Chapter 17

Albert Arthur stumbled and almost knocked Katie Adams down. After managing to steady himself, he turned around and glared fiercely at Simone Milton.

“What on earth do you want, woman? Suddenly trying to touch me like that. Do you really think you can attract my attention in this way?” Alberta Arthur shouted angrily in frustration.

Simona Milton rubbed her ears, looking impatient. “Young Master An, aren’t you too narcissistic? Ever since before, you’ve always been talking to yourself like that. Really, I don’t know how I could have been so blind before and fallen for you!”

After saying that, she also shook her shoulders vigorously, as if she was disgusted by her own words.

She hurriedly tried to leave that place, but after taking a few steps, she was called back again.

But this time, it wasn’t Alberta Arthur who called out to her, but Katie Adams.

“Miss Milton, please wait a moment… What you just said was completely unacceptable! I demand that you apologize to him!” Katie Adams said firmly.

In fact, the reason she said that was entirely due to Simone Milton’s behavior during the Arthur family banquet earlier.

This time, she actually managed to catch Simone Milton off guard, allowing her to use Simone Milton’s own tactics against her.

“Heh… Miss Wen, that’s quite interesting coming from you… What, do you really still hope to be with your husband, still caring about him?” Simone Milton said with a cold smile.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the field became extremely tense. The three of them seemed to be caught in some kind of bizarre conflict, leaving those watching in amazement.

“Uh… Three teachers, what are you doing here? Are you rehearsing a scene?” Just as the confrontation between the three was about to erupt, the male lead actor, who happened to be passing by, spoke up, asking in confusion.

The actor playing the second male lead is named Tan Wen. He’s a fairly well-known young actor in the entertainment industry. He’s good-looking and has a youthful appearance. But he’s actually already an adult. He’s also very hardworking. He’s considered the most charming person in the entire cast.

If there’s one flaw with this supporting male character, it’s probably his acting skills, which aren’t very good. However, considering his eagerness to improve, the director treats him fairly kindly.

Seeing that none of the three paid any attention to him, Tan Wen frowned in frustration. Then he went over to Simone Milton, who had interacted with him the most and was someone he knew well, and asked what had happened.

“Senior, what game are you guys playing? Why do you all seem so tense? If there’s any problem, let’s sit down and talk it out properly!” said Tan Wen.

Hearing this, Simone Milton couldn’t help but sigh. She gently patted Tan Wen on the head and spoke in a maternal tone, “Don’t worry about so much. Do you fully understand your role? If not, go and study your lines right away, so you won’t get scolded by the director later.”

“Oh…” Hearing Simone Milton say that, the person who had been so enthusiastic about the conversation suddenly became listless. Their head drooped downward. “Well, I’ll be going then. But please, don’t fight!”

Before leaving, he still reminded everyone with such concern, making the girls present feel overjoyed with maternal affection.

With Tan Wen’s sudden interruption, Simone Milton immediately forgot her previous anger and shrugged indifferently.

“Enough. For the sake of Wen Bao’s sake, there’s no point in continuing this argument. Let’s call it a day. I’ll be leaving now. It’s my turn to take the stage in a moment!” After saying that, Simone Milton simply left the place.

She no longer paid any attention to the expressions on Katie Adams and Alberta Arthur’s faces, nor did she care about the expressions of the other actors present.

Anyway, to her, neither Katie Adams nor Alberta Arthur is that important.

Of course, this doesn’t mean she’s unable to deal with Katie Adams.

As for Katie Adams, she couldn’t say she fully understood her, but she could get a sense of who she was. After all, Katie Adams cared a lot about her reputation.

In that case, once Katie Adams returns to work, she can certainly use her areas of strength to deal with Katie Adams.

For example, acting skills.

Using tricks to manipulate others is a common practice in the entertainment industry. And using such methods to deal with Katie Adams, well, no one else would have anything to say about it.

If Katie Adams loses the confrontation with her opponent, it’s simply because Katie Adams isn’t good enough, isn’t that right?

