The production team's office was inside the building. Ashley Grant was given a script for a scene, and there were still quite a few people in the waiting area. He studied the script on his own, and as he read, inspiration struck. After waiting for about two hours, he was called into the office.

Ashley Grant had looked up information about the director, so he recognized the pot-bellied middle-aged man talking with a man in a baseball cap by the floor-to-ceiling window as the director of this project, Matthew King.

“Director King?” The producer turned and called out. Matthew King nodded to the man in the baseball cap and sat back down, while the man in the cap remained by the window, always showing only his back.

Matthew King lifted his chin and said to a female staff member beside him, “Molly, help the actor with the scene.”

The girl called Molly stepped in front of Ashley Grant.

She wasn’t an actor, but the director’s assistant, and didn’t really know much about acting—she was just there to play the part of a prop person when needed. Still, Ashley Grant was quite good-looking, so being a prop person for him put her in a better mood.

Although she couldn’t act, after being a prop person for so long, she could recite the lines by heart, and she had a general idea of the routines actors used in their performances.

The script was original, and in this scene, the third male lead, who was the female lead’s brother, had a confrontation with the male lead, his nemesis, and at this point, the third male lead was already terminally ill.

As soon as this handsome guy got into character, his expression changed, and he said coldly, “If you want to be with him, it’ll only be over my dead body.”

Molly was stunned. The previous actors mostly kept the third male lead’s outgoing persona here, expressing their emotions openly, with lots of body language—grabbing shoulders right away, their words full of hatred for the male lead and resentment over losing to him in their careers, then showing the pain of enduring illness.

Molly didn’t really know what level that was—she could usually only tell if it was awkward or not.

But right now, Molly quickly lost the ability to think about anything else. Ashley Grant’s gaze truly pierced into her heart. The somewhat melodramatic lines, under his performance, became especially convincing.

He stared at her intently, his eyes seeming to gather all his strength. Beneath the tough exterior was the knowledge that his ship was sinking, the galaxy was collapsing—not just unwillingness to accept it, but as if there was something more.

Molly was completely shaken, even forgetting her next line. She was almost a little scared; that look was too complex. Even without explanation, it made her think of someone on the verge of death...

Molly didn’t notice that as the scene went on, the room had grown quieter and quieter at some point, everyone’s attention drawn in.

The man in the baseball cap by the window had also, at some point, turned around and was quietly watching.

...

“Interesting...” Matthew King rubbed his chin and said to the producer, “Delicate, genuine, and full of tension, with rich layers—even I got goosebumps.”

For a young actor to portray a life-and-death scene with such depth... rare!

He keenly sensed that this was an actor who could add color to the role.

The third male lead, as a supporting character and a sister-complex type, often had quite a few comedic scenes. He had his own story, but it was pretty formulaic and not shown much. If the actor’s performance stood out and added credibility, it could really deepen the character.

The producer nodded as well. This was truly rare. The character hadn’t even said he was sick, and while some previous actors had done well, comparison really is the thief of joy—Ashley Grant’s performance was just so, so, so convincing, and very restrained, which elevated the character’s entire personality.

Before the producer could speak, the man in the baseball cap behind them said, “Hmm, I’ll think about it.”

“Huh... Huh? What are you thinking about? What’s it got to do with you?” Matthew King turned around. “Bro, we’re the ones casting right now.”

The man in the baseball cap said nothing, just pressed down the brim of his hat.

Matthew King rolled his eyes.

On the other side, after closing his eyes, Ashley Grant let out a sigh of relief in his heart and slowly came out of character.

Funny enough, at that moment, he had recalled the emotions he’d experienced when he’d previously encountered Old Miller.

—Even though Old Miller and the third male lead in an idol drama seemed completely unrelated, and the scenes were different, there are commonalities in human nature.

The emotions he’d felt for the first time as a soul had left a huge impact and impression on him, and because he’d experienced them as a soul, it was hard to forget that feeling.

While acting, he kept recalling it, and unconsciously immersed himself in that state again, blending it into his character.

Ashley Grant said to Molly, who had acted with him, “Thank you.”

“N-no problem...” Molly stammered, looking dazedly at the now lively Ashley Grant.

“Not bad, really well done.” Matthew King walked over. “Ashley Grant, right?”

Ashley Grant noticed that the man in the baseball cap had also come over, though his face was still unclear. He didn’t mind, since there were plenty of staff around. He just reached out to Matthew King, “Hello, Director King, yes.”

Matthew King shook his hand. “Your performance was very moving. I really liked it. Could you do a bit of improvisation for us?”

Ashley Grant was delighted—being tested meant they were interested in his acting, and his chances of landing the role had just gone up.