Emily Bennett stared at him for a while, then raised her hand to rub her eyes. “I’ll treat you to a Starbucks Frappuccino next time. I’m leaving.”

“Bye, sis! Be careful on your way!”

It wasn’t until she got into the car back to the set that Emily Bennett took out her phone, which had been on silent.

Edward Grant had nearly blown up her phone, and there were also a few messages from Anna Foster, asking if she’d gone to the hospital and how she was feeling. Emily Bennett replied to each of them, then leaned back and closed her eyes.

She didn’t know why, but she felt a little sad.

She didn’t even know what she was sad about—she’d always been strong. Studying alone abroad, running into a deceitful landlord, dragging her luggage out of the dorm in the middle of the night in the rain—she hadn’t cried then.

But right now, she just couldn’t stop the stinging in her eyes. Even with her eyes tightly shut, tears still slipped from the corners.

What was she sad about?

Was it for Emily Bennett, or for herself?

She wanted so badly to have a good cry.

It was nearly evening when Emily Bennett finally made it back to the set.

She still had night scenes to shoot, and the whole crew was waiting—there was no time for her to cry.

Anna Foster had been worn out by gossip accounts all day and was in low spirits. The usually lively crew felt dull and lifeless, and after finishing the last scene of the day, everyone packed up and went back to their rooms to rest.

Emily Bennett had just finished her shower when someone knocked on the door. She opened it to find Edward Grant standing outside, arms full of bags, grinning like a flower. “Late-night snack time!”

There was quite a variety, but it all looked like nourishing food for pregnant women. Emily Bennett even found ginseng in the chicken soup. Edward Grant said worriedly, “Qiao Qiao, I can’t help with your physical pain, so I brought you some ginseng from my family’s farm. Eat more—there’s plenty if it’s not enough.”

That’s when Emily Bennett learned that Edward Grant’s family grew ginseng.

She took a sip of the chicken soup. “Call Anna Foster over too, let him get some nourishment.”

Edward Grant immediately looked unhappy, but under Emily Bennett’s threatening glare, he reluctantly called Anna Foster. Soon, the three of them were gathered together.

After eating their fill and picking their teeth for a while, the three of them slumped at the foot of the bed. Edward Grant said, “Let’s talk about our dreams.”

After a moment, Anna Foster spoke first: “My dream is to be on the big screen one day.”

Counting it up, Anna Foster had graduated from the Central Academy of Drama four or five years ago, played countless bit parts and supporting roles, and only now finally landed his first leading role—and it was as the male lead in a BL drama.

The show wasn’t even finished filming, he wasn’t famous yet, but the haters had already arrived, turning his world upside down all day. Talking about dreams now seemed a bit premature.

Of the three, Edward Grant was the most carefree. “My dream is much simpler: eat well, drink well, have fun. As long as I’m happy, that’s enough.”

He’d grown up in a wealthy family, was good-looking, and everything had gone smoothly for him. He didn’t even have to work hard to get into the entertainment industry—talent scouts had begged him to sign. Truly, people’s fates are different.

He rambled on for a long time, then finally turned to Emily Bennett. “Qiao Qiao, what about you?”

Emily Bennett looked down at the bubbling soda in her hand for a long while, then shook her head. “I don’t have a dream.”

All she had were troubles.

A whole pile of troubles, waiting for her to solve.

Chapter 10

Half a month later, Emily Bennett finished filming her scenes, and the shoot was nearly over. The whole crew was reluctant to see Emily Bennett go, so they threw her a grand wrap party.

Halfway through the meal, her phone rang—it was Sarah Cooper calling.

“Get ready to leave. The car’s waiting at the door.”

Sarah Cooper was back, and the leisurely days on set were coming to an end. Emily Bennett raised her glass for a final toast and walked out with the air of someone going to her doom.

James Foster was driving the business van. Sarah Cooper sat in the back seat, glanced up at her, and still had that impatient look. “What are you dawdling for? Get in already!”

As Emily Bennett was pulling the car door open, a crowd of people from the crew poured out of the hotel, arms full of gifts for her. “Xiao Qiao, why are you leaving so soon? We didn’t even get a chance to give you your gifts.”

Emily Bennett accepted them with a smile. “I’m rushing to another gig, it’s fine, we’ll get together next time. We all have WeChat, we can keep in touch anytime.”

Everyone waved goodbye, reluctant to part.

Emily Bennett got in the car and waved to everyone through the window, just like at a fan meeting. Sarah Cooper sat beside her, looking utterly shocked, as if she’d seen a ghost.

Wherever rotten-egg Emily Bennett went, she was always disliked—how was she so popular this time?

James Foster didn’t know about the grudge between Emily Bennett and Sarah Cooper. Seeing Sarah Cooper’s surprised expression, he cheerfully explained, “Sister Gao, you don’t know—Qiao Qiao is the group favorite on set.”

Sarah Cooper glanced complicatedly at Emily Bennett, who was happily unwrapping gifts beside her. For some reason, a bad feeling welled up inside her. As the car got on the road, she coldly interrupted Emily Bennett’s gift-unwrapping.

“Tomorrow morning at nine, you have a magazine insert shoot. In the afternoon, there’s a reporter interview.” She pulled out two scripts from her bag. “Here are two dramas. The schedules overlap, so you can only pick one. Don’t say I didn’t give you a choice—pick whichever you like.”

Emily Bennett flipped through them—both were period dramas, but she didn’t look closely. She turned and asked Sarah Cooper with a bright smile, “Sister Gao, how’s your mood lately?”

Sarah Cooper rolled her eyes at her. “Just mind your own business and don’t mess things up for me again, and I’ll be in a good mood!”