Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 659 - 403: Nora Scott: Am I Hype-Mongering Again? [Part 2]
Later on, whatever she talked about with Pedro Langley, Nora Scott couldn’t really remember.
The only thing she did remember was Pedro Langley saying in a very calm and natural tone—
"The reason we’ve been so smooth sailing is actually inseparable from our families."
Because there is family support behind us, everything we do becomes easier.
Because of the capital family provides, it allows them to pursue self-interest without constraints, free from worries.
Because of superior family education, they’re more brotherly and courteous, valuing blood relations over ephemeral wealth.
...
Before Nora Scott lost consciousness as she closed her eyes to sleep, she suddenly thought the most attractive quality of Pedro Langley was—
His calm demeanor.
Six years ago, the typical traits of young people his age—short-sightedness, youthful arrogance, blind vanity, impulsiveness, acting on emotions—he didn’t have any of those.
That levelheadedness is only crafted by excellent education and advantageous family background.
*
The day after meeting Lucas Langley and Thomas Langley, Pedro Langley went on a business trip.
The night before leaving, he spent half the night failing to assemble a mechanized drone, as Nora Scott intentionally didn’t help him with it, almost driving him crazy with his OCD tendencies, until late in the night when Nora felt sorry for him and got up to assemble it for him, only then did he obediently go to sleep.
But in the dead of night, he couldn’t help but crawl into Nora’s bed again.
Two days later, Thomas Langley fulfilled his promise and brought the Blood Jade to Nora Scott, only to be overwhelmed by Nora’s study. Originally intending to stay just for a while, Thomas nearly stayed the whole day at Nora’s place.
Eventually, Pedro Langley learned from a phone call with Nora that Thomas was hanging around at her place, and after another call to Loughton, Thomas was summoned away by his mom with the reason "Men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving, need to avoid suspicion."
Thomas felt utterly wronged.
In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived.
"Sis, where are you going?"
With a toothbrush in his mouth coming out of the washroom, Oliver Scott, with a head full of messy hair, looked astonished at Nora Scott, who was ready to head out.
His mouth still frothy, Oliver’s voice was unclear, but the meaning was understood.
Taking a glance at him, Nora Scott said casually: "Recording a show."
...
Oliver was so shocked he nearly swallowed the toothpaste foam.
"What show?"
Marcus Shaw who came out just then, helped to ask.
"Escape Room."
Nora threw the words and went out the door.
...
...
Marcus Shaw and Oliver Scott exchanged glances.
—Ah well, just when it quieted down for a bit, it looks like Nora will dominate the trending searches again next month.
*
Pedro Langley had said he would try to return by Saturday, but after Nora got his call last night, he couldn’t make it back during the day, and would try to catch Nora’s recording in the evening.
Nora Scott didn’t hold much hope for this.
As compensation, Pedro arranged for a driver who looked kind to pick up Nora.
The driver was actually quite talkative. He used to find Pedro difficult to get along with, feeling a sense of separateness before Pedro was with Nora, but after they started dating, he saw more warmth in Pedro. After several meetings with Nora, he thought she was pretty nice too, and the two basically chatted the whole journey.
"We’re here."
Upon arriving at Fernwood Entertainment, the driver seemed a bit reluctant to part.
"Thanks."
Nora casually thanked him, opened the door, and got out of the car.
The driver was surprisingly pleased.
Adjusting her hat brim, Nora entered the company building, contacted Dubois, and was led to a lounge.
The lounge was not just for one person but prepared for all the guests. Once all the guests arrived, the show runners would hold a meeting with them.
The script had been given to each guest two days ago.
This episode, "307 Hotel," was somewhat special and required role-playing, with complex interpersonal relationships.
The overarching story is about a fire that took place one year ago at "307 Hotel," which resulted in more than thirty casualties. The specific cause of the fire is unknown. A year later, after some renovations, the hotel reopens.
And, six mysterious guests received invitation letters simultaneously for various reasons, and they stay at the hotel on the same night.
These six guests’ identities somewhat relate to the victims who perished a year ago in the fire.
The story focuses on unraveling secrets; the guests can’t have access to the complete script. The specific events will only be revealed during the filming process.
"Nora!"
When Nora walked into the lounge, there were already two guests inside.
A man and a woman, the woman, Diana Johnson, was the first to greet Nora.
"You’re here!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Dubois entered the room shortly after, saw the two of them, and greeted them with a friendly smile.
Both of them nodded in response.
"This is Nora Scott."
Dubois took the initiative to introduce Nora Scott, then looked at the two, one standing and one sitting, and first pointed at Diana Johnson, "Diana Johnson, you recorded a show last time."
