Chapter 675
She was kind to Zara, not only because Zara was sincere to her but also because Zara reminded her of her former self pure, like a blank sheet of paper.
She couldn’t bear to see Zara, who was as innocent as a blank sheet, being tainted by the world.
In her previous life, she had been alone, like a solitary team with no one to protect her, betrayed and harmed by everyone around her.
Therefore, she wanted to do her best to protect Zara, as if she were protecting her past self.
When Melody heard Zara say she also wanted to protect herself, Melody’s heart was touched.
“Besides, you will naturally have the ability to protect me when you become a big star,” Melody said.
Melody’s words were like a ray of light, strengthening Zara’s resolve to become strong.
“Right!” Zara nodded vigorously and said, “I will definitely become a big star!”
As they were talking, Zara’s parents emerged from the room, having heard the commotion.
With a worried expression, Grace pulled Zara aside and asked, “Did something happen just now? We heard what sounded like a fight. I wanted to come out and check, but your father thought it might be risky and get you into trouble, so we stayed put. When we saw you and Melody hadn’t returned, your dad couldn’t wait any longer and pulled me out…”
Melody interjected smoothly, “Mrs. Wentworth, Mr. Wentworth, don’t worry. There were indeed some people who got drunk and fought, but they’d already left. We just stayed here to watch.”
Grace was relieved but still admonished them. “It’s not fun to watch a fight! You two girls are so weak that you’ll be injured if someone bumps into you!”
Zara couldn’t help but smile when she thought of Melody taking on eight people by herself.
She might be weak, but Melody was incredibly strong. Zara was still amazed by what she saw just now!
Though she thought this, Zara said aloud, “I know, Mom. We won’t watch anything like that again.”
Grace and Zara’s father, Theo Wentworth, then relaxed.
“I’m glad you’re okay. We bought train tickets for an hour from now and plan to head back,” Grace said.
Zara looked disappointed. “Mom, why did you buy tickets without telling me? I just finished shooting the movie, and I’m free for a few more days. I could have shown you around Silverlake.”
Theo smiled. “If we stay for too many days, what about the pigs and chickens at home? Our neighbors have been helping us take care of the farm for the past two days, but we can’t expect them to keep doing that indefinitely, can we?”
Grace said, tears welling in her eyes, “We can’t bear to part with you, but we still need to go back to take care of everything at home. Even if you decide not to take this job one day, you can go back home and our family will always support you. We may not have a lot of money, but we won’t let you go hungry.”
Zara knew she couldn’t argue with her parents, and besides, they were unaccustomed to city life, so she could only nod and say, “Then I’ll take you to the train station.”
Melody volunteered and said, “I drove here, so I’ll give you a ride.”
Zara, who had recently gained fame from a web series but had not yet received an exclusive car from her company, sniffled with gratitude. “Thank you, Melody…”
‘Don’t say that. It’s nothing. Besides, we’re friends. I don’t want to hear you say that again.” Melody replied, feeling a little embarrassed.
After saying that, Melody suddenly paused.
She realized, perhaps for the first time, why Ken didn’t like hearing thanks.
When someone gives willingly, saying thank you could sometimes create a sense of distance rather than closeness.
Ken’s feelings toward her might be similar to her own feelings about Zara.
He also regarded herself as a good friend.
Melody felt unsettled by this realization.
He treated her as a friend, but she…
She secretly pinched her waist and tried to push the thoughts away, focusing on sending Zara’s parents to the train station.
Zara watched until her parents disappeared inside the station before pulling away.
“Well, don’t worry. When you have the chance, you can bring them over to stay with you,” Melody said, taking Zara back to the car.
On the way, Zara updated Melody about her current situation. “I’m almost finished with my part in the movie. Since most of it was filmed against a green screen, I wrapped up a month earlier than expected. But the supporting characters and the zombie scenes still need about a month of filming. The producer mentioned that if post- production goes smoothly, it might be screened during New Year’s Day. The higher-ups are very optimistic about the film, so the review process should be swift.”
“Screened during New Year’s Day…” Melody said, pleased for Zara.
“Although the film market is highly competitive during New Year’s Day, the apocalyptic theme of your film should be very appealing. I’ll book the whole cinema to support you when the time comes.”
Zara nodded vigorously. The sadness of parting with her family had faded considerably as she talked about her work.
“I’m going to do the dubbing myself,” Zara said. “To compete for next year’s National Movie Awards with this film, one of the requirements is that the character’s voice must be my own. I’m not very confident about my lines, though, so I’m planning to take some lessons from a voice coach.”
Melody replied, “The National Movie Awards are very prestigious. If you win Best Actress, you’ll sure be a huge star.”
Zara responded humbly, “This is my first film as the official lead actress, so I’m not aiming for Best Actress right now. I’d be thrilled just to get a nomination…”
Melody mentally reviewed the situation.
In her previous life, Yana had won Best Actress at the National Movie Awards the following year, and it was all thanks to the movie that Zara had just finished.
However, due to the unexpected changes brought on by her involvement, Yana had been removed from the cast, leaving Zara to take over.
Maybe Zara did have a real chance at the Best Actress award.
But of course, Melody kept this to herself and instead asked, “How long will you be able to rest next? Do you have any plans besides taking voice lessons?”
“I’m also planning to enroll in a costume design class,” Zara said.
Melody raised an eyebrow. “A costume design class?”
“Yes,” Zara said. “I have a variety show next month, Artist’s Wardrobe Season 2. This season is different from the first. It’s not just about visiting the guests’ wardrobes. We’ll also need to demonstrate our ability to design and modify clothes from the guests’ homes.”
Melody was optimistic about Artist’s Wardrobe Season 2. The second season had been even more successful in her previous life, surpassing the first season.
She nodded and asked, “Have you finalized your mystery guest for the first episode yet?”
“I was told that it’s been finalized, but even my agent doesn’t know who it is. It might be someone really mysterious, or maybe the company just wants to avoid overshadowing Yana by pairing me with a newcomer,” Zara said.
Melody pondered for a moment and then said, “Do you want me to ask Ken who the company has arranged as your mystery guest?”