Chapter 426: Chased and Beaten by the Manager

A single sentence was all it took to ruin Simon Lawson’s mood.

Gabriel Sinclair was already annoyed by Nina Sinclair’s presence, but he resigned himself to it, knowing she’d been pushed onto the show by the sponsors.

He just hadn’t expected Nina Sinclair to be so brainless.

No wonder she was so unlikable.

’In a situation like this, how can she just say whatever comes to mind?’

Simon Lawson’s expression darkened as well. He said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, no one is going to steal your cosmetics."

Nina Sinclair immediately sensed something was wrong. Realizing they were live-streaming to the entire internet, her heart sank.

She quickly said, "Director Lawson, that’s not what I meant."

But Simon Lawson didn’t even look at her.

Nina Sinclair bit her lip, looking pitiful.

The comment section—

"Holy crap, a woman like this actually exists? I’m gonna puke."

"Oh my god, and now she’s acting all wronged."

"Look how aggrieved she is. I don’t know why Director Lawson brought someone like her on. We don’t want this kind of drama. The show hasn’t even started and she’s already causing all sorts of trouble."

"Yeah, it’s just handing over some cosmetics. Look at Chloe Sinclair, she hasn’t said a word. Even the notoriously difficult Gabriel Sinclair is pretty cooperative as long as you talk to him nicely."

"Huh, I just noticed that too. I also thought Gabriel Sinclair was difficult, since he’s famous for being high-maintenance, but I’ve realized that on every show, as long as you’re reasonable with him, he’s actually very cooperative."

"Haha, lmao, that’s not it at all, okay? Is he cooperating with the production team? Obviously not. He’s afraid of getting chased down and beaten by Ms. Mayfield when he gets back."

"You guys didn’t see him clenching and unclenching his fists just now. I bet he was thinking: ’Hold it in, hold it in, or I’m gonna get yelled at when I get back.’"

"The world’s most pitiful boss. He feels wronged and wants to go home, but then he remembers he’ll get beaten up by his employee, so he figures it’s better to just put up with it."

"You guys think he won’t get yelled at after he goes back?"

"Hahaha."

"Truly tragic."

At this point, others continued to discuss the issue with Nina Sinclair.

Nina Sinclair still had quite a few fans, but her public reputation was so bad that even they didn’t dare to speak up for her in the comments.

As a result, the comment section was filled with voices denouncing Nina Sinclair.

One of the main questions was how Nina Sinclair got onto the show in the first place.

Apparently, aside from the four permanent cast members, the other guest stars were either top-tier celebrities or popular rising actors.

Or, they were people like Chloe Sinclair who had a strong sense for variety shows or generated a lot of buzz.

Unfortunately, Nina Sinclair was none of the above.

"Heh, it’s confirmed. Nina Sinclair is ’royalty’."

"I can’t believe the production team dared to bring Nina Sinclair on. Wasn’t she just publicly called out and criticized last year? And now she dares to show her face and work."

"Nina Sinclair definitely has some powerful backing."

The audience was naturally dissatisfied with Nina Sinclair being suddenly shoehorned in and demanded the production team kick her out.

Simon Lawson read the suggestions in the comments. He wanted to, but the thought of the show’s investors made him feel helpless.

Not only was he helpless, but he also had to give Nina Sinclair more screen time.

But glancing at Nina Sinclair, who was so reluctant to hand over her cosmetics, he had no idea if giving her more screen time was a good or a bad thing.

Urged on by everyone, Nina Sinclair finally handed over her cosmetics.

Simon Lawson said, "Go seal her case and put it under a security camera."

This sentence was a raw slap in the face to Nina Sinclair.

She was about to say something, but she seemed to think better of it and kept her mouth shut.

Just then, her gaze fell upon Chloe Sinclair.

She suddenly smiled and said in a soft, delicate voice, "Chloe, how come you only have one suitcase? Have you turned in your prohibited items?"

Nearby, Simon Lawson was just about to have someone fetch an empty box for the prohibited items when he heard Nina Sinclair’s words and paused.

He then took a deep breath. ’I have to stay calm.’

"Everyone has to turn in their prohibited items. You’re not thinking of not handing them over, are you?"

Nina Sinclair didn’t give Chloe Sinclair a chance to speak, blurting this out herself.

"My other suitcases haven’t arrived yet."

After speaking, Chloe Sinclair knelt down and, without another word, opened her suitcase.

Chloe Sinclair’s suitcase was huge, but aside from two face masks and some baby cream, there were no prohibited items at all.

She did, however, pack a lot of clothes.

Upon closer inspection, she had even packed men’s clothing.

Simon Lawson was a bit puzzled. "Why did you pack men’s clothes?"

Chloe Sinclair’s suitcase was the largest one there, so he’d had someone bring over the biggest box for the contraband.

But unexpectedly, apart from the two face masks, Chloe Sinclair only had a jar of baby cream.

She had packed a lot of clothes, but more than half of them were men’s.

"Huh?"

Gabriel Sinclair, who was standing nearby, looked over. The clothes in Chloe Sinclair’s suitcase looked familiar. His eyes widened. "Aren’t those my clothes?"

Chloe Sinclair nodded. "I saw you didn’t pack many clothes from your wardrobe. The weather’s been colder these past few days, and it’s supposed to rain, so I brought some from home for you."

In reality, Chloe Sinclair just knew her brother’s personality well.

