Chapter 83: The Virtuous Lady

Lian Yuyou said, “Director, I want to audition for the scene where Sun Xiaomei, after being taken deep into the mountains, tries to escape for the first time, fails, is caught by the villagers, and is told she’ll be married off the next day.”

The three seated exchanged glances, each with a trace of disbelief.

Normally, actors coming to audition choose the scene where Sun Xiaomei is captured, or the moment she finally escapes—their conflict is vivid and easily grabs attention. Yet Lian Yuyou picked a segment notoriously hard to perform. In this scene, Sun Xiaomei sits motionless in the corner of a woodshed, like a puppet, without a single line. Her inner turmoil is conveyed later in the film by narration.

But this was an audition, not a finished film, and certainly not a broadcast; there was no narration to supplement her performance.

To put it bluntly, the entire scene hinges almost entirely on the expression in her eyes.

Xiang Gaoxian half-jested, half-seriously, “Young lady, are you choosing this scene because you’re too lazy to memorize lines? Let me tell you, the scenes without dialogue are the hardest to perform—they’re the ultimate test of skill.”

As the saying goes, don’t take on porcelain work without diamond tools. Only actors with real talent dare to challenge such a role. But this girl seemed so youthful—how much skill could she possibly possess?

“I know!” Lian Yuyou replied without hesitation. “Director, may I start now?”

“You may begin anytime,” Xiang Gaoxian replied.

Lian Yuyou first surveyed the props before her: a rustic blue cotton jacket, a telephone, an axe, a candle, a red bridal veil, and various other items.

She slipped on the cotton jacket, buttoning every fastener meticulously, giving her a bulky, more provincial appearance.

Something still seemed missing…

She tousled her hair with her hands as she walked to the windowsill, grabbed a fistful of sun-dried dirt from a flowerpot, crumbled it in her palm, and smeared it across her hair and face.

This gesture brought the first smile of the day to Xiang Gaoxian’s stern face.

“Interesting,” he remarked.

Lian Yuyou, emotions prepared, sat in the corner, leaning against the wall, hands held behind her back to mimic being tied.

She lowered her head, then slowly raised it, her gaze unfocused, staring at nothing in particular.

After a long moment, she tugged at the corner of her mouth, chest heaving with silent, helpless laughter.

She laughed without sound, a laughter so oppressive and moving it stirred the soul.

Her bitter smile was followed by tears streaming down her cheeks.

A performance without lines, yet far superior to one with them. Just a look, a subtle expression, revealed years of accumulated skill.

“Enough, you don’t need to continue!” Xiang Gaoxian called out.

Lian Yuyou still lingered in the role, needing a moment to calm her emotions.

“Director, was my performance inadequate?” Stopped so abruptly, Lian Yuyou doubted her own ability. “Please, give me another chance, I can—”

“Excellent! Flawless!” Xiang Gaoxian’s praise was concise and direct.

Just those six words made both the assistant director and the screenwriter widen their eyes in astonishment.

After all these years, it was the first time they’d heard Xiang praise a newcomer.

From the look in his eyes, both could see that Lian Yuyou had truly won Xiang’s favor.

A new Xiang leading lady was about to be born.

“There’s gossip outside that you got a contract with Xin Cheng because of a flirtatious relationship with Richard. Now I understand—you really have talent,” Xiang Gaoxian said, overwhelmed by emotion. “It’s fate, really. When I was still a novice director, I always dreamed of working with your mother, Lian Meng. I even wrote two scripts for her. But your mother was so popular then, I never even saw her face—was thrown out by her staff each time.”

Back then, he’d sworn to himself he would become a world-class director, so that the unreachable movie queen would one day seek him out to star as his leading lady.

“Your mother’s early death was a great loss to China’s entertainment industry, and my dream of working with her never came true,” Xiang Gaoxian said wistfully. “Your looks and talent both remind me of her. Working with you fulfills a long-held wish of mine.”

With Sun Xiaomei’s role finally cast, the assistant director and screenwriter felt a heavy weight lifted.

After all, she was the last person to audition for the female lead today.

If even she failed, they would have to personally scout for Xiang’s leading lady—and endure countless scoldings in the process.

Xiang Gaoxian said, “Go home and prepare, be ready to report in any time. Read the script more these days, and if you can, go to the countryside and learn farm work—it’ll be useful during filming. Even as the female lead, if you slow down production, I’ll still scold you.”

