Lillian suddenly turned her head and, upon seeing Gordon and Lionel, lowered her gaze. “I’ve mostly recovered. After all, I’ve watched it grow from scratch. Just here for the opening ceremony,” she said.
Gordon and Lionel were both dressed very formally today. Lionel was typically a man of few words, but from what Lillian knew of him, he could be just as sharp-tongued as Conrad when he wanted to be. She hadn’t expected him to have investments in this project, though.
It seemed that the financing for this movie had reached heights far beyond what her teacher Jack had even imagined. Lillian had initially hoped they could make one film and see how it went, but the current buzz and the level of investment had far exceeded her expectations.
Lionel gave her a once-over. “You’re almost fully recovered?”
“Not a big deal anymore.”
“Good, then I’ll go find someone else.”
Gordon stepped closer. “You looked kind of disappointed when you saw us earlier? Don’t worry, he’s not coming today.”
Lillian lifted her chin. “I was just curious about your foot. Not using a wheelchair must mean you’re getting better?”
When Gordon noticed she was changing the subject, he smirked and flicked her jacket’s hood. “Putting on a brave face, huh? You really love Conrad, don’t you?”
Lillian muttered, “I’m just a little out of sorts. I don’t know about love or not.”
“Yeah, right. You’d better get used to it.”
She felt a lump in her chest. “I wasn’t going to bring him up. You were the one who mentioned him first.”
“Your face is practically screaming that you’re heartbroken. You think I’m the one who wanted to talk about it?”
“Mr. Gordon, a lot of the actresses in our crew have their eyes on you. If you’re just coming to argue with me, maybe you should start looking for a partner instead.”
Gordon quickly placed her hood over her head. “You little brat, heartless as ever. Fine, someone called me, but you’re coming with us to the opening banquet after we start shooting.”
“That’s a venue for your big boss. After you guys start shooting, I’ll need to handle the follow-up work.”
Gordon couldn’t quite understand why she kept taking on such grueling work. But someone else had already waved him over, so he said, “What are you planning to do next? Stick around with this film crew forever?”
Lillian shook her head. “I’m with Team A. When there’s nothing going on, I’ll be working on my graduation project, finishing the courses I haven’t completed.”
“Focus on your studies,” Gordon said as he left. After taking a couple of steps, he turned back and asked, “Did you change your WhatsApp?”
Lillian replied, “I haven’t opened it. Just contact me by phone if you need me.”
“I thought you’d blocked me. Ending things with Conrad doesn’t mean you have to cut us all off too. Lillian, that’s really not being a good friend.”
“I didn’t block anyone. That WhatsApp account didn’t have many contacts to begin with.”
Originally, it had just been Conrad. Over time, she’d added a few more people.
Now that there was no connection with Conrad, she didn’t want to use that account anymore.
“Alright then. If I happen to pass by your school in a couple of days, you’d better take me out for a meal. I’ve heard your cafeteria at H University is pretty good.” With that, Gordon waved his hand and left.
Lillian spent some time talking to the two investors. The crew members no longer dared to offend her.
Pandora made a grand entrance on set. After Lillian finished taking the group photo, she overheard some staff members talking about the huge scandal surrounding Evelyn. It included everything from her educational background to old embarrassing photos, workplace bullying, and using her connections to bully veteran artists. All of it was trending on social media.
Lillian had been more or less disconnected from the internet lately, so she was surprised to hear how much Evelyn’s reputation had blown up. Even an old photo of her could easily go viral online.
“I heard it was someone from the White family behind this. Now they’re pressuring Evelyn, and everyone she’s ever bullied is stepping forward. The White family is always ruthless when dealing with their enemies.”
“You really can’t tell. She always seems so gentle, but secretly, she’s been bullying her own assistant like this.”
“There are very few celebrities who are sincere. Hi, Director Lillian.”
When the staff saw Lillian, they quickly walked away, afraid of upsetting her.
“Lillian, come here.”
Before she could even think about Conrad, Jack called her over to meet with some of the leaders of the crew.
The busy work quickly consumed her-between the studio, home, hospital, and school, her life had become a routine.
To save time, she mostly chose to take the subway to school.
This simple, ordinary university life was something she had always wanted but never got to experience.
The number of guys trying to hit on her increased. Sometimes, they’d save her a seat or invite her to a movie, trying to find common ground for a date. But she rejected every single one of them.
Aside from academic exchanges, she kept her social circle confined to the same old people.
Her life seemed perfectly organized, and before she knew it, New Year had arrived.
The crew took a few days off, as the lead actors had invitations to attend performances. The director, seeing how hard everyone had worked, gave out gifts in advance.
Lillian had already filmed part of her graduation project and planned to buy her grandmother a new outfit before New Year. Before her grandmother had fallen ill, she had always liked to look presentable, no matter the time.
Melissa was quick to join her.
“You’re not working overtime today?”
“In the jewelry business, whether I’m online or not doesn’t matter.”
As the two of them walked into the mall, they bumped into Daisy, who had a large entourage with her-assistants and bodyguards-buying things.
Lillian glanced at the shopping bags in Daisy’s hands and quickly turned her gaze away.
But Daisy only gave Melissa a slight nod before leading her team past Lillian without a second look. The two of them had always been worlds apart. Daisy never wasted any expressions on people or things she deemed unworthy.
“Wow, that’s Miss Daisy, right? She really does shop like those rich women online, doesn’t even blink.”
“She’s about to become the president’s wife of Brown Family Group. Buying things like this is probably as casual for her as buying a coffee. Let’s go, don’t stare.”
Melissa looked at Lillian and put her arm around her shoulder. “I’ve already asked someone to hold onto the cake your grandmother likes. Let’s pick it up later.”
“Are you really coming to the hospital with me today? You haven’t even told your parents that you’re planning to get a divorce?”
“You know how my mom is. She’s always worried that I’ll have a hard time after the divorce. Let’s not talk about it. Look at this dress. Doesn’t it look great? Your grandmother would look amazing in it. I still remember the first time I went to your house. She wore that gown. She looked stunning.”
******
At dinner, Nancy hesitated and said, “Miss Lillian, I have to go home tomorrow. I’ve bought all the ingredients, and I’ll be back after New Year.”
Lillian glanced at the calendar. “It’s okay. It’s rare for you to be able to reunite with your family for the holidays. Stay a little longer.”
“Then what about you, Miss Lillian? Why don’t you come with me to my hometown for New Year?”
What about her?
Lillian thought for a moment. “I’ll spend it with my grandmother. Thank you, Nancy.”
At that moment, Lillian felt like the past three years had been a dream.
She vaguely remembered the first New Year she spent at Hillside Villa, when she had cried thinking about her father. Conrad had come back in the middle of the night and taken her to Norway. The second year, she had gone with him to the island from the movie…
Thinking back, Lillian felt that the three years she had spent with Conrad weren’t entirely filled with pain.
In fact, many sweet memories that she had forgotten over time began to resurface.
Lillian didn’t consider herself someone who easily lingered on the past, but with New Year approaching, she couldn’t help but feel a little more sentimental.