Chapter 233
The opening ceremony of the film was quite straightforward.
Mr. Witt had arranged a beautifully decorated stage with a red ribbon stretched across the front. The lead actress and the lead actor stood at the forefront, each holding a pair of golden scissors
With a brief speech from Mr. Witt, emphasizing the significance of the project and the hard work ahead, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived. As the director finished his words, he invited the lead actor and actress to cut the ribbon. The air buzzed with applause and camera flashes as the scissors sliced through the ribbon, symbolizing the official start of the film’s production.
Despite the film’s substantial investment, it featured only two main actors, and about 90% of the film revolved around these two characters.
The lead actress was Theresa, and the lead actor was a well–known, skilled actor.
For an auspicious start, the director chose relatively simple scenes to film on the first day.
After that, the crew planned to travel to the other side of the world to shoot winter scenes, fitting the movie’s title, “Love in Bitter Winter, which primarily takes place during a snowy winter.
Mr. Witt was getting ready to start shooting, and Eason sat nervously next to Susan.
This time, without Theresa interfering, he finally had the chance to talk to Susan properly.
Eason, stiff and somewhat stuttering, initiated the conversation. “Ms. Miller…”
Susan felt slightly uncomfortable.
It wasn’t clear what Eason’s intentions were.
He didn’t seem to be flirting, yet he persistently tried to engage her in conversation.
“Mr. Nicholas,” Susan decided to be straightforward, “If there’s something you want to know from me, you can just ask directly. I’ll answer what I can and want to.”
Eason, awkwardly smiling, responded. “I… I just genuinely want to get to know.
yo
you better.”
“Why?” Susan asked sincerely. “You must know I’m married, and you don’t seem like the type to act inappropriately.”
Eason quickly waved his hands in denial. “I absolutely don’t mean it that way!”
Regardless of whether Susan was his biological sister or not, Eason couldn’t imagine having such twisted feelings given their similar appearance to his mother.
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“What do you mean by that?” Susan asked, looking at him quizzically.
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Eason cleared his throat and explained, “I just feel a sense of kinship with you, Ms. Miller. It’s like you’re a relative. to me. That’s why I couldn’t help but be a bit more concerned about you.”
If someone else had said this, Susan might have found it awkward.
But coming from Eason, she somehow felt it was sincere.
She softened her demeanor and said warmly, “Mr. Nicholas, thank you for your concern. I’m doing well now, so you
don’t need to worry.”
Susan’s relaxed expression and cheerful demeanor indeed conveyed that she was doing well.
Eason felt somewhat relieved, “That’s good to hear.”
Susan smiled and turned her attention back to the film set, remaining silent.
The filming for the day was straightforward.
It involved a scene where Theresa, playing the lead character Alice, finds an ancient diary in an old house in the
mountains.
As Theresa was about to open the diary, suddenly, light seemed to seep into the room.
The set was arranged to depict a nighttime scene, so this unexpected light puzzled Alice.
“Why is it getting light already?” Alice wondered.
Stepping outside, she discovered that the dark night had indeed given way to the early dawn.
There, in tattered clothes, stood the male lead, portrayed by a renowned actor.
Alice was puzzled.
The character, Levi, joyously exclaimed upon seeing Alice, “A person, a real person, I’ve finally seen someone!”
This statement left Alice confused and slightly irritated.
After a brief exchange, Levi revealed to Autumn a startling truth, the world had undergone a bizarre transformation a month ago.
In the film’s world, everyone had mysteriously vanished.
Levi wandered everywhere only to find that besides himself, Alice was the only other human left.
Naturally, Alice didn’t believe him and thought Levi was a fraud.
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The first act ended with Alice’s skepticism.
Susan, having read the script, knew what was to come. Levi would take Alice down to the city to prove his claim.
However, what awaited them was a desolate city.
No electricity, no light, and no people.
The food in the stores gave off a rotten smell.
The streets were littered with unattended cars that had crashed into each other due to the sudden disappearance
of their drivers.
They even came across a crashed airplane.
Most of the budget Susan had provided was spent on creating these realistic and haunting scenes.
Confronted with all this evidence, Alice had no choice but to accept the grim reality – it was likely just her and Levi
left in the world.
Their situation, although they hadn’t disappeared, was dire
No water, no electricity, and while food was readily available, Levi explained that with half a year passed since
humanity’s disappearance, most of it was either rotten or past its expiration date.
Eating expired food was not an option. Getting sick meant no chance of survival without anyone to help.
In this backdrop, Alice and Levi began to rely on each other for survival.
They initially managed well despite the odds until winter came.
The earth underwent bizarre changes, bringing extremely cold weather and terrifying meteorological phenomena.
The story unfolded in these harsh conditions.
Susan, familiar with the script’s ending, couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy.
Lost in her thoughts, tears began to well up in her eyes as she reflected on the story’s conclusion.
Eason noticed Susan’s somber expression and quickly became concerned. “Ms. Miller, what’s wrong? Are your feeling unwell?”
Susan, regaining her composure, replied somewhat awkwardly, “It’s nothing, I was just thinking about some later scenes in the script. They’re quite moving.”
Eason was speechless.
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Susan, feeling even more embarrassed, explained, “I’ve read the script, and the story that unfolds later is really
touching.”
Eason’s expression softened as he said, “My mother often gets sentimental like that. You wouldn’t believe it, but she can cry over any TV show she watches.”
“Really?” Susan said with a smile. “Perhaps women are more emotional.”
Eason’s gaze grew tender. “My mother is a very sensitive and kind–hearted person. When I was little, she would tear up even watching nature documentaries. Do you know why?”
“Why is that?” Susan asked, curiously.
Eason smiled, “Because she felt so sorry for the little animals being eaten by predators. She cried every time she watched it. Who would have thought that the only thing blacklisted on our family’s TV would be nature documentaries?”
Susan couldn’t help but laugh at the story.
Seeing Susan smile, Eason’s eyes filled with warmth.
The closer he got to Susan, the more he felt a sense of kinship.
However, Susan was not as sentimental as his mother.
While gentle and kind, his mother would only show her immense strength when pushed to her limits..
Susan, on the other hand, appeared soft but carried a deep–seated pride and resilience, much like himself.
The first day’s shoot was brief, and Mr. Witt soon called it a day.
Eason looked at Susan reluctantly, “Ms. Miller, I wonder if I’ll have the chance to see you again?”
Susan smiled, “Let’s leave it to fate.”
Eason knew Susan was still hesitant, which he understood.
After all, he was a man with unclear intentions in her eyes.
Taking a deep breath, he said warmly, “Then I believe that we are meant to meet again.”
He was determined that next time they met, he would find a way to obtain Susan’s blood sample.