Chapter 43 - 42: Set Visit

Inside the villa. Shane Southwell and Eleanor Llyod were passionately kissing, almost inseparable, but when Shane wanted to go further, Eleanor forcefully pulled away. "Brother Shane, we... we’re not married yet, it’s not appropriate." Eleanor might not be ideal in other areas, but with Shane, she indeed showed self-respect. Since she couldn’t force Shane into marriage, she wouldn’t let him touch her either. "Alright, come here, don’t stay so far from me," Shane smiled indulgently, reaching out for Eleanor to come over. For Eleanor to enter the Southwell Family was still a distant dream. This was why even after winning Shane’s heart, she still wanted to climb higher. Eleanor nestled against Shane obediently and shyly, then after some thought, she said slowly, "Brother Shane, could you help me get into the next next season of Survival Island?" As she said this, there was a hint of expectation mixed with caution in her eyes, as if fearing Shane might get angry. Survival Island is a variety show that has become insanely popular recently, making many stars famous. It isn’t truly about survival; it’s a program with excellent safety measures. She always wanted to seize this opportunity. Right now, she’s only somewhat known online, mainly because netizens cursed Joy Lyle, leading more people to know her. Even though she’s currently buying fake accounts to attack Joy, this kind of fame wouldn’t last forever, and she still couldn’t compete with top-tier artists. After Roland’s breach of contract, Elliana Lyle replaced her, and she couldn’t land any major roles now. She tried orchestrating online attacks against Elliana, but strangely, there was no effect. So, she must get on Survival Island. By then, all she needs to do is establish her persona. Shane immediately agreed, pinching Eleanor’s nose affectionately, "Sure, whatever my dear wants, no need to wait for the next season. Let’s aim for the upcoming one." "Huh?" Eleanor seemed a bit stunned, then hurriedly shook her head after realizing: "No, no, the upcoming season is Sister Summer’s schedule. I only want to fight for the one after..." "So what? I’ll give it to you; just take it, okay?" Then Shane called Cari and entrusted her with the task. When Cari received the call, she was internally collapsing. The company had already arranged for the promising Ning Xia Xia to accept the next season of Survival Island. Why was this second-tier artist, Eleanor, who had never played a leading role, getting involved? But if she didn’t help arrange it for Eleanor, she feared she’d face consequences later. "Damn!" Cari couldn’t help but curse. --- Horizon, on the set of South Wind Song. It was break time, and Elliana Lyle was so tired she lay slumped in a chair, while Victor King thoughtfully brought her milk tea. "Miss Lyle, recently due to Joy Lyle’s influence, you’ve also been implicated in attacks. Do you want to issue a statement?" Victor asked, though it was more of a suggestion as the decision lay with Elliana. This made Elliana sit up immediately. She didn’t respond right away; instead, she took the phone Victor handed her. Sure enough, the fake accounts were already attacking her too! "Yes, I’ll face it alongside my sister!" Elliana declared firmly. "Well..." Victor initially planned to advise Elliana to distance herself, so he said, "Miss Lyle, perhaps staying silent would be better." ... During this downtime, Elliana checked her social media. Ever since she started in this industry, she seemed to need to keep up with trending topics constantly. Art Elegance paid 150 million to buy Roland’s former signed artist Joy Lyle’s six-month contract! million? This post was local, so not many people saw it. She quickly clicked to look and found a screenshot of the comment under Roland’s official account. angel: "I heard Art Elegance spent 150 million on a six-month contract. No official explanation? Is this money laundering?" There were just a few scattered replies under this post: "Even though Joy Lyle is somewhat famous, 150 million is excessive. If it’s not money laundering, there’s a ghost involved." Before she could read further, the post was blocked! ... That night, back at Vicars Hotel, Zane Bennett was still gaming, and it seemed Norman Bennett hadn’t returned yet. "Lana, how long has he been playing?" Elliana asked, changing her shoes. Lana glanced at Zane, then whispered, "A whole day. He barely ate lunch." "Smart guy! Stop playing. Aren’t you making a game? Why play someone else’s game?" She spoke with some exasperation, hoping for Zane to earn money! Zane, avoiding the question, replied, "You’re back. Did things go smoothly today?" "Smart guy! It’s hard to invest in you with this attitude!" "Oh, right! You go ahead and eat," Zane replied absentmindedly, clearly not listening! --- Next day, on the set of South Wind Song. Today’s scene was a kiss between the female lead and male lead. Elliana refused to perform it for real, even though Yates Zander was nice and gentlemanly. Timara Zephyr stood by, arrogantly saying, "Could you be more professional, please?" "..." Elliana really couldn’t imagine how Norman would react if he knew. "Director Lee, can we use stand-ins?" Using stand-ins was Elliana’s final compromise. Upon hearing this, Timara impatiently said, "Elliana, can you stop holding up everyone’s progress? Shooting a kiss scene won’t kill you, right?" "Yes, it would!" Elliana replied honestly. At that moment, Victor stepped in and said, "Director Lee, you haven’t forgotten the contract terms, have you?" Initially, Thomas Lee sought authenticity but when he heard "contract," he quickly smoothed things over, "Then let’s use stand-ins, get ready everyone." This scene couldn’t waste more time. Yates wrapped an arm around her waist, and Elliana had no choice but to lean into him, drawing closer until they were nearly touching. Yates was undeniably handsome, with great skin, though he carried a jasmine scent, a thoughtful touch given his character’s love for the flower. "Closer!" Thomas Lee called out. "Is there no stand-in in the crew?" A voice, cold and oppressive, came through, making Thomas Lee shiver. Norman Bennett arrived, checking on his little girl, coincidentally walking in! Elliana quickly retreated a few steps, putting distance between herself and Yates. The authoritative man walked straight toward her with an unmistakably angry expression. Elliana stood there feeling uneasy, she hadn’t done anything wrong! She could explain! The man approached, dominantly pulling her into his arms, making a direct declaration of ownership, then said to Thomas Lee, "In the future, her romantic scenes, use a stand-in!" "Yes, yes, yes!" Thomas Lee nearly broke a sweat; he forgot that Elliana was engaged to this man. Thomas Lee assumed Norman wouldn’t often visit Elliana on set, but clearly, he was wrong. Timara watched the intimate interaction between the two, her eyes revealing unconcealed jealousy, but she saw clearly Norman would never pay her any mind! Elliana looked up at the man, explaining, "Norman, I was just kissing." In her flustered state, Elliana mistakenly said "kissing" instead of "using a stand-in," and the man’s face turned even darker, looking extremely grim. This little girl! She really said it! She hurriedly explained, "Ugh! I meant we were pretending to kiss! It wasn’t real!"