Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 365 - 226: A Slap in the Face, Loud and Clear [Part 2]

Chapter 365: Chapter 226: A Slap in the Face, Loud and Clear [Part 2]
"Excuse me, are you Miss Scott?"
Mr. Carter was trembling with fear, worried that any wrong words might displease the distinguished guests.
"Yes."
Nora Scott slightly raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on him as she put her phone back in her pocket.
"I’m sorry, we were too blind to recognize you at first glance. Please, please, come in."
Having confirmed, Mr. Carter quickly said a bunch of nice things, then pushed aside the security guards and slightly bowed, gesturing the three of them to enter.
His respectful attitude was as if he was venerating his ancestors.
The sudden scene successfully silenced the security guards and Lucy Windsor.
What just happened?
The other staff members accompanying them looked at these ’outsiders’ with dissatisfaction, thinking about how much they’d be scolded by the old curator if they offended these three guests.
Unlike their attitude towards Nora Scott and the others, he put on a stern face and said to the security guards and Lucy Windsor, "These are our esteemed guests. They indeed don’t have tickets because they don’t need any. We cooperate with your work, but we also hope you don’t offend our guests."
Security + Lucy Windsor: "..."
What the heck?
They weren’t fans?
Such a blunt reprimand left Lucy Windsor and the security guards looking upset, but since this was their territory, as outsiders, they didn’t dare to talk back.
They watched helplessly as the three were respectfully escorted away by two staff members.
With a pale face, Lucy Windsor bit her lip, unwillingly looking back, and when she saw the backs of those two women, a sense of familiarity suddenly arose—
It seemed to resemble Nora Scott and Katherine Collins.
But she quickly dismissed this thought.
If they really were being treated as VIPs by the upper management of Trump Puppet Museum, then would their struggling, impoverished documentary crew... really be in such a state?
*
On the other side.
The two staff members enthusiastically led the three through the door.
Katherine Collins followed silently behind.
She had a hunch that the need to "sneak in" might not be necessary anymore.
Suddenly, there was a tiny bit of regret.
"The puppet performance will start in five minutes. There’s a program being filmed today, so there will be a lot of people, including the audience and guests. We’ve arranged seats for you in the front row, and have informed the crew, so you won’t be filmed."
Mr. Carter introduced as they walked.
Katherine Collins, having been to the museum to prepare for the puppet episode, had visited before. She came to see the puppet performance with Nora Scott and Henry Chapman, partly because she had the time and it didn’t matter, and partly because she hadn’t seen the night’s play. Plus, their filming location for the next day was here; another visit would help her get familiar with the place.
She could think ahead about the scenery and angles to use.
So, once she entered the museum, she wasn’t idle. She looked around, her small head turning everywhere, wishing to remember all the arrangements.
Any prior regret had long vanished.
It was Henry Chapman’s first visit; though he remained silent, hearing and seeing nothing, Mr. Carter’s introductions reached his ears, and the exhibits and puppets they passed by were seen by him.
Only Nora Scott...
Occasionally responding to Mr. Carter’s words, indicating acknowledgment, but in truth, not paying much attention.
Soon, the two staff members led the three to the entrance of the performance hall seating area.
"The seats right in the center are arranged for you, but of course there aren’t many people in the front row, you can sit wherever you like," Mr. Carter introduced. "The filming crew has some issues needing our assistance, so I can’t accompany you now. Once the puppet show ends, I’ll give you a tour around the museum, and then we’ll see the Mechanical Puppet."
Katherine Collins turned her head, somewhat surprised, "Can we really see it?"
"Of course," Mr. Carter assured, "The old curator specifically instructed that."
After Mr. Carter left, another staff member accompanied them the whole time, but to avoid affecting them, she didn’t sit with them, instead choosing a row behind them.
The three found their seats.
By now, the audience lights were off, and those sitting behind them, both audience and guests, could only see a few silhouettes. They couldn’t even tell by their mask-wearing.
"Weren’t the front row tickets not for sale?"
Isabella Hart removed her microphone, frowning as she saw the few people sitting at the front.
The second and third rows were filled with guests and production crew members, and behind them were prearranged audiences, but the front row was mostly empty except for a few museum staff members.
Clearly, these three who suddenly appeared didn’t belong to the staff category.
"Probably guests of the museum," a female star whispered, "I heard those two waiting at the door were actually waiting for some ’VIPs’."
