Wendy seldom went out of her room in the next three days. Except for meals and sleep, she spent the rest of her time reading and immersing herself in The Story of Concubine Ivanka. The pages of the script, which had been new and crisp when she had received it, were now dog-eared with abuse. The narrative of Concubine Ivanka started at the lowest places inside the palace. Within the span of 10 years, she managed to rise above her station and got to the top, outranking even the queen herself. She then became the dowager empress after the emperor’s death, having supported her son’s claim to the throne. She had grown from a young and innocent girl to the most powerful woman of her time. The most exciting part of the story circled around the multitude of women in the imperial palace who fought against each other both openly and in secret. The twists and turns set the readers on edge in anticipation of what would happen next. Needless to say, Lady Ivanka was the leading role. Next came the role of the queen, but aside from being the second heroine, she was also going to be the most significant villain in the entire play. And then there was Lady Faye—the role that had been assigned to Wendy for the audition. Despite not appearing until the middle of the plot, Lady Faye’s character played a key role. It could even be said that she was the third heroine of the story. It had taken her three whole days, but Wendy finally understood her character and memorized all her lines. Soon it was the day of the audition. It was set for ten o’clock in the morning at Studio City. It was a relatively remote area, and was a considerable distance from where Wendy resided. And so, she especially started her day earlier than usual. Her chosen outfit was a simple white T-shirt, skinny jeans, and a pair of white canvas shoes. She tied her curly hair up into a high ponytail. With her beautiful face bare of any makeup, she looked like an ordinary college student. “Baby, does Mommy look good?”she asked with expectation as she swung her ponytail from side to side. “Yes, you look gorgeous!”. the boy exclaimed, only for his words to be followed by a frown. “But Mommy, didn’t you say that the role you’re going to play is similar to a tramp? ! Shouldn’t she dress up more provocatively to match the character profile? Wendy was at a loss for words. A tramp! Did Raymond learn this word from her? She ran a hand over her temple consciously and hurriedly changed the subject. “Well, you wouldn’t understand how it works. I will gain more attention if I deviate from the judges’ initial preconceptions. The little boy cocked his head to the side, confusion evident on his face. Wendy proceeded to prepare a simple breakfast. They had just finished eating when Roger arrived to pick her up. “Good morning!”. “Good morning!”. He walked into the living room with a smile and picked up Raymond. “Have you gotten used to the life here?”. He had noticed that mother and son were in good spirits recently. The little boy answered seriously, “I will be fine anywhere as long as Mommy is with me. ””. “That’ s good then. Roger turned to look at Wen dy and nodded. “It looks like you’re ready fo r the audition

“Of course! I’m s ure I’ll get the r ole of Lady Faye!” . She had not minded much before, but after learning that Eris was going to be the main heroine of the play, Wendy had become determined to bag this role. Lady Ivanka and Lady Faye had a lot of scenes toge ther, and she intended to show the audience exactl y who was the better actress between her and Eris. Wendy was going to make this show a living nightmare for her stepsi ster! Roger glanced at his watch. “It’s getting lat e. We should probab ly get a move on. “Le t’s go!” . “Le t’s go!” . Studio City was th e biggest of its k ind in the country. Numerous classic mo vies had been shot in within its site. That being the case, famous stars w ere often spotted in the area, and f ans naturally flocked there as well. Over time, Studio City had become something of a tourist destination, with a lot of peop le coming and going at all times of the day. It was a very bu sy place. On this particular day, people cro wded at the gates as well, and Rog er wasn’t able to drive past them. He ended up park ing in front of the nearest KFC. “Her e we are!” . “O ka y!” . Roger hand ed Wendy a pass card. “Take this with you. Show it to the staff and they will let you in. The number indicated your place in queue for the audition. A lot of big shots have invested on The Story of Concubine Ivanka, and they have a lot of expectation s for this project. The biggest sponsors are the Glory Media under Oliver Group and the Starlight Media, under which Eris is signed. The presidents of these two companies will be present at the audition. You need to seize this o pportunity, Wendy. More importantly, the show’s director, Carter holds the right to choose all of the actors and actresses. The most important thing is that you convince him that you are qualified for the job. Do you understand?” . Of cours e she un derstood. She was an actress who didn’t have any co mpany’s backing, which meant that she had no network and resources in the industry. This was indeed a per fect opportunity to e stablish connections. If she performed well and impressed the he ads of two entertainment giants, she just might land a contract with either company. “Won’t you be going i n with me?” . Roger didn’t answer , and his eyes took on a faraway look. “R oge r?” . He came to his senses alm ost instantly, and his usu al warm demeanor returned. “No, I will stay here. Ray and I will be waiting fo r you and your good news. “O ka y!” . Wendy entered Studio City and headed to the audition room for the Story of Concubine Ivanka. Just as Roger had said, sh e wasn’t blocked by the sta ff after flashing her card. “You’re here for an audi tion?”the employee asked as he inspected the card

He then raised his head t o look at Wendy, and his e yes widened at her beauty. His to ne sof tened. “Right this wa y then. “Yes, thank you. Wendy followed him to a n area somewhat similar to the back of a stage. It was already crowded with you ng girls, each one beautiful an d graceful with their movements. Their nervousness was obviou s, however, as they waited f or their names to be called. The moment she stepped into the vicinity , Wendy was immediately met with unfriend ly gazes of the other aspiring actresses. The employee tried to explain the situation to her in a low voice. “Almost all of the female roles in the play have alr eady been decided. Only Lady Faye’s role is vacant, an d everyone here is auditioning for that single role. Ah, so they were all competing f or the same thing. Of course they would be hostile to each other. “Thank you for your in formation,” . Wendy said, meeti ng the staff’s ey es as she smiled. Being a young man in his twenties, his face and ears promptly turned red. He scratched the back of his hea d and stammered. “Uhm…Well…You’re welcome! I, uh, I believ e in you. You will definitely succeed! So I …I still have work to do. I’m leaving now!” . Wendy had to chuckle at his rea ction. She looked at the card in her hand. It said number thirty. Really? Thirty? That w as definitely toward t he end of the audition. Everyone in the indus try knew how this kin d of audition worked. The more participants there were, the more interesting the performances would be. After all, they needed to stand out among the rest and make sure the judges would remember them. In most cases, the first ones to audition are easily forgotten since the performance s are amped up as they move down the line. Roger had truly done her good. Not only had he secured her a chance to audition, he had also made arrangement s that would prove advantageous to her. “The au dition begins!” . The announcement seemed to m ake the girls even more nerv ous, but Wendy remained calm. She sat and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes as she waited leisurely for her turn. The number of girls in th e room dwindled one by on e, and after a long while . “Number th irty! It’s your turn!” . Wendy opened her eyes and raised a hand. “Tha t’s me!” . Meanwhile, in an office located within the recesse s of Studio City, a huge monitor was displaying the whole affair from the point of view of the judges. In that moment, it showed as Wen dy emerged from a side door and walked to the center of the room. A little girl with messy hair, who had been dozing off mere se conds ago, jumped at the sight. She sat up str aight and grabb ed Ryan’s hand. “Ah! She’s here! The beautiful a untie has come!”