Sylvia Ran never would have imagined that her next encounter with Cecilia Gu would happen like this.
The other was the producer in charge of the evaluation.
Wait a minute, how is Cecilia Gu the producer?
Wasn't Joe Qi supposed to be the producer for this drama? Why did it suddenly become Cecilia Gu?
"Why is it you guys?" Sylvia Ran's expression changed instantly!
She was supposed to meet Joe Qi today!
So what's with Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir sitting here now?
Rona Muir had been waiting for this moment. Hahaha, after being tormented by this fake innocent little witch for so long, finally the tables had turned (or as the Chinese say, 'feng shui turns in cycles'—everyone gets their turn). Now it was the queen's turn to strike back! If I let this chance slip away, I'll write my name backwards!
"The actress here to audition, please introduce yourself first." Rona Muir deliberately pretended not to know Sylvia Ran, staring straight at her and said, "Is this lady really here to audition? Why are you staring at me? If you're not here to audition, please let the next person in."
Sylvia Ran saw Rona Muir pretending not to recognize her and was so angry she nearly snorted with frustration.
Then she glanced at Cecilia Gu, who was happily chatting away with the director, completely unfazed. Sylvia felt her nose could get even more crooked from her frustration!
At least Rona Muir was pretending to be a stranger and spoke to her. Cecilia Gu hadn't even looked her way!
Rona Muir sneered at Sylvia Ran. Did she really think no one knew what she'd done?
Cecilia Gu might not know, because she honestly didn't care what Sylvia Ran was up to.
But as Vice President of Odyssey Corporation, how could Rona Muir not know that Sylvia Ran had seduced Charles Yin and used his money to attack Cecilia Gu's stocks?
Ha, did she really think people were that easy to mess with?
Sylvia Ran, you never thought this day would come, did you?
You used to love crying, didn’t you? Today, let’s see if you’ll cry your heart out!
Sylvia Ran met Rona Muir’s provocative gaze, swallowed her anger, and forced herself to bow politely to the audition panel. She introduced herself, “Hello everyone, my name is Sylvia Ran. I’m auditioning for the female lead today. I majored in dance at a university abroad, and I believe I can handle this role…”
Before Sylvia Ran could finish, Rona Muir interrupted her, "In that case, let's jump straight to the final scene for the female lead—when she's older and takes her place as head of the family."
Rona Muir went straight for the hardest scene.
The director and others glanced at Sylvia Ran, then at Rona Muir.
Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir were parachuted in as producers, basically sent from company headquarters to keep an eye on things!
No one in the crew could figure out why two women were sent here, especially when one of them was pregnant!
But once they saw who had brought them, everyone shut their mouths.
If the big boss Joe Qi personally escorted these producers, there probably wasn't a third person with that privilege.
So the crew became even more curious about Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir's identities.
Cecilia Gu was something of a Weibo celebrity, but she rarely posted selfies.
Plus, she was seven months pregnant now, her figure a bit fuller, and she deliberately wore wide-rimmed glasses to cover most of her face. So for a while, no one actually recognized her.
As for Rona Muir, no one recognized her at all.
She wasn't even part of the entertainment industry!
It would be weird if anyone did recognize her!
Cecilia Gu finished chatting with the director and started pretending to wait for Sylvia Ran's performance.
Even though Sylvia Ran knew Rona Muir was messing with her, she couldn't say a word!
After all, Rona Muir was sitting in the seat of power, holding all the cards.
Does Sylvia Ran even have acting skills?
Is crying considered acting?
Ha, in that case, even a newborn baby has acting skills!
Sylvia Ran basically came here hoping Joe Qi would give her a shortcut, but he wasn't even around. Instead, Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir took his place!
Sylvia Ran gritted her teeth inside: When did Joe Qi get so close to Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir?
Hmph, she was definitely going to complain to Dieyi Chen!
Sylvia Ran forced herself to focus, trying to recall the plot.
She hadn't really read the script, so how could she possibly remember the final scene?
So her awkward performance made the directors furious.
Which agency sent this idiot?
How could this fool even dare audition for the female lead?
The director's face turned ugly. He slammed his things down on the table. "Next!"
Sylvia Ran wanted to say something, but when she saw all the unfriendly faces in the room, she didn't dare stay any longer.
Wasn't this embarrassing enough already?
Sylvia Ran was sent out under a barrage of mocking stares. Rona Muir felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her.
It would’ve been even better if she’d cried!
What a shame!
The directors didn’t get to see her tears!
