There's room to wait

Episode 2

Elaine was bewildered until she left Blanche's office and proceeded towards the elevator, passing by the enormous poster of Claire Benson on the celebrity wall.

Claire's appearance was average in the beauty-obsessed entertainment world, but her gentle and sweet demeanor was exceptional. To be remembered by the public, one must have either exceptional popularity or excellent work, or, like Sibley Reyes, who captivated the crowd with exceptional beauty right from the start.

Claire possessed none of these.

Thus, despite working for the same management organization, Elaine had no recollection of Claire in her previous life. Before Claire's suicide, Elaine's sole impression of Claire came from Sarah chatting about a popular drama after it aired, and how this actress with poor acting ability was admirable for her bravery, garnering tens of thousands of hateful comments on f*******: and not blocking them.

But if Claire was Blanche's girlfriend, given Blanche's current concern for her, Claire wouldn't have ended up committing suicide alone in her room, only to be discovered two days later, would she?

Elaine's gaze couldn't help but darken.

Were these details something she failed to notice in her last life due to her dullness, or has the world autonomously changed since her rebirth?

And... Sibley...?! Elaine's breath hitched.

Fortunately, the next second, the elevator door opened, and Elaine saw Sarah, who had just finished handing over duties to Elise, waiting at the door to meet up with her, widening her eyes.

The young girl raised her voice, eager to spill the beans: "Miss Chasey, just now, the 'National Big Production' team finally announced the last mentor. Guess who it is? You'll never guess!"

Elaine, seeing Sarah's shocked expression, felt somewhat enlightened, and the heavy stone that had been pressing on her heart suddenly became much lighter.

She slightly curved her brows and eyes, in the mood to tease her little assistant, and said nonchalantly, "I won't guess; you'll tell me anyway when you can't hold it in." After speaking, she pressed the button on the elevator, teasing, "Are you coming on, or should I go down without you?"

"Eh? Miss Chasey? You..." Sarah, seeing the elevator doors about to close, snapped to her senses, hastily waved her hand in the middle of the doors, and then quickly stepped in.

She stood next to Elaine, unable to resist taking a discreet glance at the woman beside her, whose face was delicately beautiful and whose demeanor was composed and confident.

Ever since Miss Chasey fainted from low blood sugar three months ago, she seemed to have gradually changed. Before, aside from facing cameras, when did Miss Chasey ever have such a light and easy smile on her face? Not to mention being in the mood to joke like this with her.

Sarah wondered if it was because Miss Chasey had completely broken away from that mean man, Kingsley Woods, that she was rejuvenated with new vitality.

Regardless, such a change was undoubtedly positive, and Sarah felt happy for Elaine deep in her heart.

She set aside her doubts and pretended to complain, "Miss Chasey, you're so heartless; can't you just satisfy my curiosity for once?" After saying this, she proceeded as Elaine had anticipated, resignedly revealing the answer herself: "Alright, let me unveil the answer for you."

"It's Sibley Reyes! Sibley Reyes, the queen of the screen that everyone has been eagerly awaiting, who has disappeared for two years!"

Mentioning Sibley, the young girl's mature voice excitedly rose again, sounding amusing.

"Hmm..." as expected.

Elaine let out a pleased chuckle, the corners of her lips involuntarily lifting higher with Sarah's words, her previous doubts dissolving greatly.

She raised her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then casually flicked the back of Sarah's head, laughing lightly. "Stay calm. The production team deliberately held back the revelation until the end; of course, they wanted to brew big news. It looks like they didn't disappoint everyone."

Nothing changed; Sibley still came back to participate.

That's good.

"It must have shocked everyone. When I saw it just now, it was already trending, and I bet it's a headline now."

Sarah murmured in confusion, "Why would she choose a reality show for her comeback debut?"

Sarah's confusion was shared by everyone, including Elaine, from her previous life.

Sibley entered the public eye at 21 through the talent show "Idol Creation Plan," captivating millions of fans with her stunningly beautiful half-Chinese, half-French features. Then, amid the support of her fans and the mockery of her detractors, she starred in her first movie, "Empire," and won the Golden Magpie Award for Best Newcomer and the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress, subverting the public's impression of her as just a "flowerpot".

