Chapter 70

Katie Adams imagines it all trembling with fear.

She could already imagine what kind of vicious tactics Simone Milton would use to trick her in a moment.

However, in reality, Simone Milton simply said that offhand. She really didn’t care what Truda Lambert and Katie Adams thought.

Seeing how upset Katie Adams seemed, Simone Milton wondered to herself: Could it be that I’ve offended her again?

It could be said that the moment she saw Katie Adams like that, she knew that Katie Adams would once again come up with a bunch of ridiculous ideas and then use them to target her.

To avoid being targeted, and also to stop getting entangled with Katie Adams and the other person, Simone Milton glanced at Marian decisively. The two of them prepared to slip away at that moment.

Just kidding. Wasting time on this is completely pointless.

Who knows, by the time they go back, negative news about them might appear on the homepages of various websites.

Simona Milton, who thought she had taken everything into consideration, wasn’t expecting that Katie Adams would stop her as soon as she took a step forward.

“What do you want to do?” Simone Milton looked at Katie Adams in confusion. Logically speaking, shouldn’t Katie Adams’s best option at this point be to pretend she didn’t see them?

However, Katie Adams didn’t plan to do that at all. She had just been gently “stabbed” by Simone Milton. There was no way she could just let it go like that.

“Miss Milton, what did you just say? I don’t seem to have heard you clearly. Here, I’d like to explain to you formally that there’s nothing special between me and that senior. So please stop making up nonsense.” Katie Adams spoke in a firm and decisive tone.

Of course, she isn’t unwilling to become closely tied to Truda Lambert. After all, he’s such a renowned movie star. If she could be associated with him, the connections and resources she’d gain would be countless.

But even if she really wanted to be tied to Truda Lambert, she certainly wouldn’t want to do it in such a way.

After all, Truda Lambert’s fans are quite formidable, to say the least.

Although Katie Adams has to admit that her fans are definitely pretty stupid, her stupid fans probably can’t beat Truda Lambert’s fans.

It’s precisely for this reason that she hesitates to accept. At least for now, she has no plans to become completely tied to Truda Lambert.

Katie Adams’s decisive refusal really shocked Simone Milton. In her mind, Katie Adams wasn’t the kind of person to act in such a manner.

Based on Katie Adams’ usual behavior, shouldn’t she have admitted it with some shyness or hesitation?

Although her acknowledgment might not be obvious at first, it can be detected if one listens carefully.

With such a clear refusal, wasn’t Katie Adams afraid that Truda Lambert would be heartbroken and disappointed, and thus stay away from her?

Simone Milton couldn’t figure it out, and it was impossible for her to voice her doubts. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded, acting as if nothing had happened.

“If it was indeed a misunderstanding on my part, then let it be! I hope you enjoy your walk. I’ll leave now and not disturb you two anymore!” Simone Milton said these words with a forced smile on her face.

Her feet trembled unnaturally, and she had her arms crossed. Although her face didn’t show any signs of impatience, it was clear that she was extremely annoyed.

When Truda Lambert heard Simone Milton say that, she felt a little happy inside. What this woman said made him feel a faint sense of satisfaction.

It’s as though the relationship between him and Katie Adams is obvious to everyone. It’s clear to all that there’s a special bond between them.

Unfortunately, Katie Adams denied the intimacy between the two of them, simply describing their relationship as friendship.

To be honest, for that brief moment, Truda Lambert felt disheartened. She even wondered if it was impossible for her to ever impress Katie Adams again in her lifetime.

But right after that, Katie Adams flashed him a bright smile, and his heavy heart seemed to be healed as a result.

He thought that even if it was just friendship, that was fine. As long as he could keep Katie Adams’ bright and innocent smile, he would be satisfied.

“That’s right, there’s nothing special between the two of us. I hope you won’t spread such rumors around, so as to avoid any negative consequences…” Truda Lambert, now back to her usual composed self, stood up straight and spoke in a firm voice.

Simone Milton was utterly speechless at the idea of these two people lying outright. But the nature of their relationship really wasn’t important to her at all.

Since you two insist on deceiving yourselves like this, then let it be. I certainly won’t accompany you any further.

