Chapter 153 - 152: Power Outage
"It’s fine. It couldn’t be helped." The small room was crowded, but Joanna Kennedy’s expression remained unchanged. She didn’t take the opportunity to play the victim and complain, nor did she seem timid and apologetic.
Her composed attitude actually made the crew see her in a slightly different light.
Joanna Kennedy was a good actress; that was a recognized fact on set. No one questioned her ability. But it was also a fact that she had paid for her role, bringing in funding from Fullstar.
This inevitably made people feel it was unfair. They assumed she must be arrogant deep down and was just pretending to be easy to get along with.
But this time, Joanna Kennedy had saved someone without hesitation—and gotten injured in the process—which caused a subtle shift in the crew’s perception of her.
A person’s subconscious actions reveal their true character. To rush to save someone in a crisis with virtually no hesitation... it was impossible for anyone to find fault with that.
When they hadn’t worked with her, it was easy to believe the online rumors. But after actually spending time with her, they realized Joanna Kennedy was truly a wonderful actress.
The cameraman silently saved the footage he had accidentally captured of the whole incident. ’If a rival ever tries to smear Joanna Kennedy in the future,’ he thought, ’I’ll release this video anonymously.’
After confirming multiple times that Joanna Kennedy was really okay, the group finally filed out.
The rain kept falling with no signs of stopping. They were only a day away from their scheduled departure.
"The rain’s too heavy and the roads are seriously flooded. Our vehicles can’t get through," the assistant director reported, his face grim.
Hearing this, the other crew members looked just as grim.
The town was poorly equipped with limited supplies, so ingredients were scarce. For the past few days, they had been eating mountain mushrooms, potatoes grown by the villagers, and other green vegetables.
Everyone was long sick of it.
But since there was no way to leave, the director sighed and decided to start figuring out how much money they should donate.
Based on the findings from the three teams’ visits, the school’s funding needs should clearly be the top priority. After all, no matter what else suffers, education can’t be neglected.
But after seeing a detailed survey form handwritten by Joanna Kennedy, the director’s expression grew serious. He added the young girls among the left-behind children to their list of priorities.
Girls’ physical development is different from boys’. When they reach a certain age, they start menstruating and need extra money each month to buy sanitary pads.
Many of these girls lacked guidance from female elders and didn’t even understand what was happening to their own bodies. They only had a vague idea, and if they stained their pants, their only thought was to wash them quickly so no one would find out.
The rain continued into the evening, seeming to grow even heavier. It made the house feel damp. After a bland dinner, a few of them gathered around a fire to warm themselves.
"Ugh, I’m actually starting to miss my diet meals," Vivian Bishop said. She’d eaten the least tonight, and now her stomach was growling. She had to go to the kitchen to grab a sesame pancake to nibble on, regretting her decision to diet before the trip.
"I want hot pot, Sichuan food, Hunan food, Shandong food... all kinds of flavorful regional specialties..." Valentine added.
Joanna Kennedy warmed herself listlessly by the fire, careful of her injured left hand. All their talk was making her a little hungry too. "Stop listing them off. Any more and I won’t be able to sleep tonight."
"Who knows when this rain will stop," Owen Jennings said. "When we get back, I’ll treat all you ladies to a great meal."
"What, no invitation for me?" Nathan Vance asked plaintively.
Owen Jennings feigned surprise. "Oh, Nathan, when did you get here?"
Nathan Vance: "..."
"Hahaha, just kidding! Of course I’ll treat you, Nathan." Owen Jennings clapped him on the shoulder amicably.
"Jojo, is your hand feeling any better? Let me see." Owen Jennings shamelessly scooted closer again.
Joanna Kennedy turned her face away, putting some distance between them. "I can’t show you. The bandage can’t come off."
"Well, does it still hurt?" Owen Jennings persisted.
"Owen, if Joanna doesn’t want to talk about it, don’t pressure her," Vivian Bishop said, no longer in the mood for her sesame pancake. Her voice was still gentle, but with a slight stiffness. "It doesn’t look like that serious of an injury, anyway."
"It bled a lot," Valentine said, sounding displeased. "The doctor said it was very serious. If she doesn’t change the dressing regularly and take care of it, it could scar."
The smile on Vivian Bishop’s face froze for a second before she quickly recovered. "Oh, is that right? I didn’t realize."
"Then why did you say anything if you didn’t know..." Valentine mumbled under her breath.
It was unclear if Vivian Bishop had heard, but Joanna Kennedy certainly had. She was a little surprised. ’Does Valentine have no fear of offending people when she speaks?’
’She has the air of someone ready to quit the entertainment industry at any moment, saying the most confrontational things in the meekest tone.’
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Nathan Vance, the dependable "big brother" of the group, gave a nervous laugh and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere to get things back on track.
The movie hadn’t been released yet, and they would all have to do promotions together. An argument would be ugly. So everyone pretended nothing was wrong and started chatting again.
Joanna Kennedy pulled out her phone to check the time. Realizing she hadn’t given Simon Lockwood an update for the day, she sent him a message. There was no immediate reply.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The lightbulb in the house flickered a few times, then the room plunged into darkness.
"Is it a power outage?!" Valentine exclaimed fearfully, instinctively leaning toward the person next to her.
"It’s okay. It’ll probably come back on soon. It must be the weather. Don’t be afraid," Nathan Vance said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.
In the firelight, they saw a crew member hurrying over.
"Everyone, the town mayor just called. A lightning strike snapped the power line. With this heavy rain, it won’t be fixed anytime soon."
"How could this happen?" Vivian Bishop looked grim. "The road’s flooded, and now a lightning strike has taken out the power line. How are we supposed to get back? Are you telling me we just have to wait here for the rain to stop?"
"And who the hell knows when this rain will stop," someone muttered.
Everyone’s faces were tense and grim.
They had come here to promote the movie, but they never expected this to happen. They couldn’t eat well or sleep well, and now they couldn’t even go home.
Joanna Kennedy tilted her head, looking out the window at the relentlessly pouring rain. An occasional flash of lightning lit up everyone’s strained faces.
After a moment of thought, Joanna Kennedy said, "Why don’t we all head back to our rooms and rest? Since the power is out, it’s best to conserve battery on our phones and any other electronics."
"Yeah, Jennings is right. There’s no point talking about it now; there’s nothing we can do. We might as well get some rest. Maybe the rain will have stopped by morning."
That seemed like the best plan. Hearing this, the others’ expressions brightened a little, and they got up to head back to their rooms.
Owen Jennings extinguished the still-burning charcoal, and a thick plume of smoke billowed through the room.
"We’re not going to get carbon monoxide poisoning, are we?" Joanna Kennedy couldn’t help but ask.
Owen Jennings’s mouth twitched. "Jojo, could you not be so scary?"
Joanna Kennedy frowned. ’But I’m just stating a fact,’ she thought. The second and third floors would be fine, but the people staying on the first floor were another matter.