Melody Strikes Back by Myra Walker (Chapters 671, 672, 673, 674, and 675)

Chapter 671

Melody smiled helplessly. “Alright, six glasses of water then. You’ll drink the last three glasses after dinner.”

The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly pleasant. Margaret seemed to be in a much better mood.

“I’ll make you lunch. What would you like?” Melody asked.

Margaret didn’t request anything specific and simply told her to make whatever she liked.

“Alright, I’ll handle it,” Melody replied.

Noticing it was almost eleven o’clock, she headed straight to the kitchen.

But as soon as she went downstairs, she sensed something was wrong.

An unfamiliar person was wearing a butler’s uniform, and the original butler was nowhere to be seen.

Taking a closer look, she realized that many of the servants were new faces.

Just then, James passed by the front door, and Melody hurriedly chased after him.

“James!” she called out.

James stopped and inquired about Margaret’s health. After learning that Margaret had nearly recovered, he told Melody about Ken’s arrangements.

“I understand the situation,” Melody interrupted. “But there’s no need to deport all of them. Listen to me, leave one or two of the more deeply embedded hidden traitors, and then have people secretly keep an eye on them. They might come in handy later.”

James hesitated, but Melody’s commanding tone left no room for discussion as she stated firmly, “James, I’m not asking for your opinion.”

Her authority was surprisingly on par with Ken’s.

Subconsciously, James nodded and responded, “Yes.” After Melody left, he berated himself for his compliance.

‘How does Melody always manage to get the upper hand with me? We are both working for Ken, after all. Hmph!’ he thought.

With a mind to “squeal” on Melody, James called Ken to tell him everything, but to his surprise, Ken agreed. “Her plan is sound. Do as she said.”

Foiled in his attempt to gain favor, James had no choice but to follow Melody’s instructions. He left two of the deeply hidden ones, pretending not to know they were Ulric’s and Astrid’s men, and found reasonable excuses to dismiss the others.

Everything was arranged, and by eight o’clock in the evening, Ken was back.

He went to see Margaret first before looking for Melody.

When he didn’t find her in the bedroom, he asked the maid and learned that she was in his study.

The study was adjacent to their bedroom.

Ken didn’t like the idea of the study being connected to the room, where people tended to become lazy, so he set it up in the next room.

As a child, he was very strict with himself. He wouldn’t go to bed until he had finished his homework for the day. This self-discipline has stayed with him ever since.

Ever since the incident when Ulric broke his vase, Ken hadn’t allowed anyone into the study. Not even James.

When the servant reported to Ken that Melody was now in the study, she wore a timid expression, eager to absolve herself of responsibility. With her head lowered, she said, “I meant to stop Mrs. Swanson, but by the time I found out, she was already inside. I… I didn’t dare go in.”

Ken looked at the servant coldly.

The servant felt the intimidating pressure from his gaze, and her legs trembled with fear.

But to the servant’s surprise, Ken suddenly said, “In the future, if she wants to enter the study, don’t stop her. She can go in whenever she wants.”

The servant was stunned and only after several seconds managed to reply, “Yes…”

When he looked up, Ken had already entered the study.

After this incident, everyone Ken had stationed in the manor realized that Melody held an extraordinary place in his heart.

They couldn’t understand why Ken was so good to such an… unusual-looking woman, and they spent quite a while secretly discussing it without coming to any conclusion.

Of course, none of them believed Ken’s behavior towards Melody was because of love.

Love? That was ridiculous!

In the study, Melody was deeply absorbed in sketching a design in her notebook.

Since finishing dinner with Margaret, she had been working here for over three hours without feeling tired.

Time flies when one has a goal to accomplish.

So focused was she that she didn’t even notice Ken entering the room. She continued to concentrate on her work.

It wasn’t until Ken walked up beside her that he saw she was drawing a dress design.

Melody had so many skills, and each time she revealed a new one, it shocked Ken.

