Chapter 147 - 145: All Primed for Nothing?
Cecilia Sterling’s words were hardly a suggestion anymore; they were a blatant declaration. How could Mrs. Lane possibly not understand?
Her eyes, filled with suspicion and a touch of alarm, fixed on Cecilia Sterling. "What do you mean by that?"
Cecilia Sterling sneered. "What do I mean? I think you know perfectly well. You should go back and ask your precious son what he’s been doing."
With that, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t be bothered to say another word and turned to enter the dormitory building.
Mrs. Lane felt a wave of dizziness, her legs suddenly unsteady as she nearly lost her footing.
’Could it be that Shawn has been...’
’It’s Beatrice?!’
In an instant, an image of Beatrice Lynn flashed through Mrs. Lane’s mind. Thinking back to what happened at the dinner table that day, every little thing about Shawn and Beatrice’s behavior seemed odd!
At the time, she’d been puzzled, but Beatrice had looked unwell, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But looking back now, it couldn’t have been more obvious!
’Shawn and Beatrice...’
Mrs. Lane didn’t dare to dwell on it any longer. Composing herself, she hurried away under her umbrella.
*
Lily Sterling’s workload had surged recently. The main reason was that the screenwriter and director kept adding scenes for her and Andrew Sutton’s storyline, making their parts significantly longer than originally planned.
Right now, Lily Sterling was filming a solo scene. The next one was a two-person scene with Andrew Sutton, and it included a kiss.
This particular kiss scene had been added later.
The director had told the screenwriter, "These two look good when they kiss. Let’s have them kiss more."
"Another kiss? They might as well just sew their lips together."
Off-set, Drake sighed in frustration while standing in a shady spot.
The young assistant next to him nodded in agreement. "I know, right? There are way too many kiss scenes. Why isn’t Iris stepping in?"
"Iris wants to step in." Drake curled his lip and snorted. "But Andrew himself is more than happy to do the kissing."
After speaking, he glanced around but didn’t see Andrew Sutton. "Where’s Andrew?"
"He said he was going to the restroom a minute ago, but he’s been gone for a while," the assistant said, also puzzled. "Should I go look for him?"
Just as they were speaking, Andrew Sutton arrived.
His face was slightly flushed. Seeing that Lily Sterling was still filming, he deliberately lightened his steps.
"Andrew, what took you so long? Is your stomach upset?" The young assistant quickly opened a parasol and went to meet him.
Andrew Sutton’s expression turned a little awkward at the question, but he quickly hid it.
It wasn’t that his stomach was upset. He had gone to... take care of things himself. Otherwise, he would get aroused again during the kiss scene.
’It’s fine at night, but in broad daylight, it’s hard to avoid people noticing.’
CUT!
"Lily, that’s a wrap on this take! It was great. Let’s take a ten-minute break. We’ll shoot the second scene in this same location. I see Andrew’s here too." As the assistant director spoke, Andrew Sutton raised his hand to signal he was ready.
Lily Sterling nodded. She stood in the middle of the set, hesitating for a moment before suddenly walking over to Director Cole.
Director Cole was reviewing the last take. Seeing Lily approach, he couldn’t help but smile. "Lily, perfect timing. Come see for yourself how photogenic you are on camera."
Lily Sterling looked a little reserved, as if she wanted to say something but was holding back.
At this point, the assistant director and Andrew Sutton followed, their curiosity piqued.
"What’s wrong, Lily?" Director Cole asked directly when he noticed her hesitation.
Lily Sterling wrestled with her thoughts for a moment before finally speaking up. "Director Cole, I feel that Mr. Archer and I have a few too many kiss scenes. For example, I don’t think the kiss in the next scene is necessary from a plot perspective."
"Uh..." Director Cole seemed not to have expected this from Lily Sterling and was momentarily stunned.
The assistant director, however, chimed in, "Silly girl, the audience loves it!"
Director Cole nodded. "Exactly. Our thinking is, as long as it doesn’t affect the plot’s direction, we want to give the audience a little something extra. People love watching the main couple kiss. Plus, the sweeter you two are in the beginning, the more heart-wrenching it will be when you have a bad ending. It strengthens that sense of destiny."
"I know, and I understand all of that."
Having said her piece, Lily Sterling actually felt less nervous and continued to express her thoughts. "But we’ve already added so many kiss scenes. Too much of a good thing can be bad. If it’s too sweet, people will get tired of it."
"Lily, is it that you don’t want to film kiss scenes? Or is it something from Connie at your agency...?"
Lily Sterling had always been compliant and obedient on set, never interfering with the director’s work. So, to others, her current actions seemed like a sudden act of defiance. The assistant director instinctively thought that maybe Connie had forbidden her from filming any more kiss scenes.
But as soon as the assistant director asked this, Andrew Sutton was the one who looked nervously at Lily Sterling.
’Does she not want to do kiss scenes with me anymore?’
But Lily Sterling just shook her head gently. "No, that’s not it. I’m not against filming any type of scene. As long as the plot requires it, I’ll film anything. What I’m expressing now are just my personal concerns and suggestions. Of course, Director Cole, your experience is far greater, and you know much more than I do. Ultimately, your vision is what matters most. I just wanted to offer my opinion."
Lily Sterling’s attitude wasn’t forceful. Mainly, she wasn’t sure if her idea was necessarily correct. It was just that the sheer number of kisses in recent scenes felt excessive even to her, which is why she couldn’t help but share her personal thoughts with the director.
After she finished speaking, Lily Sterling started to feel anxious again. This was the first time she had ever done something like this, and she was afraid Director Cole would get angry. After all, directors were known for their tempers. Although Director Cole had never yelled at her, she had seen him yell at others.
’He was so fierce!’
And it was true that most directors didn’t like actors interfering with their creative vision. Director Cole was no exception.
But this young woman, Lily Sterling, was just too good. Since joining the production, her talent and professionalism had earned her praise from nearly the entire cast and crew. On top of that, she was well-behaved and never caused any trouble.
Directors loved actors like that: focused and low-drama.
He immediately called over a few of the screenwriters to discuss it. It seemed they all agreed that Lily Sterling had a point. Forcing in unnecessary kiss scenes did feel a bit deliberate.
The audience would surely love it at first, but after seeing it too many times, they would inevitably experience viewer fatigue, and it might even create a backlash.
"We just discussed it. For the next scene, we’ll stick to the original script. The kiss we added in will be cut. If the actors themselves feel it’s awkward, then there’s definitely a problem with the scene."
As he spoke, Director Cole looked at Andrew Sutton and asked, "Andrew, you feel the same way, right?"
Andrew Sutton: Huh?
’He... he actually thought it was fine...’
But on the surface, he just nodded. "I think Lily is right. Too much of a good thing."
"Alright, then we’ll cut this kiss scene," the director said with a cheerful clap. "Okay, everyone, get ready for the next scene!"
Andrew Sutton looked at the director, then back at Lily Sterling.
’Then he...’
’...did all that for nothing?’