With global currency devaluation, I'll wear these back and take my whole family flying!

Three days later, the final confirmed cast list was sent to the class group by the teacher.

Shen Li's roommates eagerly opened the document with her, but their expressions froze after they saw the contents.

"Ah Yu" - Kate Tsui

Xu Zishan from Class 8?

"What happened?" Wang Chuhan asked, puzzled. "Wasn't Shen Li cast on the spot? How did it end up being played by Xu Zishan?"

Sun Yuan was also quite surprised. Recalling the audition that day, she felt indignant on Shen Li's behalf: "What the hell? Xu Zishan wasn't auditioning for 'Ayu' that day either, so how did she end up playing this role?"

And then look further down.

"Aru" - Shen Li.

The roles the two ultimately chose were the roles the other auditioned for that day, completely reversed.

“There must be a mistake.” Wang Chuhan patted the stunned Shen Li and urged, “Shen Li, you should quickly ask Teacher Zhang if the production team made a mistake and mixed you up with Xu Zishan.”

Sun Yuan nodded in agreement.

Only Zhao Meina suddenly looked at Shen Li and sighed at this moment: "Shen Li, don't ask anymore. I guess this is the result. You can't change anything."

"Mina, what do you mean by that?" Wang Chuhan's brows furrowed. "Do you know something?"

Shen Li also looked up, her eyes slightly red and brimming with tears, but she forced herself not to cry.

She was really looking forward to playing the role of "Ayu".

Looking at Shen Li's pitiful appearance, Zhao Meina felt a pang of sympathy and held her hand. "Yesterday during military training, I overheard some rumors coming from Class 8. They said Xu Zishan's father invested 500 yuan in the 'Destiny of the Phoenix' production team."

"Five hundred yuan?" Wang Chuhan and Sun Yuan were both surprised and subconsciously glanced at Shen Li.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Zhao Meina's words, Shen Li's aggrieved expression dissipated by seven-tenths.

She nodded slightly as if accepting the result, and said in a low voice, "I felt a little unwilling just now, but if she spent five hundred yuan to get this role, I'm not so upset."

“Shen Li…”

Her roommates thought she was just putting on a brave face. Anyone who had gone through something like that would feel it was unfair, right? How could she accept it so easily?

Shen Li forced a smile, shook her head at her roommates, and said, "Honestly, although 'Ayu' is the maid with the most room for development, she's still just a maid in the end. It doesn't really matter who plays her. But if it can bring in 500 yuan for the production, I can understand."

Wang Chuhan and Sun Yuan hugged her from both sides, trying to offer her some silent comfort.

Zhao Meina patted her hand and said, "Actually, this kind of situation is quite common in the entertainment industry. You will inevitably encounter it in the future. You had your role snatched away on your first audition. Just take it as a lesson to hone your mentality."

Shen Li nodded: "Many classmates didn't get any roles, but at least I got to play 'Aru,' which is pretty good."

Her roommates breathed a sigh of relief when they saw how optimistic she was.

Meanwhile, Shen Ci stayed indoors for three days and finally finished reading the nearly two million-word novel "Destined to Be a Phoenix" in her dormitory.

Although she only glanced at it quickly, she already understood the main storyline and the main characters' backgrounds.

"You finally finished reading?"

Gu Lianxing, holding a plate of green salad, shook her head in amazement: "You're really amazing. When I was reading this book, it took me almost a month. When the Second Miss died, I even had to recover for two or three days. I cried so much..."

As she spoke, she put down the salad in her hand, her eyes shining, and said, "You haven't left the house for three days. Li Xiao has come for three days in a row. I just sent him away when I went downstairs to get the takeout. Shall we go out to eat? I want to eat at the same restaurant we went to last time."

Shen Ci smiled and nodded. She had been staying in her dorm reading novels these past few days, and Gu Lianxing had been buying her meals. Naturally, she wanted to repay her.

On her way out of school, Shen Ci sent a video call to her younger sister.

She's currently in military training and can only contact people at night.

The video call connected quickly, and before either of them could speak, Shen Ci noticed something was wrong with her sister.

Although she appeared optimistic and strong, Shen Li secretly cried while taking a shower. Unexpectedly, when the Apple camera took a picture of her eyes, they were so obviously red.

"What's wrong?" Shen Ci's smile vanished as she asked.

Shen Li quickly smiled and said, "It's alright, sis. I just had some good news to tell you. The crew of 'Destiny of the Phoenix' came to our school a few days ago to cast actors, and I got a role."

Shen Ci was taken aback. What a coincidence?

"I've just read this book. Who are you going to play?" Shen Ci asked.

"She plays 'Aru,' the little maidservant who serves the Fourth Miss."

Shen Ci thought about it carefully before remembering this minor character, who was beaten to death with sticks in the early to mid-stages of the novel for "taking the blame for the master".

"Sister, Shen Li was originally supposed to play 'Ayu,' but someone with connections snatched the role from her."

Unexpectedly, Wang Chuhan suddenly squeezed into the camera and said loudly. Before Shen Li could react, she noticed that her sister's face had darkened.

Gu Lianxing, who was next to Shen Ci, frowned upon hearing this: "Isn't your sister a freshman? Are people already using these kinds of methods to compete?"

"Ah Li, tell me what happened," Shen Cixin asked calmly.

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Shen Li recounted the whole story in detail. At the end, fearing that her sister would be unhappy, she pretended to be relaxed and said, "But I think it's pretty good. Something is better than nothing. There will be other opportunities in the future."

Shen Ci naturally felt sorry for her younger sister, but from her perspective, she didn't want her sister to play "Ayu".

“Ali, listen to me, the role of ‘Ayu’ isn’t suitable for you. Although the director and teachers think you acted very well, that’s precisely why I don’t want you to play this role.”

"This role is a villain. Although it's just a minor supporting role, if you play it too well, as a newcomer, it's easy to get typecast. What if everyone wants you to play bad maids in the future?"

Shen Ci wasn't trying to force her sister to accept her advice, nor was she trying to scare her. Many actors who are just starting out are limited by the roles they play in their first project. Once they perform too well, many similar roles will come their way.

Besides, she couldn't possibly let her sister play a maid, no matter whose maid she was playing.

Even if you can't be the female lead from the start, you still have to be a supporting character with your shining moments.

For example, if she casts her younger sister in a role like the timid, kind, and carefree second young lady in the early part of the novel, who later resolutely chooses to die for the female lead, she'll definitely gain a large following.