Chapter 553 - Driven to tears

What was Xu Tang doing here?

Now it all made sense. No wonder he knew that she was going to audition for this role before she told him about it. Turned out he was one of the judges. And the most important point was that he was probably the most important judge, considering his seat's position.

"Do you have any shame? Is this what you do for all your movies? I'm ashamed to be part of this." He stood up to leave. He would not be part of the people who were going to use his best friend. Neither was he going to allow her to be used.

Although he loved this movie for its theme, Lu Meili could find another one with an honest crew.

"CEO Xu, please don't be agitated. What I said just now was a joke. I can't possibly do that to Lu Meili. Wouldn't I be scared that HL Entertainment will hunt me down and kill me?"

Seeing that the director had realized that it was wrong, paired with the fact that Lu Meili really loved this movie, he sat back down. "We are all ready, right? The live broadcast may begin."

That was right. This audition was going to be broadcasted live.

Not only was the nation's little beauty going to audition, the CEO of Xu Corporation, Xu Tang, was the most important judge. How could the organizers not broadcast this live? It would be such a waste of fame.

In the backstage, the live broadcast had already begun an hour ago. They only put it on air when Xu Tang said the word.

…

At the same time, in the backstage.

After the live broadcast begun, the actresses were allowed to pick their positions.

It was random and to ensure there was no cheating, they were also put on air as they picked the pieces of paper containing numbers.

Lu Meili looked at hers. She was in last place.

She heaved a sigh. Luckily, she was no longer a rookie. With a screen broadcasting everything going on on stage, she would become nervous if she saw others' performance. She had been in this field for long enough to know better than to watch it. She whispered instructions to her manager and sat in a corner by herself, earplugs in her ears while reading a novel she had carried in case she got bored.

Though it was such a pity. She really wanted to watch Xu Tang. However, that wasn't a smart move either. It wouldn't be too nice if someone noticed the infatuation in her eyes while looking at that man.

In a few minutes, the first actress was called in.

…

For the next one hour.

"No."

"Barely passable."

"Zero emotion."

"You are not just acting. You are dancing as well."

"Only slightly good."

"Do you even know what you are doing? Please explain what that is."

Several actresses were driven to tears by Xu Tang.

In the washroom, a little actress cried her eyes out. "That Xu Tang is handsome but his mouth is anything but."

"Right. How can he tell me to go back to film school if I can't act?"

"You are quite lucky that he only said that. I heard him say to someone just now, that the movie's name is 'Dancer of the year; not temptress of the year'."

"Forget it. We can still audition for other roles. I just hope Xu Tang will not be a judge."

"Except, I think he should. Although he is blunt with his remarks, he is much better than the other judges. High expectations mean this movie will be of perfect quality."

…

Amid their tears, they went ahead to watch other performances. Some of these actresses were newbies, so they didn't take failure to heart.

The seventeenth actress was also a newbie.

Xu Tang glanced at her for some time. "You are a good dancer but I cannot say the same about the acting. Why don't you debut as a dancer instead?"

This was Xu Tang's best remark for today. Although it was half good and half bad, everyone was shocked. Xu Tang actually praised someone?

The young woman couldn't be happier. "Thank you CEO Xu."

Xu Tang furrowed his eyebrows. Why was she thanking him?

He would never expect that this young woman had been rejected in all dancing schools for lack of style. It was the first time anyone had acknowledged her. She felt as though her dreams had come true.

"Next, Annie Lan."

Xu Tang heard that name and wanted to sneer. Forget about dancing skills. Although she was an actress, even he had to admit that her acting wasn't anything remarkable. Or perhaps he was close to perfect actresses (Lu Meili and Lin Lihua) so his standard was too high.

As soon as the girl started acting out her part, Xu Tang frowned a little. Why was this…?

...

In the backstage, Lu Meili's manager tapped the shoulder of the oblivious girl. "Meili, look!"

Lu Meili looked at the screen and ripped off her ear plugs in the next moment. Why were Annie Lan's moves similar to hers? Even the routine was identical.

The worst was yet to come.

At the climax of her performance, Annie Lan ripped off the overcoat she was wearing, revealing a pale purple dress identical to Lu Meili's.

"What?!"

Lu Meili exchanged a look with her manager. What was going on?

The manager was focused on something else. "Meili, she is about to finish. You are next and… what will we do?"

Lu Meili swallowed hard. No wonder she had a bad feeling about being last. No wonder the order was not revealed beforehand. It was because she was going on stage right after Annie Lan.

She clenched her fists. "It's just a role. How many movies have I starred in?"

Her manager sighed. "That's true. However, it's a sure win for that actress. If you go on stage, you will be called out for copying her. If you don't, she will gain popularity for defeating you."