Blithe nodded repeatedly. "It seems you really understand the character well. Even those who have read the novel think Tiffany is too weak."

Hearing Director Blithe's praise, the two assistant directors quickly chimed in, "Yes, this young lady may be a newcomer, but her emotional performance was spot on."

"Not only was her emotion on point, but her expressions while delivering the lines were also very rich. Especially those tears that she held back until the very end!" Blithe nodded again. "Alright, the role is yours. We'll notify your agent later."

Emily Avery gave an awkward smile. "I don't have an agent, and I'm not signed with any company. So, you can just call the number I left when filming starts."

Blithe was quite surprised. Nowadays, most young actors, big or small, are signed with some agency. This young lady had the looks and acting skills, yet she wasn't signed.

"Alright then, wait for our notification."

"Thank you, Director!" Emily Avery bowed deeply. She couldn't believe she had landed the role so dramatically!

As Emily Avery walked out of the room, she still felt like she was floating, as if in a dream.

Kenneth Butler came up to her. "How did it go?"

Emily Avery looked at Kenneth Butler with a blank expression. "I got the role! I nailed it!"

Kenneth Butler finally breathed a sigh of relief and playfully tapped her forehead. "How are you going to thank me?"

Emily Avery patted Kenneth Butler on the shoulder. "I'll treat you to dinner!"

"Sounds good, but before that, let's head to the hospital." Kenneth Butler noticed the injuries on Emily Avery's body.

Emily Avery finally noticed that while crawling up and down the basement, she had accidentally scraped her arms and legs in several places, and they were now oozing blood. 

"It's nothing serious, just a few scratches. I'll buy some antiseptic on the way back and clean them up."

The two of them walked out together. Kenneth Butler, as usual, drove his Ferrari LaFerrari, following Emily Avery's directions to a street food stall. Yes, it was indeed a street food stall.

One look at the surroundings, and Kenneth Butler's brows furrowed tightly.

With his status, he had never set foot in such an environment.

Emily Avery, however, was quite familiar with the place. She greeted the slightly hunched owner and ordered a bunch of skewers and two small clay pots. For her, this meal was already quite a treat. Kenneth Butler coughed lightly, "Um, Emily Avery, don't you think my car doesn't quite fit in with this place?"

Emily Avery glanced at the sapphire blue Ferrari LaFerrari parked by the roadside. It indeed looked out of place in this seemingly dirty and chaotic environment.

"But I can't afford to treat you anywhere else!" She shrugged helplessly. "I'm really poor. If I told you my wallet is cleaner than my face, would you believe me?"

Kenneth Butler let out a slight hum and didn't say anything.

"How do you know my name is Emily Avery?"

Emily Avery remembered that the first time they met, she hadn't told him her name to avoid any future entanglements. The second time they met, it was a brief encounter, and names were never mentioned.

"Well..." Kenneth Butler was momentarily at a loss for words. He hadn't intended to call her by her name, but in the situation that afternoon, he had no choice. Thinking back, she indeed hadn't told him her name. "You forgot that in the library, you used your card to get in. I just asked around and found out."

"The lady at the card desk must have been so smitten by a handsome guy that she didn't care about anything else!" Emily Avery couldn't help but complain. "By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Hmm... just call me Kenneth," Kenneth said, not wanting her to know just yet that he was actually her husband. After all, he still had things he wanted to figure out.

"Oh, what do you do for a living?" Emily Avery asked.

Kenneth Butler hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Just as he was about to speak, Emily suddenly slapped the table.

"I got it! You're a gigolo, aren't you?"

"A gigolo?"

"Yeah, look at you driving such a nice car but wearing clothes that look like they came from a thrift store. Plus, you were hanging around in a bar. You're handsome and have a great body, so you must be a gigolo!" Emily said, squinting her eyes at him.

She had heard from her classmates that there were quite a few gigolos in bars. So when she decided she wanted a baby without any strings attached, she went to a bar, thinking it was risky but also that a gigolo wouldn't cling to her.

"Uh..." Kenneth Butler was at a loss for words. His clothes, though simple, were actually high-end custom pieces from a designer brand. Yes, even his plain T-shirt was custom-made!

"Don't be embarrassed. I don't judge people based on their jobs," Emily said, giving Kenneth Butler a hearty pat on the shoulder.

Royce Butler didn't bother to correct her.

"Thanks a lot for today," Emily said with a bright smile.

Royce Butler waited for her to say more, but when she didn't, he asked, "That's it?"

Emily's eyes darted around. "Yep, that's it."

"What, just a simple 'thank you' and that's it?!" Emily Avery couldn't believe expressing gratitude could be so straightforward.

