Chapter 491: Feeling Happiness

Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Feeling Happiness

Irene’s gaze lingered on the ring for a long moment as a sudden guess formed in her heart.

Stared at so directly, Britney, who was usually cheerful and straightforward, felt a faint blush softly creep onto her cheeks.

A touch of unmistakable bashfulness emerged in her eyes, and the smile at the corners of her lips turned gentle and shy.

This subtle yet genuine shift in emotion was instantly picked up by the sharp-eyed Irene.

She immediately reached out and lightly took Britney’s wrist, her tone filled with shock and eagerness. "Wait, when did you start wearing this ring? You did not..."

Having her secret instantly exposed, Britney could no longer hide the joy in her heart.

Embarrassed that her best friend had found out, yet bursting with the sweetness and excitement of stepping into a new phase of life, she nodded gently, her eyes curling into crescents, and said in a tender voice, "Edward proposed to me last week, and I said yes."

The words exploded in Irene’s heart like a bombshell of surprise.

A barrage of questions rushed to her mind all at once, leaving her to blurt them out incoherently in utter disbelief: "Oh my God! You actually said yes? So fast?! Have you really thought this through?! You are still so young, and your career is at its peak upward trajectory—why decide to get married so soon?!"

"Gosh, when are you planning to hold the wedding? This year? This year is definitely a no-go! I have a mountain of projects piled up—filming, recording, promotion, all jammed together. I am way too busy and will not have any time to be there for you! Where are you planning to hold it?! Oh my God, you are actually getting married. Does that mean you will not have time for me anymore? What am I supposed to do?!"

Seeing Irene’s excited, surprised, and reluctant expression, Britney chuckled at her cute reaction.

She raised a hand to gently pat her shoulder, patiently comforting her overwrought best friend.

"Alright, alright, relax first. Do not get so worked up." Britney’s eyes were filled with warm amusement as she explained carefully, "I only accepted his proposal and put on this ring. As for the official wedding, that is still a long way off. There is no rush at all."

"My career is in a crucial growth phase right now. I have a feeling that once The Voice airs, it will definitely trigger a craze across North America. There will be countless recordings, sponsorship deals, and promotional work after that, and my singing career is still steadily progressing. I have no time to plan a wedding or settle down into family life."

"Besides, Edward understands and respects me very much." Britney’s eyes were gentle yet resolute. "He explicitly promised me that after we get married, he will never interfere with my career, my life, or my choices. He will not make me give up my passions and pursuits for the family. I can keep singing, doing variety shows, and doing whatever I want. My life is still in my own hands."

Listening to this, the surge of excitement and anxiety in Irene’s heart gradually settled, but her eyes grew inexplicably warm, touched by a bittersweet and tender feeling.

Her biggest fear was that her best friend would act on impulse, giving up a booming career for love, becoming trapped in the shackles of marriage, and losing her own light.

She stared earnestly into Britney’s eyes, her voice carrying a barely perceptible choke of emotion and warmth. "Brit, tell me, are you happy right now?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Britney stepped forward to hug Irene tightly, resting her head on her shoulder.

Her voice was sincere and fervent, filled with heartfelt sweetness and peace: "Mm, I have never been happier than I am right now."

As the two were immersed in the rare moment of tenderness, steady footsteps slowly approached, and Robert Smith’s figure appeared beside them.

His steps were light, for fear of interrupting their heart-to-heart.

With a polite look of apology on his face, he spoke softly, "Hey, ladies, I hope I am not interrupting your girl talk. Irene, I have a quick urgent work matter to go over with you. Britney, do you mind if I borrow her for a moment?"

Britney immediately released her embrace with a smile and nodded gently. "Of course. Work comes first. Go ahead and tend to business—I will wait here for you to come back."

Irene took a deep breath, quickly suppressing the warmth and sentiment in her heart.

Reining in all personal emotions, she instantly switched back to work mode.

She neatly adjusted her clothes, stood up, and followed Robert out of the noisy banquet hall and into a quiet, private lounge next door.

Closing the door to block out all the noise outside, Irene immediately asked, "What is the emergency? Is there an issue with the crew?"

Robert’s expression was grave, without a trace of lightness as he reported the sudden situation directly: "An unexpected situation came up with The Devil Wears Prada production. One of the supporting actors was accidentally injured, and the doctor diagnosed that he needs quiet rest to recover. He will not be able to join the set for filming next month as originally scheduled."

Irene’s brows instantly furrowed, her mind tensing up as she asked in a deep voice, "Which character? Which actor?"

"It is the actor we previously locked in to play Andy’s publishing house editor friend, Steve," Robert explained. "A couple of days ago, he fell off a horse in private and had his right leg trampled by the horse. He was hospitalized immediately, and treatment will take at least three months. He completely cannot make our planned shooting schedule."

Irene understood immediately.

The character of Steve was not a core supporting role driving the main storyline, nor did his scenes demand intense acting skills.

However, he carried strict requirements for appearance; they could not just throw in any random extra to replace him.

Especially in terms of looks and aura, he had to fit the profile of a youthful, urban, clean-cut, and handsome persona, or it would drag down the overall quality of the film.

She quickly reviewed the previous list of audition candidates in her mind.

Back during the auditions, aside from the actor who was ultimately selected, most of the alternate candidates had average demeanor and ordinary looks.

Not one of them could carry off Steve’s elite persona, and replacing him carelessly would only ruin the role’s overall texture.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Irene finalized a plan on the spot, her tone decisive and crisp: "Have Shelly re-screen our resources immediately. Prioritize sending over a batch of young male actors who are exceptionally handsome, have a clean aura, fit an urban workplace persona, and have flexible schedules for re-auditions. Quality over quantity—we absolutely cannot settle."

Robert nodded immediately in response. "Alright, I will contact the talent agency teams right away to push the screening forward."

Just as the two were leaning in to iron out the finer details of the screening criteria, re-audition process, and production entry requirements, the lounge door was suddenly pushed open gently.

Henry Cavill’s figure appeared at the doorway.

He had originally intended to step into the lounge for a quick escape from the noisy social crowd outside.

Seeing people inside upon pushing the door open, his steps halted instantly, and he apologized politely, "I am sorry, I thought no one was inside. Pardon me for disturbing you."

But when he recognized Irene and Robert inside, his tense expression softened a bit, and he added warmly, "You must be discussing work? Then I will not interrupt. I will wait outside and come back later."

As he spoke, he turned to leave, but Robert quickly spoke up, raising a hand with a laugh to hold him back: "Hey Henry, no need to go, you are not disturbing us at all. Do you happen to be free right now? Actually, you might just be able to do us a favor."

At those words, Henry paused in his steps and looked up with a slight touch of confusion.