Chapter 776 Let’s Just Leave Him Out This Time
The sky was already dark after Leanna returned from the underground casino.
Zoe came to Leanna with the processed film sketch. After they confirmed the release time and content
copy, she detected the smell of cigarettes on Leanna's body. Therefore, she blurted, "Nana, where did
you go?"
"I went to look for Ron," Leanna promptly replied.
"Ron?"
Leanna nodded lightly, "I asked him to find someone for me."
Zoe felt her heart flutter in fear as she expressed her concern. "The place Ron hangs around is rowdy.
Do you not feel scared going there unprepared?"
Leanna smiled a little before saying, "I'm not afraid, for I grew up in a rowdy neighborhood when I was
young." The place my family and I lived in the past, along with the nearby streets around the
neighborhood, were all similar to the alley I visited today. Back then, I would inevitably pass by such an
alley every time I came home from school. I was teased by the women on the street and threatened by
gangsters multiple times. Yet, the women who teased me would scold and drive the drunkards away
from me when they saw those good-for-nothing making things difficult for me. Those gangsters who
threatened me would also push me home in a small cart when they noticed that my leg was fractured. It
was only after I was in junior high that the area was no longer rowdy. Hence, I know very well that no
one would be willing to live there for a long time if they weren't beaten down by reality.
Zoe changed the topic instead of dwelling on the matter further, saying, "I've checked the weather
forecast for tomorrow. It is reported that tomorrow will be a sunny day. Our film shooting will certainly
turn out well."
"I'm not going tomorrow. I have to go home early in the evening to make dinner. Freddie has been
nagging me about it for many days. Come over with Daphne after you guys wrap up the shooting. Just
call me if something happens," Leanna informed.
"Okay." Zoe paused before she continued, "Then… shall we ask Louis to join us?"
Leanna went silent before deciding. "Let's just leave him out this time." Judging from the current
situation between Louis and Daphne, it's better not to let them meet and hang out together on such an
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occasion. After all, their personal lives are something private. So, they should be the ones dealing with
this matter, not us.
"Have you gotten in touch with the models?" Leanna asked, directing her attention to their jobs.
Zoe promptly replied, "Yes, yes. I have already contacted the two backup models. Everything will
absolutely go according to plan this time."
Right then, there was a knock on the door of the office. A young female employee in the studio
appeared and said, "Zoe, your boyfriend is here to pick you up."
The smile on Zoe's face faded away. After that, she turned her head and instructed, "Okay. Ask him to
wait outside for a while."
The young female employee nodded and shut the door before leaving.
Meanwhile, Leanna flipped through the draft in front of her. "Alright. It's getting late. Go on and have
your dinner."
"How about you? When will you return home?" Zoe inquired.
Leanna discretely sniffed herself and thought, The smell of cigarettes is indeed pungent. Aidan
certainly will interrogate me when he comes home and gets a whiff of this smell.
Therefore, she said, "I will go home after revising this draft."
"Sure," said Zoe. "Then, I'll be leaving now. Bye."
Leanna gave her a nod. "Okay. Bye."
Zoe left the studio after returning to her office to grab her bag.
Not far away stood Brandon, who was waiting with a bouquet in his hand.
Zoe approached him. "Sorry for keeping you waiting. I've just finished my work."
Brandon smiled. "It's okay."
As he spoke, he handed her the bouquet in his hand. "For you."
Zoe was stunned. For a moment, she made no move to accept the bouquet and asked hesitantly, "Is
today a special day?"
"No, no. It's just that I came across this bouquet while I was on my way here. I thought it looked quite
pretty and that you would like it. But of course, it is also a token of apology," Brandon explained.
Zoe was puzzled. "Apology?"
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"I'm sorry for not being able to come to pick you up because I worked overtime last night," Brandon
elaborated.
Zoe simply smiled. "Well, actually, I was also working overtime for the shooting yesterday. Moreover, I
wasn't in the studio. It was fortunate that you didn't come yesterday. Otherwise, you would have made
your trip for nothing."
As soon as these words escaped Zoe's lips, neither of them continued, resulting in a moment of silence
as awkwardness tainted the air.
After a while, Zoe reached out, accepted the bouquet, and broke the ice. "Thank you. They're lovely. I
love them."
Brandon said, "I'm glad you like it."
Zoe started walking as she asked, "What are we having for dinner today?"
"My friend recommended a restaurant that serves authentic Jesund cuisine. From what I heard, their
food tastes delicious, and the ingredients they use in the restaurant are imported directly from Jesund.
Shall we go and try out their food?"
"Will the bill turn out to be bloody expensive?" Zoe was worried that it would blow a hole in Brandon's
wallet. After all, Brandon was just an employee in a government-owned corporation, and his salary
wasn't that high even though his job was stable.
Zoe was already very apologetic that Brandon had been paying for all their meals while they hung out
together.
For that reason, she hinted to Brandon that they could take turns paying and treating each other.
Yet, Brandon dismissed her proposal, saying that it was just a meal and would not be pricey.
Zoe didn't say anything more after sensing his determination to foot the bill. Eventually, she figured that
all she could do was repay him with some gifts of similar expense.
Still, there was one thing that Zoe was sure of after learning that the ingredients were airlifted from
Jesund, and that was—the meal would undoubtedly cost more than a few hundred if they decided to
dine there.
"It's fine. My friend is a regular there. So, I can get a discount," Brandon persuaded.
Zoe had no choice but to nod after his insistence. "Okay. Let's go there then." We will just go Dutch if
we truly can't get a discount later.
Once they arrived at the restaurant serving Jesund cuisine that Brandon mentioned, Zoe placed the
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bouquet in her hand down and said, "Just order without me. I'm going to the bathroom."
"Sure," replied Brandon.
Right after Zoe came out of the bathroom stall, she spotted a woman reapplying her lipstick.
The woman was wearing a tight wine-red dress. Her hair was wavy, and her makeup was flamboyant
and heavy.
Zoe smiled politely at her upon accidentally making eye contact with the woman.
However, the woman simply snorted, kept her lipstick, and flounced away.
This left Zoe utterly speechless. What the hell is wrong with that woman? I can't believe she's actually
more distasteful than Maya.
While she returned to her table, she sent a voice message to Leanna. '… She actually snorted at me!
This is the first time I have encountered someone who is ruder and more disgusting than Maya. I swear
I won't speak ill of Maya ever again!'
Zoe almost arrived at her table as soon as she sent out that voice message.
After she took her seat, Brandon's voice sounded, "I've ordered the food. What would you like to
drink?"
Zoe ordered a cold beverage, and the waiter left after taking her order.
Brandon took the initiative to start the conversation. "You told me earlier that your studio is planning to
find a brand ambassador. Were you shooting an endorsement commercial yesterday?"
Zoe nodded. "Yes. Initially, we were going to continue shooting today, but we postponed it to tomorrow
because of the rain."
"In that case, will you be free to—"
Suddenly, a figure showed up and stood beside them, stopping Brandon from finishing his sentence.
Zoe looked up and saw it was the woman she encountered in the bathroom just now.
As for Brandon, his facial expression turned completely ghastly when he saw the woman.
On the contrary, the woman smiled and said to Brandon, "So, this is your girlfriend?"
One could tell that there was a hint of disdain and sarcasm in her words.
Brandon's voice turned slightly dark as he demanded, "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing—" the woman replied as she took out a pen from her bag, "—you left this at my home last
night."