Chapter 52

In the beautiful and tidy campus, everything was silent. A white teaching building stood in the middle of the campus, with a tall flagpole in front of it. The American flag and the California bear flag were flying one above the other in the wind.

In a classroom, Carey Mulligan, sitting by the window, absentmindedly twirled a ballpoint pen with her right hand and propped her chin up with her left, staring blankly at the flagpole through the glass. It seemed that the large brown bear on the state flag was more captivating than the handsome male teacher on the podium.

"How boring," she muttered to herself, "I wonder how Murphy is doing."

Leaving the film set, Carey Mulligan felt like she had become a bird in a cage again, with freedom and dreams once more slipping away from her.

When will Murphy come to rescue me? This thought couldn't help but pop into Carey Mulligan's mind.

In an instant, the pattern on the state flag she was staring at changed. The brown bear turned into a person with short hair, a rugged face, deep eyes, a tall and muscular body... Oh, and a few faint scars on his face, which made him look so unique.

More importantly, he was understanding and passionate, always able to solve all obstacles and problems.

For some reason, Carey Mulligan felt like she just wanted to fly to the northern basin of the San Fernando Valley, even if it was just to take a quick look and come back.

"Carey Mulligan..." the male teacher noticed her distraction, "Carey Mulligan!"

The girl was so engrossed in her fantasy that she couldn't hear the outside world.

The male teacher called her several times, and a girl behind her kicked her chair hard. Only then did Carey Mulligan snap back to reality and quickly stand up.

"Uh..." Carey Mulligan looked around, at a loss.

"Carey Mulligan," the male teacher said, "please tell us the history of the California state flag."

As a British person, how could she care about the history of the California state flag? Her lips moved a couple of times, and she could only say helplessly, "I'm very sorry."

Although the male teacher didn't make things difficult for her, after sitting down, Carey Mulligan's face fell again. She stabbed the textbook with the ballpoint pen, hating the school that bound her freedom to the extreme.

"If this continues, I'll go crazy!"

She shook her head, looked down at her desk, and painfully waited for the class to end.

Finally, the bell rang. As soon as the male teacher left the classroom, the girl who had reminded her earlier stood up and came over, asking curiously, "Carey, what were you thinking about? You've been distracted all day."

Carey Mulligan threw the ballpoint pen on the table and said irritably, "Nothing."

The girl, who seemed to have a good relationship with her, suddenly switched to a gossipy tone, "It couldn't be... that your first love has arrived, could it?"

Carey Mulligan was taken aback.

Seeing her expression, the girl's curiosity grew even more. She grabbed Carey's hand and asked hurriedly, "Who is he? How does it feel to be in love? How far have you gone? Have you slept together?"

This series of questions left Carey Mulligan at a loss for words. Fortunately, another classmate's voice came from the classroom door, "Carey, someone is looking for you!"

Carey Mulligan quickly pulled her hand away and ran out. In the corridor outside the classroom, her agent, Bill Rosi, was waiting.

Seeing her agent, she asked anxiously, "When can we go to the set?"

"I've already taken care of your leave," Bill Rosi pointed to the classroom behind her, "Go pack your things, I'll wait for you outside the campus."

The nearly dead Carey Mulligan instantly came back to life, excitedly shouted, and turned to rush back to the classroom.

The film set was the life she wanted. There, she had her role, her soul, and a Murphy who was very, very good to her.

With Carey Mulligan's return to the set, Murphy's work returned to normal. In the past few days, he had completed all the solo shots for James Franco. The remaining scenes were mostly interactions between Hailee and Jeff.

The production process became smoother, though there were various issues. Given the small scale of the film, Murphy always found suitable solutions. Even if the set designer and the lighting technician were mediocre, they could still serve as his assistants temporarily.

It's worth mentioning James Franco. He was still young, and his acting skills were far from what they would be in the future, but he was more than capable for a B-movie. He could even be considered the most stable performer in the entire production.

Moreover, after Carey Mulligan returned to the set, James Franco always seemed to be avoiding her, both intentionally and unintentionally, as if the previous incident had left a psychological scar.

The entire shooting process was challenging, but with the incentive of pay, everyone rallied around Murphy and worked hard together.

Murphy was also evaluating his employees. Although the success of this film was uncertain, he was preparing for potential future projects, aiming to build a relatively stable team, a crucial step in every director's growth.

The lighting technician and the set designer were really mediocre. If not for the limited budget and time, Murphy wouldn't have used them. These two were not on his list for future collaborations.

To be precise, except for makeup artist Jack Watson and the proactive intern Paul Wilson, everyone else would return to where they came from.

Unlike the others who planned to stay in Hollywood, Jessica Chastain intended to end her internship after the film was completed and return to New York to finish her final year at the Juilliard School.

After months of preparation and shooting, she had accumulated some experience in film production. Especially seeing Murphy, who made countless mistakes and constantly corrected himself, she truly understood the difficulty of succeeding in this industry.

The production team was about to shoot the final scene. While everyone else was excited, Jessica Chastain stood calmly in the corner, watching James Franco, covered in fake blood, being tortured by Carey Mulligan, who was also drenched in blood.

Originally, she had a role in the film, but Murphy had canceled it on a whim.

Her bright eyes, hidden under her red bangs, turned to Murphy, who was filming with the camera. A hint of complexity appeared in her eyes, and Jessica Chastain found it hard to describe her feelings.

This person would use any means to achieve success, as long as it didn't cross the legal line.

Even she felt somewhat influenced by him.

Fortunately, she would leave after receiving her pay and probably wouldn't work with him again.

Dancing with the devil had always made her feel heavy, but fortunately, it was all about to end.