Chapter 813: Change

The next few days felt unreal to Naily. The entire team—and even some departments of the company—seemed to revolve around her.

Dozens of romance scripts were piled on the coffee table in her living room, at least twenty or thirty in total.

One by one, screenwriters came in person to pitch their stories and explain the emotional effect they hoped to achieve.

She sat on the sofa while her slightly older female assistant trimmed her cuticles and filed her nails.

The male assistant bustled around, placing things where they belonged. Despite it being winter and despite sweating profusely, he still forced a grin and claimed he wasn’t tired.

Her agent sat nearby with a stern face, discussing project details with the screenwriters and producers, as if they were deliberating the Best Actress award at the Federal Film Awards.

Everything felt surreal—like her past was a terrible dream, or maybe her present was a beautiful one.

It all felt too unreal.

The female assistant released her hand and sat on her other side. Naily naturally lifted her other hand and handed it over.

She glanced at her manicured fingers. They looked stunning.

Is this what life is supposed to be?

Eventually, at Naily’s own request, her salary was reduced to 8,000 bucks. But Fox Films, under the pretense of pre-shoot actor training, deposited 42,000 into her account.

Officially, the money was for things like dance lessons, paid by the company. In reality, it was just a way to hand her the money discreetly.

Her agent clearly conveyed the company’s position: the number on the contract could be small, but she would not be shortchanged.

Confused and dazed, Naily was gradually getting used to this life.

The script was quickly finalized. Naily chose a pure romance story with a bit of heartbreak. Before making the choice, her agent asked her if Lynch would be okay with scenes like kissing.

But Lynch never imposed restrictions like that. He didn’t control people through threats or warnings. Smart people knew how to choose on their own.

And if they chose wrong? Then they were fools—and fools didn’t belong around Lynch.

In the end, Naily thought it best to avoid such scenes altogether. The script they chose featured two leads pining for each other the entire time, never confessing even at the end.

Since it was a melodrama, it needed a third and fourth party—important supporting roles for both a male and female character.

As the female lead and the film’s core figure, Naily was surprisingly given a say in the casting process.

After all, the whole production revolved around her. Her satisfaction was key. No one at the company wanted tension with the newly-rising star just because of an unsuitable supporting actress.

At first, Naily found it fun. Watching other people perform without props gave her new perspective on her own acting—a fun and enlightening process.

But after a while, it got dull. She stayed silent and left the final decisions to the director and producer.

Just as her mind began to wander, the sound of a door closing snapped her back to attention.

She quickly looked down and flipped to the next page of her materials. Her eyes, meant to glance over, paused on a photo of a young woman.

A familiar voice then echoed in the room. “Hello everyone, I’m here to audition for the female supporting role. I was recommended by… Mr. Lynch.”

Naily looked up and met the girl’s gaze. The girl noticed her too.

Her expression lit up with surprise for a moment before she quickly composed herself. As if nothing had happened, she performed a short scene as directed.

Before she left, she made a small gesture—she would wait for Naily.

“You know her?” the producer immediately picked up on the subtle exchange.

Naily didn’t deny it. “She used to be my roommate.”

The producer nodded without further comment, though it was clear he took note of the girl.

After all the auditions for the day were done, Naily left early. The producer and director stayed behind to review the recordings and narrow down the list further.

Meanwhile, outside the audition office, Naily quickly spotted her former roommate sitting in a car.

It was a car worth seven or eight thousand bucks. When she saw Naily, she waved proactively.

“There’s a café nearby. Want to go sit there?” the girl asked. When Naily nodded, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

They didn’t drive—the café was close enough to walk, and walking gave them more time together.

Both thought they’d have a lot to say after reuniting, but once they were walking, they didn’t know where to begin.

After a long silence, the girl smiled and said, “I almost forgot to congratulate you. You’re the lead in this movie, right?”

Naily nodded. “I was lucky. What about you? How have you been?”

The girl shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Same as always. Auditioning everywhere. If I’m lucky, I land a supporting role. But most of the time, I’m not that lucky.”

Her eyes flickered. She wasn’t telling the truth. These days, she was auditioning while also working as a high-end escort.

She had acted in a few films on the federal market. Whether or not the roles were big didn’t matter—she could at least claim the title of actress.

For the newly rich—or those with low taste—titles like actress, host, or announcer carried huge allure.

Each client paid generously. She earned at least a couple thousand per session. If things got a bit wild, it could go up to three or five thousand.

She used the escort money to keep chasing her dream from when she first came to Lardimore. And the by-products of chasing that dream helped raise her value even more.

Sometimes, she didn’t even know if she still wanted to be a star—or just wanted to inflate her price tag and sell herself for more.

But today, seeing her former roommate sitting at the casting judge’s table, something stirred inside her.

She had nearly given up on her dream. Yet someone else had made it. And that hit her hard.Suddenly, she wondered—why couldn’t she truly pursue the pure, original dream in her heart?

I want to be an actress!

What always stirs emotion the most is the contrast between who you are now and who you used to be. Maybe the old version of herself was naïve, but that was the version she cherished the most.

They entered the café, ordered two coffees, and sat down.

They reminisced about the fun times they had while living together, mentioned another girl they used to know, and subtly avoided certain topics—which made the conversation all the more pleasant.

Toward the end, the girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was clearly beautiful. She reached out and took Naily’s hand, speaking softly, “I want this role. Could you help me?”

Naily had sensed this moment coming. When the girl finally asked, she didn’t know why, but she let out a quiet sigh of relief. “I don’t know if I can help. You know, the producer and the director are the ones who make the real decisions.”

“That’s okay. Just put in a word for me. Whether I get it or not, I’ll still be grateful.”

The girl looked at her sincerely. “I know some of the things I did in the past might’ve made you think less of me… but I want you to know, my desire to chase this dream has never died.”

Maybe it was that line that moved her. Or maybe it was something inside herself. In the end, Naily nodded. “I’ll talk to them, but I can’t promise it’ll do anything.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much…”

That night, after the two assistants had left, Naily’s agent looked at her in a way that made her feel a bit uneasy.

“What is it?” she glanced down at herself, not seeing anything out of place.

“I had a meeting with the production team this afternoon. We’ve come up with a new approach.”

“If we treat your first film purely from a commercial standpoint, honestly, it won’t do that well.”

“You’re not well-known. It’s hard to draw audiences to the theater on your name alone. And romance films don’t have the broadest appeal. Box office results probably won’t be great.”

“We’re planning to change the strategy. Use this film to go after a Best Newcomer award.”

This was a decision made at the company level. After reviewing Naily’s old audition tapes, they realized she wasn’t much different from the other struggling girls in Lardimore. To say her acting was exceptional would be a lie.

At best, she was slightly above average—still some distance from being considered good.

Even pairing her with a big-name male lead wouldn’t elevate her performance. Instead, the company decided to use this film as a training ground to sharpen her skills—and hopefully pick up a trophy along the way.

Everyone knew that in major award competitions, the winner was never decided solely by talent—it was about PR and strategic campaigning.

With Fox Films’ directing and marketing departments both eager to collect some awards ahead of the company’s public listing, the shooting plan was revised.

The script in Naily’s hands wasn’t the only one. The company would launch at least five films aimed specifically at winning awards.

Naily listened, somewhat dazed and lacking confidence. “Do I really have a chance? I know my acting isn’t that good… It feels too hard.”

Her agent nodded. Recognizing her shortcomings was still a sign of a good heart. “That’s why we need your friend—the one from the audition this afternoon.”

Naily looked confused. “Why her?”

She had originally planned to say a few good words on her former roommate’s behalf. But now, a strange resistance rose within her.