When the groupings were announced, Khloe found herself placed with Judith and Ensley-the two fiercest competitors. Both were popular, well-backed, and undeniably talented.
As soon as they saw who their third group member was, Judith and Ensley ignored Khloe, their attention laser-focused on each other. To them, Khloe had already lost.
“Please prepare for the audition,” the staff instructed, ushering the six of them into the audition area.
The room was expansive, with six identical tables arranged neatly in the center. The producers and director sat at the front, with cameras aimed at each table. Each table was outfitted with a set of equipment, resembling some sort of apparatus.
As the others stared at the strange setup, Khloe instantly recognized the setup as a basic chemistry lab for purifying rare elements.
The staff handed out protective gear to each actress before Elwood stood and addressed the group.
“I want you to recreate a scene from the novel where Roselyn purifies rare elements in a rudimentary lab, stunning the academic world. I’ll show you a video of how the equipment operates, but the decisions Roselyn makes and the risks she faces must be shown in your performance. Keep in mind, this purification process is dangerous. If any of you have doubts, leave now.”
A heavy silence fell. No one moved. Everyone knew this was their one shot. The role of Roselyn could propel them to stardom.
“Alright, since there are no objections, let’s get started.” The video began, detailing the basic functions of the equipment. Every eye was glued to the screen.
As the video came to an end, the audition officially began.
The cameras were positioned and ready, capturing every moment of the actresses’ auditions.
When Khloe’s name was called, she strode towards the control panel with unwavering confidence, her eyes brimming with determination and poise.
Taking a deep breath, Khloe began her task. Her fingers glided over the equipment with precision and grace, as though orchestrating an inaudible symphony.
She started by expertly adjusting the instrument’s settings. Her fingers moved with a light, rhythmic agility across the knobs and buttons.
Next, she lifted a measuring tool, controlling the flow of the reagent with exact precision. Each movement was deliberate, like a choreographed dance, perfectly reflecting Roselyn’s composed and methodical character.
The entire sequence was completed in under a minute. Unlike the other actresses who fumbled through their performances, Khloe’s execution stood out brilliantly. One of the producers on the judging panel couldn’t hide his admiration.
“Khloe must have a background in chemistry; her technique is incredibly professional.”
“Exactly! With her skills, we won’t even need a body double for these scenes.”
Overhearing the production team’s chatter, Elwood smirked. “Casting the lead isn’t about technical prowess. Who cares if Khloe knows chemistry? Hand shots can be faked with camera angles or doubles. What really matters is whether she can bring Roselyn to life.”
The excited producer quickly reined in his excitement and refocused on the audition.
The screenwriter exchanged a quick glance with Alissa, the assistant director, both sensing a growing tension for Khloe. It was clear that Elwood harbored a strong bias against Khloe.
As the auditions progressed, the other actresses, though far less skilled with the equipment, began to convey Roselyn’s composed demeanor more effectively. Despite their technical shortcomings, their expressions were compelling, with Ensley and Judith emerging as the strongest contenders after Khloe.
Suddenly, midway through the operation, a piercing alarm blared from Khloe’s workstation, and the dial on the dashboard started fluctuating erratically.
The abrupt disturbance stunned everyone, their eyes snapping to Khloe in shock, silently questioning whether she was on the verge of failure.
A glimmer of mockery flashed in Elwood’s eyes. He had predicted that someone as arrogant and flashy as Khloe wouldn’t make it far in the audition.
But Khloe remained unshaken. Her sharp eyes quickly spotted the problem-a temperature control failure leading to the abnormal reaction.
Without missing a beat, she reached out and made precise adjustments to the temperature control.
Suddenly, a spark flared from the machinery, drawing audible gasps from the room.
“Quick, put out the fire!”
A staff member hurried over with a fire extinguisher in hand, but Khloe stopped him with a calm, steady look. She lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes sharp and unnervingly composed.
“There’s no need. The equipment’s precision is insufficient, which naturally leads to elemental resonance. This reaction is entirely expected.”
Her calm explanation left the room in stunned silence, a chill of realization running down their spines.
Those words struck a chord-they mirrored a pivotal moment in the original novel, when Roselyn encountered a similar alarm during a university lecture.
In the story, Roselyn’s life unraveled as scandals engulfed her, and her company sued her, resulting in her accounts being frozen. She was left destitute, barely clinging to a place to stay. Despite this, her unwavering love for science kept her going. Her greatest fear wasn’t the loss of money or comfort, but the thought of her mind stagnating. Determined to stay sharp, she attended university classes regularly.
In one gripping scene, a professor dismissed an element as hypothetical, prompting Roselyn to step up and prove its extraction right then and there. It was one of the novel’s most exhilarating moments.
Undeterred, Khloe resumed the purification process as though the earlier alarm had been nothing more than a trivial glitch.
Her gaze remained unflinching, locked onto the equipment. It was as if she could envision the element being meticulously purified and separated inside.
Her precision bore fruit. The equipment, previously limited to crude purification, began to yield a glimmering substance, sparkling like grains of golden sand.
It was an element usually seen only in elite industrial labs. And Khloe had managed to extract it right there in the audition room.
The producer, who had been sitting tense with clenched fists, gradually relaxed. His jaw slackened, and disbelief filled his wide eyes.
The nearby staff couldn’t resist murmuring their awe. “She’s bringing the novel to life right before our eyes!”
“Unbelievable! It’s like we’re those students in the novel, watching her in amazement.”
“Wow, so this is how those students felt when Roselyn pulled off that extraction? It’s pure magic.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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