He didn’t know much about clothing design, but even he could tell at a glance that her design was impressive. Once it moved from paper to fabric and hit the market, it was bound to be a big success.

Ken looked at the drawings on the right side of the desk, where five completed designs were neatly arranged, each showcasing a unique style of dress or skirt.

What made them even more remarkable was that they all featured Halcyon-style elements, perfectly blending classical and contemporary fashion.

Noticing that Melody was at the most critical stage of her current design, Ken subconsciously slowed his breathing, afraid to disturb her.

For half an hour, he patiently stood by, waiting for her to finish.

Finally, Melody let out a long breath and put down her pen.

“Nice work.” Ken’s voice broke the silence beside her, startling Melody.

“When did you get here?” she asked, surprised.

“Not long ago. You were so focused that I didn’t want to interrupt,” Ken said.

“I see…” Melody stood up, a little embarrassed. “I haven’t done design work for a while, so I’m a bit rusty.”

“If this is what you call rusty, then you’re definitely being humblebragging,” Ken said with a smile.

“Humblebrag” was a recent internet slang term for subtly showing off.

Melody blinked in surprise. “Wow, you know that word too?”

Ken gave her a playful look. “What do you mean? I’m not so old that I can’t keep up with the times.”

“That’s not what I meant…” Melody trailed off, feeling slightly awkward.

Ken usually carried himself with such formality that she hadn’t expected him to be familiar with internet culture.

Ken smiled and waved off her concern. “Don’t worry, I didn’t take it the wrong way. By the way, are these designs intended for the Justalion Group?”

Melody nodded. “Yes. Didn’t you tell me last time that the Clark family was secretly approaching Justalion Group’s designers? I suspect they’ll take action quickly, especially after hearing about what happened to Ulric. They’ll definitely accelerate their plans. When that happens, the Justalion Group might lose all its designers. A fashion group without designers is like a glamorous woman without substance, and it can’t do anything.”

Ken asked, slightly puzzled, “Are you planning to help Russell get through this?”

“Of course not,” Melody replied with a smile. “Ulric now can’t even help with his own problems, so it’s impossible for him to help the Justalion Group establish cooperation with the Swanson Group. Even if he wanted to, I doubt Ramon would just agree to it. In that case, all of Russell’s previous efforts would be in vain.”

Ken quickly caught on to her meaning, “Once the Justalion Group can’t make ends meet, Russell will have no choice but to sell it if he doesn’t want to end up sleeping on the streets. And you want to seize the opportunity to take over and rebuild the group,” Ken said.

Chapter 672

“I just can’t hide anything from you. That’s exactly my plan, but when I take over the group, it’s going to be impossible to gather all the designers at once. So before that happens, I need to be prepared and have some extra designs ready to fill the gaps where I don’t have enough staff,” Melody said.

Ken glanced at her and then said, “Actually, you don’t need to work so hard. I’ve already considered this. I’ve tentatively selected some designers, but the final choices haven’t been made yet. Once the list is finalized, you can come in person to make the final confirmation.”

Melody was taken aback. “You’re already helping me find designers for the Justalion Group? When did you start?”

“It’s been a while,” Ken replied vaguely.

But with Melody pressing him, he had to tell the truth. “It’s been about three months. At that time, you hadn’t left the Fox family yet, and I promised the Swanson Group partnership to him, considering he’s your real father.”

Melody felt a shock deep inside. “So… From that time, you were planning to help me take back the Justalion Group from him?”

If that were the case, it could truly be seen as a masterstroke of strategy.

Ken shook his head. “The promise I made to him then was genuine, and so is my current decision to backtrack. At that time, when I helped find designers for the Justalion Group, I just wanted to

support Russell, who was struggling. But after you left to join the Fox family, my original intentions changed.”

Melody breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he wasn’t as calculating as she had feared, or she would have felt uneasy.