Cecilia Gu didn’t feel much about it—she just thought the whole experience was fresh and amusing, so she went along with it.
After all the actors finished auditioning, Cecilia Gu finally started to feel a bit tired.
Rona Muir said to Cecilia Gu, "Alright, that's enough for today. Let's go find something to eat. Director, why don't you join us? My treat!"
The director was a woman around fifty. She waved her hand and said, "I'll pass today. Let's get together some other time."
Rona Muir didn’t insist. She grabbed Cecilia Gu and left.
Once outside, Cecilia Gu finally asked, "You made things so tough for Sylvia Ran. Aren't you afraid she'll complain?"
Rona Muir grinned slyly, "I hope she complains as soon as possible! The harsher, the better."
"Why's that?" Cecilia Gu asked, full of curiosity.
"You'll see soon enough," Rona Muir chuckled, pulling Cecilia Gu into the car. "Come on, it's the perfect time for lunch. I barely ate breakfast, I'm starving!"
Sure enough, Sylvia Ran didn't disappoint Rona Muir. As soon as the audition ended, she called Joe Qi.
Joe Qi was playing billiards. When he saw Sylvia Ran's number, a flash of impatience crossed his eyes, but he still answered.
"Joe Qi, where are you? Can you come out for a bit?" Sylvia Ran cooed into the phone. "Or I could come find you!"
Joe Qi glanced over at Charles Yin playing indoor golf and Sean Kerr clutching his cue stick with a hopeless look. He silently mouthed three words: Sylvia Ran.
Charles Yin raised his long, narrow eyes and gave a whatever expression.
Sean Kerr couldn't care less about Sylvia Ran. He was heartbroken!
Joe Qi quickly reported his location.
After hanging up, Sylvia Ran hurried to touch up her makeup, making sure she looked as pitiful and bullied as possible!
Charles Yin elegantly made a shot, his tone cold: "If you want to meet her, do it yourself. Don't bring her over to disgust us."
Joe Qi shrugged, "I was hoping to drag you guys along to watch the drama... Aren't you curious how Cici and Rona bullied her?"
At the mention of Rona Muir, heartbroken Sean Kerr finally perked up a little.
Before Sean could say anything, Charles Yin replied coldly, "Not interested."
Joe Qi chuckled, "Alright, I'll go meet her myself and see what kind of story she comes up with!"
Before Joe Qi could go see Sylvia Ran, she called Dieyi Chen first. As soon as the call connected, Sylvia's eyes filled with tears, "Dieyi, I'm sorry, I've let you down."
Dieyi Chen heard Sylvia Ran crying again and immediately comforted her, "What's wrong? Why are you crying again? Didn't I ask Joe Qi to look after you?"
Sylvia Ran sobbed, "Yeah, I thought Joe Qi would go easy on me for your sake. But... you know what? When I went to audition today, it wasn't Joe Qi who tested me, it was Cecilia Gu and Rona Muir! They took over Joe Qi's producer role and humiliated me, made things so difficult! Dieyi, do you think Joe Qi's been bewitched by those two? How could he let them handle the auditions? They're not even from the entertainment industry, what are they doing as producers!"
Dieyi Chen's heart skipped a beat, but she still said, "No way! Don't say that! Isn't Cecilia Gu already several months pregnant? She's about to give birth, how could she and Joe Qi..."
"Even without Cecilia Gu, there's still Rona Muir! You've seen her—always looking seductive, with those foxy eyes! Why else would Sean Kerr be so obsessed with her, ignoring me completely?" Sylvia Ran ranted, smearing Rona Muir's reputation over the phone. "I've always thought she's trouble. She used Sean Kerr to get a VP position, and now she's trying to hook up with other men! Dieyi, you have to watch out for her! That woman is dangerous—she's got serious skills when it comes to seducing men!"
Dieyi Chen panicked a little and said over the phone, "So Sylvia, we're good friends—you have to help me keep Joe Qi in check! You're the only one I can trust right now!"
After finishing her complaints, Sylvia Ran immediately put on a sincere face, "Of course! Your problem is my problem! Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on your man! Okay, I have to go see who Joe Qi is with right now!"
Dieyi Chen finally felt a little relieved after hearing Sylvia Ran's words.
What Dieyi Chen didn't know was that as soon as Sylvia Ran hung up, her tears vanished and a smug smile appeared on her lips.
With Dieyi Chen on her side, she wasn't worried Joe Qi wouldn't see her!
Sure enough, after a short while, Joe Qi came out the front door. When Sylvia Ran saw him, she immediately honked her horn.