Chapter 116
Finally, Egbert managed to herd Eileen off to bed.
The next day.
Eileen arrived on set to find that a new scriptwriter had joined the crew.
Before starting work. Galen suggested a casual gathering to introduce the new scriptwriter to everyone.
As Eileen approached, she heard a clear and efficient female voice from the slightly ajar rest room
door. “Hertha’s screen time needs to be halved, and Joyce’s screen time needs to be increased by two-
thirds. The way the plot is handled also needs to change; ‘Eyes on the Rendezvous’ has too much of a
‘Vanishing Riddle’ vibe.”
Vanishing Riddle’ was a famous mystery drama. Eileen knew that after ‘Eyes on the Rendezvous’
aired, some media commentary channels would probably say that the plot was very similar to
‘Vanishing Riddle.
But why reduce Hertha’s screen time and increase Joyce’s?
Eileen knocked on the door.
The voices inside paused, and then Galen’s voice came out. “Come in.”
Eileen pushed the door open and walked in.
Upon entering, she saw Galen, the scriptwriter, and a strikingly beautiful woman in conversation.
This woman was seemingly in her thirties; she had long hair draped over her shoulders and a standout
aura. The voice just now must have been hers.
Galen asked, “Where’s Egbert?”
Eileen, clutching her script, sat down on a folding chair and replied. “He’s in the restroom. He’ll be here
in a bit.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtGalen didn’t say anything else. He turned to the unfamiliar woman and introduced her. “This is Eileen,
the actress playing Joyce.”
Then he said to Eileen, “This is Fred, the new co-scriptwriter and art director.”
Fred? The author of Vanishing Riddle? Fred is a woman?
Eileen was somewhat surprised, but she didn’t show it and politely nodded to the woman. “Hello.”
The woman put down her script, suddenly stood up, smiled at Eileen, and extended her hand. “Don’t be
so formal; call me Flossie.”
Eileen was taken aback; she didn’t expect this big shot writer to be so friendly. She stood up and shook
hands with her. “Hello, Flossie.”
Flossie’s hand was soft, and when Eileen tried to pull her hand back, she found that she couldn’t.
She was a bit confused.
She looked up and saw Flossie staring at her.
Eileen tried to pull her hand back again and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Flossie seemed to snap back to reality, awkwardly releasing her hand and explaining, “I’m sorry, I was
just surprised. I didn’t expect the actress Galen found to be so fitting for the role. Ms. Lopez. Your aura
is very similar to Joyce’s.”
Galen immediately burst into laughter. “She’s like Joyce? Where? Honestly, I was fooled by her. During
the audition, she was nothing like this!”
Eileen was used to Galen’s constant ribbing. She pouted and didn’t bother to argue back.
Flossie seemed a bit upset. She sat down, glanced at Galen, and said, “I think she’s great. When I was
reading the script last night, the image of Joyce that came to mind was Ms. Lopez. Galen should have
more faith in his actors.”
Galen was a bit surprised; he did not expect Flossie to argue with him over Eileen.
After a while, Egbert arrived, and the meeting officially began.
During the script discussion, the issues Flossie brought up mainly concerned the female lead and
supporting roles.
Galen was not willing to make major changes. He said, “If we do that, the female lead becomes Joyce.”
Upon hearing this, Eileen looked up.
Flossie leaned back on the single sofa and spoke in a somewhat assertive tone. “Then change it. The
final effect is what matters in a movie. As long as the effect is good, do we need to worry about less
important things like whoever the lead is?”
Galen frowned. “Your ideas are really out of this world,”
Flossie threw the script onto the table and quite bluntly confronted Galen. “I didn’t expect a director of
your status to be a slave to capital after all.
“Ms. Flossie, making a movie is different from writing!’ Galen was furious.
The tension in the room immediately escalated.
Eileen cautiously looked at Egbert.
Egbert noticed her gaze and shook his head at her, signaling her not to intervene.
In the end, the original scriptwriter stepped in to mediate. “Actually, we can try to make some changes.”
Galen immediately turned to look at him.
The scriptwriter cleared his throat and said, “Galen, don’t be so quick to oppose. Actually, Ms. Flossie
came to me last night. We talked a lot about the script. After all, she is a great author. After she told me
what she wanted, I made a rough revision. Take a look.
handed over the script. It was densely covered with words.
od that Galen wouldn’t understand, the scriptwriter explained everything to him.
After about ten minutes, Galen’s expression became serious. He stared at the script and fell silent.
After a while, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
After finishing the cigarette, he finally said, “Make a complete version first.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
This meant he agreed.
After saying this, Galen put down the script, turned to Eileen, and said, “After the changes, you need to
work harder. Upgrading your role may not be a good thing for you. You and Egbert need to get into
character as soon as possible.”
Eileen was still a bit dazed. She blinked her eyes and pointed to her nose. “I’m really the lead actress
now?”
Galen frowned at Egbert. “Take care of her. If she messes up, I’m coming for you.”
Eileen quickly said, “Wait, getting an upgraded role means a pay raise, right? And treatment! I get the
treatment of a lead actress; there must be an upgrade, right?” The lead actress indeed had some
special privileges.
Back in the day, Teresa had requested a separate makeup room, dressing room, nanny car, and even
additional assistants.
Galen looked at Eileen and said, “I’ll handle the pay stuff with your company; as for the conditions,
what are you after?”
Eileen immediately responded. “I want unlimited boxed lunches in the future, and I get to pick the ones
with loads of meat!”
Galen, feeling a bit helpless, rubbed his face but still agreed to Eileen’s request.
After the meeting, Galen pulled Egbert aside for a chat.
Eileen was calculating how much she could bump up her salary with her fingers when Flossie suddenly
walked over.
Flossie no longer had the snobbish attitude she had when dealing with Galen. A smile appeared on her
face, and she asked softly,” with you? My husband is a big fan of yours.”
“Ms. Lopez, can I get a picture