Chapter 62

“No, no. Your character isn’t like that at all. When she says these things, she shouldn’t be completely restrained! Although there’s indeed a hint of restraint in her words, right now, her emotions should be more expressive and domineering…”

As Simone Milton spoke, she made a and domineering face. She even leaned in closer, clearly extremely upset.

Katie Adams across from her seemed to understand something upon seeing Simone Milton’s posture, and immediately nodded her head.

“Is that… really the case?” Katie Adams frowned uncertainly, then pretended to be arrogant and domineering.

I don’t know if it’s on purpose or if she really never acted arrogantly. Her supposed arrogance seems more like an act.

I have no confidence at all.

“No, no, your emotional expression is still incorrect!” Simone Milton’s frown grew deeper as she spoke.

She thought Katie Adams’s way of handling things was a bit odd. But seeing how Katie Adams was acting, she felt it would be better not to say anything. Speaking too much might only annoy others.

Just then, the film director happened to pass by. Seeing Katie Adams’s pitiful expression and Simone Milton’s furrowed brows, he instinctively assumed that some kind of dispute had occurred. So, he walked over.

“Did something happen? You two seem to be having a disagreement.” The director was puzzled.

He certainly didn’t want any news about conflicts among the actors to spread within the crew by now.

Although that kind of publicity might boost the popularity of their show, too much negative news like this is really annoying.

Simone Milton was about to explain their actions when Katie Adams spoke up, looking pitiful. “No, nothing. We were just discussing something here… Are you here to call us on stage?”

Katie Adams said this while wiping her eyes, as if trying to remove tears that hadn’t actually flowed.

To those who aren’t aware of the situation, it indeed seems like they’ve been treated unfairly.

For a moment, the film director’s gaze toward Simone Milton also became somewhat complicated.

But since Simone Milton has a good reputation with Director Fang, even though the film director now thinks Simone Milton isn’t very good, he doesn’t say much about it.

Simone Milton wasn’t stupid either. Seeing the director’s subtle gaze, and then looking at Katie Adams, who kept trying to explain things but only made matters worse, she understood the situation perfectly.

She already felt uneasy before. She kept wondering where exactly Katie Adams might try to trick her. But she never expected that Katie Adams would choose this place.

It made her laugh a little, but also made her feel even more disgusted.

Of course, she wouldn’t let Katie Adams get away with bullying her.

So Simone Milton calmly said, “Well, it was Katie Adams who said that her own skills were too poor and that she needed my help with the acting… But her ability to control her emotions is really poor!”

She spoke without any courtesy, with a look of frustration on her face. She shrugged helplessly, clearly very disappointed in Katie Adams.

“Go ahead and say it. I’ll make her more arrogant and less reserved. While she does have a tendency to be reserved, it isn’t that strong. But it seems like she’s become good at hiding her emotions. She has no idea what I’m talking about at all.”

The more she talked, the angrier Simone Milton seemed to become. She even demonstrated in front of the film director how Katie Adams should be portrayed to achieve perfection.

After watching Simone Milton’s performance, and then seeing Katie Adams’ expression of restraint, the director couldn’t help but be convinced by Simone Milton’s arguments.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, if Katie Adams was really being bullied, then everything she said earlier would make sense as if she were indeed being bullied.

But Katie Adams said they were just discussing something. It seems he had misunderstood by mistake.

With such thoughts in mind, the film director spoke with a hint of apology to Simone Milton, saying, “I’m sorry, the way you two acted was a bit excessive. I misunderstood the situation!”

After saying that, he glanced at Katie Adams with a hint of annoyance and said helplessly, “Katie Adams, please speak more clearly. If you’re not clear, people might misunderstand you, and that would be bad.”

“No, I…” Seeing how things were developing, Katie Adams immediately spoke up in a panicked attempt to turn the situation in her favor. She had always believed what Simone Milton said.

“Alright, I know what you’re trying to say. In fact, I think Simone Milton’s perspective is quite correct. You might want to take her opinions into consideration… Come over here after you’ve settled on something!” After saying that, the director left the place.

“That’s not true…” Simone Milton was a little angry. Her face turned red as she tried to tell the director that the facts weren’t as she thought.

But she also knew that if she told the truth, it would likely become difficult for her to have such close contact with Simone Milton.

That’s not something she’d be happy to see.

Even though she was truly reluctant to do so, in the end, she gave up on keeping the film director around.

“Let’s go on!” Katie Adams forced a smile and said to Simone Milton beside her.

Meanwhile, Simone Milton glanced at Katie Adams and said something somewhat ambiguous: “Do you really need my help right now?”

