Chapter 12: Sure, Beg Me
1175 Words
Celia woke up around noon and received a call from Jack, reminding her to get ready for the cosmetics commercial shoot.
The timing was perfect—just as she went downstairs, the van had pulled up outside.
Jasper had also sent her a message, saying that breakfast and lunch had been delivered to the house, but Celia didn’t have time to eat.
As soon as she got in the car, Jack eyed her suspiciously, squinting. “What’s that red mark on your neck?”
He couldn’t help but wonder if that sleazy man from yesterday had succeeded in trying to "keep" Celia.
Celia quickly grabbed the mirror next to her and then immediately pulled out a cushion foundation from her bag, covering the slight blemish until it was invisible. She awkwardly explained, “The mosquitoes are getting worse at night.”
“Mosquitoes in a mansion that costs tens of thousands per square meter?”
Celia lightly hit him on the shoulder. “What, mosquitoes discriminate by wealth now?”
Jack pouted. He had to admit, Celia was the wealthiest yet most down-to-earth artist he had ever managed. She didn’t put on airs and couldn’t stand industry corruption. Whenever she liked a role, she worked hard to earn it without compromising her integrity.
One time, he drunkenly shared this thought with her, and, if he remembered correctly, she had quipped back, "Have you ever considered that it’s because your rank is too low to manage A-list celebrities?"
It made him want to smash a bottle over his own head in frustration.
Traffic wasn’t bad, and they soon arrived at the studio.
Celia was led to the makeup room. Just as she sat down, a woman holding a script approached her, with a creepy smile on her face. “Hi, Celia, I’m the third female lead in *Unparalleled Her*. My name’s Jenna Li.”
“Ah, hello,” Celia nodded politely, while continuing to listen to the commercial director explain the filming process.
Jenna turned back to her seat, fuming as she clenched her fists.
It was all Celia’s fault. Because of her, the assistant director had been taken down, and now Jenna, who was supposed to get the second female lead role, had been demoted to third.
Now that they had crossed paths, she wouldn’t let Celia off easily.
The commercial, a foundation product, required minimal makeup for Celia due to her naturally flawless skin. The makeup artist lightly dabbed on some powder before the shoot began.
Watching from afar, Jenna’s eyes filled with jealousy. Her assistant patted her on the shoulder, whispering, “Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged a little ‘surprise’ for her. She’ll learn her lesson today!”
Jenna nodded, her gaze lingering on a luxury bag nearby. She pulled her assistant close and murmured a few instructions into her ear.
The shoot was relatively simple. To highlight the foundation’s waterproof feature, one shot required splashing water on Celia’s face. It was to be captured in slow motion, emphasizing her expression as the water hit.
After some preparations, filming began.
The first few shots went smoothly, but when the crew threw the water on her, Celia’s eyelid twitched involuntarily. She hadn’t expected the water to be *that* cold!
The director shouted, “Cut!” His schedule was packed, making him impatient. To him, it was a straightforward shot—he didn’t want to do multiple takes.
Jack, watching from the side, was fuming.
In this industry, when you’re not famous, everyone gives you an attitude. If Celia had millions of fans, the director would have bent backwards to appease her.
But Celia herself wasn’t upset. She wiped her face dry and said softly, “Let’s do it again. Sorry about that.”
This time, prepared for the cold, she completed the scene effortlessly.
The director reviewed the playback in slow motion and, satisfied that no retakes were needed, left.
Jack immediately handed Celia a dry towel. “Good job. Go change into some dry clothes.”
Celia nodded, initially planning to head straight out, but then she turned back to the bucket of water, bent down for a closer look, and suddenly kicked it over.
“What are you doing?!” Jack gasped, about to scold her for being reckless, but then he noticed ice cubes sliding out of the overturned bucket. He frowned, taking a photo. “Celia, you go change. I’ll have a little chat with the person in charge.”
So many ice cubes—did they think Celia came from the North Pole? This was outrageous.
Celia quickly changed, but when she reached the makeup room door, she found herself blocked by a woman standing arrogantly with Jenna by her side, who was sniffling and crying.
“Let it go. I must’ve lost it,” Jenna sniffled, wiping her eyes.
Her assistant, hands on her hips, declared, “Let it go? That necklace cost over 200 grand! I’m sure someone sneaky and dishonest took it.”
The two had teamed up to block the entrance completely.
Celia took a step back, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Are you implying I stole it?”
Jenna quickly waved her hands, “No, no, that’s not what we meant.”
Jenna’s assistant sneered, “Jenna, you’re too kind. She’s practically confessing. We’ve checked everyone else’s bags except hers!”
Celia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you want to check my bag?”
The assistant extended her hand. “We respected you by not searching your bag when you weren’t here. But now that you know the situation, just hand it over, and we’ll take a look.”
“Sure.” Celia smiled, but her gaze turned icy as she added, “Beg me.”
“You!!” The assistant was furious, just as a group of staff members they had summoned arrived.
Jenna’s heart leaped with joy. With so many witnesses, this was the perfect chance to ruin Celia’s reputation. Even if Celia became famous one day, the accusation of theft would forever taint her.
Just then, Celia’s phone buzzed.
It was a message from her father, asking her to come home for dinner that night to discuss something important.
Celia didn’t have time to play along with their little charade any longer.
Seeing her momentary distraction, the assistant quickly snatched Celia’s bag and dumped its contents in front of everyone.
Sure enough, there it was—a sparkling diamond necklace.
“Jenna, I found it!”
Celia rolled her eyes.
Suddenly, a chorus of nasty comments erupted from the crowd.
“How can someone who looks so dignified be such a thief?”
“Check if she took anything else.”
“Should we call the police?”
Jenna maintained her innocent facade. “I’m glad it’s been found. You must have grabbed it by mistake, Sister Celia.”
Her assistant stomped her foot dramatically, “Jenna, you’re too nice. This is theft! We should report her to the authorities.”
Celia nonchalantly snatched the diamond necklace back.
- Writer
