Chapter 154 - 153: Lu Xun
"I’ll go tell a crew member to move the brazier to the window. Better?" Owen Jennings sighed, seeing Joanna Kennedy was still frowning.
Joanna Kennedy’s expression finally softened.
Everyone else had already gone back to their rooms. Owen Jennings looked around and said to Joanna Kennedy, "I’ll walk you up."
"What do you mean, ’walk me up’? You have to pass the second floor to get to your own room anyway," Joanna Kennedy said, shutting down any hint of romance.
Owen Jennings was speechless for a second, then he chuckled. "Jojo, I’m realizing you’re really quite..."
He narrowed his eyes, his words trailing off, his tone unreadable.
Joanna Kennedy played along smoothly. "Quite kind and generous, brilliant and wise, right? I know, thank you for the compliment." She raised an eyebrow. "When you get to my age, you’ll be this outstanding, too."
Owen Jennings: "..."
Owen Jennings stood in the shadows, a wide smile spreading across his face. He watched Joanna Kennedy’s retreating figure as she walked upstairs. A moment later, he went to find a member of the crew.
Under the eaves, some crew members were holding flashlights, wrestling with a tarp that had been blown aside by the wind. They weighed it down with rocks to keep the equipment underneath from getting soaked during the night.
Owen Jennings walked over and briefly explained the brazier situation. The crew members said they would get to it shortly. Owen Jennings helped them secure the tarp and got half-soaked in the process.
Once they were finished, the group was heading back inside when they suddenly heard a commotion from outside. It sounded like vehicles.
The building was run-down, with nothing but a simple iron gate for an entrance. The wind had blown it open, and the beams of headlights cut clearly through the night.
The building’s walls were thin. Several actors who had gone back to their rooms to rest came out and gathered at the railing. They saw several black SUVs that had pulled up steadily to the entrance.
"Joanna, what’s going on? Is an investor visiting the set?" Valentine asked in surprise.
She found it incredible. The roads were severely flooded, and the rain was coming down in sheets, yet someone had actually driven SUVs all the way out here.
’Are sponsors so considerate these days? Did they hear we were trapped in Oakhaven and come all this way to get us?’
Joanna Kennedy was also a little curious. She patted Valentine’s head without saying anything.
People got out of the SUVs one after another.
By the light of the headlamps, Owen Jennings narrowed his eyes to get a better look. The people who got out were carrying cases and holding umbrellas. They stood waiting in front of the last black SUV.
The car door opened, and a man slowly stepped out. He wore a white shirt under a long, black trench coat that further accentuated his height and long legs.
His large, well-defined hand took the black umbrella. As he lifted his gaze, a handsome, indifferent face was revealed.
Owen Jennings narrowed his eyes.
The director, however, wore a mask of disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. "Mr. L-Lockwood..."
The man walked toward them through the downpour, holding the umbrella. A few specks of mud splashed onto the cuffs of his immaculate trousers as he moved.
"Mr. Lockwood, what brings you here? In such heavy rain..." the director fawned, rushing forward to greet him.
The assistant director and the other crew members behind him nearly had their jaws hit the floor when they heard the director’s form of address. There was only one man they knew of who went by "Mr. Lockwood."
Simon Lockwood, the CEO of Southland Group.
Though they had never met him, his name was legendary.
Simon Lockwood gave a polite nod in response.
As if sensing something, Simon Lockwood paused. From under his black umbrella, he slowly raised his gaze, and his eyes met those of the girl staring blankly from the second-floor railing.
Joanna Kennedy stared into those deep, dark eyes, and her mind went completely blank.
The sound of the wind, the rain, and the gasps of surprise all faded into nothingness. All she could see was the man standing below, holding a black umbrella. The headlights were blinding, the rain a dense curtain...
Another gust of wind swept in, lashing rain against their faces and making them shiver. The cold shock finally snapped Joanna Kennedy back to her senses. She spun around and clattered down the stairs.
"Hey, Joanna, wait for me! Why are you running so fast all of a sudden..." Valentine’s confused shout rang out from behind her.
The shout pulled Vivian Bishop from her reverie. She touched her warm cheeks, feeling a pang of annoyance with herself.
’I can’t believe I got so lost just looking at a man. I know it doesn’t mean I like him or love him; it’s just a normal physical attraction.’
’People are naturally drawn to beautiful, dazzling things. I still like Owen Jennings more.’
The first-floor hall was crowded with people—crew members and bodyguards in black suits. They had automatically parted, leaving a clear space in the center, into which Simon Lockwood now strode.
Jack Warren folded the umbrella and passed it to one of the men in black beside them. The director, who had reached out to take it, was left grasping at air. Awkwardly, not knowing what else to do, he began nervously wiping cold sweat from his brow.
’He’d only given a routine report on the situation. He never imagined Mr. Lockwood himself would actually rush over.’
"You must be exhausted from the journey, Mr. Lockwood. We... we don’t really have anything fitting to welcome you with..." the director said with a fawning chuckle.
His wrinkled old face beamed, his expression verging on servile.
"That won’t be necessary," Simon Lockwood finally said.
The director’s eyes brightened as he waited expectantly for the man to continue. But after a moment, he realized the man had fallen silent again.
...
’Good heavens, are all bigwigs this economical with their words?!’
Seeing that everyone’s smiles were growing stiff, and noticing that his boss’s gaze kept drifting toward the stairs, Jack Warren knew it was time for him to play his part as the special assistant. He smiled. "President Grant heard the film crew had run into some trouble, so he asked our Mr. Lockwood to come and check on things. I hope we’re not intruding?"
"Not at all, not at all!" the director immediately replied, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
The others suddenly understood. ’So he’s here as a favor for President Grant...’
’That made sense. They were just a small production, without any investment from Southland. Why else would such a major figure come all this way for them?’
"Mr. Lockwood had us purchase some supplies. These five boxes are for the film crew, and the rest are for the residents of Oakhaven," Jack Warren explained, gesturing to the boxes the bodyguards were holding. His professional smile never wavered.
The director was floored by the gesture, completely at a loss for words.
"Are there any vacant rooms?" Jack Warren asked. "It’s too risky to drive tonight. We’ll wait for the rain to ease up before taking everyone out."
"Well, yes, there are..." The director glanced at the crowd of sturdy, black-clad bodyguards, his tone hesitant. "But not that many..."
"Just one room will be fine. The rest of us can sleep in the cars," Jack Warren said.
"Director, there’s one on the second floor," the assistant director reminded him in a low voice.
"Then hurry up and have someone get it ready," the director said at once.
The assistant director hurried to comply. Just then, the sound of clattering footsteps echoed from the stairs as a few of the actors came down.
Simon Lockwood’s gaze locked onto the familiar figure. His brow furrowed instantly, and he strode over to her. "Why are you dressed so lightly?" he asked, his voice low and serious.
Joanna Kennedy had just rushed down the stairs and was catching her breath in small gasps. She sounded a little sheepish as she answered, "I was resting in my room. I’d just taken my coat off..."
Simon Lockwood said nothing, his brow still furrowed. While she was explaining, he had already shrugged off his black trench coat and wrapped it snugly around her, enveloping her completely until only her small, pale face was visible.