Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Too Bizarre
That evening, Lily Sterling couldn’t wait to tell her sister the good news.
Her instructor had reminded her that the production team required all main cast identities to be kept secret for the time being. They would only be announced at the press conference for the start-of-filming ceremony.
But Lily Sterling told her sister in secret anyway; she just couldn’t resist sharing the good news with her the moment she could.
She didn’t dare to video call, so she sent a secret text message. Reading her sister’s messages, Cecilia Sterling felt like she could see her ecstatic, excited little face right through the words.
"What are you smiling at?"
When Estelle Goodman pushed the door open, she happened to see Cecilia Sterling giving her phone a fond, doting smile and couldn’t help but ask.
Cecilia Sterling smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. Why are you back so early today?"
Estelle Goodman went running on the track every evening. The duration of her run depended on her calorie intake for the day, but it was usually no less than an hour.
"My new shoes are rubbing my feet, so I came back to change them." As she spoke, she casually tossed something to Cecilia Sterling. "A guy downstairs asked me to give this to you."
"Huh?" Cecilia Sterling froze for a second, catching it reflexively.
Estelle Goodman chuckled. "Don’t worry, it’s not Shawn Lane. Just some regular guy."
Cecilia Sterling looked at the sealed bag in her hands with a puzzled expression. She gave it a little shake, and the contents inside made a RUSTLING sound.
Not knowing who it was from or what it was, Cecilia Sterling decided to just open it.
Peeking inside, she saw a bag of black goji berries.
Cecilia Sterling was even more baffled. She had no idea who would send her a bag of black goji berries for no reason.
Estelle Goodman saw it and laughed too. "Hey, that’s good stuff!"
Cecilia Sterling looked at the plain, unmarked silver foil bag. "There’s nothing on it. Would you dare to eat this?"
"It’s a gift for you, so I’m not eating it." Estelle Goodman had already changed her shoes. She waved at Cecilia Sterling and headed out again.
Cecilia Sterling closed the bag and casually put the black goji berries in the cabinet by her feet.
The next day, she found out who had sent it.
In the Lorcain Tech cafeteria, Cecilia Sterling and Estelle Goodman had just gotten their food and found a place to sit when a cup of milk tea appeared beside Cecilia’s hand.
Surprised, she turned her head and saw a boy in a gray T-shirt looking at her shyly.
That’s right, Cecilia Sterling actually saw "shyness" in a boy’s expression—the kind of gaze that wanted to look directly at her but kept darting away.
The boy was wearing a pair of khaki shorts with some noticeable stains that hadn’t been washed out, or perhaps couldn’t be washed out anymore.
His hair was medium-length and greasy. It was matted to his scalp in some places and stood up irregularly in others, and it was full of dandruff.
Before Cecilia Sterling could even say anything, he turned and ran off.
The people nearby couldn’t help but stifle their laughter. The scene was just too bizarre. ’If you’re going to pursue Cecilia Sterling, shouldn’t you at least consider washing your hair first?’
Estelle Goodman’s reaction was even more dramatic than Cecilia’s. Her eyes widened in a mix of disgust and shock as she looked at Cecilia and said, "Honey, he’s the one who gave you that bag of black goji berries last night!"
She then quickly explained, absolving herself of any responsibility, "But it was a bit dark last night, so I didn’t get a good look at him. I just saw that he had an average face and didn’t notice anything else."
The milk tea on the table was still warm. Estelle Goodman picked it up and threw it directly into the trash can by her feet. "Don’t drink this. And you should throw out that bag of black goji berries too. It’s kind of disgusting now that I think about it."
Cecilia Sterling snapped out of her stupor and looked at Estelle Goodman, completely bewildered. "I don’t know him!"
Estelle Goodman wasn’t too surprised. "A lot of people probably know you and Shawn Lane broke up. Before, no one dared to make a move on you because you were with him. It’s not surprising that your admirers are coming out of the woodwork now. It’s just that today’s candidate is a bit... out there."
He couldn’t even be called a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh.
At least a toad knows to jump in the water and clean itself up.
Cecilia Sterling, on the other hand, felt a lingering sense of fear. ’Being targeted by someone like that is kind of terrifying.’
"Cecilia, his name is Flynn Hudson."
Just then, a girl from the next table suddenly leaned over and whispered, "He’s in my class. His family is from Vespar."
Estelle Goodman quickly asked, "Hey, what department are you in? Has he always been like this? I mean, his appearance..."
The girl nodded. "I’m in the math department. It seems like he’s barely washed his hair since he started here, and his clothes are always dirty. But his family isn’t well-off, so we never said anything. It’s just that no one wants to get too close to him."
Pointing to her own head, she added, "Everyone in our class thinks he’s a bit off sometimes, but his grades are exceptionally good. Anyway, Cecilia, you should just ignore him."
After hearing the girl’s description, Cecilia Sterling felt even more frightened.
Estelle Goodman also thought his actions were way too abrupt. ’Even if he’s not all there, would he really just give a girl black goji berries and buy her milk tea for no reason?’
’If it were any other girl, fine, but this is Cecilia! He can’t possibly think he’s good enough for her, can he?’
"Let’s just eat first."
Cecilia Sterling calmed herself down a little, thinking that if he made any further moves, she would have a talk with him.
「Two days later.」
The production team notified Lily Sterling to come in for a costume and makeup test.
The location was James Lockwood’s company, Locke Media.
When Lily Sterling arrived, the scene was chaotic. A large group of actors waiting for their fittings were crowded in the hallway outside the makeup rooms.
Hannah Warner didn’t have class today, so she came with Lily Sterling. Seeing such a scene for the first time, her eyes widened. "My god, with this many people, are we going to be waiting until the cows come home?"
Lily Sterling hadn’t expected so many actors to be there for fittings today either. She felt a little bad and said to Hannah Warner, "Hannah, maybe you should head back first. I can wait here by myself. It looks like it’s going to be a long wait."
"I’m already here. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a big star. I’ll wait with you," Hannah Warner said, not minding at all.
Just then, Suzanne Sawyer emerged from behind them, also accompanied by a classmate.
She sized up Lily Sterling with a disdainful gaze and chuckled softly. "The Fourth Miss is a concubine’s daughter in the original story. Her daily attire is very shabby. You’re playing her maid, do you even need a makeup test? A bare face would probably be more true to the character!"
Starting with such a backhanded comment, Lily Sterling’s expression darkened.
Seeing her silence, Suzanne Sawyer found it boring, curled her lip, and pulled her classmate along as she pushed toward the front.
"Hmph! So smug," Hannah Warner scoffed at her retreating back.
Lily Sterling asked, confused, "I don’t even know her. Why is she targeting me?"
"Jealousy, of course," Hannah Warner said. "People like her who think they’re hot stuff just get jealous when they see someone better than them. Don’t pay her any mind."
"Lily Sterling! Is Lily Sterling here?"
Just then, a staff member came out with a folder, calling the name as they scanned the crowd.
Lily Sterling quickly raised her hand. "I’m here!"
"You go into Makeup Room A. Find Ms. Winnie for your fitting."
Lily Sterling nodded. Then she heard the staff member continue, "Melody Miller, Suzanne Sawyer, Renee Chapman..."
He rattled off more than a dozen names in one breath, then pointed a hand toward the innermost room. "You lot, go to that room over there and line up!"
Hearing this, Suzanne Sawyer’s eyes flew wide open. Why did Lily Sterling get to have her fitting right away, while she had to go line up with a dozen other people?
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