Darkstone Code-Chapter 816 - 814: Change

In the days that followed, life felt incredibly unreal to Nelly, as the entire team and even some departments of the company revolved around her.

A collection of love story scripts filled up her living room coffee table, with at least twenty or thirty books.

One by one, writers came personally to tell her about the content of their stories and what effect they hoped to achieve.

She sat on the sofa, with a slightly older female assistant beside her, manicuring her hands and buffing her nails.

The male assistant kept putting things in their proper places, despite it being winter and him sweating heavily, yet he flashed a toothy grin saying he wasn’t tired.

The broker sat to the side, stern-faced, discussing upcoming details with the writer and the company’s producer, as if discussing the ownership of the Best Actress award in this year’s Federation Film Awards.

Everything felt so unreal, as if past events were a mistaken dream, or now, everything felt like a beautiful dream.

Too unreal.

The female assistant released her hand and sat on her other side. She naturally lifted her arm, handing her hand to the assistant.

She glanced at the manicured hand, which looked very beautiful.

Is this really life?

Ultimately, at Nelly’s own request, her remuneration was lowered to eight thousand, but Fox Film Corporation, citing "enhancing actor’s skills before filming," deposited forty-two thousand into Nelly’s account.

The company’s official explanation was for her to attend dance classes, which they would cover, but it was really an excuse to give her the money.

The broker clearly conveyed the company’s opinion to her, stating that while the contract would show a small number, the expected payment would not be short by a dime.

In a daze and haze, Nelly was already accustomed to this lifestyle.

The script was quickly decided, and Nelly chose a pure love story that was even a bit heart-wrenching. Before selecting this script, the broker asked her about any taboos, such as whether Lynch would allow her to film scenes like kissing.

Actually, Lynch had no restrictions on this; he never controlled anyone with threats or warnings, because clever people inherently know how to choose.

If one makes the wrong choice, it means that person is a fool, and fools shouldn’t stay beside Lynch.

Eventually, Nelly thought it best not to film such a script. In the script they chose, the male and female leads remained unspoken in mutual infatuation throughout, never clarifying their feelings.

Since the film needed anguish, it certainly required the involvement of a third or fourth party, needing a male supporting role with more scenes and a female supporting role with more scenes.

As the female lead, and the central character, Nelly even got the chance to become a "judge" during casting.

After all, the entire production was centered around her, and her satisfaction was the most important. People in the company didn’t want to cause friction by casting a female supporting role she didn’t like, with this girl who rose to prominence mysteriously.

Initially, Nelly thought it was interesting, observing others’ impromptu performances from another angle while reflecting on her own, a fascinating process that could improve oneself.

But as she watched, she started feeling bored. She remained silent, giving the choice to the professional director and producers.

As her mind started to drift, a door closing sound startled her.

She hurriedly lowered her head to organize the materials in front of her, flipping a page. The glance that was supposed to pass by lingered momentarily on the photo of a girl on that page.

Just then, she heard a familiar voice in the room, "Hello everyone, I’ve come for... the female supporting role’s audition. It was... Mr. recommended me."

Nelly raised her head and looked at the girl in the room, and the girl also saw Nelly.

The girl’s expression suddenly had a bit of surprise, which she quickly controlled, as if nothing happened, and performed a segment as directed.

As she left, she made a waiting gesture, indicating she would wait for Nelly.

"Do you know her?", the producer immediately sensed the small secret between the two girls.

Nelly did not deny it, "She used to be my roommate."

The producer nodded, didn’t say anything, but it was clear he took note of this girl.

After all the auditions that day, Nelly left early, while the producer and director reviewed the casting tapes again, reducing the number of people from the existing list, searching for their ideal candidate.

Meanwhile, Nelly soon saw her former roommate sitting in a car outside the company, after leaving the casting office.

She was driving a car worth about seven or eight thousand. Upon seeing Nelly, she promptly waved.

"I know there’s a coffee shop nearby. Shall we go sit there?", the girl looked at Nelly, and after Nelly nodded, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Neither drove as the café was close by, and walking allowed more time.

Both thought they would have a lot to talk about during this meeting, but once on the road, they found themselves at a loss for words.

After walking for quite a while, the girl finally smiled and said, "I almost forgot to congratulate you. You’re the leading lady in this film, right?"