With this in mind, Simone Milton endured day after day, until Katie Adams’ foot injury was fully healed and she could return to work.

Early that morning, she saw Katie Adams coming back to work. Katie was in an excellent mood, greeting everyone with her usual kindness.

Simone Milton also wore a fake smile, stepped forward to greet them, and congratulated Katie Adams on her complete recovery from her foot injury.

During their conversation, though there were plenty of witty exchanges, unfortunately, they hadn’t yet decided a winner when the director on stage called them away.

“Gong Fei, Leng Su, get ready! All crew members, prepare now!” The director shouted, and the staff present immediately got ready.

Katie Adams and Simone Milton also arrived on set when the director gave the command.

In this scene, Simone Milton and Katie Adams play chess in a pavilion. Each move is a strategic one. At first glance, their conversation seems ordinary and trivial, like everyday chatter. But upon closer inspection, one can detect the subtle wit and banter between the two of them.

This seemingly simple scene is actually one of the challenging parts of the entire drama. But if performed well, it will definitely add luster to the entire show.

“Action!” the director shouted, and filming began.

Simona Milton, who had long awaited this day, approached Katie Adams with great enthusiasm. From the start, she took control of the situation. Her exceptional acting skills made everyone present completely immersed in the atmosphere she created.

Such a satisfying experience inevitably raised the director’s expectations of Katie Adams slightly. But it was precisely that small increase in expectations that Katie Adams simply couldn’t meet.

Most fatally, halfway through her speech, Katie Adams was so frightened by Simone Milton’s sharp, unexpected glance that she completely forgot her lines and didn’t know how to continue.

“Click! Click!” Just as the emotions were about to reach their peak, Katie Adams stood there motionless, as if she had constipation. The director was extremely frustrated and annoyed.

“Gong Fei, what’s the matter with you? Where’s your script? With such a great atmosphere and excellent performance like this, why didn’t you continue acting?” The director asked Katie Adams, clearly frustrated.

“I…” Katie Adams was overwhelmed with shame and anger upon hearing the director’s harsh rebuke. She didn’t know how to defend herself.

If she says she accidentally forgot her lines, it’s likely to make the director even more dissatisfied and raise doubts about whether she’s qualified to be an actress at all.

After all, forgetting one’s lines on stage easily makes people wonder whether Katie Adams even read the script at all, which is why she wasn’t familiar with the lines.

Realizing this, Katie Adams certainly wouldn’t say that she had forgotten her lines. She was about to speak up, saying that she wasn’t feeling well and hoping the director could be understanding.

Before she could say anything, Simone Milton next to her interrupted her, “Oh, Katie Adams, isn’t that you? You haven’t reviewed your lines because of the injury you’ve had these past few days, right? You’ve been stumbling over your lines before. Maybe you should take a break?”

“No… I just feel a little unwell, that’s all!” Upon hearing this, Katie Adams turned pale. Her reaction was as if Simone Milton were slandering her.

“Since that’s the case, then take a short break. We’ll resume filming after that!” said the director, rubbing his forehead.

Upon hearing these words, Katie Adams immediately nodded. She took a short break to assess her condition. After adjusting herself, she asked to resume filming once again.

However, once again, it was a moment of growing excitement. The moment Katie Adams was met by Simone Milton’s oppressive gaze, she completely forgot her lines.

There’s no choice but to rest again.

After the break, filming resumed.

Simone Milton’s performance seems to improve with each rest she takes.

Katie Adams, who could be completely outshone by Simone Milton’s outstanding acting, got worse and worse with each performance. Eventually, even the director couldn’t stand it anymore.

Seeing Katie Adams act like that, the director, unable to tolerate it any longer, couldn’t help but frown. He was furious and wanted Katie Adams to get off his set immediately.

He wasn’t blind to the fact that Simone Milton was completely outperforming Katie Adams in terms of acting skills. He certainly wasn’t stupid either. In fact, when Katie Adams made one or two mistakes at the beginning, he subtly hinted to Simone Milton to hold back a little.

