The photographer snapped his fingers and whispered a few words to his assistant. Not long after, the assistant came in holding a poster of Henry Clark, squatted in front of the camera as instructed, and held up the poster of Henry Clark.

The photographer called out to Emily Bennett, “Come on, look at the poster.”

Emily Bennett, who was massaging her shoulders and back, looked up and immediately smiled brighter than the sunshine.

The photographer clicked twice—perfect, that’s a wrap.

Actors started arriving one after another.

It was a BL web drama with a modest budget, and most of the actors were newcomers. There was no room for diva behavior or status games, so the atmosphere on set was quite friendly.

The only thing that made people a bit uncomfortable was the notoriously ill-reputed Emily Bennett.

Everyone knew she was pretentious, not very smart, and in this crew, she actually had the highest profile. After joining the crew, when people saw Emily Bennett sitting in a chair reading the script, they would just greet her politely and then keep their distance.

Emily Bennett didn’t pay much attention to the strange looks around her; she was still working hard to memorize her lines.

Her acting skills were already lacking, and if she couldn’t even remember her lines, she was afraid she’d get scolded.

It wasn’t until all the main cast had arrived and the director called everyone over to get acquainted and prepare for the opening ceremony that Emily Bennett, reminded by James Foster, finally walked over, rubbing her sore waist.

At a glance, there were a few new faces and a few familiar ones—people she’d only seen on TV before.

But in Emily Bennett’s mind, there were only two types of celebrities—Henry Clark and everyone else. So she remained calm and, under the director’s introduction, shook hands and greeted the main cast one by one.

Anna Foster, just like his character, was a bit cold and not talkative, looking very professional. Edward Grant had delicate, almost feminine features, strikingly handsome, with a pair of peach blossom eyes that made it clear he wasn’t the well-behaved type.

At this first meeting, everyone observed the basic courtesies. Once the opening ceremony was done, the production was officially underway.

Emily Bennett’s first scene was scheduled for the evening.

Because she was a second-tier starlet and known for being hard to please, the crew had specially prepared a private dressing room for her. Unexpectedly, once filming started, she didn’t go anywhere—she just grabbed a small stool and sat next to the director to watch the scenes.

Better to pick up something last minute than know nothing at all.

The morning passed quickly. At noon, the crew ordered boxed lunches. There had been incidents before where Emily Bennett had thrown up after eating the boxed lunch and demanded special meals, so the crew was a bit worried. But to their surprise, Emily Bennett took the lunch without a word and ate happily.

Everyone exchanged glances, thinking, “This doesn’t match the rumors at all. Emily Bennett seems pretty friendly, always smiling and chatting with everyone. Where’s the diva behavior?”

During the lunch break, James Foster showed Emily Bennett his phone with a worried look. “Qiao Qiao-jie, you’re third on the trending searches.”

It was all people cursing her.

That morning, the official styling photos had been released, announcing the female lead’s participation, and the internet exploded. Fans of the original novel were furious, Emily Bennett’s haters went wild, and even bystanders thought, “Why is a woman getting involved in a BL drama?”

Within an hour, she was trending for all the wrong reasons.

Emily Bennett had already anticipated this and quickly sent a message in her support group: “The styling photos for ‘Mad Words’ are out. Anti-black team, go to level one alert!”

The fan managing the anti-black team was a junior computer science major named Wangzai, who immediately replied: “Received!”

Emily Bennett then logged into her official fan club account and posted a Weibo:

—Some things always need someone to do them. Some roles always need someone to play them. Even if everyone points fingers, I will still press forward.

She attached a photo James Foster had taken that morning of her sitting by the camera reading the script.

She posted it and logged off before the haters could attack.

James Foster watched all this and couldn’t help but sigh. To be hated this much is just another kind of fame.

Emily Bennett solemnly handed her phone to him. “Xiao Bai, your job from now on is to take photos of me—360 degrees, all angles, just focus on that. Don’t worry about anything else.”

James Foster was at a loss for words.

After the lunch break, filming resumed. It was Emily Bennett’s first time watching a live set. She listened, watched, and learned, quickly picking up all the technical terms. Whenever she didn’t understand something or couldn’t figure it out, she politely asked the director. Seeing how eager she was to learn, the director was happy to guide her. By evening, Emily Bennett was brimming with confidence!

Acting? Nothing to be afraid of!

And then she got slapped in the face by reality.

It really was hard...

Even glaring and pouting wasn’t easy.

The first scene was her first encounter with Anna Foster. Emily Bennett had memorized her lines perfectly, but when it came to acting, it was like reciting a textbook. There was no helping it—she was just being pushed onto the stage with this level.

Before the director could lose his temper, Emily Bennett took the initiative to call for a stop and bowed to the crew. “I’m really sorry, everyone. I haven’t been on set for a long time and can’t find my rhythm. I’ve wasted your time. Director, could you give me one night to adjust?”

The director was fuming, but seeing her so apologetic and bowing, he couldn’t bring himself to get angry and had to agree.

Thus, the first day of filming ended. Everyone wrapped up. James Foster hurried over with a coat for her and handed her a cup of hot water. “Qiao Qiao-jie, don’t be nervous. Get a good rest tonight—you’ll definitely do better tomorrow.”