Chapter 89

Why did Becky have such good luck? She had just entered the industry, yet Charlie was featuring her, and Lynn became her manager. Why? Annie couldn't help but seek out Lesley to vent her frustrations. As Lesley watched Annie's face twist with anger, a wild thought popped into her head.

On the last reality show, she’d failed to help Janet, and her agent scolded her fiercely afterward. Her agent made her buy the latest clothes from Glamour Closet to apologize to Janet, but Becky had scooped up even better stuff from the same store, so she couldn’t hand over the expensive dress. She ended up spending tens of thousands more on a designer handbag for Janet’s agent, Lisa. She begged Lisa to put in a good word for her, and Lisa reluctantly agreed, barely managing to smooth things over.

After that incident, Janet seemed to have cooled down, no longer making her life difficult or sabotaging her career. But that didn’t mean things were back to normal. The company hadn’t given her any new opportunities for months. Like most other artists at the company, she was on her own to find auditions. The only way to get on a production crew was to pass an audition; she couldn’t just be assigned to one anymore.

Lesley heard that Janet was looking at scripts and would soon start taking on roles and filming again. Given Janet’s fame, the scripts she received were certainly not simple. Landing even a third or fourth lead in a major production would be a far better career move than fighting for the lead in some cheesy web series. What’s more, even in low-budget web dramas, the lead roles were often decided way in advance. They could run themselves ragged every day, but in the end, they were just there to make someone else look good.

Lesley gave Annie a few noncommittal responses to get rid of her. Once alone, she opened WhatsApp and sent a message to Lisa:

[Lisa, I have some news. I’m not sure if I should tell you.]

At Evergrande Entertainment, Lisa was helping Janet choose scripts when she received Lesley’s message. She frowned as she read it.

[What’s it about?] Lisa replied.

Lesley hesitated, pressed her lips, and carefully replied: [It’s about Becky. Not sure if Janet would be interested.]

“What are you looking at?” Janet noticed Lisa’s distraction and immediately frowned, displeased.

Lisa snapped back to attention and looked at Janet, quickly explaining, “Lesley just sent me a message. She said it’s about Rebecca… Becky. She wants to know if you’d be interested.”

“Rebecca?” Janet’s expression hardened. She didn’t look happy.

Lisa nodded and held out her phone, showing Janet Lesley’s message. Janet took Lisa’s phone and sent a message to Lesley:

[What news? What has Rebecca been up to lately?]

Janet intentionally used Rebecca’s real name, not her stage name, Becky. Lesley paused; it clicked. This must be Becky’s real name. Lesley felt a surge of excitement, thinking Lisa was interested in Rebecca, or rather, in Becky’s information. If she could use this opportunity to win Janet’s favor again and then ask Janet to bring her along for the next filming project, maybe… she might have a chance.

[Lisa, I heard Janet’s looking at scripts. Is Janet about to start filming something new? Do you think I could… ask Janet for a favor?]

Janet looked at Lesley’s messages and instantly understood her intentions. Bringing someone into the crew wasn’t difficult for Janet at this point. She thought for a moment and typed:

[You want to join the crew with me?]

Lesley stared at the latest message, her mind blank for a second. Then, she quickly realized that the person chatting with her wasn’t Lisa but Janet herself! Lesley was growing excited. She quickly typed back:

[Janet? Is that you?]

Janet didn’t deny it. She admitted it straight away and pressed for information about Rebecca:

[Yes, it’s me. What was the news you mentioned?]

Lesley’s face flushed red with excitement. She wondered if this could really work. If she leaked information about Becky to Janet, would Janet really help her get into the crew? With that in mind, Lesley quickly understood. Yes, Janet was just a mistress, while Becky was the legitimate wife of Theodore, and of course, Janet would be desperate for any information about her. Lesley couldn’t help but smirk. Janet thought she was hot stuff, but in the end, she was just an ignorant mistress.

Despite her disgust, Lesley knew Janet was her only way to stay in the industry. She had no connections and no other options.

[Janet, I was hoping to play the second or third female lead in your new drama. Is that possible?] Lesley asked, negotiating terms rather than offering information.

Janet sneered at the request. Lesley waited anxiously for a response, but there was none. She messaged again:

[How about the fourth female lead?] Her tone was more cautious this time.

From the beginning, Lesley knew she had no chance at the second lead. It was a crucial role, often as significant as the female lead in some dramas. But negotiating was all about playing the game. If she’d asked for the fourth lead from the start, Janet might not have given it to her. Lesley aimed high first, asked for the second lead, and then lowered her request, increasing her chances of snagging the fourth lead.

[Sure.] As expected, Janet quickly replied.

Lesley breathed a sigh of relief, her excitement barely contained as a smile spread across her face.

[I’ve been auditioning for a role at the Aotori shooting base these past few days, and guess who I ran into during the audition? Becky!]

[Becky was actually in line with us, auditioning for the lead role in Lovey Princess.]