A Star Reborn: The Queen’s Return

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

It was too baseless.

After all, even the best trainees were only trainees and had many inherent disadvantages compared to official actors.

That’s why Zhu Zhu dared to say these words so recklessly.

Xia Yingluo was agitated by her words. She had not intended to compete for this role, but after being agitated by them, she was starting to feel competitive. This was a gangster movie, and she could be said to have grown in the black world. Was it not easy to play a female killer? She even had a few female killer sisters. She could just pick out a few points from them and become fully equipped. Her competitive spirit was struck, and Xia Yingluo smiled. “Then I’ll get the role and let you guys see, so you can know just how far apart we are.”

Jiang Bilian also laughed disdainfully. “Get the role? What a boast, you’re putting down so many seniors?”

Sure enough, a few actors looked at Xia Yingluo criticizingly. This little girl clearly did not put them in her eyes! Even if she was Imperial’s future star, that was still in the future. She shouldn’t be too arrogant now!

Xia Yingluo didn’t care. She said, “A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is not a good soldier. Everyone is here for the role, so don’t pretend to be above others. If you don’t feel like you have the chance then just back off. Why bother taking part in the audition and not fighting for the role?”

Her words did make sense.

Yu Fei beside her was speechless. Hey, little girl, who said she was here for experience only?

A group of people waited for the audition in a tense atmosphere.

One after another, actors went in and out.

Some people stayed in the audition room for a long time, some very short. They all looked different when they came out, some were calm while some dispirited. There were even some trying to conceal their excitement but failing to…

About seven or eight people were called before Xia Yingluo.

Xia Yingluo walked in and saw a very empty room. Three people were sitting on the long table in the middle, two men and one woman. They were probably in charge of the casting. She quickly glanced at their nameplates. One of the middle-aged men was actor associate director Jiang Jianwen, the 30-year-old woman was the production representative Zhou Lingli, and the young man was the screenwriter Liu Kai.

Seeing her come in, one of the actor’s deputy director Jiang Jianwen showed a satisfied look. The girl was very beautiful, and her beauty was the impressive kind. If she could act well, the character would be very attractive.

Zhou Lingli and Liu Kai were not very satisfied. She was too simply-dressed. What could this trainee that couldn’t even style herself well do? She might not even be able to touch the threshold of the entertainment circle.

“Why are you dressed so casually?” Production representative Zhou Lingli took the lead to ask.

An ordinary audition actor would be a little nervous when the cast was not satisfied, but Xia Yingluo smiled and thought with the blink of an eye. “I’m here to play a killer, not a vase. In my understanding, this role doesn’t need to rely on flashy clothes to attract attention. It needs aura and acting skills, so I thought it was more appropriate to dress like this.”

Deputy director Jiang Jianwen nodded secretly.

Screenwriter Liu Kai continued to make things difficult. “Just now, several candidates also had the same understanding as you, but they still knew how to dress themselves up well to look pretty and neat. But you? With your dress, what’s the difference between you and an aunt buying food in the market?”

Xia Yingluo really wanted to vomit. Big brother, you still want to make a movie about female killers with your level? Could you stray more from that path?

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she patiently asked Liu Kai, “A pretty girl and an aunt in the grocery market are standing in front of you. Who would you be more wary of?”

Several people realized what she meant.

Jiang Jianwen said first, “Yes, of course, I will be more wary of the pretty girl, and the killer would strike when the target is unprepared, so it’s better the more inconspicuous she is. Little girl, you’re very good at analyzing your role.”

Xia Yingluo smiled. Why would she need to analyze it?

Her family’s killers had told her during teatime when she was still in the family.

They signaled for her to improvise the form of a killer. The so-called improvisation was when there was no script and no position. There was nothing, and the actor would have to come up with something on the spot.

Xia Yingluo closed her eyes slightly, and when she opened it again, she was already immersed in the character.

At this time, she didn’t seem to be any different from the people who had already auditioned in the room. She was so ordinary, just like any schoolgirl passing by on the street every Monday morning. However, just when everyone was unprepared, she quickly shot like lightning as if the target was hidden in the passing air—

She pulled the knife and struck once. Neat and tidy.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and everyone held their breath.

Although she didn’t hold anything in her hands, everyone in the room at that moment felt the suffocation of the sharp blade across their necks. They seemed to see a ghost in the morning mist fusing together with the bustling crowd. After that split second of killing, everything was calm again, and there were no traces left.

The ordinary-dressed girl put her hand in her trouser pocket and slowly backtracked.

In the room, the shock lingered on the directors. It wasn’t until Xia Yingluo said “I’m done” that they exhaled, recovering from that choking feeling and returning to their senses.

It was… wonderful!

Her performance was like an ancient mime. It could make people immersive without using any props and lines. They forgot she was an actor. At that moment, everyone regarded her as a real killer. “If we didn’t know who you are…” the producer Zhou Lingli looked at her and sighed in amazement. “I would almost think you were a real killer.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Xia Yingluo smiled.

In fact, although her acting skill was good, she was still not that incredible, and she could perform so amazingly thanks to the knowledge she had acquired from her family—how many in this world could mix together with the world’s best assassination experts and listen to their bragging and stories every day? She was the daughter of the Phoenix, and she was so lucky to have met such a suitable role the moment she came out for a casual audition.

The producer and director and screenwriter looked at each other.

The director cleared his throat and made a speech. “Come to me tomorrow to get the script and start shooting in four days. Is there any problem?”

She smiled again, thanked the director again, and left the audition room.

Her audition didn’t last long, and only five or six minutes had passed. The actors waiting outside looked up and tried to find clues about success or failure from her face.

Zhu Zhu ridiculed her. “Failed? You still thought you could get the role like this?”