“Don’t worry,” Ken said, noticing her expression and guessing her concerns. He added, with a touch of innocence and helplessness, “Even if I were more calculating, I wouldn’t trick you or do anything to harm you.”

Melody covered her nose and coughed in embarrassment, standing up. go check on Margaret.”

Ken pulled her back. “No need. I just checked on her. She took the medicine you gave her and has gone to sleep. Lucy said she’s mentally much better and should be fully recovered by morning.”

Melody withdrew her hand. “Well… Then let’s go to sleep then.”

“Okay,” Ken said.

“By the way, have you had dinner yet?” Melody suddenly asked.

Ken shot her a disgruntled look. “By the time you, a busy person, remembered to have dinner with me, I’d be starving to death. So I already had dinner at the office.”

Melody showed a smile apologetically, a strong sense of guilt growing in her heart.

Ken had thought of everything for her long before she even realized it, and had already started making arrangements for looking for designers before she did. But she was still…

Even if it was a fake marriage, she really wasn’t that competent as a wife.

“It won’t happen again.” She suddenly declared with a determined look in her eyes. “Just as long as you don’t find me annoying.”

Ken gently touched her forehead. “Although I don’t know what’s going on in your head, but don’t worry. I’ll never annoy you. Let’s go, time for bed!”

The weather was getting colder by the day.

Melody shivered as she stepped out of the bathroom after her shower.

The next second, she heard the soft beep of the air conditioner turning on.

Ken had noticed her shivering and immediately switched on the air conditioner.

Her heart warmed, and she said with a bit of embarrassment, “Sorry, I’m a little afraid of the cold… You don’t have to turn on the air conditioner if you’re not cold.”

“It’s okay, I’m afraid of the cold too,” Ken replied.

Despite his words, he was only wearing short-sleeved pajamas, while Melody was already bundled up in winter pajamas.

But Ken quickly snuggled under the blanket, so Melody didn’t even notice that he was wearing just thin short-sleeved pajamas.

Melody was much more relaxed tonight than she had been the night before.

Her body was no longer tense, and she also no longer frozen in place until she finally drifted off to sleep.

Overall, she felt much more at ease.

After the lights were turned off, Ken’s voice broke the silence. “At work today, I heard some women talking about what they’re planning for Christmas. Do you like Christmas?”

Melody shook her head, then quickly realized Ken couldn’t see her in the dark and spoke up, “I can’t really say whether I like it or not. To be honest, I’ve never really celebrated Christmas.

The countryside where she grew up was rather isolated, and it took at least an hour to get to town-longer if she was walking.

People there didn’t really go out of their way to celebrate Christmas.

They were more focused on working hard to support their families.

And after returning to Silverlake in her previous life, she couldn’t even think about festivals or holidays. She was so consumed with working for Ulric and helping him secure his position as chairman of the Swanson Group that there wasn’t any time for Christmas.

But now that Ken had mentioned it, she found herself kind of longing for it.

“Do you?” Melody turned to Ken and asked, “Do you like Christmas?”

“Just like you, I also can’t really say if I like it or not. I haven’t experienced it much. But when I was studying abroad, Sid and some of our friends dragged me to celebrate Christmas once. That time, Sid drank too much, and I just ended up taking care of him.”

Ken paused for a moment before suggesting, “Why don’t we spend Christmas together this year? No pressure, just for fun.”

“Sounds great,” Melody replied. “If we’re both free then, let’s do it. I could invite some friends from Herbathrive, and Zara too, so we could have a fun, warm Christmas together.”

Ken stiffened a bit in the darkness.

He had meant a Christmas just for the two of them. With so many people, it wouldn’t be the same.

Without another word, Ken mumbled, “I’m sleepy. Let’s sleep.”

Melody, already feeling drowsy, murmured a reply, then turned over. Soon, her breathing became steady as she drifted off to sleep.

Ken glanced at Melody, who had fallen asleep without realizing anything, and sighed quietly.

