Xiao Tao, whose uninspired name translated literally to “Little Peach,” was the female lead’s maid.
“They’re not asking for much for this character. I’m sure you’ll be able to get the part with your looks alone,” Yi Ling said helpfully.
Yan Huan took another sip of water as she listened to Yi Ling repeat what she had overheard: Wen Dongni had told someone over the phone that she had already been chosen for the role of Hong Yao. Yan Huan found this amusing, yet somewhat disconcerting at the same time.
Yi Ling had to have extremely sharp ears if she was able to hear Wen Dongni from that distance. Yan Huan’s thoughts began to stray: Was Yi Ling able to hear their neighbors— the married couple next door— whisper to each other at night?
“Are you saying you were able to hear everything she said?”
Yan Huan walked to a chair nearby and sat down. Her fingers continued playing with the cup in her hand, like a child playing with a beloved toy.
“Of course.” Yi Ling thumped her chest. “Who do you think I am? I have perfect hearing. In fact, here’s a secret…” She looked around furtively, and when she was sure they were entirely alone, she moved closer to Yan Huan and whispered into her ear. “You know our neighbors, the couple next door? I can hear everything they say to each other at night.”
Pffffffttt! Yan Huan spat out the water in her mouth.
“Huanhuan, that is so disgusting. Did you have to wash my face? Really?”
Yan Huan cleared her throat. She turned away and continued sipping at her water, sincerely glad that her ears were not as sensitive as Yi Ling’s. She had never overheard the couple next door, and had never been forced to listen to the sounds of their nightly activities.
The two of them went back home. Yi Ling was feeling very depressed.
“Huanhuan, it’s okay. So what if we didn’t get a part this time? We’ll just look for other roles.” Yi Ling couldn’t help but feel like she had wrecked Yan Huan’s chances during the audition. She had not kept a careful eye on the time, so Yan Huan had missed the audition for the role of the maid. Now there were only tiny parts left, but she had heard that production had already hired all the extras they needed. Yi Ling was now seriously considering going over to Hengdian World Studios and camping there to see if she could beg for some acting roles for Yan Huan.
Yan Huan had been lost in thought. She snapped out of her reverie and blinked quizzically at Yi Ling. “Yiyi, didn’t I tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Yi Ling’s head drooped dejectedly as she began to plan her stake-out at Hengdian World Studios. She would go that evening, and bring her blanket along so she didn’t freeze to death.
“I got the part of Hong Yao.”
Wait a minute… Yi Ling’s head shot up, her eyes wide as saucers. “What did you just say? Are you talking about the traditional medicinal bandages? You bought ‘gao yao’?”
“That’s not what I said.” Yan Huan kneeled down and scooped up Little Bean, who began meowing affectionately, her delicate ears flicking forwards and backwards. Little Bean licked her master’s fingers before settling into Yan Huan’s lap to sleep. The kitten had put on quite a bit of weight, and was now a very beautiful cat.
“I will be playing the part of Hong Yao. Once we wrap up the shoot, we may be able to move into a bigger house, and Little Bean here will have a lot more space to play in. Isn’t that right?” Yan Huan rubbed the kitten’s tiny pink nose. Little Bean began to lick her paws, her large, dewy eyes flickering towards Yan Huan every now and then. The kitten reached out a paw to bat playfully at the loose clothing Yan Huan wore. She was an intelligent and well-behaved cat; she kept her claws retracted, for fear of hurting her master.
It took a long moment for Yi Ling to process what Yan Huan was saying. When she finally understood, she let out a long, bloodcurdling scream that resounded throughout the tiny room.
“Huanhuan, you got the part! Oh my god, you did it!”
“Yes, I did it.” Yan Huan picked up the script for Love and Tribulations and began leafing through it.
