Avril watched the director's face change like a Sichuan opera mask and dumbly asked,
"Director, are we still shooting my scenes?"
"Yes, we will. Rest for now and we'll shoot again later," the director replied. His smile grew even warmer and his bow even lower after receiving the $10,000 transfer from James.
"Mr. King, please come this way. What kind of tea do you like? Apologies for the plain setup here," he said invitingly to James, leading him away with a wide smile.
Avril felt uncomfortable as she watched him fawn over James. He was so harsh and merciless when criticizing her, but now he acted like a servant to someone rich.
"I'm done," Avril announced.
The director turned, seeing Avril being difficult, and said helplessly,
"My dear, I put up with your antics all morning, and now you say you're done? Do you think that's fair?"
Avril didn't have many scenesâjust a few shots and a handful of lines. Normally, dropping out would only waste half a day.
But things were different now.
James had come for her. He had just given the director $10,000. If she left, how would the director negotiate further with James?
Reluctantly, the director tried to appease her.
"I apologize for my outburst earlier. This scene is crucial. If you can nail the courtesan role, it will significantly boost your career. You were making progress earlier. Give it another try without giving up."
After a few more gentle words, Avril was somewhat mollified. The director checked his watch and realized time was running out. He clapped his hands to grab everyone's attention and announced loudly,
"Everyone, take a break. It's nearly eleven. We'll resume after lunch, starting half an hour earlier."
The crew sighed and began packing up.
They overheard the conversation about an investment, but it meant little to them beyond messing with their break schedule. They quietly grumbled about the disruption.
"Just because he has money? Our time isn't valuable?"
"Right? All morning's work for nothing."
"We get paid by the day anyway. Just do the work and collect the pay."
"Avril's lucky, finding a rich backer. She's going places."
"These days, female stars only need a rich sponsor, not acting skills."
Their voices were low, but James could still hear them.
He realized he had indeed disrupted their normal shooting, so he remained silent. But then,
A handsome young man stood up, storming over to the director and questioning him angrily,
"Director Park, my sister invested all this money just to play house?"
James glanced at him.
He was about twenty, wearing a luxurious robe, with red lips and white teeth. He was both handsome and adorable.
But his peach blossom eyes were filled with arrogance, making him quite unlikeable.
"Sorry, Theo, this is a special situation. Please understand," the director said, smiling awkwardly.
Theo was the male lead and the reason this movie existedâhe wanted to experience being the lead actor. His half-sister had paid $800,000 to make it happen.
Everyone relied on him for their paychecks.
"If we can't finish this film, you still have time to drink tea with people? What kind of director are you?" Theo pointed at the director, yelling.
He had already been irritated all morning because Avril couldn't convincingly seduce him. Now, hearing that the director was chatting with a rich kid, he lost his temper.
"Mr. Theo, what are you saying? No one is more anxious than me if we can't finish the film," the director said placatingly.
"I don't see you being anxious. You're sucking up to a rich man. Is this how you work?" Theo shot back, his face red with anger.
The director, embarrassed, his face red, said, "I assure you, Mr. Theo, we will finish this film on time."
Seeing the director back down, Theo eased his temper, knowing they still had to work together.
Replacing the director would mean reshooting everything, and his sister wouldn't allow it.
But replacing an actor wasn't such a big deal.
He turned to Avril and said,
"You don't need to act anymore. Take your boyfriend and get out."
Avril felt wronged. She had been yelled at several times while acting with this pretty boy, and now she was nearly in tears as he kicked her out.
She managed to say,
"Why do I have to leave? The director hasn't said anything."
"I'm the investor. I call the shots. Get out," Theo said arrogantly.
"You..." Avril was red with anger, unable to argue.
James, now understanding Theo's arrogance, gave him a lazy look and said,
"Kid, watch your mouth."
Theo, seeing James's demeanor and the bodyguard behind him, cautiously asked,
"And who are you?"
"No matter who I am, I'm just reminding you that it's better to be humble," James said calmly.
"Mind your own business," Theo retorted, although he didn't want to offend a rich man who mentioned investments. He then turned back to pressure the director, "Director Park, are we still filming? If not, I'll find someone else."
The director looked very conflicted, hesitating and stammering.
James teased, "Director Park, it seems you don't hold much authority on this set."
Director Park forced a weak smile and remained silent. Theo's outburst had fully embarrassed him in front of James.
"How about this, Director Park? You're getting yelled at here anyway. Why not come over to my project and get yelled at? I'll even compensate you more for your mental distress. How does that sound?" James offered.
Hearing this, Theo glared at James with rage, "What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" James replied nonchalantly.
"What are you trying to do?" Theo demanded.
James chuckled, "I don't have to explain my actions to you, do I?"
Seeing James's confidence and knowing he had a bodyguard, Theo fumed but didn't dare to lash out. The tall bodyguard approached him, standing over him intimidatingly.
Theo felt immense pressure from the bodyguard's cold gaze, which made him fear he would get slapped if he said another word. He felt very humiliated but didn't want to risk getting physically assaulted.
Relying on his looks to make a living, Theo couldn't afford to endanger his face. So he could only glare hatefully at James.
James ignored him and turned to pat the director on the shoulder, "Gather your team and let's go for lunch to discuss a billion-dollar project."
With that, he walked over to Avril, who stood in a daze, and took her by the hand to lead her away.
Theo, hearing about billions, assumed James was just bragging. He laughed sarcastically, "A big shot investing billions is wasting time on a washed-up star? Hilarious."
James stopped and glanced at him calmly, then said, "Maybe in a while, she'll be the biggest star."
Theo laughed dismissively, "If you can make her famous, I'll eat shit on a live stream."
James smiled faintly, "I hope you keep your word and don't wait for someone to force-feed you."
Theo patted the director's shoulder again, urging him, "Hurry, go do a big project with him. Don't miss this rare opportunity. Hahaha."
James ignored the fool. Nothing said now would change anything.
Before achieving results, he would let these clowns have their laughs. Once he spent money to create a smash hit, he would see what they had to say.
James gently held Avril's hand and smiled warmly, "Would you like to come work for my company? I can make you a star."