Chapter 15: The Scheming Girl
1512 Words
Celia spent several days at home, completely immersed in reading her script and memorizing lines. It wasn’t until the start-of-production ceremony for *Unparalleled Her* that she finally stepped outside.
Lily arrived at the Lawrence Estate carrying a dress she designed herself. At this point, she was more familiar with the place than even Jasper Lawrence. After all, during the two years when that "dog of a man" wasn’t around, it was Lily who slept beside Celia!
That thought sparked a question in Lily’s mind. “Hey Celia, are things okay between you and your husband?”
“Why ask that?” Celia was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting her pearl earrings. On her slender neck, there were still faint marks left by Jasper from the night before.
Lily noticed the marks and continued, “Well, you and Jasper had a business marriage, right? No emotional connection, and then he was abroad for over two years. Now that he’s back, don’t you feel... distant?”
Celia turned, leaning slightly against the vanity. “It’s precisely because there was no emotional connection that it doesn’t feel distant.”
Playing the role of a loving couple wasn’t difficult for her. They had done all the things couples do, but any real affection was superficial.
She didn’t love Jasper, and she didn’t think he loved her either.
They were together simply because they both needed something from the relationship.
Lily raised her head to look at her, and just then a beam of light filtered in, highlighting Celia in a way that made Lily squint. Sighing deeply, she approached Celia to help adjust her outfit. “Sometimes I think living a normal life would be nice, you know? At least you’d have a shot at true love.”
“And what about you and that online boyfriend of yours?” Celia asked, flashing a curious smile at Lily.
Celia had always known about her best friend’s long-distance, online relationship with a Chinese-American guy. They had met during their school years, sharing many secrets and personal thoughts, yet they had never exchanged photos, much less had a video call.
Celia often joked about their relationship, calling it a “modern-day monk and nun romance.”
Lily blushed slightly, a bit shy as she answered, “He’s coming back to the country soon, actually.”
Downstairs, Jack was frantically hurrying them along. They didn’t have time for more chit-chat, so as Celia grabbed a gown and headed out the door, she remembered that tonight was also the night of the charity event hosted by the Young family.
Although she had offloaded most of the work onto Jasper’s assistant, John, attending the event was still something she couldn’t delegate.
On the way to the ceremony, Jack briefed her on the upcoming event. “It’s all pretty much the same as the last few opening ceremonies you’ve been to. But here’s the kicker: the identity of the male lead has been kept a secret, and they’re planning to reveal it during a livestream to build up some hype.”
Celia nodded absentmindedly, not really caring about the details.
The opening ceremony went smoothly, though the second female lead was absent due to being out of town. After the photoshoot, Celia headed to the livestreaming area.
Lily was stunned the whole time. “The male lead is Mason? You’ve got to help me get some signed photos later, Celia!”
Jack, also taken aback, muttered, “Can’t believe it. The great Mason agreed to play second fiddle to an unknown actress.”
What’s more, this was Celia and Mason’s second time acting together; they had both appeared in the film *Where Am I?*.
Hearing this, Lily shot a playful glance at the photo Jack was holding. She asked, “Jack, you knew Mason was the male lead this whole time, didn’t you? That’s why you came prepared with autograph-ready photos!”
“You’re talking nonsense,” Jack said, carefully wiping imaginary dust off the photo. “I had these ready ages ago, just waiting for Celia to help me get them signed.”
Unfortunately, Celia’s role in the previous film had been so minor that she hardly ever crossed paths with Mason.
The livestream cameras were ready, and as soon as they turned on, viewers started pouring in at an insane rate.
Viewer Comments:
- “I’m so excited for Director Hughes’ first-ever drama! The plot summary alone is intriguing!”
- “Rumor has it the male lead is the face of a popular boy band? Came to see for myself...”
- “Anyone else here to bash that resource-hogging actress? She stole our favorite’s role!”
This livestream had a leaderboard feature where fans could send virtual gifts to boost the rankings of their favorite stars. The top actors’ avatars appeared at the top of the screen. Falling to the bottom was pretty embarrassing.
Lily and Jack exchanged looks when they learned about the feature. Both silently acknowledged that they didn’t have the funds to help Celia climb that leaderboard.
Before the ceremony even began, the second male lead and Jenna’s fan rankings had already passed 10,000 points.
The host positioned Celia front and center for her introduction after running through the opening remarks.
Celia recited her pre-prepared lines for the self-introduction.
Viewer Comments:
- “Get this resource hog out of the cast!”
- “Okay, but seriously, she’s exactly my type. She’s gorgeous!”
- “There are plenty of pretty actresses in showbiz. Why support someone who’s clearly a kept woman?”
- “Jenna looks stunning today! Can’t wait to see her role!”
Celia’s avatar sat dead last with only 40 or 50 support points, most likely from a few accidental clicks.
The host quickly moved on with the ceremony, and the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived: the reveal of the male lead.
Mason strolled confidently onto the stage.
The comments section exploded like a barrage of bullets.
Viewer Comments:
- “MASON HUO!!! OMG!!! My husband!!!”
- “Is this the most pathetic female lead ever? Her support points are lower than the third female lead’s. LOL.”
- “Mason playing second fiddle to a newbie? Who on earth is this Celia?”
Celia intended to step aside and let Mason take the center spot, but her high heels were too tall, and as she moved, she twisted her ankle, nearly falling to the ground.
Mason caught her just in time, his smile warm like a spring breeze. “Are you okay?”
Viewer Comments:
- “Wow, what a schemer…”
- “Ugh, she’s so gross.”
- “Help, am I the only one who thinks they’re adorable together?”
- “Guys, I just created an anti-Celia group. Let’s band together and get her out of here!”
At that moment, two hashtags skyrocketed on Twitter:
- #MasonHayes in *Unparalleled Her*
- #CeliaTheSchemer
Celia quickly thanked Mason, glancing at the screen showing the live comments. As expected, it was flooded with hate directed at her.
It had been her mistake for not steadying herself, and she owned up to it.
Mason, ever the gentleman, took the microphone and said, “I don’t think I need much introduction. I’m honored to be working on another of Director Hughes’ projects. As soon as I read the script, I was captivated by the story, and I hope to do it justice with my performance.”
Mason’s avatar sat at the top of the leaderboard, with his support points leagues ahead of the others.
Lily and Jack, watching this unfold, couldn’t stand it any longer. They gritted their teeth and decided to pitch in a bit of money to boost Celia’s ranking.
It was embarrassing to have the lead actress sitting at the bottom.
The comments, of course, jumped on this as well.
Viewer Comments:
- “LOL, the female lead is dead last in support points?”
- “Can the production team listen to us, please? Swap her out with someone more deserving to act opposite Mason!”
- “Why is everyone so hard on her? As long as she can act, what’s the problem?”
Just as Lily and Jack were about to load their accounts, the screen suddenly froze for a second.
Then, out of nowhere, a user with the ID JZC started showering Celia with support points, using the most expensive gifts available.
It went on for a full two minutes, and by the time it was done, Celia’s support points had shot far ahead, so much so that even Mason’s total looked minuscule in comparison.
This was, by far, the most money ever spent on the platform to boost someone’s rank.
Viewer Comments:
- “…?”
- “?????”
- “Could Celia actually be a Saudi Arabian princess or something?”
- “I’d rather believe this was a wealthy fan accidentally sending gifts to the wrong person. Surely this was meant for Mason!”
- Writer
