A few days later, the final confirmed cast list from the production team was sent by the teacher to the class group chat.

  Her roommates gathered around Chloe, full of anticipation as she opened the document, but their expressions froze solid once they saw the contents clearly.

  'Ada' — Cynthia.

  Cynthia from Class Eight?

  "What's going on?" Vivian asked, her face full of confusion. "Wasn't this role confirmed on the spot for Chloe? How did it end up being Cynthia?"

  Bianca was also very surprised. Recalling the audition day, she felt indignant on Chloe's behalf. "What the heck? Cynthia didn't even audition for 'Ada' that day! How did she end up with the role?"

  Looking further down:

  'Cindy' — Chloe.

  The roles finally assigned to the two of them were the ones the other had auditioned for that day—completely swapped.

  "There must be a mistake," Vivian said, patting the stunned Chloe. "Chloe, hurry up and ask the teacher if the production team made a mistake, mixing you and Cynthia up."

  Bianca nodded in agreement.

  Only Mina, at that moment, suddenly looked at Chloe and sighed. "Chloe, don't ask. I'm afraid this result is final; you probably can't change anything."

  "Mina, what do you mean by that?" Vivian's delicate eyebrows furrowed. "Do you know something?"

  Chloe also looked over, her eyes slightly red and welling with tears, but she held them back stubbornly.

  She had been so looking forward to playing 'Ada.'

  Seeing Chloe's pitiful expression, Mina felt a pang of sympathy and took her hand. "During military training yesterday, I accidentally overheard some news from the Class Eight side. They said Cynthia's father invested five hundred Dollars in the 'Destined to Be Queen' production."

  "Five hundred Dollars?" Vivian and Bianca were simultaneously shocked, instinctively glancing at Chloe.

  Surprisingly, after hearing Mina's words, the grievance in Chloe's eyes faded by more than half.

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  She seemed to accept this outcome, nodding gently and speaking in a low voice, "I was feeling a bit unwilling just now. But if she got the role by spending five hundred Dollars, I actually feel less upset about it."

  "Chloe..."

  Her roommates thought she was putting on a brave face. Anyone experiencing something like this would feel it was unfair, right? How could she accept it so calmly?

  But Chloe forced a smile, shaking her head at her roommates. "I mean it. Although 'Ada' is the maid role with the most potential among them, in the end, it's still just a maid. It probably doesn't make much difference who plays it. But if it helps the production secure a five hundred Dollar investment, I can understand."

  Vivian and Bianca hugged her from either side, offering silent comfort.

  Mina also patted her hand. "Actually, this kind of situation is quite common in the acting world. We're bound to encounter it eventually. Having your role snatched on your first audition... just treat it as an early lesson, a way to temper your mindset."

  Chloe nodded. "Many classmates didn't get any role at all. At least I still get to play 'Cindy.' That's pretty good."

  Seeing her so optimistic, her roommates felt slightly relieved.

  Meanwhile, after three days without leaving her dorm, Grace had finally finished reading the nearly two-million-word "Destined to Be Queen."

  Although she had only skimmed through it quickly, she had a decent grasp of the main storyline and the settings of the major characters.

  "You finally finished it?" Scarlett exclaimed, shaking her head in amazement as she held a plate of green salad. "You're really something. When I read this book, it took me nearly a month. I needed two or three days to recover after the Second Young Miss died... cried my eyes out..."

  Putting down the salad in her hand, her eyes lit up. "You haven't stepped out for three days. Eric came by for three days straight; I just sent him away when I went downstairs to get the takeout. Let's go out to eat? I wanna go back to that little restaurant from last time."

  Grace smiled and nodded. These past few days, holed up in the dorm reading, Scarlett had been buying meals for her. She definitely owed her this treat.

  On their way out of the university, Grace video-called her sister.

  Her sister was in military training lately, so she was only reachable in the evenings.

  The video connected quickly. Before either could speak, Grace noticed something was off with her sister.

  Despite putting on a brave and optimistic face, Chloe had secretly cried after her shower earlier. She didn't expect the phone's front-facing camera to capture her red, puffy eyes so clearly.

  "What's wrong?" Grace's smile faded as she asked.

  Chloe quickly forced a smile. "It's nothing, sis. Actually, I have good news to tell you. The 'Destined to Be Queen' production team came to our school a few days ago to pick actors, and I got a role!"

  Grace was startled. What a coincidence!

  "I just read the book. Who are you playing?" Grace asked.

  "I'm playing 'Cindy,' the little maid serving the Fourth Young Miss."

  Grace thought carefully before recalling this cannon-fodder extra character, who was beaten to death with clubs mid-story for "taking the blame for her mistress."

  "Sis, Chloe was originally supposed to play 'Ada,' but a funded actress snatched the role from her!"

  Just then, Vivian suddenly squeezed into the camera frame and announced loudly. Before Chloe could react, she saw her sister's face darken.

  Scarlett, standing next to Grace, also frowned upon hearing this. "Your sister's a freshman, right? And people are already using tactics like this to compete?"

  "Chloe, tell your sister what really happened," Grace asked calmly.

  Seeing she couldn't hide it anymore, Chloe truthfully recounted the whole process. Worried her sister might be upset, she ended with a deliberately light tone, "But I think it's fine. Having something is better than nothing, right? There will be other chances."

  Grace naturally felt for her sister, but from her perspective, she also didn't want her sister playing 'Ada.'

  "Chloe, listen to me. The role of 'Ada' isn't suitable for you. Even though the director and teacher thought you acted very well, it's precisely because of that I don't want you playing this role."

  "This character is a villain. Even though it's just a small supporting role, if you perform it too well as a newcomer, it's easy to get typecast. What if everyone starts offering you roles as nasty maidservants after this?"

  Grace wasn't just forcing comfort or scare-mongering. Many debut actors face limitations based on their first major role. If they perform too exceptionally well, they often get flooded with similar types of roles afterwards.

  Besides, she couldn't possibly let her sister play a maid, regardless of whose maid it was.

  Even if she couldn't start as the female lead right away, the role had to be a supporting character with memorable, shining moments.

  For example, the Second Young Miss in the novel—timid, kind-hearted, and carefree in the early and middle parts, who later resolutely sacrifices herself for the female lead. She wanted her sister to play a good role like that, one that would surely earn her a large fanbase.