I have a persona specifically for acting.

All eyes were focused on Director Shi, waiting for his evaluation.

“If we only discuss Tong Zhao’s second audition, you’ll notice that her posture was much lower than in the first audition. Here, ‘lower’ doesn’t mean humble; it means she was more willing to listen to other characters and wanted to understand them. During both auditions, Cheng Siwen reminded Tong Zhao that the villain was Fu Xuancheng…”

“In the first audition, Tong Zhao was obviously wary of him. She and the other characters were in a binary opposition; you could see that she was confrontational with everyone, but she took good care of Cheng Siwen, who obeyed her.” Director Shi pulled up a short clip where Duan Ge signaled for him to go to the back with his eyes, actually using himself to block the gaze that others were directing at Cheng Siwen.

“However, in the second audition, aside from her initially asserting her strength and boundaries, her communication with the other supporting characters was very open and inclusive throughout.”

Director Shi paused for a moment, coming up with a nickname for her: “The Plum Blossom Swordsman is very resistant to Tong Zhao One but feels a sense of familiarity with Tong Zhao Two. He is even willing to share a lot of information with her that he didn’t mention in the first audition.”

To direct a good film in the era of instinctive cinema, one must understand human nature very well and possess keen observational skills.

Because it captures the truest reactions, it’s akin to temporarily holding the power of God.

“It’s incredible that the same person can express so many different facets.”

“I prefer Tong Zhao One; she’s powerful. Whether you give her a saber or a sword, it should work well.”

“Just watch ‘Heartless Tribulation,’ and you’ll see that Tong Zhao is, in my mind, the most suitable woman to wield a sword—bar none.”

It was during this discussion that the team realized there were hidden fans of Tong Zhao among them.

As the auditions concluded, the other supporting actors gradually woke up and entered the room. Seeing everyone so engrossed in conversation, Tang Yanhao, who played Cheng Siwen, curiously asked, “How did I perform just now?”

“…”

The audition room fell into silence as if someone had pressed the mute button.

He immediately grew anxious: “Did I mess up my performance?”

“No, you didn’t mess up,” the screenwriter said sympathetically as he put a hand on his shoulder, “You were overshadowed…”

As soon as Tang Yanhao entered, everyone suddenly realized that all they could remember was Tong Zhao, and the focus during the audition had been entirely on her… In “The Knives of the Maiden,” Xie Guiya is undoubtedly the main character, but Cheng Siwen is also an important supporting character throughout the film, and in the earlier audition, this sunny and handsome boy was quite charming.

On screen, Tong Zhao was like a vortex, drawing the audience’s attention.

Why was that?

Was it her beautiful face? Cheng Siwen was also a handsome guy!

The director commented, “Tong Zhao’s subconscious gives her a stronger dramatic presence; you always feel like she’ll create some kind of commotion. It’s very dramatic.”

Using terms like “drama queen” or “overly dramatic” can carry slightly negative connotations.

So in the end, he chose a commonly used foreign adjective.

The people present were indeed elites in the instinctive film industry. Even if they didn’t know the source of Tong Zhao’s charm, they had indirectly guessed it—because her personality was born out of the experiences from her quick-changing roles; she was living a life that was anything but ordinary, and her subconscious could constantly provide dramatic expressions.

Director Shi looked thoughtfully at the two screens displaying Tong Zhao in different outfits.

“It’s difficult to evaluate as a whole, but I have a bold idea.”

Although Director Shi was not young, he had always been daring in innovation within the industry.

Despite the fact that he could easily make money by filming straightforward martial arts movies, he still chose to challenge himself by incorporating new elements that had rarely been explored before. Upon hearing this, everyone cast curious glances at him, while only the screenwriter nervously asked, “So, does that mean we need to change the script?”

“It’s unrelated to the script. I need to discuss it with the director.”

The screenwriter visibly relaxed upon hearing this.

As long as there was no need to change the script!

After Director Shi finished speaking, he delegated a few miscellaneous tasks and left the audition room with the director. As they walked, their voices were not loud, but they didn’t avoid being heard by others. Consequently, some gossipers perked up their ears, and passersby in the hallway caught fragments of their conversation—

“… too extroverted, hard to rein in…”

“… not as good as the first time…”

“… there will be difficulties in filming… increased costs… subconscious changes…”

Eventually, the two entered the elevator.

Once the heavy metal elevator doors closed, silence fell, effectively cutting off the curious ears that had been listening in.

Director Shi had a bit of an accent, and when he got excited, his voice would increase in volume.

This was the content that all the gossipers intermittently caught; when pieced together, it seemed to convey that they were quite critical of Tong Zhao, suggesting that she was not as good as Qin Meizi, who had come for the audition the first time, and that they were criticizing the instability of Tong Zhao’s subconscious.

So that was it!

It seemed that despite Tong Zhao’s elaborate efforts to audition twice, she ultimately still failed.

Upon reaching this conclusion, everyone’s eyes sparkled with excitement as they couldn’t wait to share the “firsthand information” with their friends during the waiting period for notifications—

[That popular female celebrity really came to audition for Director Shi’s new project, and the result was quite shocking.]

[She wasn’t selected, wasn’t selected. But that’s not the main point; the key is that she requested to audition for the same segment twice, saying she had two sides to her subconscious, possibly thinking that this would be eye-catching… somehow, maybe she wanted to score points in front of the director? But in the end, that was also why she wasn’t chosen.]

[It seems they felt she was not as good as Qin Yisi.]

