Chapter 420: Came Prepared！
Translator: Yunyi Editor: Yunyi
That night, after Mo Ting arrived home, Tangning dragged him into the gym and forced him to help her rehearse for 4 hours.
But, in the middle of the night as Tangning slept, Mo Ting noticed her body was covered in bruises even though she tried her hardest to hide it.
So, the almighty President didn't mind getting out of bed in the middle of the night to look for some ointment for his wife.
For the sake of those roughly 2 hours on the screen, actors sure sacrificed themselves... After helping her apply ointment to her bruises, Mo Ting's heart ached. But, he also realized that this was the true Tangning; a woman made from flesh and bones; a woman that did all she could to achieve her goals.
The next morning. Tangning received a phone call from Long Jie.
"It's weird, everyone else was notified to show up at 2pm. Why did they tell you 3? Could the audition for female lead be at a different time?"
As soon as Tangning received this information, a cold look appeared in her eyes. She then replied, "Thanks, I know what to do."
"Tangning, could it be that someone is scheming behind-the-scenes?"
"I'm not sure, but I definitely need to be cautious of it," Tangning replied gently. "Don't worry, I can handle small matters like this."
"I'm not worried about you. I'm more worried about the people that want to go against you." After speaking, Long Jie hung up the phone. These days, she was no longer a manager. Instead, she spent her time as an assistant for Fang Yu. Soon she would be assessed on her progress, but in reality, she was more focused on preparing for a child.
Tangning hung up her phone and then called Song Yanshu, "I'm going to get ready. Come pick me up for the auditions now."
"So early?" Song Yanshu questioned.
"Yes," Tangning nodded, "There has been a change..."
In order to quickly adapt to whatever was thrown her way, Tangning decided to stay within the immediate vicinity of the auditions...
...
1:30pm. Those that were notified of the audition slowly made their way into the venue. Amongst them was Gu Heng. She seemed confident that the role would be hers.
Domestically, she was one of only a few actresses with a martial arts background. In fact, her every punch was smooth and full of power. So, most action films would take her into consideration first because of her experience.
Tangning was also amongst these hundred-or-so people. She was wearing a plain t-shirt and black cap, sitting in a chair normally, reading through her script with her legs tucked beneath her chair. As a result, everyone overlooked that this low profile woman sitting quietly to one side was actually Tangning, the woman that attracted attention wherever she went.
The auditions were held in Beijing's Academy of Performing Arts; this was Wei An's alma mater. The hundred-or-so people were currently inside one of the spacious classrooms as they waited to be called in for their audition.
Because of time constraints, as soon as one heard their name, they would enter the audition room as quickly as possible. Amongst these candidates, many exited as quickly as they entered, but many also made it to the 10 minute mark.
"Hey, I thought Tangning would be here at the auditions too, how come I still don't see her?" someone started to gossip to relieve the tension in the room.
Actually, most of the people in the room came from strong backgrounds or had a lot of experience. After all, a famous director's film couldn't be auditioned by just anyone.
"She still has not appeared..." Wei An's assistant also notified Wei An at this time.
Wei An nodded his head, "Make sure to keep this matter a secret. When it's Tangning's turn, call her name as usual."
"Understood."
Elder Mo was also sitting in the audition room at this time. However, he was watching from a hidden spot.
"Just because she was told it's 3pm, did she accept it without question? Doesn't she know how to use her brain?" Elder Mo was a little disappointed that Tangning had not yet shown up.
It was obvious Wei An wanted to eliminate Tangning, but was cautious of Hai Rui. So, Elder Mo gave him the perfect excuse...
A little while later, Gu Heng entered into the audition room with her assistant. Rumors claimed that all the judges nodded their heads in satisfaction and almost gave the role to her, right on the spot. Even though they didn't say it, it was obvious they had already made their decision. But, they still insisted on watching all the auditions til' the end.
"Director Wei, it's Tangning's turn."
"Go call her..." Wei An instructed with his head down, it didn't matter anyway since she hadn't come. He had done what the old man requested.
However, as the assistant walked out and called the name of the person they thought had not come, a woman wearing a hat unexpectedly stood up. Simply seeing her height, there was no doubt who she was.
Most surprising of all, no one had noticed she was there all along...
Including Wei An's assistant.
Seeing Tangning appear in front of him, he was stunned. How was he to explain this situation to the director? Above all, didn't he tell her to come at 3pm? Why was she here on time?
Trying hard to contain his awkwardness, the assistant brought Tangning into the audition room. At this moment, Wei An was still looking down at Tangning's portfolio. As he lifted his head and spotted Tangning, he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows...
"Hello judges, I am Tangning," Tangning removed her cap, revealing a head of short black hair...
Short hair!
That's right, she was wearing a wig. This was because the female fighter in the film had a tough appearance. Most surprising of all, Tangning also wore a pair of torn jeans, white shoes and a baseball jersey.
"This..." Amongst the 4 judges, apart from Wei An, the other 3 looked at her in surprise.
With her clothes and appearance, Tangning had practically transformed into the female lead. They realized, the rumor about Tangning being good at understanding films was true.
Meanwhile, sitting in the corner, Elder Mo almost jumped out of his chair and cheered. This young lady was sure interesting.
He found it extra interesting because he was sure he spotted a trace of disappointment in Wei An's eyes...
But, deep down, Wei An had already made the assumption that Tangning could only act in talking roles. So, even though she was on time, he did not think she would pass the auditions anyway. And even if she did pass the auditions, he would definitely find another excuse to eliminate her and choose Gu Heng instead. At least he was pleased with Gu Heng in all aspects.
"You can start..."
"I have one request," Tanging said as she looked at the panel of judges, "I would like to ask Director Wei to act out this scene with me. Is that possible?"
Everyone was stunned speechless. They never expected Tangning to be so brave. Out of everyone she could have chosen, she actually asked for Wei An!?
Wei An also looked intrigued. He leaned against his chair and placed his pen on the desk, "Sure, what would you like me to do?"
Tangning came prepared as she handed him a fake gun, "Within 'The Lost Relative', there is a scene where the female and male lead are both stuck inside a cave. In that scene..."
In that scene, the male lead held some people hostage whilst being stuck in a cave with the female lead. As per the script, the male lead had one foot on the back of one hostage, while pointing his gun at another's head. Meanwhile, the female lead confronted him while sitting on a nearby rock.
It was a talking scene...
But, the little bit of action towards the end was the highlight of the scene. The female lead was to pounce over and try to snatch the gun from the male lead...
Wei An never expected Tangning to choose this scene.
But, it didn't matter, because he also did not expect her to act it out well...