Reborn as Mr.CEO's Fat Wife-Chapter 909: Knocking on the Director’s Door Late at Night and Getting Filmed
Chapter 909: Chapter 909: Knocking on the Director’s Door Late at Night and Getting Filmed
After returning to the hotel, the production team negotiated with the hotel to borrow their kitchen. Initially, everyone thought the subsequent recording would be much simpler, but they were all too naive—even Director Baker was left dumbfounded by the situation in front of him.
At this moment, the supposedly spacious hotel kitchen had fish flopping around everywhere. From time to time, Zoe Thatcher’s shrill screams and James Jerome’s exasperated shouts echoed through the room. This older-younger combo was like kitchen assassins, and even the cameramen following them were utterly tormented.
It wasn’t until three hours later that they finished cooking. However, when everyone sat down to look at the dishes on the table—foods that were absolutely unidentifiable—they were all stunned. Even dark cuisine wouldn’t be this bad, right?
Zoe Thatcher looked a bit awkward. "Actually, the taste is... okay, I guess."
The remark lacked any confidence.
James Jerome let out a forced laugh, saying, "Come on, everyone, give me some face."
Stella Murray, who had the best relationship with James Jerome, winced, picked up a spoonful of the only dish that looked remotely edible—a fish soup—and swallowed it under the gaze of others who were looking at her as if she was a brave warrior. She froze, then slowly spat out a piece of fish scale, and promptly ran to the bathroom. A moment later, dry heaving sounds came from inside.
Adam Piers twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Director, are you sure this is punishment for them and not for us?"
"Haha, well, this wasn’t something I could predict. But I would still recommend that everyone eat up because there won’t be any additional meals," Director Baker said slyly.
The room instantly exploded in groans.
Mary Scott raised her hand weakly. "I’m actually not that hungry."
The moment she said this, James Jerome grabbed a large piece of ’braised fish’ and placed it on her plate. "Come on, little Mary, try Uncle’s masterpiece."
Mary Scott looked at the blackened, unidentifiable lump of braised fish and twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Can I not try it?"
"Nope." This time it wasn’t James Jerome who answered but the director.
Director Baker held up a placard that boldly read: No Food Waste Allowed!
Everyone, "..."
Helplessly, everyone forced themselves to try the food. Each person’s face bore a different expression, but they all shared a look of grim, resigned desperation. All of this was caught on camera, and Director Baker barely managed to suppress his laughter.
After dinner, everyone walked out of the restaurant with constipated expressions, finally realizing how hard-earned money really was.
As soon as Mary Scott entered Mia Anderson’s room, she began to vomit. Only after completely emptying her stomach did she manage to sit on the floor weakly. "How can someone make food taste this awful?"
Mia Anderson looked at Mary Scott with sympathy. "Sis, next time don’t be so upfront. I noticed the others barely touched their food."
Mary Scott waved her hand dismissively. "With the money involved, you always have to act convincingly. How are things on your end today?"
"Duke Blue’s side didn’t show anything abnormal. But Director Locke called you several times—are you planning to return the call?"
Mary Scott was taken aback; after a hectic day and vomiting on top of that, she was now sprawled out. Mia Anderson’s revelation surprised her—David Locke called her several times?
"Director Locke seemed pretty upset. Also, you’re trending online, and there’s a lot of backlash. Sis, do you want to issue a clarification?" Mia Anderson looked troubled. Most celebrities gain fans from variety shows, but hers was drawing criticism. And remembering Duke Blue’s trending topic made her feel even more disgusted. "Sis, I suspect Duke Blue’s team is behind this, deliberately trying to smear you."
Mary Scott shook her head. "Just keep an eye on things for tonight. Don’t worry about it for now."
She was more concerned about whether she should return Director Locke’s calls.
While she wrestled with the decision, a knock sounded at the door. Mary Scott reluctantly got up. "Can you check who it is?"
"Sure." Mia Anderson waited for Mary Scott to tidy herself up a bit and then opened the door. To her surprise, the program’s director was standing there. She quickly invited him inside.
Director Baker held a contract in his hands and smiled warmly at the pale-faced Mary Scott. "Miss Scott, here’s the contract. If there are no issues, please go ahead and sign it."
Mary Scott guessed he was here about the Raspberry Snacks endorsement. However, she hadn’t expected him to come straight to the point with no pretense. He really wanted her to sign this.
Taking the contract, Mary Scott hesitated. "Director Baker, I’m still under Starlight Entertainment’s management. Signing something directly might not be appropriate, right?"
"You must’ve forgotten the supplementary clause in your variety show contract. Any brand endorsement that comes through our program is independent of Starlight Entertainment—they don’t get a cut. Of course, the endorsement fees aren’t particularly high. Did you think your appearance fee of 18 million for this show came free?" Director Baker said pointedly.