In this case, the underlying message is quite clear: it’s essentially telling Katie Adams that she already knows exactly what Katie Adams wants to do.

Katie Adams took a deep breath, barely managing to calm her emotions.

“Of course, what you say makes perfect sense. I think it’s really important for me to learn more from you.” After saying this, Katie Adams smiled brightly.

“It can’t be a misunderstanding. I really do want to do something to you, don’t you think?” Katie Adams pretended not to understand, frowning in apparent distress. “I think you’re overthinking it. I’m not that scheming. I just want to do this role well!”

She spoke with great righteousness and determination. If someone who didn’t know her well were present, they might be deceived by her current demeanor.

“Do you really think that way? If that’s indeed your opinion, then I’m somewhat relieved… But if not, then…” Simone Milton said, letting out a cold, ambiguous snort.

“Of course, that’s what I think…” Katie Adams saw that Simone Milton was about to leave, so she immediately stepped in front of her and assured her of her thoughts.

But who would have thought that, after taking one look at her, Simone Milton glanced around casually and noticed a certain senior sitting leisurely on a chaise longue. She then pointed at that senior with her finger.

“I just think that instead of coming to me for acting advice, you’d be better off seeking guidance from those who are more experienced. At least I’ve received guidance from Senior Zhou, which has helped me understand the character better.” Simone Milton said this with a even brighter smile.

“But…” Seeing Simone Milton recommending someone else to her, Katie Adams instinctively wanted to object.

What she wanted to say was that what she needed was someone like Simone Milton. She simply didn’t care about anyone else.

Simona Milton, who had already anticipated Katie Adams’ move, spoke up again: “I know you’re shy. Don’t worry. I’m quite close to Senior Zhou. I’ll speak up for you!”

After saying those words, Simone Milton quickly left the place. She rushed over to Senior Zhou, who was lying on the chaise lounge.

After carefully describing all the difficulties Katie Adams was currently facing, Simone Milton earnestly asked Senior Zhou to help guide Katie Adams.

Senior Zhou heard that Katie Adams wasn’t very familiar with character development and hoped to provide guidance. Being very willing to help, he agreed right away.

Then, Senior Zhou went with Simone Milton to Katie Adams’s side.

“You see, I told you it was simple! Senior Zhou has already agreed to help you figure out how to develop the character and bring it to life perfectly. You don’t need to be so grateful to me!” Simone Milton said, giving Katie Adams a friendly pat on the shoulder.

In fact, after she touched Katie Adams’s shoulder, she felt a bit sick.

But when she saw the ugly expression on Katie Adams’s face, the disgust she felt turned strangely into a sense of relief.

Simone Milton thought to herself: “Let you act all fancy-like. Now it’s time for you to experience firsthand how annoying this is!”

“No, I think I still…” Katie Adams, who refused to give up, forced down her disgust and said to Simone Milton, “It’s not that I disapprove of Senior Zhou. I just think your method might be more suitable for me!”

Who knew that, as soon as she said that, Simone Milton couldn’t wait to speak up:

“How can you have such naive thoughts? I’ve already said that all my experience comes from my seniors. How can you think that my experience is better than theirs? If that were the case, why would I even need to seek advice from my seniors?”

Even after Simone Milton said all that, Senior Zhou beside her covered her mouth with a laugh and said, “Actually, it’s not as bad as Simone made it out to be. But you young people really aren’t very good at understanding how to present yourself properly!”

“That’s because you’re really amazing, Senior Zhou!” Simone Milton praised sincerely.

To be honest, if it weren’t for avoiding gossip, Simone Milton wouldn’t have wanted to recommend Senior Zhou to Katie Adams at all.

It’s rare these days to meet someone as kind-hearted, beautiful, and unselfish as Senior Zhou. To encounter someone like her is truly a blessing in three lifetimes.

But seeing Katie Adams’ clearly dismissive expression, it seems that she didn’t even take such kindnesses seriously at all.

“I…” Katie Adams racked her brain for a way to politely decline Senior Zhou’s request. But Simone Milton had already said everything possible in a kind manner. Katie really didn’t know how to refuse without losing face.

Senior Zhou, who was standing by, noticed the witty banter between the two of them. Being a shrewd man himself, he shook his head helplessly.

Compared to Simone Milton, who previously humbly sought her advice regarding character development, Katie Adams’s current behavior is truly unpleasant.

Taking a deep breath, Simone Milton, who had been watching them earlier, said, “Never mind. It seems it’s time for you to start filming. Let’s call it a day for now…”

After saying these words, Senior Zhou leaned quietly closer to Simone Milton’s ear and whispered, “After the play, if necessary, come to me again. But please don’t bring anyone else with you next time!”

