Chapter 53: With Time, Love Will Find Its Way

Hou Dao nodded several times as he watched Xia Yanxi perform. No one had ever managed to pull off this important moment from the movie.

What he wanted was Wang Wo to be someone like Xia Yanxi, a woman that could be as dignified as a princess, yet as seductive as a succubus. One that could properly depict a fallen woman that was only where she was due to certain circumstances. He wanted someone that could incite the feeling of pity and remorse from the audience.

Wang Wo was the name of the female protagonist. She loved the male protagonist, and to protect his future and his name, she had to break off their relationship because of her current standing.

Xia Yanxi’s part was not over. The last scene depicted the part where Xi Muan left her alone to suffer in her sorrow. There was no dialogue, only bodily movements and facial expressions.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her crying was as genuine as sadness and despair could be portrayed. Her eyes reflected true pain that came from a heartbreak, the kind that would make anyone who looked at her, feel sympathetic.

No one in the room was talking. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they were too focused on Xia Yanxi’s acting. Even Bai Wenxuan, who had no confidence in Xia Yanxi’s acting skills, was stunned.

He knew that Xia Yanxi loved acting, but he took it as a confession of wanton fame that a little girl had wanted. He had never thought that she was genuinely into the art of acting.

Xia Yanxi felt someone approaching her, and when she saw the hands she knew all too well wiping away her tears, she snapped back into reality. She was too deep in a trance from acting that she did not realize that the man that was kneeling in front of her was Bai Wenxuan. She quickly stood up and stepped back from the man.

Bai Wenxuan was stunned again for he saw the hatred and grudge that was reflected clearly in that teary eyes of hers. It was too obvious for him. Like a hammer hammering onto his heart, he felt himself sink in devastation.

Were they truly over? Could the days when the two were laughing with not a care in the world be but a fleeting dream?

Bai Wenxuan bit his lips, his amber-colored eyes flashed with a hint of disgruntlement and sorrow.

It took a while before the judges came to and realized that they were still in the midst of the audition. Once they realized that it was Xia Yanxi who could render them stunned in silence, they got up and applauded soundly.

The director, with a rolled up script in his hands, smacked the table and exclaimed, “You’re the one!”

He rushed to the judges’ table and quickly looked through her details.

“Mhmm. Mhmm. Good. Mhmm. Very good! You’re but an unpolished gem! Act as you did from before and I promise that you will have fans and awards coming your way!”

Hou Dao was a famous director, a man of experience that could determine a person’s potential in the world of acting. He had directed many films but not a single one was mediocre, they were all good. For someone as young as Xia Yanxi, garnering such a high praise from such a man was exhilarating.

Bai Wenxuan returned to his seat and interjected.

“Hou Dao, let’s not forget about Number ten. She’s Gu Yanyan.”

Xia Yanxi knew that her previous response had made Bai Wenxuan hostile toward her. Nevertheless, she had no authority to speak otherwise. She bowed and left with her chest held high.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Xia Yanxi had never once truly looked at Bai Wenxuan. Instead, she merely glanced at him, as if he was just another stranger.

***

Qiao Yanli had been busy dealing with a new project that Qiao Group had started. By the time he was done with the crucial procedures, he realized that he had not seen his wife for more than two weeks.

“Song Lin, did my wife call me?” Qiao Yanli asked. That day, when he left without having breakfast with his wife, he had stuck a paper on the bed frame where Xia Yanxi was sleeping. The paper had his personal number written on it.

Song Lin shook his head in response.

“Mr. Qiao, your wife hasn’t called you.”

Qiao Yanli dwelled deep in his thoughts, thinking about that night when she muttered how it was his fault that her previous lover had abandoned her. He sighed heavily, knowing that the man who hurt her still lived inside her head. Someone like him, a husband on paper, should have nothing to worry about since he was just a man that happened to be her husband.

Song Lin gazed at the man’s clearly dejected expression. Carefully, he said, “Mr. Qiao, perhaps you should give her more time. Both Mr. Qiao and Miss Xia have known each other only for a brief moment. It would be odd if she claims to love you just after such a short period of time. That would only mean she is not the kind that would devote herself to a man. With time, I’m sure things will naturally unfold and love will find its way. I’m speaking only from the perspective of an assistant. You truly are… someone who has everything.”

Qiao Yanli’s dark eyes swam in his sockets as he looked at his assistant. He was mildly impressed. Song Lin had eyes that were learning to see through a person.

“Enough. You’re always saying things that are positive. Get the car ready. I wish to visit my wife at her school.”