"Wha... what?" Mary Scott’s mouth hung open, her face filled with disbelief. Her fee for this variety show was 18 million?
"Not happy with it?" Director Baker assumed she was discontent with how low the endorsement pay was.
Mary Scott quickly shook her head. "Of course not! Getting an endorsement from Raspberry Snacks is a huge opportunity for someone at my level. How could I possibly be unhappy? But once the show airs, Director, I hope you’ll go easy on me!"
"You already threatened me using Director Locke. Could I dare not go easy on you? Don’t worry." Director Baker didn’t hold her in favor just because of Locke. He genuinely found her likable. Duke Blue, on the other hand, had been grating on people’s nerves.
Mary Scott heard his reply and recalled what she’d said earlier during the recording. She forced out a few awkward laughs, realizing she’d just pulled a classic case of borrowing someone else’s authority.
"Alright, once you’ve signed the contract, send it to my room later," Director Baker added before leaving.
After he left, Mary Scott eagerly opened the contract. Compared to the LG Sportswear ad she’d secured through David Locke’s connections, the Raspberry Snacks endorsement felt like something she actually earned herself. And best of all, she didn’t have to split it with Starlight Entertainment. She was ecstatic.
However, Mia Anderson looked gloomy. "Sis, the company skims off your event earnings. According to the contract, they underpaid you by over a million."
Mary Scott nodded. "I know. But do you think confronting Jocelyn Spencer now would do any good?"
Mia Anderson shook her head.
"Exactly. Instead of dwelling on what can’t be changed, it’s better to focus on the resources at hand. Besides, one day I’ll make them pay for what they’ve done." Speaking about Starlight, Mary Scott’s brows knitted together tightly. Over the years, her resilience and principles had been her saving grace; otherwise, she might’ve already been reduced to one of Starlight’s pawns used to appease capital interests.
"Mm." Mia Anderson, having been through all of this with Mary Scott, knew all too well how hard her survival had been. Despite her indignation, she could only nod apathetically.
Mary Scott didn’t say anything else, turning her focus to the contract. Once she finished reading it, her expression turned strange. It appeared that Director Baker wasn’t wrong about the fee not being high. She’d expected just a few thousand, or maybe tens of thousands, but the endorsement was actually worth 1.6 million. Was the industry’s money really this easy now?
Mia Anderson noticed Mary Scott had been staring at the contract in silence for a while, worried something was wrong. She leaned over, asking, "Mary, is there a problem with the contract?"
Mary Scott raised her chin with a bold flair, exuding the attitude of a sudden nouveau riche. "For your year-end bonus, I’ll add an extra ten percent."
Mia Anderson glanced at the contract, her eyes lighting up. "Is this for real, Mary?"
"Should be." Mary Scott’s mood lifted tremendously. Suddenly, all the online hate aimed at her felt trivial. They could curse her all they wanted—so long as it didn’t affect her cash flow!
After confirming the contract again thoroughly, Mary Scott signed her name. She then changed into a fresh outfit and prepared to hand the contract to the director. However, Mia Anderson received an emergency call from home, leaving Mary Scott to go alone.
Meanwhile, Duke Blue had finished bathing and ordered room service from the hotel. He sent his assistant to knock on Mary Scott’s door, but after a long wait with no sign of her, he was displeased and had his assistant relay the news.
Thinking Mary Scott was deliberately playing hard to get, he decided to knock on her door himself. Although today was only the first day of filming, if he could lock things down with Mary Scott now, his standing with Charlotte Leigh would be even greater. Especially since Charlotte Leigh had spent money on his trending topic today—it was time for him to return the favor by accelerating his plans with Mary Scott.
But after Duke Blue knocked relentlessly and even announced his name, there was still no response. His expression darkened, and he glanced sideways at Ace.
Ace quickly explained, "Young Master Duke, I really saw her come to this floor. Could she be asleep already?"
Duke Blue said nothing, his displeasure apparent as he prepared to leave. Just as he turned around, he spotted a familiar silhouette pushing open the fire escape door and heading downstairs. It was none other than Mary Scott herself.
"Is that Mary Scott?" Ace noticed too.
Duke Blue nodded, and at the same time, began striding towards the direction Mary Scott had gone. Ace thought for a moment before activating his phone’s recording function.
In no time, the two began tailing Mary Scott quietly.
The production crew’s floor was below the guest floor. Mary Scott felt it would be less troublesome to just take the stairs, so she quickly went straight to the director’s room and knocked on the door. frёewebηovel.cѳm
The person who answered was Assistant Director Ernest, who appeared slightly embarrassed when he saw how fast Mary Scott had arrived.
Mary Scott didn’t think much of it and stepped inside, asking, "Is Director Baker not here?"
"He is."
The assistant director replied awkwardly. Mary Scott sniffed the air. "What’s that smell?"
