Chương 13: The Never Ending Hardships Of An Unfortunate Fate

"Hello, Miss Artemis? There's a woman here looking for you. A Miss Zheng Hualian?"

"Ah, I see, let her in then."

Zhou Lengxin frowned. It was a Saturday afternoon, usually, she wouldn't be in. Song Liqin and Li Chuhua were not present as well.

"H-hello."

Zheng Hualian was average height, prettier than average, and had a demure personality and humble upbringing. Looks like she had a lot of work to do.

"Listen, Miss Zheng, there are a lot of unspoken rules in this industry. I know you are busy too, but when meeting with an industry senior or superior, you should always contact beforehand."

Zhou Lengxin's cold and intimidating side came out again.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, I was passing by and just remembered! They said that you were in... am I bothering you? Should leave?" Her small face immediately panicked.

"No, just don't make the same mistake again. You've looked over the script I presume? Let's run it through, there's a full cast table read next week."

Zhou Lengxin gestured for her to sit down and pulled out her own copy of the script of "His Endless Love".

"Let's start with your first scenes, I will read the other characters. I'll give you a moment to get into character."

Zheng Hualian closed her eyes a breathed deeply. When she reopened them, it was like she had become an entirely different person.

The shy girl she saw before became a haggard addict.

"Hmph, why are you here? Is that pity I see? I don't need it, just like how I didn't need..."

Zhou Lengxin was able to switch from quiet to arrogant to charming characters as she helped Zheng Hualian explore her character.

"See, in this scene, it's a flashback to when you and Fu Lei broke up. I can't feel the love or the heartbreak. Do you have a boyfriend or someone you like?"

Zheng Hualian shook her head, "I've never dated anyone." Her voice barely above a whisper.

"Have you had a best friend? Well pretend your best friend betrayed you because she became friends with the person you despise the most. Then, they stopped being friends with you. That should be more relatable."

What Zhou Lengxin did not expect was for her to suddenly burst into tears.

"That- that really happened to me... it really hurt."

"Mm, well that's in the past now. Thanks to them, you will be able to deliver an emotional and realistic scene."

She really was bad at comforting people, but it seemed her words worked.

"En! I will definitely work hard!" Zheng Hualian declared between sniffles.

She spent the day workshopping with Zheng Hualian. Now she understood why they were quick to grab this diamond-in-the-rough. Her natural and expressions and quick adaptability and how she grasped new skills made her an extremely versatile actor.

The character, Shen Mumu was an emotionally complex character. By the title, "His Endless Love" sounded like a romantic comedy, when in fact, it was more of a mystery and thriller.

The male lead, Song Yan's girlfriend breaks up with him and then mysteriously disappears. Overcome with grief, he refuses to accept being dumped and goes out searching for her.

Song Yan begins to see Mu Yanmei everywhere in the biggest current events. At first, he thought he was imagining things, but when he personally witnesses her figure weave through the crowd at the Jade Tower, he realized that he was looking at something way more dangerous than he ever imagined.

Shen Mumu was the second male lead's ex-girlfriend who was still very much in love him. After the breakup, she got addicted to drugs and ended up on the streets. She had grown up in a poor family where her father was abusive and in heavy debt, making her in dire need of love and support. Shen Mumu commits suicide at the end of the movie, escaping the never-ending hardships of an unfortunate fate.