Afterward, just like she had hit a streak of luck, a year later, she won another major movie award, the Golden Phoenix Award for Best Actress for "Like the Wind". Two years later, with her role as a blind woman in the l***q+ film "Dawn", she snagged both the Golden Magpie and the French International Movie Festival's Best Actress awards, solidifying her status in the movie industry.

Within and outside the circle, she was hailed as the successor to the goddess actress Judy Alvarez and was considered a potential new legend in the history of movies of the twenty-first century. Unfortunately, not long after becoming a double-award-winning actress, she had an accident while filming "Disparity" involving wire work, resulting in multiple fractures all over her body. Once her injuries improved slightly and the related disputes were settled, she announced her temporary departure from the entertainment industry to recuperate in France, leaving countless fans lamenting.

It was hard enough waiting for her return, and yet when she did, she surprisingly rejected offers from numerous famous directors to lower her status and participate in a reality talent show. This was indeed a baffling move for many.

But in her last life, Elaine had neither the chance nor the right to seek answers from Sibley. This life, the one strange insistence Elaine had when signing with DigiDream was that she must participate in the "National Big Production" no matter what, so that this time she could stand in front of Sibley.

She wanted to see Sibley to talk with her about work and life as they had done in the past. She wanted to tell Sibley about the regrets and love she never got to express in her last life.

Lost in her thoughts, Elaine didn't respond to her assistant's questions; her expression was as calm as still water.

After the assistant finished expressing her amazement, she seemed a bit embarrassed and hesitantly said, "Miss Chasey, you don't seem surprised at all; did I... overreact a bit?" As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Elaine was somewhat lost in thought and belatedly realized something...

Elaine came back to reality, her lips curving slightly, just about to reassure Sarah, when she saw her looking at her strangely, as if hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?" Elaine, concerned, checked her makeup against the shiny walls of the elevator. There didn't seem to be any issues.

"Spit it out; don't be shy," Elaine chided playfully, flicking Sarah's head again. She turned her body, leaning casually against the elevator wall, looking at Sarah casually.

Under Elaine's implicitly encouraging gaze, Sarah blinked and said straightforwardly, "I was wondering if it's not convenient for you to answer, Miss Chasey, you don't have to; I'm just purely curious."

"Alright."

"I remembered, Miss Chasey, that you and Sibley participated in 'Idol Creation Plan' together; were you... close?" Sarah asked tactfully, carefully observing Elaine's expression.

Elaine was quite calm; upon hearing the question, she even deepened her smile a bit. She responded to the question with a question, her eyes crinkling with amusement: "Haven't you read the reports about it?"

Sarah, perceptive and honest, replied, "I've seen a bit, but nowadays, if you can believe one-tenth of what the media reports, that's already quite good. I never took it seriously enough to take it to heart."

Elaine hummed noncommittally, pausing before lowering her voice slightly to say, "I'm quite close to her."

Sarah turned her head to look at Elaine, trying to read from her current expression whether she could continue this topic. She saw Elaine's gaze resting on the handrail in the elevator, her eyes distant.

Reflecting on that period, Elaine's mind unconsciously conjured up images of Sibley snuggled up beside her, with her charming and tender smile.

A soft fondness that she couldn't disguise showed in her eyes, and almost unconsciously, she murmured, "We were very close."

Sarah closed her mouth, tactfully swallowing the rest of her curiosity, not daring to ask more—but the media said they had a fallout later.

Having worked with Elaine for over a year, Sarah had come to understand her character quite well. Elaine, no matter what she was like to others, was always frank and straightforward with her own people. If Elaine said they were close, then they must have been close.

However, Sarah's trust in Ji Youyan was mercilessly contradicted by the other party involved, Sibley, three days later.

"National Big Production" is a reality show aimed at selecting new acting talent, invested in and produced by one of the giants in the technology field, NewRiver Technology Limited Company. The actors participating in the selection were all newcomers who had not gained much fame in the entertainment industry in recent years and lacked opportunities.

