Filippa hadn’t expected Elisa to swear. Her face, still flushed with embarrassment, now turned pale and then red again when Elisa confronted her.
“Why are you like this…?” Filippa said.
“What did I do?” Elisa stepped to the side, arms crossed, and calmly stared at her. “You love to meddle so much. If a dung cart passed by outside, would you chase after it to taste the smell?”
“Don’t get cocky here, Elisa. When you go up on stage later, don’t forget your lines like last time,” Filippa retorted.
A strange thought crossed Elisa’s mind. When did she forget her lines last time? She didn’t dwell on it and simply glanced at Filippa before turning and leaving, leaving Filippa seething in place.
The easiest way to get rid of trouble around you was to dodge a punch without retaliating when someone tried to hit you. This would make the other person look like they were overreacting.
The competition would be broadcast live, and the final footage would be edited and formally released later.
At 9:20, the actors were in place, and after a brief introduction by the host, the official recording began.
Elisa’s group was slated for appearance “4”.
Elisa watched the performances from backstage on the large screen. Each artist’s performance was excellent, and the mentors gave high praise.
Instinctively, Elisa glanced at Louis. His demeanor was completely different from when he was alone with her. If their previous state together could be likened to a loyal dog, now he was like a fierce wild wolf, poised and ready, fixated on his prey.
After the first three performances, it was nearly 11:15, and the mentors called for a break to discuss whether to eat lunch before continuing. The mentors temporarily muted their microphones, but the live camera continued to follow. Louis, not facing the camera, seemed to be saying something, judging by the movement of his lips.
“No, we must finish watching the next performance,” he insisted.
So, the recording continued.
From the start of the recording, Elisa didn’t look at the camera again. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her emotions. Filippa, beside her, put down her script and began to mock Elisa.
“Some people have no talent and refuse to make an effort. It’s a waste of time,” Filippa sneered.
Elisa opened her eyes, her lowered lashes trembling slightly with what seemed like a hint of fear.
“Let’s go, Sebastian,” Filippa called out.
“Coming,” Filippa followed, her eyes disdainful-pretentious and indifferent.
As Brigitta, played by Elisa, had to wait a moment before going on stage, Sebastian and Filippa’s acting was truly good. They portrayed the sweetness and affection between lovers perfectly.
Elisa’s gaze turned to the mentors’ group. Louis, with his back to the camera, stifled a yawn. She couldn’t help but smile faintly, her indifferent eyes softening.
The stage lights dimmed. It was time for Elisa to take the stage. Her heels clicked against the floor in the quiet theater. Her voice, clear and captivating, drew everyone’s attention, including the audience below.
As a spotlight fell on her, the stage lights illuminated Elisa in a qipao, walking gracefully toward Sebastian. Her eyes sparkled, exuding natural charm.
Sebastian was momentarily stunned by her beauty. After a brief pause, he heard Elisa ask, “Brother, am I beautiful?”
The Elisa in front of him, compared to the one with whom he had acted a few days ago, was completely transformed.
In an instant, he was in character, looking at the woman before him, but in his mind, he saw her as “Brigitta.”
At that moment, Elisa was Brigitta, the woman entirely devoted to Ezra.
“Brother, am I beautiful?” Brigitta asked coquettishly, gazing carefully at the man in front of her, moving gracefully toward him, her long legs vaguely visible beneath the qipao.
Dressed in a plain qipao, she looked like a budding white rose, delicate and alluring. Not only did Sebastian’s breath catch, but the eyes of the audience also couldn’t help but follow the petite and alluring figure on the stage.
Even Filippa’s fans, who had just been mocking Elisa, were now dumbfounded.
After just a few lines, everyone was drawn into her performance. Was this really Elisa?
The majority of the audience who had come today, if not all, had come to see Elisa make a fool of herself.
Elisa had always had a bad reputation with the audience. Her acting was subpar, she was too seductive, and she was known for stirring upromantic rumors with male actors. She had even admitted to flirting with a director on Twitter and using her influence to obtain scripts.
In the entertainment industry, the most unique artist was Elisa. She had no fans; nearly six million followers on Twitter consisted entirely of haters. She received so many private messages daily that she couldn’t possibly read them all in a month.
But now, Elisa was like a diamond that had been polished clean, shining brightly in the place where she should be, captivating everyone’s attention.
“She’s just a vase…” A sudden voice from the audience disrupted everyone’s thoughts.
Yes… she’s just a vase.
But Elisa’s performance subsequently disrupted everyone’s perception of her. Whether facing Sebastian or Filippa on stage, even without speaking, her gaze irresistibly drew everyone’s attention, including the camera.
Louis stared fixedly at Elisa. When he heard her say “Brother,” his ears twitched.
Seeing so many people staring at her, a surge of jealousy rose in Louis. He wanted to take this version of Elisa home and hide her away, so that no one else could glimpse her. But if he did that… wouldn’t Elisa hate him?
Just thinking about it, Louis felt uncomfortable and averted his gaze. When the live camera turned to him, he was looking down, his expression grave and tense.
Online viewers watching the live stream saw Louis’s expression and started commenting.
“What’s wrong with Louis? He was so attentive during the previous performances. Why is he so distracted now?”
“Of course, he’s been dazzled by her acting. Just look at the person standing on the stage.”
“When Elisa appeared, I was a bit shocked, but thankfully, she’s not attracting Louis’s attention.”
