Slowly taking off the wide Wizard hood on her head, as Jia Na's entire face was exposed to everyone's view, the waiting hall, which had been slightly noisy, seemed to have been paused, and all sounds completely disappeared at this moment.
All that remained were the eager and burning gazes fixed on Jia Na.
"This... Miss, please... take a seat here..."
The male attendant, who had been constantly mindful of maintaining etiquette and not daring to lose composure, couldn't help but have a slight tremor in his originally calm voice when he accidentally glimpsed Jia Na's face while turning to guide her.
"Okay, thank you."
"You're... you're welcome. It's my honor to serve you."
Seeing Jia Na seated, the male attendant, possessing extremely high professional quality, quickly forced himself to calm down, lowered his head, and dared not let his gaze linger on Jia Na. After completing the guidance work, he quickly turned around and walked somewhat hastily towards the escalator, leaving the waiting hall.
It wasn't until Jia Na was truly seated that the people around her began to converse in low voices again, but their gazes still intentionally or unintentionally glanced towards Jia Na's direction.
"You are... Jia Na-Luo Lan?"
Hearing the familiar voice coming from behind her, Jia Na turned her head and indeed saw a familiar face.
"What a coincidence, to actually run into you here."
Slightly frizzy red curly hair, a few light freckles on her round cheeks, her high-pitched tone, and the incredulity in her light-colored pupils all highlighted Liji-Xiaosi's surprised mood at this moment.
"It's not a coincidence at all! You actually came to the audition too... Oh right, you're not a fan of the Nightingale Opera Troupe at all, but my competitor! My goodness! I actually guided my competitor in learning opera!"
Listening to Liji-Xiaosi's startled exclamations, Jia Na appropriately closed her mouth, and then politely pulled the other party to the chair beside her.
"Senior Sister Liji, I paid you for the lessons, which is in line with the Wizard principle of equivalent exchange."
"Of course I know."
Looking at the familiar smile on Jia Na's face, Liji-Xiaosi felt only bitterness in her heart.
"If I had known you would be auditioning on the same day as me, I wouldn't have taken that task... Or, I would have taught you after I successfully auditioned..."
Looking at Liji-Xiaosi's bitter face, Jia Na's social smile genuinely held a few touches of real amusement.
If in her previous life's workplace, every colleague could talk without thinking like Liji-Xiaosi, then Jia Na would have had a much easier time in work competition.
"What, my appearance scared you, a Sound-type second-level apprentice, like this?"
"Of course! If you only had a passable face, that would be one thing! But your voice condition is also so good! It's really frustrating!"
"..."
This time, Jia Na was truly choked and didn't know what to say.
Although what the other party said was the truth, hearing Liji-Xiaosi say it in this setting still felt very awkward to Jia Na.
Seeing Jia Na not speak, Liji-Xiaosi, perhaps having accepted the cruel reality, pouted and sighed resignedly. Then, thinking of a certain possibility, she turned her gaze towards Jia Na hopefully and asked with a hint of expectation:
"Which role are you preparing to audition for this time?"
"What role?"
"Don't you know that today is the day the Nightingale Opera Troupe is openly recruiting actors for 'blood shadow rose'?"
Hearing Liji-Xiaosi's question, Jia Na couldn't help but frown.
"I came to the audition because I received an invitation from David-Berg, not specifically to audition for a certain role."
"David-Berg? You know David-Berg? That genius director who wrote 'blood shadow rose' and 'song of the ocean', David-Berg?"
"He actually wrote these two scripts?"
Seeing that Jia Na's expression didn't seem fake, Liji-Xiaosi finally confirmed that the witch in front of her, who was exceptionally beautiful but looked completely inexperienced, was not on the same track as her at all.
The other party was not like the small actors in the waiting hall who were bitterly waiting to audition for minor supporting roles, but a future "potential stock" personally selected by David-Berg as a talent scout.
"Senior Sister Liji? Liji?"
Hearing the call from the person beside her, Liji-Xiaosi, who had just been lost in thought, suddenly came back to her senses.
"Ah, I'm fine, I suddenly feel fine—"
Looking at Liji-Xiaosi's neurotic and unusual behavior, Jia Na just shook her head.
"Are everyone in the waiting hall actors waiting to audition for 'blood shadow rose'?"
"Yes."
"Then where did you all get the audition information?"
"Of course, it was notified by the Actors' Guild. Many people present are veterans in the opera industry with good acting skills, they just lack an opportunity..."
Liji-Xiaosi didn't hide anything from Jia Na, almost telling her everything she knew.
"Then Senior Sister must have performed in many operas, right? After all, your singing foundation is so outstanding, and you're a rare second-level Sound-type apprentice."
Hearing this, Liji-Xiaosi smiled proudly:
"Of course. I used to be a contracted actress with the White Horse Troupe. Since my contract expired at the beginning of this year, I wanted to transfer to the Nightingale Opera Troupe. It's just a pity... I didn't pass the audition at the Nightingale Opera Troupe last time..."
Due to limitations in appearance, Liji-Xiaosi, who was determined to be the female lead, was reluctantly eliminated during the Nightingale Opera Troupe's audition for "Sparrow" last month.
However, due to her naturally optimistic mindset and her fervent love for opera, Liji-Xiaosi reflected deeply after returning, summarized her shortcomings, and decided to try again.
This time, Liji-Xiaosi was no longer aiming too high. After fully assessing her own conditions, she decided to apply for the role of Natasha's sister in "blood shadow rose", which is the third female lead in the play—the teenage role of Nakiusha. Although her overall screentime in the entire play is not much, her role in her specific act is quite significant.
"You mean, all the actors present are competing for minor roles in the Nightingale Opera Troupe?"
After listening to Liji-Xiaosi's explanation, Jia Na looked around and asked in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Don't make it sound so bad. Even the smallest role in 'blood shadow rose' has a value that major operas from other troupes can hardly match... What's more, I'm not competing for some minor role, but the legitimate third female lead in Act A, okay?"
The entire play "blood shadow rose" is divided into three acts. Act A tells the story of Natasha's teenage years before joining the army. Acts B and C mainly cover Natasha's plot after adulthood, totaling two hours, interspersed with many combat sequences. Therefore, the main roles are played by extraordinary individuals.
"Speaking of which, has Director David-Berg revealed which role he hopes you will play?"