With such thoughts in mind, Simone Milton wore a polite yet reserved smile as she gently expressed her desire to leave.

Just as Simone Milton was about to leave, Katie Adams hesitated for a moment. She stepped forward, trying to stop Simone Milton.

“I won’t bother you anymore. Hehe, just ignore me!” said Simone Milton. As if pursued by evil spirits, she immediately grabbed Marian and ran away.

It was like a chain reaction: as Simone Milton started running, Katie Adams followed closely behind, then Wen rushed after her, and Truda Lambert followed suit.

And just like that, one loop after another, in the end, Simone Milton still couldn’t get rid of Katie Adams and the others.

Watching Katie Adams get closer and closer, Simone Milton, who was already struggling to keep up at the front, couldn’t help but think: Good heavens, how much longer are you going to keep chasing me? I don’t even have many candies left. Why are you chasing me at all?

Katie Adams’s idea was much simpler. She simply wanted to stop Simone Milton, nothing more.

By the end, Simone Milton was completely exhausted. She stopped, gasping for breath, and looked at Katie Adams helplessly. “Miss Wen, what exactly do you want? It seems there’s nothing left to say between us. Don’t you think your behavior is a bit…”

Katie Adams, who was also out of breath, became furious upon hearing Simone Milton say that. She almost couldn’t help but roll her eyes and say, “If you hadn’t run so fast, would I have had to chase after you? Why didn’t you just stop running in the first place? Who’s to blame for this situation?”

“I…”

Simone Milton was about to answer when she saw a child dressed in a harry potter-style outfit standing in the middle of the road behind Katie Adams. The child seemed to be on the phone with someone.

Just at that moment, a car rushed towards the child from behind. Since the child was facing away from the vehicle, he had no idea that danger was approaching.

Seeing the tragedy about to unfold before her eyes, Simone Milton didn’t know where she found the strength to rush forward with all her might.

All she knew was that she couldn’t bear to watch a child around Martha’s age get hit by a car because of her own indifference.

At that moment, it seemed as though an immense force had been poured into her body, for no apparent reason.

This force drove her to accelerate faster and faster, propelling her forward at great speed. She had only one goal: to save that child.

As it got closer, she took another step forward. Just as the car was about to hit the child, Simone Milton grabbed the child in her arms and dodged out of the way of the car.

At this moment, Simone Milton lay on the ground, unable to get up. Her heartbeat was irregular, and she couldn’t calm down at all. She was holding the child in her arms. Her hands and joints were covered in abrasions, giving her a very disheveled appearance.

The only part that seems intact is probably her face.

“Little one, are you okay?” After making sure it was safe, Simone Milton got up from the ground, still shaken. She looked at the child she had been protecting in her arms with concern.

The child shook his head, completely unaware of what had just happened. In fact, at first, he even wanted to curse Simone Milton.

But once he realized what had happened, he was completely stunned.

After finally digesting everything, he thought about what had just happened. The child glanced quietly at Simone Milton, his eyes filled with hesitation. He gritted his teeth, but in the end, decided to leave.

“You run too fast…” Watching the child hurry away, clearly with no intention of staying, Simone Milton wasn’t angry. She simply tried to make sure the child wouldn’t run too fast.

If those words were spoken, the child would surely not hear them, after all, they had already run far away.

On the other hand, Marian, who was standing by, felt extremely resentful when she saw that Simone Milton had saved the child, yet Simone didn’t even say a word of thanks.

He angrily went over to Simone Milton, helped her up, and gently brushed the dust off her clothes.

“What’s the matter with this kid? Aunt Xue, you saved him, yet he acts like it doesn’t matter at all. He really has no manners!” Marian complained unhappily about the child.

No matter what, saying “thank you” isn’t that difficult at all. Why can’t that child even say thank you?

Simone Milton didn’t really have much to say about it. After being helped up, she waved her hand nonchalantly and said to Marian with a smile, “It’s not a big deal at all. I certainly don’t need their apology. Let’s go back.”

“But just because you don’t need that apology doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to apologize at all!” Hearing this, Marian became even angrier.

She believed that Simone Milton’s generosity was completely unnecessary.

But judging from the current results, Marian’s nitpicking will only make her angrier, with no positive consequences at all.

