novelHarmed By Someone (2)
| ← Ch.091 | Ch.093 → |
Exactly twenty-five minutes and four seconds had passed after Shen Wei'an had gone in the office, and that was a whole five minutes longer than the rest.
Lan Jinyao thought as she shifted her gaze from her watch, and the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth slightly lowered. When Shen Wei'an walked out from the room, a haughty smile was plastered on her face as she intentionally stopped in front of Lan Jinyao and contemptuously said, "Chen Meimei, how come you're still here? Don't tell me that you actually think that you still stand a chance? Haha, I didn't expect you to be so naive."
Lan Jinyao looked around and saw that many people had already started wavering upon hearing this, and her eyes grew cold as she retorted, "The results aren't out yet, and you're already so sure that no one else stands a chance? Don't tell me that you've climbed onto a certain big tree again!"
When she said this so explicitly, Li Qi, who was standing next to her, immediately tugged at her arm, signalling her with his eyes to not say anything further.
Shen Wei'an's expression slightly changed at this point, and her tone wasn't as unyielding as before as she shifted her gaze and looked at the others before coldly stating, "I, Shen Wei'an, have always done things based on strength and spoken through my actions; even if you and the others here audition, your performances won't be able to surpass mine! So, I advise you all to just give up and don't hold onto too much hope!"
After saying this, Shen Wei'an turned and left.
Lan Jinyao lowered her head and said to Li Qi, "Did you notice that when I said those words earlier, Shen Wei'an didn't dare look me in the eye? You must know that showing that kind of expression means that she was silently admitting it."
"How do you know?" asked Li Qi, obviously doubting her words.
"I understand her!"
"Pfft!" Li Qi chuckled and patted her on the shoulder as he said, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. It's your turn now; hurry and go!"
As Lan Jinyao walked towards the office, she noticed that it was pitch-black inside with the floor-to-ceiling windows blocked by curtains that didn't allow even a tiny bit of light to shine through. She then saw that there was a small stage with several people sitting in front of it. Those must be the investors, judging panel members, and others that the advertising company had invited.
In addition, there was a person sitting in the corner behind them, but it was too dark to see that person's face clearly. She could only guess by looking at the appearance that it was a man.
Don't tell her that this was Shen Wei'an's patron? If that was really the case, then things would be more difficult to deal with. Lan Jinyao frowned as silently thought.
This was a makeshift stage, but it looked quite stable. When Lan Jinyao stood on it, a beam of white light was directed at her from the side, forming a bright round spotlight on the ground.
"You can start!"
Lan Jinyao then started to dance on stage, her relaxed posture forming soft contours as she whirled and leapt. When she danced, her expression was focused and conscientious, and she seemed to have turned into a graceful white swan.
There was no music in the room, and even the sound of breathing was faint, so only her graceful steps resounded as she intently danced.
"Meimei, bear this in mind: This advertisement's goal is to illustrate the final results of the client's product. So, when you're dancing, try to let your hair flutter in the air. If the result is good, then maybe we can even break this one rule. Uhh... even though it's a long shot, it's worth a try!"
A long shot? No, as long as she could stand there, then she would have endless hope.
At this moment, everyone forgot to breathe as they immersed themselves in that white swan's graceful moves on stage until she finished her dance and bowed towards them.
In that instant, thunderous applause echoed within the room.
"Very good!"
"Wonderful!"
Overcome with praises, Lan Jinyao revealed a radiant smile on her face.
However, she'd noticed that the person sitting at the back remained silent, and as time went by, her heart grew heavier by the minute. This was because, once the judges sitting in front had drawn their conclusions after deliberating for a while, their eyes fell on the man behind them, seemingly asking for the man's opinion.
Lan Jinyao then saw the man raise his hand before the spotlight on her was extinguished, leaving her shrouded in darkness.
Following that, light footsteps sounded in the quiet room as the man stood up and slowly walked towards Lan Jinyao.
As he got closer, Lan Jinyao could feel him breathing. The man was indeed very tall, even taller than Chen Meimei, who was 180 cms tall.
The man's body seemed to be sprayed with some kind of unknown cologne which gave off a very faint sweet scent, but that smell felt somewhat familiar to Lan Jinyao.
"I didn't expect you to still show up at the audition after you'd heard the inside information!" The man's voice was very deep and low, and as Lan Jinyao couldn't see things very clearly in the dark, she felt all the more that his voice sounded extremely familiar when she heard him speak. It was just that she couldn't remember where she'd heard it before.
However, saying this meant that the man was admitting that he was Shen Wei'an's patron, and the Big Boss who'd already decided on Shen Wei'an for this ad.
Lan Jinyao took two steps back and distanced herself from him before she said, "Are you telling me that I ought to have given up just because I'd heard the inside information? If that was really the case, then even I, Chen Meimei, will look down on myself! I want to get this ad, but from how things look now, it seems that there's no more hope."
"Oh? So you're giving up just like that?" The man chuckled and continued, "Since you're already in this audition, why don't you have any confidence in yourself? You must've seen the hidden cameras around this room, right? So, you're not confident in yourself."
For some reason, the man's voice seemed to be masked with extreme mockery, especially after she'd said those last few words earlier.
Lan Jinyao shook her head and retorted, "No! The reason I'm saying all of this is not because I'm not confident, but because of the predetermined outcome of this audition."
"So, I can leave now, right?"
When Lan Jinyao said this, she did feel quite regrettable in her heart. Who would've thought that Shen Wei'an would seek a patron this time? And, one that valued her to boot! To think that he'd even personally come to this kind of selection round.
"Wait!" The man took hold of her arm when she was about to leave.
Lan Jinyao turned back and looked at him as she asked, "May I ask if there is anything else?"
"Don't tell me that President Fu isn't helping you with this! I mean, you seem to want this ad a lot!" The man's voice sounded delighted as he continued, "You're his wife, right? Why isn't he intervening with this matter?"
Shen Wei'an was also an artist under Blue Hall Entertainment, so as long as Fu Bainian intervened, Shen Wei'an absolutely wouldn't have a part in this ad. Lan Jinyao already understood this point.
"That's because..."
She trailed off before she softly continued, "Fu Bainian respects the fruits of my labour and my personal values."
After saying this, Lan Jinyao turned around and strode out of the room, completely ignoring the man's peculiar gaze behind her.
As soon as she walked out, Li Qi grabbed her to his side and asked, "How was it? How did it go?"
She sighed and then replied, "I'm afraid that this ad will go to Shen Wei'an this time."
Upon hearing her say that, the rest of the participants who'd wavered earlier felt even more hopeless.
| ← Ch. 091 | Ch. 093 → |