Gunshot

After Vera Cecil left the office, Irene picked up the form and began to study it carefully.

She had to admit, the other party had done a thorough job; the analysis of each character's traits was spot on, and the corresponding actors were listed with their recent roles and salary requirements, clear and direct.

She called her back into the office.

"Who do you think is better suited to play Regina George?"

Irene knew the potential of this film better than anyone, which made her casting decisions all the more agonizing.

The two most important roles were the lead, Cady Heron, now confirmed to be played by Reese Witherspoon—her acting skills were evident in Legally Blonde, and with her audience appeal and likable appearance, securing this role was a safe bet.

This was also the main reason she hadn't rejected CAA; if they had forced an actor who didn't fit the lead's image, she wouldn't have risked the film's success by agreeing.

The other role was the "Queen Bee," Regina George.

Regina George was an existence in the film that was every bit as important as the lead; one could even say that if the wrong person were chosen, the impact could be in the tens of millions of dollars.

The actor who played this role in her past life was Rachel McAdams, who was currently the right age for the part but lacked any real fame.

Without the tempering of other films, she didn't dare entrust such a vital role to a complete newcomer; even if she agreed, CAA and Fox wouldn't, so she had to look elsewhere.

Currently, the actors auditioning for Regina included Sarah Michelle Gellar, the lead of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, who possessed unparalleled popularity and influence among the target demographic, with an image that was positive yet carried a hint of coolness.

Christina Ricci, who had starred in hit films like The Addams Family, Casper, and The Ice Storm, was currently striving for a career transition and was a well-known acting talent.

Brittany Murphy, who had made a name for herself in Clueless and seemed to be acting opposite Angelina Jolie recently, likely had good acting skills, though her looks were slightly superior to the previous two.

The final selection would certainly depend on tomorrow's auditions, but she wanted to hear the opinion of Vera Cecil, an outsider, for now.

"Boss... I, it's hard to say." Vera hesitated, unsure if she should speak.

"It's fine, it's just the two of us here, feel free to say whatever you want."

"Just going by pure feeling, none of these actresses are particularly suitable for the Queen Bee in your script."

Irene's eyes blinked rapidly; she was surprised by the answer, yet it felt like it had hit the bullseye.

Perhaps it was because she had preconceived notions and fully accepted Rachel McAdams' interpretation of the Queen Bee, and the script had been written entirely based on that feeling.

Therefore, looking at the other actors, she always felt something was lacking.

"You're right, I have that feeling too. Here, go give Shelly a call and tell him I need more, prettier girls to play my Queen Bee."

"Yes, boss." Vera left the office immediately, and Irene didn't dwell on it; with so many beautiful actresses in Hollywood, she didn't believe she couldn't find the one she envisioned.

As night fell, Irene took a taxi back to her apartment in Burbank, which she had rented while filming a music video for Brittany and later became her temporary stopover between trips to Napa Valley.

The bathtub was full, and just as she picked up a bath sponge, a burst of cursing exploded outside the window, followed by the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the wall.

Her hand shook, and the bath sponge fell "plop" onto the bathroom floor, rolling toward the toilet.

"What the hell..." she muttered, forced to bend down to pick it up. Before her fingertips could touch it, "Bang! Bang--!" a series of gunshots suddenly rang out from outside.

Her body reacted on instinct; the waist she had just lifted bent down sharply, and she rolled forward to the side, curling up directly beneath the window.

Screams erupted outside, and in the chaos, she clearly heard a bullet pierce the exterior wall, plaster dust falling with a rustle; the sound was so sharp, it felt as if it were right by her ear.

Realizing this might not be a simple neighborhood dispute and that her life could be in danger, she immediately crawled to the living room, fished her mobile phone from her bag, and hurriedly called the police.

After hanging up, she went to the front door to ensure the lock was secure, then followed the police's instructions to return to the upstairs bedroom, waiting quietly for the chaos outside to subside.

In the darkness, her mind was a blank slate; she felt both the relief of having survived a disaster and an inexplicable excitement, like a faint electric current darting through her nerve endings.

Although she had always known that the public security in this area wasn't great, the location of her rented apartment was considered a luxury district, so she had never imagined that a movie-like shooting would actually play out in her own life, nor did she know what had happened outside.

Thinking of this, intense curiosity overcame her reason; she quietly stood up and walked to the window, pulling the curtain back slightly to get a look.

By now, the gunfire below had ceased; she didn't know if anyone was injured, but she could see someone stumbling out of the house next door.

She hadn't spent much time here lately, but she vaguely remembered that some students lived next door; there were two universities nearby, and she wondered which university's students were so intense.

She observed quietly from the second floor, seeing no suspicious armed figures, and the outside gradually returned to silence, with even some bold neighbors stepping out of their homes to watch the commotion.

The sound of sirens suddenly rang out in the quiet Burbank night, and a uniformed officer at the apartment entrance said to her briefly: "The suspect has been apprehended. Preliminary judgment is that several young people were causing a disturbance with firearms after getting drunk, and stray bullets affected your residence. We need to investigate further for specific details, but the threat is currently neutralized."

Irene thanked him, watching as the police roughly shoved several figures who were handcuffed and cursing into the back of a police car.

A sudden chaos seemed to have been quickly packed up and taken away, leaving behind only a clear bullet hole in her wall; she just hoped the landlord wouldn't give her trouble tomorrow.

Everything returned to calm, and she walked toward the door, wanting to breathe in some normal air after surviving the ordeal.

Beside the police car, a slender figure was standing with her back to her, cooperating with the statement.

Wearing simple jeans and a T-shirt, it couldn't hide her graceful curves or that elegant shoulder and neck line; she must be a beauty.

It was human nature to be curious about the front of a beautiful back, so Irene stood at the doorway, waiting for the person to turn around so she could catch a glimpse of her face.

The officer taking the statement turned and left, and the person let out a sigh of relief and turned around.

At this moment, the street lamp acted like a spotlight on a stage, hitting the top of her head precisely, making her delicate face appear even more white and flawless.

It was a very young face, one that looked as if it could be pinched to draw water, with no makeup, and a pair of clear eyes that carried the rawness of someone who had just left school, as well as the unease of having just experienced a disturbance.

It was actually the person Irene had been agonizing over all day: Rachel McAdams.