Simone Milton indeed didn’t deliberately target Katie Adams later on. The director thought everything was fine with that. But he never expected that Katie Adams was completely incompetent.

But when he thought of the relationship between Katie Adams and Alberta Arthur, the director finally suppressed his anger. With a sigh, he said, “Never mind. Since you’re not feeling well, go ahead and rest for now.”

After saying that, he turned to Simone Milton, who was standing next to Alberta Arthur, and said, “Leng Su, next, we’ll shoot the scenes with you and Ying Xi. Is that okay?”

The director thought that perhaps, if they filmed this scene with a delay, Katie Adams’ performance would be much better than it is now.

And so, he made up his mind.

As for Ying Xi, it’s the name of the male secondary character played by Tan Wen. This character is kind-hearted and innocent. He has a crush on the female lead, Gong Fei. However, he can only help her from behind the scenes, enduring his feelings in silence. He’s a truly likable character.

“No problem, it depends on whether Tan Wen is available or not!” Simone Milton immediately made an OK gesture to the director.

Upon hearing this, the director immediately beamed with joy. He loved actors who were ready to perform at any moment—this saved him a lot of trouble.

After that came Simone Milton’s scene with Tan Wen. It’s not clear whether it was a lingering effect from her earlier scene with Katie Adams, but Simone Milton seemed unable to control herself during her scene with Tan Wen.

As expected, Tan Wen was completely outclassed from the start. But unlike Katie Adams, who handled the situation differently, Tan Wen, after several attempts that didn’t work, decided to ask the director to pause for a while, so she could go and rehearse with Simone Milton instead.

Simone Milton certainly wouldn’t keep anything to herself. She even taught Tan Wen how to use various methods and techniques when portraying a character, so as to make the character more vivid and three-dimensional.

Half an hour passed in this discussion. Feeling that he fully understood how to shoot the scene, Tan Wen confidently told the director to get ready to start filming.

And this time, the chemistry between Tan Wen and Simone Milton was such a pleasant surprise that even the director, who had been tempted to lower the standards, was delighted.

How could he not be surprised? That young actor, Tan Wen, didn’t even have as good acting skills as Katie Adams when he joined the cast. Now, even Katie Adams has been outperformed by Simone Milton’s acting skills. There were so many takes that had to be redone.

With such a comparison, it’s no wonder the director has little hope for Tan Wen, who voluntarily asked to take a break.

However, the truth is that although Tan Wen tried to get special attention from Simone Milton this time, Simone Milton’s acting skills still dominated the situation. But it was nothing like the embarrassing situation where Tan Wen was completely outclassed by her.

Tan Wen actually withstood the pressure and delivered a well-balanced and engaging duel with Simone Milton.

Absolutely thrilling! After this scene, everyone’s gaze toward Simone Milton and Tan Wen became even more intense.

That’s amazing. So, those crew members watching from the sidelines were completely immersed in the scene during filming.

Some of the staff, who were completely immersed in the role, couldn’t help but feel sorry for Ying Xi, played by Tan Wen. “Leng Su, how can you be so heartless to Ying Xi?”

“Click!” This scene was successfully filmed. The director was overjoyed. He even ran onto the set and patted Tan Wen on the shoulder.

“Ying Xi, I really wasn’t wrong about you. You truly managed to bring this character to life perfectly! That’s amazing!” the director said with a smile.

Rarely praised for her acting, Tan Wen felt a bit embarrassed. She glanced at Simone Milton and resolved in her heart that she must learn the secrets of acting from Simone Milton.

“Alright, you’ve all worked hard. Go ahead and rest!” said the director. Without stopping, he rushed to the rearview mirror and reviewed the footage from earlier.

Tan Wen and Simone Milton, who left the set, quickly won the respect of everyone on the crew. After all, it’s rare to find actors with such outstanding acting skills and dynamic performances.

Katie Adams, who witnessed the transformation in Tan Wen’s performance and was even praised by the director for her cinematography, became anxious instead.