"Didn't I already treat you to some barbecue skewers?" Kenneth Butler scoffed, shaking his head dismissively. "Don't forget, I still have your photos. Plus, I saved you this time. Without me, you might not have landed that role today. So, don't you think you owe me something?"

Emily had hoped that by getting on good terms with this man, she could smooth over the photo issue. But it seemed he hadn't forgotten about it at all.

"So, how do you want me to repay you?" she asked.

"I've made it very clear before," Kenneth leaned in closer to Emily, "sleep with me one more time."

Emily bit her lip. "You sleep with plenty of people in your line of work, and you get paid for it. What difference does it make if you sleep with me?"

"Of course, it makes a difference. You're young and fresh. The women I usually sleep with are rich but older. What's the fun in that? Besides, I can pay you too!"

She had called him a gigolo, and he didn't mind playing along.

"Can't we just be regular friends?" she sighed.

"That's boring," Kenneth waved her off, clearly uninterested in that idea. "Emily, didn't you enjoy it last time? What's the difference between once and twice? Besides, you seemed to have a good time in bed last time."

Emily's face turned pale with anger.

If she didn't sleep with him again, her photos would undoubtedly be leaked.

Kenneth Butler could tell just by looking at Emily Avery's expression that something was up!

"Well? You won't be losing out, you know!" Kenneth Butler tilted his head towards Emily Avery.

Emily's expression turned serious. "Kenneth, from the moment you took time out of your busy schedule to save me today, I could tell you're a kind person. And I believe a kind person wouldn't force another kind person to sleep with him, right?"

Kenneth opened his mouth, but at the sight of Emily's earnest, serious face, he found himself at a loss for words.

"I made it very clear last time. The reason I agreed to sleep with you and have a child was because of special circumstances. Now that my husband is back, I won't do such a thing again. You may think once or twice makes no difference, but to me, it makes a world of difference."

Emily paused before continuing, "As for my photos, do as you please. If you want to leak them, there's nothing I can do. But leaking someone's private photos without their consent is illegal. I may not have money or power, but if you infringe on my rights, I won't let it go easily!"

With that, Emily stood up, took out her wallet from her pocket, and after rummaging through it for a while, she finally pulled out some money and placed it on the table.

"You saved me, so I'll treat you to a meal." She put the scattered bills on the table and left.

"Hey! You're no fun at all!" Kenneth called out, but Emily didn't look back.

Kenneth looked at the pile of bills in frustration. The largest denomination was twenty dollars, with the rest being tens and fives, totaling a hundred dollars.

"So, you really are dirt poor, huh?"

Kenneth chuckled helplessly. To be honest, he rarely saw bills of such small denominations.

After some thought, he made a call to Zoey. Just as he was about to leave, Lionel Mendez's call came in.

Emily took the last bus home. As she reached her doorstep, she remembered she had forgotten to buy medicine.

Since there were only a few households in the neighborhood, the surrounding shops had gradually closed down. The nearest pharmacy was probably several miles away.

"Forget it," Emily muttered as she unlocked the door and stepped into her home.

Zoey was still lounging on the couch, engrossed in her favorite pastime-watching TV dramas, especially those Korean ones.

Emily didn't pay her any mind and headed straight to the kitchen. As usual, there was no dinner waiting for her. Feeling a bit worn out, she decided to cook herself a bowl of instant noodles and sat down in the dining room to eat.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Emily was about to head upstairs when she suddenly remembered she might need some antiseptic. She was due to join a film crew soon, and her arms and legs were covered in scrapes. With the current season, infections were easy to catch, and she couldn't afford to let them get worse.

"Zoey, do we have any antiseptic? I scraped myself today," Emily asked politely, knowing she needed a favor.

Zoey glanced at her, then pulled a plastic bag from under the coffee table and handed it to her. "See how good I am to you? You don't know how lucky you are!"

Julia opened the bag and found it filled with antiseptics and wound-cleaning supplies, all brand new.

"Thanks!" she said, taking the bag and heading upstairs.

---

At the bar, the place was alive with vibrant lights and pulsating music, another night full of excitement.

In the center of the stage, a pole dancer was performing, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Way to go!" shouted a fair-skinned, handsome young man with strikingly large, bright eyes that gleamed mischievously as he squinted.

This was Lionel Mendez, known to many as Mr. Lionel.

He took a swig from his bottle, then turned and draped an arm over Kenneth's shoulder.

"Kenneth, are you telling me that your fling that day was actually with your own wife? Your wife wants to have a baby by borrowing someone else's seed and cuckolding you?"

Kenneth glanced at him but remained silent, continuing to sip his drink.

