章節 31: Chapter 30: An unexpected method of selection?
The moment she walked in, she noticed there were many people in the room. It was different than when she walked into the classroom as there were more people, but also each person exuded an aura that could not be underestimated.
She swept her gaze around the room and saw that every single one of them were young women. Many of them had bronze skin that were full of toned muscles and strength. Wen Jiexi was probably the only one with such tender skin, thin arms, and a small body. She felt a little helpless at the fact. It wasn't her fault that she had more strength than the others, exercised more too, but couldn't develop any muscles. Standing next to these other stunt performers, she looked too weak to even stand up to the wind. [1] Her skin was also very pale, not like the stunt performers who had weathered through wind and rain, and looked perfectly like a rookie newcomer.
Wen Jiexi felt multiple gazes look her way but all of them turned away quickly and some even held a flash of contempt in their eyes. It seemed they did not regard Wen Jiexi as a worthwhile opponent. In the corners of the room, there were a few people who were different from the others, like Wen Jiexi. But unlike Wen Jiexi who wore nothing on her natural face, they wore thick makeup and two of them were even earring dresses with high heels. Did these people really come to audition for the role of the Right Protector?
Inside, there was another separate room that was isolated from the crowd. Was the audition going to be in there?
"There's a lot of people." Li Lingmeng whispered to Wen Jiexi as she huddled closer.
"Of course there are. There are always many actors or actresses but only a few roles. Not to mention, other than acting as a stunt double or an extra, there are not many roles suited for stunt performers. Therefore, with this special character, many stunt performers have come out to try and seize the role for themselves." Wen Jiexi replied softly, blocking her face with her script.
Hopeful auditioners continued to flow into the room one after another and then after another ten minutes, a young man finally came out of the separate little room. Holding a roll of paper and knocking it against his palm from time to time, he smiled,
"I believe everyone is here to audition the role for the Right Protector, so I will not waste my time saying anything more. Please leave this room immediately after your audition and come into this tiny chamber behind me when your name is called. Alright, let's begin. Number one: Ye Boxin." The man's eyes swept across the room and everyone turned around to see a woman with a strong physique walk into the chamber.
Wen Jiexi waited like everyone else and watched as Ye Boxin came back out after a while. However, she looked pale and yet calmly avoided the crowd as she left. So what the man said just now was to prevent the testing method from leaking out? Wen Jiexi thought to herself.
A few more people walked in and out. Like the first person, they all came out with strange expressions and then left just as quickly. There were no clues or hints the rest of them could use as reference and this caused the atmosphere to turn more and more grave. However, Wen Jiexi was different from the rest because she had a certain little ghost who liked to gossip but was invisible to everyone else. Wen Jiexi didn't even have time to stop Dango before the little ghost scurried after the first person and watched the whole thing. Then Dango walked back and proceeded to chitter-chatter non-stop about what was going on inside the chamber.
This selection method….is really interesting…. Wen Jiexi stared at the script in her hands and laughed a little in her heart as she felt the entire thing was funny.
As the auditioners entered one after another, the atmosphere was graver than ever. After the fifteenth person, the atmosphere in the room fell to its lowest point and that was because…..
"Number fifteen: Cai Yanyan."
The one who went in was one of the actresses that were different from the others. She was also the first one out of those few 'unique' auditioners. She was wearing clothing that was most unsuitable for the situation and they all watched as she walked into the chamber with her chest puffed out. A minute later…a deafening scream rang out. Everyone outside was startled to death and even Wen Jiexi clutched her chest as her heart threatened to jump out. My goodness!
Creak….
The chamber opened and Cai Yanyan ran out in her heels while crying with her hands covering her face. A few people with sharp eyes noticed the slight bruise on her face and her slightly wet clothes. Suddenly, a flurry of whispers started,
Wen Jiexi heard a lot of 'what's up with this production crew?' or 'They wouldn't hit someone during an audition, would they?' and 'What do you suppose caused her to cry like that?' Wen Jiexi only smiled at their whispers, but it was Li Lingmeng beside her who couldn't sit still and pulled on Wen Jiexi's sleeve in worry,
"Jiexi…..that girl just now…there seems to be something fishy going on…."
"En, yes, it is a little fishy…." Wen Jiexi chuckled and patted Li Lingmeng's shoulder, motioning for her to keep calm. Yes, it was fishy, but only she knew what the bruising exactly meant.