On the contrary, Simone Milton wasn’t so fussy about details, and didn’t seem that sad at all.

“Are you all okay?” Truda Lambert, who had witnessed the whole scene, stepped forward to ask, as Marian helped Simone Milton to her feet by the roadside.

Truda Lambert’s feelings right now are quite complicated. She originally thought that, aside from her acting skills, Simone Milton had no good qualities at all.

But now, Simone Milton has proven with her actions that she isn’t a person with poor character.

This means that his previous judgments were incorrect. Simone Milton isn’t as vicious and tasteless as he thought she was.

Facing Truda Lambert’s concern, Simone Milton didn’t take it seriously. She waved her hand and said, “It’s no big deal. Please don’t worry too much. Mr. Lambert, I hope you’ll stop bothering us.”

Although Simone Milton said these words with Truda Lambert in mind, her gaze was fixed intently on Katie Adams.

Feeling quite uncomfortable under those piercing stares, Katie Adams couldn’t help but take a few steps back, hoping that Truda Lambert would block those intense glances from Simone Milton for her.

She couldn’t help but wonder to herself: What exactly is Simone Milton trying to achieve? Does she want to stand on a moral high ground and punish her?

Katie Adams thought about a lot of things, but obviously, most of what she thought wouldn’t actually happen.

In fact, after taking one look at Katie Adams, Simone Milton left with Marian by her side.

Left behind, Katie Adams and Truda Lambert watched Simone Milton’s retreating figure with mixed thoughts.

“Did she just leave like that?” Truda Lambert suddenly felt a sense of loss. He wanted to say something to Simone Milton, but he didn’t know what exactly.

After all, from a factional perspective, he and Simone Milton are enemies—a kind of enemy who can never be reconciled.

“Maybe it’s to come up with headlines for tomorrow’s news, who knows…” Katie Adams said casually, somewhat distracted.

Upon hearing these words, Truda Lambert hesitated and wondered if they were true. But then, she remembered all the things Katie Adams had said about Simone Milton earlier.

Considering all the “misdeeds” Simone Milton had committed before, it’s not hard to understand why she would go ahead and arrange for fake news to be spread about her.

But… could Simone Milton, who would smile like that and kindly ask if the child was alright, really do such a thing?

Truda Lambert reserves her objections to this.

Perhaps it was because he remained silent for too long that Katie Adams realized that her previous words might have confused Truda Lambert. So, Katie Adams immediately tried to make amends.

“After all, such things have happened before…” Katie Adams said, somewhat worried. “But since she’s already used that trick once, I doubt she’ll use it again. Senior, let’s not worry about it anymore!”

Hearing Katie Adams tell her to mind her own business, Truda Lambert snapped out of her thoughts. She frowned and asked Katie Adams why she said that.

Katie Adams’s answer was simple: “Didn’t I tell you before, senior? Simone Milton is really tough. There’s no way we can compete with her. It’s better not to take on her at all.”

Although she said those things on the surface, what she really thought was: These words are meaningless. There’s no way we can reconcile as enemies. How could I possibly do nothing just because of Nick Arthur, who’s behind Simone Milton?

“That’s how it is!” Truda Lambert completely believed everything Katie Adams said. Or rather, he never even thought that Katie Adams might be lying to him.

“So, let’s not make too much of this matter. Otherwise, if anything goes wrong on their end, it could be blamed on us, and that wouldn’t be good!” said Katie Adams, giving a suggestive look across the street.

“Why don’t we go sit across from them, like the seniors did?” Katie Adams said, wanting to go over there and continue having a casual conversation with Truda Lambert.

When necessary, Truda Lambert can be given a slight advantage. This will make Truda Lambert even more infatuated with her.

But unexpectedly, Truda Lambert refused. She said, a little embarrassed, “I’m sorry, I have a performance in a moment, so I won’t be able to stay with you anymore.”

Katie Adams’ smile froze. She was pretty sure she could win over anyone, but with Truda Lambert’s attitude, she wasn’t anymore so certain.

Looking at Truda Lambert’s serious expression, Katie Adams felt utterly helpless. She wondered if Truda Lambert was trying to deceive her with lies.

After all, before this, she had never heard Truda Lambert mention it at all. There were still scenes to be filmed later.