She stepped past him, continuing further in, and then spotted about seven to eight people from the production team, with Director Baker at the hotel kitchenette inside his room, wearing an apron and grilling meat.
What he was grilling wasn’t just any meat—it was the fish they had worked hard to catch that day.
The other crew members each had skewers in hand and were eating enthusiastically. When they saw Mary Scott come in, they quickly hid their skewer sticks behind their backs. Mary Scott stared at them, speechless.
Mary Scott pulled out her phone with efficient precision and began recording video. "Alright, let’s make a deal. Either feed me too, or I send this video to everyone else!"
The group: "..." Sneaky!
Director Baker resignedly waved her off. "Fine, hand the documents to Perkin and sit down to eat some grilled fish."
Mary Scott happily handed files over to the assistant director and immediately joined the group, making herself comfortable at the center. Without hesitation, she snapped apart a pair of chopsticks and grabbed a piece of fish. It was cooked to perfection, spicy and tender—several hundred times better than what Zoe Thatcher and James Jerome had made earlier. Her upset stomach from earlier was instantly soothed. Delighted, she dug in even more enthusiastically.
At first, the group presumed a celebrity like her wouldn’t eat much. Although she’d caught them red-handed, they didn’t take her seriously. But as Mary Scott ate more and more, the others finally sensed danger and began scrambling for meat alongside her, creating a lively commotion in the room.
By the end, the group even pulled Mary Scott into their foodie chat group.
It was hilariously entertaining.
Outside in the hallway, Duke Blue and Ace watched Mary Scott enter the director’s room. Glancing at each other, they continued hiding in a corner while filming. Ace, who understood showbiz rules all too well, filmed the hallway clock on the wall of the hotel for added detail. The two waited silently—for an hour.
When Mary Scott finally emerged, her face was flushed, and she was holding a bag in her hands. She looked decidedly suspicious.
Ace whispered to Duke Blue, "Doesn’t this practically scream that something happened? Tsk, I didn’t expect Mary Scott to be like this. She’s basically cuckolding Director Locke with that director!"
Duke Blue’s facial expression turned sour. This was the woman he had his sights set on, yet instead of paying him any attention, she had gone to Director Baker’s room late at night. Watching her step out, face red and carrying a bag, he felt furious. Still, he realized he had everything Charlotte Leigh needed.
"Make sure her face is captured clearly," Duke Blue reminded coldly.
Ace nodded. "Don’t worry."
Only when Mary Scott disappeared down the stairwell did they finally emerge from hiding.
Unaware, Mary Scott joyfully carried the bag of meat she’d swindled from Director Baker back to Mia Anderson’s room.
Mia Anderson was surprised that Director Baker was such a talented cook. As she munched on grilled fish, she couldn’t resist snapping a photo to share online.
In the midst of all this, Mary Scott completely forgot about returning David Locke’s call.
Thanks to the day’s live broadcast, "Detectives and Wilderness" didn’t need to pay for a trending topic that evening—the program climbed the ranks on its own.
Many viewers who had tuned into the broadcast started to change their minds about Mary Scott. However, most online commenters hadn’t watched the show or held prior prejudice against her, so they didn’t care about her performance on the show. Pushed by Duke Blue’s fans, they continued bashing Mary Scott, with some even outright demanding her departure to avoid dragging Duke Blue down.
As the show’s traffic star, Duke Blue stirred up considerable discussion. Uninformed people got swayed, and soon calls for Mary Scott’s withdrawal became widespread.
The program gained considerable popularity before it had even aired, its buzz constantly increasing.
Charlotte Leigh scrolled through the online discourse with a grim face. Although most of it painted Mary Scott unfavorably, this industry wasn’t exactly discerning. Regardless of whether someone was genuinely popular or infamous, as long as they generated heat, they attracted traffic and resources. She didn’t want Mary Scott’s negative press to lead to widespread fame, so she hurried to consult Duke Blue for solutions.
Unexpectedly, Duke Blue sent her a video outright.
Charlotte Leigh, puzzled, opened the video. At first, she saw nothing significant and was about to ask when Mary Scott appeared onscreen. Her brows furrowed as she watched, and then Mary Scott entered a room. Fast-forwarding, Charlotte Leigh eventually saw Mary Scott leaving that room, her face flushed. She sent a question mark back to Duke Blue.
Duke Blue sneered, holding down the voice chat button. "She went into Director Baker’s room."
Charlotte Leigh straightened up abruptly. "Are you sure?"
"I filmed it myself. Why do you think so? She was in there for an hour and eight minutes. What could a man and woman possibly do alone in a room for over an hour? Certainly not running lines for a drama script—’Detectives and Wilderness’ is a reality show." Duke Blue didn’t forget to add a layer of envy and contempt. "Who knew Director Baker seemed so frail but had decent stamina."
Charlotte Leigh no longer focused on Duke Blue’s ramblings. She understood one thing clearly: Mary Scott was doomed!
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