For some reason, seeing Luo Yingbai’s smile made her forehead break out in a cold sweat—logically, he couldn’t possibly know this was her doing, so what did this expression mean?
Qiu Zipeng watched the entire scene, unable to do anything. Luo Yingbai’s movements were too fast, and by the time he reacted, the woman had already been pushed away.
Although not as perceptive as Luo Yingbai, Qiu Zipeng could sense something was wrong. Just as he was about to comment, he saw Director Xiao walking towards Luo Yingbai with an excited expression, stepping directly onto the spilled water without looking.
“Xiao Luo, I didn’t expect you to come today. How about trying out for a role… Oops!
“
Obsessed with bringing Luo Yingbai into the entertainment industry, he was focused on talking and didn’t watch his step, about to slip and fall backward.
Luo Yingbai quickly bent down, grabbed Director Xiao’s collar, and just as his buttocks were about to hit the ground, lifted this nearly two-hundred-pound man: “Director Xiao, be careful.”
Director Xiao stood up in a daze, heavily embarrassed in front of everyone.
Now angry from embarrassment, Director Xiao shouted, “What’s going on? How did such a big puddle of water get here? Is this an audition site or an amusement park? Bringing food and drink and spilling it everywhere?”
Qiu Zipeng frowned and said, “I’m also wondering about the water spill. Director Xiao, you didn’t see what happened just now.”
He turned to the woman and asked, “Why were you squeezing over from so far away? You didn’t deliberately splash the water, did you?”
This time, Qiu Zipeng was truly angry. It was a matter of life and death. He had finally managed to invite Luo Yingbai and was walking on eggshells, afraid of offending anyone. Before he could properly host him, such an incident occurred.”
These actors would use any means to get ahead, not even considering whether the other party was interested in competing with them.
Director Xiao apparently had similar thoughts. Adjusting his collar, he said to Luo Yingbai in a serious tone, “I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you an explanation.”
The woman quickly said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t look carefully while walking. I really didn’t mean to!”
Wu Yinyuan carefully hid behind everyone.
This time, she had calculated everything perfectly, believing it was foolproof, never expecting that not only did the hot tea fail to splash on Luo Yingbai, but a director suddenly appeared.
If they offended the director before the audition, they might as well pack up and go home. Wu Yin and Pan Ze exchanged a glance, neither daring to speak.
Fortunately, they had arranged well. The person who splashed water was a cleaner temporarily hired by Wu Yin for a few hundred yuan. As long as they denied involvement, no one could blame them.
Unfortunately, the phrase “taking things for granted” could never be applied to Luo Yingbai. He smiled and said to Director Xiao, “No need to investigate.
I know who did this.”
Wu Yin’s heart skipped a beat, feeling uneasy, but also thinking Luo Yingbai was bluffing. So she hesitated and pretended to be uninvolved, watching the drama unfold.
Luo Yingbai kicked a white object from the tea puddle on the ground: “Look, this is called Imperata cylindrica, a Chinese medicine. When used to brew tea, it primarily treats bleeding caused by blood heat. This cleaning lady looks pale and weak, so she definitely wouldn’t need to drink this. So whoever is using it must be the one behind this.”
Wu Yin and Pan Ze’s expressions turned ugly. Wu Yin’s bleeding disorder was a result of complications from childbirth years ago. Having managed many artists and having some reputation herself, many in the circle knew about Wu Yin’s condition. As Luo Yingbai spoke, they could feel the surrounding gazes of disdain.
Losing face was secondary. Pan Ze was more worried about potentially ruining the audition.
To their surprise, Luo Yingbai stopped there and said, “So Director Xiao doesn’t need to investigate. I have my own understanding. I have other matters today. Let’s sit somewhere else and talk.”
Director Xiao was surprised: “What? No, I must give you an explanation.”
Luo Yingbai smiled: “Let’s be lenient. Forbearance is the greatest virtue. I don’t need an explanation. Personal grievances are nothing.
The important thing is that everyone is fine.”
Director Xiao was almost blinded by the halo, feeling extremely ashamed and agreed to Luo Yingbai’s suggestion without objection.
Qiu Zipeng, however, felt the matter wasn’t so simple. Luo Yingbai’s smile seemed somewhat mischievous, but he couldn’t figure out the other’s intentions and could only praise Luo’s broad-mindedness.
In this short moment, Wu Yin’s heart was up and down, almost developing a condition from these unexpected twists. Fortunately, she had narrowly escaped.
As Luo Yingbai turned to leave, Pan Ze breathed a sigh of relief: “That was scary. I think he was just bluffing us. Thank goodness you didn’t admit anything.”
Wu Yin said uncertainly: “Right?”
Pan Ze said: “If it weren’t for Old Deng being so stubborn, I would have arranged something long ago and wouldn’t have been so anxious…”
He suddenly saw Luo Yingbai, who had walked a few steps ahead, turn back and point at him.
Pan Ze was stunned, and the words stuck in his throat.
He watched as Luo Yingbai made a “gun” shape with his fingers, pointed it at him, and mimed shooting with a “piu” lip movement.
Pan Ze: “…”
Honestly, it was a somewhat childish gesture, but for some reason, at the moment Luo Yingbai “shot”, Pan Ze felt his heart go numb, as if truly hit by something.
The delicate young man’s slightly raised chin and ambiguous smile made him feel an inexplicable terror, with a premonition that something frightening was about to happen.
However, nothing happened. After lowering his hand, Luo Yingbai walked away as if nothing had occurred, leaving Pan Ze standing there, distracted.
Director Xiao, standing slightly ahead of Luo Yingbai, turned back and casually asked, “What’s wrong? What are you looking at?”
Luo Yingbai smiled: “Nothing. Could you help me find a copy of Yue Huan’s script to look at?”
Director Xiao responded: “Of course, of course.”
He and Qiu Zipeng took Luo Yingbai to the back rest area, brewed tea for him, and found the script.
Luo Yingbai opened the script and pondered the name of the second male lead – Yue Huan.
The plot of “Yan Chi’s Little Red Bridge” was complex, with numerous characters. The second male lead, Yue Huan, didn’t have a high screen time, but his character was quite appealing, perfectly embodying the saying “The male lead belongs to the female lead, but the second male belongs to everyone.”
For the male lead, Yue Huan was his romantic and political rival. For the female lead, Yue Huan had killed her parents and destroyed her country. He was an out-and-out villain.
But from Yue Huan’s perspective, everything seemed not entirely wrong – born with a tragic background, with his entire family wiped out, his actions were merely revenge.
He was cunning, calculating, ruthless, the final boss who survived until the end of the drama. Resolute in public, but few knew that he, who initially only intended to use the female lead, had actually fallen in love.
In his solitary moments, he would smile while whispering the name of his beloved and cry remembering his deceased family.
Just as audiences were gradually moved by him, they would sadly discover that his only fate was destruction – because he loved too deeply and hated too deeply.