After seeing this distressing scene, many people who lacked a resolute mentality left the auditioning area. Meanwhile, the auditioners who were called in and then left still had the same expression as the ones before. After about 80% of the people were gone…..
"Number twenty-eight: Wen Jiexi."
"I'll be back soon." Wen Jiexi set her bag and script into Li Lingmeng's arms and ignored the frightened expression on her assistant's face as she stepped into the chamber.
The chamber was completely black. Suddenly, a rush of strong wind blew in from the right side and Wen Jiexi easily escaped the incoming attack with a tilt of her head. She quickly grabbed his arm, yes, it felt like a man's arm. The owner seemed to be very surprised that he was actually caught and tried to pull back but felt as if his arm was locked into an iron grip which he could not struggle out of.
Another gush of wind came from the direction near her left waist and Wen Jiexi only bent her left leg to meet whatever was attacking her.
Pa!
Something hit her calf but she only felt a little numbness but not pain. She judged that both of these attacks were from the same person.
Wen Jiexi's right hand vigorously threw the person away from her while managing to control her strength. The amount of strength she used would only have the person fly a few meters, but it shouldn't injure him. However, the sound of someone knocking into something rang out in the room. Ahhhh! Did I cause trouble again?
Just when the thought popped into her mine, a pair of powerful hands reached out for her neck. Wen Jiexi felt the attack coming…this feeling, is it going to be a chokehold?
In a blink of an eye, Wen Jiexi ducked down to avoid the attack and with one hand on the ground, swept her right foot back in a long, powerful arc motion. Perhaps it was because she had evaded the attack so easily that the attacker seemed stunned and was smoothly swept off the ground. Yet she was still not in the clear as immediately afterward, an extremely fast boxing styled punch came towards Wen Jiexi. There's more?
Currently, Wen Jeixi's body was crouched and her leg was still stretched out, not yet retracted to the original position. An average person would have been slaughtered, but Wen Jiexi was no ordinary person. She had a divine strength and even if she only had one hand on the ground to support her, it was enough. Her fingers that were touching the ground were replaced with her entire palm touching the ground as she lifted her core to execute a swift sidekick while simultaneously twisting her body in an upwards corkscrew motion. Afterwards, she used the rest of the momentum to flip up onto her feet.
Pa!
….and the kick hit the sneak attacker directly.
Shuaaa….
The moment Wen Jiexi finished her kick, the lights turned on and revealed the scene. Four night vision cameras were faced in Wen Jiexi's direction,
"Good, good!" The man who yelled these words was the same man who appeared outside to call each auditioner in. At this moment, he took off a pair of black, thick goggles and they looked like they had the same night vision function as the cameras. Several people behind him also took off similar-looking goggles. She then turned her side and saw a big burly man on the ground and a thirty-year-old woman, who was knocked back by her kick just now, on her other side. They were wearing the night-vision goggles.
"Little girl, your strength is amazing." The burly man took off his goggles and patted his slightly swollen knee as he smiled bitterly at Wen Jiexi.
"Sorry, I was unable to withhold some of my strength." Wen Jiexi said embarrassedly.
"Little girl, you're pretty good. I took one look at your tender and delicate skin and thought you had come into the wrong place. The woman shook her hand and laughed. Wen Jiexi's kick just now had surprised her. If the woman hadn't responded quickly and turned her fist into a palm to block the attack, the kick would've hit her right in her abdomen. Her hand was still aching from the unstoppable impact and the foot had grazed the stomach. Even just that little graze caused her stomach to ache a little. If the foot had hit her abdomen directly, she probably would've fallen to the ground and been unable to get up for quite a while.
"Umm…I seemed to have heard someone collide with something?" Wen Jiexi looked around, feeling a little uneasy.
"It's fine, it's fine. Skinny, that fellow, just accidentally knocked down the shelf when he fell back. A little bruised, already being dealt with in the back." The woman said with a wave of her hand.
"Is that so…still, I'm so sorry. Can you apologize to the gentlemen for me later?" Wen Jiexi said in an apologetic tone.
"Of course. Anyways, it's on us if we get hurt when doing a sudden sneak attack. So you don't have to worry about it." The woman helped to lift the burly man off the floor and nodded at Wen Jiexi before helping the man stand up and walk.