This was no empty threat. Every time Xiang Gaoxian directed a film, there were always stories online about actresses and even actors being driven to tears by his tirades.

Lian Yuyou replied with a smile, “Yes, Director Xiang!”

After a few more words of advice, she bowed to the three once more and turned to leave.

Landing the female lead in Xiang Gaoxian’s film marked a major step forward in her acting career.

Before the filming of “Homesick,” she still had two magazine cover shoots and three commercial endorsements to fulfill. Though still a newcomer and not commanding high fees, it was a considerable income for her at this stage.

What puzzled her now was the casting of the male lead—rumor had it the role was still undecided.

The film’s main focus was on the female protagonist; the male lead, though so named, was actually a villain with fewer scenes.

She wondered what kind of partner she’d be acting alongside...

Oh well, no need to dwell on it. Those decisions were up to the director.

Lian Yuyou, in high spirits, planned to buy gifts for her parents and go out for a candlelit dinner with Lu Ming.

With that in mind, she pulled out her phone to call her parents and ask if they needed anything.

She hadn’t even unlocked it when the ringtone sounded. Coincidentally, it was her mother, Shi Xuezhen, calling.

Lian Yuyou answered, “Hello, Grandma—”

“Yuyou! Come home quickly, something terrible happened!” Shi Xuezhen interrupted before Yuyou could finish, “Where are you? Hurry back!”

Could it be Dad...

“Grandma, don’t worry, I’m coming right away!” Afraid to waste time, Lian Yuyou hung up and floored the gas, speeding home.

Her parents were both elderly, living alone in the village, refusing to move with her to the city. If anything happened, not even a taxi could be found in the village...

As she drove, her palms grew slick with cold sweat.

Please, let nothing be wrong!

The car stopped outside her house. She didn’t even bother to lock it, flung open the door, and dashed inside.

“Grandma! Grandpa… eh?”

Her father, Lian Changsheng, and mother, Shi Xuezhen, were both sitting safely inside.

Along with them were Lian Kewei’s wife, Meng Jiao, and their son, Lian Haohao.

Seeing her parents healthy, she relaxed—at least it wasn’t a health issue. Anything else was minor by comparison.

Lian Yuyou let out a long breath.

“Yuyou, thank goodness you’re here,” Shi Xuezhen said, trembling as she gripped Yuyou’s hand. “Please help your uncle! He’s in big trouble!”

“Grandma, calm down. Tell me what happened, and I’ll definitely help Uncle!” Lian Yuyou was afraid her grandmother would get too anxious and fall ill. “I promise to help him!”

Lian Changsheng didn’t seem particularly worried, instead looking disgruntled as he shot Meng Jiao a glare. “You tell her—what mess has your husband gotten into now?”

In the past, when he said “your husband,” Meng Jiao would retort, “He’s your son too!” But today, she was much more subdued.

Meng Jiao forced a smile at Lian Yuyou. “Yuyou, actually it’s not that bad. It’s just that your uncle owes some money lately, could you maybe…”

Lian Yuyou didn’t want to hear her rambling. “How much?”

Meng Jiao’s smile grew stiff; she pressed her lips together, hesitated for a long time, and finally shyly held up two fingers.

“Two hundred thousand?”

“No…”

“Two million?”

“Not that either…”

“Auntie, don’t scare me… surely not…”

“Mm… twenty million.”

“!”

That Lian Kewei…

Since childhood, he’d been spoiled by his parents, developing all sorts of bad habits. She’d warned them, but they never listened, saying boys were mischievous when young but would mature.

Shi Xuezhen said helplessly, “Yuyou, your grandparents tried to borrow money, but could only raise about one hundred thousand. Twenty million is too much for us—selling the house wouldn’t even cover a fraction. Now that you’re acting, you know more people—see if you can help us find someone to lend some money, to help your uncle out?”

Lian Yuyou said, “Auntie, I’ll try to find a way to patch up Uncle’s hole, but you have to tell me how he got so deep in debt?”

“Oh, Yuyou, I’m telling you, it’s all your dad’s fault!” Meng Jiao said angrily, “Your uncle and I were tricked into going to Macau by him—he said it was a trip. Who knew your uncle would be lured into the casino!”

Lian Changsheng snapped, “Just look at you two! You’re adults now, don’t you have any sense? That kid Fan Chi invites you, and you just follow? Serves you right! Yuyou, listen to Grandpa—you don’t need to get involved in this mess!”