Chapter 226: Chapter 223: Rejected
The next day.
In the morning, the warm sunlight seeped through the gaps in the curtains and onto the pure white quilt.
When Elliana Lyle woke up, the phone by her bedside was still connected, displaying the name "Norman Bennett" on the screen.
She picked up the phone and slowly sat up, rubbing her groggy head. Last night, she called Norman Bennett.
She must have been too tired and fell asleep while talking.
"Awake?" Perhaps he heard her rustling, as a slightly indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone.
She was stunned for a long time before putting the phone to her ear and slowly speaking, only to find she couldn’t utter a word. With great effort, she managed to say just one: "Hello."
It was obvious that her voice was hoarse, she was somewhat voiceless, and there was a foreign feeling in her throat, swollen and painful—she must have caught a cold.
"What’s wrong with your voice? Are you feeling unwell?" The man detected the anomaly and asked.
She coughed a couple of times to feel slightly better, waved her hand into the air, and said, "It’s nothing, just a dry throat, I’ll drink some water."
Saying this, she pulled off the quilt, got out of bed, walked to the table, took a bottle of mineral water, and used her shoulder and ear to hold the phone so she could free her hands to unscrew the cap.
While drinking, she glanced at the air conditioner, which displayed a temperature of 16. It seemed that the AC was set too low, which caused her slight cold.
"Norman Bennett, you can get busy. I’m getting up now," she said.
She didn’t want the man to worry about her; she could handle it herself.
"Okay, I’ll come to pick you up this afternoon."
"Huh?" His words surprised her. Hadn’t they agreed yesterday that she’d stay at the Horizon Hotel all month?
This way, she wouldn’t need to commute back and forth, which was evidently more convenient.
Perhaps perceiving her thoughts, the man added, "I don’t feel comfortable with you staying outside."
She explained, "I’m really safe, Norman Bennett, I can handle it myself."
"Be obedient." The man’s voice carried a certain authority and was somewhat forceful in his attitude.
Helplessly, she could only say, "Oh, I understand."
Seeing this, the man’s tone softened as well: "Good girl."
After hanging up the phone, she called Victor King.
"Huh? Victor, you went back already?" She was a bit surprised, as Victor had returned overnight without her implying such urgency; she originally intended for Victor to return in the morning.
The voice on the other end said, "Elliana, Mumu has arrived, let her know if you need anything."
"Okay." Thinking that Victor hadn’t rested well, she added, "Victor, make sure you get some good rest today, don’t overwork yourself."
...
―― Melody Harmony Group.
p.m.
"President, Mr. Felix Hughes has scheduled a meeting at 2:30, what do you think?" Raymond Wood said cautiously.
After all, this was one of Norman Bennett’s rare breaks, but Felix Hughes was indeed an influential figure.
"Felix Hughes?" Norman Bennett looked at Raymond Wood with a hint of doubt.
Raymond responded respectfully, "Yes, President."
"Why would he come?"
Not only was Norman Bennett puzzled by Felix Hughes’s initiative, but Raymond Wood also couldn’t figure it out at first.
After all, just two years ago, Melody Harmony sincerely wanted to collaborate with Felix Hughes again, only to be rejected due to certain negotiation terms.
At that time, Melody Harmony hoped Felix would photograph Yates Zander, but Felix was unconcerned with fame and had a peculiar personality, persisting in taking a series of photo shoots of the Melody Harmony president instead.
Of course, Felix’s offer was rejected by Norman Bennett, so Melody Harmony was also rejected by Felix Hughes.
Felix Hughes was a renowned international photographer, director, and artist.
He had received multiple international awards.
It could be said that once someone became the subject under Felix’s camera, they could become famous both at home and abroad, becoming a focus within the industry.
The most successful example was Sophie Hunt, who had once been an artist cultivated with great effort by Melody Harmony.
But due to a contract expiration, Sophie Hunt left for overseas development, later retiring due to illness and injury, never to appear in public again.
Norman Bennett rubbed his temples and asked, "Did he say anything?"
"This..."
Raymond Wood shook his head, as Felix had said nothing, leaving his intent unclear.
"I won’t see him."
Raymond responded, "Then I’ll cancel it."
Two hours later.
Victor King called.
"Mr. Bennett, Mr. Felix Hughes contacted July Media, saying he wanted to shoot a series of photographs of Miss Lyle, but Miss Lyle is quite busy lately, so what do you think?"
...
―― Horizon, "Interstellar Immigrants" film crew.
During her break, Elliana Lyle received a message from Victor King.
Victor: "Two production teams have invited July Media, but they are small web dramas, and the films they’ve produced have poor reviews."
It seemed to refer to Tiana Harris, since she had asked Victor King to find a film crew for Tiana.
Cat: "What about besides these two? Are there no other options?"
Victor: "There is one more; Tiana went for an audition today, but didn’t pass. Quality productions do consider recommendations, but if you can’t pass the audition, it’s a no. However, Director Li mentioned a supporting role that’s possible, but it doesn’t have much screen time."
...
This surprised her a bit; honestly, she wasn’t aware of Tiana’s abilities, but if she could hold the second female lead, she shouldn’t be too bad.
Rather than joining a bad production with no quality, it’s better to be a supporting role in a quality production.
Cat: "Then arrange for the supporting role instead."
Victor: "There’s one more thing, Mr. Felix Hughes called saying he wanted to shoot you, but Mr. Bennett refused."
Felix Hughes?
The name seemed familiar, but she couldn’t recall it at first. Yet seeing the word "photo shoot," she immediately remembered.
It was that man who always praised her eyes.
Unexpectedly, he still reached out.
She originally didn’t have time, so if it was rejected, it was rejected.
"Elliana, it’s time to start," Yates Zander reminded her.
She quickly handed the phone to Mumu and responded to Yates, "Oh! Okay."
This time, they were not shooting in the studio but went out to the countryside, where there was a field of harvested wheat.
The shoot’s content was centered in the future, where plants could no longer survive on Earth, and even grains were beginning to yield less.
It was still August, the weather was hot, and standing under the sun for just a few minutes made everyone sweat.
Not to mention the filming itself.
After one scene, everyone was sunburned and flushed; Elliana, wearing a short sleeve, had already turned her exposed arms red from the sun.
"Elliana." Mumu ran over with a water bottle while holding an umbrella.
Then, Mumu handed her a cup.
After taking a sip, she felt something was off; the water was warm and slightly salty.
Mumu smiled and said, "It’s warm lightly salted water, which replenishes water and sodium ions, very beneficial for health."
"Hmm, thank you."
Unexpectedly, Mumu was quite attentive. She smiled, "Cold would be better."
She was thinking of cooling herself down; it was unbearably hot.
Hearing this, Mumu shook her head and explained, "Elliana, the lightly salted water must be warm. Ice-cold lightly salted water may irritate the stomach and potentially cause discomfort."
"Oh~" She nodded obediently and drank a whole cup of the lightly salted water.
"Everyone worked hard, take a ten-minute break, and we’ll start the next scene. Try to get it in one take because of the heat," the director clapped his hands under the shade and shouted to everyone.
During the filming, the director stayed outside with everyone, demonstrating for them.
At this moment, Mumu said, "Elliana, rest first, I’ll give you a back massage."
She quickly waved her hand, "No! Don’t get too close, it’s hot."