Elena took a deep breath and walked toward the audition room.
As she passed by Julia, she caught a glimpse of her cousin's face—Julia looked as if she wanted to say something but didn't dare to.
Inside, a single spotlight illuminated Elena's figure.
Across the long conference table sat several executives in sharp suits, their faces expressionless. At the head of the table was the director, his sharp eyes fixed on her.
Elena bowed deeply, her movements calm and respectful.
The director flipped through her profile, then said simply, "Begin."
Elena exhaled once, then slipped seamlessly into character.
She performed a scene of two lovers meeting again after a long separation.
There were no lines at first—just movement and emotion.
A flicker of panic.
A flash of disbelief.
Then the warmth of recognition, tears glistening in her eyes, and finally… a trembling smile.
All the emotion in her face flowed naturally, raw and believable.
When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and low, carrying the weight of years apart.
"Hi… it's been a while."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then, sudden applause broke out.
"Excellent!" someone said approvingly.
Elena inhaled deeply and bowed again, her heart pounding.
When she exited the room, it was Yuri's turn. Knowing how nervous she was, Elena reached over and squeezed her hand gently.
"Don't be scared. I'll be right outside waiting for your good news."
Yuri nodded hard, eyes shining. "Got it!"
As soon as Yuri disappeared behind the audition door, Elena found an empty chair in the hallway and sat down to wait.
A shadow fell across her.
Elena looked up.
Julia stood before her—fidgeting, anxious, her usual arrogance nowhere to be seen.
"Elena," she started in a shaky voice, "can I… can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"
Outside the audition hall, by a corridor window on the seventh floor.
Elena stopped and turned around. "Say it here. You don't need to make a scene."
With a sudden, awkward thud, Julia dropped to her knees right in front of her. Tears poured down her face. "Elena — I was wrong. Please forgive me."
"I didn't mean to team up with Sophia to hurt you," she sobbed. "Sophia kept threatening me. She said if I didn't do what she wanted, she'd get my dad fired and ruin my chances in show business. I was terrified. That's why I did those awful things to you."
Elena sized her up, eyes cool. "So being scared is your excuse for joining Sophia in doing wrong?"
"No, no—" Julia shook her head, mascara streaking her cheeks. "But Elena, I really know I was wrong. I've already paid — the night of Mr. Cheng's banquet I was drugged and an indecent video of me was posted online. My life was destroyed. I'd rather die than live through that shame. Please, since I've been punished so badly, forgive me this once."
She pressed on, voice trembling, "I swear I'll change. I'll behave. I'll never hurt anyone again. Please… tell your boyfriend to leave me alone. Just let me live peacefully."
So that was it. No wonder Julia suddenly went down on her knees — she was terrified of Lucian.
Fine. Whatever her reasons, Elena realized there was no point making a bigger issue of it. Julia hadn't actually done anything that caused Elena lasting harm, and she'd already been humiliated enough to hopefully learn her lesson.
"All right," Elena said, giving her a measured, reassuring nod. "As long as you keep your nose clean, nobody's going to waste time picking on you."
She wasn't feeling much sympathy — she just didn't want Julia to panic and do something desperate that would hurt herself or others. With that, Elena turned and left.
"Where did you go? I've been looking everywhere for you — I was about to call."
Yuri had spotted her in the hall and came bounding over.
A faint smile curved at Elena's lips. "I just went to the restroom, that's why I took a while. By the way—how did your audition go?"
Yuri sighed and shook her head, clearly disappointed. But then she brightened and grinned.
"It's fine. There's no bad mood a hotpot can't fix. And if there is—then two hotpots will do it!"
"Come on, Elena, you're coming with me!"
The next day, Elena received a call.
Even after hanging up, she sat frozen for a long time, hardly daring to believe it — she'd actually been chosen.
Moments later, Yuri called, nearly squealing through the phone.
"Elena! I just got the call — I got the supporting role! It's not a big part, and the pay's small, but hey, I'll be on screen! What about you?"
"I…"
Elena paused deliberately. Yuri held her breath so long she almost choked before Elena finally said, "I got the lead role."
"You—ugh, you're the worst! Don't scare me like that!" Yuri exhaled dramatically, and Elena burst out laughing.
On the day of the shoot, Elena and Yuri arrived at the set — only to find Julia there, along with a stranger.
Both Elena and Julia were equally startled.
The director explained, "You're both very talented. The company couldn't decide, so we'll film both versions and let the board vote."
For the supporting roles, alongside Yuri, there was a new face — a girl named Aria.
Julia stepped forward with a smile. "Elena…"
"Elena, is she your sister?"
"Julia, is she your sister?"
Yuri and Aria blurted it out almost at the same time.
Julia nodded. "Elena's my cousin."
As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone exchanged knowing looks — the connection between them was now public.
For some reason, Elena felt a flicker of unease.
The luxury brand Fuhua had decided to break its commercial into four independent 15-second segments, each telling a standalone story.
The tagline read:
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you."
The male lead was a familiar face — Muke, a household name and one of the most sought-after stars on TV.
The shoot took five days. The director was thrilled with the footage and decided to host a small celebration dinner.
Elena went because she had to, but she wasn't in the mood to mingle. Leaning back in a lounge chair, she texted Vivian on her phone.
Vivian was, as usual, venting about Felix.
"I swear, Felix is hopeless. Back when you were with him, he didn't cherish you — and now he's suddenly a tragic lover, hanging around me just to ask about you!"
"Elena, listen to me, don't you dare go soft. That kind of scumbag isn't worth it."
Elena sent a playful emoji.
"Relax, I'm perfectly fine. Felix and I are ancient history."
Vivian replied with a grinning face.
"Good."
Then, another message popped up.
"Elena, gotta go — Elio's having another tantrum. I need to calm him down."
Elio…
Elena read the name and felt a dull ache in her chest.
Vivian, Elio isn't Nian. When will you finally face reality?
Nian is gone.
"Miss Sung, may I have this dance?"
The voice — deep, gentle, magnetic — broke through her thoughts.
Elena looked up. It was Muke, hand extended toward her, the light glinting in his eyes.
From a distance, someone else noticed.
"Hmm? Isn't that Elena?"
Adrian's tone carried lazy amusement as his gaze followed her across the room.
Lucian followed Adrian's line of sight — and the moment his eyes landed on her, his expression darkened instantly.