Nelly nodded, "I got lucky. How about you, how have you been lately?"

The girl shrugged nonchalantly, "How do you think I’ve been? Pretty much the same as before, going around auditioning for film crews. If I’m lucky, I get to play a supporting role, but more often than not, luck isn’t on my side."

Her eyes flickered a bit; she wasn’t really being honest. Right now, she was auditioning everywhere while also working as a high-end escort.

Because in the Federation Market, there were indeed films she had participated in, whether as a supporting role or not, the identity of "actor" was inevitable.

To those who just recently got rich or those whose wealth isn’t of high stature, roles like an actor, presenter, or announcer are filled with immense allure.

Each client offers a very high price, and each time she takes a gig, she earns at least a thousand or two thousand, sometimes even three to five thousand if she plays it wild.

She uses the money from escorting to continue pursuing her original dream in Laridemo, and the byproducts from pursuing this dream further enhance her value.

Sometimes she herself isn’t sure if she’s working hard auditioning everywhere because she truly wants to become a star or if she just wants to increase her worth to make herself sell for more money?

Today was different; when she saw her former roommate sitting among the audition judges, something stirred within her.

She had almost given up on her ideal, yet someone had achieved their future, which made her feel deeply inspired.

Suddenly, she wondered why she couldn’t genuinely chase the purest, most original dream in her heart?

I want to be an actor!

The most poignant moments are always between the present self and the past self. Perhaps the past self seemed foolish, but it’s always the most beautiful version in one’s heart.

They walked into a coffee shop, sat down, and ordered two cups of coffee.

They talked about amusing things that happened when they were roommates and mentioned another girl; it seemed they were both avoiding certain topics, which made their conversation quite pleasant.

At the end, the girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, making it clear she was a pretty girl. She reached out and grasped Nelly’s hand, softly saying, "I want this role. Can you help me?"

Nelly had already sensed this might happen, and when the girl asked, she inexplicably felt relieved, "I don’t know if I can help you; you know, the producer and director are the ones who really make the decisions."

"It’s okay, as long as you have a word with them. Whether or not I’m chosen, I’ll be grateful to you."

The girl looked at her sincerely, "I know some things I’ve done in the past might make you feel... But I want to say, the desire to pursue dreams has never extinguished within me!"

Perhaps it was this sentence that moved her, or maybe some other self-emotion, eventually she nodded, "I’ll talk to them, but I can’t guarantee it’ll work."

"Thank you, thank you..."

In the evening, after the broker sent away two assistants, they looked at Nelly, which inexplicably made Nelly feel a bit pressured.

"What’s going on...?", she looked down and checked herself, not finding anything wrong with her.

"I had a discussion with the production department at the company this afternoon; we have a new idea."

"If we treat your debut film from a commercial perspective, honestly, the results won’t be very good."

"You don’t have much fame. It’s hard to get audiences to voluntarily go to the cinema, and romance movies don’t have a large audience, so the box office might not look appealing."

"We’re planning to change the filming approach to use this movie to push for an Annual Best Newcomer Award for you!"

This is also the company’s comprehensive decision. They watched some of Nelly’s previous tapes. Nelly is like most girls struggling in Laridemo; to say her performance is breathtaking is nonsense.

At most, it’s a bit above the passing line, still a distance from excellent.

This level, even with a big-name male actor, wouldn’t be enough to boost her. Better to use this film to seriously train her, refine her acting skills, and incidentally aim for a trophy.

As is well known, in all major evaluation events, what truly decides who gets first isn’t professional quality but public relations and operations.

In addition, the director and operations departments of Fox Film Corporation are considering trying to win some awards in preparation for the listing, so they’ve altered the filming plan.

Nelly’s script isn’t the only one; the company plans to start at least five films to fully aim at various award categories.

Nelly found it a bit confusing, and she felt a bit insecure, "Do I really have a chance? I know my acting isn’t particularly good. I find this too difficult."

The broker nodded, realizing acknowledging one’s flaws is still a good quality, "That’s why we need your friend, the one who was with you at the audition this afternoon."

Nelly was a bit puzzled, "Why do we need her?"

Initially, she intended to say some nice things for her former roommate, but now inexplicably felt a bit resistant.