Chapter 35: Fighting to the End

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"I don't need you to control me!"

The blonde girl with tears streaming down her face rushed out of the study and ran straight to her room. Before anyone could follow her, she slammed the door shut with a loud bang. "I don't need your control!"

A middle-aged couple, both around forty years old, emerged from the study, their faces dark with anger.

"Why is she so disobedient!" The middle-aged man seemed about to explode. "Is this still our daughter?"

The middle-aged woman wasn't much better off, angrily saying, "Isn't going to college a hundred times better than studying acting!"

Julian Fellowes, their relative, waited for them to enter the living room and sit on the sofa before bringing them two glasses of water. He tried to calm them down, "Carey isn't usually like this. Don't be angry, try to talk to her again."

"Talk? Will talking help?" The middle-aged man raised his voice, obviously intending for Carey Mulligan, who was hiding in her room, to hear. "If she doesn't give up, we'll take her back to London and send her to a Catholic boarding school."

"Bang!"

There was a sharp noise from the room, as if something inside had been thrown.

The middle-aged man wanted to get up, but Julian Fellowes quickly stopped him. "It's okay, let her vent."

Compared to the irate middle-aged man, the middle-aged woman was slightly better. She picked up the page of the script she had been looking at earlier and asked, "Julian, who exactly is this Murphy Stanton?"

"I asked around. He just got out of prison this year and was a freelance journalist before."

Julian Fellowes spoke with some disdain, "He only established Stanton Studio a few months ago. This is his first project. He's a newcomer."

"Been to prison?" The middle-aged man slammed the table in front of him. "Carey absolutely cannot join a crew led by someone like that."

"And the script..." She pushed the script page towards her husband. "How can Carey get involved in something like this?"

"Sorry, that was my oversight."

Though he apologized, Julian Fellowes didn't actually care. The subject matter was sensitive, but Hollywood produced so many movies each year. What sensitive content hadn't been touched on?

Take Natalie Portman's globally acclaimed breakthrough role last year, for example—a young girl falls in love with an assassin.

And Kirsten Dunst? She had kissing scenes at a very young age.

As a seasoned Hollywood actor, Julian Fellowes didn't think there was anything excessive about such material.

Julian Fellowes' wife brought two cups of coffee from the kitchen and handed them to the Mulligans, advising them, "Today's kids are very rebellious. Scolding them like you did in the study will only have a counterproductive effect."

The middle-aged man was unconvinced and loudly declared, "After taking her back to Britain, I'll find the strictest etiquette teacher."

Hiding in her room, Carey Mulligan could hear everything clearly. Her tears flowed like a flood from a broken dam. Thinking about her parents' stern scolding in the study and the bleak future she faced in Britain, she started to sob.

She felt like the entire world had betrayed her.

Why couldn't they understand her thoughts like Murphy did?

Her sobbing grew louder, and her parents outside had begun discussing how to take her back to Britain.

Hearing those grating words, Carey Mulligan felt more and more aggrieved, increasingly distressed, and her heart hardened.

She wouldn't give up, no matter what. She would fight those villains to the end!

With this resolve, Carey Mulligan took out her phone and dialed Murphy's number again. When he answered, she cried, "What should I do, Murphy? My dream of becoming an actress is about to be shattered!"

"Hey, Carey, why are you crying again?" The voice on the other end was still so understanding, so warm and kind. "Did you argue with your parents? Don't take it to heart. All parents love their children and support them..."

"But I'm an exception!" Carey Mulligan raised her voice. "It's not an argument; it's a harsh scolding. No matter what I say, I'll be scolded!"

"They want to take me back to Britain!" She gritted her teeth. "I've had enough!"

"What did you say?" She hadn't heard Murphy clearly because she was gritting her teeth too hard.

In his studio, Murphy twirled a pencil with one hand while holding the phone with the other, speaking kindly yet provocatively, "You need to find a quiet place to calm down."

The girl immediately said, "I really need a quiet place."

She hesitated for a moment before saying slowly, "Can I come see you, Murphy? I don't know where else to go. Can I come see you?"

Murphy scratched his head. This girl really was a sheltered flower.

But letting Carey Mulligan come to him wasn't a wise choice. She was still a minor, and meeting in private could lead to some trouble.

