Charlotte pushed open the door to the dressing room, and the people inside turned their faces toward her, their expressions less than cheerful. However, they all remained silent.Suzanne stood up amidst the crowd, wearing a tired expression. Charlotte approached her and asked, "Ms. Cole, what happened?"They moved away from the others to talk in private. Suzanne apologized and said, "News about the replacement of the actress in 'Looking West to the Capital' has spread, and there have been several ticket refund requests. Two actors in our group have applied for transfer to Jessica's other play."This situation had been within Charlotte's expectations, but she hadn't anticipated chaos before the play started. She glanced around the dressing room and noticed the male actor from yesterday was missing.Suzanne guessed her concern and said, "I think he's already talked to Jessica's side. He hasn't officially transferred yet, but he's waiting for our play to finish. If it fails, he'll smo
The show began.In the beginning, things were relatively okay. Charlotte took a deep breath, and when she reached the front of the stage, some audience members in the front row left after seeing that she wasn't Jessica. The expressions of the actors sharing the stage with her became increasingly unpleasant.Charlotte maintained her pace, neither too fast nor too slow. The plot progressed, but so did the departure of the audience."What kind of performance is this? It's far worse than Jessica's!""They're promoting newcomers? I'm speechless!""Can you guys keep it down? Just watch the play. Stop making a fuss!"The audiences for stage plays were divided in their reactions to actors. Some focused solely on the quality of the play and acting, while others had developed habits of following a particular actor, refusing to accept any others.Unfortunately, the audience for 'Looking West to the Capital' fell into the latter category. Only one or two out of ten were casual viewers. The
"Should we start working on a new play?" Charlotte asked, hoping to give Suzanne a way out.Suzanne hesitated for a moment. Charlotte nodded and continued, "I suggest you quickly select a theme. Choose something simple and popular. First, stabilize your relationship with the owner before continuing your war with Jessica."The situation shifted from winning or losing a bet to Suzanne's value. That was what the owner cared about now."I'm an artist..." Suzanne began to argue.Charlotte interrupted her firmly. "You have a group of people here who need to make a living."With this statement, Charlotte silenced Suzanne's objections. She glanced at the room full of newcomers and sighed."Okay, we can work on a new play..." Suzanne reluctantly agreed.Seeing her compromise, Charlotte felt more at ease. She nodded and suggested, "Contact the person in charge of scheduling and see which plays are popular."At that moment, a young actress named Mary Clay timidly raised her hand and said,
The group led by Suzanne originally had seventeen members, but now only six remained.One was a makeup artist named Daisy Kruger, who had been slapped by Jessica before. At that time, Suzanne had stood up for her, which had wholly offended Jessica. Grateful to Suzanne, this young woman chose to stay.The remaining five consisted of four interns and one woman who usually had a minor role. The woman in the minor role was named Lucy Barber, a beautiful girl with long hair who was quite gentle.As soon as they closed the door to the room, Suzanne sat in a corner, feeling sad and unable to accept the changes. Meanwhile, the interns cleaned up the place.Lucy calmly counted the crew and joked, "If we perform 'Snow White,' we'd have just the right number of people. Charlotte could play Snow White, and we could be the dwarves."One intern said, "But Suzanne is a bit old for that."Suzanne cast a faint glance at them. The interns were taken aback and fell silent.Charlotte leaned back in
The man's voice was deep on the other end of the phone. His slightly hoarse voice sounded impatient as he provided an address."Come to the Riverside Mansion."Charlotte speculated that he must have been sleeping, as his voice sounded exhausted. She packed a bag of props and prepared to deal with the details later that night.Today, she didn't drive, so she had to take a taxi to Riverside Mansion. On the way, Benjamin called her."Hello?""The gallery called me and said you quit your job?" Benjamin asked.Charlotte looked out the window and replied, "I found a new job. Fans kept coming to the gallery and causing trouble, making it impossible for me to work properly. It's affecting the gallery's business, too.""If you found it troublesome, you could have told me. I would have arranged a new job for you.""It's okay. I found one myself, and it's not bad," Charlotte replied."What kind of job is it?" Benjamin asked."It's a job at a theater, nothing special."Benjamin paused m
Ding dong! The doorbell rang.Charlotte paused her argument with Griffith and got up to answer the door.Julie carried a large green onion outside the door, and behind her was Ash holding many snacks.Seeing Charlotte, Julie appeared very happy. "Charlotte!"Charlotte had a good impression of her. She quickly made way for them. "Did you go shopping?""Yes! My brother was craving some good food, so I treated him," Julie replied.Charlotte noticed the two bags of snacks and couldn't help but smile. These didn't seem like snacks for Ash.As soon as Julie entered, she ran up and down excitedly and put down the puppy for Charlotte to play with. Julie then noticed the big package by the door."What are these?" Julie asked."They're props," Charlotte replied."Props?" Julie blinked her big eyes, looking curious.Charlotte, treating her like a child, was happy to indulge her. She bent down and unzipped the bag to show her a princess dress, a crown, and high heels.Most girls loved
