Chapter 255 - 253: The First Scene of the New Drama Starts Filming

Yuri Tucker was currently being led by a staff member to meet Director Titus Ashton.

He had landed on a red-eye flight in the early hours of the morning, then was picked up in the middle of the night and taken to a hotel in town to rest. First thing this morning, he’d ridden a motorcycle into the village.

Though he was supposed to be resting, Yuri Tucker was too excited to sleep a wink. Instead, he spent the entire night poring over the script.

"Hello, Director. I’m Yuri Tucker."

As he approached Titus Ashton, Yuri Tucker’s nervousness peaked. His hands unconsciously tightened around the hem of his jacket.

Titus Ashton was sitting by the camera, adjusting the equipment. He looked up at the sound of Yuri’s voice, and his eyes lit up when he saw the young man’s awkward yet handsome and earnest face. "You’re here!"

"I’m here!" Yuri Tucker replied earnestly.

Titus Ashton slowly stood up and looked him over carefully one more time, finally nodding in satisfaction. "You look the part. Have you read the script?"

"I have. I was reading it on the way here, and I went over it again last night at the hotel." Yuri Tucker treasured this opportunity and earnestly promised, "You can count on me, Director. I’m confident I can play this role well."

"Confidence is what matters," Titus Ashton said, then called to a nearby staff member. "This is the actor playing York. Take him for a costume fitting."

Seeing his cue to leave, Yuri Tucker quickly asked, "Um, Director, is Lily Sterling here?"

"You want to see Lily first?"

Yuri Tucker nodded. It was Lily Sterling who had recommended him for this opportunity. Now that he was on set, he felt he had to see her first to thank her in person.

Titus Ashton didn’t object. He turned and instructed the staff member, "Take him to where Lily is doing her makeup so they can meet. After that, take him for his costume fitting. Oh, and get his accommodations arranged as well."

The staff member nodded and gestured to Yuri Tucker. "Come with me."

Lily Sterling’s look for this film was that of a typical village girl. However, the makeup was time-consuming to apply because her skin had to be darkened, and there were many details to get just right.

Director Titus Ashton was extremely demanding about the actors’ makeup and styling. It had to perfectly match the character’s background, without a single detail feeling out of place.

"Ms. Sterling!"

She was in the middle of getting her makeup done when Yuri Tucker walked in. Even though her skin had been darkened, he recognized her at a glance.

"Yuri!" Lily Sterling saw him in the mirror and smiled happily. "I just heard you got in this morning. I was planning to come see you after I finished my makeup. Have you met Director Ashton yet?"

"I have." Yuri Tucker walked to Lily’s side and stopped. His expression turned serious as he said, "Ms. Sterling, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I’ll work hard and make sure I don’t disappoint you."

Lily felt a little embarrassed. "Please, stop calling me Ms. Sterling. I’m hardly a ’teacher’ of any sort. As long as you portray the character well, you’ll have earned this role. Don’t feel burdened by it. You’ve got this!"

Nearby, Jade Smithson listened to their conversation, her eyes sizing up Yuri Tucker. She then glanced back at Lily and raised an eyebrow with a knowing look.

「At nine in the morning.」

The film crew was ready, all the actors had finished with makeup and wardrobe, and the first scene officially began to roll.

In the dim main hall of an adobe house, a family sat on low stools around a small wooden table, eating breakfast.

There were two boiled eggs in a bowl. Garrett’s Mom shot a sharp glare at the girl sitting across from her and said cuttingly, "Peel those eggs for your father and brother."

The girl timidly darted her eyes from side to side before reaching for an egg. But Garrett, sitting beside her, seized the chance to run his hand over the back of hers. Startled, the girl snatched an egg and quickly pulled her hand away.

Garrett’s Dad and Garrett’s Mom saw this, but neither showed any reaction. It was clearly a common occurrence.

Garrett gave the girl a lecherous grin and waggled his eyebrows, his eyes glued to her small, floral blouse.

The girl kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes, and quickly peeled the eggs, placing them in front of the two men.

Just then, a sturdy young man burst into the house, shouting nervously, "Uncle! My Lena ran off!"

"What? Ran off?" The man shot to his feet and rushed out without another word. "Go catch her! Guess we didn’t beat her enough. We’ll chain her up for another two months when we get her back, that’ll make her behave!"

Hearing Garrett’s Dad’s words, the girl couldn’t help but tremble. Garrett’s Mom saw this and scoffed, "What are you scared of? It’s not like we’ve ever chained *you* up."

Garrett dangled his legs, chuckling. "Yara’s a coward. She wouldn’t dare run."

"If she dares run, we’ll break her legs!"

The girl flinched in fear, her fingers digging into her own calf.

"CUT!"

As the director called cut, the actors quickly broke character. Harvey Hayes, who played Garrett, turned to the prop master sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I got too into the scene and ate the egg. If we have to do another take, would you mind preparing two more?"

The actress playing Yara was none other than Lily Sterling. She slowly lifted her head and let out a breath. ’Maybe it’s the subject matter,’ she thought, ’but I feel more pressure filming this movie than I did on my first project, *Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix*.’

’I felt really immersed in the character just now, though. I wonder how it came across.’

Titus Ashton was watching the playback on a monitor, with Jade Smithson seated behind him, also watching. She piped up, "Director, I feel like Lily’s performance is a little off. Her trembling is a bit too exaggerated; it looks fake. Her eyes, too. Watching her, I don’t quite believe the character."

Titus Ashton watched the key footage several times. Jade’s words had completely missed the point. He had spotted the real, crucial flaw.

"Lily, come over here."

Lily hurried over to the director. Titus Ashton motioned for her to look at the screen, which was replaying the scene where the young man rushes into their home to announce that Lena has escaped.

"See the problem?" Instead of pointing it out himself, Titus Ashton asked for Lily’s own take first.

He expected her to think for a moment, but to his surprise, she nodded immediately. "I see it, Director. My reaction to the line ’Lena ran off’ wasn’t strong enough."

Titus Ashton smiled, satisfied, and began to give her direction. "Exactly. Lena was abducted, just like your character. So when you hear she’s escaped, there must be some emotion in your eyes. It could be shock that it happened, hope that she actually gets away, or admiration for her courage. It could even be all three. Camera Two will be pushing in for a close-up on you at that moment, understand?"

"Okay, I understand, Director. Was there anything else that was off?"

"No, everything else was great. With this type of role, you have to find the character yourself. Once you’ve found her, however you play it will be right. You know?"

Jade Smithson, sitting off to the side, had been waiting for the director to relay her earlier critique to Lily. But he hadn’t acknowledged her words in the slightest—not even mentioning a single one of her points.

She couldn’t help but turn her head away, her expression evasive.