Chapter 17
“Hey, Tasha, if it wasn’t for the fact that you’re a good kid, I wouldn’t tell you this!” The phone store owner, munching on a pizza, told Tasha, “These phones are not up to par!”
She pointed at a row of brand–new phones displayed on the most eye–catching counter with her red–painted fingernails. “This phone? It drains super fast. That one? Its battery bloats after just a few charges.
“And that Thunder phone? Don’t be fooled by its name–once it gets old, even opening an app takes a minute to load.”
Tasha couldn’t help but laugh. “Carmen, which one should I buy then?”
Earlier that morning, Tasha had told Polly about wanting to buy a phone. So Polly brought her to this familiar phone store on the pedestrian street and asked Carmen not to trick her.
Polly had lived on this street for over ten years now–she was well–respected and had great connections with all her neighbors. Everyone respected her.
So, even though Tasha looked like she didn’t have much money, Carmen was still super enthusiastic in explaining everything for ages.
Carmen finished the last bite of her pizza and said warmly, “Buying a phone is like choosing a man–you can’t just judge by the looks! Here, let me find you something useful.”
With that, she tossed her pizza box aside and went behind the counter to rummage around for a while before pulling out an old–looking used phone.
Tasha joked, “Carmen, are you giving me a second–hand boyfriend?”
Carmen scolded playfully, “Naughty girl! This is my old one–Renxo phone. Yeah, it doesn’t sound fancy, but it works great.”
Tasha was momentarily taken aback. She had some vague recollection of the brand. In three or five years, this brand would rise rapidly with solid quality and break through the domestic monopoly in the mobile market to become one of Wonsort’s biggest brands.
She also remembered that Renxo phone’s biggest problem back then was its ugly design, thus not popular among young people.
Tasha took another look at Carmen’s super outdated–looking used phone. Her lips twitched slightly as she silently agreed with the rumor.
She didn’t expect this phone to be out so early.
Carmen wiped off some dust from the phone and plugged it in before continuing to promote it, “Its battery lasts forever. Durable. It has been dropped multiple times, but the screen didn’t crack a bit. I’ve used it for two years now, no lagging at all. Super smooth. And it has 32 GB memory!”
Tasha smiled. 32 GB was considered big storage now, but in two years, they’d be in an era of 256 GB. The technology outdated phones much faster than it outdated people.
But right now, Tasha didn’t really care if it was new or not; a broke didn’t get to be picky anyway.
After charging the phone up for a while, Carmen turned on the phone and handed it over to Tasha, who tried using it briefly before nodding in approval.
“How much is this?” Tasha asked.
1/4
5:09 pm D do
Chapter 17
Seeing that she could finally get rid of this old–timer, Carmen grinned ear to ear. “Just give me 100 dollars. I’ll throw in a charger and put on a good screen protector.”
So, Tasha wasted no time getting a new SIM card for her fresh gadget, gritting her teeth while topping up with 70 dollars of talk time, and promptly saved every number she could think of into her phone.
Besides the number Angelica gave her, there were also some from other small–time directors, assistants, extras coordinators, and Angelica.
Leeching off the mobile service provider’s WiFi, Tasha started googling Angelica’s mentor.
Rom–coms, costume dramas, stuff like that had zero connection to Tasha before she time–traveled. So, she wasn’t really up on the inner workings of Angelica’s circle.
After she typed in some keywords, the page loaded for a couple of seconds, and the first result that popped up was someone named Leonard Owens.
‘Leonard Owens… that name rings a bell. Tasha clicked into the page for a closer look.
Leonard, a renowned screenwriter. His works include “The West Garden,” “Secrets of the East Town,” “Lady Annie,” “Game of the Crown, and so on.
Just seeing these titles, Tasha knew why the name felt familiar. These shows were all once the kings of primetime TV. Every night, Janice would camp out in front of the TV, obsessed with these costume dramas. Orson, though outwardly dismissive, would actually put down his books and newspapers to watch with Janice whenever they aired.
Tasha’s two younger sisters were then crazy about the four heartthrobs from the neighboring island nation, whining to watch their soap operas. But that long, draggy romance series always clashed with these costume dramas, and without the remote control, her two sisters had to watch their mom’s favorites with a long face. Eventually, they got even more hooked than Janice.
Tasha still remembered the grand opening theme of The Western Garden. “Flowers in the bitter wind, snow where rivers bend. Rain that paints the night, moonlight soft and bright. The river runs, the years unwind, but love outlasts the hands of time.”