After showing her gentle and generous side and seeing Truda Lambert leave, Katie Adams’ smile faded. She really hated this feeling of having everything out of her control.

While it wouldn’t drive her to distraction, it would certainly make her extremely unhappy.

The longer she spent time with Truda Lambert, the more she realized that she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose such a valuable resource.

So she needs to be more patient.

Truda Lambert certainly had no idea what Katie Adams was thinking. He hurried away from her and rushed to the filming site.

What he said before certainly wasn’t an attempt to brush Katie Adams off. He really did leave because he still had scenes to shoot on set.

The reason why it wasn’t mentioned before the date is quite simple.

Truda Lambert thought that spending time with Katie Adams wouldn’t take too long.

Since it doesn’t take much time, there’s no need to tell Katie Adams about it at all.

But Katie Adams had wasted so much time trying to stop Simone Milton earlier, which meant he too had to travel a long distance.

By the time he realized what was happening, time was already running out.

What else could he do? Of course, he left.

He’s sorry about what happened with Katie Adams, but other than that, he doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong.

Fortunately, he managed to make it to the filming location just in time. Otherwise, if Director Pond had to delay filming because of his tardiness, he would feel extremely guilty.

After completing the filming of this scene, Truda Lambert’s tense nerves finally relaxed.

Before the next scene started, there was still some time left. Truda Lambert carefully considered her character’s performance on set, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Simone Milton arriving at the set.

Simone Milton was led in by Marianne, though nothing seemed to indicate this from her appearance.

But upon closer inspection, it can be noticed that the person’s walking posture is slightly unsteady and wobbly.

It was at that moment that Truda Lambert suddenly remembered the conversation between Marian and Simone Milton earlier. She thought of how Simone Milton had thrown herself on top of the child to save her in such a critical situation.

Perhaps Simone Milton was injured at that time.

With such thoughts in mind, Truda Lambert hesitated for a moment. She held her script tightly in her hands. Even when Simone Milton passed by her, Truda instinctively stood up.

He wanted to ask if Simone Milton had any injuries, not out of hostility, but out of concern for someone he admired.

However, Truda Lambert suddenly stood up, startling Simone Milton.

Faced with Truda Lambert, who clearly wanted to say something, Simone Milton was somewhat puzzled. But more than that, she wondered if Truda Lambert’s strong reaction meant she had something to say to her.

The most likely guess is that it’s related to Katie Adams from before.

Realizing what Truda Lambert had suddenly stood up to do, Simone Milton shrugged helplessly.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lambert. I won’t tell anyone about that matter. So…” Simone Milton smiled faintly as she assured Truda Lambert.

After all, those two had gone through so much trouble to stop her and make her shut up.

She guessed that if she didn’t make any promises, those two guys wouldn’t give her up so easily at all.

Truda Lambert didn’t expect Simone Milton to say that. She was somewhat upset that her intentions had been misunderstood.

“No, you misunderstand me. I wasn’t trying to say those things… Before, you…” Truda Lambert shook her head, dismissing Simone Milton’s response. “Are you okay?”

Truda Lambert’s concerns seemed like a dream to Simone Milton, something enchanting and hard to describe.

This strange feeling left her unable to react for a moment. It was as though her brain had frozen for a brief instant.

Truda Lambert sighed upon seeing Simone Milton in that state. She slowly pointed at Simone Milton’s limbs:

“Weren’t you just knocked to the ground while trying to save that child? I want to ask if you’re okay… After all, your movements were quite forceful; it’s possible that you might have…”

After hearing the explanation, Simone Milton finally understood what Truda Lambert meant.

Although she found it hard to adjust to this sudden show of concern from this renowned actor, Simone Milton managed to remain humble.

“It’s all fine now. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Lambert. But I need to get to filming soon, so I can’t stay any longer.” Simone Milton nodded politely at Truda Lambert, without appearing distant. Then, she followed the film director to the set.

Outside the field, Truda Lambert might have viewed Simone Milton differently, either because of Simone Milton’s act of saving someone earlier, or because she noticed that Simone Milton was playing despite being injured.

In short, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Simone Milton, forcing him to pay close attention to every move she made.

