"But you already have Nicola," Bennett said with a smile.

"Nicola is a girl, after all," Mr. Thompson Sr. replied.

“Grandpa, you can't still believe that boys are better than girls,” Bennett chided. "Times have changed. They're equal now."

"That's just what they say now that times have gone soft. A girl is delicate, meant to be pampered. Can you toss her into the military to be hardened? Don't you start lecturing me with all your high-minded ideas. If you have time to waste your breath on me, you'd be better off giving me a great-grandson," Mr. Thompson Sr. huffed.

Bennett was speechless.

For a moment, he had no idea how to argue with the old man.

He knew that for Mr. Thompson Sr.'s generation, these ideas were too deep-rooted to be changed easily. Bennett realized he could talk until he was blue in the face and never convince him, so he decided not to waste his breath and just vaguely brushed the topic aside.

Yvonne was surprised that Sandra had actually managed to land a star as big as Thomas for their relatively low-budget modern drama. With an award-winning actor on board, the show's profile was instantly elevated. They even saved on publicity costs; Thomas's massive and active fanbase brought its own built-in audience.

The first day of filming drew countless reporters, and the show immediately shot to the top of the trending charts.

【Award-Winning Actor Thomas and Yvonne teaming up again. This is going to be good.】

【Yvonne and Thomas look amazing together. He's handsome, she's beautiful-a perfect match. Can't wait for the show to air.】

【Are they going to push the 'shipping' angle again? Bennett's fans are dead set against it.】

【A lighthearted modern romance. Looking forward to it.】

The internet was buzzing. The show hadn't even finished filming, and it was already being hailed as a guaranteed hit.

After the opening ceremony, Yvonne and Thomas held a joint interview with reporters. They both expressed their excitement about working together again and spoke very highly of each other. Their answers, from both Yvonne and Thomas, were perfectly professional and polished.

Once the interview was over, they both headed to the dressing room for touch-ups before the next scene.

The production had a limited budget, so there were no private dressing rooms, only one large, shared one.

Thomas, despite being a major star,

was completely down-to-earth.

Since joining the cast, he hadn't made a single extraneous demand unrelated to filming. It was

easy See why he had maintained such a stellar reputation in the industry for so many years.

Yvonne and Thomas sat at adjacent vanity tables. She closed her eyes as the makeup artist touched up her makeup.

Thomas watched her in the mirror.

"Here we are on the same set again. Bennett's going to be insanely jealous," he said suddenly, his tone teasing.

*He's not wrong*, Yvonne thought.

But she couldn't say that out loud.

get

Instead she offered a polite smile.

Business is business. Bennett knows how to keep things separate."

Thomas just smiled at her response, saying nothing.

"

He probably didn't believe a word of it.

Filming that afternoon went smoothly for the most part.

Thomas's acting was impeccable. His emotional outbursts were powerful, and he brought a raw, heartbreaking quality to his crying scenes He was so good he even managed to elevate Yvonne's more conventional performance

The veteran actors in the cast were also flawless, and Yvonne felt she could learn a great deal from them.

By the time filming wrapped for the day, it was already evening.

Yvonne removed her makeup, ready to head back to her hotel and rest.

Just then, Thomas, who was also heading back, smiled and asked if she wanted to walk back together.

They were in the same cast and staying at the same hotel. Refusing would seem deliberately evasive.