Hearing this, Julie immediately nodded. "Yes, the little dwarf is going to cry!"She said that but didn't cry herself. Instead, she turned and said to Ash and Griffith, "Big brother cry! Brother Griffith, cry!""Why aren't you crying yourself?" Griffith said.Julie was full of wisdom in her words, saying, "I'm Bashful. Bashful cries quietly."Charlotte laughed and nodded. "Right, Julie is correct.""The princess is dead! Please don't speak!" Julie shouted.Charlotte remained silent but laughed inwardly. This trip had been worthwhile. Julie was truly an angel sent to torment Griffith. Griffith could not cry, so Julie taught him how to cry, telling him to rub his eyes."Julie, Brother Griffith doesn't know how to cry." Ash couldn't bear it any longer and came to the rescue.But Julie turned a deaf ear and began manipulating Griffith's hands. Charlotte opened her eyes and saw that Griffith had clenched his fists, which Julie had placed near his face."That's right!" Charlotte tho
"Yes!" "Then show me."Charlotte was shocked. Who was she supposed to demonstrate with? Was Griffith out of his mind? She struggled to open her eyes again, and sure enough, after just two seconds, Julie turned her head and lifted Ash's face to kiss him."Julie!" Ash's face turned pale with fright. He quickly grabbed Julie and tried to calm her down."That's it, Julie. We won't play anymore."Julie shook her head, still wanting to hug him. Ash, who was always expressionless, was on the verge of losing his mind. He pressed down on her hands."No more playing! If we keep playing, your favorite pasta will get cold and taste bad." Thus, he managed to coax Julie away.Charlotte lay on the sofa in disbelief. She turned her head and met Griffith's calm gaze. He did it on purpose. He must have anticipated that Julie would ask Ash to demonstrate."What are you looking at?" Charlotte said."You expected me to kiss you?" He snorted and got up.Charlotte quickly got up. While Ash was lea
Tanya's previous full-length mirror was still usable, but because it was small, she had to walk a bit farther every time she used it. Eli had long wanted to replace it.Little did he know, she got rid of many things in the house to make room for the new large sofa for him, including that old full-length mirror."How do you like it? Surprised?" He patted the mirror.Tanya smiled wryly and pointed to the large sofa. "And you? Surprised?" Only then did Eli notice fewer small items in the living room and a large new sofa. He suddenly chuckled. It was quite nice.He thought of her, and she thought of him. This winter was truly warm.Tanya abandoned the egg tart and hugged him again. "Oh no, this mirror is so big. There's nowhere to put it."Eli carried her with one hand and moved the mirror to the corner with the other. Sitting on the sofa, he thought for a moment, then hugged her and said, "Tanya, let's move to a bigger place."Tanya knew he had been thinking about this all along.
Eli found it amusing. He pushed the head of the small money jar and couldn't help but say, "You gold digger! You love money so much, then why did you give the check I gave you to Soraya?"Tanya blinked and chuckled. "I only acquire wealth in the proper way. To be honest…" She pondered for a moment, then turned to look at him. "Probably because, at that time, I was just too fond of you like I am now."Hearing this, Eli felt a pang of heartache and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Tanya smiled, moved the gifts aside, and made some space for him.Just as they were about to talk, Eli's phone vibrated continuously. It turned out that Bridget was sending over the detailed preparation process for the wedding.Tanya scrolled through it and suddenly felt overwhelmed. Eli looked at it and also felt a headache coming. The two glanced at each other, sighed simultaneously, and leaned back.After they publicly disclosed their relationship, life continued as usual but became busier due to the w
Eli being married was shocking enough, but then his wife was hiding right in the office. In the next half hour, Tanya heard wailing from all around.The atmosphere in their office was quite good, and everyone got along well. After coming clean, everyone joked around and teased each other."Nia, don't forget Mr. Ted, he's been cursing at you all along!""Yeah, he's been calling you a fool!""I heard it, I can testify!"Ted was furious and rushed out to hit someone. Tanya followed with laughter.Before leaving work, Amy indeed brought the cake and candies, sharing them with everyone in the building. Thus, the entire group gave them their blessings.From the office to the parking lot, Tanya received blessings. When she got into Eli's car, her heart was still pounding.Eli was happily eating his candy, feeling good. Especially now that he didn't have to sneak around anymore, he even turned the steering wheel effortlessly.Tanya, holding the cake, asked him in surprise, "Were these
