SECRET UNION, VOLUME 5 - Season 5 Episode 59

As they watched all the auditioning artistes walk in and then out, one after another, the ones who had yet to go in inevitably felt the pressure increase, especially since most of the failed candidates were A-listers.

When the advertisement director of Noble, Cook continuously scolded furiously in the audition hall, everyone became increasingly nervous.

Cook’s Chinese was not too shabby, so everything that he was yelling could be heard clearly by everyone outside…

“Did they really understand what I was saying? I’m suspecting if they are even intelligent enough! I want nobility! Elegance! Not a soulless puppet doll dancing on a music box!”

“Fang Xiaowen? No, no, no, she can’t do! Her performance was very good, but her eyes betrayed her inferior soul!”

“Xu Jiaojiao? Are you kidding? She was practically a walking jewelry rack! Plain beyond anything!”

“Meng Shiyi? She can be an excellent actress, but definitely not the goddess that’s as elegant as the bright moon that I had in mind!”

“The previous one? You mean number 13? Oh my God! She was practically lying to us! She did not know anything about Guqin [1] at all!”

…

As they listened to Cook’s harsh and brutal criticisms, the female artistes outside who were originally strutting their egos around started to look uncertain of themselves.

“Does this white guy actually know anything? He just criticised everyone!”

“I think he’s just purely prejudiced against Chinese people!”

“His words are too harsh! It’s just a performance, so a little acting is fine. Do we have to really know everything?! Based on his logic, actors would need to be a god that’s well-versed in everything!”

…

Very quickly, number 14’s turn was up. Li Yueling haughtily declared, “Hah, only those without potential will look for excuses!” then she walked confidently into the audition hall.

When Li Yueling pushed the door to enter, a frustrated Cook was suddenly stunned for a while.

Li Yueling donned a luxurious vintage Chinese cheongsam, with an expensive pearl necklace draped on her neck. Her hair was tied into a bun and pinned with a translucent jade. Not only did she embody nobility and elegance, she displayed China’s features very wonderfully too.

When he saw Li Yueling, Cook’s eyes shone and his tone was clearly much gentler, “Oh, my dear baby, come over quickly, come to me! Let me look at you closely!”

Li Yueling let Cook evaluate her without much fear. She was highly educated since she was a child, so every word, move, and smile of hers naturally revealed the charisma of nobles and she did not need to act at all.

After Cook had examined her, he was very satisfied. He said, “Miss Li, you can begin your performance now!”

The audition hall was very big and it was filled with all sorts of props including the Guzheng [2], piano, calligraphy pen, Chinese chess, needle and thread, fans, handkerchiefs…

Li Yueling casually skimmed and touched the Guqin, “This!”

As compared to the Guzheng, the Guqin was more difficult to play. It had a four-octave range and two tones, with seven open strings, 91 harmonics, and 147 stopped strings; the techniques of playing it were abundant.

If one were to simply pretend to lie to Cook, that would not impossible as Cook had lived in China for 20 years and loved the Chinese culture deeply. He was someone who was well-versed with Chinese culture. Before this, a female artiste who tried her luck with the instrument was insulted harshly by Cook…

When he saw that Li Yueling had chosen the Guqin as well, Cook’s eyes held some reservations. However, as she started to play, his gaze started to change…