She stared intently at Simone Milton, who was being praised. She felt resentful inside. The more she thought about it, the harder it was for her to focus on her lines.

She thought it was one thing to feel that she wasn’t as good as Simone Milton, but why should Tan Wen, who was so much worse at acting than her, get the director’s approval?

Unwilling to accept this, she actually stepped forward and asked the director to let her film the scene with Simone Milton that she hadn’t been able to shoot earlier.

Hearing this, the director hesitated for a moment. He looked at the confident Katie Adams and asked doubtfully, “Are you sure? Are you confident that you can shoot this scene well? If not, I hope you’ll be prepared to try again later.”

“No, I’m quite sure, Director. I’m in my best condition right now. So please let me shoot the scene with Simone Milton together!” Katie Adams had a determined expression on her face. She pursed her lips, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Unable to endure Katie Adams’ gaze any longer, the director finally sighed and said to her, “Since you insist, then, twenty minutes from now, we’ll shoot that scene again that wasn’t successful the first time.”

After saying that, the director said to the assistant director, “Go find Leng Su. Tell her to rest for twenty minutes before coming back to shoot the scene that wasn’t completed earlier, together with Katie Adams.”

Upon receiving the command, the assistant director immediately nodded and left the scene, heading to the makeup room to convey the director’s words to Simone Milton.

For a moment, when Katie Adams saw the director leave to go look for Simone Milton, she wanted to volunteer to go find her instead. Then, she would pretend not to find Simone Milton, thereby preventing Simone from having her scene with her.

In this way, no matter what the reason, the director will definitely feel resentful. And she can take this opportunity to rise to power at Simone Milton’s expense.

In fact, that’s exactly what she said. She told the director that she could go find Simone Milton herself.

However, the director didn’t buy it at all. In fact, the director even said to Katie Adams in a stern tone, “Don’t worry about these things, Katie Adams. I think you should take this opportunity to memorize your lines once again.”

“But I’m already very familiar with it!” Hearing the director’s words, Katie Adams felt extremely aggrieved. Her poor performance earlier was due to someone else’s superior acting skills, not because she wasn’t familiar with the script at all.

However, the director saw objections like Katie Adams as nothing more than stubbornness. He said, “You say you’re familiar with your lines and the script. Fine, I believe you! I hope that when you act with Simone Milton later, you won’t be as poor in performance as you were during those takes earlier.”

“I can’t do it anymore…” Hearing these words, Katie Adams forced down the humiliation in her heart and assured the director.

“Alright, since you guarantee it like that, I’ll believe you this time!” said the director. He no longer felt like continuing the conversation with Katie Adams.

He knew full well that no matter what he said, Katie Adams would most likely not listen. Since that was the case, he didn’t bother to speak at all.

He’s already made up his mind: if he can still stand watching Katie Adams perform later, then he’ll just let it go and not bother with her anymore.

After all, the more NGs there are, the tighter their shooting schedule becomes, and the more money is wasted.

The director sighed, thinking to himself that he had worked too hard for this production team.

Sure enough, during the subsequent scene between Simone Milton and Katie Adams, everything played out exactly as the director had anticipated. Katie Adams’s performance was far from impressive, and her acting was even rather stiff.

Of course, this so-called “stiff acting” is in contrast to the brilliant acting performances by Simone Milton and Tan Wencai in their previous scene together.

When you compare these two, it’s clear that Katie Adams’s acting is inferior, isn’t it?

Not to mention that, in both of these control groups, Simone Milton’s performance wasn’t too bad at all. In fact, she even deliberately restrained her enthusiasm in order to get through this scene.

Still, the same old thing: Katie Adams is simply useless.

It’s really annoying as a director. In this scene, all the attention was focused on Simone Milton. He even made sure that every close-up shot in the scene was of Simone Milton.

Only a few close-ups were given to Katie Adams occasionally.

Just like this, it’s easy to see how big the difference between the two is.

In short, Katie Adams’ performance in this scene, which was essentially a challenging role to play, was successfully completed thanks to the director’s leniency.