“What now?” he thought. He couldn’t think of any other good time to confess his feelings to Melody besides Christmas.

Valentine’s Day was too far off, and the closest holidays had nothing to do with couples.

“Never mind, I’ll figure it out when the time comes,” he thought.

The next day, Ken woke up early again and headed out.

But today, instead of going to Swanson Group headquarters, he went to Ximber Tech.

With Janet and Sid, the core members of Ximber Tech, out of town, he needed to spend more time there.

Fortunately, with Zack running things, the company was in good shape.

“Mr. Swanson,” Zack said, following Ken with a stack of documents as they walked toward the conference room, “The new series of smart home products is scheduled for launch next month, but with Janet and Mr. Quant both out of town, we need to know if we should postpone the launch.”

Ken thought for a moment and then said, “No, everything should proceed as planned.”

“Understood,” Zack said.

As they reached the door of the conference room, Ken paused and turned to Zack. “You’ve been working hard lately.”

Zack froze for a second, then a smile spread across his face. “It’s my job.”

There was no need to say anything more.

What Ken had promised Zack wasn’t just a hefty salary but also shares in Ximber Tech and a partner position.

With such an offer, Zack naturally gave it his all.

Chapter 673

Zack took the initiative to help Ken push open the door to the conference room.

Inside, the technical team was already gathered and stood up respectfully when they saw Ken enter. “Mr. Swanson!”

“Please, everyone, have a seat.” Ken pulled out his chair and sat down, starting the meeting.

After the meeting concluded, Ken was about to leave for the Swanson Group headquarters when Zack suddenly called out to him. “Mr. Swanson, the HR manager mentioned that there’s a job applicant who might require you to go over and talk personally.”

A hint of curiosity appeared in Ken’s eyes. “For which position?”

Anyone who needed his personal involvement in an interview had to be significant.

“For the technical department,” Zack said in a low voice. “This person has a rather extraordinary background. His name is Warner Chapman, and his grandfather is Nickolas Chapman, who resides in Naymar Manor…”

Ken’s eyebrows lifted. “Let’s go meet him.”

In the interview room, Warner’s resume as a smart product development genius had the HR manager nodding in approval. After a few questions, the HR manager was almost ready to schedule Warner’s start date right away.

But he hesitated, knowing it wasn’t his place to make that decision when he thought of the two big shots in the company sitting next door.

However, the fact that neither of them had intervened so far suggested they were at least inclined to approve Warner’s hiring.

After a few moments of thought, the HR manager asked, “We’re very satisfied with your qualifications. Do you have any additional requirements?”

Warner responded, “I’m very interested in your boss. He’s someone I aspire to surpass. My additional request is to have a few minutes to speak with him before I start.”

“Well …” the HR manager hesitated.

“If that’s not possible, I’m afraid I won’t be able to join the company,” Warner said.

Ulric had already extended numerous offers, but Warner had long admired the enigmatic head of Ximber Tech. In the end, he decided to turn down Ulric’s promises and applied to Ximber Tech instead.

The HR manager found himself in a difficult position.

Ken was sitting right next door, but without his agreement, the HR manager couldn’t make the call.

Just as the HR manager was breaking into a sweat, the door connecting the interview room suddenly opened.

Warner instinctively turned his head to see who had entered.

When he saw the familiar, handsome face, a realization struck him, and his eyes widened. “Ken Swanson?”

Ken’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Mr. Chapman, how are you?”

“You…” Warner was truly surprised.

Ken extended his hand toward him. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the owner of Ximber Tech. I understand you wanted to speak with me?”

Warner’s suspicions were confirmed, and he stood there, utterly stunned.

At the Swanson villa, Margaret had completely recovered from her illness and could already sunbathe and play with the kittens in the back garden.

Melody was finally at ease, but just then, she received a call from Zara.

Her first thought was that something had happened to Zara, so she nervously answered, “Zara, what’s wrong?”

