Ch 7 - A Thousand Slaps

Kelly knew Jade had given up many opportunities to perform during their college years just because she was not willing to betray herself and offend others. That’s why she was still an extra. Otherwise, she would have already become a well-known celebrity.

Jade looked around and covered Kelly’s mouth, afraid that someone might hear. "Kelly, I know this is for my own good, but we shouldn't talk about this. What if the paparazzi caught us?"

"Hmph. It'll be even better if the paparazzi are here. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I still have a photo of her during college. I should send it to the media now to expose her for getting plastic surgery. She changed the shape of her face and then had the nerve to say it was the result of slimming down. My ass!"

"Alright, alright, enough talking. We have to just live for ourselves and ignore others. I have to go. I still have to visit my granny in the hospital."

"No, I have to send it!"

"We're all classmates. Forget it," Jade said as she took Kelly’s hand, then left.

No one had realized that someone was watching them from a corner the entire time.

The production crew.

"Mr. Foster, isn't that the lady that you met yesterday?" Lucas asked him mockingly. He had seen him walk out of the hotel room alone that morning.

Lucas was Dario's personal assistant, bodyguard, and close friend. Their relationship was extraordinary.

"Let's go," said Dario, pursing his lips.

"Where are we going?"

"To look for someone."

"The lady from before?"

"No, the director of the show."

"What? Why are you looking for him?"

Lucas thought about it. He realized that Dario had invested in the TV series and was one of the major shareholders. So, was he here to make an inspection?

No, that couldn’t be right. Even if he invested in previous movies or dramas, he had never paid attention to them. What was he trying to do?

At first, the director did not realize that Dario was his boss because his secretary was the one who dealt with the crew all along. As soon as Lucas had explained the situation, his face turned pale and he immediately brought the entire production crew to meet their investor.

The director was wearing a smile, but then he felt a chill down his spine.

When he walked towards Dario, he could feel his domineering aura and his arrogance. Even the famous director was covered with a cold sweat.

"Mr. Foster, is there anything we can do for you?" the director asked politely, wiping his brow.

"Where's the scriptwriter?"

"I'm here, Mr. Foster." A bespectacled youth walked towards him timidly.

Dario did not even spare a glance at him. He said in an indifferent voice, "Change the script immediately."

"Huh! What!?" The crews’ jaws dropped.

What?!

Had they misheard?

"Don't let me repeat myself." Dario leaned on the sofa and glanced at the pretentious people standing before him. He frowned, feeling slightly annoyed. 

Lucas immediately moved toward the crew and said in a commanding voice, "What are you guys waiting for? Didn't you hear what Mr. Foster said? Can't you understand English?"

The director said awkwardly, "But… Mr. Foster, we've already filmed more than twenty episodes, and the show is quite popular... there should be no problem with the script. Why do you want us to rewrite the script all of the sudden?"

The director's heart froze in panic. Oh no, he thought, did we do something that offended him? Why would he want us to rewrite the script? Anyway, he thought, the plot of the series is just getting exciting. If we have to rewrite it, I don’t know what I’d change.

"That's Mr. Foster’s order. Do it now. He must have a good reason for making such a request," Lucas explained impatiently.

The director was even more confused because he could not understand what that reason could be. He forced out a smile. Just when he was about to have a discussion with the emotionless CEO, he saw Dario lift his dark cold eyes, glance at the director, and say three words that instantly struck terror into his soul.

"Withdrawal of investment."

"W-what?!"

At this moment, the whole production crew was startled.

What?! Withdrawal of investment?!

Dario was the major shareholder, and if he withdrew his capital now, the previous twenty episodes would go down the drain.

The worst was that he would still have to pay the actors and actresses!

How could this be?

"Withdrawal? Noted, I'll call Secretary Lin immediately to make the arrangements." Lucas picked up his phone without saying a word. He didn’t hesitate; his actions were as fast as lightning.

Seeing this, the director rushed towards Lucas, snatched the phone out of his hand, and forced a fake smile, though he was on the verge of tears. He then walked towards Dario obediently.

"Mr. Foster! I'll change it! I'll change it immediately! I'll change it into whatever you want it to be! Where’s my screenwriter? Come here! Write exactly what Mr. Foster says and record it carefully. Do you understand?!" The director said in agitation as he pulled the screenwriter along.

"U-understood… May I know what Mr. Foster would like to change? Do you want to have a look at the original script?" The scriptwriter mumbled in fear.

However, Dario did not even spare them a glance. Such a joke. Did he really need to ask a screenwriter just to change the script?

Dario waved his hand and glanced slightly towards the screenwriter.

"There's no need."

"Add more scenes." He smirked arrogantly and said indifferently.

"Add more scenes? For whom?" The director looked despondent while wondering whether Dario was planning to bring in a new actress. However, he never expected just what scenes Dario wanted to add to the series.

"That woman just now," Lucas explained without emotion.

"Oh, you mean Rosie? Sure, we'll add more scenes for her. Even if you want to make her the female lead, that’s fine too." The director thought he had understood the whole situation. Despite that, he took the opportunity to win over Dario, he triggered him.

"Add some scenes of her getting slapped," Dario said emotionlessly.

"Huh?" 

Lucas explained. "At least a hundred scenes and at least ten slaps per scene. In order to make it more real, it has to be a real slap. Understand?"

Everyone was shocked beyond belief and gazed at Dario doubtfully. After all, he was the boss there, not Lucas. Besides, Rosie might die from getting slapped so many times.

Unexpectedly, Dario nodded with satisfaction, agreed with Lucas, and added, "After that, simply make up a story of her dying by getting framed and murdered by another actress. Also, never hire her for any project in the future. Get it?"

At this moment, Lucas, who was usually calm, suddenly felt uneasy. It seemed like the deeper he delved into Dario’s mind, the less he understood it.

Is he really going to torture Rosie and blacklist her from the industry right afterwards?! And we can’t even tell her the truth. Jesus Christ, that’s ruthless.

The director gulped. He was about to say something, but Dario's glance shifted, causing him to swallow back his words.

"What's wrong? Can't change it?"

"No, no! We'll change it immediately!" The director wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, immediately pulled the screenwriter along, and left. Damn, I wonder what Rosie did to him to cause such a big fuss. To prevent anything bad from happening to the production crew, the only way was to get rid of her.

"Let's go," Dario spat out coldly. Having dealt with the matter at hand, he left. The people behind him stood stiffly as they watched him leave. They only came back to their senses once he had fully disappeared from their sight.

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