"Little sister, have you practiced martial arts before?" Suddenly the man who held the rolled-up paper leaned in close and startled Wen Jiexi.
"Ah? You…" Before she could finish speaking, the man reached out and patted Wen Jiexi's shoulder, then squeezed her arm and then squeezed a few more places that usually had muscles. He then looked back at Wen Jiexi like she was a strange specimen,
"I don't feel any muscles on you, so how come you're so strong?"
"Hey, hey, you're scaring the little girl." A woman came over and pulled the man off of Wen Jiexi.
"Hello, you're called Wen Jiexi, right? You have some good skills. You're the first person who was able to complete the technical skills part of the audition. Most people failed in the second attack. I never expected that you would have such fast reflexes and end up avoiding that little trick."
"It's not some trick! And this is the most perfect test I have ever come up with!" The man cried while waving around his roll of paper, and the woman flicked his head,
"Please don't mind this wacko. Anyhow, my name is Xiu Lan and I am one of the people in charge of the audition for the Right Protector. This person is also one of the few in charge of the screening, his name is Wang Hao. He is responsible for the technical skills part of the audition while I am in charge of administering the acting test." The woman pointed to herself and then at the man.
"Then is it time to start the acting test?" Wen Jiexi asked.
"Of course and I believe you must have familiarized with the plot before you came here. You will immediately start playing the role of the Right Protector now. Act out the scene of when she enters the mortal realm and meets a child asking for help." Xiu Lan rubbed her chin and said.
The scene that Xiu Lan was talking about was when the Right Protector first entered the Mortal Realm from the Immortal Realm. At that time, the Right Protector saw the bustling streets filled with peddlers and grew curious. She slowly walked and explored the area until she ended up in a place full of run-down houses and streets filled with garbage and sewage. She had wanted to leave immediately after that, but a little boy dressing in patchy clothing suddenly knelt in front of her. The boy asked her to spare some silver to save his seriously ill father. However, as someone from the Demon Sect, how would she have any of the silver that the mortals used? Yet she followed the little boy to his house and saved the boy's father with her amazing medical skills. That was the beginning of her path to becoming the Mute Miracle Doctor.
The plot flashed through her mind quickly and Wen Jiexi opened her eyes again. However, her expression this time was coldly indifferent. She walked slowly and she studied everything around her as if there were things in the room she hadn't seen before. Suddenly she stopped her footsteps and looked around but with a look of confusion in her eyes this time. Her body moved to turn around but was stopped abruptly. She lowered her head with a slight frowned and stared at the ground some distance away as if there was something lying there that puzzled her.
"Ok, stop!" Xiu Lan cried out.
"Huuuu….is that all?" Wen Jiexi asked after closing and opening her eyes.
"Yes, your audition is over. We will announce the results in about three days' time." Xiu Lan smiled. Wen Jiexi observed her carefully but could not see any changes in the woman's expression. She did not say anything and merely bowed to everyone,
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to audition." After saying those words, she walked out of the chamber.
The moment she walked out, she was greeted with Li Lingmeng's worried face. When she saw Li Lingmeng open her mouth to speak, she hurriedly covered the other girl's mouth and signaled to her to stay silent. She didn't pay attention to the gazes following her and pulled Li Lingmeng out of the room with her. Outside the door, there were some auditioners who haven't left yet, even after their test had ended. They seemed like they were here to observe how their other competitors did in the audition. However, Wen Jiexi did not care to stay. After all, what is the use of hoping others did worse than you when your audition is already over? It's better to use the time to go home and improve yourself for the next audition.
Arriving at the end of an empty hallway, Li Lingmeng finally couldn't help asking,
"Little Xi, what are the results of the audition? Did you really get beaten up?" Li Lingmeng said worriedly while walking a circle around Wen Jiexi. She even tried to lift Wen Jiexi's clothes to see if there were any injuries. Wen Jiexi helplessly grabbed her hand and answered,
"The results of the audition will not be announced until three days later. Therefore, I don't know what the results are right now. Don't worry, I am not injured. I'm fine." Instead, the other three are the ones with serious injuries….
"Phew…that's good…but it really feels anxious to have to wait three days for the results." Li Lingmeng patted her chest. After hearing Wen Jiexi's words, her shoulders drooped. They had worked so hard for a month for this role and yet they were stalling the results.
