Chapter 48: Chapter 47: He’s Back
Charlotte Underwood must have been genuinely afraid Joanna Kennedy would steal the powerful backer she’d worked so hard to snag. She didn’t dare make any more snide remarks, just shot her the occasional glare, which had no real bite. Joanna simply pretended not to notice.
The next morning, Julie arrived bright and early, saying the film crew wanted her to come in sooner.
Joanna Kennedy was confused. "Don’t I have the day off? I’m not in any scenes today."
The show she was filming was a historical idol drama, and most of the scenes revolved around the male and female leads. As the third female lead, a disposable villain, she didn’t have many significant parts.
Usually, they only called her to the set when they were ready to film her scenes.
Julie shook her head. "I don’t know. That’s just what the crew said. Maybe there was a script change."
An assistant was just a messenger, running back and forth.
"Fine."
Worried about being late and getting chewed out by the crew, Joanna Kennedy didn’t even have time for breakfast. It was only when she arrived that she learned they just needed to reshoot a single take.
The whole thing took less than half an hour. After the reshoot, Joanna was about to leave when she was told she had to attend a business banquet that evening.
These kinds of banquets were common in the industry. The attendees were all powerful and influential figures. Directors went to secure funding, while actors often tagged along to entertain the big shots. Some also went to scout for their own patrons.
When Joanna Kennedy first became famous in her real life, she had attended a few of these events herself. Each time, she would just find a quiet corner to eat, and no one really bothered her.
Later, as her fame grew, more and more tycoons wanted to become her patron, so Joanna stopped going.
For banquets like this, the director usually brought a few of the main cast members. Although Joanna Kennedy wasn’t exactly a lead, she was beautiful, so she was told to come along as well.
「At six in the evening.」
In the company van, the male and female leads sat up front with the director. The second male and female leads were next, with Joanna Kennedy sitting in the back. She had little presence and couldn’t just blatantly play on her phone while everyone else was deep in conversation, so she could only stare blankly out the window.
Even though she wasn’t trying to listen, she still caught bits and pieces of the conversation.
"Director, is it true that the biggest investor for our show is the Southland Group?"
"Southland Group? You mean *the* Southland?"
"Which other one could it be?" the male lead said with a sigh. "Who would’ve thought our show was actually funded by Southland..."
"I know, right?" The director’s voice was a mix of pride and envy. "This is the first entertainment project Southland’s parent company has invested in since moving its headquarters to Celestria."
Four years ago, the Southland Group was just a small overseas company. In just a few short years, it had climbed to the top of both domestic and international wealth rankings.
Legend had it that Southland’s president was a young man with the surname Lockwood, dubbed the "Pioneer of New Age Investment" by the *Economic Times*.
A year ago, the Southland Group had suddenly relocated its headquarters from overseas to Celestria. It subsequently expanded into numerous industries, making a killing in all of them.
Many competing companies were unhappy and deliberately tried to snatch Southland Group’s projects. The very next day, they would find their own capital chains severed. Southland, making no secret of its involvement, would then seize the opportunity to acquire a majority of the company’s shares at a low price, a move that shocked all other would-be rivals into submission.
Everyone was both awed and terrified of this decisive and ruthless Mr. Lockwood.
The second female lead said, "I wonder if that Mr. Lockwood will be here tonight."
"..."
The moment she said that, everyone went silent. No one responded.
The female lead shot the second female lead a contemptuous look.
’Plenty of women have tried to get their claws into Mr. Lockwood, but no one has ever succeeded.’
The male lead, ever the smooth talker, quickly found a new topic, and the lively atmosphere returned.
Only Joanna Kennedy, in her corner, continued to stare blankly outside.
Inside the five-star banquet hall, crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant glow as champagne flutes clinked together softly.
The guests were all well-known socialites and influential figures. Among them were popular A-list and B-list actresses from the entertainment circle, and Joanna Kennedy even spotted a few top-tier male actors.
Wealth, power, and beauty intertwined in a scene of fragrant glamour and glittering ostentation.
The director presented the invitation, and a waiter led their group inside.
Once inside, aside from the male and female leads who could stay by the director’s side, the others consciously dispersed.
Some went to network with other directors or senior actors, while others went looking for suitable patrons.
Compared to the haute couture gowns everyone else was wearing, Joanna Kennedy’s attire today was far too plain. It was a simple white long dress with no embellishments. Her long hair was tied up, revealing a slender neck that glowed with a pearly white halo under the lights.
Joanna first wandered nonchalantly through the banquet hall. Her captivating, almond-shaped eyes scanned the room impassively before her gaze fell, devoid of emotion.
She hadn’t eaten dinner, so she picked up a small plate, chose a few small cakes from the dessert table, and sat on a nearby sofa, nibbling at them listlessly. She was a stark contrast to the others who were eagerly socializing all around her.
A few minutes later, someone strode up to her. Joanna Kennedy looked up and saw it was Charlotte Underwood.
She was dressed stunningly today in a wine-red, floor-length mermaid gown. She had dyed her brown hair back to black, and it fell behind her in styled curls. With her exquisite makeup, she looked absolutely gorgeous.
But right now, her beautiful face was a mask of anxiety and anger. Charlotte Underwood hissed, "Joanna Kennedy, what are you doing here!"
"So you’re allowed to be here, but I’m not? Why? Did you throw this banquet? Or does this place belong to your family? Go ahead and stomp your foot, see if the ground answers."
"You!" Charlotte Underwood’s face twisted with rage, but she forced it down. She looked Joanna Kennedy up and down, then sneered through clenched teeth, "Don’t think I don’t know why you’re here. You just want to seduce President Lawson, don’t you? Look at you, so pathetic you can’t even afford a decent dress. President Lawson would probably lose his appetite just looking at you."
In truth, she was saying this deliberately. Although Joanna Kennedy’s dress was simple, it couldn’t hide her natural, overwhelming beauty.
As much as Charlotte Underwood hated to compliment Joanna Kennedy, she had to admit that the simple attire actually made her look even more pure and gentle.
More often, the clothes make the person, but rarely does the person make the clothes. Joanna was clearly the latter.
This was also why she was so nervous, afraid that Joanna Kennedy would actually go parade herself in front of President Lawson.
"Is that so? Well, since you put it that way, I guess I’ll just have to go over and see for myself. We’ll find out if he really loses his appetite..." Joanna Kennedy made a move to stand up, startling Charlotte Underwood, who glanced around nervously.
Joanna, halfway to her feet, stared at her. "Aren’t you leaving?"
Charlotte Underwood was genuinely scared now. Seeing this, she turned quickly, not forgetting to toss a threat over her shoulder: "You just wait."
Joanna stood up straight.
Charlotte’s face paled, and she scurried away.
[You’re getting better and better at scaring people,] 166’s voice sounded out.
Joanna let out a careless "Oh." ’[So you’re back.]’
was displeased. ’[...Why aren’t you the least bit surprised?]’
’[Don’t you want to know why I’ve reappeared?]’
Joanna’s expression was cold.
’What’s there to be surprised about? Six years ago, not long after Simon Lockwood left the country, 166 disappeared.’
’According to the system’s rules, it only shows up when the plot is in motion.’ She didn’t need to be a genius to figure it out. Her mental tone was flat. ’[Simon Lockwood is back in the country, right.]’