“Elisa is so unpleasant to the eyes. Some people say she’s good-looking; what kind of eyes do they have? Disgusting. When will she leave?”
“Her acting is really bad; she’s just a vase. Her fans are blind.”
“Does Elisa even have fans?”
The comments filled the screen, criticizing Elisa’s acting, but those who were acting alongside her, Filippa and Sebastian, could clearly feel how terrifying her performance was.
As the performance reached three-quarters of the way through, Filippa’s character, Camellia, met a tragic fate, leading to the main focus on the interaction between Elisa and Sebastian.
Sebastian took a deep breath. Facing Elisa alone was too overwhelming. It was as if Elisa had stepped out of the script, and he was being possessed by Brigitta.
He had underestimated Elisa before, but her acting was beyond ordinary. A slight lapse in attention would allow her to dominate the scene. The final segment was crucial.
He raised the gun in his hand. “It was you who killed her, and her family was also at your mercy.”
“Haven’t you found out already? Why do you need to ask me?” Elisa glanced up casually, her cold demeanor inexplicably captivating. Her lines were delivered flawlessly, perfectly timed with the background music.
Despite her numerous misdeeds, she wore a pitiable look, deceiving everyone with her face.
Sebastian, looking at her, nearly lowered the gun. He struggled to restrain himself, his hands trembling. The camera captured his subtle reaction clearly.
“Why did you do this? What did she do to make you so ruthless?”
“She is wrong for appearing in front of you, brother. Isn’t it enough for you to have me? Why does there need to be another woman by your side?” Brigitta’s eyes were bloodshot, and she tried to speak calmly, but her breath was still chaotic, filled with hatred for Camellia.
She gazed at Ezra, her eyes filled with a fanatical, crazed obsession, shifting from his face to the gun barrel. “I knew long ago that you would uncover the truth one day, brother. Do you hate me so much? Do you hate me to the point of wanting to kill me? But I am not at fault. I just love you too much. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for saving me in the first place, only to abandon me. If it weren’t for Camellia, you would always have been my brother.”
Sebastian hesitated for a moment before delivering his line, his momentum weakening. “How could you possibly love me? I am your brother!”
From this segment, it was clear that Elisa was stealing the scene. Sebastian struggled to keep up with her pace, managing to finish his lines.
“We are not related by blood. Why can’t we be together? I won’t force you to marry me. We can just be like we used to be, loving siblings. Oh, and… do you know why our mother suddenly fell ill? It’s because I’ve been poisoning her food every day. Now the poison has reached her heart and lungs. To stay alive, she has to take the antidote every day. If you don’t agree to my request… who knows, she might breathe her last at any moment…” After speaking, Brigitta burst into loud laughter, looking at the man in front of her. Lifting her foot, she was about to embrace her brother again, just like always, seemingly no different.
“Bang!” The sound of a gunshot rang out. Elisa’s pupils slightly constricted as she watched Sebastian aiming the gun at her, when in the script, it should have been Ezra shooting himself. Yet his gun was pointed at her.
There were no unusual sounds at the scene, indicating that they had secretly changed the script without informing her.
Elisa instantly understood Filippa’s words, “Don’t forget your lines…”
So, this was where she was waiting for her!
A good actor can easily handle various unexpected situations, flawlessly resolving any plot holes. After pausing for two seconds, she quickly reacted, clutching her left chest, her expression unbelieving as she looked at him, then transitioning into pain, and finally, acceptance.
Brigitta’s mouth curved upwards, her face showing a smile more ghastly than tears, her eyes filled with tears, the faint hope that had just ignited now extinguished. She mustered her last bit of strength and approached Ezra, wanting to embrace him as usual, only to be repelled by his disgust. She reached out, only to grab the cold gun in his hand, the gun that would end her life.
Staggering, Brigitta could no longer stand and knelt on the ground. She weakly pressed the gun against her throat, looking up at Ezra, the man she had loved for three years, the man she had called brother for three years.
The feeling of familiarity and estrangement, perhaps, was that she clearly loved this man, yet could only be his sister, lacking even the courage to call him by name.
Choking back tears, Brigitta’s breath was faint. “Three years ago… this was meant to be the ending. Brother, I have no regrets. I’m just sorry that when I wanted to die, you gave me hope for life, and when I wanted to live again, you killed me. If… I hadn’t seen the light, I could have endured the darkness. Brother, I’m sorry… In the long years to come, please live well, even if living is worse than death…”
After speaking, tears streamed down Brigitta’s face. She tugged at the corners of her lips, and the once stunning white rose withered in her hand, passing on the final plot meant for Brigitta to Ezra.
The background music erupted in a thunderous roar, and as the sound reverberated, Brigitta fell backward onto the ground, her eyes closed, a smile on her lips.
The entire stage descended into darkness, illuminated only by the flames of the backdrop.
Next, there was a monologue from Sebastian, but the audience’s attention had long followed Elisa. They were engrossed in the play, captivated by the performance delivered by Elisa. Some in the audience even began to wipe away tears.
Sebastian struggled to conclude. From the beginning, he had been biased against Elisa, and he had no objections to Filippa’s proposal to secretly alter the script. He had expected Elisa to fail miserably, but he had never anticipated her acting skills to be so refined, pushing the scene to a level he could barely react to in time.
They say those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Perhaps, that’s what they meant.