Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO

Chapter 348 - 218: Recording Encounter, Isabella Hart Joins the Variety Show [Third Update]_2

Nora Scott: "..."

This goofy demeanor is exactly the same as online.

Shaking her head, Nora walked to the lobby to meet Katherine Collins and the actor she mentioned.

Indeed, she didn’t bring an umbrella, but Katherine is meticulous and had already prepared one.

Katherine stood near the entrance with two umbrellas and waved at Nora with a smile when she saw her approach.

Beside her stood a young man, probably in his twenties, likely a college student. He looked decent but had a bit of a hesitant demeanor, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Is he the actor you mentioned?"

Nora approached and took the umbrella Katherine handed over, glancing at the young man.

"Yes." Katherine explained, "His name is José, a student of Noah Ford, and he’s in his third year."

"Hello, I’m Nora Scott."

Wanting to break the ice with the student she would be acting alongside, Nora took the initiative to greet him.

"Hello."

José quickly returned the greeting, but his eyes barely dared to settle on Nora, his ears turning entirely red at some point.

Unconsciously, Katherine and Nora exchanged a glance and, in tacit agreement, shifted their gazes away.

The three of them opened their umbrellas and walked out of the hotel.

"Where to eat?"

Only after walking some distance did Nora remember to ask.

"There’s a place nearby that sells biángbiáng noodles; it’s said to be really good..." Katherine suggested, leaving room for discussion as she gently inquired, "Is that alright?"

"No problem." Nora responded indifferently.

"I don’t mind either."

José promptly added his opinion.

"Alright then."

Katherine smiled and led the way.

Meanwhile—

On the third floor, in a certain room, at a closed balcony.

The balcony window was open. Luna Durant stood near it, enjoying the cool breeze, arms crossed with a frustrated expression.

"Did you find out why she’s here?"

Luna asked irritably without turning around.

The assistant, her head lowered, replied timidly, "I inquired, Katherine Collins is here to shoot a documentary. It’s said to be themed around puppet shows."

"A documentary?"

Luna frowned deeply.

These low-brow actresses lately are really getting more excited each day.

Nora Scott, for instance, has no works and no fame. Luna hadn’t even heard of her before she clung to her. It’s rumored Nora recently attached herself to a wealthy sponsor, looking to stir up attention and find opportunities to make a comeback.

But this Katherine Collins... she does have some influence.

Trained in performance, she’s quite capable, has acted in dramas and films, with decent reviews, though not all her works were hits. A few years back, when she was popular, some third-rate media considered her a rising star.

Back then, Luna Durant hadn’t become a sensation yet, her acting skills were decent, and the media often compared her with Katherine Collins, fueling underground rivalry.

At that time, Katherine released two works, "Sin" and "Escape," riding high in her career. But she didn’t seize the momentum by accepting new scripts to solidify her popularity. Instead, she gradually shifted to behind-the-scenes roles, occasionally posting short videos to gather online fans differently.

However, within the circle, Katherine Collins was fading away, probably not receiving any scripts anymore.

This was their first encounter.

Unexpectedly, Katherine appeared easygoing at a glance, but was actually stubborn and resolved, not swayed by soft or hard tactics, leaving Luna with nothing but a snub.

"Yes."

The assistant nodded at Luna’s inquiry, hesitating whether to explain more about Katherine’s documentary plans.

However, Luna seemed uninterested, "How many people are in their crew?"

"About ten. The main actors are just three: Katherine, Nora Scott, and a newcomer named José. We couldn’t find any information on him." The assistant continued, "Just the three of them are staying here; the other staff are in nearby hotels."

"Nora Scott is here too?"

Hearing that name, Luna frowned deeply, feeling a massive headache.

Nora Scott = three million.

Three million is not a small amount. Though she could afford it, thinking about how the money was spent—it just infuriated her!

It was a damn waste of money!

"Yes, she’s staying in 506, an adjoining room to Katherine’s."

"Damn."

Luna couldn’t contain her emotion and cursed softly.

Unexpectedly, one after another, these people kept approaching her obliviously...

"Before tonight, deal with that José. Also—"

Slightly pausing, Luna gestured for the assistant to come closer to listen.

*

The place Katherine chose to eat wasn’t spacious, but the decor was quite cozy.

It was not mealtime, and the rain added to the quietness, so when the three entered, the restaurant was deserted, not a single customer.

Each ordered their meal, and as they waited, silence abruptly fell over them, creating a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Eventually, Nora broke the ice by asking, "Weren’t we supposed to discuss the play?"

"Oh."

Katherine blinked, remembering, and hurriedly took her bag, pulling out the printed scripts to hand to the two.

"Both scripts are short and don’t have many lines. You can read them later." Katherine spoke gently, "Let me first tell you a bit about the background—"

Puppet show, also known as marionette theater.

In Buddhist scriptures, specifically in "The Book of Arising" volume three, there’s a record—

In a place called Great Ship Country, the king’s second son named "Crafty" was highly skilled in making mechanical puppets. It’s said, "Crafty had skills and could achieve many feats. The puppets he made resembled humans. They move and bend, bringing joy to the viewers. All admired his work, and his techniques could indeed be trusted."

Later, Crafty went to Yingshiel and made a mechanical puppet for the King there, deceitfully claiming it was his son. The puppet’s actions were indistinguishable from a living person. The King requested a performance for him and his wife to enjoy, but after the show, Crafty flirted with the queen.

The King was enraged and wanted to execute him, but Crafty, a drama king, pleaded for mercy. The King wouldn’t relent.

Eventually, Crafty removed the top plug on the puppet’s shoulder, and its mechanical parts scattered everywhere, astonishing the people to realize it was indeed a puppet.

The script Katherine handed them was an adaptation of this story.

Nora would play the "Queen," José would play "Crafty," and the actor for the "King" would arrive the next day.

Katherine would guest-star, stepping into roles as needed.

After Katherine finished introducing the characters, Nora still hadn’t grasped the essence of her role.

After a long while, she asked, "What’s the definition of my role?"

"Just to be beautiful and flirted with."

Katherine innocently blinked and replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.

Nora: ???

With her face, does she even need to act?

Beside her, José also seemed puzzled by the response. He glanced at Nora’s stunning beauty and quickly lowered his head again.

Some people are just too beautiful to look at directly.

Seeing Nora’s speechless expression, Katherine burst out laughing.

"You still have to act. As a queen, your demeanor should be different from your usual self... I’ll talk to you more about it tonight."

"...oh."

At least it wasn’t dismissive.

The food they ordered gradually came out one after the other.

At this moment—

New customers entered.

"Hmm, I’m here to participate in ’Searching for the City’s Secret,’ as a special guest. ... Yeah, we gathered in Anchel last night, with Clement Winter, Luna Durant, and others; met them all. ... Debut? No way, my focus is still on comics. ... I’ll bring you a signed copy when we meet in a few days, whose do you want?..."

Though modest and friendly, the pride and pride in the voice couldn’t be hidden.

The voice sounded quite familiar...

Nora, having just picked up her chopsticks, looked towards the sound.

The woman on the phone also happened to look over.

Their eyes met.

It was Isabella Hart.