Diana quickly nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
After the last variety show recording, the more Diana thought about it, the more excited she became. She felt that the unpredictable Nora Scott was really fun, and now that there was another opportunity to work together, Diana had been overjoyed since yesterday and nearly lost sleep that night.
Dubois smiled, then glanced at the other young man with a rather indifferent expression, and slightly restrained his smile, saying, "Jerry Yates, Mr. Yates."
"Hello."
Nora Scott slightly nodded, which counted as a greeting.
"Miss Scott."
Jerry Yates finally stood up, nodded, his demeanor indifferent and rather aloof.
Having not followed the entertainment circle for a long time, Nora Scott didn’t know who he was. Based on his aura, she thought he might be on par with Henry Chapman, but upon careful examination, he appeared to be only twenty-four or twenty-five, around her age, and she didn’t recognize him at all.
In this circle, there were many good-looking people, and he was obviously one of them. However, the beauty like a Heavenly Immortal that Nora Scott possessed registered no impression on her; unlike Henry Chapman who she found pleasing to the eye, she just glanced and then turned away.
The three of them sat down, with Diana enthusiastically sitting next to Nora Scott, chatting with her about various topics. Probably because Nora Scott wasn’t familiar with the entertainment industry and had a generational gap with Diana, there were very few topics she could join in on. If Diana hadn’t been young and oblivious, the conversation might have hit a standstill much sooner.
Jerry Yates noticed this.
Unexpectedly, Nora Scott raised her eyelids, catching sight of the fleeting sneer from Jerry Yates, seemingly disdainful, not knowing who it was aimed at.
—Quite haughty.
"Jerry Yates, would you like some?"
Diana, worried about neglecting Jerry Yates, picked up an orange from the table and casually asked him.
"No."
Jerry Yates rejected coldly.
A few seconds later, Jerry Yates picked up his phone, stood up, and said simply, "I’m going to make a call."
He didn’t spare another glance at Nora Scott the entire time.
"Jerry Yates is focused on filming, doesn’t pay much attention to socializing," Diana finally realized something was amiss and proactively explained to Nora Scott, "Miss Scott, you don’t need to take it to heart."
"Actor?"
Nora Scott put a slice of orange in her mouth and immediately frowned from the sourness.
Diana was caught off guard, "You don’t know?"
"Nope."
Nora Scott placed the orange back on the coffee table.
Too sour.
"Ahem, he’s quite popular." Diana cleared her throat, glanced toward the door, and whispered, "Since two years ago, he’s had a hit drama series every year, and now he’s a hot actor. His new drama, released in June, topped all the major charts in terms of popularity, with widespread discussions online. It’s really taken off."
Nora Scott picked up an apple and, with a fruit knife, started peeling it unhurriedly, calmly saying, "If he’s focused on filming, why join a variety show?"
"One reason is for promotion, another is..."
Diana paused.
Nora Scott slightly squinted, "Hmm?"
Being young and unable to hold back, Diana pondered for a few seconds before directly saying, "He’s been pursuing Miss Sullivan for some time. He joined ’Escape Room’ to collaborate with Miss Sullivan but couldn’t manage the schedule, so they had to do it separately."
Licking her lips, Diana snuck a glance at Nora Scott, felt conflicted inside, and couldn’t help but remind her, "Miss Scott, you know in this episode you’re supposed to pair up as a couple with someone, right?"
"Hmm."
Halfway through peeling, Nora Scott suddenly thought of something, and her actions paused.
Shooting a glance, she asked, "Is it him?"
"Hmm."
Diana nodded slightly.
"He really doesn’t like hype and tied-up promotions, so..." Diana said tactfully, lowering her head gradually.
"And I do?"
Nora Scott said in surprise.
"Oh, that’s not what I meant."
Diana’s face turned red, and she stammered.
Nora Scott chuckled softly.
With a flick of the knife’s edge, she peeled off the last bit of skin, threw the apple peel into the trash can, and took a bite of the apple.
No matter the fruit, there wasn’t any sweetness.
Diana scratched her head, "There might be a little misunderstanding. I mean, Miss Scott, you’re so indifferent, but there are a lot of online rumors about you being paired with Mr. Langley from Fernwood Entertainment, e-sports player Rain, and Henry Chapman, among others. Despite having a boyfriend, you never clarified..."
Nora Scott realized, "So I’m being accused of hyping up?"
At this moment—
The door opened, and Jerry Yates walked in.
Having overheard their conversation, his gaze swept over, and he added a comment, "Aren’t you?"
