Chapter 521 - Make Them Scared

Laila sighed and said to another child, "Dennis, your expression is too stiff. Remember, you're eating candy that tastes like boogers."

Before she could finish her sentence, the other children burst into laughter again.

She sighed in frustration, realizing that she had hit the kids' funny bone again.

What should she do? If this continued, when would they ever finish this scene?

Laila, feeling helpless, gave the young actors ten minutes to adjust their moods and then decided to vent her grievances to Roy.

Roy laughed heartily, "Isn't it easy? Just make them afraid of you."

"They're already pretty afraid of me," Laila said, recalling how the kids used to behave around her as if she were a child-eating monster. "You don't know, every time I come to the set, they immediately act like angels, obediently reciting their lines."

Roy chuckled, imagining the situation. "But is it still like that now?"

Laila was taken aback. Had there been some misbehavior in her presence over the past two days?

"Do you mean they're not afraid of me anymore?"

"It depends on the image you've created on set. Are you the Hollywood director or the kind and understanding big sister?"

Roy pointed out the key issue. The problem was that the kids were no longer afraid of her. Initially, their fear was born out of reverence, as they had been taught by their parents to respect her as a Hollywood director who could easily kick them off the set, sending them home in tears. But now, after days of shooting, the kids had figured out her true personality. They knew she was easy to get along with and not harsh, so why should they be afraid of her?

"I didn't intend to be the 'kind and understanding big sister.' The main reason is I can't bring myself to be stern with the kids. What if I make some of them cry? If word got out that 'Director Laila on set is a bully who makes kids cry,' my reputation would be ruined!"

Roy laughed heartily, leaning against the wall. "You don't need to be stern. Just put on a friendly smile and keep an eye on them."

"Will that work?"

"It definitely will!" Roy, with firsthand experience, believed he had the authority to say so.

Laila was still hesitant, but she was informed that they could continue filming.

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

After hanging up the phone, she approached the shooting location with a last-ditch effort.

Before she even got close, she heard the sound of children's laughter echoing throughout the set.

Under normal circumstances, such joyful laughter would have made anyone who heard it feel carefree and perhaps even join in with a smile. But when Laila considered the time that had been wasted and the uncertainty of how much longer the delay might be, her lips couldn't help but purse tightly.

She walked over, her face stern, and watched the children making funny faces in front of the camera, expressing their disgust and amusement at the prop candy. They were all laughing heartily together.

Well, it was indeed funny, and even she found it amusing. But this was a filming location, a place where the entire crew worked, not a place to watch a group of children having fun.

Children were slower to catch on than adults. They hadn't noticed that the atmosphere had changed until the adults around them suddenly grew tense, all of them stiffening up and unconsciously taking shallow breaths. They looked around when they saw the adults signaling them with their eyes to notice the director's expression. It dawned on them – the director was angry.

"Why aren't you laughing?" Laila saw them finally stop laughing, and she followed Roy's advice, putting on a smiling expression as she approached them, gazing at each one in turn. "Weren't you having a great time?"

"Sorry, Director Laila, we won't do it again." The three kids stood in a row, heads bowed, expressing their remorse and regret.

Seeing them looking scared, Laila was surprised that Roy's words had worked. She had just stood there quietly and stared at them, and that was enough to make them afraid of her once more.

But really, were her eyes that scary?

If Roy and his company heard her question, they would wholeheartedly agree. It wasn't just scary; it was downright terrifying. Icy blue was already a somewhat cold color, but when she looked at someone, her ice-blue eyes seemed as if they had just been taken out of a thousand-year-old ice block, piercing anyone they fixed upon with bone-chilling coldness.

And that wasn't all. The scariest part was that she often wore that smiling expression. Those unfamiliar with her might mistake her for a gentle person based on that smile, but those who knew her understood that whenever she wore that smile, someone was in trouble.

Roy had plenty of experience with this, which was why he suggested this approach. And it worked. She didn't even have to say a word, just giving a good long stare was enough to keep the mischievous kids in line.

"It's incredible," Laila exclaimed after successfully shooting the scene in one go, finding herself with newfound respect for Roy, who had provided a solution to her dilemma.

However, the kids she had stared at for a long time that day all had nightmares that night, dreaming of being carried high into the air by a terrifying old monster with ice-blue eyes.

Laila had worked with children before, but this was the first time she had to deal with a large group of them, and it was proving to be a bit challenging.

She couldn't scold them like she would scold adults, fearing that she might make them cry. At the same time, she didn't want to be too stern, as she didn't want to create a negative atmosphere. As a result, the kids gradually became bolder, feeling that the director, despite being the boss, wasn't that intimidating.

After all, what's the point of being on your best behavior if it doesn't get you anywhere? After struggling with a scene involving weird-flavored candies for a long time, Laila learned a valuable lesson on how to handle the kids from Roy, who had listened to her complaints.

Think about it; even Roy, who had spent a lot of time on the streets, couldn't handle her icy stare, let alone these kids. So, when Laila gave them her icy stare, they immediately behaved themselves. The rest of the shoot went smoothly as if the earlier difficulties had been nothing but a mirage.