Perhaps it was this observation that gave him a completely new feeling, one entirely different from anything he had experienced before.

In the past, he thought that Simone Milton was someone who might have some acting talent, but who couldn’t endure hardship and always liked to pick on others.

But this time, he realized that Simone Milton wasn’t incapable of enduring hardship. At least, even after being injured earlier, Simone Milton continued to shoot the film.

Even during filming, she managed to cleverly make up for several mistakes that occurred.

This feeling is truly wonderful. It’s as though he’ve wiped away all his preconceptions about Simone Milton in the past, and now he can finally see her true nature.

It’s a very subtle experience that makes one unable to resist being drawn into it.

By the time Simone Milton’s act was completely over, Truda Lambert’s mindset had completely changed from before.

He smiled self-deprecatingly. After all, he didn’t go up to offer any false expressions of concern.

Thinking about her own self-righteous concern earlier, Truda Lambert found herself utterly ridiculous.

It’s undeniable that, although he pretended to be concerned and tried to persuade Simone Milton to stop targeting Katie Adams, he was actually secretly moved by her actions.

He believed he had sacrificed a great deal, making many efforts to help Simone Milton and Katie Adams reconcile.

But now, he realizes just how terrible he really is.

Truda Lambert stayed in the background, quietly observing Simone Milton. That was all he dared to do.

As for trying to reconcile Simone Milton and Katie Adams, even if it’s done in the name of kindness, it’s important to make Simone Milton realize that both she and Katie Adams are kind-hearted girls who shouldn’t hate each other.

Anyway, he has no face to do such things now.

During dinner that evening, Truda Lambert found Simone Milton, who was having dinner with Marian in a corner.

He stood quietly beside Simone Milton and bowed to her solemnly.

“I’m sorry. I was really too self-righteous in the past. I hope you can forgive my recklessness. You’re not as bad as I thought. You’re a good person.” Truda Lambert apologized sincerely.

After apologizing, he didn’t even bother to see how Simone Milton reacted. He left the place in a hurry.

As for Simone Milton herself, she was completely stunned.

What’s going on? Truda Lambert suddenly came to apologize to her. There’s no foul play behind this, is there?

Simone Milton thought this, but didn’t react for a long time. Only when the person’s figure completely disappeared from sight did she finally relax.

“What on earth is Mr. Lambert here for? People who don’t know the situation might think we’ve done something wrong to him!” Marian was quite resentful, dissatisfied with Truda Lambert’s attitude.

Marian believed that Truda Lambert must have some ulterior motive for doing what she did.

But after carefully considering some of Truda Lambert’s performances, Simone Milton shook her head. She had a far bolder and more radical idea.

“Perhaps he really just came to apologize to us!” Simone Milton said with a smile.

“Ha, is that really the case?” Marian once again expressed strong doubts. But seeing Simone Milton’s earnest expression, she couldn’t help but believe in Simone Milton’s guess.

“Never mind. Whatever he wants to do, we’ll just deal with it as it comes! There’s no need to feel so stressed!” Simone Milton smiled and patted Marian on the shoulder.

After dinner, Simone Milton left the bar, ready to go back on set to continue filming. But at the corner, she saw Truda Lambert once again.

Truda Lambert didn’t know how long she had waited around the corner. In any case, when Simone Milton saw him, her face showed a complicated expression.

Facing Simone Milton’s gaze, he avoided it completely, not wanting to make eye contact with her at all.

“I…” Truda Lambert took a deep breath, trying to express what was on her mind. She wanted to apologize sincerely once again.

In order to make up for the careless impression created by the previous apology, it is necessary to take steps to correct this situation.

Simone Milton also spoke at this moment: “If Mr. Lambert really wants me to apologize to him, then there’s no need for that! No matter what your reason for apologizing is, I don’t need your apology at all.”

She spoke in a simple and straightforward manner, with the intention of helping Truda Lambert to get out of those unnecessary complications.

After saying those words, she wanted to leave. But Truda Lambert, as if possessed by some mysterious force, stopped her.

“What are you going to do?” Simone Milton frowned in confusion. She really had no idea what was going on in Truda Lambert’s mind.

She thought that by saying this, she was already giving the other person a way out.