On the other end of the line, Zara quickly reassured her and said, “I’m fine, Melody, don’t worry. I just finished shooting and wanted to see if you’d like to have lunch together?”

Melody let out a sigh of relief and said, “Sure, you pick the place, and I’ll head over now.”

“I’ll text you the address,” Zara said.

“No problem.” After telling Margaret, Melody had Spencer take her to the destination.

The address Zara sent was for a popular restaurant in the city center. Zara had booked a private room, so there was no need to worry about the crowd recognizing her as a star.

It was only when Melody entered the room that she realized Zara wasn’t alone. A plain-looking middle-aged couple was with her.

“Melody, here!” Zara exclaimed, standing up to greet her warmly.

Melody nodded slightly and looked at the couple before asking, “And they are…”

“They are my parents,” Zara replied, scratching her head with embarrassment. “They happened to visit me today. I mentioned on the phone that you’ve helped me several times and are a good friend, so they insisted on meeting you. I didn’t tell you beforehand because I was worried you might feel awkward. I’m really sorry about that.”

“That’s okay.” Melody smiled and shook her head before turning to Zara’s parents. “Hello.”

Zara’s parents seemed a bit shy and, after a brief greeting, Zara’s mom, Grace Wentworth, handed Melody a basket.

“Melody, I’m not good with words, but I brought this from home. One basket for you and one for Zara. I hope you will like it.”

Melody glanced at the basket, noticing it was filled with farm-fresh eggs, and felt a warm sensation in her heart. “Thank you, Mrs. Wentworth, that’s very thoughtful of you. It’s hard to find authentic farm eggs around here.”

Grace had been a bit worried that Melody might not appreciate the gesture, but she was relieved to see her accept the eggs. “I’m glad you like them. When we visit next time, we’ll bring more for you.”

Melody nodded and said, “I grew up in the countryside too, and back then, I ate farm-fresh eggs every day. I didn’t realize that once I arrived in Silverlake, they’d become a luxury item.”

Hearing Melody talk about her countryside upbringing eased the tension in Zara’s parents, and the conversation flowed more easily.

After finishing her meal, Melody excused herself to go to the restroom and decided to pay the bill on the way.

As she completed the payment, she noticed Zara stepping out of the private room, surrounded by a group of men dressed in punk attire.

The leader, a man flaunting his wealth with brand-name clothing and an air of arrogance, tilted Zara’s chin with his hand and said with a smirk. “I went to the cast and tried to see you a few days ago, and you dared to avoid me? Now I’ve still caught you, haven’t I?”

Zara, not wanting to cause a scene in front of her parents or drag them into trouble, forced a polite response, saying, “Mr. Jensen, I’m sorry for missing you last time. Let’s talk another day. I’ll treat you to dinner to make it up to you.”

“Another day? Huh? Do you take me for a fool? Don’t even think about brushing me off! You’re coming to dinner with me today. If I’m satisfied with the evening, I might let you go!” the man said, as he reached out to grab Zara’s hand.

Zara, preparing to pull away, was suddenly interrupted.

A cell phone flew through the air, striking the back of the man’s head with a thud.

He clutched his head in pain, letting out a miserable scream. “Ah…”

His friends turned in shock. “Who dared to hit Mr. Jensen? Show yourself!”

“It was me.” Melody stepped forward, her expression calm and unyielding. “Harassing a girl in public, what kind of man are you?”

When they saw Melody’s face, they all laughed in disbelief.

How could someone like her dare to confront them?

With concern, Zara looked at Melody, who had stepped forward to defend her, and shook her head anxiously, silently pleading with Melody to stay out of it.

Chapter 674

Melody obviously couldn’t just stand by and watch her friend get bullied.

As soon as she pulled Zara behind her, Melody whispered, “Go back to the room and don’t let your parents sense that anything’s wrong.”

Zara grew even more anxious. “How can I leave you here alone? His family is powerful and influential, and these friends of his are all skilled fighters… Let’s not fight them head-on.”

