Chapter 779 - 776: Famous Overnight

Chapter 779: Chapter 776: Famous Overnight

"You didn’t finish what you were saying," Chase Childs said lightly, glancing at her.

His voice was level, but his heart was in turmoil.

’Didn’t finish what I was saying? What was I about to say? He scared it right out of me.’

’But what I wanted to say isn’t important. What’s important is my safety! Safety first!’

"Ah? Oh, haha, it was nothing." Holly Summers chuckled awkwardly, then clamped her mouth shut. She stared straight ahead, determined not to say another word for the rest of the ride.

Chase Childs gazed at her profile as River Sterling’s words suddenly echoed in his mind. ’...Do you like her? Then you should just be bold and ask her. Who knows, she might just like you back!’

Chase Childs’s lips parted. "Holly Summers..."

"Hm?" Holly Summers turned her head, her lips still tightly pursed. She just hummed questioningly through her nose.

"..."

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Chase Childs lost his nerve. ’What if I say it and she gets awkward, or upset? What if she ignores me from now on?’

’What if we can’t even be regular friends anymore? What if we can’t even have simple moments like this?’

So, the words on the tip of his tongue instantly changed. "...*Everlasting* starts filming soon. How are your preparations coming along?"

This time, Holly Summers had earned the role of the second female lead on her own merit. The character was the best friend of the female protagonist, played by Clara Grant, and it was a substantial part.

Although she’d never played such a major role before, she had years of acting experience and had learned a lot. She was confident she could successfully bring the character to life.

"I’m always prepared. I’ve been studying the script and the character’s personality, so it should be fine."

Holly Summers’s lips were pursed, a confident smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

Chase Childs turned his head to look at her. Under the flashing glow of the passing streetlights, that smile on her lips looked incredibly alluring.

He was suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss her, so he slowly and quietly began to lean in...

"Hey, turn left at the next intersection," Holly Summers said suddenly, pointing ahead to give directions.

As if he’d been burned, Chase Childs jolted upright. He stared straight ahead, his heart pounding like a drum, and his face flushed red.

When Holly Summers didn’t get a response, she turned to him in surprise. She saw his tense, serious expression and wondered why he had suddenly gotten so stern again. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing, turning her gaze back to the road ahead.

Chase Childs finally let out a sigh of relief when he felt her gaze shift away.

...

In another car, heading in another direction, Clara Grant was still marveling at the fact that River Sterling liked Rhys Ryston.

"Brother Sterling really likes Ryston? When did he fall for her? Don’t tell me he fell for her back when he was reading her novel?"

Seth Quinn shot her an amused look. "Haven’t you always been pretty perceptive about these things? What’s wrong? Has your intuition gotten dull lately?"

He thought about how she used to be able to tell who liked whom almost instantly, and she was never wrong. It was so obvious that River liked Rhys—everyone could see it. How could she have missed it?

This thought made Seth Quinn a little worried. "Clara, have you been very tired lately?"

"...Oh, yeah, I am a bit tired. I have school, and I have to study the script to prepare for filming." Clara Grant went along with his suggestion. She couldn’t possibly tell him she was becoming dull and slow-witted because of the pregnancy.

"In that case, we can postpone the start of filming. You should get some proper rest."

"No, no, that’s not necessary! I’ll adjust. I’ll be fine in no time," Clara Grant said, quickly waving her hands in refusal.

’Are you kidding me?’ she thought. ’Even if I’m the CEO’s wife, I can’t be so unprofessional. I can’t make an entire film crew wait for me because of my personal issues.’

"Are you sure?" Seth Quinn asked.

"Of course, I’m sure."

"Alright then. We’ll stick to the original plan. Filming starts the day after tomorrow."

"Mhm, I’m ready!" Clara Grant said, making a fist in a determined gesture.

...

The day before filming for the new show began, *A Lifetime of Splendor* premiered simultaneously on two major television networks and online.

Since the character Tina, played by Clara Grant, didn’t appear in the first few episodes, the show’s premiere didn’t affect her at all.

The public’s attention and discussions were all focused on the female lead, played by Faye Jennings, and the male lead, played by Miles Quinn. As for the attention that shifted from the characters to the actors themselves, it mainly consisted of legions of young female fans swooning over how handsome and cool Miles Quinn was.

As for Faye Jennings, the main topic of conversation was why she had suddenly announced her retirement from the entertainment industry right at the peak of her career.

To protect Aegis’s public image and ensure good ratings for *A Lifetime of Splendor*, Faye Jennings’s true fate was never publicly announced. Instead, the story of her retirement was used to give the audience and her fans a sense of closure.

Clara Grant also watched the premiere of *A Lifetime of Splendor*. Putting everything else aside and looking at it purely from an acting perspective, Faye Jennings’s performance in the show was actually superb.

Unfortunately, like Autumn Shelby and Chloe Grant, she was someone who didn’t know how to cherish what she had and was overly obsessed with things that didn’t belong to her.

Clara Grant couldn’t help but sigh. ’What a waste of her considerable acting talent!’

Even though she had acted in the show herself, Clara Grant started following it like any other viewer. Even after joining the cast of *Everlasting* and beginning her busy filming schedule, she still made time every day to keep up with the episodes.

She discovered that watching as a member of the audience was a completely different feeling from being a character in the story, and it gave her many new and interesting insights.

The shoot was located right in Novaria and wasn’t a closed set. Still, Seth Quinn acted as her personal chauffeur, picking her up from the set every day and driving her home, then personally taking her back the next morning.

Plus, she was exhausted from filming every day. Aside from watching *A Lifetime of Splendor* online, she didn’t have the energy to scroll through the news or anything else.

That’s why she only found out she had suddenly blown up in popularity on the fourth day of filming for *Everlasting*, when Holly Summers told her after she arrived on set.

That morning, as soon as she stepped into the makeup room, Holly Summers and a group of other actors swarmed around her. The sheer commotion startled Clara Grant.

"Clara, you’re in the headlines! And you’re trending!"

Clara Grant was completely bewildered. She looked at the phone Holly Summers was showing her.

The top trending keyword on social media was: Clara Grant Tina Acting.

Clara Grant’s first reaction was, "Was this topic paid to trend?"

’Either that, or Seth Quinn pulled some strings!’

It wasn’t surprising she thought so. No matter how good her acting was, she was only a supporting character in *A Lifetime of Splendor*. Furthermore, her character, Tina, had only appeared in two episodes. On top of all that, she had previously been a complete unknown, a nobody in the industry.

How could she possibly hit number one on the trending list with just a minor supporting role?