With those cold words, Lauren Howell felt deflated. She pushed open the car door, hanging her head as she got out. However, just as she was shutting the door, she remembered something and turned around to say, "It’s just that..." Before she could finish, Ava Sterling stepped on the gas and the car zoomed out of the parking lot. Lauren stood there, her mouth agape, watching the pink sports car disappear into traffic, and murmured, "Eric said this director is rather impressive, if you want to refuse, be careful not to get entangled..." Ava was already out of earshot. Lauren didn’t plan to say anything else. She felt regretful yet resigned about Ava Sterling refusing to enter the entertainment industry. Ava had great natural attributes—a good figure, a beautiful face—exactly the type of person meant to be on the big screen. If she joined the entertainment industry, she would surely become a big hit. Yet, Ava didn’t enter. Even back then, people invited Ava to act in films and TV shows, but she refused without a second thought. She didn’t even consider it. Initially, Lauren thought Ava was just passionate about modeling and hadn’t thought much about it. That’s why she earnestly tried to persuade her. Even Eric joined in, advising her that there was no need to either succeed or fail with just one career path. But she wouldn’t listen. She was just living her life as a model, perfecting each step. In these ten years, Ava wasn’t aware of how many scripts she rejected. Eventually, Lauren and Eric stopped trying to persuade her. Scripts that were sent over got turned down even before they reached Eric. So, this time Eric merely asked Lauren to convey the message, without putting much thought into it. And besides, if it weren’t for this director’s persistence—going as far as following her to the countryside—Eric wouldn’t have bothered getting Lauren to tell Ava. Watching the pink sports car quickly disappear, Lauren sighed. If Ava doesn’t want to enter, so be it. The entertainment industry is full of trivial matters anyway. Ava soon called Jace Kingsley after driving out, telling him she was done with her tasks. Asking him when he would be free, so they could have a meal. Unexpectedly, Jace informed her that he was already at the location, none other than The Cauldron Sea. Eating hot pot during a hot noon felt like adding fuel to fire. Ava pressed on the accelerator and arrived at the location within half an hour. She parked the car in the underground lot, entered the elevator, and directly went upstairs, following the waiter to the private room. The door opened, and a rich aroma of hot pot hit her, prompting Ava to take a deep breath, her mood lifting instantly. Jace was already sitting inside. Seeing her, he smiled and stood up, pulling out a chair for her. Ava immediately smiled and walked over. "Why are you so early?" Sitting down, Ava picked up the glass of tea on the table and took a sip. Watching her natural movements, Jace smiled and sat down, "I finished my work and naturally waited for you." "Come on, everything’s in the pot, I’ve mixed the sauces for you. Try and see if they fit your taste." He remembered how she mixed her sauce last time during hot pot, so he prepared it again for her. It’s exactly the same. Seeing the sauce mixed precisely as she did last time, Ava was surprised, "Did you mix this?" Ava wasted no time, immediately taking a taste, her eyes lit up, "Impressive!" "It’s just like the one I mixed last time, even the tartness is the same!" He placed some meat into her bowl. Ava was unreserved and started to devour it immediately. Jace was incredibly meticulous, thoughtful, and observant, making Ava feel very comfortable with him. There’s not even a hint of discomfort. After eating to about seventy percent full, Ava grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth, and said, "So spill it, roughly when?" The main reason for their meet-up was to discuss work; now that she initiated the topic, Jace picked up a napkin to wipe his lips, the gesture as gentle and pleasing as his personality. Ava suddenly had an image of Poe Vaughn dining, elegant and charming; but she quickly shook it off. Fresh chapters posted on n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net A man so cold-hearted, she definitely didn’t want to think about him! Putting down the napkin, Jace looked at Ava gently, "Because it’s a Maldives tourism project, we need to shoot in the Maldives. So you’ll have to make a trip there." Ava casually waved her hand, "No problem." "I’m always traveling globally for work; the Maldives, no big deal." Knowing she would react this way, he was not surprised. "While my schedule is relatively flexible, the sooner we can shoot this, the better. But it depends on when you’re free." Ava promptly replied, "I’ll call Lauren to check my schedule for this period." "If there’s nothing too important, let’s wrap yours up first." Ava immediately dialed Lauren’s number. Lauren quickly answered, "Ava." "Am I busy these two days?" Upon hearing this, Lauren instantly perked up. Could Ava have had a breakthrough? She quickly responded, "Not busy these two days, just a few small events in the evening. You can participate or not." "I’m going to the Maldives." Ava then looked at Jace, "How long will it take?" Jace met her bright eyes, "Maximum five days." Lauren heard Jace’s voice and got excited, "Are you going to the Maldives with Jace?" Ava didn’t want to hear her babble. She cut her off, "Taking out five days, going to the Maldives." Then hung up the phone. Straightforward and efficient. Ava picked up her chopsticks and continued eating, speaking as she chewed, "If it fits, I’ll go this afternoon, or evening." Jace paused, then laughed, "So soon?" "Of course, I’m always efficient in what I do." Chewing her food didn’t slow her speech in the slightest. Jace’s laughter was unstoppable, "Alright, let’s go this afternoon. I’ll go with you." Ava was stunned, looking up at Jace. Jace smiled, "I’m very invested in this project." Ava understood and nodded, "Alright, we’ll..." She picked up her phone to check the time, then said, "Let’s take the five o’clock flight!" Settling the time with Jace, they finished eating and left. Ava drove straight back to the Green Mountain Villa to pack her luggage. Heading out for several days meant careful packing. Ava was quick; it wasn’t long before her luggage was ready. Her phone chimed, and Ava checked it. It was a message from Jace, informing her that the flight was booked. Her phone also received flight details. The flight was scheduled for five ten. Checking the time, it was just after two, not yet three, so timing was appropriate. She replied with an OK hand gesture and carried her suitcase downstairs. Mrs. Wei was tidying the house, occasionally glancing upstairs, attending to any noises above. Hearing the sound of wheels rolling, she was puzzled. Was the mistress planning to leave home? Soon, Ava appeared with her suitcase, and seeing her, Mrs. Wei forgot what Ava had said last night, instinctively asked, "Mistress, what are you..." Feeling cheerful, Ava replied, "Mrs. Wei, I’m going on a business trip for a few days." Mrs. Wei immediately breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "So the mistress is going on a business trip." Ava noticed this word and frowned, "What? He’s also on a business trip?"