What she meant by saying this was quite clear: she was subtly expressing her dissatisfaction.

Simona Milton felt both helpless and embarrassed. She knew full well that her little secrets could never be hidden from Senior Zhou.

Thinking of this, Simone Milton stuck out her tongue quietly and said with a smile, “I understand, Senior Zhou. Then I’ll go find you in a bit! Bai Bai…”

“Go ahead, just don’t let me down,” said Senior Zhou with a smile, then returned to his recliner.

Seeing Senior Zhou leave, Simone Milton innocently turned her gaze back to Katie Adams. “It seems you won’t get the chance to learn from Senior Zhou today. Let’s go ahead and film the scenes first!”

“You…” Katie Adams wanted to say something, but before she could finish, she was interrupted again.

“Alright, let’s go! Whatever you want to say, filming is what matters most right now!” Simone Milton said, without waiting for Katie Adams to respond. She strode confidently toward the filming location.

Once again ignored, Katie Adams was furious. Her hands clenched tightly, and after taking several deep breaths, she managed to calm her emotions somewhat.

But every time she thought about how Simone Milton easily blocked her moves and even deliberately ignored her, she couldn’t calm down no matter what.

After finally recovering a little, the film director rushed her to continue filming again. As a result, the harsh words she wanted to say never got said at all.

As the saying goes: “With one push, one can succeed; with a second push, strength wanes; with a third push, all effort is exhausted.”

All these continuous interruptions completely ruined her initial ambition to frame Simone Milton.

Of course, this doesn’t mean she’s given up on the idea. It’s just that she doesn’t feel like doing it today.

Once again, they were in the studio. Simone Milton and Katie Adams resumed filming the scenes that hadn’t been completed earlier.

It’s unclear whether Simone Milton’s previous guidance really made a difference. But this time, Katie Adams performed much better than during her first filming session.

But it’s still not perfect. Katie Adams’ performance remains superficial, lacking the details that could truly touch people’s hearts.

In this regard, it’s clear that Simone Milton’s approach to character portrayal is far more touching and believable.

But for a more flexible director like Fang, this isn’t really a problem at all.

To put it bluntly, Director Fang has actually gotten used to it by now.

After completing this round of filming, it means that most of the plot for this drama has been filmed.

To be honest, all the staff present felt relieved upon hearing this news.

After all, most of the more difficult scenes have already been filmed. What remains to be filmed are relatively simpler scenes.

For actors and crew members, filming simple scenes is always much easier than filming more complicated and difficult scenes.

Just as most of the staff were relieved, rumors began to spread among the crew.

Well, such rumors exist everywhere. But the rumors within this production team seem to be somewhat related to Simone Milton and Katie Adams.

It’s unclear when it started, but the rumor spread that Katie Adams was approachable, while Simone Milton was far more arrogant.

Among these rumors, some are baseless gossip about Simone Milton, some are complaints about her, and some find it strange that Simone Milton has such acting skills.

Basically, they’re all kind of sarcastic or mocking rumors, and they all involve Simone Milton.

Although it’s impossible to determine the origin of such rumors, the malice toward Simone Milton is quite obvious.

In fact, if those rumors couldn’t be directed at Simone Milton in the first place, they wouldn’t have spread so widely at all.

Most importantly, since these rumors are spread privately, no one talks about them openly at all.

Even if Simone Milton knew about these rumors, she had no reason to bring them up publicly.

That would only make her seem petty and narrow-minded.

For some reason, Simone Milton felt that this matter was definitely related to Katie Adams in some way.

Don’t ask her why she thinks that way. Perhaps she believes that no one in the world could hate her more than Katie Adams does.

So, the most likely person to have spread these false rumors is Katie Adams.

But it doesn’t matter. She’ll prove through her actions that those negative things rumored about her aren’t true at all.

With such thoughts in mind, Simone Milton began her new battle.

She proved with her actions that she wasn’t as despicable as the rumors suggested. In fact, her acting skills were the result of legitimate training and effort.

But even so, there are still many people who speak badly about others behind their backs.

In the end, Simone Milton couldn’t help but ask directly where those people who were gossiping about him got their information from.

Just as she had thought, the person who spread rumors about her was publicly exposed by Simone Milton. Simone even thought that person was overreacting.

But Simone Milton felt that she shouldn’t keep putting up with this any longer. Continuing to endure would only encourage those people to become even more demanding.

Under her firm handling of the situation, no one dared say anything more. The false rumors about her eventually faded away.

However, just when Simone Milton thought that no one would spread such false rumors anymore, she happened to meet Katie Adams, who was speaking ill of her behind her back.

