Qiong instinctively looked over.
Two girls stood arm in arm about two meters away, gazing in her direction.
One of them seemed vaguely familiar. At the wedding, she’d suddenly appeared to defend her older sister—the leading lady who’d exited the scene prematurely. Her name was... Jiang Ke, if she remembered correctly.
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Ke eyed her with surprise, though her gaze was drawn mainly to the garish car—it was impossible to miss.
The color was ostentatious. The design even more so. The entire vehicle radiated a blinding aura that screamed “money.”
Ling Qiong forced a smile. “Do I need to report my whereabouts to you? Who are you to me?”
Jiang Ke bit her lip, refusing to take the bait. Instead, she shot back, “Did you really break off your engagement with Mr. Shen?”
Ling Qiong admired her beautifully painted nails. “It was written clearly in the news. Do you need me to teach you how to read?”
Jiang Ke was momentarily at a loss. “Who knows what tricks you pulled? You even stole the man your own sister loved. With someone like you, nothing is surprising.”
Ling Qiong blinked, then suddenly smiled widely. Her lips, a vivid red, parted as she spoke sweetly, “Then you’d better not get a boyfriend. With someone like me, who knows what might happen.”
Jiang Ke’s pupils contracted. “You—”
Ling Qiong smiled faintly, pressed the accelerator, and left Jiang Ke behind.
She glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled. Daddy doesn’t stoop to the level of NPCs.
Nevertheless, the NPCs in this game were quite impressive—their emotions felt so real.
...
Lu Wenci’s audition went smoothly; the director made the decision on the spot to cast him as the second male lead.
Song Qingyun walked him out, visibly relieved. “Do your best. If you play this role well, you’ll make it big.”
Lu Wenci replied cautiously, “Thank you, Mr. Song. I’ll cherish this opportunity.”
Song Qingyun laughed. “No need for ‘Mr. Song’—just call me brother. All right, head on home. Have your agent come sign the contract as soon as possible.”
Lu Wenci quickly amended, “Thank you, Brother Song.”
“Lu Wenci!”
A young woman called out crisply as she approached, shopping bags in hand.
Her bright and lively colors made her look full of youthful energy.
Lu Wenci: “...”
She hadn’t been wearing that outfit earlier.
Ling Qiong raised an eyebrow. “Did you get the part?”
“...Yes.” He snapped out of his daze and nodded. “I did.”
“Congratulations.” She shoved the shopping bags into his arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Since everything’s settled, let’s go.”
Lu Wenci, now forced to act as her porter: “???”
Song Qingyun sidled over, tugging at Lu Wenci’s sleeve. “What’s your relationship with her? Are you being kept?”
This girl was clearly not his agent. What kind of agent makes their artist carry their things? One look at her and you could tell she was used to giving orders.
Lu Wenci almost choked on his own saliva.
Song Qingyun’s expression turned odd. Was he right?
“No... No,” Lu Wenci denied. “We’re not... I’m not being kept.”
Hurriedly, Lu Wenci said his goodbyes and caught up with Ling Qiong, who was already a fair distance ahead.
...
After putting the bags in the car, Lu Wenci fastened his seatbelt and asked, “You bought so many things—can you use them all?”
“Who said you have to use everything you buy?”
He didn’t understand. “Then why buy them?”
“To look at them,” Ling Qiong replied, her eyes curved in a smile, her tone light and sweet. “Who doesn’t want beautiful things?”
“To look at them?” Lu Wenci swallowed, his worldview shaken. “So you just buy things to look at?”
“Mm-hmm. Is there a problem? Pretty things are meant to be admired, after all.”
He couldn’t argue with that.
But...
Lu Wenci, who’d never had much money, ventured cautiously, “But then, couldn’t you just look at them in the store?”
“How is that the same? Bringing them home is so much more satisfying. A moment’s pleasure can’t compare to constant joy.”
“...”
He decided it would be best not to continue this conversation.
Ling Qiong was just about to start the car when Song Qingyun suddenly appeared outside.
He spoke with a troubled expression. “Little brother, about that role... I just got word. You’ll need to go home and wait for further notice.”
“I thought it was settled?” Ling Qiong frowned. “Why the sudden change?”
Song Qingyun sighed and spread his hands helplessly. “The investors have someone in mind. You know how it is—the capital controls everything, and not even the director can go against that kind of power.”
He hesitated, then added, “That artist is from your company too. I heard through the grapevine that...”
They’d specifically sent someone to snatch the role.
Lu Wenci clenched his hands. He hadn’t told anyone at his company about the audition. It could only have been leaked by someone on set.
His company had already found a replacement for him so quickly... How considerate of them.
“Did you offend the company?” Song Qingyun, a seasoned veteran, quickly pieced things together. For someone with Lu Wenci’s qualifications to have made so little progress in the industry—and now, to have his first real role snatched away—he must have been targeted.
Song Qingyun sighed. “If you’ve fallen out with them, the future won’t be easy...”
So many artists had their careers destroyed by their own companies.
Song Qingyun liked Lu Wenci, thought he had talent and potential, and believed he would make it.
What a pity.
“Keep the role for me,” Ling Qiong said suddenly.
Song Qingyun looked troubled. “It’s not up to me. I can’t decide.”
“I’ll take care of the company. Just talk to the director and ask him to wait. He wouldn’t want to lose an actor who fits his vision so perfectly, would he?”
“The role needs to be filled urgently. I’m not sure they’ll wait...”
“Three days at most.”
He hesitated. He had recruited Lu Wenci himself, and he truly thought highly of him.
“Fine, I’ll try—just make sure you can really handle it. Otherwise, I won’t be able to cover for you.”
Ling Qiong made an “okay” gesture. “Relax. It’s a piece of cake.”
Song Qingyun: “...”