"In a puppet museum, what kind of VIPs could there be?"
"Maybe artists or industry masters..." the female star guessed randomly, then dismissed it, "Stop guessing, it’s none of our business."
Saying this, the female star subtly looked at Luna Durant sitting on Isabella’s other side, blinking to signal Isabella to drop the topic to avoid irking Luna Durant.
Due to being snubbed at the entrance, Luna Durant’s mood hadn’t improved.
If it weren’t for the cameras, Luna Durant might have kept a gloomy face the entire time.
Isabella understood and closed her mouth.
...
The puppet show began.
The music team prepared as the puppets and their master appeared, separated by only a one-meter curtain.
The performance tonight was "The Commoner’s Play." In the hands of the puppet master behind the curtain, the puppets seemed vivid and lively, accompanied by Qin opera and music. The audience present enjoyed a feast of ancient culture, fully immersing themselves in it.
Among the audience, some were there for the show, some for the guests, but as soon as the puppet show commenced, they truly became an audience.
*
The performance ended.
The lights in the auditorium gradually turned on.
"What do the three of you think?"
Mr. Carter arrived on time, warmly welcoming them with a broad smile as he inquired.
Henry Chapman: "Hmm."
Katherine Collins: "It’s impressive."
Both offered their approval, yet Mr. Carter focused his attention on Nora Scott.
How Miss Scott, the one bearing the surname Si, experienced it was the most crucial point.
"Nothing surprising," Nora Scott said blandly, "compared to when the old curator was around, it’s lacking."
Her assessment was quite fair, leaving Mr. Carter a bit embarrassed but unable to deny it.
Mr. Carter nodded, "Indeed, the old curator was undoubtedly a puppet master without peer, none of us younger ones could surpass him."
After speaking, he asked, "Shall I show you around the museum first?"
"Okay."
Nora Scott responded with a sound.
Henry Chapman and Katherine Collins already wanted to browse, so they naturally had no objections.
Mr. Carter and the staff accompanied the three out of the performance hall.
Beside—
The program team had concluded filming there, and the guests had hurried backstage to meet the artists who performed the puppet show. Director Christopher Sullivan, returning with a cigarette, happened upon the scene of the masked three being warmly received by Mr. Carter, and was somewhat surprised.
This Mr. Carter, during negotiations with their program team, was fairly cold.
"Who are they?"
Christopher Sullivan approached one of the wrapping-up crew, curiously asking the assistant director.
"No idea," the assistant director replied, "I heard they are esteemed guests of the museum, here to watch the show and tour."
"..."
They don’t look like any puppet masters or artists.
Although all masked, judging by their profiles, one could fully ascertain that these three young individuals were probably not over thirty.
So young and enjoying such treatment?
"Oh," the assistant director suddenly remembered something, slapping his forehead and getting a bit excited, "I just heard they’re supposed to demonstrate the mechanical puppet tonight, seemingly just for these three."
"Those three?" Christopher Sullivan was taken aback, puzzled as he asked, "With the old curator’s approval?"
The assistant director eagerly nodded, "I confirmed it repeatedly; it’s absolutely with the old curator’s consent. And it was a last-minute decision."
"Just for those three?"
"Yes, just for those three."
"...Damn."
Christopher Sullivan exclaimed in amazement, uttering a profanity.
Before preparing for this episode, they spent more than half a month communicating with the old curator.
In today’s entertainment-obsessed environment, the market for puppet shows was waning, and audiences who loved puppet shows were becoming increasingly rare. The old curator was indeed quite worried about the future of puppet shows.
On one hand, collaborating with the program team, the old curator felt it could promote puppet shows, but on the other hand, having guests perform on stage after just one or two days of learning, and filming some entertainment-oriented content, he felt was disrespectful to the art of puppetry.
The program team negotiated with him for a long time before he agreed to collaborate with them.
However, when the program team proposed demonstrating the museum’s treasure—the mechanical puppet—on the show, the old curator adamantly refused.
They were on the verge of giving up until Luna Durant persuaded the old curator through unknown means.
Which means—
This opportunity was rare.
Yet suddenly, three people appeared and effortlessly got the old curator to agree...
This stark contrast of extremes, how could it not depress Christopher Sullivan?
"Hurry up."
Christopher Sullivan suddenly thought of something, pushing the assistant director, "Quickly negotiate with them to see if we can film alongside during tonight’s mechanical demonstration."