Chapter 52: Dancing with the Devil

The beautiful, tidy campus was silent. A white school building stood in the middle, with a tall flagpole in front. The Stars and Stripes and the California Bear Flag fluttered up and down in the wind.

In a classroom, at a window seat, Carey Mulligan absentmindedly twirled a ballpoint pen in her right hand, resting her chin on her left hand, staring blankly at the flagpole through the glass. It seemed the grizzly bear on the state flag was more fascinating than the handsome male teacher at the podium.

"So boring," she muttered to herself. "I wonder how things are going with Murphy."

Away from the crew, Carey Mulligan felt like a caged bird again. Freedom and dreams once more seemed distant.

When would Murphy come to rescue her? The thought crossed Carey Mulligan's mind.

In an instant, the bear on the state flag morphed into a person with short hair, a rugged face, deep eyes, a tall and strong body, and oh, those faint scars on his face that made him so distinctive.

More importantly, he was understanding, passionate, and always managed to solve every obstacle and problem.

For some reason, Carey Mulligan felt an intense urge to fly to the northern basin of the San Fernando Valley, even if just to take a look and then come back.

"Carey Mulligan..." The male teacher noticed her distraction. "Carey Mulligan!"

Lost in her fantasy, she didn't hear the outside world.

After calling her several times, a girl behind her stretched out her foot and kicked her chair hard. Only then did Carey Mulligan snap back to reality and quickly stood up.

"Uh..." She looked around in confusion.

"Carey Mulligan," the male teacher said, "please tell us the history of the California state flag."

As a Brit, she had no interest in the history of the California state flag. Her lips moved, but she could only say helplessly, "I'm sorry."

Although the male teacher didn't give her a hard time, after sitting down, Carey Mulligan's face fell again. She angrily poked her textbook with her pen, hating the school that had imprisoned her freedom to the extreme.

"If this continues, I'll go crazy!"

She shook her head, looking down at her desk, painfully waiting for the class to end.

The bell finally rang. As the male teacher left the classroom, the girl who had reminded her earlier stood up and came over, asking curiously, "Carey, what were you thinking about? You were distracted the whole time."

Carey Mulligan threw the pen on the table and said irritably, "Nothing."

The girl seemed to have a good relationship with her and suddenly switched to a gossip tone. "Could it be... that your first love has arrived?"

Carey Mulligan froze.

Seeing her expression, the girl's curiosity intensified. She grabbed Carey's hand and hurriedly asked, "Who is he? What's it like to have your first love? How far have you gone? Have you slept together?"

This string of questions left Carey Mulligan unsure of how to respond. Fortunately, another student's voice came from the classroom door, "Carey, someone is looking for you!"

Carey quickly broke free from the girl's hand and ran out. In the hallway outside, her agent Bill Rosis was waiting.

Seeing her agent, the first thing she hurriedly asked was, "When can we go back to the crew?"

"I've already gotten you an excuse." Bill Rosis pointed to the classroom behind her. "Go pack your things. I'll wait for you outside the campus."

The near-dead Carey Mulligan instantly revived, letting out an excited shout and turning back to the classroom.

The crew was where she wanted to be. It had her role, her soul, and a Murphy who was very, very good to her.

With Carey Mulligan back in the crew, Murphy's work resumed its normal course. In the past few days, he had finished all the solo shots of James Franco, and what remained were the scenes between Hailey and Jeff.

The crew's operations became increasingly smooth. Although there were various problems, the small scale of the film made it easier for Murphy to find suitable solutions, even if the set designer and lighting technician were mediocre. They could temporarily serve as his assistants.

James Franco, young and not yet at his later acting level, was adequate for this B-movie. He was arguably the most stable performer during the shooting process.

Moreover, after Carey Mulligan returned, James Franco seemed to avoid her whenever he wasn't working, as if the previous incident had left a psychological shadow.

The filming process was bumpy, but motivated by pay, everyone rallied around Murphy and pushed forward.

Murphy was also assessing his employees. Though the success of this film was uncertain, he was preparing for potential future plans. Building a relatively stable team is essential for any director's growth.

The lighting technician and set designer were mediocre, and if not for limited funds and time, Murphy wouldn't have used them. These two wouldn't be in his future collaborations.

Specifically, except for makeup artist Jack Watson and the hardworking intern Paul Wilson, everyone else would return to where they came from.

Unlike others who stayed in Hollywood, Jessica Chastain planned to end her internship and return to New York to finish her studies at Juilliard.

After months of preparation and shooting, she had accumulated some experience in filmmaking, especially seeing Murphy continuously correct his mistakes, understanding the difficulties of success in this field.

As the crew approached the final scene, others were excited, but Jessica Chastain stood calmly in the corner, watching a blood-drenched James Franco being tortured one last time by an equally bloodied Carey Mulligan.

Originally, she had a role in the film, but Murphy had canceled it on a whim.

Her bright eyes under the red bangs turned to Murphy, who was filming with the camera, showing a bit of complexity. Jessica Chastain couldn't quite understand her feelings.

This person would do anything to succeed as long as it didn't cross legal boundaries.

She even felt influenced by him.

Fortunately, she would leave after receiving her pay and probably wouldn't collaborate again in the future.

Dancing with the devil always felt heavy, but thankfully it was finally coming to an end.