Chapter Ninety-Nine Audition

After seeing off the Ning family and his cousin, Sheng Jiaoyang took his newly hired male assistant, Ning Xiaoruan, to the company.

"Assistant?" Li Yu looked at the two people sitting in front of him with great surprise.

"This was your boss Shen's decision," Sheng Jiaoyang said leisurely, leaning back in his chair.

Ning Xiaoruan looked utterly dejected. He could already predict how his classmates and friends would laugh at him when they found out he was now a celebrity assistant, and a minor one at that. But he couldn't go against his cousin's decision, and his parents had told him to do a good job before he boarded the plane. Even they didn't think it was shameful for their son to be doing this job. What could he do?

Li Yu finally accepted this fact, and at the same time, he thought more highly of the girl in front of him. She actually had the heir of the Ning Group as her follower—had she already won over the boss's family?

After the small talk, it was time to get down to business.

Li Yu thought that since she had just made headlines and trending topics, she should strike while the iron was hot and film one or two more popular dramas, and also appear on one or two popular variety shows to solidify her popularity. Sheng Jiaoyang wasn't thinking about popularity; she was thinking about how to hook up with more people and introduce them to Shen Zhining. Because of this, she didn't refuse Li Yu's arrangement. However, when choosing scripts, she picked those that interested her. Since filming a few scenes with the pretty girl last time, she had discovered new enjoyment. No wonder the pretty girl still made time to take on roles despite her busy schedule; playing a role that interested her was indeed very fulfilling.

Sheng Jiaoyang chose a script produced by the company itself, intended to promote newcomers. Several female lead candidates were already considered, but she immediately took the lead role.

Li Yu, of course, wouldn't object to the "future boss's wife's" request; he wanted to make her famous anyway. He couldn't have spent so much money only to sign a pretty face. Even if the boss didn't mind, he certainly would. If he spent six million to sign just a useless pretty face, it would leave a permanent stain on his performance record.

The production team had been ready for two days, the only thing missing was the female lead. Several agents had been arguing amongst themselves, each wanting to push their favorite newcomers into the role, leading to a stalemate. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal, but these agents had previously clashed over resources, and now that they all had newcomers they wanted to promote, how could they let go of a good script and production team? So, each refused to give in, and the matter eventually reached Li Yu.

Then, the female lead role just flew away.

The agents who had fought over the role found out immediately, and by the time they found out who had stolen the role, filming had already begun.

The drama was called "Saving My Internet-Addicted Boyfriend," and the title itself tells you what the plot is about. The entire story revolves around Liao Jiayi, a boyfriend addicted to games, and Zhen Xin, a girlfriend determined to pull him out of his addiction. Specifically, the story revolves around a childhood sweetheart couple who, instead of being affectionate after entering university, find themselves alone, all because Liao Jiayi has become addicted to online games thanks to his roommate. To rescue her boyfriend, Zhen Xin, with the help of her roommate, launches a series of hilarious rescue plans.

In the drama, Zhen Xin is portrayed as a cheerful, tall, and beautiful woman, so director Wan Youfang didn't underestimate Sheng Jiaoyang because of her newcomer status. Instead, he felt the company had finally found a reliable candidate, not just randomly throwing in an unsuitable female lead and demanding changes to the character and plot.

The other important actors in the cast were also present, and after the opening ceremony, they each took a set of character photos.

In the initial concept, Zhen Xin was a tall, beautiful woman with long, straight black hair, so Sheng Jiaoyang saw her completely new self.

"Ning Xiaoruan," Sheng Jiaoyang said, smoothing her soft… wig, standing in front of Ning Xiaoruan.

Ning Xiaoruan, who was playing on his phone, heard the soft voice and looked up, then froze. The girl in front of him perfectly fulfilled all his fantasies about his future girlfriend. Long, straight, black hair cascaded down her face, making her already small face appear even smaller and more delicate. Her natural, fresh eye makeup accentuated her large, clear eyes. A straight, petite nose, pink lips…

He heard himself swallow.

