Chapter 2380: Female Lead

Early in the morning, Xia He brought Qiao Mei to the art troupe for an outing. Xu Lan had already brought Xu Li to the art troupe for an audition!

Even though Xu Lan had already retired, she would still return to the art troupe from time to time to perform. She was someone who could not stay idle and always needed to find something to do.

There was a good script recently, but the director was very picky. He had already auditioned everyone in the art troupe, but there were still many roles which were not filled. Xu Lan thought that she would get Xu Li to try. Anyway, Xu Li had nothing to do.

“Oh! Who is this girl!” the director asked as he pointed at Qiao Mei, who had just entered the room.

“My third son’s wife,” Xu Lan said proudly.

The director quickly flipped through the script and said, “I have a role for a beautiful girl here. She’s perfect for the role!”

“No, no! My daughter-in-law is pregnant and she can’t act! What if she gets too tired!” Xu Lan immediately rejected the director.

“Oh well! I can get a doctor to keep an eye on her 24 hours a day when she is in the art troupe! I can even get her a helper! With her looks! This play will definitely have explosive viewership ratings!” the director said excitedly.

“No means no! Our family doesn’t lack money and I have helpers waiting on my daughter-in-law. My daughter and I both know how tiring acting is. There’s no room for discussion on this matter. Absolutely not!” Xu Lan said.

“Your children are all grown up and you have to respect their wishes! You can’t decide for them!” the director said.

Qiao Mei roughly understood what the two of them were arguing about. She looked at the director and said gently, “I’m sorry, Director. I’m just here to visit my mother-in-law and youngest aunt. I’m not interested in acting. Furthermore, I’m not in good health and I really can’t act.”

She did not want to get involved in such high-profile work either. It would be so inconvenient to be surrounded by people on the streets. Xia Zhe was a jealous man and he would definitely be so jealous every day!

“Sigh… what a pity…” the director said regretfully.

Xia He hurriedly went forward and patted the director’s shoulder, saying jokingly, “I’m only taking a break and I have not retired yet. Why haven’t you asked me to audition? Do you think I’m not good enough and you look down on me!”

“I’ve already reserved a role for you. I’m just waiting for you to come!” the director said as he patted the script in his hand.

“That’s more like it. Is it the role of the female lead?” Xia He asked curiously.

It was not too weird for Xia He to ask this question. Ever since she debuted, Xia He had always been the female lead and she was also the principal performer of the art troupe. However, no one spoke all of a sudden and the atmosphere became very awkward. Xu Lan gave Xia He a look and only then did Xia He catch sight of a thin and small girl standing behind the director.

The girl was not considered beautiful, but her features were delicate and she was pretty enough. Her figure was the type which was made for dancing and she was the type of protagonist that the director liked.

Her clothes were a little tattered and her shoes were patched up. Additionally, her skin was very pale, as if she had been malnourished for a long time. However, the girl’s eyes were filled with determination and a desire to pursue art.

“The role of this female lead is not suitable for you. I’ve already asked her to take the role. This is a kid I’ve worked with before. Her name is Sun Yuan,” the director said.

“Hello, I’m Sun Yuan. I’ve heard of Senior Xia He for a long time and I admire you very much,” Sun Yuan said politely.

“You flatter me by calling me your senior. Our family and the director are old acquaintances. I’m a little older than you, so you can just address me as Elder Sister. There’s no need to be so polite,” Xia He said.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries and the director invited everyone to go for a meal. Qiao Mei immediately said, “We have food at home. Why don’t all of you come over for a meal?”

“Sure! Ever since I tasted Qiao Mei’s cooking, I can’t eat anything served outside! If this continues, I’ll stay in the capital forever!” Xu Li said as she patted her stomach.

“Of course you can. Aunt, you can eat here for as long as you want,” Qiao Mei said.

Sun Yuan was secretly delighted. Her original intention was just to get to know the Xia family members, but she did not expect to have the chance to go to the Xia family’s house for a meal today! If word got out, she would be able to say that she was quite close to the Xia family!

Unexpectedly, the director did not seem to understand what Sun Yuan was thinking. He shook his head and said, “My wife has already cooked today and is waiting for me to go back for dinner. Let’s get together again another day!”

“It’s a date then! You must come to my house for dinner!” After saying that, Xu Lan left with the others.

The director turned around and glared at Sun Yuan as he said, “Don’t think that I don’t know what you’re up to. That’s the Xia family! I’ve been friends with the Xia family for my entire life. Even so, I don’t dare to take advantage of them. Stop daydreaming! The most important thing is to focus on your acting career!”