In that case, it would be only natural for the two of them to part ways. Truda Lambert wouldn’t have to face her with that inexplicable sense of guilt anymore.

Isn’t that a good thing? What exactly does Truda Lambert want by stopping her now?

Perhaps the doubt in Simone Milton’s eyes was too obvious, causing all the words Truda Lambert wanted to say to be stuck in her throat.

He took a deep breath, trying to appear less nervous.

“Simone Milton, I… I mean, if possible, maybe we could work on our acting skills together…” Truda Lambert blurted out those words on a whim.

But after saying those words, he increasingly believed it was feasible. Both of them were good at acting, but each had their own strengths when it came to performance.

If the two of them could share their experience in drills with each other.

So, it will definitely have a very positive impact on their acting careers.

“What do you think? Although we belong to two completely different acting styles, occasional exchanges between us can help us gain more experience.” Truda Lambert stared intently at Simone Milton.

Simone Milton was somewhat speechless. She simply couldn’t understand this legendary actor’s sudden enthusiasm.

The two of them weren’t very familiar with each other. For Truda Lambert, making such a request out of the blue was actually quite rude of her.

Yet, as she looked at Truda Lambert’s intense gaze, Simone Milton felt a slight stir in her heart.

In Truda Lambert’s gaze, she could see the other woman’s passion and love for acting.

This affection is completely inseparable from him; it’s ingrained in his very being.

Truda Lambert really loves this job!

“Mr. Lambert, your idea is good. Perhaps we can exchange our thoughts about the characters during filming. There’s no need to go into further details.” Simone Milton wasn’t exactly delicate in her words.

Truda Lambert quickly realized that she wasn’t well-liked by Simone Milton.

However, this kind of situation was already within his expectations. Or rather, he had anticipated that things would be even worse than they are now.

That’s great.

Truda Lambert stopped bothering Simone Milton. He nodded at her and then left the place.

In the subsequent shoots, Truda Lambert proved through her actions that she truly had changed her attitude toward Simone Milton.

And because of Truda Lambert’s proactive approach, Simone Milton also began discussing her thoughts on the roles with Truda Lambert.

The two of them had different views on their roles. However, over time, these differences were gradually reduced through their interactions with each other.

In such interactions, Simone Milton and Truda Lambert somehow became friends, despite their differing opinions about their roles.

By the time Katie Adams discovered this, it was already impossible to destroy the friendship between the two of them.

This made Katie Adams feel a great sense of urgency and crisis.

She thought back to Alberta Arthur, who had once been loyal to her. He too gradually drifted away from her after coming into contact with Simone Milton.

It was as though she was watching a nightmare unfold once again. As Truda Lambert spoke more positively about Simone Milton, Katie Adams became increasingly anxious.

She began to get distracted frequently. All she could think about was how to defeat Simone Milton.

To the point that she hadn’t realized she had stopped paying attention to Truda Lambert. Sometimes, when she talked to Truda Lambert, she felt impatient.

“…Katie Adams, why are you distracted again?” Truda Lambert looked at Katie Adams, who kept getting distracted, and felt somewhat displeased.

Lately, he could clearly feel that Katie Adams was much colder toward him.

He didn’t know the reason, but he could sense vaguely that Katie Adams felt hostility toward Simone Milton.

To avoid making Katie Adams unhappy, Truda Lambert even reduced her mentions of Simone Milton, so as not to worsen Katie Adams’ already poor mood.

But sometimes, it’s really hard for him to avoid mentioning Simone Milton, especially when it comes to his favorite performances.

Every interaction with Simone Milton was incredibly beneficial for him, helping him develop new ways of interpreting his roles.

With this new experience, Truda Lambert naturally wanted to communicate with Katie Adams. But whenever Katie Adams heard the name Simone Milton, she showed extreme reluctance.

This not only hurt Truda Lambert physically, but also filled her with heartache.

When Katie Adams came back to her senses, she saw Truda Lambert’s sad expression. She immediately put her own thoughts aside and tried every means to comfort her.

After finally calming Truda Lambert down, Katie Adams had a new plan in mind.

Perhaps she should find someone to help her trip Simone Milton up.

She simply couldn’t tolerate the idea of Simone Milton and Truda Lambert being in contact with each other.