Naturally, she first studied the script from the significant project, though she only had a minor role in it. Penny really liked that character, after all.Bubbles had mentioned that the second female lead's character suited her quite well, and the character was beautiful but a villain.Penny liked playing villains. Her face didn't fit the innocent, sweet, or sunny protagonist type, anyway.However, it was clear that the second female lead's role was not something a newcomer like her could handle, so Penny didn't put much thought into it.She skimmed through the script first, then devoted about 80 percent of her attention to studying the minor role. She spent the rest of the time reviewing the scenes involving the second female lead.It wasn't that she was being unrealistic. It was just that the second female lead's role was very closely tied to the minor character whose role she wanted.Simply put, the role she had her eye on was more like the second female lead's lackey.Aside
When was the most painful for her?Before starting, Penny took a moment to reflect, not on the second female lead's experiences described in that half-page, but on her own past experiences.It wasn't her parents' neglect or being called a jinx by them at every turn that caused her pain.It wasn't the fact that they hit or scolded her that made it painful. It was the even colder disdain and indifference she faced after desperately trying to please them.At that time, she was too young, and her actions were merely a form of self-protection, like that of a young animal.When did the real pain start?It was when she started understanding things, gradually distancing herself from the Lowes' control, and taking steps toward her own planned path.However, in the end, she was forcefully held back by Spencer and brutally pushed into the abyss.Even if she wasn't thrown to her death, she genuinely experienced the moment when darkness descended.What kind of despair was that? It was a de
The role of the second female lead in this drama naturally went to Penny.When Penny and Cecilia walked out of the performance room, they both felt like they were floating on air.They were stunned by their unexpected good fortune.It was an SS-level project's second female lead role!It was originally an S-level project, but because the investment amount had increased, it got bumped up another level.Penny's usual acting fee wasn't high, but because her role was significant in this project, she was paid the standard market rate.Three million was already a huge amount for her. It was a substantial leap compared to her first film. She could even buy a new house with it!She had never developed the habit of saving money since childhood. Perhaps because of that, even though her payment hadn't even arrived yet, Penny was already thinking about how to spend it.She was incredibly grateful.Penny acted reserved outside, almost as if the audition didn't go well for her. But the mome
Since large productions took a long time to start, Penny had plenty of time to prepare for her role as the second female lead.During this period, the first film she was in was also edited and ready to be scheduled for broadcast.When the official poster for the major production's second female lead was released, Penny's first film aired at 8:00 pm on the same day.The poster was released at the same time as the announcement of the film's premiere date, which sparked a lot of buzz online.When the project was initially planned, the major production team had already decided on the lead actors.Although the production team never announced it publicly, both the male and female leads' fans had picked up insider information and started preparing promotional activities in advance.Who would have thought they would change the leads at the last minute?The commotion around this incident made the show popular even before it aired.To be precise, it became popular even before filming sta
"I came because of her reputation, and I want to judge Ms. Penny's acting skills.""I just heard some gossip. They said the supporting actress got her role through connections."What's going on? If she's here because of her connections, why can't she even land a lead role? Is her sugar daddy not powerful enough? How can he even call himself a sugar daddy?""Here I am, watching because of Bubbles' recommendation. Also, I want to apologize to Ms. Penny. I didn't understand the situation before and ended up blaming you. I'm sorry!""Just here for the gossip. If Ms. Penny's acting is good, I'll instantly become a loyal fan for ten years!"By the way, I'm enjoying the gossip a lot. I've been fed up with watching unattractive guys act for a long time. There seem to be more and more of them—each one looking weirder than the next."I really can't understand why people with a fetish for ugliness are supporting and following them. It's just unbearable.""Adding to what the previous commen
