Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Violeta sat behind a small table nearby, gleefully munching on sunflower seeds.

So great!

After finishing her salary settlement, Zelena came out and caught Violeta's gaze.

The two exchanged looks across the street.

No words were needed; it was all understood without speaking.

Zelena glared coldly at Violeta.

Just wait. I would settle all these scores sooner or later.

A black Cayenne drove up, and Zelena got in and left.

A few days later.

The new semester at Toland University started, and the temperature dropped in Quinston.

It was mid-month of the last month of the semester.

The crew of Spring Isn't Blooming was supposed to come to Toland University around this time to cast actors.

However, they didn't show up. Instead, they announced the cast lineup on Facebook, with Zelena landing the lead female role.

This news created a stir in the class.

Only a few people knew that the crew was coming to the school for casting.

But Zelena was someone everyone in the class knew.

Josh had spent a lot of money, so from the moment the show was officially announced, the marketing on Facebook went into overdrive.

When Zelena reappeared after a few months, it was in a surprising way.

There was a lot of talk in the class. While only a few people openly discussed it in the large group chat, private conversations were full of chatter.

On the forums, everyone was discussing the news.

People who didn't know Zelena had heard the rumors about her being expelled.

Those who did know her were filling in those who didn't.

Zelena was the previous student council president, but she was later expelled.'

I heard she was expelled for abusing her position and embezzling funds.'

I'm not sure about the exact details of her expulsion, but I know it wasn't just about embezzlement. It had to do with her getting involved with the daughter of one of our university's chancellor. Chancellor's daughter? The one in her first year?'

No, it's someone in the third year. Ahem, I won't say who. It's a sensitive topic and I don't want to offend anyone.'

If it were just about embezzlement, they'd have just removed her from her position and suspended her classes. But being expelled from school in her third year-how many cases like that have there been in recent years?'

Oh wow, this is juicy!'

I was catching up on old gossip on the forums and heard something about a third-year student having a complicated relationship with Zelena. Something about a fake daughter? Can someone tell me if that's true or not?'

The discussion on the forum was getting very loud.

Although Violeta had not made any public statement, the forum administrators, fearing to offend her, deleted several of the top posts as a warning.

Even though the Spring Isn't Blooming's crew did not come, other casting crews still visited Toland University.

The chance to start a real career in the industry was right there. If you got picked, it could be the start of something big; if not, you'd have to hustle and find your own opportunities on set.

Everyone had their own luck, and it was really up to fate.

The school was giving everyone a fair shot with auditions. On Saturday, they'd meet the director in the big auditorium.

Kaylee had a few options but couldn't decide which one to pick.

So, she went to ask Violeta for advice.

"Vio, which one do you think is the best?"

"The best one doesn't come."

Spring Isn't Blooming was the best, but Zelena had already secured it.

Kaylee said, "Huh?"

Violeta pointed to the top option and said, "Try this one."

The one Violeta chose was the least popular project in the class: The Lies in Winter.

It was a food documentary with a pretty straightforward story. The main character, fed up with city life, decides to move back to the village.

The film then showed different ways of making food from that angle.

The reason it was not highly anticipated was that it was pretty basic-a simple story and not much depth.

Plus, the crew was tiny. The writer and director were the same person, and the production team was really small.

The director was a young guy in his early twenties who just graduated from the film school next door a couple of years ago.

Kaylee asked, "Why do you think this one's worth picking?"

Violeta said, "Because it's all about quality over quantity. Even though the story is simple, it's short and to the point.

"Everyone's fighting to get into the

popular projects, but only a few get

picked There's only one role,

hundreds of people are auditioning for it.

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"This project has fewer people trying out, so your chances are better, and you might discover something surprising."

Violeta was being straight with her.

In her past life, she was so focused on Spring Isn't Blooming that she didn't even think about other options. But in the end, it was all for nothing.

Among all the scripts, besides Spring Isn't Blooming, the biggest dark horse was The Lies in Winter.

The Lies in Winter focused on being light, simple, and soothing.

No one expected this small, refreshing film to make such an impact. It had an investment of less than 50 thousand but grossed over 4.5 million dollars at the box office.

That was a huge return on investment! They made a boatload of money.

It made the director, Mason Clarke, go from being a rookie to a big name in the industry.

The movies he made after that just kept getting better. He understood what young people were into.