[Exactly, actually Uncle Dingjun is very kind; he’s not as fierce as the outside world thinks. The instinctive film industry is also not as mysterious as outsiders imagine. I learned from Uncle Dingjun that even if you’re a celebrity, you shouldn’t get carried away by marketing hype and fans; you still need to be grounded. Having a diverse subconscious can bring too many disadvantages to filming, not to mention she’s so expensive.]

[I don’t know the exact price, but I heard Tong Zhao’s current worth is this amount! ￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥]

……

Such conversations quietly spread.

Those indulging in this gossip reveled in schadenfreude.

After all, Tong Zhao’s path had been too smooth. The resources she started with weren’t even top-tier, yet within a year, she not only participated in the Li Zhi TV gala but also starred in the highly acclaimed and commercially successful film “Heartless Tribulation.” While her fans were enjoying her success, her peers were filled with envy.

They didn’t consider themselves to be saints who could calmly watch their peers succeed; it was entirely normal to gossip and share rumors.

As for those without malice, they were individuals who could never compete with Tong Zhao, and since they had no grounds for envy, they merely felt pleased to flaunt their insider connections to friends, pretending to be well-informed and savvy—so-called “insiders.”

Such people are not uncommon; if one has a broad social circle, they can easily find such discussions in their friend group.

A shared photo, and in their words, “Isn’t that old X? We often hang out; if there’s a gathering, I’ll definitely be invited.” When a certain new movie is released, they express their feelings as if they shared an intimate friendship, while no one in their friend circle can truly validate the grandeur of their connections with that high-profile individual.

What happens when these people catch even a whiff of genuine gossip?

When they pry out even a morsel of real news from celebrities?

That’s something else.

Goodness, that could provide a year’s worth of conversation material.

From Shi Dingjun’s perspective, commenting on the recently pursued stars by film companies and directors, picking apart details, satisfied a portion of people’s hidden sense of superiority.

Shi Dingjun and the director were completely unaware of this.

After all, their original words were…

—“Tong Zhao No. 1 is a bit too extroverted and hard to rein in, you know? That kind of feeling makes the audience be unreasonably drawn to her, which is very useful during the film’s climax, but if she stays like that throughout the entire film, it will be unbalanced. I’ve seen her in ‘Countdown 72 Hours’ and ‘One Life Survivor,’ and there are obvious structural issues in both; although ‘Countdown’ is labeled as a movie, it actually has a heavy component of live variety show.”

—“Tong Zhao No. 2 is not as indulgent as the first time; she’s much more restrained.”

—“Each version of Tong Zhao has particular points that fit perfectly with Xie Guiya. I want them all! I really want to film with her! However, doing so would pose difficulties in production and objectively increase costs; I wonder if her subconscious changes can remain stable…”

That disdain and frustration are the happy troubles of someone who is too good at everything.

It’s a kind of Versailles-style complaint.

After reaching a consensus with the director, he made a phone call to have Tong Zhao, who was drinking tea in the lounge, return to wait for the official filming to begin. He clearly expressed his thoughts, hoping she could cooperate with his immature concept: “Let’s put it this way, this lead role feels like it has to be you. I hope you can keep this schedule, but I’m also filming like this for the first time, which is quite risky. I can afford to lose, but you may not be able to. If you discuss it with your agent and feel it’s not worth the risk and want to decline, that’s perfectly fine.”

Shi Dingjun spoke candidly.

He was a renowned director, with his last two films being very successful; no one would deny his status in the film industry due to one less successful innovation. He could afford to be a graceful loser.

Tong Zhao was an emerging female star, and every filming opportunity was precious.

Moreover, in the eyes of others, Director Shi’s high-budget productions were bound to be successful. If his film flopped, it would also affect her reputation among the public and within the industry.

In others’ eyes, Shi Dingjun’s films were indeed a hot commodity.

However, Tong Zhao had many choices now and really didn’t need to take this risk; even shooting a historical drama would be a safer option.

Tong Zhao paused for a moment, then smiled:

“I like your idea, Director Shi. As long as you dare to offer me the role of Xie Guiya, I will dare to take it.”

One of her characteristics was her willingness to take risks.

The two clicked immediately.

Tong Zhao happily sat in the van back home. After connecting with two different personalities during the holographic film shoot today, she felt a bit fatigued from switching back and forth like changing tapes. So, she lit a soothing aromatherapy candle, wrapped herself tightly in a blanket on the sofa, and dozed off for a bit. As a result, the scent of the new ebony and bergamot aromatherapy candle was just to her liking, and she ended up sleeping until evening, her memories of the audition refreshed.

Shuyi: [Wow, Duan Ge is so fierce.]

Duan Ge: 【The plot requires it; didn’t you hit him too? You’ve probably beaten up people during interviews before.】

Shuyi once disguised herself to infiltrate a whaling base in the East. Due to carelessness, she was discovered and had to take down the three people who found her—but at the time, she had very handy weapons and equipment since she was prepared for danger when she infiltrated.

Shu Yi: [Isn’t it reasonable for a reporter who must deal with ruthless criminals to know a bit of self-defense?]

Duan Ge: [Hmm, a little bit.]

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

As Tong Zhao groggily made her way to the bathroom to wash her face, she listened to their quiet conversation in her mind, feeling particularly good.

One of the reasons for her good mood was the brand-new interpretation method proposed by Director Shi, which she found quite appealing—

She recalled what Director Shi had said:

“Tong Zhao, you can steadily switch between two states, could you use your second audition self for the first half, and for the second half… I need the explosive power and commanding presence you presented to me in the first audition!”