Gabriel Sinclair usually wore thinner clothes to look better on camera.

Fans would, of course, be happy to see their idol looking handsome on screen.

But Gabriel Sinclair was her family.

She was afraid her big brother would be cold, so she simply brought the biggest suitcase from home.

After hearing Chloe Sinclair’s explanation, all the staff members present fell silent, feeling both envious and touched.

Gabriel Sinclair’s eyes turned red, and tears began to fall.

"Sis, you’re the best. Not like my manager, who only ever tells me to eat less or talk less."

"My little sister is the best."

At this moment, Gabriel Sinclair was crying like a fool, completely shattering the heartwarming scene.

Chloe Sinclair facepalmed in resignation and handed him a handkerchief from her pocket. "Bro, the audience is watching. Wipe your nose."

The tears weren’t a big deal, but the main problem was that when Gabriel Sinclair cried, his nose started running uncontrollably.

The comment section—

"Haha, I’m dying. Our boy just isn’t destined for a heartwarming moment."

"Gabriel Sinclair is killing me, how can anyone be this hilarious."

"Hahaha, his sister is just speaking the plain truth, I’m dead. But Gabriel Sinclair’s snot is really taking me out of the moment."

"Just a random passerby here. I just want to say Gabriel Sinclair is quite handsome when he’s not talking. Too bad the handsome guy has a mouth."

"LMAO."

"Ms. Mayfield: Just you wait till you get back, you’re in for a scolding."

On the production side, because of the siblings’ interaction, all the cameras naturally focused on the two of them.

Nina Sinclair, standing to the side, was pushed completely out of the frame.

However, Nina Sinclair’s own cameraman was diligently filming her, so her expression was broadcast directly on the livestream.

"Holy crap, what’s with that expression on Nina Sinclair’s face? That’s terrifying."

"It’s like she wants to eat Chloe Sinclair alive."

"This kind of woman is so scary."

"I used to think the Sinclair Family was being too cruel. They found their biological daughter and wanted to get rid of the adopted one they’d raised for eighteen years. I was so indignant back then. But looking at her now, I can only say The Sinclair Family made the right call. Forget them—even I’m scared just watching through a screen."

"I’m getting second-hand embarrassment for Nina Sinclair. She kept trying to step on Chloe Sinclair to lift herself up, but her sense for variety shows is just too terrible. I can only shake my head watching her."

"My dog saw this and sighed."

"My cat saw this and was speechless."

"My pig saw this and opened its mouth to call her an idiot."

...

The netizens’ comments were all sorts of strange and varied. What Nina Sinclair didn’t expect was that in the mere half-hour since she’d arrived, the number of online comments about her had already surpassed one hundred thousand.

Of course, if she saw them, she’d probably die of anger.

Chloe Sinclair handed over the face masks. The production team said she could keep the baby cream for her face.

So, Chloe Sinclair put it back in her suitcase.

They entered the village and met up with the permanent cast members.

Chloe Sinclair recognized all of them; they were all famous figures in the entertainment industry from back in the day.

"It’s an honor to meet you, seniors. My name is Chloe Sinclair."

Chloe Sinclair greeted them very politely, which made the four cast members nod in satisfaction.

"Hello."

After speaking, one of them looked at Gabriel Sinclair. "Is this the little sister you’re always mentioning on set?"

It seemed like they had a good relationship with Gabriel Sinclair.

"Yep, this is my little sister."

Gabriel Sinclair had been in the industry for many years, so he introduced them to Chloe Sinclair. "This is the award-winning actress Yara Garrison. Next to her is Jessica Bell, the star of *Empresses in the Palace*. The one in the middle is the veteran ’National Class-A Actor’ Mr. Frank Hayes. And the younger one is Hailey Beckett. You two should have met before."

Chloe Sinclair mentally noted down each name.

But when she looked at Hailey Beckett, Chloe Sinclair thought the man before her looked a little familiar.

Hailey Beckett said, "I’ve seen Miss Sinclair a few times at banquets, but we’ve never spoken."

After speaking, Hailey Beckett smiled. "You’re as beautiful as ever."

Through these brief exchanges, Chloe Sinclair became somewhat familiar with the seniors.

Nina Sinclair was forgotten once again.

Her face was dark, but knowing she couldn’t make another mistake on the livestream, she put on a sweet expression and said, "Actor Beckett, hello. I’m a fan of yours. We’ve met before, too. Could you give me an autograph later?"

With that one sentence, everyone fell silent.

The smiles on the senior actors’ faces vanished, and they stared coolly at Nina Sinclair.

But Nina Sinclair, as if she didn’t notice, continued, "I really love your movie, *Sea God*. I hope I can work with you in the future, too."

Hailey Beckett frowned. "Sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else."

The smile on Nina Sinclair’s face froze.

Hailey Beckett continued, "I starred in *River God*, not *Sea God*. Also, I didn’t star in a movie version of *River God*; it was a TV series."

Nina Sinclair: ...

Gabriel Sinclair, standing off to the side, was stunned for a moment before he suddenly let out a snort, unable to hold back his laughter.

"What a fake fan."

It would have been better if Gabriel Sinclair hadn’t said anything. The moment he did, Nina Sinclair’s face turned beet red.

Hailey Beckett wasn’t going easy on Nina Sinclair either. "Also, this is work time. We can talk about autographs later."