Yeri was glad that he complimented her. She smiled and gave Lisa a smug look as she was challenging her.
She wanted to see her acting as well because she hated the way Lisa tried to look perfect all the time. She wanted to see how good she acts that she surpassed other actresses and grab this role without any support or underhanded activities.
"Now Lisa, it's your turn. Look at the script and act out the scene. You just need to relax and don't be nervous okay. Also, imagine yourself as the Empress and perform it as you would perform in front of the camera." he looked at Lisa while saying this.
He was talking to her in a low gentle voice because he does not want to scare her and it was her first time acting and reading her script with everyone. He does not want to feel nervous and wanted to see the same incredible performance that he has seen at the auditions.
Lisa straightened her back and nodded while listening to his instructions. She looked down at her dialogues with serious expressions while Yeri was smiling mockingly seeing Lisa looking all serious.
For her, Lisa was a girl with no talent and has got this role with someone's support only. So she was waiting for her to make a joke of herself in front of everyone. And she is not magnanimous enough to leave her like this.
She wanted to show her that she can't act better than her.
....
"So in this scene, you will argue with you and Jaebeom. In this scene, you need to portray your anger and pain at the same time. You can do it right?" Mr. Han looked at Lisa seriously and asked her in a low voice.
Lisa looked at him without smiling and nodded her head.
Mr. Han smiled seeing her stern expressions. She has already prepared herself to act in this scene.
'Very good.' he always liked people who are serious towards their work and always take the script readings seriously. Because it shows how they will going to act during the shooting and how he as a director can help them improve their acting and talent.
"Action. " he signaled her with his hand for her to start.
Her expressions suddenly changed as she turned to look at Jaebeom and stared at him for a while with her stern expressions with her eyes watery, "Does his highness think that I am cruel?"
"His Highness, why do you think that I would be fine when you brought that bitch into the palace? You married so many princesses earlier and I didn't say anything but why she?" she shouted as she looked at Jaebeom by her side.
"Meng Huang, mind your language. How can you speak so crudely? You're the Empress, can't you behave like one?" he lashed out at her listening to her foul words. Jaebeom also got into the character because of her Lisa's incredible acting which made him feel like he is truly an Emperor.
Moreover, he is an experienced actor, so it's not a big deal for him. But he was surprised to see Lisa in this light.
Lisa stared at him and didn't care about his shouting and continued, "She was not even a princess. You said that you only love me. You said that I will be your only love. You said that you will not love anyone as you do me. Was that all a lie?" her voice started trembling as her eyes welled up with tears.
Jaebeom who was looking at Lisa was startled seeing the change in her expressions. He has never expected her to start crying for real.
Generally, actresses used glycerine for crying but she was crying without it.
But he kept his composure and continued,"Meng Huang aren't you being childish. You know that I care about you. We were childhood friends when our marriage got fixed, I was so happy back then. I always treated you well and let you do whatever you wanted"
"You're my closest friend and my first wife. You will always be the Empress. Nobody can take your position as Empress so don't be this way. Duan Lan is a very pitiful girl. She lost her family and has no one except me. So stop being so cruel to that little girl. " he tried to reason out with her.
Director Han was surprised to see Lisa act this way. He loved the way they both were acting. He can finally be seeing his characters coming into life.
'It was right for me to choose her.'
Lisa scoffed in ridicule while wiping her tears from her eyes.
Her expressions were full of sadness and anger in it. Director Han and everyone was intrigued by her acting. Director Han was impressed with the way she acted. Her tears were real and not the fake one.
These kinds of artists are hard to find who can get into the character so well.
"Closest friend? Hah. So I was only your friend?" she glared at Jaebeom as her lips quivered. He was playing the role of Emperor Ding Hua.
"And I thought you loved me. Hah. if that bitch has no one then I also have left my everything for you as well. Do you think I want this position as the Empress? Am I such a petty person in your eyes? "she looked at him with her hurt expressions.
"Ding Hua, you think of me as your close friend, right? Then I can go out and pick a man to be with me and spend a night with me right? " she looked at her with coldness in her eyes.
This line was added by Lisa herself. She wanted to say these words so much because she hated this system of polygamy* in which man can have many wives while the woman has to be loyal to men for their whole life.
Her improvised words gained a series of gasps and Mr. Han was also surprised. Though her words were quite bold, yet they fitted this situation very well.
"You won't care if I sleep with other men, right? Because we're just friends. I was so stupid before. I should go and find some men to enjoy my freedom. Why do I have to be in this palace all the time? " she flung her hair back while saying this.
Everyone was stunned seeing her eyes. Her eyes were cold and piercing. Every word she was speaking was hitting Jaebeom in his heart.
At this moment, Jaebeom has to pretend to slap her and speak his dialogues but he forgot his dialogues. Because she suddenly improvised her dialogues and rather than slandering Duan Lan, she told him that she could go out to find another man.
He just stared at Lisa in a daze. He could not believe that this girl could be so amazing.
Her acting was much better than the last time and she speaks without looking at the script, unlike others who were speaking by seeing the script.
But her improvisation put him in a spot. He was surprised as he was looking at her in a daze. It was quite a bold statement that she made.
Sehun who was sitting opposite of Lisa was stunned to see her acting so amazingly good.
He didn't expect this from her.
She was incredible.
Everyone was impressed by seeing Lisa's capability. She is the most inexperienced one among all but her skills were so much better than everyone.
Though she was lacking some technical skills however Director Han always believed that raw talent is more important than the one we learn.
This blessing not everyone has. Some can't even act even after learning and she has no experience in this field yet she was so incredible.
Jaebeom was stunned seeing her broken yet sly and her sarcastic smile was still placed on her face.
Her eyes were looking like she was looking down at him. He was shocked to see this kind of expression on her face. She was just a newbie, how can she act better than any other actresses out there?
He stared at her in a daze as he forgot about his dialogues for a moment.
*Polygamy was a practice of having more than one wife or husband at the same time.*