Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Joanna Kennedy never thought of herself as some kind of saint. If this were the past, she wouldn’t have bothered with Serena Sutton, given her clueless attitude.

But now, her feelings were complicated. She had inexplicably obtained the protagonist’s energy that belonged to Serena Sutton. Seeing Serena all alone in the hospital room, she suddenly felt that Serena was quite pitiful.

Even though she hadn’t caused this pitiful state, even though Serena Sutton had brought it on herself,

Joanna Kennedy sighed. This was the extent of the help she could offer. If a person won’t save themselves, not even the gods can help them.

She spent a few more days under observation in the hospital. During this time, Joanna Kennedy received many messages on her phone. Her disappearance had been handled well; not many people knew about it.

Only a few directors from the film crew who had cooperated with the investigation knew. They all sent warm greetings, their tone much gentler than it had been on set, even bordering on cautious.

It was no joke. In the few short hours Joanna Kennedy was missing, that man from Southland had nearly gone mad looking for her. Who didn’t know by now that Simon Lockwood was the powerful backer behind Joanna?

Director Archer expressed his concern, then tactfully asked: [Before the movie is released, we all need to do promotions together. Joanna, are you physically up for it?]

This was a standard procedure, so Joanna Kennedy replied directly without much thought: [Yes, that’s no problem for me.]

Director Archer: [That’s great, that’s great...]

After she sent the reply, Joanna was about to exit the chat when she caught a small line of text at the top out of the corner of her eye: ”The other party is typing...”

She waited for a moment, but Director Archer didn’t send anything else, so she took the initiative and asked: [Director Archer, is there something else you need to discuss?]

This time, there was no hesitation from his end. A message arrived a few seconds later.

Director Archer: [I probably shouldn’t be the one asking this, but it concerns the release of our film. I’ve thought about it, and I feel I have to ask. Joanna, what are your plans regarding Owen?]

Conor Archer knew a little of the inside story—he knew Owen Jennings was involved. He wasn’t related to Owen Jennings, but Owen was the male lead of the movie, after all. There was no guarantee Southland Group wouldn’t order him to be blacklisted immediately.

If the male lead gets blacklisted, what happens to the promotions? How can the movie even be released?

Conor Archer sighed, faintly regretting that he had agreed to help Charles Jennings’s nephew—a man he barely knew.

Her phone pinged again. Joanna looked and saw another message from Conor Archer—

[Joanna, I don’t mean anything by it, but this is your first movie. It’s very important for your acting career. I hope you’ll give it some careful consideration.]

Directors are afraid of their cast getting into trouble; actors are afraid their work will never be released or will have poor box office results. If something went wrong with her very first film, what would people in the industry think?

Besides, she was already at the center of a storm of public opinion, with many rumors questioning her. If Owen Jennings got into trouble now, it wouldn’t do her any good.

In the hotel room, Conor Archer stared worriedly at his phone, surrounded by several assistant directors, all of them nervously eyeing his screen.

DING! The phone screen lit up. Conor Archer hurriedly opened the message and then let out a heavy sigh of relief.

”Director Archer, what is it? What did she say??”

”Yeah, Director! Can the movie still be released?”

The men chattered all at once. Seeing Conor Archer remain silent, one of them grew anxious and snatched the phone to look. The chat interface was set to the largest font size, typical for older users, making the message very clear.

Joanna Kennedy: [Director Archer, you can rest assured.]

It was a short sentence without any specific promise, yet it was strangely reassuring. They all had the same thought—Owen Jennings was safe for now. The movie could await its release in peace.

On the day she was discharged, Liam Valentine appeared. Seeing the smiling man standing outside the hospital room holding a bouquet of flowers, Simon Lockwood’s expression darkened.

Simon Lockwood hadn’t forgotten that it was because Liam Valentine had run his mouth that he had missed Joanna Kennedy waking up, causing her to misunderstand him.

”Is there something you need, President Valentine?” Simon Lockwood was tall and imposing, blocking the doorway and completely cutting off the girl’s curious gaze. His expression was not exactly friendly.

Liam Valentine’s expression didn’t change as he smiled faintly. ”I was busy the past few days. I heard Miss Kennedy was being discharged, so I came to visit.”

’Busy? It was just Simon Lockwood deliberately making trouble and keeping him away from the hospital.’

’He really is the type to burn bridges.’ Liam Valentine’s smile grew even gentler, as if he hadn’t noticed the ”unwelcome” written all over Simon Lockwood’s face.

”Aren’t you going to invite me in, Mr. Lockwood?”

”...”

The two equally tall men stood facing each other—one handsome and aloof, the other gentle and approachable. They were equally outstanding, a perfect match for one another.

After a long moment, hearing the girl’s questioning call from inside, Simon Lockwood finally turned sideways to let him pass.

Liam Valentine gave a polite nod and walked in unhurriedly. He placed the flowers on the bedside table. ”Are you all recovered, Miss Kennedy? Are you still feeling any discomfort?”

Joanna Kennedy was a little surprised to see Liam Valentine. Her gaze subconsciously followed his movement and landed on a bouquet of uniquely wrapped blue enchantress roses. For a moment, a dazed look appeared in her eyes.

Before she could react, Liam Valentine said, ”I’ve been truly negligent, letting Miss Kennedy encounter such an unfortunate incident in Marinus.”

Hearing his apologetic tone, Joanna Kennedy snapped back to her senses and met Liam Valentine’s deep, inscrutable dark eyes. Her mind flashed back to the restaurant and the words he had said to her.

Joanna Kennedy instinctively averted her gaze, her tone a little distant. ”You’re joking, President Valentine. We’re not related in any way; you don’t need to be responsible for my safety. We’re about to head back, so thank you for taking the trouble to come.”

The girl’s words were meant to create distance, indicating that she wasn’t close to Liam Valentine.

The sullen-faced person packing things nearby looked a bit better after hearing that. At least he stopped folding and unfolding her English vocabulary book.

Joanna Kennedy looked away and secretly sighed in relief. ’Simon Lockwood is so petty. I’d better be on my best behavior.’

Liam Valentine took in the girl’s subtle actions, a flicker of an unreadable emotion in his eyes. He spoke slowly, his voice still gentle. ”Very well. I wish you and Mr. Lockwood a safe journey.”

”Thank you,” Joanna Kennedy replied with a polite smile.

Liam Valentine had arrived without warning and left just as quickly, not lingering at all. It was as if he had truly only come to see Joanna Kennedy as a host fulfilling his duties.

The vibrant blue enchantress roses lying quietly on the table were the only trace that he had been there.

Simon Lockwood glanced at them for a second before looking away, his lips pressed into a thin, straight line and his brow furrowed.

There wasn’t much to pack, and it was done quickly. The weather was already quite cold. Simon Lockwood took out a jacket and put it on the girl, zipping it all the way to the top. Just as they were about to leave, he asked in a strained voice, ”Is there anything else you forgot?”

Joanna Kennedy, her face flushed from the heat of the jacket, glanced subconsciously around the hospital room. She shook her head and answered honestly, ”How would I know? You’re the one who packed everything.”

Whenever Simon Lockwood was around, she never had to lift a finger for things like this. How was she supposed to know if something was forgotten?

This was clearly not the answer Simon Lockwood wanted to hear. He frowned and asked again, ”Take another careful look.”