Chapter 152: On-Set Accident (Part 2)

[Chapter 152: On-Set Accident (Part 2)]

The face of the supporting actress was injured, and the set needed to be cleaned up again.

The director had no choice but to pause the shoot, sending Amanda to the makeup room to manage the cleanup while contemplating what to do next.

"Honestly, we might have to shoot something else first," one of the assistant directors suggested.

The production manager exclaimed, "That's impossible! Everything is set up already, and now it's all going to be thrown into disarray. I can't reorganize everything!"

"Right now, that's the only option!" the cinematographer shouted. "Or we'll have to rewrite the script."

Nancy Meyers was furious; she was the writer. She yelled, "Don't put it all on the screenwriter!"

Director Nancy Meyers felt overwhelmed. For a director, aside from making a film, managing various accidents on set was a necessary skill, and clearly, Nancy lacked experience in this area.

At that moment, she resolutely declared, "I can't wait that long; just cover it up with makeup!"

The makeup artist recoiled, "That could lead to an infection!"

Nancy Meyers shouted back, "At least she won't die, right?"

...

Hearing the director's outburst, Amanda became frightened.

"Damn Nancy Meyers, she actually wants to use makeup to cover the injury on my face."

She completely disregarded her health.

If the wound got infected, her face would be ruined.

But what could she do?

She hadn't made a name for herself yet!

If she went against the director, her future would be destroyed too.

...

Just then, a melodious male voice suddenly spoke from behind Amanda, "You look like you're in a bit of trouble."

Amanda turned around in shock, recognizing the familiar face of Ian Carr. "Ian Carr?"

"Shh!" Ian said, peering out with a smile. "Your director clearly doesn't care about your health. If the feminist groups find out -- well, she's a female director, but human rights and the actors' union will have to step in."

Amanda was taken aback.

Though it was the first time she met Ian, she knew exactly who he was.

Oh my God!

How did he get in here?

How did he know about this?

If word got out, it would cause a huge uproar.

Amanda quickly replied, "Don't say anything, Ian. You'll ruin me!"

She grabbed Ian's arm, looking at him with evident desperation.

Ian diverted his gaze back to Amanda. "You don't want me to help you?"

Amanda sighed.

Of course, she wanted help -- but not like this.

Ian understood her expression.

He smiled, "Don't worry, filming will continue, and you won't have to risk ruining your face... as long as you cooperate a bit."

"How do I cooperate?" Amanda blurted.

Ian chuckled, casually pulling out a finely crafted windproof lighter and tossing it out.

The lighter landed on a piece of curtain fabric, igniting into flames.

"Oh my God!" Amanda gasped.

Ian held Amanda's shoulder, "Scream, just don't say my name."

As he pushed her towards the door.

...

Amanda, in a state of panic, shouted, "Fire!"

The set erupted into action as everyone rushed toward the makeup room.

Seeing the flames, Nancy Meyers nearly lost her mind, directing everyone to put it out. She yelled at Amanda, "How did this fire start?"

For a moment, Amanda almost revealed Ian's name.

But remembering Ian's confident smile and Nancy's reckless attitude towards her safety, she gently shook her head, "I don't know."

As she turned to look, she noticed Ian Carr had already vanished.

Like a ghost!

The crew members were hurriedly bringing fire extinguishers to spray white foam onto the set.

Fortunately, the flames weren't too large, nor were they burning anything crucial.

...

The fire was quickly extinguished, but at that moment, one of the cameramen shouted, "The storage card! Oh no!"

Nancy Meyers rushed over, "What now?"

The cameraman looked pale, "We lost a storage card!"

Nancy's vision went dark.

Losing the storage card meant that many of the shots they had filmed were gone.

Even if it was just one card, it was a huge loss.

"Get looking!" she screamed hysterically.

As the screenwriter, director, and producer of the film, in other words, all the power -- and all the responsibility -- were in her hands.

There was no one to blame!

Only Amanda understood.

It was Ian Carr!

But she didn't understand why he would do this.

...

The series of accidents ensured that filming couldn't proceed tonight.

Nancy had no choice but to instruct everyone to return and rest for now, leaving only a few to continue searching for the storage card.

Amanda, fearing Nancy would push to keep filming, left the set early and went to her car.

Once inside, Amanda looked around but didn't spot Ian, feeling a strange sense of loss.

...

As she started the car, Amanda saw someone slowly sitting up in the back seat.

"Ian Carr?" Amanda exclaimed.

Ian smiled at her, "Hope you don't mind me hitching a ride."

Amanda stared at him, and after a moment said, "You better lie down, don't let the security see you."

She then drove out.

...

The car quickly left Columbia Pictures, heading towards a nearby hotel for crew members.

