Chapter 249 - 247: Film Crew Stranded

The parent company was in crisis, so Julie didn’t mince her words.

Winston Marshall made sure to add, "We need to move on the financial audit as soon as possible. If word gets out, someone else might get impatient and try to beat you to the punch."

If they could find a way to contact Julie, who’s to say others don’t have their own connections? In any case, the faster this gets done, the better.

Mr. Young nodded. "I’ll arrange for an audit team to go in immediately. And Jeb, you get busy too. Find a lawyer and draft an acquisition contract. If the audit turns up no problems, we’ll sign right away."

Seeing that there was nothing for her to do, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Young, is there anything I can do to help?"

Mr. Young laughed heartily. "Just have the money ready!"

Cecilia Sterling smiled at his words. "No problem. I’ll just sit back and wait for the good news, then."

Julie only stayed for two drinks. Once they reached a preliminary agreement, she left early.

Once she was gone, Winston Marshall finally couldn’t hold back any longer. After a moment’s hesitation, he tentatively asked, "Jeb, about what I mentioned last time... about bringing me in on this... what do you think?"

Cecilia Sterling and Mr. Young kept eating in silence. Wesley Yates glanced at Winston Marshall and said slowly and directly, "The 270,000 is a perfect split for the three of us. Don’t come muddying the waters with your pocket change."

"But don’t worry. I said that if this goes through, I’ll remember the credit you’re due. If you ever need a favor in the future, I’ll definitely repay you."

"You’re too kind, Jeb. Don’t worry about any favors. I brought you this good news specifically to apologize to you and Miss Sterling. I wasn’t looking for a favor in return." Winston Marshall wasn’t angry; his words were well-chosen, and his attitude remained respectful.

Wesley Yates didn’t stand on ceremony with him. Since Winston Marshall had said as much, he took him at his word, nodding and raising his glass. "Alright, then. Let’s have a drink."

Winston Marshall returned the toast with a smile, though it was tinged with a bit of bitterness. But he had long been prepared for this outcome.

’For one, the amount of money I can put up is really too small.’

’For another, he and Jeb don’t know each other well, so it’s understandable that the man doesn’t trust him.’

*

「Zayden, Southwind Town.」

After landing, Lily Sterling and her team were put up in a hotel in town by the film crew’s staff.

Just like that, they had already been stuck in town for several days.

The filming location was a village in a mountain valley near Southwind Town. The mountain roads were treacherous, and with intermittent rain for the past several days, the crew couldn’t get in. Even the first day of shooting had been delayed.

The hotel’s old outdoor air conditioning unit droned on. On rainy days, if you didn’t run the AC, the blankets would feel damp.

Lily Sterling sat in a chair by the window, engrossed in her script. None of the external factors since her arrival had affected her in the slightest. In fact, it gave her more time to delve deeper into her character.

Her phone, sitting nearby, suddenly buzzed.

Lily Sterling glanced over. It was a WhatsApp message. Before she could even pick up the phone, several more new messages popped up.

She leisurely set down her script, picked up her phone, and unlocked it. They were pictures from Andrew Sutton.

There was the facade of a beautiful school.

There was a vast, green-hued sea.

And a beautiful beach under a red sunset.

The last one was a group photo of six or seven vibrant, good-looking young men and women in school uniforms. The person holding up the phone at the very front of the shot was Andrew Sutton himself.

Andrew Sutton’s new show had started filming. It was the one with the female lead role that Lily Sterling had turned down. The shooting location was in the beautiful seaside city of Saloria, an environment countless times better than Lily’s.

’The whole filming process must be relaxed and pleasant, too.’

"Lily, we’ve started filming. Have you joined your production yet? I don’t know what the signal is like over there, or if you can even get my messages."

Andrew Sutton’s message followed close behind.

The two of them were in touch occasionally, but not frequently. It was mostly Andrew Sutton who initiated contact, and whenever Lily Sterling saw his messages, she would reply politely.

"Saloria is beautiful. Congratulations on the start of filming!"

Receiving Lily Sterling’s reply, Andrew Sutton’s lips curled into an excited smile, his fingers flying across the screen. "How are things on your end? You’re not still stuck in town, are you?"

"We are. But the forecast says it’ll be sunny tomorrow. Once the mountain roads dry out a bit, we should be able to head into the mountains."

"Your production sounds really tough. Who knows what kind of trouble you’ll run into once you get into the mountains. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to tell me."

"Don’t worry, I’m not afraid of a little hardship. But thank you, anyway."

Andrew Sutton looked at the message on the screen and sighed softly. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he always felt an invisible distance between himself and Lily. Although Lily always replied to his messages, her replies were always very polite, lacking even the warmth of a casual friendship.

But he also knew Lily’s personality well. She was just a very polite person by nature.

’Still, he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his heart. He really liked Lily Sterling. A lot!’

"Andrew!"

Drake suddenly came jogging over, holding something. He got closer and handed it directly to Andrew Sutton. "Here, new script."

"New script?" Andrew Sutton frowned in confusion. "We’re about to start shooting. They changed the script?"

"No, the director said they just cut and changed a few things. The kissing scenes and stuff are all gone." Drake said casually, "High school dramas aren’t allowed to have kissing scenes anymore, they won’t pass review. So they’ve all been cut. Just give it a quick look when you have time. The main plot definitely hasn’t changed."

Andrew Sutton nodded at his words, letting out a silent sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Yuna came back with rice noodles she’d bought outside. "Lily, hurry and eat while it’s hot. I specifically asked the staff, and they said this place’s rice noodles are especially delicious."

"Thanks. Have you and Finn eaten?"

"We have. Finn had two big bowls. You like spicy food, so I got some extra chili oil. The shop makes it themselves, it’s really fragrant!"

As Yuna spoke, she got everything ready for Lily. The fresh aroma of the rice noodles instantly filled the room, and Lily, who hadn’t felt very hungry, suddenly felt her stomach grumble.

Then, she heard Yuna lower her voice and say, "When I was coming back just now, I heard Xavier Hearst yelling on the phone in his room. Said he’s going to quit the show."

"Huh?" Lily Sterling’s face showed her surprise, chopsticks in hand. "Quit? But the contracts should have been signed a long time ago, right?"

Yuna nodded. "Of course they were. He probably just thinks the conditions are too poor. The hotel walls are thin, I heard him clearly. He was complaining that the hotel the crew arranged is a dump, that he saw a spider on the wall, and that the food is too spicy. He said his stomach can’t take it and he keeps having diarrhea."

Lily Sterling sighed. "This is already the best hotel in town. The rest of the crew are all staying in smaller hotels with even worse conditions. Everyone should try to be a little more considerate of each other."