CHAPTER 135: VISITING MY OLD HOME

[Ding! Ding!]

[Mission of the Week (1/1)]

[Mission: Get a compliment!]

[Goal: Get compliments from other actors and executives during the script screening!]

[Reward: $340,000]

[Time Limit: 7 days]

I stopped midway just as I was about to put the spoon into my mouth. My mouth hung open for a moment because the weekly mission reward had finally passed one hundred thousand.

Hell, it even shot straight to three hundred thousand!

If I got that reward, it would be like getting back the money I used to buy stocks yesterday!

"Only one mission this week?" I whispered, glancing left and right to make sure no one was near the dining table.

Thankfully Henry was busy in the garden and Lando wasn’t home, so I could talk to myself like a crazy woman in peace.

[Since you accepted two jobs at once, this mission basically counts as two!]

Penny said cheerfully, [Isn’t it more practical to have one mission per week? The bonus will double too.]

"Yeah..." I muttered. "It’s easier this way."

Honestly, one mission a week would also help reduce my stress because I’d have more time, or... maybe not?

Just like Penny said, I would have two script screenings this week, and if I wanted to complete the mission, I had to work hard to perform well in front of them.

"Do I need to get compliments from all the executives? And how many actors need to compliment me?" I asked.

For "Love Beneath the White Umbrella," the cast was mostly newcomers, so that part would be easy. But "My Boss’ Obsession" was a whole different beast. Some of the cast were senior actors, including the male lead.

Senior actors weren’t always bad, but some of them refused to praise newcomers. They’d say things like "Praise will only make them arrogant," so they stayed silent even when a newcomer acted well.

Actually, no—scratch that. They would react fast if the newcomer acted horribly.

Silence meant that they felt threatened. But what if they started talking nonstop like parrots? It would mean they thought they were better than the newcomers.

But what could I say? This industry was truly competitive, so I couldn’t expect to always meet good people.

In fact, I rarely met genuinely kind people in this industry, even in my first life as Helena.

[For the executives, you need at least two of them to compliment you,] Penny said. [But for the actors, there’s no maximum limit, only a minimum of ten people.]

I clicked my tongue and slammed the spoon lightly onto the plate.

Ten?! A fucking ten?!

Getting praised by one senior actor was already hard enough, and now I had to get compliments from ten actors, including senior ones?

Penny definitely wanted me to fail!

[What do you mean, Host?!] Penny yelled. [Penny would never try to hurt you!]

[But if you fail, Penny will cheer you up with a book: "101 Ways to Seduce Your Husband Into Bed!"]

My eye twitched slightly, then I lowered my head and whispered, "Penny, don’t do this. Why are you forcing an impotent man to play in bed?!"

Poor my husband.

He must have suffered for so long from losing his pride. So giving me that kind of "gift" was basically spitting on him.

On the other side, Penny went silent for a moment before speaking again. [Alright. Then Penny will give you a 70% discount if you want to buy a sex to—]

"Shut up!" I cut her off before she said something embarrassing.

Every time she talked about sex toys, it reminded me of the ones I left in my old apartment. Maybe it was time to pick them up... if they were still there.

===

Since I had no work today, I decided to go to my old apartment in Haverlyn City, about forty-five minutes away from the capital.

If anyone asked why I didn’t live in the capital, the answer was simple: expensive.

Yeah, living in the capital was extremely expensive, and even the apartment rent was ridiculous!

Back then, when I first started in the entertainment industry, I even thought I had to sell my soul to a demon first just to afford a piece of land in Redmont City!

Good thing I didn’t need to do that—but in the end, I still lost that land because I had to sell it to pay off my debt.

But even though I had land there, I always lived in Haverlyn. Not only was the cost of living cheaper, the area was also very green, with lots of trees along the roads.

You could say it was a paradise for people who wanted peace after working all day in a crowded city.

"Young Madam, are you visiting a friend here?" Mr. Silo asked as we entered Haverlyn City.

I smiled bitterly. "Ah, I’m actually here to pick up my friend’s belongings. She passed away," I said. "She didn’t have any family, so I don’t think anyone will come to take her things."

Mr. Silo gasped. He looked so guilty for accidentally touching on such a sensitive topic. "I’m so sorry, Young Madam."

"It’s alright," I said softly, trying hard to keep a smile on my face. "I believe she’s in heaven now."

It was a lie, but if I were being honest, my life now really felt more like heaven compared to my old life.

I didn’t have to pay rent or other bills like electricity, water, and whatever else.

Everything was covered by my husband—oh, that too! In this life, I had a handsome and kind husband, so it truly felt like I had won the jackpot in this life, something I could never have gotten back then!

But no matter how bad my past life was, in the end, home is still home.

Helena Moore was me, and I can’t explain how much I miss my past self.

Sometimes, when I look into the mirror, I often wish I could see my original face there again.

All the terrible things that happened when I was still Helena were what shaped me into who I am now, so of course it’s hard to forget that life just like that.

I leaned my head against the car window, watching the scenery outside while remembering my past as Helena.

I was so lost in those memories that I didn’t notice Mr. Silo’s voice until he spoke. "Young Madam, we’ve arrived."

The car stopped right in front of the ten-story apartment building. This place wasn’t considered a luxury apartment, but at least it was nice enough to live in.

I mean, what’s the point of a luxury apartment if you can’t live in it every day? I rarely came home back then, so I didn’t want to waste my money renting something I barely used.

But who would’ve thought that decision was the right one? After the scandal and losing all my wealth, I could still pay for this apartment with what little money I had left. At least I could live for one more year, and fortunately—or unfortunately—I died before the next rent payment was due.

"You can wait outside, Mr. Silo," I said.

I stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance. The building still looked exactly the same; simple, a little old, but warm in a way that made my chest tighten.

Just as I reached the lobby, the apartment manager, Mrs. Rowan, looked up from her desk. "Can I help you, Miss?"

I couldn’t help but smile brightly when I saw her again. Back then, she was one of the reasons I was able to survive.

Whenever I didn’t have enough money to buy food, she would let me cook her instant noodles, or even buy me lunch.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Rowan." I pretended to read her name tag so she wouldn’t wonder how I knew her name. "I’m here to pick up the belongings of my old friend who passed away."

Mrs. Rowan was taken aback and responded immediately without hesitation. "Helena Moore?" she added softly, "She was the only tenant in this building who passed away."

My smile turned a little bitter. "Yes." I nodded. "I was her old friend, and... she once told me that if she ever died, I could take her belongings since... she didn’t have any family. Are you still keeping her things?"

Mrs. Rowan let out a long sigh. Her eyes suddenly turned teary, a sign of how sad she felt the moment she heard my name.

"Actually... we haven’t touched her apartment room because the rental period only ends next week," she said with a sad smile. "The apartment owner actually told me to throw away her belongings once the lease expires, but since her old friend is here, I guess I don’t have to do that."

Mrs. Rowan then handed me the apartment key, saying, "Her room is number 607, on the sixth floor."

I looked at the key in my hand for a moment before turning back to Mrs. Rowan. "Don’t you want to come with me?"

Mrs. Rowan shook her head gently. "I can’t... seeing her belongings will only make me remember that poor woman all over again."