There's room to wait

Episode 4

Sarah tidys up the room personally, arranging her own kettle and bathing supplies. Not seeing Elaine, she opens the door, puzzled, to look for her.

"Miss Chasey?"

Elaine is in the dining room, washing dishes. Hearing the call, she responds and carefully places the washed cups and plates back in their places before slowly walking towards her bedroom.

"Miss Chasey, why do your eyes look a bit red?" Sarah observes Elaine and asks with concern.

Elaine's movement to close the door stiffens imperceptibly, then she casually surveys the room and answers, "It might be because an eyelash got into my eye just now. I rubbed it a few times before I managed to get it out."

"Oh." Sarah didn't doubt much of it.

She returns to the washroom, separated by a glass door, and starts to clean the sink with the boiled water, considerately saying, "Miss Chasey, since we're staying here for a while, I've changed all the bedding to our own. If you're tired, you can rest assured and lie down for a while."

Elaine removes her coat, sits on the edge of the bed, and closes her eyes with a smile. "Thank you for your hard work."

After a long journey and forced smiles, she indeed feels exhausted. Unfortunately, she can only catch her breath here before soon having to put on a mask and face people again.

"Miss Chasey, was Miss Reyes like this with you before?" Sarah, who can't hold back her words, can't help but voice the doubt that has been lingering in her mind.

"Why ask this all of a sudden?" Elaine turns her head to Sarah and responds with a question of her own.

Sarah finishes cleaning the sink and starts on the toilet, honestly saying, "I feel like what Assistant Frazier said seemed a bit wrong. Miss Reyes, the first and second time she opened the door, was wearing the same clothes, except for the shoes, everything was neat, not really like she just got out of bed."

Having been with Elaine for over a year, Sarah knows well that Elaine faced a lot of contempt before winning the White Oak Acting Award. Similar incidents to today have happened before. Sibley and Sophie's coordinated response seemed like a deliberate show of attitude to intimidate them.

She sides with Elaine completely and naturally feels indignant on her behalf, reminding her, "Miss Chasey, maybe you need to reconsider your relationship with Miss Reyes."

The shallow smile that Elaine usually maintains gradually fades from her lips. Even if she is unwilling to admit it, she has to face the fact that her lie has been ruthlessly exposed.

She lowers her eyes in silence for a while, then slowly sits up straight, turning to Sarah with an unusual seriousness. "Sarah, Miss Reyes is different from others."

"If she has been impolite to me in any way, it must be because of something I did wrong in the past, or perhaps something I'm not doing well now. Remember this. I don't want to cause her any trouble because of me."

Sarah freezes, startled by Elaine's rare sternness. She purses her lips, feeling a mix of grievance and sadness, and responds, "I know, Miss Chasey. I won't talk nonsense outside. I never have..."

She doesn't finish her sentence as Elaine interrupts her by patting her head.

"Of course, I know our Sarah is the most discreet; that’s why I feel comfortable telling you everything."

Elaine squats down beside her, taking the towel from her hand naturally and helping to dry the water marks on the toilet rim, gently saying, "And, you know, Miss Reyes is just cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You'll understand once you've interacted with her more."

As if to make her point more convincing, Elaine adds, "You see, you wouldn't guess, but actually, when you were in the room just now, Miss Reyes even prepared hot milk tea and cake for me." She clasps her hands together, showing a playful smile and apologizing, "Sorry, Sarah, I hogged the food all to myself."

Sarah, soothed by Elaine's gentle reassurance, easily lets go of any grievance. She smiles with pursed lips, following Elaine's lead.

"What kind of cake? Was it tasty?"

"The Black Forest cake. It wasn't very tasty." Elaine recalls the bitterness in her mouth, unconsciously furrowing her brows.

Sarah laughs out loud, candidly saying, "Doesn't Miss Reyes know your taste, Miss Chasey?"

Elaine pauses, suddenly becoming suspicious: Right, if even Sophie remembers, could Sibley have done it deliberately?

But before she can ponder further, her phone in the handbag by the bed starts to ring.

Elaine gets up to answer the call. After speaking a few words, she agrees and opens the wardrobe.

Seeing this, Sarah intuitively helps her by pulling the curtain over the glass door of the washroom and stepping outside.

Sure enough, after hanging up, Elaine picks out a long dress and a coat that the stylist had prepared for her earlier and enters the washroom. She changes clothes while speaking to Sarah. "Sarah, I'm going downstairs to continue the unfinished conversation with Miss Page. Tonight, we have a dinner with the director and investors. Once you're done, you can have a nice dinner and go out for a walk. I'm all set here."

Sarah, concerned, asks, "Don't you need me to pick you up?" She recalls how Elaine was once pressured to drink at a dinner and is on high alert.

"No need; Miss Page is there; don't worry," Elaine assures. Moreover, her tone softens: "Miss Reyes will be there too."

Sarah's worries dissipate, and she nods in agreement. Long after Elaine has left, she remembers to remind her not to drink too quickly and to eat something first. She picks up her phone to message Elaine, then has a sudden thought: Did Miss Reyes already know about this and prepared the food to make sure Elaine have something in her stomach before drinking tonight?

Is it a coincidence?

Sarah touches her nose, doubting, as she sets down the phone.

Elaine leaves the bedroom, glances at the still-closed door across the hall, hesitates for a moment, then heads straight out.

"Let Sibley rest a bit more; she'll have alot of socializing to do at dinner."

Back in the meeting hall, the other two mentors, Gary Neal and Gaylord Marshall, have also arrived. Elaine, seeing the situation and not wanting to worsen things for Sibley, decides not to explain further to Cary Willis. They all quickly transition into discussing the script and other procedures for the mentors' opening scene.

