Rebirth: Once Again With You

Li Caiyi entered the audition hall and found the other judges had gathered in the room. There was Director Shen, Ma Heng, and one middle-aged woman she didn't recognize. She thought she had come early, but it seemed she spoke too soon.

"Good morning, everyone." Li Caiyi greeted.

"Miss Li, you came early today." Ma Heng was the first one to greet her.

"I still came later than everyone. But isn't the audition suppose to start in another hour?"

"Yeah, about that. There is a last-minute adjustment. I guess you haven't been informed yet. We are worried you will miss it."

Li Caiyi had to suppress the urge to give Director Shen a side glance. It couldn't be that he was that petty; he even deliberately did this, right? He was the one who told her to, so he'd better not be the one behind this.

"Oh my, yes, I haven't been informed yet. But why did the schedule suddenly change? What if the auditionee is confused?"

"About that, there is no need to worry because the PR team had contacted them beforehand. So no confusion should happen. As for the reason, I heard a big-time investor will attend the audition as a judge too."

"What? So suddenly?"

"Yes. That's why we are all surprised. I heard it was a last-minute change. But the said investor hasn't arrived yet."

Li Caiyi knew a little about the deep business talk, so she didn't pay too much attention to it and only nodded. The judges each took a seat, and she deliberately took the farthest seat from Director Shen just for peace of mind.

Soon, the staff called the first group to come in. Li Caiyi straightened her back and began to work.

Two hours passed, and Li Caiyi was told there were still many people left. She groaned inwardly. She didn't think this job would be this hard.

There were a lot of talented and experienced actors, but none of them were able to bring out her character to life. It seemed Director Shen was also in the same opinion as her because his frown deepened as time passed.

Li Caiyi sighed and surreptitiously glanced at the empty seat beside her. But where was that investor who said they were coming? It had long past the appointed time, and it kind of defeated the purpose of advancing the audition.

She was confused but decided not to think much about it. It was none of her business. As long as she could finish her job well, she didn't care which bigshot would come.

After a small break, the staff announced that the investor was finally here, and everyone's face became more serious. Even Director Shen smoothed down his hair to make it more presentable.

Li Caiyi was wondering what kind of person when the said person entered the room. Her smile slowly faded, and her eyes widened in shock. "Y-You!"

Entering leisurely in his suit was Dai Zhiqiang, whose stoic face revealed no guilt whatsoever.

He quickly swept his glance over Li Caiyi before approaching her. Without waiting for anyone to ask him, he sat on the remaining chair beside her with an impassive look on his face.

"Sorry for arriving late. There is an urgent matter I need to take care of." He said without sounding very apologetic at all. Li Caiyi was baffled by his sudden appearance, but how he acted like he owned the place was also surprising.

Was he really that prominent investor that could make even Director Shen feel self-conscious? Since when did he become so powerful? And in the first place, what was he doing here out of all places?!

"Miss Li. You can sit down now."

"Oh."

Li Caiyi was startled when Ma Heng, who sat on her other side, urged her to sit down. The other had already seated, but she only stood there blankly. She quickly followed suit before shooting Dai Zhiqiang a questioning look.

The latter smiled faintly at her, but it made her feel more unsettled than before.

They didn't have time to talk because the staff had already announced the next group to enter.

This time, the girl who talked rudely to her was included in the group that just came in. She entered with a lot of confidence, but once she noticed Li Caiyi sitting among the judges, her face turned pale.

Li Caiyi had expected that reaction. That's why you should still keep your manners even when talking to a stranger. You wouldn't know when you would meet them again.

However, Li Caiyi had no intention of judging her based only on her attitude. If her performance was good, she didn't mind giving her a chance. Although her personal opinion of her would still be low.

"Then, you can start acting the part where Si Yan breaks down after finding out that Yang Chen is his true love. Starting from the right."

"My name is Ye Bing. Entry number 68."

It started with that rude girl, and Li Caiyi's expectant stare seemed to burden her as she kept fumbling with her words at first. However, as time passed by, she began to relax and pour out more and more tears from her eyes.

Li Caiyi was quite astonished because her acting wasn't actually that bad. She was amazed by how she kept producing tears from her eyes like that.

However, that was it. Technically, she did well, but she couldn't bring out the emotion of her character well. It felt empty.

Director Shen said nothing but nodded in approval. Ma Heng and the middle-aged woman, who seemed to be a veteran actress, also praised her for her acting. Only Li Caiyi and Dai Zhiqiang remained silent.

Li Caiyi glanced at him and found that he was also staring at her. He didn't even bother to look at the auditionee and only kept his eyes on her.

His intense gaze made her heart skip a beat. She quickly returned her focus to the other auditionee.

The next one is a small girl with short hair. Compared to other girls who were very fashionable, she looked plain with her white dress and shoes. She kept her gaze lowered and jittery, making her look like a small animal.

"N-Nice to meet you, I'm entry number 96—ah wrong, I mean 69! My name is Ning Shan!"

The other auditionee chuckled at how she messed up, making her shrink her neck.

"You may begin."

Ning Shan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was clearly very nervous, but once she opened her eyes again, she looked entirely like a different person.

"It can't be, so I was mistaken all this time?"

Ning Shan grabbed both of her heads with a crazed look on her face. She looked like she had difficulty breathing and slowly fell to the ground.

When everyone thought she would cry tragically, she raised her head defiantly.

"No, calm down first. I should think about how to make up for Yang Chen. I have wronged him in the last few years!"

The frustration was apparent, but unlike the other auditionee who cried, Ning Shan didn't go for that route. She used the dread and anxiety of finding the truth she sought as her primary emotion.

"But I was the one who pushed him away in the first place. He wouldn't want to accept me again."

"No, if that's the case, then I will be the one chasing after him this time! I can't let him go. He is too precious for me!"

Even those who didn't know the character well could feel her regret and distress. Her delivery could use some work, but the raw emotion behind her expression and every word was spot on.

As if she had turned into Si Yan herself. The tenacious girl who kept pursuing what she wanted despite adversity.

Right. Si Yan wasn't a character that would break down in tears easily.

It was a simple act, yet Li Caiyi couldn't take her eyes off Ning Shan.

Si Yan was a character she created at her weakest. Her subconsciousness wanted her to become someone like Si Yan, and that was how she was made.

Li Caiyi felt so emotional. Seeing the character she wrote come to life gave her a bizarre yet satisfying feeling. Her heart was filled to the brim.

Then, she felt a warm touch on her hand under the table. Li Caiyi was jolted before looking down.

Dai Zhiqiang was putting his hand on top of her. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb before slowly intertwining their fingers together.

Li Caiyi's nose felt even sourer. What was he trying to do now? He really liked to barge in and leave whenever he pleased, without even knowing the mess he caused for her heart.

Thinking about Xia Rouyue, she wanted to fling his hand away. But a part of her heart shamelessly wished for him to keep holding on to her like this longer.

If Dai Zhiqiang regained his full memory, would he chase after her too? Like Si Yan in her book, he would realize that he had broken his promise to her by leaving her side, then he would regret it and return to her.

Li Caiyi truly hoped that was the case.

As expected, every judge scored highly for Ning Shan's acting. She was one of the strongest candidates for the female lead. Li Caiyi couldn't wait to see her act in costume.

The audition continued after that, but Dai Zhiqiang refused to let her go. She occasionally caught him looking at her meaningfully, making her wonder what he even came here for when he didn't pay attention to the audition.

It couldn't be that he came here for her, right?

Li Caiyi quickly brushed the thought away. Wishful thinking like that would only hurt her more.