Chapter 77

Mrs. Susan's house did not have a telephone. Originally, during World War II, they had installed a telephone, but it was destroyed by one of the bombs dropped by the mustachioed man during the bombing of London. After that, due to financial constraints, they only made simple repairs and did not reinstall the telephone. However, since Bruce had to contact her through someone else's phone, Mrs. Susan felt it would be better to have a telephone at home. This way, she could report Catherine's situation to the Edson family at any time.

Of course, Mrs. Susan would use as tactful a tone as possible. She knew how embarrassing it would be for the family to have a delinquent girl.

Although Mrs. Susan rarely contacted the Bruce family, this did not hinder their relationship. Since her husband and daughter died in the war, Mrs. Susan appeared strong on the surface, but in reality, she had not truly moved on from the shadow of that tragedy. Now, with Catherine's arrival, Mrs. Susan saw a reflection of her own daughter and her own naive and ignorant self. Therefore, to a large extent, Mrs. Susan treated Catherine as her second daughter.

Catherine was still getting used to the devices on her body. To be honest, she found them somewhat uncomfortable, and she couldn't take large steps when walking. Catherine's pigeon-toed feet had already been corrected by the corrective stockings, but she still walked with a brisk and energetic pace, much like her previous life. However, men's movements on a woman's body were not appropriate. Although her steps were restricted, Catherine's movements indeed became more graceful. She swayed her hips and body with each step, maintaining her balance like a catwalk, which was quite sexy. After all, having practiced ballet, Catherine had excellent balance.

Catherine was currently wearing a cotton coat. It was winter, after all, and it was still quite cold. The workers were laying the telephone lines, and Catherine went to her tutor for her lessons. She still needed to study high school content. On the way, Catherine, following Emma's instructions, sent a letter home to report her safety. In the letter, Catherine tactfully inquired about her parents' views on chastity belts.

However, the response left Catherine quite embarrassed. "In ancient times, chastity belts were used to control women, to exploit and oppress us... But now, they can protect us well. However, in today's society, they are rarely used. Kate, if the security situation in London has really deteriorated to that extent, I suggest you wear one. But nowadays, it seems that more men use them, as their wives are not so trusting. The so-called 'machismo' makes them afraid to speak up. A former colleague of Bruce's also wore one; it was quite amusing..."

The initial advice was not bad, but it was clear that Emma had misunderstood Catherine's intention, and the latter part of the letter had turned into a curious anecdote. However, from this, Catherine could see that Emma had a rather neutral attitude towards chastity belts.

Although she had been in this world for a long time, due to the differences in gender and culture, there were still some things she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Catherine felt ashamed; she had indeed misunderstood things. After all, although Mrs. Susan had made her wear a corset, it was not the kind that would harm her, but rather to discipline her behavior.

Here, Catherine really wanted to thank the women's rights organizations. Without their efforts, Western women might still be wearing corsets, big skirts, and even collars, masks, and shackles, like "ladies" of the past. The definition of a lady has changed, and Catherine now felt quite good about this new definition.

A few days after receiving the reply, the telephone was installed. In fact, after Catherine's arrival, Mrs. Susan had urged the construction team to speed up. Once the telephone was installed, Mrs. Susan immediately called New York and reported Catherine's situation to Emma.

"Oh, Sister Susan, it's so nice to hear your voice again."

Emma's tone conveyed a sense of intimacy and gratitude.

"Yes, I haven't seen you all in a long time. Catherine has been here for a few days, and I must say, she is a good girl."

"Oh, thank you."

"That's as you mentioned in your letter. I think some of Catherine's bad behaviors need to be adjusted. Sometimes, she doesn't seem like a girl at all."

Hearing this, Emma began to recall Catherine's past actions. Indeed... Catherine could sometimes be quite worrying. However, Catherine was always very cautious, so Emma was actually quite at ease, especially after assigning a bodyguard to her. But if her daughter could become more ladylike and not one of the "lost generation," Emma thought it would be quite nice.

So, she said, "Sister Susan, if necessary, please help Kate. I really hope to see a refined and gentle daughter. Catherine is very smart, but she always gets into big trouble. These things are simply incomprehensible to me and her father."

"The Wasteland" was a fuse that prematurely detonated the "racism" bomb. Even the New York Times had referred to the entire incident as the "Wasteland Incident." However, the film crew was quite happy because the box office was soaring, now surpassing $80 million, which was no small feat.

As for the Europeans, they were generally curious about the film that had ignited the American powder keg. What could make the entire United States boil over? Although experts knew that "The Wasteland" was just a trigger, the general public rarely had such insight.

Catherine, the "great director," had become famous. Prestige brought many conveniences, and even gender discrimination could sometimes disappear with enough prestige. Perhaps because Catherine had taken the brunt of the criticism, Bruce Lee and Freeman began to attract attention from other film companies. However, they had already signed contracts with DreamWorks, and Catherine did not impose any restrictions on them, but required that they prioritize the company's interests.

In other words, if you wanted to hire them for a film, you had to pay up...

DreamWorks was running well, although it had faced some minor impacts. The filming location in the desert of Mexico... If there were any particularly troublesome people who came, the Umbrella Corporation's employees would make sure they had a rough time. After all, in the desert, no matter how shrewd a person was, they couldn't hide in a crowd, as there was no such thing as a "crowd" there.

With the telephone, Catherine's communication with the company became much easier. At least she didn't have to worry about being cut off from information while she was here, and she could still give remote instructions...