Chapter 120: Pity Play
"Do you hate me? Have I offended you somehow?"
"Huh?" Tyler turned to him, surprised. "W-What do you mean?"
Aren shook his head.
"It’s nothing. But from the moment I arrived on set, I’ve noticed you giving me this look as if you hate me."
Tyler’s eyes widened in horror.
’Is this some sort of sinister plan of his? Is he going to humiliate me? Is he trying to show that he is more popular and trying to establish dominance? If I admit that I was looking down on him, he will surely ridicule me.’
His thoughts flowed, fearing the worst.
"N-No. It’s nothing like that." He replied with an awkward expression. "I-I was just upset over losing the lead role to you, but after seeing your acting skills, I’ve got no complaints."
"Hmm... so it was like that." Aren rubbed his chin and said. Then, with a smile, he draped one arm over Tyler’s shoulder and explained, "But I think you should’ve been happy instead of being upset. At least I would’ve been joyous if I was in your place."
"Huh?" Tyler titled his head in confusion and asked, "Why would you be joyous over losing the lead role?"
Aren grinned and explained the reason.
"Because a popular star brings assurance and visibility to the drama. Let me ask you, how many of your dramas have released and gone unnoticed?"
Tyler’s eyes widened as he realized the meaning behind Aren’s words.
"All of them," he replied nonetheless.
"Exactly." Aren exclaimed and continued, "Countless dramas release every week, from low to high budget. The audience cannot watch each and every one of them. So how do they select which drama to watch?"
"How?" Tyler asked curiously.
"Of course, through reviews and news articles. The dramas, which gets talked about, makes the audience curious enough to invest their time into watching them."
Aren continued, like a sage imparting wisdom to a child.
"Now you may ask how to get reviews and news articles about your drama. It’s simple: by making it into the popularity rankings and getting a high viewership."
Aren smiled knowingly.
"Now, how to get a high viewership? It’s by casting popular actors who will bring in initial viewers."
Tyler’s pupils enlarged, realizing the wisdom behind his words. "So, since you joined the cast, this drama will become a hit..."
Aren shook his head.
"Becoming a hit depends on the drama’s story and plot. I can only guarantee popularity. Due to the scandal, enormous numbers of viewers will give our drama a watch; however, if they didn’t like the drama and found it boring, they would leave. Something similar to what happened with The Insiders."
Tyler nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I understand. Being replaced by you isn’t bad luck; instead, it’s my fortuitous encounter, right?"
Aren laughed, "Of course. After all, many actors give an award-winning performance in some of the underrated dramas; however, if no one is even going to watch their drama, what’s the use? Isn’t it better to play the second lead and ensure that people will at least watch you act?"
"Hahaha, you are right." Suddenly, Tyler’s tone turned increasingly friendly.
From here on out, even in the restaurant, Tyler acted as if Aren was one of his best friends. Even June and Lisa were bewildered by this sudden change.
Weren’t Tyler and Aren not even talking to each other a few moments ago?
Then what happened so suddenly?
But they wouldn’t find out.
Meanwhile, after returning from the restaurant, when Aren and Lisa were sitting in Aren’s car, Arol, the bodyguard, informed Aren.
"Boss, did you see the news?"
"No." Aren looked at Arol and asked, "Did something happen?"
"Yes, boss," Arol sighed. "Iris Valcourt... she got into a devastating accident. Her car got wrecked, and she is said to be near death. She might die. And her father, the chairman, is blaming you for it."
"What??" It was Lisa who expressed her shock at the ridiculous news.
Both she and Aren opened their phones to check the latest situation on the internet.
As Aren searched the keyword ’Iris’s accident,’ multiple articles along with wrecked car images emerged on his screen.
Of course, there wasn’t any video of the accident, since the accident ’coincidentally’ occurred in a desolate area of the highway where there were no cameras.
There were only pictures of Iris’s wrecked car.
Soon after, Neil had posted a video on the internet.
In this video, Iris’s body — covered in bandages all over and lying unconscious with her face unrecognizable — was shown. It was unclear if it was even Iris.
The doctor spoke to the camera, calling her condition unstable and fatal. He said they will try their best to save her; however, there was a high chance she might not survive.
Then the scene cut to Neil, looking at the camera with a tired face and teary eyes. He didn’t speak and only wept for a while, covering his face with his hand, muttering Iris’s name.
Then, wiping his tears, he cast an accusatory gaze at the camera. "Was boycotting my agency not enough? Do you all want to see my daughter dead so badly? How can you fall so low as to try to murder her?"
His voice cracked like a powerless man.
"It was clearly an attempted murder. Someone tried to kill my daughter."
"Please... if you want to kill someone... just kill me..."
"I... I cannot see my daughter die..."
He acted like a broken man, and Aren was sure he was trying to appeal to the parents, the ones who had kids of their own.
And surely, the comment section was filled with sympathetic comments from older folks.
[He is truly suffering. I can understand how he must be feeling. My son got into an accident, and I was devastated. Please everyone, don’t harm this poor man anymore. He needs help instead of criticism.]
[His words really made me tear up. A father’s love for their daughter is truly boundless. I can’t condemn someone who is already hurting so much.]
[Everyone, I think Titan Crest Entertainment has suffered enough already. Their valuation has fallen from 140 billion to only 58 billion. They have already suffered the consequences. Let’s show some humanity and support this father in need.]
Aren smirked after reading the comments.
’So she is using the plan I told her all those years ago..."
He gripped his phone tightly.
’Good. It’s fun like this! I don’t want it to end so easily anyway.’
He smiled, looking outside the car window.
’Keep thinking you can survive.’
’It’s more fun to see you struggle in hope, only to realize you are just a fish, about to be skinned alive.’
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(A/N -Thanks for reading. ^..^)