Chapter 742 - 738: A Crying Child Gets the Milk

Yuna shook her head, also finding the situation a bit absurd. "I’m not sure, but that guy is pretty aggressive."

They had expected Director Alan’s staff to be firmer. But unexpectedly, after the man’s tirade, the staff member replied placatingly, "Please, try to calm down. I’ll see what I can do and try to get a slightly more spacious room for Chloe."

The man pushed his luck. "We want a suite! Even budget hotels back home have suites, so this place must have them too."

"Alright, I’ll do my best."

The scene left Lily Sterling and her group dumbfounded. Finn sneered, "Hmph. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, I guess. If I’d known, we would have fought for a better room for Lily, too."

"Absolutely not!" Lily Sterling said, her expression full of resistance. "I have no special requirements for my room; as long as it’s clean, I’m fine. Besides, could either of you actually scream in a staff member’s face like that?"

Finn and Yuna exchanged a glance, and then both of them laughed.

Neither of them could pull off being that aggressive. It was best to just forget about it.

"Besides, that staff member is just doing his job according to the arrangements," Lily Sterling said, grabbing her own suitcase. "If everyone went to him to ’coordinate,’ he’d never get his work done. Come on, let’s go up."

"Sis, what about me? Where am I staying?" Ronald raised his hand, showing he didn’t have a room key.

Lily Sterling glanced at him. "You wait down here for a bit. I booked you a different hotel nearby."

After Lily Sterling got her things settled, she led Ronald on a two-block walk, arriving at an impressive luxury hotel in a very bustling area.

The moment they stepped inside, the magnificent lobby alone exuded an air of extravagant luxury.

"Sis, why book me a separate room here?" Ronald asked, tugging on Lily Sterling’s arm with some hesitation. "I could have stayed with you all at the crew’s hotel."

It would be one thing if they were all staying here together, but he felt uneasy knowing his sister was in that small hotel while she had arranged for him to stay in such a luxurious one.

But Lily Sterling just gave him a gentle smile and explained softly, "I’m here for work, and following the production’s arrangements is part of my professional duty. But you’re different. You’re here on vacation to have fun, so your experience is the top priority."

"I’ve already paid for it, and it’s non-refundable."

With that, Lily Sterling pulled Ronald straight to the front desk. The receptionist was a beautiful, blonde, blue-eyed woman who politely asked them in English where they were from.

Lily Sterling was about to speak, but to her surprise, Ronald answered in English, handing over his passport and asking the receptionist to handle his check-in.

Although his pronunciation wasn’t perfectly native-like, his grammar was correct, and the receptionist understood him completely.

Lily Sterling was pleasantly surprised. "Not bad, Ronald! I didn’t realize your English was so good."

"It’s pretty much my only hobby," Ronald said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "I got interested in English from watching American TV shows back in middle school. I couldn’t get the hang of my other subjects, but my grades in English were always pretty good."

Plus, because he watched so many American shows, his spoken grammar was very conversational and perfect for everyday communication.

"Knowing English makes things so much easier. Once filming starts, if I’m too busy, you can still go explore the neighborhood on your own."

Ronald nodded. "Don’t worry about it, Sis. You go ahead and focus on your work. I’ll be fine on my own."

After getting Ronald settled, Lily Sterling headed back to the production’s small hotel alone. As fate would have it, she ran right into Chloe Hale and her team in the elevator.

Among them was the middle-aged man who had been giving the staff a hard time in the lobby.

"Hi Chloe, I’m Lily Sterling."

Lily Sterling initiated the greeting. While Chloe Hale couldn’t match her in terms of popularity or awards, she had debuted a few years earlier, making her a senior in the industry. Lily’s greeting was simply a polite gesture from a junior colleague.

Chloe Hale was about twenty-five. In the four or five years since her debut, her career had been lukewarm at best. She only ever played supporting roles and, while she had some name recognition, she was nowhere near being a major star.

Compared to a newcomer like Lily Sterling, who had shot to stardom right after her debut and even won a prestigious award, Chloe was a stark contrast.

Chloe Hale, wearing sunglasses, feigned a moment of confusion when she heard Lily’s voice. After a few seconds, as if finally placing her, she said, "Oh, Lily Sterling? Right. I’ve heard of you."

Lily Sterling just kept smiling, with no intention of pursuing the conversation further.

The elevator doors closed and the car began to ascend. Suddenly, the middle-aged man asked her, "Lily Sterling, is your room big?"

Lily Sterling glanced over at him. Speaking in a normal tone, he didn’t sound nearly as aggressive or grating as before.

"It’s not," Lily Sterling answered truthfully.

Hearing this, the man glanced at Chloe Hale and raised an eyebrow, a smug look in his eyes.

The elevator reached the 7th floor. As Lily Sterling stepped out, Chloe Hale suddenly called out, "Come hang out in my room sometime. I have a separate living room."

Lily Sterling maintained her smile until the elevator doors closed, at which point it instantly vanished.

She could certainly tell the difference between genuine warmth and fake pleasantries. Her own smile had been purely for the sake of politeness.

It was the same for Chloe Hale. The moment the doors shut, she rolled her eyes and sneered, "I thought Lily Sterling was supposed to have some powerful backing. How come the production didn’t get her a better room?"

"Guess it’s not as powerful as people think," her male agent sneered. "There are plenty of people with connections in this business."

Lily Sterling had just gotten back to her room when there was a knock on the door. It was Yuri Tucker.

"Lily, the rooftop restaurant is serving dinner. Are you going?"

Lily Sterling glanced at the time. She was tired, but she was also quite hungry, so she nodded. "Okay. You go on up. I’ll change my clothes and be right there."

After changing into loose, comfortable clothes, Lily Sterling took the elevator to the rooftop restaurant. To her surprise, the place was packed.

The business hotel wasn’t large, and the production had booked the entire place. Everyone staying there—all the actors and staff—was part of the crew. She’d heard that no one had been given special treatment, not even Director Alan. Everyone was staying in the same hotel.

So, as soon as the restaurant opened for dinner, everyone had come up. They were all from Cathay.

"Lily!" Yuri Tucker called, waving her over. He had saved her a seat.

Lily Sterling walked over and was surprised to see Yuri Tucker’s plate was filled with Chinese dishes. "They have Chinese food?"

Yuri Tucker nodded excitedly. "The production specifically hired a Chinese chef, so we can have Chinese food for our entire stay. There are some Western options too, but I don’t see anyone going for them."

Lily Sterling glanced around. Besides Yuri Tucker, she recognized a few other faces—the young actors around her age from the auditions.