“Johnny, what’s the matter with you? Your line was supposed to be, ‘I’ll remember. When I come back, I’ll marry you.’ What was all that nonsense you just said?” The director was clearly displeased with Johnny’s slip-up; his brows were tightly furrowed. “Sorry, sir, Ms. Beck’s performance was too good; I couldn’t help myself.” Johnny rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. “Don’t say that—Mr. Johnny, your acting was excellent too,” I said with a smile. But I hadn’t said it just to exchange pleasantries. Once the words left my lips, I turned toward Geraldine. Her eyes were wide, her face stunned, her voice barely a whisper. “Impossible… how could you be this good?” I laughed softly. “It’s true I never had formal training, but I know how to empathize with the role. That’s the essence of acting—feel it, know your lines, don’t let nerves get the better of you… and how could the performance possibly be bad?” To be schooled in acting by an outsider—it finally sank in for Geraldine. She huffed and turned away, sulking with resentment written all over her face. I smiled again and added, “Of course, it’s not as if I know nothing about the craft. When I was abroad, I met an elder named Reese; he took me on as a student and taught me quite a lot about performance.” “What? Reese?” The director nearly leapt with excitement, abandoning Geraldine where she stood. He hurried over. “Reese? The famous professor of drama at Capital City University?” The crew buzzed instantly. “Anyone who’s been taught by Reese is exceptional—usually award-winning actors at the very least.” “I heard he’s only ever taken one student his entire life, and no one’s ever known who that lucky person was. From what Ms. Beck just said, could it be her?” Everyone turned to stare at me in shock. Even Geraldine was struck speechless. I only felt exasperated. The truth was, I’d never cared about acting, but Reese happened to be Tempest’s younger brother. When he saw me studying medicine, he couldn’t stand the idea of losing to his brother, so he dragged me into acting lessons out of sheer competitiveness. I’d been forced to learn far more than I ever wanted. The director’s mocking tone from earlier vanished completely. He now smiled obsequiously. “Ms. Beck, would you consider taking a role in this drama? I could give you the second female lead. What do you think?” I shook my head. “No.” What a joke—did he think I’d accept second lead? The director panicked, blurting out, “Then, I’ll give you the lead role!” I almost laughed. He was so desperate. Of course, I knew what he was after—he saw the value in my connection to Reese. All he needed was to advertise that I was Reese’s only disciple, and the production would explode in popularity. That was the real prize he was chasing. Geraldine, predictably, lost it. Seeing the director groveling like a lapdog, she shrieked, “Sir, I’m the confirmed heroine! How can you just hand my role to someone else? If you insist on this, I’ll have Aiden pull his investment!” The director looked stricken, caught between them and at a loss. I chuckled. “Relax, I’m not acting, nor will I ever enter the entertainment industry.” After turning him down, I glanced at Geraldine and blinked playfully. “So, Ms. Geraldine… do you understand what I said earlier now?” Her face changed instantly. She ripped off her costume and snapped furiously, “You only get what Raelyn doesn’t want, why should I settle for scraps? I quit! I’ll have Aiden pull the money out right now!” Seeing her about to storm off, the director scrambled. “Please, Ms. Geraldine, don’t go! I must’ve been out of my mind just now—the lead role is yours. How could it be anyone else’s?” After all, rumor had it Aiden had poured 40 millions into the project; he was the biggest backer. If he pulled out, the entire drama would collapse. But Geraldine was too furious to listen. She whipped out her phone and began to cry pitifully into it. “Aiden, everyone here bullied me. Can you come over? Please?” When she hung up, her eyes flashed venom as she glared at me. “Just wait. Aiden will be here soon; he’ll pull the funding, and then let’s see how smug you look.” I stayed quiet, waiting.As for Aiden’s arrival, I wasn’t sure what I felt—part expectation, part unease. And sure enough, Aiden appeared not long after. His gaze swept across the set, and almost at once, it landed on me and Tammy. Geraldine immediately rushed to him, clinging to his side like a spoiled child. “Aiden, they all ganged up on me just now. Raelyn even tried to steal my lead role! And the worst part is the director agreed! Pull the investment; let’s walk away!” “Raelyn wanted to be the lead?” Aiden’s brows lifted, his tone tinged with surprise. Geraldine jabbed a finger at me, her face twisted with anger. “That’s right—she wants to be the heroine!” Tammy couldn’t hold back anymore. She stepped forward and snapped, “Steal? Please. Everyone saw it, your acting was so bad the director couldn’t stand it, and now you’re twisting the truth.”