Chapter 318 - 316: Film Crew Rumor Controversy

"She hit me first for no reason, you all saw it!" Jade Smithson clutched her face, refusing to back down and yelling that she was going to call the police.

Although she wasn’t famous, she’d been in the business the longest of all the actresses on set. Everyone was always polite to her, at least to her face.

But now, she had been slapped in public by a new actress in front of the entire crew. How could she possibly swallow this humiliation? If word got out, how could she possibly continue in this business?

But she never in a million years expected that the woman before her, Jean Donovan, would be such a tough nut to crack.

"Let her call the police. If I get punished, I’ll accept it. But if I don’t hit her today, I can’t stomach this!" Jean Donovan didn’t back down an inch, her mouth firing off like a machine gun—RAT-TAT-TAT—as she berated Jade Smithson. "You know damn well whether I hit you for no reason or not. You spend all day long laughing it up with the male actors on set. One day you’ve got your arm around this one, the next day you’re draped over that one. Did anyone say a single word to you?"

"But you? You get friendly with the male actors just so you can sling mud at the female ones? Who the hell knows who’s really the dirty one here. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever seen a real-life ’pick-me girl’—sucking up to men and hating on women. And you have the nerve to call yourself a woman!"

Jean Donovan seemed to have reached her breaking point, letting out everything she’d been wanting to say in one go.

As the rest of the crew listened to Jean Donovan, many couldn’t help but silently agree, especially the other actresses. Not a single one stepped forward to speak up for Jade Smithson. Instead, they felt a sense of vindication and satisfaction.

The other actresses had long been fed up with the way Jade Smithson treated male and female actors differently. She would always be giggling and sidling up to the men. Whenever a male actor finished a scene, she’d rush to praise his performance in all sorts of creative ways, even before the director could.

But when it came to the actresses, it wasn’t just that she acted like a high-and-mighty senior all the time. The most annoying thing was that whenever an actress finished a scene, she would always manage to find some fault to point out to the director.

They didn’t know if the director actually listened to her, but hearing it really got under their skin.

"You’re talking nonsense! I have a good personality, so what if people want to be my friend? I think you’re just jealous, aren’t you?" Jade Smithson shot back, not thinking for a second that she was in the wrong.

Jean Donovan sneered at her words. "Me, jealous of you? Pfft! You have a good personality? I think you’re just shameless!"

Seeing that Jade Smithson still dared to make such outrageous claims in public, Jean Donovan took two steps back into the center of the set. She scanned the crowd of onlookers and said, "I myself have heard several rumors that came from Jade Smithson’s mouth. Nearly every single actress on this entire set has been maliciously slandered by her!"

As she spoke, Jean Donovan turned to another actress at the side of the set. "Thalassa, last week Warner from the props department went to town to pick up supplies. He came back and brought you some small buns from the town bakery. The very next day, a rumor started spreading that you and Warner from props were in an inappropriate relationship. It wasn’t stated explicitly, but anyone who heard it couldn’t help but let their imagination run wild. But I know what your relationship with Warner is. You told me."

Jean Donovan looked at Jade Smithson, her face cold as she questioned her, "Do you dare deny that you were the one who deliberately insinuated things about Thalassa and Warner? But the truth is, Warner is Thalassa’s maternal uncle. You didn’t know that, did you?"

Thalassa’s pretty face flushed with anger. She had actually known about this for a while, but she didn’t have Jean Donovan’s courage or sharp tongue to confront and argue with Jade Smithson.

"And then there’s my business. Didn’t you say I hit you for no reason? Well, let me ask you this." Jean Donovan started walking quickly toward Jade Smithson. A male actor nearby, afraid another physical fight would break out, quickly reached out to block her. Jean didn’t struggle, letting the actor hold her back, but her gaze remained fixed on Jade. "You’re the one who started that thing about me and Frank Fletcher, weren’t you?"

A flicker of guilt appeared in Jade Smithson’s eyes, but she feigned strength and denied it. "What thing? How would I know what’s going on between you two?"

"Stop fucking playing dumb with me!" Jean Donovan was ferocious, her presence completely overwhelming Jade Smithson’s. "That afternoon during the shoot, Frank Fletcher was feeling cold and running a bit of a fever. Before bed, I suddenly remembered I had some medicine. I used my phone’s flashlight to feel my way through the dark and bring it to him. And what fucking bad luck, I ran right into you as soon as I came out. I was so worried you’d misunderstand that I even made a point to explain I was just dropping off medicine for Frank. But you’re really something else, aren’t you? Not even two days later, and a rumor starts quietly spreading that I climbed into Frank’s bed in the middle of the night?"

When this came out, a subtle commotion stirred through the set. Everyone subconsciously looked over at Frank Fletcher, who was standing under an awning. The rumor had spread so fast that almost everyone on the crew had heard it.

But because Frank Fletcher was the assistant director, no one dared to say anything to his face. Besides, many people thought it was true because the rumor was so vivid—Jade Smithson had seen Jean Donovan coming out of Frank’s room late at night with her own eyes.

So, Frank Fletcher himself had no idea about any of this until now.

Frank Fletcher’s face flushed slightly. He also hadn’t expected to become the subject of the gossip himself. But he didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes on Jean Donovan.

Jean Donovan was getting worked up too. She continued loudly, "I do like him! If I had actually fucking slept with him, you could spread whatever rumors you want and I’d own up to it! But I didn’t get a damn thing, so you have no right to slander me!"

"But what about you, Jade Smithson?" Jean Donovan raised an eyebrow at her, suddenly changing the subject. "I just realized something. The courtyard where Frank Fletcher is staying is where all the male staff’s rooms are. How did I run into you in that courtyard after I dropped off his medicine late at night? What were you doing there?"

"I..." Jade Smithson was startled, her expression visibly flustered.

Jean Donovan snorted. "You don’t have to admit it. At this point, nothing you do would surprise me."

"Lily, this Jean Donovan is a real fighter," Yuna couldn’t help but praise after watching for a while.

It was rare to see an actress this bold, completely unfazed by her opponent or the outside world, just single-mindedly saying what she needed to say and exposing all the other person’s dirt.

It was mainly because Jade Smithson was just so detestable. Even someone as good-tempered as Lily had lost her patience with her.

Lily Sterling sighed. She had also vaguely heard some of the rumors Jean Donovan was talking about. The set was only so big; a tiny piece of news could spread to everyone within a day. And it wasn’t just those rumors; more or less all the actresses had been slandered, including her!

Speak of the devil.

Jean Donovan suddenly raised her hand and pointed at Lily Sterling, a look of incredulity on her face. "And then there’s the most ridiculous one—spreading rumors about Lily and Yuri Tucker’s relationship. Lady, do you have a conscience? The whole crew knows that an actor bailed on us right before we started filming, and Lily was the one who saved the day by getting Yuri Tucker to fill in at the last minute. As a member of this crew, it’s bad enough that you’re not grateful, but to turn around and spread rumors about her? Aren’t you disgusting?"