The table read lasted the whole day, and everyone gradually grew tired. John Brooks read two sets of lines, and his voice was hoarse before noon.

During a break, John Brooks closed the script and lay on it, eyes downcast, gaze falling on the cover. Beneath the title "The First Night" was the name of the head screenwriter—Ethan Sullivan—at first glance, the name seemed to have a lot of strokes.

"Swallows fill the courtyard"—reading it conjured up a vivid scene.

John Brooks couldn't help himself and drew a little swallow next to "Ethan Sullivan".

In the bedroom of suite 6206, the phone kept ringing. Ethan Sullivan, woken by the noise, slowly turned over and opened his eyes, first seeing a hint of dim light outside the window.

The ringtone persisted. He frowned in resistance, groped for his phone by the pillow.

The caller ID showed only one character: 阮.

Seeing this, Ethan Sullivan's expression relaxed. He sat up against the headboard, answered the call, and, hearing the voice on the other end, curved his lips into a gentle smile.

He waited for the chatter on the phone to finish.

He replied, "I miss you too. See you tomorrow."

Author's note: 瞿, qu, second tone. If you get it wrong, copy it ten times and hand it in at tomorrow's morning reading.

Chapter 5

After the table read ended, everyone let out a sigh of relief. William Carter gave a concluding speech: "Today's table read focused mainly on some details, because they're easy to overlook during filming and can be quite tedious. Thank you all for your hard work."

The actors all said, "Director, you worked hard too." John Brooks pretended to move his mouth but made no sound. As the one with the most lines, even breathing made his throat ache.

William Carter said, "I'm the director, and I also need to keep digesting the script. Except for the screenwriter, no one can claim to have fully mastered it."

Since the screenwriter was mentioned, William Carter smiled: "Let me make an official announcement—our head screenwriter for this project, Ethan Sullivan, Editor Sullivan, has arrived at the crew. He's in Chongqing right now."

John Brooks was a bit surprised, and others exclaimed, "Really?!"

"I only share real news," William Carter said. "Tonight's kickoff banquet, Teacher Sullivan will also attend."

The previously exhausted group was instantly revived, all because of the news that Ethan Sullivan was joining the crew.

John Brooks didn't know much about the industry, and only learned about Ethan Sullivan after getting involved in this project.

To use an old saying: you don't know until you ask, and when you do, you're shocked.

Ethan Sullivan is the head screenwriter of "The First Night" and a well-known writer in the industry. He majored in directing in college, and his debut work in his senior year was made into a film, instantly winning that year's box office crown.

There are plenty of people in this industry who start strong and then fade, but Ethan Sullivan kept up his momentum. He switched to screenwriting for his master's, working and studying at the same time, and over the years has won the Pioneer Award, Best Screenwriter Award, and was named an Outstanding Young Screenwriter by mainstream media.

Ethan Sullivan's ability is beyond doubt, but in the entertainment industry, it's not just about ability—connections matter even more.

Screenwriting is a pyramid-shaped profession. At the top are the veterans with the most resources and experience. Among them, the so-called "golden screenwriter"—Olivia Miller—whose representative works are mostly major CCTV dramas, is a member of the CPPCC and the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a leader in the arts and a well-known figure in charity.

A great teacher produces great students; Olivia Miller is Ethan Sullivan's mentor.

And Olivia Miller's husband is the famous top director, Robert Parker. In the entertainment industry, everyone knows Robert Parker—even the janitor at John Brooks's company knows him.

Every actor personally trained by Robert Parker has become a top star, many winning Best Actor or Best Actress. For a newcomer to star in a Robert Parker film is nothing short of a meteoric rise.

At the same time, Robert Parker is an honorary professor at the Film Academy and was also Ethan Sullivan's university teacher.

With Robert Parker and Olivia Miller behind him, it's easy to imagine Ethan Sullivan's network. In the mainland's director circle, director's wives' circle, and screenwriter circle, everyone has to show him respect.

He's famous, but for most people in the industry, they've only seen Ethan Sullivan's work or heard his name, rarely meeting him in person.

In nearly ten years in the business, Ethan Sullivan has attended very few public events, and even fewer as time goes on. He's almost never appeared on TV, and even when accepting awards or discussing collaborations, he usually sends his assistant instead.

Rumor has it that Ethan Sullivan has joined crews before, but not often. Aside from discussing the script, he doesn't socialize with actors and refuses to take group photos.

Some say he's low-key, others say he's putting on airs. The more the stories spread, the more mysterious he seems.

Over time, many people don't even know what he looks like.

So, hearing that Ethan Sullivan was coming, the actors were naturally excited. They wanted to see him in person and, even more, to make a good impression. If they could catch his eye, it would be like grabbing a branch to climb higher.

At this moment, Ethan Sullivan had just finished showering. His wet black hair glistened with water, his skin as smooth as white porcelain, except for the tips of his ears behind his temples, flushed red from the hot water.

He stood in front of the wardrobe picking out clothes: a black shirt with a traditional pointed collar, paired with a sharply cut black suit, no bright tie or decorative pocket square, not even bothering with cologne.

Clearly, for him, attending the banquet felt no different from going to a funeral.

If he'd known it would be such a coincidence, he would have come two days later and missed the kickoff banquet.