Katie Adams, who was chatting with someone else, said earnestly, “It’s true. I really think she has something against me… She even tries to exclude me behind my back…”

In the end, she burst into tears, as if overwhelmed by grief. Her shoulders shook violently, and she looked extremely pitiable.

The young actor who was talking to her became even more indignant upon hearing this.

“I really didn’t expect her to be like this. Earlier, since she seemed willing to help you with your studies, I thought she was a really nice person! Turns out I completely misjudged her!” The young actress grew more and more angry as she spoke. She felt deceived.

Katie Adams quickly shook her head, telling the young actress not to say such things: “No, really, it’s not her fault. Maybe I didn’t do something right, that’s why she’s so angry with me…”

“It’s just that I really can’t take it anymore. I have to tell you these things so that you’ll feel a little better. Please don’t take it to heart…”

But the more she talked, the more she began to cry, filled with self-reproach. She seemed to have faced quite a few threats.

“No, I must get justice for you! How can she act like that? It’s completely unacceptable!” The young actress became increasingly angry as she prepared to leave.

“Don’t go. She’s the lead actress now and has the director’s approval. If you go, you’ll only bring trouble upon yourself!” Katie Adams said these words with sincere concern, but it was merely verbal persuasion.

Her actual actions show that she has no intention of stopping anything at all. She’s completely hypocritical.

However, her hypocrisy is exactly what those young actors really appreciate.

Although Katie Adams wasn’t actually preventing her in any way, the young actress still felt that Katie Adams was very kind and generous.

Having listened for so long without saying anything, Simone Milton couldn’t help but sneer. In her opinion, that little actress was simply too stupid for her own good.

Clearly, Katie Adams hadn’t actually done anything at all. Yet, the young actress was deceived by such sweet talk.

It’s pretty much the same as Alberta Arthur back in the day.

But then again, she certainly wouldn’t acknowledge such slanderous accusations made without any evidence.

“Look what I’ve heard. So, in your hearts, I’m really that despicable, huh?” Simone Milton said this, though her gaze remained fixed on Katie Adams.

Her sudden outburst successfully scared everyone present. Upon seeing Simone Milton, the young actress immediately put Katie Adams behind her for protection.

“What are you doing? Do you really want to keep persecuting Katie Adams? You’re absolutely horrible. I can’t believe you’re such a person!” The young actress said, gritting her teeth in frustration.

She clenched her fists tightly, as if, in the next second, she was going to go up and give Simone Milton a lesson.

“Who am I? I’m really curious why you say that. After all, strictly speaking, I have no memory of anything Katie Adams mentioned at all!” Simone Milton said, shrugging her shoulders.

Seeing this, Simone Milton tried to come up with a way to cover up her lie.

However, before she could finish speaking, Simone Milton interrupted her once again.

“What else do you want to say? That I forced you into all this? How exactly did I persecute you? What exactly did I make you lose? Just spell it all out clearly! I’d really like to hear it!” Simone Milton said, then turned on her phone to start recording.

“Do you still want to record? What kind of schemes are you trying to pull now?” The young actress immediately demanded in a sharp voice when she saw Simone Milton wanted to record.

In the minds of these young actors at that time, whatever Simone Milton did was seen as part of some scheme. So all they had to do was stand on the side of justice and condemn Simone Milton.

“So in your mind, I’m just scheming and plotting something by recording this, huh? I’m simply ensuring that you won’t go back on your words after the recording is made!” Simone Milton said, casting a sneaky look at Katie Adams.

Obviously, what she meant was to target Katie Adams, suggesting that Katie Adams would surely change her tune in the future.

“Do you really have to treat me like this? I can overlook everything you said to me before…” Katie Adams looked at Simone Milton with a pitiful expression, as if she were heartbroken.

The young actor beside Katie Adams was deeply moved. She had never met anyone as innocent and pure as Katie Adams.

At this point, it’s really kind of Katie Adams to still be thinking about Simone Milton.

“Hey, could you please make yourself clear? What exactly did I say to you before? I really want to know what I might have done that was wrong!” Simone Milton’s expression became increasingly serious.

She certainly won’t suffer losses for no reason.

Since Katie Adams insists on speaking in such ambiguous terms, then she’d better speak clearly, so as not to end up taking the blame for all the messy situations.

“No… just the scenes we filmed together before…” Katie Adams felt uneasy under Simone Milton’s oppressive gaze. In her nervousness, she blurted out things about the scenes they had filmed together earlier.

When she said that, she immediately sensed that something wasn’t right. She knew she had given Simone Milton an opening to exploit.