As Zoe abruptly opened the door to the inner room panickedly, she found Jay sitting calmly and elegantly on the luxurious couch in his lounge, taking a sip of coffee.His bearing was certainly a far cry from hers.Zoe worked hard to calm herself, before asking meekly, "How long have I been sleeping?""A day. It's now 10 PM."A day—not just a couple hours and certainly not just the entire afternoon.In other words, she slept for twelve hours… from 10 AM to 10 PM!What?!"Why didn't you wake me up?!" Zoe asked in shock.She forgot to turn on her alarm, and she was the type who always overslept if no one disturbed her.That was how soundly she slept."You used to be so foul-tempered if someone woke you," Jay blurted."That's before! Would I even misbehave now? I'd be marching out of bed if you called," Zoe quickly retorted. Jay smiled then.His smile had always been refined, and she had never seen him smile in a way that lacked control.That was why one could not tell if he
Nonetheless, Jay stopped her. "Zoe."Zoe turned and promptly nodded politely. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Parker.""You left this," Jay reminded her then."Left what?" Zoe patted herself, but her bag and phone were there, and she had nothing else."This," Jay said, holding out a box of food.While Zoe was left surprised, he said, "It's your portion."Zoe realized with a start then.Sure, she said she wanted to take the rest of it home, but she did not actually mean it… And he was the one who had bought the chowder in the first place. Why did he have to make up for it?Still, she did not want to argue and quickly said, "Thank you, Mr. Parker. See you tomorrow."Jay swallowed. Was this the only way Zoe would treat him now?Still, he raised the car window and told his chauffeur to drive away.Zoe watched as the car left before heaving a slight sigh of relief.Just now, she felt that Jay was a little angry for some reason.Well, whatever—the past they shared was far from ide
Yelena and Clara shared the same room, and Clara woke up with a start when Zoe opened the door. One was certainly prone to being woken up when they reached a certain age."Just checking on Yelena," Zoe whispered."Okay." Clara tossed around in bed and fell asleep again.Zoe walked up to their bed and stared at Yelena's little cheeks, which were reddened from sleep.Who would have known that Zoe somehow ended up becoming a mother?Yelena's arrival certainly surprised Zoe—she never expected that she could get pregnant in one shot.It was Clara who suggested that she might be when she missed her period for three months and her belly started to swell.She was certainly shocked—she had previous cases of irregular periods before, when she slimmed down drastically or fattened up for certain roles. In fact, she was so used to it that being pregnant did not cross her mind.She struggled with herself for a long time, but she eventually decided to give birth.Clara supported Zoe, say
It was already part eleven. Jay usually should be asleep by now, right?Still, Zoe quickly replied, along with a bowing emoji: [Okay. Thank you, Mr. Parker.]Jay did not reply, while Zoe tapped on the file to see that it was an analysis on the character she would play.It dissected the character's personality with far more detail than the original script, and the contents painted a vivid image. Everything was listed elaborately, down to the instance of when the character should show which expression. She read it silently until the last sentence. [The character is minor, but she still carries weight. Do your best.]Zoe smiled for some reason—it was really out of character for Jay to write something so cringeworthy.Maybe an assistant helped with this? Everyone in the group must have a thorough breakdown like this too, and it would be difficult if Jay's group did not win with such detailed script.Holding the script, Zoe stood before her mirror and played her character severa
Once Jay arrived, everyone gathered around him, and he said, "Continue the rehearsals as arranged yesterday. Let's go a few rounds before we dissect the details. Zoe, you missed out yesterday, so try to blend in or practice solo if you can't.""Yes, Mr. Parker." Everyone dispersed and proceeded to start the rehearsals.Zoe blended in quickly, mostly because the script she was given yesterday proved very useful. She had rehearsed her role twice at home and quickly found the right mood to play her character. And with other characters to play off her role now, she got into character even quicker.By the time the first rehearsal was over, everyone was surprised by Zoe's performance.Her performance from yesterday was a stark contrast to the one she showed today—while she had been distracted and muddle-headed yesterday, she played her character down to a tee today.They had thought her character insignificant and uninteresting, but her performance painted it with bright colors. Eve
Suddenly, the director appeared beside her. "Zoe."Zoe promptly rose to her feet, appearing perfectly respectful. "Mr. Rubio.""It's fine, sit." Arthur Rubio quickly gestured. "No need to be so formal. You've not been speaking much or drinking… Not used to showbiz now that it's been a while?"In reality, she did not have to attend social dinners in the past, since she was busy filming commercials—her manager could never arrange for her to attend any."Just a little out of practice." Zoe smiled, quickly poured herself a glass full, and said, "A toast to you, Mr. Rubio.""Thank you." Arthur did not reject her offer, and they both chugged their drinks."You can really stomach your alcohol," Arthur praised."No, I don't usually drink," Zoe was certainly aware that there were plenty others who would hide their ability to stomach alcohol, or they would be goaded into drinking more than they would like."I'm honored. Here, let's have another drink," Arthur said eagerly.Zoe had no c
Zoe headed into the washroom, every fiber of her being aggravated.She looked at her reflection in the mirror, which had not much in the way of makeup or jewelry. She did not like putting on makeup personally since she spent so much time on stage with thick makeup, and she therefore preferred a clear face.To be honest, she had no idea why Arthur was interested in her—she was neither the prettiest nor the most talkative actress present.Could it be because she had no influence?Zoe splashed her face with cold water then.She knew all too well that if she spurned Arthur's advances, she would be dismissed by the next stage and had no chance to hope otherwise.After all, showbiz was a web of influence—one misstep and her career would suffer indefinitely.But if she did not reject him… She had a hard time ignoring her conscience. She never thought she would have to assume this path since she started out in showbiz.In the past, she had support and she gained confidence from t
Zoe cut Jay short right then. "Forget it—none of that actually matters now. It's the distant past and I couldn't care less. But understand this: I didn't come back to make you feel guilty or win your sympathy. In fact, I would've rather not shown up around you at all, because all I want is to properly live my life. So, please stay away from me."Zoe shook his hand off as hard as she could.Jay had to stand while leaning on a cane, and her shove left him stumbling a couple steps backward.By the next second, she already stormed off without so much as looking back. Jay's fingers clenched, but he stayed silent.-When Zoe returned to the couch, Arthur was clearly getting a little impatient. Other actors were sitting next to him, having come to toast him, so Zoe sat near the edge.After Arthur was done socializing with them, she finally returned to her seat."What took you so long?" he growled."Just ran into Mr. Parker, and we had a little chat." Zoe casually came up with an e