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John patted David on the shoulder, giving him a meaningful look."Who gets more screen time? That all depends on how the director films it. As long as the scenes don't overshadow the male lead, the second male lead can still shine."
"Jason Statham isn't happy either, but James has got the powerful studio backing him. He may not like it, but he can't do anything about the male lead situation."
"Senior bro, what about the female lead? Between Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lawrence, who's getting top billing?"
John smiled. "You really love your gossip, huh? That's still up in the air."
"What? They've already started shooting and it's not decided yet?"
"They're still fighting over it. Technically, Angelina Jolie should be the female lead. I mean, it's Crimson Tides, right? The title's basically about her. But..."
David leaned in, laser-focused. The juicier the gossip, the better. And clearly, some big scoop was coming.
"But Jennifer Lawrence's got connections. She's been putting a lot of pressure on Director William to change the script and boost her role. That's where you come in."
"What's that got to do with me?"
John chuckled. "Why do you think you got the title of assistant director? You're here to manage actor relationships. The male actors aren't too bad, but the actresses... tsk tsk."
"F**k, you really threw me under the bus. I'm your junior, man!"
David raised his glass and toasted John again.
He was cursing out loud, but honestly, he didn't take it to heart.
He knew he was brought on last minute, mostly just to fluff up his résumé.
He didn't have the experience to handle real production matters anyway.
So they tossed this hot potato to him.
If he handled it well, he'd get credit. If he didn't?
Well, he's just a newbie trying to build cred—nobody expected anything from him anyway.
Even if they respected John, no one would make things hard for him over this.
So in a way, it was actually a sweet gig. A little gift from John.
After stuffing themselves, the two of them went for a walk to sober up before heading back to the hotel.
In the hotel hallway...
"Producer Lucas."
John turned around. "Nicole! What a coincidence. Just getting back?"
Nicole smiled and nodded, but her eyes quickly drifted to the handsome guy standing next to him."And this is...?"
"This is my junior, David. He just joined the crew as assistant director."
David gave a polite smile and nod. "Nice to meet you, Nicole. I'm a big fan of your hosting shows—you're really talented."
"Oh, really? Well, thank you! Honestly, I thought you were an actor. You're really good-looking."
Nicole was instantly charmed by David's looks. Let's be real—guys who look like David don't exactly trigger disgust in women at first sight.
And David? He was just as interested in this rare 36E bombshell.
"Junior, you don't have a girlfriend right now, do you?"
"Ah... just broke up."
John looked at the obvious chemistry between the two and figured, Why not give them a little nudge? Let his bro go galloping into the sunset.
But the second he asked, David's face dropped like he was still nursing a broken heart.
John was stunned.
Damn, this guy's acting is Oscar-level.
If the Academy doesn't nominate him, that's a disgrace.
No wonder he's got such a winning streak with the ladies.
His reaction was lightning fast.
John secretly gave him a thumbs-up. David subtly shook his head like, Come on, bro, that's just basic technique.
"It's fine, Senior. Don't feel bad. You didn't know, right? I've... moved on."
David played the hurt-but-strong card perfectly.
John was flabbergasted. Feel bad? For what??
"Uh... right. Well, I've got stuff to do, so I'll leave you two to it. Take care of yourself, junior."
He clapped David hard on the shoulder and beat a hasty retreat.
David winced a bit.
Damn, bro, that slap almost dislocated my shoulder.
All I did was borrow your wingman status. Was that necessary?
" Nicole, you go ahead and get some rest. I brought some food and a good bottle of wine. Gonna have a little nightcap and hit the sack. No need to worry about me."
He lifted up the takeout and the wine bottle.
Senior bro's treat—of course he took the opportunity to bring some back.
He gave a deliberately bitter smile, then turned and headed to his room.
Funny thing—his room was just two doors down from Nicole's.
That whole sad little broken-hearted act? It hit Nicole right in her big-sister soft spot.
Her heart melted in an instant.
"Hey... I'm not busy either. How about I join you for a drink? Just some light chat between two people."
"Sure, why not?"
David opened the door and invited her in. He laid out the food and poured the wine.
They sat on the sofa and started drinking.
Luckily, David could hold his liquor. After already drinking earlier, anyone else would've passed out.
They drank, they chatted. After a few rounds, the distance between them shrank fast.
From sitting across each other, they were now side by side, thighs touching.
David was no rookie in the romance department. He knew you had to be bold and shameless sometimes. If it's time to make a move, make it.
He reached out and started gently playing with Nicole's soft, fair hand.
Nicole blushed, then gave him a flirtatious side-eye."This is our first time meeting, and you're already this bold?"
David grinned and leaned in." Nicole, it's not my fault—you're way too irresistible. I can't even think straight."
"You're so bad!"
His sweet talk, mixed with the wine, had Nicole completely hooked.
Late at night.
Sweaty and sobered up, Nicole covered her face in embarrassment, stealing glances at David.
Did I really just sleep with him?
That was... fast.
"David, you'd better treat me well from now on, okay?"
Huh???
David's head was full of question marks.
Girl, it was just a bit of mutual… practice. Now you want me to take responsibility?
You didn't even bleed a drop—who are you trying to fool with this innocent act?
Nicole saw the look on his face and realized she'd misjudged him.
This ain't some broken-hearted puppy. This guy's a seasoned player.
She immediately went into pout mode, even added in some tearful "uwu" for effect.
David clenched his fists.
"I swear I almost socked that annoying person right in the nose."
"Come on, Nicole, we're both adults. Don't bring that romantic ghost story stuff into this."
Nicole wiped away her fake tears."Then... what are we now?"
"….."