Super Spender

Chapter 362: 356: Courting Death (Part I)

“Director Nolan, is it possible to skip this shot?” asked Kay Lee, feeling torn.

“No,” said the bearded director shaking his head decisively, “Miss Lee, pardon my straightforwardness, but as an established celebrity, are you saying you can’t handle even this kind of act during shooting? If you can’t manage this, how will you shoot films or TV shows?”

Nolan wore an expression of disbelief. It was not unusual for him to think this way, because acting, especially in Floral Village, often required real people for intimate scenes. This was considered normal for them. For instance, the director of the Resident Evil film was actually married to the actress who played Alice.

Nonetheless, he still directed scenes where he had to watch his wife getting intimate with other people. Therefore, Kay not accepting a kissing scene was something Nolan could understand. However, her inability to accept even this minor level of contact was hard for him to comprehend.

Kay was conflicted. She knew what the director said was right, but for some reason, while she was single, she had no issue performing such scenes. Now, however, she balked, worried that Finn Lewis would be uncomfortable seeing it.

“I think this ad can work without that particular shot.” said Kay quickly.

Nolan was somewhat speechless. A while later, with a resigned tone he said, “Miss Lee, this minor intimate act is hardly anything to worry about. Even if you’re worried about your boyfriend’s opinion, I think he will understand. We can find ways around a kissing scene, but there’s really no workaround for this.”

Elias, standing not far away, looked on with a cold eye. He felt extremely irritated. As a world-class football star collaborating with Kay, a celebrity who he considered barely third-rate, he felt he was being generous. After all, how many lesser-known actresses in Floral Village were dying to associate with him?

But this woman, she was so elusive even about a mere kiss. Even though Elias had ulterior motives; as an Agerian with half Asnaland heritage, he tended to gravitate towards Asnaland beauties. And undoubtedly, Kay was a top-level beauty. Sharing an intimate scene with such a woman was an enticing prospect.

When he found out he would be shooting an ad with Kay, Elias thought of countless ways to win her over. Moreover, he had absolute confidence in himself. As a core midfielder for Royal Madrid with a market value of 35 million Southern Federation currency units and a staggering annual salary, why would he not be confident? It wasn’t as if he was a Ronald Rodger-like ugly fellow. He was pretty handsome himself.

But who would have thought that he would be subjected to such an insult? At least that was how Elias saw it.

“Kay, don’t you think you’re overreacting? Such a minor act doesn’t amount to much, does it? There are far more provocative scenes in films.” Sarah Wood, who was standing nearby, spoke softly, trying to persuade Kay. Sarah knew exactly what was on Kay’s mind but felt that she was taking things too far.

“Director Nolan, if we can’t continue shooting, then I refuse to proceed with this ad. My time is valuable, and I don’t want to waste it on situations like this.” Elias voiced his frustrations bluntly. He wasn’t pleased either, having to squeeze out time from his busy schedule to shoot the ad. The shooting hadn’t progressed well due to disagreements over several scenes, which took up an entire day. If it carried on at this pace, they would have to wrap up for the day and shoot the next day.

“Miss Lee, what do you think if we do all our preparations in advance and get it done in one go?” Nolan asked tentatively. If Kay had been any other actress, he would have shouted at her. Even with prime actresses from Floral Village, he wouldn’t tolerate such fuss. But Owen Things Cola had made it very clear. They were to accommodate this actress at all costs—whether that meant making additional investment or increasing his salary.

Such demands from Owen Things Cola were indeed peculiar, but Nolan’s investigation hadn’t revealed any substantial information. So he was left wondering about the high standards set by Owen Things Cola. Nevertheless, as Owen Things Cola promised him his salary could be increased if it meant accommodating Kay’s needs, Nolan didn’t mind.

That’s why Nolan was willing to take extra care of Kay, but if even this kind of action was not acceptable, how could they continue with the ad?

“Alright,” Kay agreed. Indeed, if she couldn’t handle even this level of acting, she could forget about starring in films in the future.

Seeing Kay agreeing, although still with some difficulty, Nolan thought about Owen Things Cola’s requests and decided to give in, “Alright, Miss Lee, let’s make a compromise. His hands won’t go to your lower abdomen, but will only touch the sides of your waist over your shirt, would that work?”

“Alright,” Kay nodded and agreed concisely. Her reason for refusing the initial move was because she was wearing a white shirt, the bottom of which was tucked up—her lower abdomen was exposed. If his hands went there, they would be directly touching her skin.

“Let’s do it that way then.” said Nolan, promptly issuing his directions.

Meanwhile, Finn Lewis, who was just outside the shooting area, received a report from Will. As soon as Finn showed up, he noticed Kay arguing with someone and asked Will to find out what was going on. After learning about the situation, Finn deliberately slowed down his pace and hid behind the equipment truck of the production crew, afraid of distracting Kay.

As for this contact, Finn felt it was fine. Such actions were inevitable, whether on the big screen or the small one. However, he would prefer Kay not to do a kissing scene.