“Zara, don’t worry. These people are no match for me,” Melody said.

Zara hadn’t seen what Melody was capable of, and her worry deepened. “Melody, please listen to me. Just go back. There are so many people here, he wouldn’t dare do anything to me. If I just drink a few cups of wine with him, he might be happy and let me go…”

Melody sighed and then said, “If you’re not comfortable going back, then step back a few paces so I don’t accidentally hurt you.”

After saying that, she resolved to end this quickly.

Zara reached out to pull Melody back, but Melody had already stepped forward.

Fixing her gaze on the man who had been harassing Zara, Melody said, “I’ll give you one chance. Apologize to Zara, swear you’ll never bother her again, and this will be over.”

The man who had been hit on the head with a cell phone finally recovered, glaring at Melody with disdain and disgust. “Who do you think you are? Daring to make me apologize? Who gave an ugly bitch like you the right to tell me what to do? Just looking at your face makes me sick. Get out of here… Ouch!”

Before he could finish his sentence, he screamed in agony.

Zara couldn’t keep up with Melody’s speed. By the time she could see clearly, Melody had already tackled the man to the ground, holding him down effortlessly.

“Apologize to her!” Melody’s voice was ice cold.

The man couldn’t move at all, his face pressed against the ground as he screamed in pain.

Zara covered her mouth, shocked by Melody’s speed.

Before Zara could say anything, the man’s friends sprang into action.

“How dare you attack Mr. Jensen! You’re asking for it!” The tallest of the group was the first to rush at Melody.

Still pinning down “Mr. Jensen” with one hand, Melody swung her fist at the tall man with no hesitation, striking him as he approached.

The tall man obviously couldn’t keep up with Melody’s speed and was quickly overpowered.

The others, witnessing this, hesitated to approach her alone. After exchanging nervous glances, they decided to rush in together, regardless of their reputations.

Melody kicked the man lying on the ground aside, then grabbed the collar of the glasses-wearing man who had led the charge. She swung him around by the scruff of his neck and hurled him into the group.

In an instant, half of the men were knocked to the ground, completely disoriented.

The remaining three were even worse off. Melody suddenly accelerated, sprang off the wall, and launched herself at them with a flying kick.

Her feet connected with the faces of the three men in quick succession.

Soon, all of them lay sprawled on the ground, defeated.

Melody turned her cold gaze to their leader, Zane.

“Do you want to continue?” she asked.

Zane’s face turned pale with fear, but he still managed to rise from the ground, backing away while warning, “Don’t come any closer! Do you know who I am? You can’t afford to mess with me!”

Melody raised an eyebrow. “Then tell me who you are.”

As he mentioned his identity, Zane’s face, adorned with designer labels, showed a flicker of smugness. “I am Zane Jensen from the Jensen family of Silverlake!”

“Jensen family?” Melody narrowed her eyes.

There was only one Jensen family with significant influence in Silverlake.

Realizing this, a cold, sarcastic glint appeared in her eyes. “So you’re Nana’s brother?” Melody asked.

At the mention of “Nana”, a look of shock crossed Zane’s face. “You know the woman that was kicked out of the house by my father?”

Melody confirmed that this Zane was indeed the son of Nana’s father’s mistress.

‘But why would Zane still live so well? Hasn’t Nana already sent the information I sent over to the Jensen family?’ she wondered.

It seemed that perhaps something was amiss within the Jensen family, preventing Dennis from seeing it.

Melody took a few steps forward and seized Zane by the neck.

His breathing was immediately constricted, and his face began to turn red.

The terror that now filled Zane’s eyes, so recently filled with arrogance when he had just bragged about his family background, was palpable. He begged hoarsely, “Don’t kill me… I was wrong… I won’t dare do it again…”

Upon hearing Zane’s pleas and apologies, Melody released him.