Katie Adams certainly had no idea what the director had done to make it possible for her to pass on the first try. She was just surprised and a little proud of herself.

She thought to herself, “I told you! There’s no way I’m any worse than Tan Wen. Since I passed this time, doesn’t that prove my skills aren’t that bad after all?”

With those thoughts in mind, she didn’t even feel the need to watch her own replay. Instead, she gave Simone Milton a somewhat smug look, as if by passing this time, she had already defeated Simone Milton.

Simona Milton, who was suddenly being stared at, was utterly speechless. Katie Adams’s secret sense of satisfaction wasn’t hidden from her eyes at all. This made it clear to Simona that Katie Adams probably hadn’t even realized how terrible her acting skills really were!

Didn’t she notice the director’s gaze toward her? In the end, it all turned into helplessness, didn’t it?

Simona Milton couldn’t understand why Katie Adams was so smug. After the play, she went back to her dressing room and studied the script carefully.

As for the staff outside the venue, they showed sympathy for Simone Milton, as well as admiration for Tan Wen.

“In my opinion, Teacher Milton is so talented. Why doesn’t Katie Adams seek her advice? Look at Tan Wen before—after getting some guidance from Teacher Milton, her acting skills improved dramatically, and she even got praise from the director!” said the crew member who was cleaning up the set to their colleague.

“You’re silly. Katie Adams and Simone Milton are rivals in love! Even if Simone Milton claims she has no interest in Young Master An, their relationship can’t possibly be good. How could Katie Adams possibly go to Simone Milton for advice?”

“That’s true. But to be honest, Simone Milton’s acting is simply amazing! As for Katie Adams, I feel like her reputation isn’t entirely deserved.”

Two workers who were just chatting casually, laughing and joking around as they cleaned up the area, completely failed to notice that Katie Adams wasn’t gone from the scene at all. Everything they said reached Katie Adams’ ears exactly as it was said.

Originally, she stayed behind just to secretly find out how the staff present praised Katie Adams for her acting skills. At that moment, her hands, hanging down, trembled slightly.

She never expected to hear such words. She never imagined that she could be reduced to such a worthless state in someone else’s mouth.

How could she possibly be willing to accept this?

Forget about the arguments over words anyway – there’s no direct conflict with her. But why Simone Milton? Even if this woman is a bit better at acting, why does everyone side with her?

Previously, everyone was on one’s side, and some even helped to fight against Simone Milton.

Why has the situation completely reversed now? Katie Adams doesn’t know the answer, and she doesn’t even want to know.

Anyway, it’s all Simone Milton’s fault!

With such thoughts in mind, Katie Adams sneaked back to her dressing room and sat in front of the mirror, feeling somewhat resentful.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the makeup room. Otherwise, if anyone else had seen Katie Adams with such a gloomy expression, it would likely ruin her image as a naive and cheerful person.

Just as the agent entered the dressing room, intending to tell Simone Milton what needed to be said, she saw the gloomy-looking Katie Adams as soon as the door opened.

“My dear, why are you so gloomy?” The sexually provocative female agent walked in, wearing high heels, and asked Katie Adams.

When she saw her female agent enter, Katie Adams immediately showed a pitiful expression and leaned gently against her agent.

She said, “Sister Hu… I really can’t accept this. That woman, Simone Milton, stole the show from me! Why should she take my spotlight? I’m the lead actress in this production!”

“Her again?” Katie Adams’s agent, Sister Hu, immediately frowned upon hearing Simone Milton’s name.

Having been by Katie Adams’ side for so long, Sister Hu certainly knew of Simone Milton’s existence. At the same time, she felt deep disgust for Simone Milton—a woman who was relentless in her attempts to poach Katie Adams from her side.

“But I heard that she’s no longer interested in Young Master An. If that’s the case, then why…” Sister Hu looked at Katie Adams in confusion and asked.

At this point, Katie Adams couldn’t help but show a furious expression. She said angrily, “On the surface, that woman claims to have no interest in Alberta anymore. But in reality, it’s just one of her tricks to make things more interesting!”

