Eileen hadn’t hit up Egbert before because she knew he was still busy filming Eyes on the Rendezvous. Even though she had wrapped up filming, Egbert hadn't yet.
Eileen sent another message. [Do you really have time? Will the director let you leave?]
Egbert replied. [Uh-huh.]
Just as Eileen was about to say something else, another message came from Egbert's end. [Working on set. Chat later.]
After that, Egbert disappeared.
In the group chat, Phyllis suddenly blurted. [Which director? Not Galen, right?]
Bblythe responded. [Your news is super outdated. Everyone in the circle knows, Egbert took the new flick by Galen, and Eileen starred in that movie too.]
Phyllis. [Wow! That's incredible! Eileen, you starred in Galen's movie!]
Eileen frowned, asked. [What have you been up to?]
Phyllis. [Been in court. I'm so out of the loop, I know nothing.]
Eileen. [Short of evidence?]
Phyllis. [Plenty of evidence, but it's complex. With the scheduling, waiting for trial and all, lots of red tape, probably gonna drag on for half a year or so.]
Before the case was closed, Phyllis couldn’t join any events.
PrismPulse Entertainment and Kenley were having a rough time too. Over the last few months, Kenley, once lauded as the rising super-star, was almost forgotten. PrismPulse Entertainment, due to the lawsuit, had many of its artists affected with resource issues.
Seeing that Phyllis was relatively upbeat, Eileen decided not to say more.
After chatting with Bblythe and Phyllis for a bit, Eileen put down her phone and went to check on the contestants. The first stage performance just ended today, so they wouldn't be actually training for anything.
The dance and music teachers showed the eliminated contestants the dance video for the next stage performance, distributed the lyrics to them, and then everyone was dismissed to rest.
Eileen left with them. The four girls were too shy to talk to Eileen.
Karin walked over to Eileen, clutching her clothes, as if wanting to say something but too afraid to speak.
Eileen noticed and turned to look at her. "What's up?"
Karin's cheeks instantly turned red. She lowered her head and whispered, "Thank you for choosing me."
Eileen thought the kid was really shy.
She reached out to tousle her short hair. "You're amazing."
Karin's face turned even redder. Even her neck and ears turned red.
Eileen touched her face again, suddenly worried. "Your skin seems pretty thin, and your capillaries dilate too quickly. You blush so easily, is it a genetic condition? Do your family members also have this? Have you seen a doctor?"
Karin was speechless.
The next day, Eileen headed to the training room early.
She thought she was early. But, all five contestants were already there, stretching. Seeing her come in, they stood up straight and respectfully greeted, "Good morning, Ms. Lopez."
Eileen waved them off. "Carry on."
A few minutes later, the dance and music teachers arrived.
After a quick greeting, they started training.
Standing in front of the camera, he smiled at the camera. "Ahead is the practice room for the three teams led by celebrity coaches. The fifteen contestants in the recommended team were all previously eliminated. This is Team Two. This is Team Three. And Team One, that's Eileen's team. Let's start from Team One."
The host walked to the practice room door and peeked through the glass window.
He saw the five contestants rehearsing their dance inside. But the one holding the remote and speaking wasn't the dance teacher, but Eileen herself.
The host looked a bit taken aback. "Ms. Lopez is actually giving personal lessons. Let's hear what she has to say."
The door was cracked open just a smidge.
As the male host was about to joyfully greet the people inside, he heard the indoor noise, originally blocked by the closed door, flooding out like a sudden storm, catching him off guard.
"Wendy, did you mix up your ass and your legs? I asked you to shake your hips, why are your legs trembling like you have polio?
"Lily, how many times have I said it, reach over your shoulder! Why can't you straighten your arm? Need me to saw it off for you? You seem pretty comfortable with it being shorter anyway!"
"Carol, you're always turning left, always left. Can you not tell left from right? What's wrong with your brain?
"Carina, you stepped on someone's foot again! Why do you always do this? Were you a cobbler in your past life?
"And you, Karin, why are you dancing so fast? What are you trying to show off? Just because you're a good dancer, you can ignore your teammates? Who taught you to be such an individualist?"
The host, standing at the door, was listening in fear. His hand was on the classroom door, but he didn't dare to push it open completely.
At that moment, Eileen's irate voice came from inside. "Who's that outside! Peeping in like some creepy ghost! Can't you see we're practicing? Scram!"
The host quickly shut the door.
He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and, with a pale face, said to the camera. "I, we should...go check out...the other teams."
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