The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 18: A Successful Start

"You... you’re going to Veridia?" Luna repeated, a rare hint of confusion on her face, and then her eyes welled with a layer of red.

Clear tears gathered in her eyes, misty like water-colored glass.

Shane Morgan, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the camera, held his breath, entirely focused on the performance of Maya Monroe and Leo Lancaster.

Leo Lancaster, known for his impeccable reputation as a film emperor, demonstrated extraordinary skills, which was expected, but Maya Monroe managed to reach his level, even more effortlessly transparent.

Maya’s personality and appearance were vastly different from the early phases of "Luna," yet she could instantly dive into the role and bring the audience along with her emotions.

Shane Morgan silently thought to himself: Maya Monroe indeed did not disappoint him.

Watching the performance, Raymond Miller was also taken aback. He was thoroughly familiar with the negative rumors about Maya Monroe, especially since they had worked together once.

Just once was enough for Raymond Miller to remember Maya Monroe distinctly, marking her with a series of negative labels like unprofessional, egotistical, and a mere pretty face.

Yet Maya’s current performance left him no choice but to be astonished.

Improving acting skills requires time and enlightenment; it’s impossible to suddenly improve so dramatically.

How did Maya achieve this? Did she hide her skills all this time?

Raymond Miller furrowed his brows tightly, puzzled but not delving deeper. He only cared about the actors’ talent, and since Maya’s skills had become outstanding, he had nothing to criticize.

The performance of Leo Lancaster and Maya Monroe continued.

"You know, I must pursue the martial arts I yearn for..." Jackie Foley spoke about martial arts with eyes seemingly ignited by flames.

Jackie Foley held Luna’s hand tightly, and spoke each word firmly, "Luna, wait for me to come back, wait for me to return to marry you when I have the skills!"

Luna’s eyes remained red-rimmed, yet she managed a gentle smile, reversing her hand to grasp Jackie’s, "Jackie, I... will wait for you."

Her voice carried a touch of sadness but also a hint of relief, happiness for Jackie pursuing a better future.

The final shot was of their hands intertwined.

"This take is good!"

Shane Morgan’s voice echoed.

Maya Monroe had made a slight modification to the script. In the original, the last scene didn’t include a smile, but after Maya’s change, it felt even better than before.

Jackie leaving home shouldn’t leave Luna only in sadness; there should be blessings for Jackie as well.

The final smile gave Luna’s character more depth.

"Very good!" Shane Morgan added.

After the performance, Maya Monroe withdrew her hand and returned to her usual languid expression.

Something flashed in Leo Lancaster’s eyes as he clearly felt his heartbeat wasn’t quite right in his chest.

Then he couldn’t help but laugh to himself – they were adults, after all, how could holding hands lead to accelerated heartbeats?

"This take is good!"

"This take is good!"

"Good!"

...

In the subsequent scenes, Maya Monroe seemed almost divinely assisted, all passed in just one take.

Leo Lancaster praised her, "Maya, your acting skills have improved significantly."

Maya Monroe nodded, not taking it to heart.

She wasn’t a professional actress and had no real concept of her acting level. She always just thought about finishing the scenes quickly to go back and rest, never considering the possibility that her acting might be too good.

"Am I still not awake? When did Maya Monroe acquire such acting skills?!"

"Just one take? Passed in just one take? It’s normal for Leo Lancaster, but Maya? Did I go blind?"

"Maya was late earlier, claiming she hadn’t read the script, but now I feel she’s studied it countless times in private, and what just happened was all part of her plan to hog the limelight!"

...

Maya Monroe ignored the chattering around her, suddenly feeling somewhat uneasy because she noticed Shane Morgan’s undisguised admiration, and even Raymond Miller, who was usually displeased with her, seemed to soften his demeanor.

Maya Monroe checked the plot’s excitement level, which was still on the rise.

She breathed a small sigh of relief, which meant the plot had not deviated too much.

Due to the smooth shooting process, the filming of this scene finished even faster than planned.

Because of the "auspicious start," Shane Morgan was very pleased, "Neither Lancaster nor Monroe disappointed me, especially Monroe; you even tried to scare me this morning by saying you didn’t even read the script..." Shane glanced at Raymond Miller, "Hahaha, kids these days love to joke around!"

Even Raymond Miller, who usually had issues with Maya Monroe, did not oppose but just said, "The young folks today are vibrant."

"I did memorize the script on the spot."

This label of diligence and seriousness, Maya Monroe did not want at all.

Unexpectedly, Shane Morgan’s eyes brightened, "Really? I didn’t expect Maya to memorize lines so brilliantly!" he exclaimed, "This is what talent is all about!"

Raymond Miller nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Leo Lancaster added with a smile, "Maya was smart even as a kid."

Maya Monroe: ...

Why does it feel like the more she clarifies, the worse it gets?

Maya Monroe decided to remain silent.

Kiki Monroe’s scene was in the afternoon.

Typically, actors with significant roles or more screen time get good slots for shooting.

Kiki Monroe looked frail as a willow, dressed in a pale pink gown, having just completed all her scenes.

Soon enough, she was surrounded by people praising her.

Praising her performance, saying she was truly Ashley Shaw.

Kiki Monroe was long accustomed to this spotlight treatment.

Yet she keenly sensed the compliments weren’t as enthusiastic as usual, with Shane Morgan’s gaze slightly indifferent towards her.

This had never happened before.

As the people around packed up the equipment, Kiki quietly asked her assistant, "Did something happen on set earlier?"

The assistant, hearing this, was all irritated, "That dumb Maya Monroe suddenly started playing tricks; she stayed up late reading the script, yet claimed she hadn’t seen it the next day, and it turned out she performed decently, so now the director is praising her to the heavens!"

Kiki Monroe didn’t correct her assistant for calling Maya dumb.

Because she was entirely focused on another matter.

So it’s Maya’s stellar performance that led to her being in the shadows now.

The thought of Maya’s petty maneuvers fueled Kiki’s indignation.

First the role of Luna, now the attention of others...

Maya Monroe seemed to be stealing everything belonging to her.

Kiki Monroe suddenly harbored some resentment towards Maya Monroe.

She had excellent luck from a young age, always the center of attention, never having faced any setbacks. Now, facing defeat for the first time, she naturally began to resent the one who caused it.