The production team initially selected fifty men and fifty women with the potential for three months of training and competition. They used an elimination system and public voting to ultimately select the three most-voted men and women to offer them the chance to star in three hot IP dramas invested by NewRiver as the lead actors and actresses.

The production team invited four permanent mentors and revealed that one to two special guest mentors would join in each episode. However, the mentors are only there to guide and will not participate in the decision-making process regarding the contestants' progression. Therefore, whether a contestant advances or not depends entirely on the votes of the audience, both present at the venue and watching from home. As long as you are willing, anyone can take part in deciding the casting for these three popular IP dramas, just like the show's title—everyone is a producer.

The main filming location was the Redmond International Film and Television Center. NewRiver, with its deep pockets, rented the adjacent Portis Hotel and transformed it into the dormitory for the contestants and staff for the three months of the program.

The hotel's second floor housed the dining room, the third floor had meeting rooms, the fourth floor was set up as practice rooms, and the top floor was converted into presidential suites with two bedrooms and one living room, complete with a dining room, study, and gym, exclusively for the mentors and the top members of the directorial team.

Due to space constraints, the presidential suites were very limited. To make reasonable use of resources, the production team arranged for the four mentors, two men and two women, to stay in two separate presidential suites according to gender.

When Elaine and her agent Elise arrive at the Portis Hotel, assistant director Brian Holt, along with his assistant, are already waiting to greet them in the elevator on the third floor. Upon seeing Elaine, Brian personally led her and Elise to the meeting hall to find director Cary Willis, while Sarah follows Brian's assistant with the luggage to the room arranged for Elaine.

On the way, the male assistant informs Sarah that due to the limited number of rooms, they have to inconvenience Miss Chasey and Miss Reyes to share a presidential suite.

Sarah smiled but didn't respond immediately.

Sharing a room with someone naturally came with its inconveniences, but Miss Chasey was a humble and unassuming actress who had experienced all kinds of living conditions while on set. If the great actress Sibley Reyes didn't mind sharing, it would seem rather pretentious for Miss Chasey to object.

After pausing for just two seconds, Sarah replied smoothly, "It must be a bit inconvenient for Miss Reyes. Has Miss Reyes already arrived? Does she agree with this arrangement?"

The male assistant smiled and said, "Miss Reyes arrived over two hours ago. She has agreed and has already checked in." As they spoke, they had reached the door, and the assistant pressed the doorbell.

Since Sibley had already agreed and Elaine herself had said she had a good relationship with Sibley, Sarah assumed there would likely be no issues with them sharing a suite. Thus, she didn't offer to consult Elaine before deciding to move in.

The door clicked open within a few seconds.

A wave of sweet fragrance brushed past Sarah's nose, and in the next instant, she saw Sibley standing by the door, tall and statuesque, lips pursed, staring at her coldly.

Adding a bit would be too soft; subtracting a bit would be too sleek; less makeup would lose the charm; more would be gaudy. Sibley's face was deep yet not sharp, ethereal without being bland—truly a natural movie face, perfectly balanced.

Seeing is believing, and Sarah instantly becomes a fan after falling for her beauty.

It's just that this great beauty seems a bit aloof. Sarah felt a chill from Sibley's cold, scrutinizing gaze.

"Hello, Miss Reyes. I'm Elaine Chasey Miss Chasey's assistant. She knows you are participating and has always expressed that it's an honor to have the opportunity to work with you again. Thanks to the program's arrangement, Miss Chasey... the following..." Sarah said with a smile, thinking she was being polite and proper, but she felt Sibley's gaze growing colder with each mention of "Miss Chasey," until Sarah felt frozen, her remaining words losing their courage...

Sibley was not interested in hearing more from Sarah; she just looked past them again to the empty hallway, a flash of disappointment and weariness in her eyes. The next second, she turned and closed the door with a clean, decisive motion.

A cold wind blew, and Sarah and the male assistant stood in front of the closed door once more, looking at each other in disarray.

Miss Chasey, Are you sure you and Miss Reyes are on good terms?