But why did she look so familiar?

Sheng Jiaoyang blinked and tilted her head: “Don’t you recognize me?”

Ning Xiaoruan clutched his chest, feeling heartbroken. He thought he had finally met his goddess, but it turned out to be a joke played by fate—no, a joke played by that brat Xu Jiaojiao.

“So this is what you look like with long hair. It’s so deceptive,” Ning Xiaoruan said with a dry laugh.

“What did I deceive you about?” Sheng Jiaoyang raised her chin slightly.

“Yes, that’s the expression. You look more normal like this.”

Sheng Jiaoyang paused, then tightened her chin, lowered her eyes and smiled, saying softly, “I’m normal no matter what.” With that, she gave him a charming glance and turned to go to the photo studio for her makeup photos.

Just one glance and Ning Xiaoruan felt his bones melt. He clutched his chest, watching the exceptionally quiet and ladylike figure recede into the distance. The girlfriend he wanted was a truly quiet girl, not someone as fickle as Xu Jiaojiao.

“Zhang Yue, don’t look at people! Remember, you are Liao Jiayi now, a game addict! Remember! A game addict!” The director’s voice, thick with a local accent, echoed in the studio, making the onlookers chuckle.

Zhang Yue is the male lead of this drama and a rising star heavily promoted by the company. He has already participated in several TV series, from minor roles to important supporting roles, honing his acting skills. All he lacks is an opportunity to become a big star. This time, the company's upper management decided to give him the leading role, hoping he could use this opportunity to break into the top tier.

Why could he, with his considerable acting skills and experience, still be so distracted that the director called him over? It's because the face next to him was too attractive, especially to male fans—that pure and innocent look was simply their ideal goddess! After

the costume fitting photos were taken, the director had the male and female leads rehearse a scene to find their chemistry.

The other people in the male lead's dorm had all been moved away by the female lead's roommates. When the female lead arrived at the male lead's dorm, he was sitting at his computer playing games. Seeing her, he casually greeted her and then turned back to his boss fight.

"Jia Yi, I'm thirsty," Zhen Xin said in a coquettish tone.

"Okay, wait two minutes," Liao Jiayi replied without looking up, his hands rapidly typing on the keyboard.

"...Never mind, I'll get it myself." If I'm really thirsty, waiting for you to get it for me would kill me.

Zhen Xin pouted, poured herself a glass of water, then leaned close to Liao Jiayi, her lips almost touching his ear, and breathed out, "Jiayi, we don't have classes tomorrow afternoon, how about we go see a movie together?"

"Sorry, Xin Xin, I've already made plans to run a dungeon with my friends tomorrow afternoon, I can't go with you."

Zhen Xin showed an expression that she had expected but was still disappointed. She rolled her eyes, narrowed them, and then stuck her head in front of the computer, blocking Liao Jiayi's view. Liao Jiayi's first instinct was to pull her away, but with a splash, half the water in the glass spilled onto the keyboard, and the other half splashed onto Liao Jiayi.

"Oh dear, what do I do? Jiayi, I didn't mean to." Zhen Xin acted flustered, but her expression revealed a hint of smugness.

Liao Jiayi was far calmer than Zhen Xin had expected. He reassured her, "It's alright, my computer is waterproof." With that, he turned the computer upside down to empty the water, pulled out tissues to dry the keyboard and table, and continued playing his game.

"..." Zhen Xin stood there, stunned, looking like she'd been struck by lightning.

"Good! Xu Jiaojiao did a great job, very controlled. Zhang Yue, your second half was alright, but the beginning was problematic. You must remember you're a gaming addict; nothing is more important than your game, even if the sky falls. What was with that swooning look on your face when Xu Jiaojiao was whispering in your ear? Remember, stay calm, have the composure of Liu Xiahui!" the director commented.

"Gaming addict," Zhang Yue thought resentfully. In reality, someone like Liao Jiayi, who has a pure and beautiful girlfriend but doesn't cherish her and insists on being with his computer, is destined to be single forever, isn't he?