Chapter 172: Men Remain Boys Until the End

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Men Remain Boys Until the End

"People like that, they have a name online—’Shadow’. When they attack others, they don’t need a reason. It’s like a venomous snake biting someone, doesn’t even realize it’s poisonous."

Renee Morgan finished and looked slackly at Nicole Prescott, then said seriously, "Miss Prescott, don’t get me wrong, I’m talking about Shadows."

Shockwaves flashed across people’s faces. How is this any different from directly calling Nicole a Shadow?

Explaining only makes it worse...

Then they heard her add another line.

"And you... at best, you’re an underdeveloped Shadow."

The private room fell into deadly silence. You could hear a pin drop.

Nicole Prescott gripped her wine glass, let it fall to the floor—’crack’—and stood up, glaring coldly at her: "Renee Morgan, looks like you don’t want to make it in this industry, huh?"

The other actresses’ gloating expressions had turned to a bit of pity—offending the Prescott Family’s miss, in this circle being blacklisted is the least of your worries; what’s really scary is running into real bad luck.

This is nothing new in the entertainment industry. Many top actresses ruined overnight, publicly disgraced, all because they offended the wrong person and got hit with scandals out of nowhere.

The Prescott Family could decide her fate with just a word. Maybe that was true before, but now... Renee Morgan leaned back, her delicate shoulders relaxed, smile still casual but her eyes growing cold: "That’s really not up to you."

"You!" Nicole was so angry her eyes rolled, about to call someone to deal with her right there.

President Warren, completely at a loss, tried to mediate: "Hey, Nicole, today’s Miller’s dinner. Weren’t you after the female lead? Miller is just considering the role and wanted everyone together..."

"I know." Nicole looked back at them. "You all don’t like the script I picked, is that it?"

President Warren: "...It’s not that, it’s just that investment isn’t child’s play..."

Miller: "Yeah, Miss Prescott, this script is rare, I just want to do it perfectly. Don’t make things hard on President Warren."

Producer: "Actually, whether or not you’re the female lead isn’t important. What matters is the character itself. I do think there’s a role that really suits Miss Prescott, but its screen time is a little short..."

The other actresses, who’d expected to see powerful investors and a director-producer tag-team putting starlets in their place: "..."

Nicole tried not to burst into tears, let out a few cold laughs, grabbed her purse from the back of the chair, and stormed out.

"Hey, Nicole, Nicole... somebody get security to follow her!" President Warren called after her, then turned to the people behind him.

Secretary: "President Warren, aren’t you going to follow her and try to calm things down? Miss Prescott looks really upset, what if something happens?"

"Tsk, can’t you see I’m busy?" President Warren shot the clueless secretary a helpless look and waved his hand. "Just have the bodyguard follow her, and if it gets serious, call the Prescott Family."

The dinner was ruined. Renee Morgan knew that she was now totally out of the running for this role, but she didn’t regret what she’d done. Career is important, but dignity is more important.

In her years of career stagnation in her dream, she’d also run into ’benefactors’ who held out olive branches—but only if she’d "repay" them with her body.

Career matters, money matters, status matters. But only your body truly belongs to you. She’d have to be out of her mind to make that kind of deal.

So there’s no way she’d swallow her pride and let herself be insulted for a movie role now.

She was about to get up and say goodbye when Miller suddenly shot up and said, "Miss Morgan, where are you going? Sit, sit, please..."

The producer also stood up and quickly poured her a drink: "I’m only a few years older than you, Miss Morgan—can I call you Renee?"

Renee Morgan: "..." Only a few years older, and that qualifies him to call her by her first name?

No, that’s not the point—the point is, she just pissed off Miss Prescott; shouldn’t they be chewing her out?

The other actresses hadn’t expected Miller and the producer to act like this, either. But Nicole wanted the lead role, Miller and the producers wouldn’t give it, and Renee Morgan had driven her out, so maybe that made sense after all.

President Warren’s a businessman; for the Prescott Family’s sake, no way he’d let Renee Morgan off so easily.

They all sat back to watch the drama unfold.

"Hey, Renee is a little... awkward..." Without waiting for Renee to protest, the producer suddenly caught himself, and as Renee’s face relaxed, he said seriously, "What about Morgan—would Morgan be better?"

Renee Morgan: "..." So what’s the difference between these two nicknames?

"Come on, how can I be your Morgan? I could call you Uncle." The producer’s over forty, and even Renee’s own uncles are younger than him.

The producer wasn’t happy, blurting out, "Everyone online calls you that, why can’t I?"

Renee Morgan: "..."

The producer really exemplified how even middle-aged men can rebel when they’re fangirling.

The actresses couldn’t stand it anymore and all turned to look at President Warren.

President Warren tugged at his heavy, expensive black suit and got up, face grave.

The rest quietly breathed a sigh of relief—like hell every man in the country has watched that variety show and is a Renee Morgan fan...

President Warren picked up a glass of wine from the table, waddled over to Renee Morgan, and beamed: "Morgan..."

The actresses: "..."

Renee Morgan: "..."

"Morgan, your sniping skills are really something. When you have time, could you teach me some tips?" President Warren bent down and raised his glass to her respectfully.

The producer crowded over: "Morgan, can I join you too?"

Miller chuckled, "I don’t know much about it, but I’ll come watch?"

The actresses: "..."

Renee Morgan: "..."

They say men are boys until they die—turns out it’s true.

After the dinner broke up, President Warren personally walked Renee Morgan out and chatted as they went: "This film’s investment has nothing to do with the Prescott Family. It’s just that Nicole has always wanted to break into showbiz. When she heard Miller was making a movie, she insisted on the lead actress. The script is rare, Miller wouldn’t budge, but he didn’t dare offend the Prescotts, so he got me to help set this up."

Renee Morgan got it: Miller didn’t dare offend Nicole, so he had his good friend President Warren set up this meal—to give Nicole a clear rejection.

Nicole’s aggressive and dead set on this role, so obviously, she wasn’t thrilled with her rival Renee Morgan.

"Morgan..."

This time Renee jumped in just in time: "President Warren, why don’t you just call me Renee."

Letting an industry heavyweight call her ’sis’? She could never accept that.

"Can I call you Morgan, then?" President Warren asked, negotiating.

Renee Morgan: "..." Does he have some hang-up with the nickname ’Morgan’?

President Warren took her silence as agreement. Cheerfully, he said, "Morgan... The Prescotts are an old-money family, truly a top-tier clan. But the Prescotts themselves don’t approve of Nicole getting into show business."

That was also why he was willing to do Miller this favor.