"Please. Unless the director or screenwriter personally chooses you, they wouldn't have immediate results. Otherwise, if you had an immediate result, there will be suspicions that you entered the back door to get the job." Wen Jiexi shrugged helplessly.
"Alright, let's get going. Did Sister Xue tell you where to find her after the audition?"
"Yes, she said she will be waiting for us in the company's car. She also said that she didn't arrange for us to take any classes today so we can return directly to the car after the audition." Li Lingmeng nodded.
"Then let's go." Wen Jiexi dragged Li Lingmeng outside and walked towards the company's car. They knocked on the door of the car and then it opened,
"Yo, that was quick. Come on in." Xue Molin greeted the two with a raised eyebrow and then slinked back into the car to allow Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng in. When they got in, they saw Xue Molin sitting lazily with the table out. On the table, there were snacks such as potato chips, jelly cups, and spicy strips. The TV was still playing too, showing just how much of a leisurely and free time she had been having for the last few hours without any tension or stress at all.
"Sister Xue, you didn't ask for the results." Li Lingmeng sat in her seat and a longing expression on her face as she coveted after Xue Molin's delicious-looking snacks.
"Do I look like a mother hen to you? Worrying and managing about this and that?" Xue Moling pointed at herself as she rolled her eyes and said angrily.
Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng: ...but you do manage quite a bit…..
"Hmph." As if seeing through their thoughts, Xue Molin snorted and threw a packet of spicy strips at Li Lingmeng before turning to Wen Jiexi,
"You're a newcomer, therefore if you get in through the back door you will lose respect. Even if you work hard afterward, people will still think you are walking through the back door. So it is for the best to start from the beginning and start from the ground up. If the results haven't come out, that means you still have a chance. Every crew will usually do the same for every audition you go too. After a few days, the crew will tell you the results and you have to wait for them. If you're nervous, just learn to accept this as the ordinary. It's like applying for a job, you send in several resumes and do several interviews at a time for multiple companies. Fortunately, you only had to prepare for this one job. If you had multiple auditions, will you allow not knowing the results to affect your other performances? So you must learn to accept this process as something ordinary and keep calm. Before the results are out, you should relax instead. During this time, other than your usual academic classes and training, you should pretend like this is a three-day vacation. You should enjoy your regular life, for when you become famous, you'll miss these days."
"Okay." Wen Jiexi nodded.
"Then let's go shopping, eat some junk food, and watch movies!" Li Lingmeng said excitedly. She had readily accepted the explanation of taking a vacation. Finally, she can rest after working for so long!
"Ok, I'll do as you say." Wen Jiexi had no opinion on the matter.
"I'll go with you guys. Jiexi, you need a few more sets of clothes. I only see you wear simple jeans and short sleeves or maybe some sportswear. Do you think wearing a dress is bad or something? From the pictures Li Lingemgn gave me, I see that you usually wear dresses or skirts." Xue Molin looked Wen Jiexi up and down, obvious disdain on her face.
"It's because it's easier to exercise in them…." Wen Jiexi smiled bitterly. Before, she didn't need to move much and wore simple dresses. Now in order to finish her running missions, wearing a skirt is not convenient but wearing pants or shorts is more practical. You can't jog in a park with a dress, cause you'll be seen as a weirdo….
"Anyhow, even if you are a stunt performer and you don't need to wear dresses on a normal workday, you still have to buy some more beautiful clothes. It's always a plain t-shirt and jeans. When you stand next to me, it looks like I'm abusing you or something." Xue Molin complained while propping her chin.
Wen Jiexi looked over at the strapless sexy dress Xue Molin was wearing and then looked at herself. Her own what Xue Molin called 'looks like you're being abused' clothes really were kind of, errr…..well, out of place standing next to Xue Molin.
"Lingmeng, you should buy a few sets too! Don't worry about the money, this will all go on the company's tab. After all, this is technically going to benefit your work productivity. Therefore, these kinds of things can still be settled by the company's money." Xue Molin explained and picked up the phone to tell Old Wang to drive them to a famous shopping mall nearby.
If Wen Jiexi remembered correctly, that place was packed with boutiques, clothing stores, food courts, and even movie theaters. It was a place with a lot of foot traffic, but was it okay for Xue Molin who has millions of fans to go there? Thinking like this, she blurted out her question,
"Sister Xue, is this ok? You're famous after all."
