Chapter 7 The Audition

Wendy seldom went out of her room in the next three days.

Except for meals and sleep, she spent the rest of her time reading and

immersing herself in The Story of Concubine Ivanka.

The pages of the script, which had been new and crisp when she had

received it, were now dog-eared with abuse.

The narrative of Concubine Ivanka started at the lowest places inside

the palace.

Within the span of 10 years, she managed to rise above her station

and got to the top, outranking even the queen herself.

She then became the dowager empress after the emperor's death,

having supported her son's claim to the throne.

She had grown from a young and innocent girl to the most powerful

woman of her time.

The most exciting part of the story circled around the multitude of

women in the imperial palace who fought against each other both

openly and in secret.

The twists and turns set the readers on edge in anticipation of what

would happen next.

Needless to say, Lady Ivanka was the leading role.

Next came the role of the queen, but aside from being the second

heroine, she was also going to be the most significant villain in the

entire play.

And then there was Lady Faye-the role that had been assigned to

Wendy for the audition.

Despite not appearing until the middle of the plot, Lady Faye's

character played a key role.

It could even be said that she was the third heroine of the story.

It had taken her three whole days, but Wendy finally understood her

character and memorized all her lines.

Soon it was the day of the audition.

It was set for ten o'clock in the morning at Studio City.

It was a relatively remote area, and was a considerable distance from

where Wendy resided.

And so, she especially started her day earlier than usual.

Her chosen outfit was a simple white T-shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair

of white canvas shoes.

She tied her curly hair up into a high ponytail. With her beautiful face

bare of any makeup, she looked like an ordinary college student.

"Baby, does Mommy look good?"she asked with expectation as she

swung her ponytail from side to side.

"Yes, you look gorgeous!"

the boy exclaimed, only for his words to be followed by a frown.

"But Mommy, didn't you say that the role you're going to play is similar

to a tramp? ! Shouldn't she dress up more provocatively to match the

character profile? Wendy was at a loss for words.

A tramp! Did Raymond learn this word from her? She ran a hand over

her temple consciously and hurriedly changed the subject.

"Well, you wouldn't understand how it works.I will gain more attention

if I deviate from the judges' initial preconceptions."

The little boy cocked his head to the side, confusion evident on his

face.

Wendy proceeded to prepare a simple breakfast.

They had just finished eating when Roger arrived to pick her up.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning!"

He walked into the living room with a smile and picked up Raymond.

"Have you gotten used to the life here?"

He had noticed that mother and son were in good spirits recently.

The little boy answered seriously, "I will be fine anywhere as long as

Mommy is with me.""

"That's good then."

Roger turned to look at Wendy and nodded.

"It looks like you're ready for the audition."

"Of course! I'm sure I'll get the role of Lady Faye!"

She had not minded much before, but after learning that Eris was

going to be the main heroine of the play, Wendy had become

determined to bag this role.

Lady Ivanka and Lady Faye had a lot of scenes together, and she

intended to show the audience exactly who was the better actress

between her and Eris.

Wendy was going to make this show a living nightmare for her

stepsister! Roger glanced at his watch.

"It's getting late.We should probably get a move on."

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

Studio City was the biggest of its kind in the country.

Numerous classic movies had been shot in within its site.

That being the case, famous stars were often spotted in the area, and

fans naturally flocked there as well.

Over time, Studio City had become something of a tourist destination,

with a lot of people coming and going at all times of the day.

It was a very busy place.

On this particular day, people crowded at the gates as well, and Roger

wasn't able to drive past them.

He ended up parking in front of the nearest KFC.

"Here we are!"

"Okay!"

Roger handed Wendy a pass card.

"Take this with you.Show it to the staff and they will let you in.The

number indicated your place in queue for the audition.A lot of big

shots have invested on The Story of Concubine Ivanka, and they have

a lot of expectations for this project.The biggest sponsors are the

Glory Media under Oliver Group and the Starlight Media, under which

Eris is signed.The presidents of these two companies will be present

at the audition.You need to seize this opportunity, Wendy.More

importantly, the show's director, Carter holds the right to choose all of

the actors and actresses.The most important thing is that you

convince him that you are qualified for the job.Do you understand?"

Of course she understood.

She was an actress who didn't have any company's backing, which

meant that she had no network and resources in the industry.

This was indeed a perfect opportunity to establish connections.

If she performed well and impressed the heads of two entertainment

giants, she just might land a contract with either company.

"Won't you be going in with me?"

Roger didn't answer, and his eyes took on a faraway look.

"Roger?"

He came to his senses almost instantly, and his usual warm

demeanor returned.

"No, I will stay here.Ray and I will be waiting for you and your good

news."

"Okay!"

Wendy entered Studio City and headed to the audition room for the

Story of Concubine Ivanka.

Just as Roger had said, she wasn't blocked by the staff after flashing

her card.

"You're here for an audition?"the employee asked as he inspected the

card.

He then raised his head to look at Wendy, and his eyes widened at

her beauty.

His tone softened.

"Right this way then."

"Yes, thank you."

Wendy followed him to an area somewhat similar to the back of a

stage.

It was already crowded with young girls, each one beautiful and

graceful with their movements.

Their nervousness was obvious, however, as they waited for their

names to be called.

The moment she stepped into the vicinity, Wendy was immediately

met with unfriendly gazes of the other aspiring actresses.

The employee tried to explain the situation to her in a low voice.

"Almost all of the female roles in the play have already been

decided.Only Lady Faye's role is vacant, and everyone here is

auditioning for that single role."

Ah, so they were all competing for the same thing.Of course they

would be hostile to each other.

"Thank you for your information,"

Wendy said, meeting the staff's eyes as she smiled.

Being a young man in his twenties, his face and ears promptly turned

red.

He scratched the back of his head and stammered.

"Uhm...Well...You're welcome! I, uh, I believe in you.You will definitely

succeed! So I...I still have work to do.I'm leaving now!"

Wendy had to chuckle at his reaction.She looked at the card in her

hand.It said number thirty.

Really? Thirty? That was definitely toward the end of the audition.

Everyone in the industry knew how this kind of audition worked.

The more participants there were, the more interesting the

performances would be.

After all, they needed to stand out among the rest and make sure the

judges would remember them.

In most cases, the first ones to audition are easily forgotten since the

performances are amped up as they move down the line.

Roger had truly done her good.

Not only had he secured her a chance to audition, he had also made

arrangements that would prove advantageous to her.

"The audition begins!"

The announcement seemed to make the girls even more nervous, but

Wendy remained calm.

She sat and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as she waited

leisurely for her turn.

The number of girls in the room dwindled one by one, and after a long

while

"Number thirty! It's your turn!"

Wendy opened her eyes and raised a hand.

"That's me!"

Meanwhile, in an office located within the recesses of Studio City, a

huge monitor was displaying the whole affair from the point of view of

the judges.

In that moment, it showed as Wendy emerged from a side door and

walked to the center of the room.

A little girl with messy hair, who had been dozing off mere seconds

ago, jumped at the sight.

She sat up straight and grabbed Ryan's hand.

"Ah! She's here! The beautiful auntie has come!"