Chapter 261: So You Want the Film Crew to Fire You?

Since the pay was good, Jane Lancaster reluctantly agreed.

Julian Lancaster must have spoken with Adrian Lancaster’s agent beforehand because she was waved right through when she arrived.

Adrian Lancaster was still filming. His agent told her she could wait in his RV, so she headed straight for it.

"Hey, wait a second. Who are you? You can’t just go walking into someone’s RV," a voice called out from behind her.

Jane Lancaster turned around to see a man in a costume headpiece standing there, watching her warily.

The man froze for a second when he saw Jane Lancaster’s face, then his eyes filled with intense hostility. "Are you a new actress?"

After all, with a face like that, she had to be an actress.

But he didn’t recognize her face. She was probably a rookie.

Jane Lancaster asked, "And who are you?"

’Judging by the headpiece and costume, he must be one of the actors,’ she noted. ’But there seems to be a handprint on his face, and the skin on his hand is broken.’

"You don’t know me? I’m Quincy Usher." He paused, then added, "This is Adrian’s RV. I’d advise you not to hang around here, in case the fansite photographers see you. Our Adrian has always maintained a clean image and has never been involved in messy scandals. You’d better not try anything funny."

Jane Lancaster said, "Adrian told me to wait for him in the RV."

Quincy Usher grew agitated. "Impossible! Adrian isn’t that kind of person!"

He moved closer to Jane Lancaster and warned, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You’re just trying to use your looks to get on the casting couch, aren’t you? The whole industry’s reputation gets ruined by women like you! I suggest you focus on honing your acting skills instead of looking for shortcuts. Adrian is not someone you should be setting your sights on!"

Jane Lancaster never thought she’d be on the receiving end of such a sanctimonious lecture.

"You seem to have a deep-seated hatred for the casting couch," she said, getting to the heart of the matter. "But how are you so sure Adrian isn’t like that? He was involved in rumors when he first debuted."

Quincy Usher was unfazed. "You mean Luna Morgan? They’re just friends."

Jane Lancaster asked, "You even know about that?"

"Of course! I’m Adrian’s number one fan!" Quincy Usher declared, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Quincy Usher! Adrian’s looking for you! Stop sulking and hurry up, it’s not that big a deal!" a crew member shouted as they ran over.

Quincy Usher’s eyes lit up. "Coming!"

He shot a final warning at Jane Lancaster. "Get lost, and don’t even think about trying to ride Adrian’s coattails!"

Jane Lancaster considered for a moment. ’Looks like there’s some drama,’ she thought, and decided to follow along to see what was happening.

In the studio’s rest area, Adrian Lancaster was sitting in a chair, surrounded by several crew members.

This show was being filmed with two units, A and B, shooting simultaneously. The A-unit, led by the main director, was responsible for scenes with the male and female leads and other principal actors. The assistant director handled the B-unit, which focused on the supporting cast.

There had been a problem with today’s shoot, causing the B-unit’s progress to stall.

"Director, Adrian, Quincy Usher smashed a prop and then disappeared without a word. We can’t find him anywhere!" the B-unit crew member blurted out as soon as he arrived.

Quincy Usher walked in just in time to hear this and retorted angrily, "Oh, really? The guilty party is pointing the finger first! Good thing I already messaged Adrian and told him everything that happened, otherwise you’d have me completely framed, wouldn’t you?"

Adrian Lancaster looked up. "Where’s Joy Larson?"

Jane Lancaster walked in. "Luna’s here too?"

The agent explained, "Not Miss Morgan. It’s another actress, named Joy Larson."

He pulled Jane Lancaster aside to explain.

While this Joy Larson’s name was pronounced the same as Luna Morgan’s, her professionalism was a world apart.

She had been on a show with Adrian Lancaster before and was quite scheming. When she heard Adrian mention "Luna," she intentionally misled fans into thinking he was talking about her. Her desire to generate buzz for herself was obvious.

Adrian had been ignoring her during this current collaboration, but trouble had still managed to break out.

Quincy Usher, whom Adrian Lancaster had recommended for the role of the third male lead, had many scenes with Joy Larson, the third female lead.

Filming had only started a few days ago, but Joy Larson was already showing up late, changing her scenes, and being picky about her costumes and styling—all sorts of diva behavior from a minor actress that was delaying production.

Ultimately, because her own performance lacked intensity, she was upstaged by Quincy Usher and, in a fit of rage and embarrassment, slapped him.

Quincy Usher had put up with it for days, but this was the final straw. He smashed a prop, declared he was quitting, and that he wouldn’t take this kind of crap anymore.

...

Just as the agent finished his brief explanation, an actress walked in.

Joy Larson not only had a similar-sounding name to Luna Morgan, but she even looked a bit like her, with a delicate, innocent-flower sort of vibe.

But unlike Luna Morgan’s unyielding spirit and resilience, Joy Larson, despite having a face with a passing resemblance, was thoroughly worldly and calculating.

"Hello, Director! Hello, Adrian!" She walked in with a smile, greeting everyone one by one, looking nothing like someone who had just been in a heated argument with Quincy Usher.

The director glanced at Adrian Lancaster before speaking. "You know why we asked you to come, don’t you?"

Joy Larson hesitated for a moment. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have impulsively hit someone and delayed the crew’s shooting schedule."

Quincy Usher breathed a sigh of relief. ’Good, she admitted it.’

"So you know you were wrong?" the director said. "Why didn’t you use your head before you hit him? Since that’s the case, you can pay for the damage to the set."

Joy Larson took a deep breath. She had caused the damage, so the request was reasonable. "I can pay for half..."

"No way! You have to pay for all of it! And I want an apology! Who the hell do you think you are? Your acting is unwatchable, and you still have the nerve to act like a diva?" Quincy Usher grew agitated again, his neck turning red. If the people beside him hadn’t been holding him back, he looked ready to lunge at her.

"I said it before! If you’ve got so much pull and a powerful backer, then go ahead and get me kicked off the show!"

"Calm down, calm down," the agent quickly stepped forward to placate him.

Quincy Usher calmed himself a little and said to Adrian Lancaster, "Adrian, I’m sorry, but I really can’t film with her anymore."

Joy Larson watched him warily. "What do you mean by that?"

"If I’m understanding him correctly, he wants the production to fire you, doesn’t he?" Jane Lancaster interjected.

Quincy Usher was displeased. "What’s it got to do with you? Who asked you to butt in?"

Jane Lancaster retorted, "Is that not what you mean? You just want to quit yourself?"

’If that were true, you wouldn’t be making such a fuss.’

Quincy Usher was caught off guard, and his embarrassment turned to anger. "Why should I be the one to leave? I was recommended by Adrian! If anyone’s leaving, it should be her!"

The B-unit crew member grew anxious. "Now you’re going too far! Setting everything else aside, Joy Larson has been cooperative with filming. You’re the one who keeps losing his temper, smashing things, walking off set, and disappearing for an hour without explanation!"

"I admit I smashed something," Quincy Usher said, his tone shifting. "But don’t you dare accuse me of being unprofessional. The reason I walked off was because she was adding her own scenes!"

Adrian Lancaster’s expression darkened. "Adding scenes?"

Joy Larson retorted, "You were the one trying to add scenes!"

Quincy Usher sneered, took out his phone, and pulled up a photo from his album.

"I knew you’d say that," he said. "You came out of the assistant director’s room in the middle of the night yesterday. You must’ve kept him real happy, huh?"

The room erupted in an uproar. Was he publicly accusing the assistant director and Joy Larson of sleeping together for career favors?