Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Joanna Kennedy was still in a daze while her manager started going over the precautions for the film festival red carpet.

”You’ll arrive with the film crew. You’re the second female lead, so you need to stay behind the lead actress. Do not, under any circumstances, walk ahead of her,” her manager stressed. ”When you’re walking the carpet and posing for photos, don’t linger for too long. Even if a photographer asks you to stop, don’t. Just keep moving forward.”

The advice might have sounded strange, but Joanna Kennedy knew Walter Young genuinely had her best interests at heart.

In her previous life, she hadn’t been famous at first, so her manager hadn’t paid her much mind. The first time she walked a red carpet, no one had given her any pointers.

When she heard the photographers in the crowd calling out enthusiastically, she instinctively paused for a few seconds. The moment the livestream hit the internet, she was completely torn apart by netizens.

Accusations of ”deliberately stealing the spotlight,” ”shamelessly lingering on the red carpet,” and being a ”scheming woman desperate to get famous” came flying at her from all directions.

She was devastated for a while, but it was true that she gained a sort of notorious fame from it, which led to more opportunities. However, those vicious labels never left her.

Joanna Kennedy felt lucky to have a responsible manager like Walter Young, even though she could now navigate the rules of the entertainment industry with ease.

”Okay, Walter, I’ve got it all down,” Joanna Kennedy said with a smile. ”When do we leave?”

”The afternoon after next. I’ll have Julie pick you up. Don’t stay up late for the next two days, use a few face masks, and make sure you’re in top form.”

He added a few more instructions:

don’t lose the jewelry, as it would be costly to replace; let him know in advance if the gown didn’t fit or if it clashed with a similar style, since they had backups; and so on. Only then did he hang up.

The gown needed to be tried on in advance. Julie brought it to the villa and helped her into it. It was a strapless, moonlight-white gown with a delicate layer of gossamer at the waist. Joanna Kennedy had fair skin, and the color of the gown shimmered under the sun, giving her an even more radiant, luminous glow.

The stylist paired it with a black silk flower, meant to be tied to the back of her hand to cover her wound.

Serena Sutton hadn’t held back, and the cut was deep. Even now, Joanna Kennedy felt a sharp pang of pain from it.

”How’s this? Does it hurt?” Julie asked, carefully adjusting the angle of the silk flower.

Joanna Kennedy grimaced. ”A little, but I can bear it!”

Seeing her martyred expression, the tension in Julie’s chest instantly dissipated. She rolled her eyes. ”Then you’ll just have to bear it.”

’Fine, fine. The love is gone.’ Joanna Kennedy sighed, feigning heartbreak.

The film crew had booked business class tickets, but the seats weren’t adjacent. After boarding, Joanna Kennedy was surprised to discover Shirley Shepherd sitting behind her.

Joanna Kennedy wore a mask, revealing only her signature almond-shaped eyes. Shirley Shepherd recognized her and sounded pleasantly surprised. ”You’re going to the red carpet too?”

Before Joanna could answer, Shirley Shepherd realized. ”Oh, right. I just saw Owen Jennings. You two are from the same film crew...”

Someone glanced in their direction.

Joanna Kennedy gestured to her own seat before sitting down.

After deplaning, they took the VIP channel and proceeded without any interruptions.

Shirley Shepherd complained, ”This is great! Now I have someone to hang out with. You have no idea how boring and exhausting the film festival red carpet is. If it weren’t for the high visibility, I wouldn’t bother coming.”

Wearing an uncomfortable gown and teetering on high heels, all while having to maintain elegant posture and perfect facial control, was more nerve-wracking than filming.

Shirley Shepherd chattered on for a bit, but when she heard no response, she trailed off and turned to look quizzically at the silent woman beside her.

Joanna Kennedy seemed lost in thought, a bit absent-minded. She kept glancing at her phone, a displeased look on her face.

Shirley Shepherd’s eyes twinkled as she suddenly leaned in close and whispered, ”Waiting for a message from someone?”

!

The voice, right by her ear, made Joanna Kennedy jump. She instinctively flipped her phone over and said calmly, ”No one. I was just checking the trending topics. Looks like some celebrity got mobbed by fans. Good thing we took the VIP channel.”

’She silently praised her own quick thinking.’

It was hard to tell if Shirley Shepherd believed her, but her gaze grew knowing. Joanna Kennedy coughed twice and quickly changed the subject. ”It’s pretty cold here, huh? I hope the red carpet is indoors tomorrow.”

”Fat chance. There’s no way they could fit it all indoors,” Shirley Shepherd replied with a helpless shrug.

When they arrived at the hotel booked by the production, Julie helped unpack while Walter Young went to discuss the final details for the next day’s red carpet with the rest of the crew.

Joanna Kennedy flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, an inexplicable frustration welling up inside her.

’I wonder what Simon Lockwood is doing... Does he know I’m in Dresland, too?’

Joanna Kennedy hadn’t told Simon Lockwood she was coming to Dresland for the film festival. It was his own fault. He always took forever to reply, and when he did, it was just a few short, lukewarm words.

The thought made her even more frustrated, and she found herself regretting that she’d let Charles Jennings off so easily.

*

「Autumn in Berlyn.」

The roadside maples were turning yellow. A few leaves drifted lazily down, and the wind carried them to the windowsill.

The man’s gaze was lowered. He glanced at the leaves impassively, then looked up. ”How much longer will it take?”

”A year?” Kenley Kim offered tentatively. But when he met the man’s sharp, icy gaze, he quickly changed his answer. ”One month.”

Simon Lockwood spoke slowly. ”Seven days.”

Kenley Kim: ”...”

Kenley Kim: ”!!!”

”God, just kill me now!” he exclaimed, completely breaking down.

Simon Lockwood’s expression remained unchanged.

Kenley Kim tried to reason with him. ”I honestly have no idea if this drug will even work for you. You know as well as I do that this kind of medication—one that interferes with the nervous system—is still in the developmental stage. It hasn’t been released to the market. Nobody knows what the side effects are!”

All new pharmaceuticals have to go through multiple rounds of trials and gradual improvements to minimize side effects before they can be released to the market.

But he truly didn’t dare provide the drug Simon Lockwood was asking for. Who knew what would happen after taking it? Saying ”one month” was just a stalling tactic.

”...Besides, you seem perfectly fine as you are now.” Kenley Kim ran a frustrated hand through his blond hair. ”This emotional numbness doesn’t have that big of an impact on you anyway. Don’t risk your life over it.”

Simon Lockwood didn’t reply, his gaze falling to the cool metal of the watch on his wrist.

’Two more hours until the red carpet is over.’

He looked up, his voice devoid of emotion. ”Have it for me in seven days.”

”...”

Kenley Kim opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. A tall, well-built man, his face was now flushed red with suppressed frustration.

’As expected of that mysterious Eastern fortitude,’ Kenley Kim thought. ’He’s not just ruthless with others, he’s even more so with himself. I need to go back and convince Heidi to give up on Simon Lockwood as soon as possible.’

*

The film festival venue was encircled by a security cordon. An unbroken red carpet stretched all the way up a high flight of stairs.

Beyond the carpet, reporters from the press hoisted their cameras, the sound of shutters clicking incessantly. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! There were many Western and Asian faces among them—a dense, dark sea of people amid non-stop camera flashes.