At this point, she showed a worried expression again. “Lately, Alberta’s thoughts have been entirely on that woman… If this continues, Alberta will eventually be seduced by her!”

“That’s indeed a tricky problem…” Sister Hu nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Indeed, if by then Alberta Arthur no longer feels the same way about Katie Adams as she does now, then she’ll really have lost out.

Only by tying Katie Adams and Alberta Arthur together completely can she, as their agent, reap greater benefits from it.

“But she’s getting so much attention lately. If we try to compete with her, we’ll definitely not come out on top!” Katie Adams said reluctantly.

“Then, tell me in detail everything that’s happened these past few days!” Sister Hu said. “I’ll try to figure out if there’s any way to deal with this woman.”

It’s also been these past few days that she hasn’t been with Katie Adams. As a result, she’s unaware of everything that’s happened on the set during this time. That’s why the situation seems a bit tricky for her.

“Okay, Sister Hu…” Katie Adams nodded and recounted everything that had happened after Sister Hu left the crew.

After finishing speaking, she looked at Sister Hu expectantly. “By the way, Sister Hu, did you succeed in your negotiations with the company’s management this time? Was my contract updated to a more favorable terms?”

Hearing this, Sister Hu smiled proudly and said, “Of course! Who do you think I am? I’m your Sister Hu! Of course I can handle such a small matter. The company finally agreed to upgrade your contract to a Class A contract!”

“That’s really great!” Hearing the good news, Katie Adams’s displeasure finally disappeared.

This could be said to be the best news she’s heard in recent days.

Upgrading from the original contract to a Class A contract means that I’ll have access to better resources in the future, as well as more traffic.

After discussing the contract, Sister Hu’s attention shifted to the recent incidents where Simone Milton kept stealing the limelight from Katie Adams.

“Alright, let’s get back to Simone Milton. Although you’re the lead actress in this production, it seems like she’s becoming a serious threat to you. If things continue like this, your reputation will be damaged!” Sister Hu said.

“I know all of that you’re saying, but I’ve already tried every possible solution! It simply doesn’t work on her. What else can I do?” Katie Adams replied, somewhat upset by Sister Hu’s words.

“Just now, I got some information. Maybe if we make a few moves, we can easily get rid of Simone Milton, that formidable woman…” Sister Hu said this, whispering the information into Katie Adams’ ear.

As Sister Hu finished speaking, Katie Adams’ originally angry expression was replaced by surprise and delight. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Sister Hu. “Is that true? If so, then we can just sit back and watch the show!”

“Of course it’s true. How could I possibly deceive you?” Sister Hu said. “Just wait and see the show!”

Sister Hu and Katie Adams’ plans were unknown to anyone else. However, the other actors and crew members noticed that Katie Adams seemed to be in a much better mood after taking a break.

This was something that even Alberta Arthur noticed. She even went to ask Katie Adams why she was in such a good mood. Katie Adams simply shrugged off the question with a smile.

On the other hand, Simone Milton always felt that there was something strangely off about Katie Adams’s smile. But since Katie Adams hadn’t actually done anything to her, Simone was completely puzzled.

This doubt lasted only until the next morning, after which she quickly forgot about it.

Actress Donna Walpole accepted the director’s invitation and came to the set as a special guest.

Such big news exploded across the set this morning. Even the actors who came to film couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw Donna Warburton sitting there, talking with the director.

Although Donna Warburton is already 32, she doesn’t appear old at all. Her skin is as smooth as that of a 28-year-old girl, and her face remains as charming and attractive as ever. No wonder she’s considered the ideal partner by many netizens.

“Oh, it’s Walpole. Could it be that she’s coming to make a guest appearance in one of the roles in our production?” said one of the staff members working with Simone Milton, in surprise.

Hearing this, Simone Milton, although not familiar with this film actress, calmly opened her phone to search. She then saw Donna Warwol’s long list of awards. She was truly a beauty, possessing both talent and grace.

