Facing the many questions from reporters, Jane always avoided them. Fortunately, there were fewer reporters this time around and they easily got on the car to head back to the filming location.
Once Osborn got in the car, he let out a sigh of relief and leaned back in his seat. “I was caught off guard when I saw them at the hospital during my discharge.”
Jane smiled. “Luckily, after that incident, we’ve had full closure on set and management has been strengthened outside. Plus everyone will be happy to see you back.”
“Speaking of which, let’s go straight to the studio instead of going back to your company. You just got out of the hospital so take care of yourself for a few more days before returning.”
“It’s okay. Let’s just head straight to set because I miss everyone too much and we need to catch up with filming progress without any delays.”
“It’s not necessary -”
“Jane, listen to me,” Osborn insisted. “As an actor, filming is my job after all so working overtime isn’t a big deal for me.”
Seeing how determined Osborn was about it made it hard for Jane to refuse.
The two chatted away as they arrived at the film studio where everyone knew that Osborn was coming back soon since several staff members were already waiting outside for him.
Osborn walked into set confidently while waving his hand in greeting towards busy staff members and other actors alike.
“Hello everyone! I’m back!” he exclaimed.
“Osborn! You’re finally here!” someone shouted excitedly while another asked if his injuries had healed yet or if he needed more rest time.
Everyone bombarded him with questions but Osborn patiently answered each one with a smile on his face while standing next to Jane who also spoke up, “Osborn has recovered well from his injuries but since he only just left hospital today maybe we should let him rest at hotel first before resuming normal shooting tomorrow?”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement except for Osborn who refused her suggestion by shaking his head slightly while smiling reassuringly at her, “It’s alright; I’ve been lying down in bed at hospital for several days now plus my doctor said that I can start working again so why don’t we start now?”
“But you – ”
Jane still seemed worried but Osborn gave her another comforting look, “It’ll be fine; we’re already behind schedule so let’s try our best catch up quickly enough so that we can deliver everything on time for film festival submission deadline.”
Maria watched from afar as she smiled admiringly towards Osborn whom she liked very much.
Although she felt a pang of disappointment when she saw Osborn with Jane, she knew that she wasn’t yet at the level of someone like Jane. People always prefer the best, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“Well then, let’s get started. No breaks for now, let’s get to work!”
The director called out and everyone responded immediately. The set became a bustling hive of activity.
While Osborn had some solo scenes to reshoot, he spent most of his time working alongside Maria. During the times when Osborn wasn’t around, Maria worked on scenes with other actors and her acting skills improved significantly.
Furthermore, as they played a couple who were meant to be together but kept missing their chance due to various circumstances in the story line, love was key in their performances. While Osborn relied on his acting skills alone, Maria had an abundance of genuine emotions to draw from.
Almost every emotional scene required them to lock eyes or for Maria’s character to look longingly at Osborn’s character, while it was all just acting for her part; it was real emotion that came through in her performance.
As such whenever they needed reshoots for these tender moments between them as a couple; they worked together seamlessly without any hiccups or issues whatsoever.
After two hours of filming had passed by quickly; even Osborn found himself amazed at how well everything went down during this shoot day. After the director called “cut”, he turned towards Maria with genuine admiration written all over his face.
“Maria! I never expected you’d improve so much! I haven’t seen you in days and now I’m really impressed.”
Maria felt flattered but also humbled by his praise, “I’ve been learning from my seniors here too lately… But if you say so then maybe my hard work has paid off?”
Osborn laughed heartily while Jane sat behind watching each actor closely, observing every movement and expression carefully throughout filming today.
It was clear that Maria had made significant progress since last time they met. Not only could she act better than before, but even her gaze towards Osborn seemed more natural than ever before.
Jane walked over after seeing Osborn chatting away happily with Maria, “Maria! Your improvement is incredible! You have great chemistry working alongside Osborn too… With enough time you’ll become one of our industry’s finest actresses.”
“Thank you Jane! I’ll keep working hard!”
Maria couldn’t contain her joy as she bowed deeply towards Jane who smiled back warmly, “Alright alright we’re all colleagues here. Besides your dedication towards your craft is evident… no need for formalities.”
Jane suddenly remembered something, turned around and faced all the busy or resting staff. She clapped her hands and raised her voice, saying, “To celebrate Osborn’s successful discharge today, I have decided to host a dinner at Foxglove tonight. Everyone must come after work!”
“Great!”
Everyone cheered in unison, making the atmosphere on set even more harmonious.
In the evening, the remaining staff and actors all went to Foxglove in groups of two or three. Jane had already called ahead to reserve the hall since they had been filming for some time now and team-building activities had never happened before.
But no one noticed a sneaky figure near the set.
It was Ann.
Ever since she accidentally ran into Jane last time, she has been keeping an eye on Jane’s movements. As for where they were filming “Farewell My Concubine,” she had already found out long ago, not to mention such a grand event tonight.
Inside Foxglove,
The second-floor party hall was basically full of crew members and actors who were all having a great time together. During this period there were even people urging their friends to perform shows which won them thunderous applause. It was extremely lively.
“Mr. Maltz, you just got discharged from hospital so maybe you should eat something light.”
Maria picked up some dishes for Osborn with a gentle smile on her face that made Jane sitting nearby feel very pleased; she could tell that Maria was quite nice as a person.
“I’ll go to the bathroom first.”
After whispering this softly with her companion by her side, Jane headed towards where the bathroom was located; while fixing up her makeup in front of mirror inside it though someone else walked out too when she did so herself shortly thereafter…
When that woman saw Jane, she hesitated briefly before exclaiming happily, “Jane! It’s you!”
Jane turned around puzzledly only then seeing Ann’s familiar face staring back at hers…