On set.
Emily ran out of breath as she rushed straight toward the trailer parked by the roadside.
Judy paced back and forth in front of the trailer door, muttering nonstop, her eyes scanning the surroundings anxiously. The moment she spotted a familiar figure at the intersection, she hurried over to Emily and quickly put sunglasses on her.
Motorhome.
Emily dropped into the chair, casually placing her sunglasses and mask onto the small table. She breathed heavily and raised her hand to take the cup of water Judy handed her.
"Is the makeup artist here?" Emily leaned back, eyes half-closed.
Judy checked her phone and answered quickly, "She's here, she's here."
Emily pursed her lips, forced herself up, her breathing gradually steadying. "Let's go. Time to work."
Emily picked up the script beside her, flipping through the highlighted lines as she walked. The script had become several times thicker—what used to be just a few scenes had now been expanded into more than twenty.
A smile slowly spread across Emily's face, her eyes lighting up with color.
Judy watched her from the side and couldn't help but remind her, "Sis, control yourself."
She knew very well that for a small-time third-tier actress like them, a suddenly expanded script was practically a stroke of fortune.
Emily's smile kept growing wider the more she flipped through the pages. She suddenly stopped, grabbed Judy's wrist, and said, "Judy, our chance is here."
Judy froze, staring into Emily's bright eyes as the wind tousled her hair. The last time she heard Emily say that was when she filmed the project that won Best Actress at the Golden Flower Awards. It had been a long time since she'd heard those words again.
Emily rushed into the dressing room, her smile widening. Sitting in front of the mirror, she watched as the makeup artist and hairstylist worked step by step on her look.
Director's tent.
Nathan lifted the curtain and sat down beside the director, his gaze cold and focused on the newly prepared script.
Director Ryan pinched the flesh on his thigh, his eyes fixed on Nathan's expression. When he saw Nathan's lips relax slightly, he finally let out a breath.
"Director Ryan!"
A sharp yet delicate voice rang loudly across the set.
Director Ryan frowned immediately upon hearing it.
Olivia Yang held a script nearly as thick as Emily's, her gaze locked onto Nathan beside the director. She lowered her head with a soft smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.
She stepped in front of Nathan and called softly, "Nathan."
Nathan didn't even blink as he flipped a page of the script. Without looking up, he spoke to Caleb behind him, "Where is Emily?"
Caleb bent slightly and replied softly near Nathan's ear, "Miss Carter is already on her way from the dressing room."
As soon as he finished speaking—
At the other end of the set, Emily appeared in everyone's line of sight.
She hurried excitedly toward the director's tent, her face glowing, the ornaments in her hair swaying in the air. "Director."
She looked inside, lowering her voice slightly. "The script…"
Olivia shot her a cold look, her voice cutting through the tent. "Emily. You again."
Emily nodded politely with a smile. "Miss Yang."
Seeing her respectful attitude only made Olivia more arrogant. She raised her chin and said, "Director Ryan changed her script, Right now."
"Well…" Director Ryan glanced nervously at Nathan, scratching his forehead.
Nathan didn't respond. He simply closed the script in his hand and looked up at Emily.
Emily lowered her head in front of Olivia, lips pressed together, eyes shifting toward Director Ryan.
"What? Is my father's investment not enough?" Olivia stepped forward, arms crossed.
Director Ryan immediately forced a smile. "No, no—of course not."
"Then explain why her supporting role is starting to rival my screen time as second female lead." Olivia snapped, slamming her script onto the table.
"But this is all according to—"
Olivia's displeasure deepened, her voice rising. "According to who?"
"Me." Nathan's low voice sounded calmly beside Director Ryan.
Director Ryan lit up as if he'd seen a savior, looking at Nathan with shining eyes.
Emily lifted her gaze toward Nathan, her body visibly freezing.
Olivia spoke in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly, "Nathan, how could you…"
Nathan raised an eyebrow, turning toward her. "Do I need your permission to do my job?"
"I…" Olivia choked, her eyes reddening as she looked at him pitifully.
"Emily." Nathan brushed his hands lightly and looked back at her. "Come here."
Emily lifted her head in surprise, glancing cautiously at Olivia before stepping over in small steps to stand beside Nathan.
Nathan leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a faint smile.
"Nathan, our families have worked together for years. How can you cut my scenes for her?" Olivia pointed at Emily, her voice sharp.
Nathan swept his gaze across everyone in the tent and said calmly, "Not a single one of her scenes gets cut."
His cold eyes fell on Olivia. "If you have a problem, take it up with your father. I'll be waiting for him to invite me for tea."
He turned to Director Ryan. "We can start filming."
Director Ryan's smile widened. He glanced at Olivia, who was fuming, then quickly followed Nathan's lead. "Alright, alright—let's begin."
At his command, the crew swarmed into action, setting up props and arranging the scene.
Emily followed behind Director Ryan, glancing toward Lucas sitting quietly under a sunshade nearby. Keeping her smile, she jogged over with her script. "Mr. Grant."
Lucas smiled politely and nodded. "Emily, I'm glad we get to work together again."
Emily smiled back. "Likewise."
Director Ryan and Nathan sat in front of the monitor again.
Nathan watched Emily laughing and chatting, his gaze fixed on the way she looked at others. The headset in his hand tightened in his grip, his fingers turning pale.
"Alright, everyone, get ready!" Director Ryan called out through the walkie-talkie.
Olivia reappeared from behind, glaring fiercely at Emily. As she passed by, she rolled her eyes and deliberately bumped into Emily's shoulder before walking off.
Emily stumbled forward, nearly falling, but Lucas reacted quickly and caught her, holding her arm. "Careful."
Emily sucked in a breath, her pupils shrinking slightly as she looked at him. She forced a stiff smile. "Thank you."
"Where are the actors?!" Director Ryan's voice echoed across the entire set.
"Mr. Grant, you should go first. Don't let the director keep shouting." Emily gently removed Lucas's hand from her arm.
Lucas glanced at his anxious assistant and nodded. "I'll go ahead."
Emily leaned against Judy's shoulder, slowly rotating her ankle.
"Sis, are you okay?" Judy frowned and crouched down to check her ankle.
Emily steadied herself, her voice soft. "I'm fine."
"She's too much. We didn't ask for the script changes. If she wants to vent, she should go after the investors instead of bullying people like us," Judy muttered angrily, glaring at Olivia and her assistant.
Emily grabbed her. "Don't cause trouble."
"Three, two, one—Action!"
With the clapboard snapping shut, Lucas and the currently hottest Best Actress, Serena Chen, stood out among the crowd of extras.