Chapter 197 - 195: So Obvious It Was Hard to Ignore
"It’s about me?"
Lily Sterling jumped, instinctively getting up from the sofa. She looked at Jessica Reynolds and pressed, "What happened, Jessica?"
Jessica crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "I didn’t catch all of it. It seems Andrew Sutton overheard someone bad-mouthing you. He probably couldn’t hold back and stood up for you!"
Jessica had a playful look on her face. After all, she’d been around the block; how could she not see the hidden implications here?
’Andrew Sutton is a top trending actor. He’s usually so careful about his words and actions. Now he’s willing to get into a fight with someone for Lily Sterling. Isn’t it obvious he likes her?’
Lily Sterling didn’t have time to think it over. She grabbed Yuna and ran out. Seeing this, Jessica smiled and called out after them, "They’re at Soundstage Six on the west side."
When Lily Sterling arrived, the scene wasn’t chaotic. It seemed the "excitement" was already over.
"Lily? What are you doing here?"
Andrew Sutton noticed Lily Sterling right away and immediately went over to urge her, "Your next scene isn’t for a while. Go back and wait."
’His reaction was quite strange. Normally when people ran into each other on set, no one would ever shoo them away. In his haste, Andrew Sutton had accidentally revealed that he didn’t want Lily Sterling here.’
"Jessica told me you got into a conflict with someone?"
Lily Sterling asked, looking at him with a very serious expression, "Because of me?"
Andrew Sutton choked on his words and shook his head. "No, it’s just..."
"You’re a terrible liar." Lily Sterling cut off Andrew Sutton’s feeble defense, staring into his eyes. "You haven’t even started talking, and your face is already red."
Drake, who was standing to the side, sighed. He looked at Andrew Sutton and said, "Lily’s right, when have you ever been able to lie? Just tell the truth. So many people saw it, you think you can hide it?"
Andrew Sutton turned and shot Drake a glare. Drake just pursed his lips helplessly and looked away.
"So what was it really about?"
Seeing this, Andrew Sutton finally spoke, albeit hesitantly. "It’s just... I overheard some people talking about you behind your back. They weren’t saying nice things."
Hearing this, Yuna wrinkled her nose in anger. "Our Lily is always so kind to everyone. What could they possibly have to say about her?"
"Forget it, Lily. I’m not going to say it. I don’t want to talk about it," Andrew Sutton said.
Lily Sterling looked at Andrew Sutton, feeling both touched and a little annoyed at his impulsiveness.
"Thank you," Lily Sterling said, feeling a bit apologetic. He had, after all, been trying to defend her honor. But then she added, "Don’t be so reckless next time. If this blows up, it will have a huge impact on you. I don’t care about these rumors and gossip."
"But I ca—"
re.
Andrew Sutton stopped himself, the words almost tumbling out.
"You’ve been in the industry for so much longer than me. You should be better at handling this kind of thing."
’The entertainment industry has no shortage of rumors. Whether you’re famous, washed-up, or infamous, no matter what tier of celebrity you are, you’re bound to have some gossip and scandals attached to your name. If you cared about all of it, you’d never have time to think about anything else.’
’Rumors die with the wise, but not with the foolish.’
’Just doing their own thing was hard enough.’
Andrew Sutton also knew he had been reckless this time. It was mainly because their words were so vile, and they were definitely lies.
’He didn’t know what came over him. The thought of all that filth being thrown at Lily Sterling made him lose control. Drake hadn’t even had time to react before he’d rushed over.’
"Are you okay, though?" Lily Sterling asked with concern.
Andrew Sutton shook his head, and Drake finally chimed in. "It was a couple of minor extras. They were terrified when they saw it was Andrew and didn’t dare to fight back. Plus, they had a guilty conscience. They knew they were spouting nonsense, so what could they possibly say when they got caught?"
Before Lily Sterling could say another word, Andrew Sutton took the initiative. "Don’t worry. I’ll go apologize to them in a bit."
’No matter what, hitting someone was wrong. Besides, this whole incident started because of Lily Sterling, so she would definitely worry about getting him into trouble. If he apologized and smoothed things over, Lily could finally relax.’
"Where are those two now?" Lily Sterling glanced around but didn’t see anyone "suspicious."
"The assistant director took them away."
Lily Sterling thought for a moment, then said, "I’ll go find the assistant director later. Let me handle this."
Andrew Sutton grew a little nervous at her words. "Are you mad?"
Lily Sterling looked at him and smiled. "No. Regardless of whether what happened was right or wrong, your intention was to stand up for me, so I’m not mad at you. I just think that since you already did the fighting, you should let me handle the rest. I can’t let you bear all the consequences alone."
Hearing Lily Sterling say this, Andrew Sutton smiled too. It felt like she was on his team.
"Andrew, we need to go back for a costume change. You have another scene soon," Drake urged, seeing that the two seemed to be done talking.
Seeing this, Lily Sterling also said, "I have to go back for a costume change, too. Don’t worry about this for now."
Andrew Sutton nodded, still feeling a little guilty. If this incident really blew up, it would certainly have a negative impact on him, but it would also drag Lily Sterling into it. He had truly been too impulsive today.
After Andrew Sutton left, Yuna murmured, "I thought Andrew Sutton was a calm and steady person. Why would he get into a fight over a few rumors?"
Lily Sterling’s expression was a little complicated. If she hadn’t sensed it before, it was because she was a bit naive and slow to react. But after what happened today, she could finally pick up on some of Andrew Sutton’s feelings.
’It was too obvious.’
’So obvious it was hard to ignore.’
"Lily, do you think he likes you?" Yuna asked, looking up in belated astonishment.
Lily Sterling looked at her, let out a soft sigh, and shook her head untruthfully. "I don’t know."
"He definitely likes you. Otherwise, how could he..."
Lily Sterling quickly cut Yuna off. "Don’t talk nonsense. Be careful, or this will turn into more gossip."
Startled, Yuna immediately clapped a hand over her mouth and nodded vigorously.
’That’s right. Andrew Sutton was a top young idol with terrifying fans. If word of this got out, their Lily would definitely get dragged into it again.’
Lily Sterling didn’t dwell on the matter or let it eat at her. Even if Andrew Sutton really did like her, that was his business. It was something she couldn’t control.
Back in her dressing room, she was getting her makeup done for the next scene when, a short while later, the assistant director knocked on the door with two people in tow.
"Lily, I brought them."
As soon as he entered, the assistant director gestured, pushing the two people in front of Lily Sterling. They were two young extras who looked to be around twenty years old.
Perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps out of fear, the two of them stood before Lily Sterling without daring to lift their heads, their necks shrunk down as they stared at the floor like they’d done something wrong.
"Tsk!" The assistant director saw this and couldn’t help but remind them, "What did I just tell you? Hurry up and apologize to Lily! Two grown boys with nothing better to do than gossip behind people’s backs. Have you no shame?"