When it was eight o'clock sharp, all the cast of the film 'The Chosen Kingdom' had gathered in Louis's room.
Even though that room was also a royal suite just like Lilia's, the large number of people in the room made it look crowded. Apart from the main cast and Louis, there were also two deputy directors ready with a film script.
"Everyone, thank you for gathering." Louis greeted the cast of the film, "I know you all need rest, so I won't be talking too long. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, we will have the opening ceremony. There will be a lot of mass media covering this ceremony, so… "
Louis began explaining the details of tomorrow's schedule. After the opening ceremony for filming in the morning, they would officially start shooting that afternoon.
"The first scene tomorrow is the scene where Lilia and Edward first meet Shirley at her house. In that scene, there will also be artificial rain. Are you all okay with that?" Asked Louis.
Edward was an actor who played the male lead. He was a veteran who has acted in many films and had international level acting skills. The man had received dozens of nominations for various awards, but unfortunately, Edward had never once won the award.
"I don't mind." Edward replied, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, "I'm willing to do anything to make this film a success and you know it."
Louis nodded and turned his gaze to the two actresses he mentioned earlier. The look in his eyes asked their willingness.
"I don't mind either, Mr. Louis." Lilia answered in a steady voice.
Shirley gave the model a quick glance before nodding her head.
Louis looked relieved after getting the confirmation of the three of them, "In that case, good. I want you to familiarize yourself with the character you will be playing as soon as possible. Our shooting schedule is quite tight, so I don't want to waste time re-recording it many times." Louis stressed, "If possible, we will shoot with multiple cameras at once."
After that, they discussed a few other things. Less than an hour later, Louis concluded that tonight's meeting was over.
Hearing that, Lilia got up from her chair. She planned to return to her room and practice her acting for tomorrow's shoot. After all, Lilia didn't really know the other actors, so she didn't need to make small talk with them.
Lilia was just standing up when Shirley's loud voice saying her name overcame the chattering sounds of everyone in the room.
"Lilia, tomorrow we will appear in the same scene. I can't wait to see your acting skills." Shirley said.
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's attention immediately turned to Lilia. They all had the same curious expressions. Lilia was a model after all, not an actress. She had no shooting experience beforehand. Because of that, everyone was surprised when Louis offered her an important role. They wanted to see if she could really act her role and how good she could be.
Lilia ignored the provocative look in Shirley's eyes. She just chuckled and replied, "I will try my best, but my experience in acting is quite limited. I need to learn a lot from you, Shirley."
That answer didn't sound arrogant, but it didn't sound like she was looking down on Shirley either. Lilia didn't want to look too aggressive in front of the other cast.
At that time, William suddenly spoke up, "I've seen the music video played by Lili and Ryan Fever. Her acting is very convincing and moving. I'm sure we all won't be disappointed tomorrow."
Lilia clenched her fists when she heard William's words, but she kept her expression neutral. "…Thank you for your trust." She replied stiffly.
To their surprise, William wasn't the only actor there who had watched Lilia and Ryan's music video. Edward also said, "I've watched it too. Lilia's acting was very interesting. "
Louis laughed out loud when he heard their conversation, "If you haven't realized it yet, I'm the one directing the music video. If it weren't for me, how could I choose Lilia Pangestu to play this female character!"
Shirley didn't say anything, but she looked away with a cold expression. Lilia's popularity and reputation were much better than she thought. Not only William, even Edward also spoke up to defend her.
Then Shirley's gaze fell on William's figure. She took turns looking at the man and Lilia. A sly smile adorned her lips.
"Ah, William must have known Lilia well. In that case, I will believe his words and look forward to your performance tomorrow." Shirley said calmly.
Edward shot Shirley a look of disgust. Why did that woman suddenly mention William and Lilia's relationship? Everyone here already knew their complicated past!
Louis also frowned at Shirley's words. But the woman was the main female character in this film. He couldn't tell her bluntly.
Lilia met Shirley's gaze with a calm and confident look. Then she smiled broadly, "I am honored that the queen of Berlin films is looking forward to my performance tomorrow." She said in a sarcastic tone.
Several people in the room caught Lilia's intent and they chuckled. It took Shirley a while before she understood Lilia's insinuation. Instantly, her face turned bright red.
'Weren't you a movie queen? Why are you looking forward to the appearance of a newcomer like me? Of course my acting skills can't be compared to that of a professional actress!' That was the guess of the hidden meaning behind Lilia's words.
Without waiting for Shirley's reply, Lilia excused herself and left the room.
*****
That night, only half an hour after Lilia returned to her room, the entire virtual world was in an uproar with the news.
The news came from a small journalist whose name was not very well known. According to the news, Lilia Pangestu was currently involved in the making of a new film and she would play alongside William Anggara. Even worse, the article suggested as if there was a special connection between Lilia and William.
Of course, Lilia's fans did not remain silent when they read the news.
[User1282]: "How can we look forward to a movie like that ?! Why would Lilia want to play with that self-conscious man again?! "
[User5719]: "Is this news true? I can't wait for this film to finish soon! I know they will definitely get back together one day! Lilia Pangestu suits William much better than a manager whose surname starts with the letter 'H'!"
[User2083]: "Did they pay Lilia how much to be in this film? Is @Agency Aphrodite so short on cash that they have the heart to sell their own artists?"
[User3479]: "@ User2083, what if Lilia plays in this film? She and William Anggara are a great couple!"
[User5528]: "Okay, all of you need to calm down! It's better if we wait for the official announcement than come to a conclusion ourselves!"
[User2083]: "No matter what, I don't agree that my idol is forced to do the same film as his ex!"
Although netizens reacted differently, they all waited impatiently for the official announcement of this film. The enthusiasm of the fans got even higher when Shirley, who almost never posted anything on her social media, also opened her voice about the film.
[Shirley]: "Look forward to the official announcement of my film, OK!"
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