However, the accusations online didn't anger Penny for long.Those stirring things up were all just strangers. Besides, people who liked her had stood up for her.She didn't need to hurt herself because of these strangers' malice. Getting angry was not worth it.Moreover, these public dramas had actually boosted her career, so Penny was nothing but grateful to them.What annoyed her was that the Lowe family called her.When Penny received the call from Spencer, her first instinct was to reject the call, and she did exactly that.She only hesitated briefly, staring at the number in silence for a long time. She immediately rejected the call once she realized what was happening.All these years, the Lowe family acted as if she didn't exist. If she didn't reach out first, they wouldn't contact her, either.At most, during the holidays, the housekeeper would ask her if she was coming back so that the kitchen could prepare meals.As for her parents and her superstitious grandmother,
They already hung up.Penny listened to the beeping tone, glanced at her phone, and let out a long sigh of relief.She finally understood what it meant when they said you had to be tougher than the bad guys to deal with them effectively.If she continued to be as accommodating and obedient as she was before, she'd only be bullied and oppressed even more by the Lowe family.She chose to be an immoral villain and rejected what they called the grace of bringing her into the world. Between her and them, they were the only ones angry about it.It was fine as long as she wasn't angered.As for what Spencer said on the phone, Penny just considered it nonsense.When she was young, they ignored her and spoke to her with nothing but humiliation. Now, they suddenly cared about her.Did they really think working in the entertainment industry meant putting yourself out there and possibly embarrassing yourself? What era was this?The Lowe family was never considered a top-tier household in
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t
Penny didn't have much free time over the past three years.As she had envisioned, during the first year, she honed her acting skills amidst criticism while also working as a translator.Later on, she felt that acting didn't hold much appeal anymore. Moreover, realizing that there weren't any roles left for her, she gradually gave up and moved toward working behind the scenes.She had some work during this period.It seemed that a daring reality show, not caring about potential risks, decided to capitalize on her controversial popularity and invited her to participate in one of their programs.The reason Penny agreed to participate was because the show's first season had a good reputation, and the payment offered was reasonable.Continuously doing translations could be quite tiring. After discussing with Cecilia and weighing the pros and cons, she eventually signed up for this TV show.Unfortunately, she had underestimated the darker side of human nature.The show's production
"Really?" Zane blurted out, staring incredulously at Sam, who nodded calmly. His unruly and carefree demeanor was restrained, and his composed attitude showed that he wasn't joking.Zane fell silent again, furrowing his brow as he intently observed Sam.It was as if he thought everything through in an instant, giving up without hesitation. He didn't even remind Zane of the request from years ago to take care of Penny. Instead, he said this would be the last time he would help out.Logically speaking, this should be a satisfactory outcome for Zane. After all, from any perspective, the Lowe family's scion would only be a burden to Sam.Looking again at Sam's attitude, it seemed he didn't want Penny to know he was the one quietly spending money to handle things behind the scenes.Since there was no plan to meet her, he didn't need to worry about anything after that. If that was the case, it would be better to just end it early.That way, if Sam saw Penny falling in love, getting mar
All those old scoundrels from the Lowe family undoubtedly ranked the highest. Then there was Jessica, the entertainment industry's national goddess, who also played a significant role.Besides them, there were a few minor celebrities who didn't really make the cut.However, as Sam's partner and someone who watched him grow up, Zane privately hoped Sam could find a better girl.So, he advised, "There are plenty of socialites in Riverwood, and Amdale has no shortage of beautiful young ladies, either, and Rookfort isn't much different."You and the Lowe family's daughter haven't even officially met…""Who said I haven't met her?" Sam interrupted him without a second thought.He had even seen her twice. How could Zane say they hadn't even met yet?The first time, she gave him all the money she had. The second time, he spoke up to help her get that role.After these interactions, they could be considered acquaintances.Zane choked up and couldn't find the words to refute.He was s
Because Penny declined his offer, Zane didn't insist. After a bit of small talk, he ended the call.He politely mentioned that if she needed any help, she could call this number again. If he could assist in any way, he certainly would.However, Zanw knew very well that, given Penny's temperament, she would rather give up what she had than actively seek help from a stranger.Yes, to Penny, Zane was just a stranger. He was a person she had met once but didn't really know.This time, Penny didn't respond as coldly as she did when she was 18. Instead, she exchanged a couple of polite pleasantries, mentioned that she would reach out if needed, and then hung up the phone.After that, she let out a long sigh of relief and lay on the lounge chair on the balcony, gazing at the view outside the window.There were fluffy white clouds in the azure sky and the greenery visible in the neighborhood. Sparrows were chirping persistently as they darted through the forest, and the cicadas loudly bu