"I'm telling you, a woman like that, if she does it once, she'll do it again.

And if she does it again, she'll do it a third time, and then a fourth, and so on. I can already see a green glow on your head! Hahaha!" Lionel Mendez said, patting Kenneth's head.

"Get lost!" Kenneth Butler glared at Lionel. After a moment of silence, he said, "I threatened her with her own photos, and she still wouldn't sleep with me. Plus, I saved her. It's a double test."

"Double test, my foot! You just haven't been around enough women! Women say no with their mouths, but their bodies tell the truth. Don't listen to what they say; listen to what they really mean."

Kenneth Butler pondered this. To be honest, when Emily Avery refused him today, he felt a secret joy. He had planned to reveal his identity to her, but after hearing Lionel Mendez's words, he thought there might be some truth to them.

Kenneth Butler suddenly turned his head. "Then why do you think she, being so young, wants to have a baby?"

"Who knows! Your wife is quite the odd one!" Lionel Mendez rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "But maybe she just wants an excuse to fool around!"

Kenneth narrowed his eyes.

"Who can say for sure! I can't imagine any young girl wanting to have a baby these days. Even women in their thirties, who are already successful in their careers, don't want to get married and have kids!"

Kenneth Butler nodded.

"Looks like I need to test her a bit more."

Lionel Mendez patted Kenneth Butler's shoulder. "Alright, stop thinking about your unlucky wife. Which chick caught your eye today? I'll help you get her! You deserve a break. Let's make sure you have a good time tonight!"

Kenneth pushed Lionel Mendez's hand away in disgust. "I'm leaving."

"Hey, don't go! You've already lost your innocence, why pretend to be pure now?"

Kenneth didn't say anything and strode out of the bar with determined steps.

He couldn't understand why all the women here wore heavy makeup and revealing clothes, but it made him feel sick to his stomach.

Soon, Emily would be joining a film crew to start shooting. Although her role as the third female lead wasn't extensive, it would still take about a month. She needed to arrange everything for Oliver before leaving and also finish his graduation thesis.

This week seemed to be the busiest week for Emily Avery.

To be honest, after her last separation from Kenneth, Emily felt a bit anxious. If he got angry and decided to release her photos, she would be in big trouble.

However, a few days passed without incident, and she gradually relaxed.

After finishing her thesis and making sure Oliver was settled, Emily finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tomorrow was the day she would join the film crew, so she needed to pack her things tonight.

As soon as she walked through the door, Zoey ran up to her. "Why are you so late? Sir is coming back today! You need to get ready!"

Emily Avery stood there, momentarily dazed, still not used to the idea of having a husband.

With her recent days consumed by her thesis and joining a new film crew, she had completely forgotten that she was married.

"What are you standing around for? Go upstairs and clean yourself up!" Zoey urged.

Emily felt uncomfortable with Zoey's words. What did she mean by "clean yourself up"? It made her feel like she was just some kind of... tool for pleasure.

Emily didn't want to argue with her. Zoey had a sharp tongue and was quick to insult; there was no point in getting into a spat with her.

"Got it," Emily replied, and then headed upstairs.

Zoey pouted and returned to her room, standing in front of the mirror and examining herself.

She pushed up her chest, muttering, "I don't get what he sees in that woman. My chest is bigger! My face is prettier! It's just not fair!

So unfair!"

Upstairs, Emily enjoyed a long, refreshing shower. Her husband was coming back today, and no matter what, he was still her husband. She needed to let him know about her schedule.

What made Emily happy was that she had taken a test a few days ago and found out she wasn't pregnant.

That was a relief, as she didn't have to worry about whose child she might be carrying.

Even though her husband had been absent for a year, she still wanted to have a child soon. She figured she could discuss it with him today.

With that in mind, Emily finished her shower and packed her belongings.

She didn't have much to pack; a small suitcase was enough.

Everything was set up, but the man hadn't returned yet.

Early tomorrow morning, they had to head to the Swam City Film Base for shooting. Despite its name, Swam City Film Base wasn't an actual city but a filming site. Almost all historical dramas were shot there. It was about thirty miles from the center of Z-Ford City, not too far.

Even though it wasn't far,

There was an opening ceremony early in the morning. It was her first time attending such a ceremony, and missing it would be a shame.

Emily Avery started feeling drowsy without realizing it. She lay on the bed, trying to stay awake, but soon fell asleep.

As usual, Kenneth Butler arrived late at night. The moment he came in, Zoey turned off the main power switch of the house.

Kenneth had been incredibly busy that week. When he found out Emily Avery was joining a film crew, he just had to come over; he missed her terribly.

