Chapter 150 - 149
She hung up with a CLICK, a remarkably cavalier move.
Simon Lockwood stared at the disconnected video call. After a long moment, a barely perceptible smile touched his lips.
His blood flowed with new life, his heart no longer beating like a machine. He could feel the distinct change.
Outside the villa, a girl’s faint, weak sobs continued. The smile in Simon Lockwood’s eyes faded away, and when he looked up again, his gaze was ice-cold.
A small, snow-white cat was pacing anxiously by the entryway. This had been going on for half an hour. Seeing the man approach, 166’s eyes widened. "MEOW MEOW MEOW!!"
’Don’t go out! Don’t go out!’ 166 wailed frantically. But the man, unable to understand it, simply picked it up by the scruff of its neck and placed it in the cat bed.
continued to meow anxiously, watching helplessly as the door opened and then closed.
166: ’...’
The little white cat flopped onto its side, looking for all the world as if it had fainted from pure frustration.
’Joanna Kennedy, I can’t help you now. You’ll just have to pray for yourself!’
Outside the villa, by the courtyard gate, two night lamps cast a dim, yellow glow.
Serena Sutton was curled up in a corner, crying. It was late autumn, and the nighttime temperature was below 25 degrees Celsius. She wore only a pale yellow dress, her black hair falling around her, making her look fragile and weak.
Serena Sutton couldn’t remember how long she had been crying. She couldn’t get into the villa, yet no one had come to chase her away. It was as if she had been completely forgotten.
When she heard footsteps, she thought she was mistaken at first, but she hurriedly looked up.
The man was dressed in white cotton loungewear, which gave him a gentler, more refined air than usual. His handsome face, however, remained as cold as frost.
Simon Lockwood stood quietly two meters away from her, as if an invisible line lay between them, cutting off all possibilities.
Serena Sutton staggered to her feet, her eyes red. "Simon, I thought you weren’t going to come out..."
Simon Lockwood frowned, his voice icy. "Miss Sutton, don’t come here again."
Serena Sutton bit her lip. "Do you really hate the thought of seeing me that much?"
Her tone was full of a lingering affection, laced with undisguised pain.
Simon Lockwood said coldly, "It’s not a matter of wanting to or not. I don’t consider us to be acquainted, Miss Sutton."
Feelings—good or bad—have to be involved. Only with that investment can one’s emotions be stirred, leading to notions of "wanting" or "not wanting."
Serena Sutton was stunned for a moment, then her expression grew even more pained. With a bitter smile, she said, "I’ve chased you for so many years, only to be told we’re ’not acquainted.’ You’re truly cruel, Simon."
"If there’s nothing else, please leave, Miss Sutton." Simon Lockwood’s face was almost completely devoid of emotion.
Serena Sutton clenched her fists. "Simon Lockwood, do you believe in fate?"
Simon Lockwood said nothing.
Serena Sutton took a deep breath. "The truth is, you stopped liking Joanna Kennedy a long time ago. You just can’t move on. It’s true that she has a beautiful face. It’s only natural that you’d be mesmerized."
"Miss Sutton, do not make baseless assumptions."
"Do you really love her? What is it you love about her?!" Serena Sutton’s delicate face was set in a stubborn expression as she pressed on. "A pampered young lady like her could never understand you. But we... we shared the same struggles as poor students. Simon Lockwood, don’t you see that I’m the one who’s perfect for you?"
"We have the same background, and we both grew into the successful people everyone sees today. We both fought so hard to change our fate. We were meant to be together. This is the way it should be!"
Simon Lockwood finally looked at her, his tone flat. "I’m not like you."
Serena Sutton froze.
"Everything I have achieved," Simon Lockwood said, "was solely for the purpose of winning over Joanna Kennedy. Nothing more."
If Joanna Kennedy had simply stayed by his side from the beginning, he wouldn’t have fought so recklessly. He would have cherished his life, because he needed to stay alive to protect her.
"If I were unremarkable, as penniless as I was six years ago, would you still so firmly declare that we were born to be together?" Simon Lockwood’s voice was cold.
Serena Sutton looked as though she was choking, unable to force out a "Yes." ’Simon Lockwood is the protagonist,’ she thought. ’How could *my* protagonist ever be unremarkable?’
"Joanna would." Simon Lockwood didn’t need her answer. His tone softened. "She already chose me, without hesitation, long ago."
During his most difficult year.
*
Oakhaven was nestled in the mountains, surrounded on three sides with only one road leading in. The moment they passed the town entrance, they could feel a distinct drop of several degrees in the temperature.
"Wow, look at all this greenery," Owen Jennings joked with a laugh. "We should have come in the summer. It’s like a natural air conditioner."
Vivian Bishop smiled and added, "Then we can just come back again next summer."
It sounded as if she were unilaterally accepting some unspoken invitation.
Owen Jennings laughed and changed the subject. Then he suddenly asked, "Is Jojo asleep? She hasn’t said a word."
He leaned in closer to her as he spoke, trying to get a better look.
Joanna Kennedy saw Vivian Bishop’s smile falter from the corner of her eye and subtly leaned away from him. "Nah, I’m just listening to you two talk."
"Vivi seems really interested in this place. Owen, if you’re free, maybe you can tell her a bit about it." Joanna Kennedy ignored Owen Jennings’s teasing smirk and turned to the other woman. "Right, Vivi?"
Vivian Bishop seemed taken aback for a second, then she nodded with a smile. "I am, actually. Very interested."
Joanna Kennedy turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. "Go on, Owen. It’s your time to shine."
Owen Jennings: "..."
Owen Jennings shrugged. "As you command."
For the rest of the trip, Joanna Kennedy finally had some peace. Owen Jennings, who usually projected the image of a simple, sunny young man, turned out to be remarkably knowledgeable as he recounted the history of Oakhaven.
His explanation even drew in the film’s quiet second male lead, Nathan Vance, and the atmosphere became lively and congenial.
When they arrived and got out of their vehicle, the town mayor was already waiting. He led the group to the front of the White Hall. "This is the dormitory our town prepared for the volunteers. We had it cleaned just a few days ago," the mayor said, his smile simple and honest.
Up close, however, they could see paint peeling everywhere on the White Hall. A few of the actors couldn’t help but frown, though they were careful not to make it too obvious for the cameras.
Owen Jennings, however, was still all smiles. He let the others choose their rooms first, saying he didn’t mind which one he got.
"Well then, ladies first," Nathan Vance said gallantly.
He was in his thirties, but his career had always been lukewarm. People in the industry said he was pinning all his hopes on this film to win a Best Supporting Actor award.
The rooms were all pretty much the same. The building had three floors. The first floor, normally used as the town’s administrative office, had been completely cleared out for them.
Vivian Bishop chose a room in the middle of the second floor. Without hesitation, Joanna Kennedy chose a room on the second floor as well, and the other two actresses followed them.
Some of the production crew stayed on the first floor, while the male actors took the third floor.
Despite the low temperatures in the mountains, there were quite a few mosquitoes at night. The crew’s medical staff distributed their limited supply of repellent, saving everyone from being covered in bites.
Dinner was a simple meal prepared by the townspeople in a large communal pot. The food was lightly seasoned, and most of the group ate sparingly. Joanna Kennedy, on the other hand, heartily finished a full bowl.
After dinner, the director announced, "We’ll be splitting into three teams."