"It's no problem, I'm not a star so there will be no phenomenon of me being surrounded by fans. At most, there might be a sneak shot or two. It'll be good if that happens since you'll get some exposure with the public and it might end up on the local news. However, for Weibo, I will personally take the pictures and put them up on the internet. So be ready to change into several sets of clothes." Xue Molin patted Wen Jiexi's shoulder and smiled like a proper fox.
Wen Jiexi: "….." QAQ Was this all calculated? Last time it was for a foodie image, this time I feel like she's up to no good again….
"Don't look so sullen, your foodie image brought you a lot of likes. Just listen to me." Xue Molin pinched Wen Jiexi's cheek.
"Yes…" Wen Jiexi knew that Xue Molin was right. It was because of her photos and Goddess Su that she received a lot of likes and follows. Right now, she was almost at one million fans and needed a little more to break through. So you could say all that eating paid off.
However….even if she put up those photos. The thing that attracted the most attention was the one like on that one photo with her in it. That one like she received from Goddess Su created a certain hashtag that was now trending:
#Goddess Su's first time#
Just what is this?!! And because of this, the comment about being a sheep that entered the fox's den had attracted more attention. Now her fans were calling her the a A Little Sheep Foodie….I really want to cry QAQ
The car stopped,
"Oh, we're here. Get off, get off." Cue Molin took the lead and pulled open the car. Wen Jiexi and Li Lingmeng followed suit when the window to the driver's seat rolled down.
"Sister Xue, I'm going to park the car first, call me if you need anything." Old Wand said to Xue Molin with a smile.
"Alright, you should leave first. This car is eye-catching enough as it is." Xue Molin swept her eyes around them and already there were many curious gazes looking their way. The company's luxuriously sleek car did look quite special and was pretty conspicuous.
"Ok." Old Wang nodded and drove away.
"Alright, alright, let's go get lunch first. After waiting for so long, this old lady is quite hungry." Xue Molin said while patting her stomach.
"But didn't Sister Xue just eat a bunch of snacks just now.
Da….
Xue Molin's footsteps stopped and she turned around with a terrible smile on her face while grabbing Li Lingmeng's cheeks.
"Are you trying to say that I eat a lot? Do you think I'm fat? Hah? Curse you and your enviable body type that doesn't get fat easily!"
"N-no, diiidn't….I'm sowey. (No, I didn't…I'm sorry.)" Li Lingmeng mumbled miserably as her cheeks stretched and she looked over at Wen Jiexi to beg for help.
"Um, Sister Xue….everyone is watching." Wen Jiexi pulled on Xue Molin's arm with a smile. There were indeed a lot of people standing around and some even took out their photos to take pictures as they seemed to have recognized Xue Molin.
"Hmph! Let's go! Time to eat!" Xue Molin flicked her hair and stepped away with a fox-like smile on her face.
"Wuwuwu…." Li Lingmeng rubbed her reddened cheeks as she stood beside Wen Jiexi.
"Pfft-! Let's go." Wen Jiexi laughed at Li Lingmeng's current state.
"Little Xi, you're rejoicing in my misfortune?!" Li Lingmeng said in dissatisfaction.
As they walked towards the center square suddenly a loud shout sounded,
"Ah! Someone grab that purse snatcher!" A woman screamed and all three turned their heads to see a middle-aged woman yelling in a panic as a young man in a beanie rushed over in their direction with a purse in his arms,
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! If you don't want to die then move!"
Under the blinding sunlight, Wen Jiexi could see the thing in the man's hand flashing. Is that a fruit knife?
He was even screaming wildly while waving the knife around frenziedly.
"Little Xi, hurry and move out of the way." Li Lingmeng saw the man getting closer and closer and sweat poured down her face. She wanted to pull Wen Jiexi to the side and hide but Wen Jiexi did not move. Instead, Wen Jiexi heard Dango shout in her ear,
"Jiexi! This is a yellow mission, the reward is 1500 points!"
Oh!
When the man ran past her, Wen Jiexi easily avoided the hand holding the knife.
With a step and twist of her waist, she punched the man….right in the middle of his abdomen.
T/N note:
[1] too weak to stand up to the wind: an idiom that means one is extremely delicate.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票