He had never been with a woman before, but once he started with Emily, he couldn't stop himself.

Stepping into the room, he saw Emily lying on the bed in her pajamas, without a blanket covering her. Her alluring figure stirred his desires.

Without a word, Kenneth climbed on top of her.

Emily wasn't in a deep sleep. She woke up as soon as Kenneth approached, remembering she had something to discuss with him.

"Wait a minute..." Emily managed to escape Kenneth's kisses and reached for the bedside lamp switch.

Click!

The light didn't turn on!

Emily pressed the switch several more times, but the lamp remained off.

What was going on?

"Is the light broken?"

Just as Emily hesitated, Kenneth Butler had already pulled her hand back, his hot, wet kisses once again claiming her lips.

She tried to speak several times, but Kenneth gave her no chance.

Once more, he tore open her nightgown...

His desire was fierce, leaving her no opportunity to utter a word.

It wasn't until midnight that Kenneth Butler noticed how utterly exhausted Emily was beneath him, and he finally stopped. With his back to her, Kenneth Butler began to dress. Somehow, in the darkness, he managed to distinguish his clothes with ease, his movements fluid and confident.

Emily Avery's fingertips twitched tired, sore...

But she still managed to lift her eyelids. "Husband..."

Hearing this, Kenneth Butler suddenly paused. That faint, almost breathless voice brought a trace of joy to his eyes.

It was the first time he had heard her call him that.

For some reason, he liked it. He really liked it.

"Let's... have a baby," Emily Avery said weakly.

Kenneth Butler couldn't speak; he was worried about revealing his identity. So, he quickly finished dressing and left.

That tall figure flashed through the darkness, and the door closed with a loud "bang."

Emily Avery's thoughts were a bit scattered. He wasn't speaking-did that mean he agreed or disagreed?

Too exhausted to ponder further, she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Kenneth Butler descended the stairs. In the living room, Zoey had lit a few candles, providing a modest amount of light. Upon seeing Kenneth, she quickly turned on the circuit breaker and blew out the candles.

"Sir, you must be tired. Would you like a late-night snack?" Zoey hurriedly approached him.

Kenneth ignored her and sat down on the couch.

"Get me some paper and a pen."

Zoey didn't dare delay and swiftly placed the requested items beside Kenneth.

Kenneth quickly scribbled something and handed it to Zoey.

Zoey glanced at it; it seemed to be English words, but she couldn't quite understand them.

"Give this to Mrs. Avery when she wakes up in the morning. Tell her that from now on, she needs to report her whereabouts to me."

"Yes, sir."

Kenneth stood up and left.

When Emily Avery woke up, it was already ten in the morning. She glanced at the time and realized she had missed the opening ceremony.

The ceremony was scheduled for nine o'clock this morning; it was probably over by now!

She lay on the bed, letting her body sink into the blankets.

That man always had to be so ruthless!

She probably had bruises all over her body again! Since she had already missed the opening ceremony today, there was no need to rush.

After sleeping a bit longer, Emily Avery finally got up, dragging her luggage downstairs. She ignored Zoey and headed straight for the door when Zoey suddenly called out to her.

"Hey! The gentleman left this note for you!" Zoey handed a small piece of paper to Julia.

Emily took the note, but the English words on it made no sense to her. She looked at Zoey, confused.

Clearing her throat, Zoey took on an authoritative tone, "The gentleman said you need to report your whereabouts to him from now on!"

"Oh." Emily thought for a moment. She didn't have her husband's phone number, so this was probably a WeChat ID. She took out her phone and tried adding the ID,

And sure enough, she found him!

Zoey observed everything keenly.

Emily scoffed. This man was really sly, not even giving her a phone number. Most people's WeChat IDs were their phone numbers, but he questioned her right to give orders.

"I think if your gentleman comes back and finds the lamp broken, he wouldn't be too happy, right?"

Zoey snorted even more arrogantly, "Don't worry, the gentleman doesn't need a lamp! He doesn't need any household had to be different, clearly trying to keep her at arm's length.

"Zoey, the lamp in my bedroom is broken. It wouldn't turn on, no matter what I did yesterday. Could you check it and fix it if it's broken?"

"You want me to fix the lamp?" Zoey glared at Emily with her hands on her hips, as if questioning her right to give orders.

"I think if your gentleman comes back and finds the lamp broken, he wouldn't be too happy, right?"

Zoey snorted even more arrogantly, "Don't worry, the gentleman doesn't need a lamp! He doesn't need any household appliances!"

Emily Avery furrowed her brows, sensing there was more to Zoey's words than met the ear. "What do you mean?" she asked.