Jin Shiyi, in his rage, actually slapped Li Shengnan across the face and then painfully called out Li Shengnan’s name all over the mountain.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling couldn’t help but frown, “Why act out this scene?”
Typically, auditions involve performing a related highlight moment to test an actor’s explosive power and control.
Given Guan Suyih’s near-stringent demands on actors, she should have chosen a grand scene to test her. Why choose this one?
Guan Suyih smiled, “This scene isn’t the climax, but it’s the most crucial turning point of the play. Without this slap, Li Shengnan wouldn’t have made the firm decision to use her own life to avenge herself and fulfill the ancestral master’s last wish, nor would she have poisoned Gu Zhihua, forced Jin Shiyi to marry her, and died in her lover’s arms. Therefore, I want to see your performance in this scene.”
Ever since seeing Guan Suyih’s incredibly stunning performance as Zhao Hede, she had implicitly considered Jiang Ling the undisputed choice to portray Li Shengnan.
However, although both Li Shengnan and Zhao Hede were vixen-like characters, their core natures were entirely different.
Zhao Hede’s vixen-like nature lay in her seductive charm that ensnared souls, a vixen-like quality that was overly frivolous and debauched.
Li Shengnan’s vixen-like nature, however, stemmed from her defiance of traditional righteous paths, her independent spirit, her disregard for conventions, yet her loyalty and righteousness, an aura that blended the wicked with the righteous.
Guan Suyih knew that with Jiang Ling’s acting skills, she could certainly portray Li Shengnan’s vixen-like charisma and handle all sorts of grand scenes with ease.
If she were to test her performance in this scene, it would purely be a waste of time.
Her only concern was that Jiang Ling was too young to act out the intertwined love and hate, the obsessive affection between the male and female protagonists.
Therefore, she wanted to see how she would portray the emotional change of being slapped by the male lead.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
Jiang Ling’s acting style was versatile, capable of portraying almost any female character.
A mere scene of a dramatic breakup was incredibly easy for her.
Guan Suyih said sternly, “All departments, please prepare. The actors are in position. Scene seventy-three, commence!”
As Guan Suyih’s voice fell, the cameraman quickly started, the lens focusing on Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling lowered her head and took a deep breath.
*Slap!*
A crisp slapping sound echoed.
It was a staff member nearby simulating the sound of the male lead slapping her.
Jiang Ling reacted with lightning speed, instinctively covering half of her face.
Her face contorted in disbelief as she glared at the staff member, treating him as Jin Shiyi.
Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, were crisscrossed with dark red blood vessels, aching as if about to bleed.
She cried out in a choked voice, “Jin Shiyi, you… you are so cruel… so cruel!”
A good actor, even without dialogue, can convey emotion to the audience through the changes in their eyes.
The moment Jiang Ling got into character, her eyes instantly turned red. Everyone present, even without knowing the storyline, could see how much pain she was experiencing internally.
This acting was truly divine.
Jiang Ling’s delicate face turned deathly pale, exuding a bone-chilling despair. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, a tremor laced with a hint of determination and agony.
“Fine, even if I die, I will ensure you find no peace in this life!”
Saying this, Jiang Ling, suppressing the tears that were on the verge of falling, covered her face and dashed away, not daring to look at Jin Shiyi again.
“Cut!”
Guan Suyih exclaimed excitedly.
Even though she had seen Jiang Ling’s performance on video before,
this on-site audition still deeply moved Guan Suyih.
In just over ten seconds, she brought Li Shengnan to life from the pages of the book. What a divine performance!