On the other hand, Tan Wen, who entered the set later, froze for a moment when he saw Donna Warburton. His expression didn’t seem enthusiastic either.

All the main actors were present. When the director saw them, he took Donna Warburton over to introduce each of them one by one. Of course, he also paid special attention to introducing Simone Milton, whose acting skills were outstanding.

Hearing the director praise Simone Milton’s acting so highly, Donna Walpole raised her eyebrows with interest, then extended her hand in a somewhat condescending manner.

“Oh, so you’re the actress with great acting skills that the director kept praising! Nice to meet you!” Donna Walpole said that, but just as Simone Milton was about to reach out, Donna withdrew her hand.

Simona Milton shook hands with an empty hand. Her expression froze. She looked at Donna Walpole in confusion. She hadn’t done anything to offend this movie star, had she? Why did Donna Walpole seem to be targeting her?

But since the other person doesn’t have any good feelings for her, that’s just fine. She has no interest in putting in the effort to be nice when there’s no reciprocation.

So, Simone Milton introduced herself to Donna Walpole in a proper manner, even politely asking Donna Walpole to give her some guidance.

“Of course,” Donna Walpole nodded with a smile. “I’ll certainly teach you!”

To her surprise, Donna Walpole got into such a fight with Simone Milton right from the start. Katie Adams was overjoyed inside, but on the surface, she pretended to speak up for Simone Milton.

“Walpole, please don’t blame Simone Milton for not being able to speak. We really all have great respect for you!” Katie Adams smiled gently.

Good heavens, with her unnecessary comment, Simone Milton’s previously indifferent attitude instantly turned into a display of disrespect toward her senior.

And she, Katie Adams, is just a kind-hearted person who steps in to speak well of others, in order to ease the awkward situation.

When Donna Walpole heard Katie Adams say that, she glanced at the actress who had taken the initiative to explain things, with a smiley-but-sarcastic expression on her face.

After all, she’s been in the industry for so many years. If she can’t even see through little tricks like Katie Adams’ ones, then she’s completely incompetent as a person.

However, it has nothing to do with her at all. She really doesn’t want to defend Simone Milton. In her view, it’s only natural for Katie Adams to use Simone Milton as a stepping stone to establish her own image as a kind person.

Yes, she hated Simone Milton. It’s hard to say exactly where this hatred came from, but one thing is certain: the moment she saw this woman, a strong sense of unease arose in her heart.

This sense of crisis prompted her to deliberately embarrass Simone Milton, in order to make this newcomer realize her true place.

As for the director praising Simone Milton’s acting skills? Donna Walpole thought it was merely a polite compliment from the director, nothing more.

“Really? To be honest, I didn’t notice that at all. You all seem to respect me quite a bit…” Donna Walpole said this, deliberately looking at Simone Milton. The meaning behind her words was clear.

Upon hearing these words, Katie Adams was overjoyed, and her expression became even more gentle.

She said, “Although some people aren’t sincere, Walpole, I hope you’ll pay attention to those who truly respect you. Don’t focus on those who are arrogant.”

Katie Adams’ words were nothing short of an insult directed at Simone Milton.

The two of them worked together seamlessly, constantly trying to tarnish Simone Milton’s reputation.

But was Simone Milton really that easy to get along with? If so, she wouldn’t have been so rude to people before.

“Yes, Walpole, you’d better keep your eyes open. After all, some people might say they respect you, but in reality, they don’t give a damn about you at all…” Simone Milton said this, smiling and giving herself a light tap on the cheek. “What’s the point of talking about this? The director needs us to get started with filming right away!”

The director, who already had a headache, was utterly exasperated by this inexplicable situation.

It’s easy to imagine how excited he must have been when he suddenly heard Simone Milton say those words. So, he immediately nodded in agreement.

“Alright, Walpole, we’re about to start shooting. Why don’t you go to the makeup room first and get your makeup changed before we begin?” the director asked Donna Walpole with a smile.

At Donna Walpole’s level, it’s of course impossible for the director to act in a manner similar to how a conductor would direct young ac