制霸好莱坞

After the makeup test, it was time for the official shoot. Jenny received the filming notice a week in advance. The estimated shooting time for the first episode of the second season was about nine days. Although she didn't have many scenes, the schedule wasn't arranged around her, so to avoid any conflicts, she applied for night shifts at work the previous week.

Typically, television series prefer studio shoots whenever possible because filming on location is expensive. Additionally, strict labor laws make night shoots even costlier. Thanks to this setup, Jenny could juggle both her filming schedule and her job at the restaurant. Of course, this also meant she could no longer keep her new role a secret from Johnny. Although the old man looked a little troubled, he still gave her some leeway. On the other hand, Jessica wasn't as pleased. Jenny had no intention of provoking her, though. She simply avoided her as much as possible.

"You might just become a star overnight," Kevin, who was on shift with her, said excitedly. "Please, if you come back here to eat, leave me a big tip. And if possible, hire me as your assistant—I promise I'll work hard!"

His voice was a little too loud. Jessica, carrying a tray, walked into the kitchen, scoffed, and her beautiful face twisted slightly, revealing an air of arrogance—something only pretty girls seemed to have. "Keep dreaming," she sneered.

Kevin didn't dare say anything back and just stuck out his tongue. Jenny ignored her and continued eating her salad. Getting upset over someone like Jessica was a waste of energy.

It was the restaurant's staff meal break. Jenny stuck to her usual salad, while Jessica, despite her usual defiance, surprisingly didn't opt for her favorite meat pie. Instead, she mimicked Jenny and ate a salad without dressing or vinaigrette—essentially just salty greens with boiled meat. Jenny noticed and couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Jessica was somewhat clever, but unfortunately, she was still too careless to realize the most important things.

Just as Jenny was thinking about this, the restaurant's door chime rang. She looked up and, to her delight, immediately put down her lunch and ran out of the staff area. "Dave! What are you doing here?"

Dave looked pleased by her enthusiasm. He shyly scratched the back of his head. "You know Buffy is about to start shooting. I was supposed to come next week anyway."

So, he had come early just for her shoot? Jenny wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh, Dave, that's so sweet of you!"

Without hesitation, she placed an order in the kitchen and grabbed one of the restaurant's famous devil's food cakes with extra cream. "Put it on my tab."

Dave blushed. He pointed to the seat across from him. "Can you sit with me?"

Since he was the only customer at the moment, Jenny shrugged. "No problem."

They had been regularly calling and texting each other, so Dave already knew her schedule for next week. He was concerned. "Coming here after filming—won't that be too exhausting?"

"Two paychecks aren't easy to earn," Jenny joked. "Don't worry, Dave. For five thousand dollars, it's just one week. I can handle it."

She felt genuinely sorry. "It's a pity we won't be able to have dinner together this week. I hope you won't be too busy once you start work."

"No, no, I won't be," Dave stammered, suddenly sweating. He cleared his throat and avoided Jenny's gaze. "Actually, I have some news I haven't told you yet..."

"What is it?" Jenny maintained a smile, but inside, she was screaming: Please don't propose. Please don't propose!

"I've decided to move to California," Dave said. "Since I'm now handling casting for Buffy, I'll be spending more than half the year in Hollywood. Keeping a place in New York doesn't make sense anymore. I used to stay there because of—"

He waved his hand, not mentioning his ex-wife's name. Instead, he boldly looked Jenny straight in the eyes. "Now, I have no reason to stay in New York anymore."

"That's great news!" Jenny sighed in relief and beamed at him.

"There's another reason I came early," Dave continued, sounding almost like an excited child encouraged by Jenny's smile. "The Buffy production team has decided to add a new regular character this season, but they haven't settled on an actor yet. A few days ago, I recommended you."

He leaned forward slightly, as if he wanted to take Jenny's hand but hesitated. In the end, he didn't. "Jenny, quit the restaurant job. It's time to fully step into the entertainment industry."

Jenny was completely speechless—she really did seem to have incredible luck in this industry.

"I don't know if my acting skills—" The Chinese habit of humility kicked in, and she started with a modest statement.

To her surprise, Dave nodded. "That's exactly why I didn't bring it up earlier. This is a regular role, not just a short guest appearance. But your CBS audition left a strong impression on my friend. He thinks you have what it takes to try for it."

Seeing her hesitation, he reassured her, "I'll be at the set tomorrow to watch your performance. Don't worry, you can wait for Buffy's audition results before making a decision."

Jenny shot him a look, and Dave stopped talking. Instead, he glanced toward the counter and smiled, his demeanor becoming more composed. "Go back to work. Your boss is glaring at me."

"Oh, Dave, thank you so much. I don't even know what to say." Jenny playfully waved her fingers near her ear. "Call me. Let's have dinner tonight."

She got up and returned to her section, tidying up while occasionally exchanging smiles with Dave. But when he went to pay, Jessica quickly stepped in to serve him—it was her designated area, after all, so Jenny couldn't interfere.

Jessica looked furious after the transaction—Dave hadn't said a single word to her. She threw the tip onto Jenny's table. "Here. For a Sugar Daddy, he sure is stingy."

Jenny glanced at the tip and immediately understood. While Dave had paid the full bill, he had only left the standard 3% tip, which mostly went to the kitchen staff. She smiled. "We're just friends."

"Friends, my ass," Jessica snapped. "You stole him from me—he was supposed to be mine."

She must have overheard words like "casting" and "Buffy" and put two and two together. Now, she was truly angry.

Jenny knew she couldn't back down. If she showed weakness now, who knew what Jessica would say the next time Dave came around? She replied calmly, "I don't know what you're talking about, Jess. If you mean Dave's job, then all I can say is that you had your chance. I never tried to get anything from him—fate just works in mysterious ways, doesn't it, Jess?"

She was lying, but she didn't feel guilty at all.

Jessica's face twisted in rage. Suddenly, she lunged at Jenny. "You Bitch!"

If Jenny hadn't reacted quickly and the table hadn't been in the way, Jessica would have slapped her. Jenny yelped and ran toward the counter, while Johnny rushed out to scold Jessica. "What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy?"

Kevin and another waiter hurried over to break things up. Jessica, still restrained, kept cursing, calling Jenny a scheming bitch who had stolen her opportunity. For a moment, Jenny almost felt like she really was some kind of manipulative villain.

"Enough!" Johnny finally exploded. "Jessica, you ignored him first. We all saw it. If anyone gave up, it was you. Jenny owes you nothing. If you don't want to get fired, go cool off. Otherwise, I'll have to call the cops."

Jessica froze, then stormed out. The entire restaurant watched her leave, and then—BAM!—the door slammed shut.

Everyone exhaled in relief. Kevin and the others fixed the tables, and Jenny helped. When it was all cleaned up, she turned to Johnny. "Sorry, Johnny."

He sighed but waved a hand dismissively. "If you really feel bad, just stick around a little longer."

"I will. I'll stay two extra hours tonight." Jenny smiled. "I'll leave after dinner service."