When Tasha was doing dishes in the kitchen and heard that familiar tune, she knew she had to hurry up with the dishes. Otherwise, the clanging would set Janice off when the show started.
These scripts were all written by Leonard? Leonard is Angelica’s mentor? Tasha felt something was off.
“The resume on the wiki couldn’t be fake. So, Leonard is undoubtedly one of the top screenwriters in the current domestic entertainment scene.
‘Someone like that, just throwing his name out there, would have a swarm of popular or semi–popular actors lining up to be picked.
‘How could someone like that need his student to introduce actors? For such a big–name screenwriter’s project, why would Angelica hand the opportunity to a nobody like me?
‘Did the whole entertainment industry die out? Get hauled off by the cops for drug tests? Why no buzz at all?
‘Anyway, gotta grab the chance. You never know if you don’t try
Tasha didn’t overthink it too long before dialing the number Angelica gave.
Of course, Angelica didn’t give her Leonard’s personal number, but that of his casting assistant.
2/4
DJ
5:09 pm D d d D
Chapter 17
The phone took ages to pick up, and a drowsy voice came through. “Who’s this?”
With that, the speaker even yawned.
Tasha glanced at the time–it was 11 AM.
‘Still in bed at this hour, is Leonard’s team even reliable? Tasha muttered to herself
Despite doubts, she introduced herself politely, “I was introduced by Ms. Angelica Marshall.”
“Huh? Okay.” The assistant didn’t even let Tasha finish her sentence before cutting in, “Then come over. Ironwood Studios…”
After hearing the address, Tasha quickly asked, “What’s the name of this project?”
“Name?” The assistant paused suspiciously, “You’ll know when you get here.
With that, the call ended.
Tasha stared silently at the disconnected phone screen, feeling like the world was a giant, shoddy operation.
Details could reveal a lot. Tasha was now deeply questioning whether it was the number of Leonard’s team.
Before she time–traveled, Tasha was playing a silly landlady in a comedy film, competing wits with the male lead. She couldn’t even afford a phone, let alone keep up with entertainment news. Her memories related to the entertainment industry were scarce.
She had planned to ask Angelica, but considering Angelica was probably busy on set, she gave up the idea.
Having no other option, Tasha downloaded Facebook, registered an account, and started searching Leonard’s name on the platform, trying to figure out what he was up to.
Facebook was full of entertainment marketing accounts, with mixed messages, but some clues could still be gleaned.
If she were in the know, Tasha would naturally have her own channels for inside info. Unfortunately, she was at best just a newcomer outsider now, so she could only use such primitive methods.
For someone like Leonard, a renowned screenwriter, if there were any movement, it would definitely make waves on Facebook.
Tasha searched with various keywords and found that recent real–time results only had some video marketing accounts posting repetitive scripts, praising Leonard’s talent and such.
This was normal. In the entertainment industry, at least in Wonsort, screenwriters had low status and fame, with little discussion.
Tasha kept scrolling.
She remembered what Angelica said on the phone. “He’s been preparing for ages, and you’ve only had a few days, and big shots battling it out,” Leonard was likely competing with a major project, so she should look for older, big projects.
After a few pages, Tasha finally found a marketing post with some value.
The post said, “In the entertainment industry, Manuel Olsen and Leonard Owens had always been praised. Both hailing from the same school, they were classmates and dormmates. In the circle, they were collectively referred to as the director duo.
3/4
5:09 pm D & D
Chapter 17
20
“Between 1999 and 2014, they worked together on many shows like The West Garden, Secrets of the East Town, Lady Annie, Game of the Crown, and Three Guns, Three Goodbyes. These works were mostly well–received and did great.
“But since last year, after these two, who could be called a perfect match in directing and screenwriting, unfollowed each other on Facebook, they hadn’t interacted at all.
“Word was that there was already tension between them. How did these brothers go their separate ways? Click below for the full story.”
Tasha’s fingers froze,
If Leonard was just somewhat famous, then Manuel was practically a household name both inside and outside the industry.
As a renowned TV director of his generation, Manuel’s name guaranteed high ratings. His fame far outweighed that of screenwriter Leonard.
Tasha immediately started searching for Manuel.
As expected, there were way more search results for Manuel than for Leonard. Tasha quickly spotted a juicy gossip post on a marketing account.
“Rumor has it that director Manuel Olsen’s new show, Memories in the Palace, will start filming soon. Can’t wait to see what Mr. Olsen brings us next! My remote control is ready!”
‘Memories in the Palace!‘ Repeating the name inwardly, Tasha turned off her phone right away.
It dawned on her now.
4/4
