Chapter 23

By around 1 AM, after filming into the night, the whole crew was exhausted. Director Bramwell, in a rare moment of mercy, granted everyone a tea break of more than half an hour. Outside the set, people were sprawled everywhere—some curled up with their bags, others lying on the equipment. There were also people smoking, drinking coffee, and splashing water on their faces. Everyone had their own way of coping. Everyone quickly tried to steal a nap, and Winnie, too, felt tired. Fortunately, she had taken a nap during the day, so her eyelids didn't immediately fall shut. The next scene had a lot of dialogue, so she didn't dare rest, instead reviewing the lines she had memorized. Yulia, struggling to stay awake, was soon lulled by Winnie's monotone recitation of her lines. She gave up and started playing on her phone. In the early hours of the morning, activity on all social platforms started to drop, with most trending topics filled with trivial things, like people buying discounted products to hit KPIs. The only post that stood out was Winnie's: #WyattVisitsWinnieonSet# The post was from a marketing account, a familiar name, with an exaggerated tone: "Not only did big boss Wyatt bring high-end food for the crew, but he also treated the whole group to a feast. And during their conversation, they didn't avoid being seen together—could they be hinting at something? Anyway, the way Wyatt lowered his head to talk was quite gentle~" "Wyatt bought the topic." Yulia declared firmly. "His name came first, so he's the one who bought it." Winnie stopped her monotonous reciting, and after a brief silence, she leaned back, her body exhausted, the cheap spring in the chair creaking under her weight. A long, jade-like hand picked up the script, covering her face with it. The lights in the lounge were bright, and the light that filtered through the pages of the script made her eyelids feel unbearably hot. Director Bramwell's crew was extremely strict about preventing any unauthorized behind-the-scenes photos. After all this time, there hadn't been a single extra piece of material leaked, except for the ones that had been explicitly allowed. Even if she wanted to stop it, she couldn't protect herself from others' eager arrangements and unsolicited offers. "Call David." Yulia made the call, and after just one ring, it went through, which meant he hadn't been asleep. Winnie took the phone, pressed it to her ear, and kept her eyes closed. "If this trend doesn't die down, how much did Wyatt pay you?" David, already fuming, sneered at her sharp words and said, "If you're so capable, how did he manage to take these photos?" "What photos? The ones where he called me over to talk for a few minutes?" Winnie scoffed, "You want to arrange for a photographer tomorrow? Get a hundred photos, post them on X, and say I'm a slut who sleeps with every man on set!" David immediately fell silent. After a long pause, he sighed deeply, "Don't get mad. I'll take care of it. But those accounts will take some time. You know how it is." She knew. Of course, she knew. Wyatt's media empire. A vast marketing matrix with infiltrators everywhere. As long as Wyatt wanted the world to believe Winnie was a prostitute, the next day, everyone would think she was a slut. But if Wyatt decided he wanted the world to think Winnie was pure and untouchable, then by the third day, she'd go from being a slut to being a saint. Turning the tide, defining someone's entire life—it was nothing for Wyatt. The script still lay on her face, and she continued to tilt her head back, so much so that Yulia couldn't see her expression. After a long period of silence, Yulia saw a tear, transparent under the harsh light, quickly slide down her cheek. "David, you were the one who said he was safe, that he was Alan's friend, that he had half the resources in the entertainment industry, that he was just there to accompany me at events." Winnie's tone remained calm, but her shoulders trembled violently. "You're a top agent, but I'm not your most valuable asset, am I?" David, hearing her voice crack, was momentarily rattled. "Winnie, Winnie! Don't say that. You'll always be my leading lady, the best actress in the US." He said it firmly. "I'll call Alan." Alan, the big boss of Raven Entertainment, had long since stepped back from the frontlines. When he received this late-night call, he stayed silent for a long time before agreeing to have a word with Wyatt. But between two old friends, what was there really to discuss in a business-like manner? Alan simply said, "You're not someone who's easily moved." Wyatt responded with just a few words, "She's not obedient enough." Half an hour later, the X trend was taken down. Since it had been posted in the middle of the night, not many had seen it, but a few scattered voices still mentioned that with the high fashion gifts followed by the surprise set visit, it was clear that the two of them were close to something happening. "He chose to take it down in the middle of the night, that's already him being lenient," David said, clearly worn out. He took a long drag from his cigarette. "Don't provoke him anymore." "Should I strip and lie on his bed?" Winnie said, with a hint of sarcasm. David knew she was just venting, but he still tried to give her serious advice, "Didn't you always want to marry into a wealthy family? Wyatt's wealthy enough, isn't he? How much more money do you need to catch your eye?" Winnie laughed, tears sparkling in her eyes. She removed the script from her face, and Yulia could finally see her expression—a smile on her face, her eyes bright, and filled with tears. She spoke clearly into the phone, word by word, "Just consider me as someone who's too proud, too reckless, who doesn't know what's good for her and is getting what's coming." The lush greenery outside stood still, as if determined to be forever loyal, standing guard like an eternal servant. A koala lay sleeping on the eucalyptus leaves, enjoying its rest. This botanical garden was peaceful, an absolute tranquility, like a paradise away from the world. Van had become accustomed to spending an hour alone here after finishing work every day, watching the koala's steady breathing, as though its calmness could help steady his mind. But today, he seemed deep in thought, no longer the calm, composed person he usually was. The reflection in the glass window showed his phone screen, which displayed only a few words: A female star seems to be close to something big.