Soon, darkness falls outside the bright glass windows. Cary receives a call and expertly suggests, "Look, we almost forgot the time while busy. Everything's arranged by Mr Holt. Let's not rush; welcoming the mentors is more important. Let's go have dinner."

With that, everyone politely agrees and shifts to the new location.

The dinner is set in a small, famous private restaurant in the circle, about ten minutes' drive from the hotel, and is very elegant and secluded. When Elaine and her group arrive, several men in suits and two young men and women chatting flirtatiously with them are already seated in the private room.

Elaine glances around and recognizes the two young people as two of the final six contestants from this show in her previous life.

No wonder these two managed to stay till the end amidst all the criticism. Elaine sneers inwardly.

Having been in the industry for years, she is no longer the naive young girl who just stepped out of the ivory tower, cynical about the world. She's become accustomed to the messy affairs of the circle.

Clearly, everyone around her has become numb to it too. They exchange pleasantries mechanically and take their seats one by one.

Elaine doesn't see Sibley.

Just as she wonders if Sibley might not attend the dinner, Sibley finally arrives fashionably late with Sophie.

She gracefully walks in, her long gown trailing behind her. Sitting in the empty chair beside Elaine, she does so with the assistance of a waiter.

"I'm sorry for being late," Sibley says, brushing stray hair behind her ear, revealing a slender earring. She’s elegant and composed.

However, despite her apologetic words, there's no real sign of remorse on her face. Even without smiling, she already outshines everyone else. Elaine finds herself inexplicably delighted by Sibley's poise and arrogance, taking glances at her again and again.

"The traffic is always heavy during the rush hour. Did you come via the overpass?" In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Craig Hutchinson, sitting in the main seat representing the main investor, NewRiver Technology, speaks up, proactively providing Sibley with an excuse for her lateness.

Sibley responds with a faint smile. Sophie, sitting beside her, astutely flatters on her behalf, "President Hutchinson, you're quite insightful. We set off early but didn't expect to be stuck in traffic for so long."

Pausing for a moment, Sophie stands up to pour wine for everyone at the table, then says with a smile, "It's my fault for choosing the wrong route and making everyone wait. Miss Reyes has a sensitive stomach and can't drink, so let me drink on her behalf as an apology to everyone." After saying this, she raises her glass and drinks it down in one go.

Two of the slightly younger investors, new to dealing with this circle, only know Sibley as the young actress who has gained tremendous fame in recent years. Initially, they thought Sibley's late arrival was just a diva's tactic to raise her status, but seeing Craig's attitude, they quietly changed their minds—this woman isn't someone to be trifled with easily.

Fortunately, Sibley also gives them an excuse on the surface. Not quite able to gauge Sibley and needing to give face to Craig, they dare not ask Sibley herself to apologize. Seeing Sophie punishing herself with a drink, one of the investors smoothly agrees with a "good" and diplomatically adds, "This young lady is straightforward, but everyone, is one cup enough?"

"Not enough; it should be three cups, at least," another portly man chimes in.

"President Garrett, you're bullying the young girl here. She hasn't eaten anything yet; show a bit of chivalry." Elise, who had just adjusted Elaine's table setting, playfully intervenes on Sophie's behalf.

"Yes, yes, President Garrett, that's not fair. Here, I'll have Sharon drink a few more cups for you later," the man sitting next to President Garrett pats the young woman beside him, who promptly squeezes out a coy, flirtatious smile in cooperation.

Craig picks up his chopsticks and calls out, "Alright, let's talk while eating; the dishes are getting cold. You must try the chef's cooking here; he rarely cooks himself, and it took me a lot of effort to persuade him."

"Oh? Then I must taste it properly," someone chimes in.

Amid the chatter and laughter, the matter of Sibley being late is smoothly brushed aside. During the meal, Craig proposes toasts, Sibley drinks tea in place of alcohol, and everyone else, sharp as they are, doesn't dare to pressure her to drink after seeing Craig's leniency to her.

Throughout the dinner, most of the conversation, both relevant and irrelevant to the program, revolves around Elaine and the other two mentors. Sibley remains the most detached, eating at ease.

Elaine once again sips her bitter drink, feeling a bit tipsy.

Although Elise has helped her fend off many toasts, Elaine, mindful of their past relationship, feels uncomfortable letting her bear it all alone and ends up accepting quite a few herself.

Her stomach starts to feel uncomfortable. Elaine finds an excuse to slip away for a breath of fresh air.

Standing in the restroom stall, she can't help but reflect, grateful that Sibley's status is high and confident enough not to endure these distasteful customs she’s tired of.

Why didn’t she consider things from a different perspective in her last life? Or perhaps she did, but later forgot?

Lost in thought for a moment, she sighs deeply and pushes open the toilet door.

To her surprise, as she steps out, she sees Sibley at the washbasin, washing her hands leisurely with her back facing Elaine.

Hearing the noise behind her, Sibley pauses, barely glancing up. Through the mirror, she meets Elaine's gaze indifferently.

Elaine can't help but show genuine warmth, stepping up to stand beside Sibley, softly saying, "Did you come out for a breath of fresh air too?"

In the mirror, Sibley shifts her gaze away, withdrawing her hands from under the tap. She takes a paper towel to dry her hands, then moves to the hand dryer, remaining silent.

Just as Elaine awkwardly thinks Sibley won't respond, Sibley suddenly turns her head, a hint of mockery curling at her lips.

"I often hear that Miss Chasey is adept at socializing, able to drink endlessly without getting drunk. Seeing it today, it truly lives up to its reputation," Sibley says coldly.

Elaine's smile instantly stiffens.