The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!-Chapter 222: Filming of [Mirror] Begins

Vincent Summers withdrew his hand, looking wounded.

He hadn’t even touched the hem of the clothing, so why was he turned down?

"Ryan..."

"Go take a rest."

Vincent, dejected, slumped back into his chair.

His discouragement was something Maya Monroe couldn’t comprehend.

Maya glanced at him, blowing a bubble with her gum, "You were told to rest, why aren’t you happy about it?"

The gum was her new fascination recently.

"Well... Maybe I’m just used to taking orders from Ryan, so now it feels strange to be resting."

Maya chuckled, "You sure are a weird one."

Vincent didn’t deny it, speculating in his mind, "Why do you think Ryan suddenly doesn’t want my help? This never happened before..."

Maya’s gaze fell on Ian Rowe, observing him quietly for a few seconds.

With a "pop," the gum bubble burst.

Then, her voice came nonchalantly, "Maybe my husband loves me more, he likes to help me with my things."

Vincent nodded, seemingly convinced.

Maya suddenly realized Ian was walking toward her. She hadn’t noticed she’d been staring at him for quite some time.

She took a sip of juice to mask all her thoughts.

"Honey, thank you for your hard work."

Ian resumed his usual glamorous aloofness, though his eyes weren’t as cold as before, "Call me if you need anything."

"Okay." Maya didn’t forget to be polite, "Mrs. Hall invited me for a meal, darling, would you like to join us?"

Ian hesitated for a moment, seemingly thinking of something, "No need, have fun."

"Shall I give you a ride?"

Seeing her so eager to send him off, without a hint of reluctance, Ian’s expression turned slightly somber.

"Sure."

Vincent and Maya exchanged a glance, both with a bit of doubt in their eyes.

As they were about to get in the car, Ian suddenly asked, "Maya, will you miss me?"

Seeing his serious look, a smile crept onto Maya’s lips, "Of course I will miss you, honey~"

Ian’s lips curled slightly.

Vincent clicked his tongue from the side, surprised that Ian could be appeased so easily with just a few words.

*

Maya arrived at the appointed location as scheduled, a renowned upscale western restaurant favored by the wealthy for its unique flavors and expensive prices.

Following the server to the private room, Maya greeted, "Mrs. Hall, sorry to keep you waiting."

Yvonne Hall grinned, walking over personally to shake hands with Maya:

"It’s just the two of us here, no need to be formal."

Maya and Yvonne took their seats.

Yvonne motioned to the server to show Maya the menu, "Sorry for making you travel so far, but the restaurants in the film city just aren’t as authentic as those outside. Have a look and see if there’s anything you’d like to eat."

"Today’s my treat, as a celebration for our first collaboration, so please feel free."

Maya nodded, scanning the menu and instantly losing interest.

"Whatever you’d like to order, Mrs. Hall, I’ll have the same thing."

Yvonne withdrew her probing gaze, feeling a slight change in Maya’s aura.

This change was, to her, quite admirable.

Of course, Maya’s previous talents had already been impressive to her.

After ordering, Yvonne turned her attention back to Maya, smiling softly, "It’s rare to chat face-to-face with Mrs. Rowe like this, it’s truly exciting."

"Just call me Maya."

Something flickered in Yvonne’s eyes, though her face remained placid, "If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Maya then, I’m quite a bit older than you—" she chuckled suddenly, "though saying I’m your sister would be an advantage to me."

"That’s perfectly fine."

A series of western dishes quickly arrived at the table.

Maya picked up her knife and fork, moving elegantly and naturally, albeit slowly, as she eventually brought a piece of steak to her mouth.

"Why? Not to your taste?" Yvonne immediately called for the server, "I’ll get you something else."

"No need for the hassle." Maya smiled, "I just overindulged in snacks on the way here."

Yvonne nodded understandingly, but said, "It was inconsiderate of me this time, next time I’ll make sure to choose a restaurant you like."

Picturing Yvonne enjoying hotpot with her, Maya couldn’t help but smile a little, "That’s too kind."

Sticking to the principle of not wasting food, Maya eventually finished the western cuisine she wasn’t fond of, fortunately, Yvonne hadn’t ordered much.

Yvonne ordered some dessert afterwards, which thankfully was to Maya’s liking.

A bit of cream clung to Maya’s lips, as she slightly lowered her eyes, softening the harshness in her features with a rare hint of obedience.

Yvonne laughed, "If you like, we can come again in the future."

"Sure, just for the dessert though." She said with a smile.

"I know you’re still thinking about that last audition—" Yvonne said slowly, "Don’t think like that, the Hua Zhong Award is proof my decision was correct. I admire your performance, that hasn’t changed, and I’ve always anticipated the surprises you might bring."

"And honestly, from a purely business perspective, I’m the one benefiting from you."

Maya looked up to meet Yvonne’s wise and gentle eyes, pausing for a moment, "I won’t let you down."

Yvonne was surprised by this change, Maya’s assurance was reassuring like a rock in a storm, "I’m looking forward to working with you—"

"More and more excited..."

*

Maya had crammed the script intensively for a few days, grateful her memory and comprehension weren’t too shabby, making the scripts not too difficult.

However, old habits die hard, and after analyzing the script, she still goofed off and enjoyed herself.

Ryan Spencer reverted to his old tactic, asking Maya questions for her to answer.

Maya still thought this approach was overly simplistic.

But unlike before, she answered fluently.

Ryan exclaimed, "Not bad, Maya, I really believe now that you’ve been working hard."

Maya raised an eyebrow, teasing, "You only believe me now, Ryan? You’re breaking my heart."

"Oh, give me a break." Ryan pondered, "But just knowing the script doesn’t guarantee good acting, after all, acting needs to have tension."

Maya nodded nonchalantly.

Acting—she certainly had some talent for it.

*

On the first day of filming, although Maya didn’t wake up particularly early, she didn’t run late either, arriving just on time.

Yvonne greeted her warmly, "Maya, you’ve arrived? Go and get your makeup done!"

After responding, Maya headed towards the motorhome, but suddenly halted and asked Ryan beside her, "Who’s that person in front...?"