Although the other person said only one word, Penny could still tell he didn't have any ill intentions.Because of that faint sense of familiarity, Penny didn't hang up the phone immediately. "Hello? May I ask what this is about?"The unfamiliar and distant tone probably made the man on the other end of the phone pause for a moment. It was only after a brief silence that he responded."Young lady, don't you remember me? It's Zane Moran."His voice carried a laugh, with a hint of teasing.Only then did Penny remember who he was, but she wasn't happy at all.Zane meant no harm when that incident happened back then. But despite that, over the years that had passed, he became one of the people and things Penny would rather not recall.Whether it was the exam she missed, the incident where Spencer took her to the hotel against her will, or Zane, who gave her 30 dollars for a taxi ride.She just wanted to hide all of them deep in her memories.The recent events had particularly made
"I'm fine. You all don't have to look so worried. You're making it seem as if something bad is going to happen to me."Penny looked at the two people at the door who were showing a range of expressions, feeling speechless.Cecilia was provoked by her words, and her eyes turned red."We're worried about you. You have no idea what you look like right now. You're almost like one of those disheartened protagonists in novels who hated the world."Penny clicked her tongue twice and said, "Aren't you exaggerating?"She didn't believe it. She was just worried about money. It wasn't like she had become disillusioned with life.Besides, she didn't dislike this world at all. On the contrary, she really liked it.Whenever Penny came across posts online suggesting that all humans should just die, she always felt like rolling her eyes. If they wanted to die, they shouldn't drag others with them.When searching for her own role in movies, TV dramas, and novels, Penny particularly preferred re
Penny's way of clarifying things was to simply tell the truth.Sometimes, trying to cover things up would just lead to needing 100 more lies to continue the cover-up. That would often end up making things worse and more ridiculous.It was better to tell the truth about the situation.To answer the question of why she lashed out at the Lowe family, she briefly explained her experiences over the years.Why didn't she attend the final paper of the college entrance examinations? She personally reopened that old wound.As for that man in the hotel, Penny didn't have much of an impression of him anymore. She only remembered not taking his business card and accepting 30 dollars from him.Why did she show up at that man's hotel room? She wrote it down truthfully—it was her father who personally took her and left her at the hotel, wanting to trade her like a commodity.Every single word was carefully considered and written by Penny.She didn't share much of these things with Cecilia. Th
Once the official statements were released, Penny's career being ruined became a certainty.The only surprising thing was probably that after the film crew issued their statement, the largest investor also requested to withdraw.The film crew was completely shocked, but there was nothing they could do. The scion was willing to lose money just to withdraw his investment, so what could they do?The amount of money in the compensation was nothing compared to the amount that the scion planned to invest. The production team would incur a significant loss.With one less investor, the project's status was essentially downgraded. They had much less room to manipulate their gains now, too.One would understand why the scion was doing this if they used their brain a little.However, the protests from the audience couldn't be ignored, and compared to the investors, it was clearly more important to keep the show going.After all, they could always attract more sponsors, even if the amount o
In addition to the widespread backlash caused by the phone recording, Penny's academic credentials were also scrutinized and exposed.Before the college entrance exam, she had always been the top student in her school and had never ranked anything else.However, in the college entrance exam, she barely passed the minimum mark for key institutions, far below her usual performance.Some people speculated that she had been cheating during regular exams and that her actual abilities were much worse.However, the exam results could be checked online, and the fact that Penny scored zero on the last exam was surprising.It was even more shocking that she was admitted to a top-tier university despite missing an exam. It was truly exceptional.But few people paid attention to this information.After all, the achievements attained through hard work couldn't be faked. Even if the results weren't as expected, it was undeniable that she was stronger than many others.Regarding this topic, t