Chapter 111: Filming Interlude

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Filming Interlude

After finishing the scenes in the studio, they quickly moved to the location where Stella visits Steve’s villa for an investigation.

The villa was located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, an area filled with detached houses used for filming. After Vivian got out of the car, she already saw three different crews carrying camera equipment walking in various directions.

By then, an invisible fence had been set up around the villa, and the props team was quickly debugging the model of the security camera at the entrance. Irene walked into the living room, her gaze sweeping over the oil painting by the fireplace and the main circuit breaker in the corner.

Today’s filming focus was the subtle tension between Stella and Steve, and Irene was quite looking forward to seeing what kind of vibe Johnny Depp would bring to the role.

"All departments ready, Scene One: Stella enters and meets Steve for the first time," shouted Assistant Director Jack.

Stella’s voltage tester was touching the terminal of the main breaker, showing normal readings on the screen. Without looking up, she said in a steady voice, "Hello, from Universal Maintenance. The property management said your circuit trips occasionally, so I’m here for a comprehensive check."

Her fingertips recorded data naturally, without any deliberate concealment or unnecessary movements. The real miniature detector was hidden inside the toolbox, and she could only touch it during the brief moment of "reaching for a tool."

Steve circled around her, his eyes falling on her hand holding the voltage tester. "A voltage tester imported from Germany. Only professionals use this brand."

There was no suspicion in his tone. It was more like a casual comment.

"My house’s wiring was just replaced a year ago. It shouldn’t be tripping, logically. Maybe it’s the humidity from the rainy season." As he spoke, he walked to the fireplace and lightly touched the frame of the oil painting. There was no "wall-tapping" probe, just a natural, habitual movement.

The cameraman filmed their interaction from an eye-level angle. When Steve mentioned the "voltage tester," there was a close-up of Stella’s eyes. Her pupils didn’t contract.

She only blinked slightly, her gaze quickly darting to Steve’s hand touching the painting before returning to the main breaker, looking perfectly natural.

Then it cut to a close-up of Steve. His gaze wasn’t on the toolbox but lingered on the profile of Stella’s face, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"CUT!"

"Depp, your gaze is too sharp. Up until now, you shouldn’t think there’s anything wrong with her. Instead, you’re interested in a female electrician. So, soften your eyes."

"Theron, maintain your professionalism. You don’t need to deliberately ’act calm.’ You’re already a ’veteran.’ Being focused on your work is the best disguise."

After the adjustments, they resumed filming. Stella stood up to get electrical tape from the toolbox, smoothly tearing open the packaging and wrapping it around the exposed terminals.

During this process, her fingertips quickly swept over the detector inside. A weak magnetic field signal appeared on the screen—the safe was behind the oil painting—but her movement was as swift as "naturally picking up an item," with no flaws.

Steve walked over. Instead of looking at the circuit, he stared at her hands wrapping the tape.

"Your technique is very efficient, unlike ordinary repairmen—most of the ones I’ve seen are clumsy, wrapping the wires all crooked. Are you a temporary replacement? I haven’t seen you before."

After finishing the taping, Stella’s voice remained steady. "The company has many repairmen. I mainly handle circuits in ordinary residential areas and don’t usually take jobs in high-end villas. This time, a colleague is on leave, so I’m filling in."

Steve nodded thoughtfully and didn’t press further. Instead, he turned toward the wine cabinet.

"Then your boss doesn’t have a very good eye. I think you belong here more, don’t you? Would you like a cup of coffee? Fixing circuits is quite taxing. My coffee beans are imported from Italy."

His invitation was natural, treating her like a guest rather than a "suspect." As he walked to the wine cabinet, he deliberately slowed his pace and casually mentioned as he passed the painting, "I bought this painting at an auction last year. What do you think of it?"

Stella looked over as he suggested, her gaze lingering on the frame for a second. She gave a very objective evaluation: "The composition is grand, and the colors are steady. It suits your home’s decor style." Her answer was watertight, neither revealing interest nor appearing dismissive.

The lighting technician warmed up the key light, removing the contrast between light and dark.

Just as Stella was about to say, "No coffee, thank you. I’ll finish up quickly so I don’t take up your time," a muffled "Bang—!" of a gunshot suddenly rang out from afar, followed by a series of "bang-bang" sounds, even mixed with faint explosions.

Everyone in the living room was startled. Charlize instinctively dodged to the side, nearly dropping the voltage tester in her hand.

Johnny also stopped, looking out the window with a look of confusion before making a dry joke, "Is this in our script?"

Irene stood up with a frown, picked up her walkie-talkie, and asked the off-set assistant, "What’s going on? Where are those gunshots coming from?"

A reply soon came through the walkie-talkie: "Director, it’s the neighboring studio! They’re filming a shootout and explosion scene. The sound of the prop guns drifted over!"

"Send someone over to coordinate with them. Get their explosion schedule so we can avoid our filming sessions," Irene said helplessly.

Assistant Director Jack smiled. "Good time for a break. Let’s go over the upcoming scenes."

Johnny Depp put down his coffee cup and smiled as if to comfort Irene. "Things like this happen if you film enough movies. My first thought was that the director had prepared some special surprise to observe us."

Everyone laughed upon hearing that. Charlize also breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I’m a bit of a coward. I really was startled."

About ten minutes later, the distant gunshots gradually died down. Irene signaled all departments to get ready. "Places, everyone. Action!"

The warm lights came back on. Steve took two coffee cups from the wine cabinet, poured the coffee, and walked toward Stella with slow steps. Stella had just put away her voltage tester. As she looked up, she met his gaze. They stared at each other for three seconds without speaking.

Steve’s eyes held an "increasingly obvious interest," while Stella’s eyes held a "professional calm," though her fingertips quietly tightened their grip on the toolbox handle—the only sign of "slight nervousness."

"Try some?" Steve handed over a coffee cup, his tone very soft.

Stella reached out to take it, her fingertips accidentally brushing against his. Both paused for a moment before quickly pulling away. She took the coffee and whispered, "Thank you."

Just as the camera froze on the image of "Stella taking the coffee," the clapperboard fell with a "clack."

Irene was the first to applaud. "Perfect! That eye contact and the touch of the fingertips were spot on. This kind of soft tension is sometimes more moving than intense confrontation!"

Charlize breathed a sigh of relief. Acting opposite Johnny was no easy task.

Both took water bottles from their assistants, and the tension on set temporarily faded away.