During dinner last night, Xyla had been berated and humiliated by Mrs. Harper all because she had eaten an extra piece of braised pork belly. Meanwhile, Richard continued eating his food, acting like he had not seen her being picked on despite sitting at the same table.
Thus, she had left in a fit of anger. At first, she thought that the Harpers would give in, and Richard would come to bring her back. Unfortunately, she thought wrong. After she left, the Harpers had not even bothered to give her a single phone call. Haha; how foolish of me.
Quietly clicking into Twitter, she glanced through the latest news. âLegend of Fan Lihuaâ had been showing in cinemas for half a month now. During that period, it had accumulated slightly over 500 million in ticket sales. However, she knew best how much that was actually worth. In the end, the movie was a total disasterâso much so that there was no way to rescue it whatsoever. Many cinemas had even gone so far as to remove it from screenings ahead of schedule.
Although the movie was a flop at the box office, the other leading actors did not seem to have been greatly affected by it. Bethany Nicole and Nicholas Yates were still being endorsed on various variety shows. They only needed to stand in front of a camera to earn several million easily. On the other hand, Faye had posted a selfie of her at Taylorâs villa on Twitter today.
Moreover, she had created a disgusting caption to show off her close relationship with Taylor: âFinally, I can disclose this to the public! Mr. Taylor is actually my brother-in-law! Iâm sorry about the misunderstandings we caused before!â
Haha. With just a few simple words, she cleared up the malicious rumors that were going around and attached herself to Taylor, a bigshot in the industry. The Huffs had invested the most money into the movie. Consequently, they, too, suffered the most. As a result, the billions worth of debt that weighed down on Xylaâs shoulders left her gasping for airânever before in her life had she felt as helpless and desperate as she was now.
The collapse of the Huff Family was all over the news by now and everybody knew that she had lost everything. Just a few days ago, I was still the young lady of the Huff Family that was loved and favored by all, the wife of the young master of the Harper Group, and the budding new actress that was rising in popularity within the film industry. But now, Iâm no more than a penniless small fry that can only hide in a small motel that costs 100 per nightâin the last throes of my life. Soon, I wonât even be able to afford to live in this little motel.
When she ran away in anger, she left without her wallet. All she had on her was her phone and ID card.
Not only was she penniless, but she also did not have her debit cards or credit cards with her. Moreover, her Venmo and PayPal accounts had run out of cash. Soon, she wouldnât be able to pay for her motel room.
The best friends and relatives that she used to have were all avoiding her like the plague, so she had nowhere else to go. Once she ran out of money, she had no other choice but to return to the Harper Residence in humiliation and continue suffering the dirty looks and harsh treatment Mrs. Harper would heap on her, as well as Richardâs cold indifference. As the saying went, âa personâs true character is often revealed in times of crisesâ.
All of a sudden, Xylaâs phone rang. A name that made her jump for joy appeared on the screen. Thus, she answered excitedly, âRichard, I knew it; I knew you wouldnât abandon meâ¦â This is great! Richard still cares about me!
On the other side of the phone, Richard fell silent for a moment before saying, âXyla, come out. Iâll wait for you at the café opposite the motel.â
Overjoyed, she hurriedly tidied herself up and left the motel. When she arrived at the café, she saw Richardâs handsome figure sitting at a corner of the coffee shop through the glass window. All of a sudden, she was so moved that her tears poured down her face. Rushing over to him, she hugged him tightly and burst into tears. âI knew you wouldnât abandon me! Youâre the only one in this world who treats me the bestâ¦â
After a moment, she finally released him and saw that he had ordered two cups of coffee as well as some desserts. She was so hungry that she shoveled them down immediately. All she had eaten today was a bowl of instant noodles because she had no money to order in since her accounts were empty and she didnât dare to leave the motel.
As a result, she wolved down the food like a starved beggar. She, who had not washed her hair today, was a disheveled mess. However, she was so famished that she didnât even notice when her hair went into her mouth while she was eating.
He quickly sipped on his coffee, trying to suppress the revulsion rising in his heart. He was even starting to doubt his preferences back then. Why did I marry such a useless and disgusting woman? In the two years weâve been together, how much trouble has she brought to me? I canât even keep count anymore!
If this woman had not taken off her clothes and seduced me back then, I would never have left Sophia. If this woman had not resorted to underhanded means, which nearly caused Sophia to lose her life, and repeatedly tried to bring Sophia down after that, I would not have become a subject of Sophiaâs vendetta.
But now, Sophia seems to have pushed all the responsibility onto me. Her revenge is targeted at me, and me alone. Meanwhile, this woman remains completely unharmed. No; her current situation has nothing to do with me whatsoever. She had it coming! Besides, even if she died, Sophia would continue to seek revenge on me.
When Xyla finished eating, she even licked the plate clean without care for her public image.
Finally, Richard couldnât bear to continue watching any longer. Finishing off half his coffee, he said solemnly, âXyla, I have a way to stimulate the ticket sales for âLegend of Fan Lihuaâ. And, it is also the only method we have left.â
Can we still stimulate ticket sales? Her eyes immediately lit up, and she asked expectantly, âHow do we do it?â
He looked a little troubled. âItâs a great method, but Iâm afraid you wonât be willing to do it.â
Thus, she quickly nodded. âJust say it; if I can do it, Iâll do it.â
Then, he seemed to hesitate for a long time before he slowly explained, âI have great expectations toward your acting skills. I believe there is nothing wrong with our movie. The main reason our box office earnings are low is âDoctor Invincibleâ. It has been a long time since the movie was released, and it will soon stop screening.
As the audienceâs interest and enjoyment toward the movie decreases, it will soon be our turn to shine.
However, our movie has too few movie screenings. Some cinemas are only screening it two or three times a day. Some cinemas have even removed it from the screening list altogether! So, we only need to increase the screening slots of our movie as well as the interest in the movie. The ticket sales will definitely be boosted as a result!â
Xyla widened her eyes; she looked as if she had been enlightened. As long as we increase the screening slots of our movie and arrange for more screenings per day, we will definitely be able to increase ticket sales! Tugging at his clothes, she anxiously said, âRichard, tell me! I will definitely find a way to do it!â
Richard looked at her greasy hands that had held various pastries previously as they left greasy and disgusting marks on his neatly-ironed suit. A wave of nausea swept over him, especially when he saw dandruff crusted under her broken nails. It made him sick. Picking up the coffee he was drinking, he took a swig of it and forced down the bile churning in his stomach.
Then, he took out a business card from his briefcase. The words âXX Films, Mr. Murphyâ were written on it. Without wasting any more time, he bluntly said, âMr. Murphy owns the largest chain of cinemas in Bayside City. All screening slots depend on him. He has taken an interest in you. If you sleep with him for a night, he has agreed to increase the movieâs screening slots by 30% throughout all his cinemas.â