The Audition

Ding Jia didn't have time to think about the bloody woman after that.

Lin Lin came over to her apartment to talk about the commercial offers they received from various luxury brands she partnered up with before. Right after that, she got a few invitations for video interviews about her current condition which she accepted.

After studying the offered project scripts, she chose to audition for Shen Ru's movie in the end. Aside from the fact that it's her most favorite author, she read the newly released series and fell in love with it. From there, she thought that she wanted to study the character and be the actress that could do it justice.

So a week later, she arrived at her agency to meet with the author and director for the audition.

"It's been a long time, Director Gu." Ding Jia greeted as she shook hands with one of the best directors in the industry.

"I heard about what happened. I didn't expect you'll return so quickly. Are you sure you're gonna be okay? You should stop pushing yourself too hard."

"Director Gu, it's really bad that you know me too well."

He sighed as they both sat on their seats. "That's why I'm advising you. You just got out of the hospital recently, and now you're running off working yourself to death again. Tell me, you secretly want to return to the hospital again, am I right?"

Ding Jia chuckled.

"If I did, I wouldn't go for a week-long filming with a 39 degrees fever when we last shot a movie in the mountains."

"You did, but right after that you had to be rushed to the emergency and forced to stay home for days even after you recovered from your fever."

"That was because of my manager."

"Because she knew you were going to work yourself hard as soon as the fever subsides. And that would just make you sicker."

"..."

Director Gu flashed a triumphant smile showing that he wasn't going to lose at all.

"Did I perhaps offend you somehow, Mr.Gu? Then I can apologize right now." She jokingly replied.

"The opposite actually. You're one of the best actresses I've worked with and I really admire your diligence every time when we're filming. That's why I'm hoping you'll take care of yourself better so I can still work with you on a lot of projects in the future."

Ding Jia genuinely felt touched by Director Gu's statement given his strict nature when it comes to choosing the actors and their performance during filming. He's probably one of the strictest directors she worked with in all her years as an actress.

So hearing him praise her like this and saying that he still wants to work with her in the future is truly rewarding and gratifying that she was doing a great job as a professional.

The two of them chatted for a bit more while waiting for the author to arrive.

Ding Jia felt excited, given that she was finally meeting one of her favorite authors, and being able to act in one of his works is a great accomplishment that she could possibly ever get as a fan.

"I'm sorry I'm late." A male voice came from behind her.

Ding Jia internally screamed and excitedly turned around to look behind her.

Instantly, she almost choked on her own words recognizing the man who just arrived.

….Oh my god! Shen Ru is… her neighbor?!

She didn't dwell too long in her shock and quickly used her prowess as an actress by instantly changing her expression into a smile before greeting him. The three of them settled in their seats soon after. They didn't waste any time and started their agenda.

"I was informed by Mr.Shen's request when choosing the actors for the characters especially the main character, that's why I would like to ask Mr.Shen if you have any specific scene from the book you would like for me to reenact." She spoke as they continued to discuss the movie.

Because the book was released when she was in a coma, she wasn't aware of Shen Ru's most recent series, Illusions of Time: The Alibi Series. After finalizing which movie project she would like to do for her comeback, she was left with only 3 days to read the book, understand the whole story, and wholly internalize the main character. So Ding Jia was actually quite nervous for this audition considering the short time that she had to study the character she was auditioning for.

Director Gu nodded and turned to Shen Ru. "Mr.Shen agreed to make a deal with us in exchange for having the right to be a judge when choosing the actors for this project. He was present when we chose the supporting and other vital casts so for the main lead role, we decided on having a one-to-one audition since it is the most important character for the movie."

Her neighbor, aka Mr.Shen Ru, kept his cold expression but nodded to Director Gu's words.

"Then show me…" He opened his mouth so Ding Jia's expression turned even more serious. "...the most important scene in the Illusion of Time." He explained vaguely the scene he wanted her to perform.

Ding Jia paused as she glanced at Director Gu who seemed to be quite used to Shen Ru's vague way of saying which scene he wanted to see.

She quickly realized that this was probably how he filtered and chose all the actors. It seems that only those who truly understood the whole story of the book would be the only ones to pass his judgment.

Ding Jia took a moment before recalling the entire story of Illusion of Time in her head.

Illusions of Time: The Alibi Series is a horror mystery story about a girl who has multiple psychic abilities like retrocognition, and the ability to see spirits. A girl raised in the temple blessed to exorcise evil spirits and heal the lost souls, gets caught on a case of one of the most famous historical figures in their country.

The story development was quite interesting in her opinion but what really struck Ding Jia was the female lead's character. Because she could perceive the past and mingle with the spirits, her emotions have long turned cold from all the negative emotions and memories that she was exposed to.

Ding Jia contemplated deeper on the true conflict for this series. She realized it wasn't about the case but rather, the true essence of this story is more about the main character.

Then the most important scene...? Could it be?