Ian sat back up, fiddling with the equipment in his hands.

Through the rearview mirror, Amanda watched him, "I don't understand why you're doing this."

Ian casually replied, "Sony crossed me. They lost a bet but didn't want to honor it, so I had to teach them a lesson. Columbia is a subsidiary of Sony, attacking Columbia is like attacking Sony."

Amanda looked a bit sad, "So you'll let this movie fail?"

"No, that's unnecessary; that would ruin many innocent jobs." Ian said with a smile, "What I need is news -- good news."

As he spoke, Ian handed Amanda the storage card, "This is for you. If they lose this, they have to rearrange everything and can't start shooting for a while. By tomorrow, your wound will be mostly healed, and covering it will no longer be an issue. Your safety can be ensured."

Amanda was puzzled, "How did you do all this under the cameraman's nose?"

Ian replied, "That's not important. What matters is creating a good story out of a major event... the true value of this lies in Nancy Meyers' complete disregard for the actors' health, risking your face for the sake of shooting. That creates a story! And with the added fire incident and the lost storage card, it'll be even juicier. Complex stories are always better than simple ones, right? If you stand up to accuse Nancy, it'll have an even greater impact."

Amanda was stunned.

You actually want me to accuse her in public?

Just to amplify your story?

At that moment, Amanda fully understood why Ian Carr always churned out hits.

He was in the trenches, writing the narrative himself!

He could manufacture news, change ordinary stories into compelling headlines!

He even thought about dragging her down with him!

A madman!

He was truly a madman!

Amanda shook her head, "No! Ian Carr, I won't do that."

Accusing a director publicly was a serious matter; it would easily make all directors resent such actors, and her career would be completely ruined.

Ian chuckled lightly, "You don't need to worry about that. With me protecting you, no one can target you."

The Ian Carr of now was no longer the Ian Carr of the Charlie Mills period.

Back then, he managed to persuade Kate, so how much more could he do now?

Amanda understood, "You want me to be your knife? No! I still won't accept that."

Ian wasn't in a hurry; he just looked ahead calmly. "Do you really have to go back to the crew hotel?"

"Why?"

"Maybe we can find a place to have a good chat. I promise you won't be able to film tomorrow... I'll give you an offer you can't refuse!"

Amanda considered it.

After a while, she finally replied, "I know a place where we can grab a drink."

"I have a better place," Ian said with a grin.

Amanda shook her head lightly, "No, Ian, I'm not going to your room."

...

Ten minutes later.

Amanda sat in the news production van, staring blankly at the monitors.

They showed various crew members, all actors from the set, but one room's monitor was empty... that was her room.

'Ian Carr! Are you a devil?' she thought.

You actually installed monitors in every crew member's room?

What shocked her further was that she saw Jack Nicholson and Nancy Meyers rolling around in bed together.

Oh my God!

The star and the director together -- it's common but...

She glanced at Ian, who was also smiling at her.

He said, "The last person I watched a live feed with in this van was Kate Beckinsale, and later, she couldn't resist jumping into bed with me. I hope you can hold out better than she did."

"You hope?" Amanda rolled her eyes. "This doesn't require self-control."

Ian laughed, "Even if I don't appear in the car, once you return to your room, you'll call your best friend to vent, right? No one can face this situation without being upset. People always need a channel to vent after major events! You're not doing it on purpose, just a private anger. You're also an innocent victim, and that can relieve some of the pressure on you. At the same time, I'll reward you. Either a film role or money can be yours. After that, you'll find the lost storage card, and that'll be a major contribution to the crew. That way, no one can blame you."

Amanda was once again shocked and fell silent.

So he had prepared everything so thoroughly?

She realized Ian was right.

Normally, when she returned to the hotel, she would definitely call her best girlfriend to complain about this incident, and he could directly eavesdrop to gather all the evidence... thus Amanda's complaints would be unintentionally overheard, not an active smear against the director.

Her faults would be reduced significantly, and everyone would understand Amanda's grievances.

Amanda genuinely admired this man.

He could always do what others couldn't!

She looked at Ian, "Then why did you ask for my consent?"

Ian smiled, "You're a beauty, Amanda. I don't like to hurt beauties; beauties deserve to be cherished."

Amanda understood the meaning behind his words.

She scoffed, "Better to say you like killing two birds with one stone."

You got the news, took down Sony, and on top of that, won the heart of a beauty.

Ian nodded lightly, "An excellent businessman always seeks high returns on their investments."

As he spoke, he lifted Amanda's chin, "I'm used to hitting multiple targets... Time is precious and opportunities are rare. A protector of flowers has rights to enjoy their fragrance, right?"

Amanda nibbled her lip and looked at him, the momentary moistness enveloping her being.

*****

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