Chapter 113 - 111: You Can’t Do This For Real
The mood on set had become exceptionally harmonious and celebratory thanks to the day’s trending topic. Even the assistant director, who often lost his temper while running lines with the actors, was much more friendly.
After all, the topic had started trending completely unexpectedly, pushed onto the charts by organic fan buzz alone.
They hadn’t lifted a finger or spent a single cent, yet it had earned the production a ton of buzz.
After they finished filming one of the afternoon scenes, Lily Sterling didn’t head back to her dressing room since the next scene was about to start. Instead, she waited on the sidelines with Yuna.
The assistant director walked over with a box of cut, chilled watermelon. "Lily, come have some watermelon to cool down. It’s been a long day for you. You’re in all six scenes this afternoon."
Ever since Lily Sterling had joined the cast and performed in a couple of scenes, the assistant director had taken a liking to the sweet-natured, talented young woman. As a result, his voice would unconsciously soften whenever he spoke to her, which was quite amusing.
Yuna couldn’t help but stifle a laugh every time she saw him. One moment he’d be yelling at someone, and the next he’d turn to Lily with a complete change of expression.
Lily Sterling hurriedly took the box with both hands. After a quick "thank you," she lowered her voice and asked, "Director Lawson, I thought there were three scenes I wasn’t in? Why was I suddenly given new script pages?"
And it wasn’t just new pages; they were filled with dense blocks of dialogue.
The assistant director gave a knowing smile and leaned in closer. "The director and the screenwriter both love you, so they added more scenes for you. Just focus on giving a good performance. By the time we wrap, your character might have as much screen time as the second female lead."
"What? Isn’t that... inappropriate?" Lily Sterling said, a little alarmed.
The assistant director patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t you worry. The director and screenwriter carefully planned out every scene they added for you. They made sure the additions are logical and help the plot flow more smoothly. It won’t feel out of place to the audience."
"Besides, the audience loves watching you, and they love the CP between you and Andrew. So, we’ve extended your romantic storyline. That way, the eventual BE will be even more painful!"
’More painful...’
’Is this how they torture the fans?’
Lily Sterling nodded with a wry smile and decided not to dwell on it.
After the assistant director left, Andrew Sutton suddenly approached her.
Yuna instinctively took a half-step forward, her expression wary. She now felt that any involvement with Andrew Sutton was a danger to Lily.
Andrew Sutton looked a little awkward. He was actually quite introverted, but he felt he had to apologize to Lily Sterling in person.
Lily Sterling could tell he had something to say, so she watched him, waiting for him to speak.
Andrew Sutton’s lips moved, but it was a long moment before he finally said in a low voice, "I’m really sorry about what happened today."
"It’s okay. It was an accident, and it wasn’t something you could control," Lily Sterling said.
Andrew Sutton was filled with self-reproach. ’If I hadn’t blocked that thermos,’ he thought, ’the consequences could have been severe.’
"You didn’t get hurt, did you?" Andrew Sutton asked, his eyes filled with concern.
Lily Sterling offered him a reassuring smile and shook her head. "No, you don’t have to worry."
Only then did Andrew Sutton relax a little.
But as soon as he relaxed, a dream from the previous night flashed through his mind without warning. His cheeks instantly grew hot, and he lowered his head like a thief with a guilty conscience.
"The second scene starts in ten minutes! Actors, come over for blocking!"
The floor manager’s voice suddenly boomed, causing both Lily Sterling and Andrew Sutton to look up.
"We’re about to start. Don’t worry about what happened today, I’m really fine." Lily Sterling looked at Andrew Sutton, reassuring him one more time, afraid he would waste his energy worrying about it.
Just as Lily Sterling was about to turn and head to blocking, Andrew Sutton hurriedly called out, "Lily Sterling..."
She looked back at him, her expression puzzled. After a brief pause, Andrew Sutton asked, "Can I add you on WhatsApp?"
Lily Sterling froze, instinctively glancing at Yuna, who was just as dumbfounded by Andrew Sutton’s sudden request.
"Oh, okay." Lily Sterling nodded, took her phone from Yuna, and they exchanged contact info.
Not far away, Drake happened to witness the entire exchange.
His eyes glazed over and his expression went slack. He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He muttered to himself, "No way, man. This can’t be happening... You can’t actually be for real!"
*
The next day, Cecilia Sterling had just woken up to a message from Timothy Rowe. He told her that everyone on the team was back in Lorcain. Since it was the last day of the national holiday, he suggested they could all get together.
Cecilia Sterling immediately agreed. She found a mid-range restaurant and dropped the location in their group chat.
"Hey everyone, 6 PM tonight in the Muyu Zhaozhao private room. I’d like to treat you all to dinner so we can get properly acquainted."
The group chat immediately lit up with responses.
Cecilia Sterling had chosen a mid-range restaurant specifically to put everyone at ease and lessen any potential awkwardness over different spending habits.
Otherwise, having a single dish served that cost more than what some of them lived on for a year would only make them feel it was too extravagant, and the psychological pressure would be immense.
There would be plenty of time for high-end restaurants once the team’s project started turning a profit.
On top of that, Cecilia Sterling had also prepared a thoughtful and practical gift for everyone on the team.
At six in the evening, everyone arrived at the restaurant on time. Timothy Rowe then received a message from Cecilia Sterling, asking him and Garrett to come downstairs and help her carry some things.
The two hurried downstairs to the front of the restaurant and saw Cecilia Sterling standing on the curb next to a pile of boxes stacked waist-high.
"Garrett, give me a hand. These are welcome gifts for everyone."
Cecilia Sterling was dressed casually today in a white top, light-colored jeans, and a pair of flats. She looked every bit the innocent college student.
"Holy crap! Laptops!"
Gavin Garrett stepped forward and recognized what Cecilia Sterling had brought at a glance: eight brand-new laptops.
"Cecilia, are... are these for us?" Gavin Garrett asked, finding it hard to believe.
If these are top-of-the-line models, then this must be over ten thousand dollars!
Cecilia Sterling smiled and nodded. "Let’s the three of us take them upstairs. We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting."
Timothy Rowe was also taken aback. When he came to his senses, he quickly said, "We all have computers. You didn’t have to spend so much."
He couldn’t shake his frugal habits for a moment. His first thought was that if that ten-thousand-plus dollars were invested in the project, their budget would be in much better shape.
Cecilia Sterling could naturally see what he was thinking and just smiled. "A good team needs the best equipment to be as efficient as possible. Don’t forget what I said: time is our biggest hidden cost. We can’t afford to ignore it."
"I think Cecilia’s right," Gavin Garrett said, nodding repeatedly. "My computer, along with Maverick’s and Paige’s, has been struggling to keep up for a while now. Maverick’s machine keeps getting the blue screen of death. He has to save his work every few seconds, terrified he’ll lose all his data."
This was indeed their rather awkward reality, a fact Timothy Rowe couldn’t deny.
That made Cecilia Sterling’s gift both extremely practical and perfectly timed.
Timothy Rowe could only nod. "Thank you..."
Cecilia Sterling grinned. "Don’t thank me yet. Let’s get these upstairs. I’m waiting for a group ’thank you’!"