Chapter 423: That Explosive?

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: That Explosive?

Arabella cringed for a second, then gave Sheldon Webb an amazed thumbs-up. "So it’s true what they say. All the world’s a stage, and it’s all about the acting. Drama everywhere, surprises at every turn."

Sheldon Webb was amused by her expression. He said, a bit exasperated, "What did you expect? Once you’re in this industry, the first thing you have to learn is how to act. It doesn’t matter if you can’t act on camera; there are plenty of ways to fix that in post. But if you can’t act *off* camera, that’s a death sentence. One wrong move and you’ll offend everyone, and before you know it, you’ll have vanished from the scene completely."

Arabella was speechless. ’How is that not completely backward?’

"This Screenwriter Lambert worked with your brother once before, and it went pretty well for both of them. His scripts are well-written, logical, and have real substance. Most importantly, he’s willing to listen to other people’s opinions and isn’t arrogant, unlike some people in this industry who look down on everyone just because they have a bit of an education."

"...I get the feeling you’re calling someone out."

Sheldon Webb’s expression stiffened for a moment. He cleared his throat. "No, no, you’ve misunderstood. I didn’t mean anything by it. Anyway, that’s the gist of it. Since you’re here today, you can help me get a read on his character. We need to know if it’ll cause problems for your brother to get friendly with him."

"He seems great." Arabella stroked her chin, glancing at the father-daughter pair in the distance. "Good family values, upright character, married his childhood sweetheart. He’s a model husband—devoted to his wife and daughter, good at everything from work to home life."

"If I had to point out a flaw, it’s that he’s a bit of a stickler. He doesn’t like people telling him what to do with his work. But if you can actually persuade him with a solid, well-reasoned argument, he’s not impossible to communicate with."

"Yes, exactly. That’s him. When Hector worked with him, there was this actor on set who got the role through connections. He had a supporting role but acted like he was the star. No acting skills to speak of, but plenty of opinions. He was always bothering Lambert, asking him to add scenes for him here and there, and even tried to steal your brother’s spotlight moments from the script. Lambert got so pissed he chewed the guy out in front of dozens of crew members. The actor was so humiliated he couldn’t even look up."

Arabella found this kind of industry gossip fascinating. "What happened then?" she asked curiously. "Did he get the extra scenes?"

"’Add them? My ass!’ And that’s a direct quote from Lambert, I’m not adding my own spin. After Lambert yelled at him, the actor went crying to his patron. But when his patron heard the whole story, he dragged the guy to the set that very night to apologize to Lambert. Then he was packed up and kicked out of the production."

Arabella applauded appreciatively. "Wow. That’s awesome."

"Of course. The guy tried to walk all over Lambert without even knowing who he was dealing with. He was asking to be shut down. Back then, Lambert barely even gave the director the time of day on set. Your brother was pretty much the only one he’d listen to. That’s because everything your brother said aligned perfectly with his own expectations and understanding of the characters—like I said, it had substance. That’s why he holds your brother in such high regard."

As he spoke, Sheldon Webb wore an indescribable look of pride and satisfaction. "In short, he’s not just a stickler. He has artistic integrity, principles, and high standards. That’s hardly a flaw."

Arabella was silent. "...Alright, if you say so."

The remaining three parent-child pairs were a washed-up veteran actor in his forties and his son, a female singer who was a nostalgic blast from the past and her daughter, and...

"You need to be extra careful with the father and son on the far right. Even if you can’t get on their good side, you absolutely must not get on their bad side."

Sheldon Webb’s words piqued Arabella’s interest. "Is there something different about that father and son compared to the others?"

"That’s the boss of Prosperity Media, a major shareholder in the network behind our show, and also the show’s biggest investor, Mr. Dawson. Dylan Dawson. Like that Mr. Coleman we mentioned, his wife also passed away early, leaving him with just one son. But unlike Mr. Coleman, this one never remarried after his wife’s death. He raised his son all by himself."

"Sounds pretty devoted."

"Who can ever say for sure what goes on in these wealthy families?"

Arabella shot him a look. "From the way you say that, it sounds like you know something."

Sheldon Webb glanced around, then leaned in conspiratorially and whispered to Arabella, "I have a friend who works in the gossip media. He secretly told me that Mr. Dawson might not be as devoted as he appears on the surface. He’s, uh, keeping a mistress."

"Huh?" Arabella paused. "What do you mean?"

"My friend caught him on camera. He’s keeping a woman in a high-end apartment under his name. And that woman has a daughter."

"It’s that sensational?"

"It’s exactly that sensational. My friend also said he visits the woman and child regularly and gives them money and gifts. If their relationship wasn’t serious, why would he go to all that trouble?"

"Tsk, tsk. The entertainment circle is a real mess."

Sheldon Webb was getting into the gossip. He glanced around furtively again before continuing.

"I also heard that woman’s daughter is around the same age as his son. If that’s true... And his son probably knows about it, which is why their relationship is supposedly not very good. There’s a rumor that the reason Mr. Dawson invested in this show was to use it as an opportunity to mend things with his son. But as you can see, the kid won’t even give him the time of day. Mending their relationship is going to be tough."

Hearing this, Arabella instinctively glanced over at the father and son and nodded in agreement.

Ever since they got out of the car, the father had been carrying luggage and fetching tea and water for his son, acting as humble as could be. Yet the boy completely ignored him, not even sparing him a single glance.

Even so, the father continued to trail after him, hovering around him eagerly. It was a truly humbling sight.

"Their family’s business is none of our concern, and there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. At the end of the day, just keep an eye on Hector, and be careful yourself. As long as you don’t make enemies, you’ll be fine."

Arabella nodded repeatedly, only to realize halfway through, ’Wait, I’m just a little assistant watching from the sidelines. Why does he sound like I’m the one who has to go and interact with all these people?’

Before Arabella could dwell on it, the host in the distance saw that all the guests had arrived. After confirming the schedule with the director, he picked up a megaphone and began to speak.

He first introduced everyone and had them greet each other before getting down to the main event.

"Hello, friends in the audience! Welcome to the set of *Tots on Tour*, Season One, Episode One! In addition to our four parent-child pairs, we also have two special guest stars on set today: our very own Best Actor, Hector Donovan, and Panorama Entertainment’s artist, Jude Underwood!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the young artist who was there for the exposure waved at the camera with a disarmingly innocent smile.

"Before the show begins, our two guest stars will need to mutually select two of our young guests here to form temporary parent-child pairs. And now..."

"Wait."