"What's wrong?"
Blake Su asked gently.
Quinnie slowly opened up to him.
After taking the role, she had originally agreed to play a supporting maid. Her role was simple, just following the female lead around and handling small, everyday tasks.
But then,
the director suddenly decided to add a scene. In it, the villain tries to assault the female lead, but mistakenly targets the maid instead. The maid is violated, while the female lead escapes unharmed, and the villain is eventually caught.
On top of that,
the scene had to be filmed realistically.
First, it would make the audience believe the female lead had been violated, stirring up anger, and then reveal a twist to shock everyone.
None of that was the real issue.
The problem was that this scene had never been in the script. The director added it on a whim after seeing how pretty Quinnie was, purely to create sensational content.
Quinnie refused and stood her ground.
The director, losing patience, told her bluntly that if she refused, her role would end there. He would rewrite the script so her character would be killed, and the scene would involve another maid instead.
He even warned her that as a newcomer, it would be hard to stand out or have a future without taking on attention-grabbing roles.
Quinnie didn't want to lose her job, but she also refused to film that kind of scene. She felt both angry and deeply wronged.
"What's wrong with being a newcomer? Does that mean I have to act in scenes like that? There are clearly so many other ways to write the story. They just don't want to.
They're using the excuse of me being new to force me into it.
Hmph... these people are awful. These directors have no conscience..."
The more she spoke, the angrier and more upset she became.
"Alright, alright. That's really unfair to Quinnie. Don't be angry. We won't lower ourselves to their level. Those directors..."
"Sob... sob... sob..."
Blake Su was still trying to comfort her when Quinnie suddenly broke down in tears.
Blake Su paused for a moment.
He had been trying to comfort her, so why did she end up crying even harder?
Then he understood.
Quinnie, who grew up in a single-parent family, was someone strong by nature. What happened with the director must have hurt her deeply, but she had been holding it in.
She couldn't tell her family, because it would only worry her mother. She couldn't easily share it with friends either, since negative emotions might not be welcomed.
So she turned to Blake Su.
And once she heard his comforting words, she finally found an outlet. The emotions she had been suppressing came pouring out all at once.
People often say that an adult's breakdown happens in an instant.
But in truth, it is never sudden. It is built up over time.
Quinnie was clearly talented, yet her acting career had been full of setbacks. Some of her former classmates, who had once been behind her, were already playing lead roles.
Meanwhile, she still struggled to even secure a supporting role.
All of that pressure had been building, and at just 21 years old, she had finally reached her limit.
Thinking about this,
listening to her quiet sobs, Blake Su found her even more admirable and felt her strength more deeply.
"Blake... Blake... why aren't you saying anything? Are you secretly happy I'm about to get fired? Are you laughing at me?"
Quinnie sniffled as she spoke.
Blake Su chuckled softly.
"Of course not. I just think that director must be blind. For the sake of cheap, sensational content, he's giving up someone like you.
Quinnie, someone who has looks, a great figure, and real acting talent. A future superstar.
They're the foolish ones. They'll regret it someday."
"Pfft..."
Hearing that, Quinnie couldn't help but laugh through her tears.
"Blake... I'm about to lose my job, and you're still teasing me like this?"
"I'm not joking. I mean it."
Blake Su smiled.
"Really?"
Hearing his sincere tone, Quinnie felt a warmth spread through her chest. Whether it was true or not, it made her feel much better.
"Of course. Quinnie is definitely going to be a big star in the future. The kind everyone knows."
Blake Su said seriously.
And in truth, that was exactly how things would turn out.
"Alright, alright."
After being praised so much, Quinnie was no longer upset. Instead, she felt a little shy.
"Blake, save those words for later. When I really become a big star, you can say them again."
"Deal."
Blake Su smiled and nodded. Seeing that she had calmed down, he continued,
"Didn't you say you wanted to come see me? Let me know when you're free. I'll book your flight.
When you get here, I'll take you out for a few days and help you relax."
"Okay."
Quinnie agreed, then added with a self-deprecating laugh,
"I'm so useless. Now I have to rely on my little brother to support me. That's so embarrassing."
"What's embarrassing about that?"
Blake Su smiled and said seriously,
"I can support Quinnie for life."
He meant every word, but Quinnie didn't think much of it. She laughed instead.
"Of course, of course. My Blake is an NBA superstar, the very best. I'm proud to be your Quinnie."
Blake Su laughed along with her.
Quinnie nodded, then said with a playful, stubborn tone,
"Alright then, I'm going to tell that director I quit. If this place won't have me, there are plenty of others that will.
It's not that I got fired. It's that... I'm quitting."
"Haha, Quinnie is so cool."
"Hehe, okay, that's it for now. I'll finish up a few things here and then tell you when I'm coming."
"Alright."
"Thanks for today, Blake. Bye."
"Bye."
The call ended.
Blake Su looked at his phone and shrugged.
"Still treats me like her little cousin. Well... I am her cousin."
...
The next evening.
The Suns hosted the Timberwolves at home. Facing a team at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the Suns, coming off a three-game winning streak and playing on their home court, were full of confidence.
During pregame warm-ups,
in the broadcast studio,
Hubie Brown glanced at the Timberwolves' roster and said,
"The Timberwolves really only have one standout player, Kevin Love, the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft.
After two seasons of development, he's now averaging 23.4 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game this season.
Those 15.5 rebounds per game have made him the league's rebounding leader.
How Love performs tonight will directly impact the outcome of the game."