"Please!" came the pleading voice over the phone again. "They're about to go out. I can sneak away."

After a few seconds of consideration, Murphy said, "I'll meet you at Milton Cafe."

Carey Mulligan's parents were clearly more stubborn than Murphy had anticipated. He had thought she would just make a scene, and her parents might relent, but not only did they refuse, they were planning to take her back to Britain...

As he headed to Milton Cafe, Murphy kept thinking about the situation. If it didn't work out, he'd have to let her go. Fortunately, he had anticipated this possibility and continued to search for suitable male and female actors.

At Milton Cafe, with Mr. Lynch absent, Murphy told a waiter what he was doing and found a booth. He opened his notebook and reviewed his schedule while waiting patiently.

It took about an hour and a half before Carey Mulligan walked into the cafe.

She was dressed in sportswear, with a baseball cap covering her head, her delicate baby face hidden under the long brim.

"Over here," Murphy waved to her.

The girl removed her baseball cap and quickly walked over, sitting down opposite him.

It was clear she had been crying hard; her eyes were red and a bit swollen.

"What would you like to drink?" Murphy asked.

"Anything," she replied, looking like she had a lot to say, a lot of grievances to air. "I've been strictly controlled since I was a child, everything I did had to meet their standards..."

Murphy ordered a latte for Carey Mulligan, watching her without speaking, playing the role of a serious listener.

After talking for a long time about how unfortunate her life was, Carey Mulligan felt thirsty and took a sip of coffee.

Murphy could tell that her complaints and dissatisfaction with her family were not just due to this one incident but were the result of long-term accumulation. "Are you sure you want to be an actress?" he asked again.

Carey Mulligan nodded without hesitation, "It's my dream."

"But achieving a dream is never easy," Murphy paused to organize his thoughts. "It's a difficult process, often requiring unimaginable sacrifices."

He looked at Carey Mulligan and began spinning a tale, "When I was younger than you, I was determined to become a successful film director, but I was from the slums and could only attend a poor public school with no opportunity for professional education in this field."

Carey Mulligan thought Murphy was sharing his tragic past to comfort her and showed a bit of sympathy.

"But I didn't give up. I knew no one would invest in someone like me, so I had to find a way to raise the money myself."

At this point, Carey Mulligan interjected, "But you succeeded. You're about to shoot a film."

"Do you know what I went through to get here?"

Carey Mulligan shook her head. Murphy, half-truthfully, said, "To raise funds, I offended a lot of people and ended up spending a year in prison."

He pointed to the not-so-visible scar on his face, "These are the marks I got in prison."

"But I didn't get discouraged." Murphy spoke lightly, "I knew what I wanted, and I would relentlessly pursue my goal. No difficulty or obstacle was a reason or excuse to stop moving forward."

He concluded, "What determines our future is not how we think but how we act."

Listening to these words, Carey Mulligan seemed to understand something.

After thinking for a while, she gradually realized that to become an actress, waiting for her parents to relent was not an option...

"I know my goal. Why can't I work hard to achieve it myself?"

This thought became increasingly clear in Carey Mulligan's mind. "I have to fight for it!"

Facing such a particularly rebellious girl, Murphy never told her what to do directly. He guided her by subtly hinting at her thoughts. So far, it seemed effective, but he wasn't sure if this seemingly innocent yet rebellious girl would surprise him.

If possible, he didn't want to give up on Carey Mulligan. After all, out of the dozens of actresses he had auditioned, she was the most outstanding. Besides, she directly affected whether James Franco would join his crew.

Carey Mulligan took a big gulp of coffee, suppressing all her frustration and grievances, and looked at him. "Thank you, Murphy. You've made me realize a lot of things."

"Realize?" Murphy pretended to be clueless. "What did I do?"

"Nothing." Carey Mulligan shook her head, thinking the person in front of her was incredibly understanding. She stood up and waved goodbye. "Thanks for the coffee. I have to go back now."

As she left the booth, she

 turned back and reminded Murphy, "Don't forget your promise. You'll wait for me for a week."

Since it was still far from October, Murphy wasn't in a hurry. He pointed to his head, "It's right here, always remembered."

What would this rebellious British girl do? Murphy didn't know, but just three days later, he received a call from Mr. Mulligan, who wanted to meet him, see the script, and discuss Carey Mulligan's contract.