Chapter 251 - 249: Both a Challenge and an Opportunity

Swept up in Titus Ashton’s urgency, Lily Sterling started to feel anxious herself. She rushed back to her room, grabbed her phone, found her chat with Yuri Tucker, and immediately started a video call.

The call connected quickly, but the video kept freezing for a few moments before it smoothed out.

"Ms. Sterling? Why the sudden video call?"

On the other end of the video, Yuri Tucker was standing in a courtyard, the faint sounds of poultry in the background. Before Lily Sterling could speak, he flipped the camera around, and two plump sows appeared on screen. "I’m feeding the pigs right now. Real, live pigs, Ms. Sterling. I bet you’ve never seen them up close!"

"Forget the pigs, I have something important to discuss!" Lily Sterling said bluntly, holding her phone. "Someone on my film set just walked out. The character is a perfect fit for you, so I recommended you to the director. Do you want to come audition?"

"For real?" Yuri Tucker switched the camera back to himself, his bright eyes unable to hide his excitement. "Is it a speaking role, Ms. Sterling?"

"It’s more than just a speaking role—it’s a major character. If it were just for an extra, would I be going to all this trouble to find you all the way up north?" A faint smile appeared on Lily Sterling’s face as she continued encouragingly, "I’ve read the script countless times, and I feel this character is just like you: sincere, kind, and from a rural background. Even though you don’t have experience with a major role, I have confidence you can do it. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for you!"

But she also made sure to add a reminder. "Also, the pay for the entire cast isn’t that high, but as a main actor, you’ll definitely earn more than you do as an extra. On top of that, the conditions will be pretty tough, but I’m sure you can handle it."

"I can! I was born and raised in the countryside—I’m not afraid of tough work!"

Yuri Tucker was ecstatic, wishing he could pack his bags and fly over that very instant.

As they were talking, Titus Ashton, apparently too impatient to wait any longer, knocked on Lily Sterling’s door.

"Lily, how did it go? Did you get in touch with him?" Titus Ashton asked impatiently the moment he walked in.

Lily Sterling was still holding up her phone. Seeing him, she quickly stood and walked to his side. "Director, take a look. This is him, Yuri Tucker!"

"Hello, Director! My name is Yuri Tucker. I’m twenty-one, and I was previously an extra at Starwood!"

Yuri Tucker showed no signs of shyness in front of the director. His excitement far outweighed his nerves, and he was determined to present his best self.

Titus Ashton watched Yuri Tucker on the phone screen. The young man was tan and full of energy, with the rugged and sincere quality unique to a country boy.

His eyes lit up. Yuri’s look and demeanor seemed to exceed his expectations; he was very pleased.

"What’s the soonest you can get here?" Titus Ashton asked.

"Anytime, Director! I can leave right now, but I have to go to town to buy a train ticket first. I don’t know when the next train is."

"Forget the train. It’ll take too long to get here from the north. Here’s what you’ll do: send your address and ID information to Lily, and the production team will arrange your travel. Go to the nearest city and fly here. The production will cover the costs."

Before Yuri Tucker could react, Lily Sterling urged, "Go pack your things now. We’re in a real hurry here, so the sooner you can get here, the better."

"Okay, okay, I’ll get ready right away."

After the call ended, Titus Ashton let out a sigh of relief. He turned his head to Lily Sterling and said, "Lily, you’ve really been a huge help."

"Of course. There’s no need to thank me. A project this good can’t be shut down just because of one person. That would be a real shame," Lily Sterling replied calmly.

Titus Ashton wasn’t a man of many words, but he would definitely take what happened today to heart.

He was well aware that everyone else had been too afraid of taking responsibility to recommend anyone. That just made Lily Sterling’s actions today all the more valuable.

"You should go pack your things. We’ll stick to the original plan and head up the mountain to the village. I’ll leave someone in town to meet Yuri Tucker."

After saying this, Titus Ashton left Lily Sterling’s room. The moment he was gone, Yuna couldn’t help but worry. "Lily, wasn’t that a bit impulsive? Yuri Tucker has only ever been an extra. If he doesn’t perform well, everyone might blame you. Besides, you’ve seen Director Ashton’s temper. It’s not great."

Lily Sterling nodded lightly. "I know. I had the same worries, but it was an emergency, and there wasn’t time to overthink it. Besides, Yuri Tucker was the first person who popped into my head. I’m so familiar with the characters in the script, and I really believe that Yuri is that character. He’ll be a natural fit just by being himself."

"Besides, it’s all been decided now, so it’s too late for regrets. We should just try to relax. I have faith in Yuri Tucker."

Her words had barely faded when Finn knocked and entered the room. "Lily, you and Yuna should head into the village first this afternoon. I’ll drive the RV in after you."

The RV had been specially provided for Lily Sterling by her company. She hadn’t planned on turning it down, but the current situation made her a little worried. "Can you even drive it in there? If not, let’s just forget it. The production rented a bunch of local houses in the village. I’m sure there’s a place to stay."

"It’s fine. I asked around—Harvey Hayes and Jade Smithson have RVs, too. I’ll drive in with their assistants this afternoon. Even if you could get used to the village houses, you wouldn’t be able to stand the outhouses. And there’s definitely no place to shower up in the mountains. The RV has all of that. The company thought of everything, so don’t worry."

Hearing Finn’s explanation, Lily Sterling didn’t press the issue. This was only her second role since starting her career, and she hadn’t expected to jump straight into the film industry. She knew the conditions would be tough, but she was still filled with anticipation for the shoot.

At two in the afternoon, the production crew departed from the hotel on schedule. Several minivans, loaded with equipment and all the actors, swayed and rumbled their way into the mountains.

The mountain road was still muddy and hadn’t completely dried from a recent rain, but thankfully, it wasn’t too steep. The journey into the mountains wasn’t as difficult as they had imagined.

"Do you all think there are wild animals out here in these forests?"

The woman sitting by the door asked, her face full of curiosity as she looked out the window.

The woman’s name was Jade Smithson. She had been in the business for many years but wasn’t well-known, as she mostly appeared in small-budget, realist films, which gave her limited exposure in mainstream theaters.

Lily Sterling had seen a lot of movies and vaguely recognized her face, but she had never been able to remember her name.

The van fell silent. No one responded to Jade Smithson’s question, mainly because they didn’t know each other well. Plus, the past few days cooped up in the town hotel had drained everyone’s energy, leaving them all physically and mentally exhausted.

Lily Sterling, who was sitting behind her, saw the awkward silence and slowly spoke up. "Yes, there are. I actually looked it up. This mountain is called Roundtop Mountain. It’s formed by two huge, semi-circular peaks, and the locals named it that because its shape resembles a butt. It’s an ancient mountain and has plenty of wildlife."