“You should’ve done that earlier!” Melody shot him a cold look and said, “For Nana’s sake, I’ll spare you this time. If I catch you bothering Zara or any other innocent girl again, you’ll face a terrible fate. Get out!”

Zane nearly choked. His original arrogant attitude had all gone.

“Let’s go!” Indignant and dejected, he quickly fled with his friends.

Zara hurried over to Melody. “Melody, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Melody managed a reassuring smile and said softly, “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

Zara let out a sigh of relief but then said anxiously, “Zane isn’t someone to be taken lightly. What if he comes after you again? It’s all my fault…”

“Don’t worry about me. Remember, I have a strong backer,” Melody said.

Zara quickly thought of Ken’s face. “But Mr. Swanson can’t always be there for you… How about this, I’ll find a few bodyguards for you to ensure your safety after I get back.”

“Bodyguards? No need,” Melody said with a smile. “I already have them. One of mine is worth ten of yours.”

That was a modest understatement.

With the likes of Seventeen and Spencer, who were death warrior, dealing with a hundred of Zane’s so-called “friends” would be no trouble at all for each of them.

Hearing that Melody had bodyguards, Zara felt somewhat reassured but still looked guilty. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get involved because of me. I shouldn’t have asked you to lunch today.”

Melody frowned. “Zara, we’re friends. You don’t have to apologize. Zane isn’t someone to be afraid of. I’m stronger than you think, and you should have let me know the last time he harassed you.”

Zara looked down. “I just don’t want you to always have to clean up my mess. I wish I could protect you and help you someday.”

Melody smiled warmly and patted Zara on the head. “It’s enough that you care. You, as a big star, just shine on TV. Let me, an ordinary person, handle these dirty matters. Just remember me when you become famous.”

Chapter 675

She was kind to Zara, not only because Zara was sincere to her but also because Zara reminded her of her former self pure, like a blank sheet of paper.

She couldn’t bear to see Zara, who was as innocent as a blank sheet, being tainted by the world.

In her previous life, she had been alone, like a solitary team with no one to protect her, betrayed and harmed by everyone around her.

Therefore, she wanted to do her best to protect Zara, as if she were protecting her past self.

When Melody heard Zara say she also wanted to protect herself, Melody’s heart was touched.

“Besides, you will naturally have the ability to protect me when you become a big star,” Melody said.

Melody’s words were like a ray of light, strengthening Zara’s resolve to become strong.

“Right!” Zara nodded vigorously and said, “I will definitely become a big star!”

As they were talking, Zara’s parents emerged from the room, having heard the commotion.

With a worried expression, Grace pulled Zara aside and asked, “Did something happen just now? We heard what sounded like a fight. I wanted to come out and check, but your father thought it might be risky and get you into trouble, so we stayed put. When we saw you and Melody hadn’t returned, your dad couldn’t wait any longer and pulled me out…”

Melody interjected smoothly, “Mrs. Wentworth, Mr. Wentworth, don’t worry. There were indeed some people who got drunk and fought, but they’d already left. We just stayed here to watch.”

Grace was relieved but still admonished them. “It’s not fun to watch a fight! You two girls are so weak that you’ll be injured if someone bumps into you!”

Zara couldn’t help but smile when she thought of Melody taking on eight people by herself.

She might be weak, but Melody was incredibly strong. Zara was still amazed by what she saw just now!

Though she thought this, Zara said aloud, “I know, Mom. We won’t watch anything like that again.”

Grace and Zara’s father, Theo Wentworth, then relaxed.

“I’m glad you’re okay. We bought train tickets for an hour from now and plan to head back,” Grace said.

Zara looked disappointed. “Mom, why did you buy tickets without telling me? I just finished shooting the movie, and I’m free for a few more days. I could have shown you around Silverlake.”

Theo smiled. “If we stay for too many days, what about the pigs and chickens at home? Our neighbors have been helping us take care of the farm for the past two days, but we can’t expect them to keep doing that indefinitely, can we?”