Tanya walked out of the room with her guard down and came face to face with Ted's sneaky expression. She paused.Ted gasped, his brain instantly turning blank.He looked at Tanya, covered his mouth with his left hand, and placed his right hand over the left with his eyes gradually widening.God! This was insane!Tanya regained her composure and glanced in Eli's direction. Eli remained calm, glanced at the fruit plate on the table, and said, "Should we take some down to share with your colleagues?"Tanya nodded. She glanced at the still-disheveled Ted and kindly handed him a tangerine."Sir?"Ted swallowed, looked at Tanya, then at Eli. Finally, he settled his gaze on the tangerine in her hand, mechanically accepting it.Tanya turned to look at Eli. 'Look, you've scared my superior.'Eli shrugged."I'm leaving," she said.Eli nodded and escorted her to the door.Ted followed them out and was sent into the elevator by his boss. As the elevator doors closed, he let out a long
The deep blue bedsheet was neatly spread out. But the two pillows lacked pillowcases, exposed in a sorry state.Eli placed his hands on his belt and turned to look at Tanya. "Is this also your doing?"Tanya leaned against the door frame, only poking her head in, smiling sheepishly."I accidentally drooled while sleeping that day and dirtied the pillowcase. Knowing that you're a neat freak, I took them all off to wash," she said. She raised her hand and swore, "The pillowcases have been washed and are in the cabinet at home."Eli wasn't interested in the pillowcases' whereabouts. He remembered when Amy called him, saying Tanya missed him and wanted to touch the sheets and pillows after waking up.Nonsense!He took a deep breath, then turned his head to Tanya with a frightening smile. Tanya realized the danger and tried to run, but he grabbed her by the waist."Hey, what are you doing?" she said.Eli tossed her onto the bed and followed suit."What are you doing?!""Collecting
Tanya sat upright in the office. Eli stood before her with his hands behind his back. "Come on, explain."Tanya's eyes darted around. "Do you believe me? It's because I missed you too much. When I came to your place, I couldn't help but take away everything related to you." Eli scoffed. "Including the toilet paper?"Tanya pondered seriously.Eli tapped the coffee machine and pointed to the plug that had been pulled out, saying, "If the coffee machine wasn't too heavy, would you have taken that too?"'This brat has no conscience at all. Does she even understand what a cold shoulder is?'While he was reminiscing in her room, she made a fortune in his office!Tanya blinked and gave him an embarrassed smile. "If you think about it from another angle, I love you deeply. If we couldn't reconcile and you came back to see all this, you would hate me. Hate represents love, and love means you can't forget me. My obsession is so deep; I want to stay in your heart forever."Eli fell silen
"You should buy something while visiting. Do you have enough money in your account? If not, I will transfer some to you," Mrs. Moran said on the phone.Tanya didn't want money; she just wanted to hear some advice. She knew her parents' financial situation wasn't good. Due to illness, her stepfather had retired from his position as a butler of the Sterling family. Although the Sterlings provided a retirement package, Mr. Moran was getting old, and he had a son. She heard that his son's business had lost a considerable amount of money in recent years. As a stepdaughter, she had already received enough help from them, so how could she ask for more money?During her university days, she didn't ask her family for money. If she could find a part-time job, she would, and if not, she would endure it just to avoid causing her mother trouble."Mom, I don't need money. I have enough."When Mrs. Moran heard this, she felt even more sorry for her.Since her ex-husband was useless, Tanya suffer
After breakfast, Eli called Bridget."Why did you send her a check? Do you have nothing better to do?"Bridget had just arrived home and begun playing poker with a few old friends.She threw out a card, rolled her eyes, and said, "It's the first time I've met my daughter-in-law! What's wrong with giving her some money!"Eli was speechless."Madam, you came up and threw 500,000 dollars just like that. Aren't you afraid of scaring people?""What should I do? Throw 50,000 dollars instead? That's too stingy."Eli was speechless. Holding onto the railing, he glanced downstairs and saw Tanya ironing her coat in the living room."I almost got dumped because you caused a scene," he joked.Bridget threw the cards while chuckling. "It's good to be dumped. With your unruly behavior, someone should make you suffer a bit.""Are you really my mother?""If you still want to be a good son, hurry up and go through the procedures, live a proper life with Tanya, and try to give me a grandson n
"What did Her Majesty tell you?"Tanya nearly lost her composure, fighting back laughter.Bridget said nothing more as she left with Benjamin, leaving Tanya and Eli to return to the apartment. The journey back was silent, with Tanya deep in thought. Upon entering, Eli halted her at the entrance.Exhaling deeply, Tanya reached into her pocket and withdrew a check. Eli's gaze fell upon it, noting it was only for $500,000. As he moved to take it, Tanya tucked it back into her pocket. On the bar, a spread of breakfast awaited them - fried eggs, sausages, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the inviting display, Tanya's attention was on Eli."Don't you want breakfast?"With the situation still unclear, Eli's appetite waned. Nonetheless, knowing Bridget's nature, he remained calm. Seating himself opposite Tanya, he nibbled at a sausage, noticing her lack of interest."Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.Tanya shook her head.The oversized sandwich Bridget had ordered had already