Grace said, tears welling in her eyes, “We can’t bear to part with you, but we still need to go back to take care of everything at home. Even if you decide not to take this job one day, you can go back home and our family will always support you. We may not have a lot of money, but we won’t let you go hungry.”

Zara knew she couldn’t argue with her parents, and besides, they were unaccustomed to city life, so she could only nod and say, “Then I’ll take you to the train station.”

Melody volunteered and said, “I drove here, so I’ll give you a ride.”

Zara, who had recently gained fame from a web series but had not yet received an exclusive car from her company, sniffled with gratitude. “Thank you, Melody…”

‘Don’t say that. It’s nothing. Besides, we’re friends. I don’t want to hear you say that again.” Melody replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

After saying that, Melody suddenly paused.

She realized, perhaps for the first time, why Ken didn’t like hearing thanks.

When someone gives willingly, saying thank you could sometimes create a sense of distance rather than closeness.

Ken’s feelings toward her might be similar to her own feelings about Zara.

He also regarded herself as a good friend.

Melody felt unsettled by this realization.

He treated her as a friend, but she…

She secretly pinched her waist and tried to push the thoughts away, focusing on sending Zara’s parents to the train station.

Zara watched until her parents disappeared inside the station before pulling away.

“Well, don’t worry. When you have the chance, you can bring them over to stay with you,” Melody said, taking Zara back to the car.

On the way, Zara updated Melody about her current situation. “I’m almost finished with my part in the movie. Since most of it was filmed against a green screen, I wrapped up a month earlier than expected. But the supporting characters and the zombie scenes still need about a month of filming. The producer mentioned that if post- production goes smoothly, it might be screened during New Year’s Day. The higher-ups are very optimistic about the film, so the review process should be swift.”

“Screened during New Year’s Day…” Melody said, pleased for Zara.

“Although the film market is highly competitive during New Year’s Day, the apocalyptic theme of your film should be very appealing. I’ll book the whole cinema to support you when the time comes.”

Zara nodded vigorously. The sadness of parting with her family had faded considerably as she talked about her work.

“I’m going to do the dubbing myself,” Zara said. “To compete for next year’s National Movie Awards with this film, one of the requirements is that the character’s voice must be my own. I’m not very confident about my lines, though, so I’m planning to take some lessons from a voice coach.”

Melody replied, “The National Movie Awards are very prestigious. If you win Best Actress, you’ll sure be a huge star.”

Zara responded humbly, “This is my first film as the official lead actress, so I’m not aiming for Best Actress right now. I’d be thrilled just to get a nomination…”

Melody mentally reviewed the situation.

In her previous life, Yana had won Best Actress at the National Movie Awards the following year, and it was all thanks to the movie that Zara had just finished.

However, due to the unexpected changes brought on by her involvement, Yana had been removed from the cast, leaving Zara to take over.

Maybe Zara did have a real chance at the Best Actress award.

But of course, Melody kept this to herself and instead asked, “How long will you be able to rest next? Do you have any plans besides taking voice lessons?”

“I’m also planning to enroll in a costume design class,” Zara said.

Melody raised an eyebrow. “A costume design class?”

“Yes,” Zara said. “I have a variety show next month, Artist’s Wardrobe Season 2. This season is different from the first. It’s not just about visiting the guests’ wardrobes. We’ll also need to demonstrate our ability to design and modify clothes from the guests’ homes.”

Melody was optimistic about Artist’s Wardrobe Season 2. The second season had been even more successful in her previous life, surpassing the first season.

She nodded and asked, “Have you finalized your mystery guest for the first episode yet?”

“I was told that it’s been finalized, but even my agent doesn’t know who it is. It might be someone really mysterious, or maybe the company just wants to avoid overshadowing Yana by pairing me with a newcomer,” Zara said.

Melody pondered for a moment and then said, “Do you want me to ask Ken who the company has arranged as your mystery guest?”

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