Max thought to himself, "I've read so many novels, but I've never seen a main character die like this. Was my heart really so weak that a mere movie twist killed me? It feels like I lost my life for such a pointless reason... just a story twist. Ahhh, thinking about it makes me feel weird. Just forget it; what's done is done."
Embarrassed by the ridiculous cause of his death, Max took a moment to gather himself before asking Dolly, "So, Ms. Dolly, what should I do now?"
"You're such an idiot," Dolly replied, clearly frustrated.
Hearing her call him an idiot, Max's anger flared, and he shot back, "You're the idiot, you arrogant doll!"
Just as he said this, a blue screen flashed in front of him, displaying:
|Punishment Confirmed
|Reason: Insulting the sweet, innocent
|Assistant
|Punishment Type: Foul-smelling fart
|Duration: 5 seconds
The robotic voice delivering the message made Max break out in a sweat. He felt bubbles forming in his stomach, and suddenly, a horrible-smelling fart escaped him, filling the entire car with an unbearable stench. Unable to bear it, Jameson immediately stopped the car, turned to Max, and yelled.
"What the hell, man?! Did you just release the smell of a five-year-old toilet? I can't take this anymore!" he exclaimed, quickly opening the door to get some fresh air.
Max couldn't bear the stench either and stumbled out of the car. "I… I… It just… happened!" he tried to explain, but words failed him as he struggled to make sense of the bizarre situation.
Max, still fuming, muttered to himself, "What was that just now? What kind of system punishes its host for something they didn't even do willingly? And calling that tantrum-throwing Dolly 'sweet and innocent'? Doesn't it know she was the one who called me an idiot first?" His anger flared up at the thought of the one-sided justice.
"Hey… are you done, or is there more?" Jameson asked, glancing over at Max.
Max couldn't find the words to explain. He just nodded, feeling too embarrassed to respond. The two of them got back into the car and started driving home in silence. Max simply stared at the road, deciding not to interact with Dolly for now. He realized he'd need to be very careful about what he asked or said to her in the future.
The situation was becoming clear to him. If his future girlfriend had been in Jameson's place, she'd probably have broken up with him on the spot after witnessing such an embarrassing moment. Max knew that from now on, he needed to choose his words with Dolly more wisely.
After a while, Jameson dropped Max off and left. Max arrived home at 12:30 a.m. and was about to head to his room when Linda, the housekeeper, spotted him and exclaimed in surprise, "Young master, when did you get home?"
Without much thought, Max casually replied, "I just got back."
Linda, looking puzzled, asked, "So, madam came back home with you as well?"
"Why? Didn't you know?" Max asked, now curious.
Linda's tone turned concerned as she asked, "How's your health now, young master?"
Max was taken aback by Linda's sudden concern and asked, "What happened to me?"
Linda explained, "Your friend called madam and said you'd suddenly fallen ill. Madam rushed to the theater with Dr. Nelson right after hearing the news…"
When Max started feeling a heavy headache, Jameson had called his mother, but Max was unaware of this. Now, after hearing Linda's explanation, he pieced it together. "Just give me a break already," he muttered, thoroughly exhausted by the day.
First, there was the headache from the movie, then Dolly's sarcastic comments, followed by the system's "punishment" for no real fault of his own, and now, as the third blow, Jameson's call to his mom about his health—yet forgetting to mention that they were already on their way home.
Max tried to control his frustration, explained everything to Linda, and headed off to bed. Linda, in turn, called Helen to inform her that Max was home safely and was doing fine. With her worries eased, she also went to sleep.
A little while later, Helen returned home and went straight to Max's room to check on him. She watched him as he slept deeply, completely oblivious to her presence. Satisfied that he looked healthy, she quietly left his room and went to bed herself.
…
The next morning…
Max did his morning exercise, had breakfast, and then sat outside in the garden. There was no one around to disturb him now, so he could finally talk to Dolly in peace.
He kept thinking about the two injustices that happened yesterday and didn't want a repeat, so he hadn't spoken to Dolly yet. He figured the best time to relax and talk was in the peaceful morning garden, where he could speak to her calmly and without tension.
"Dolly, what do I have to do now?" Max asked.
"You're such a big fool. Haven't you guessed it by now?" Dolly's haughty tone made him annoyed, but he held back and let her continue. "Now, you have to direct a movie."
Max had anticipated this, but he wanted to be sure. He knew very well how challenging it was to direct and produce a movie. The audience only buys tickets and watches, but making a movie is like gambling. The story has to be good, the characters' performances have to appeal to the audience, and, most importantly, you need a solid understanding of filmmaking—something Max barely had. Feeling hesitant, he asked,
"How am I supposed to direct a movie? I don't even know the 'D' of directing, and you're telling me I should make a film?"
"Don't worry about that, Idiot soul. When the System assigns a mission, everything will fall into place," Dolly reassured him, once again making him feel small.
Max clenched his fists to control his anger and, gritting his teeth, asked, "So, when will the system give me a mission?"
"When you open your own film studio, then the system will start assigning missions," Dolly replied, showing her usual attitude.
"So, I have to open a film studio first, but I don't even know how to start a company. Maybe I'll have to ask Jammy for help," Max thought to himself, deep in concentration.
"You have one month to set up the studio," Dolly said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Why do I feel like this system has something against me?" Max wondered to himself.
"This is way too little time you're giving me," Max felt a month was too short, so he looked at Dolly and commented.
" I think that's plenty of time . My calculations say you can do it in 15 days," Dolly replied, smirking.
"Damn you, stupid doll! What on earth do you have against me?" Max cursed Dolly silently.
Max didn't say anything after hearing Dolly's words and immediately called Jameson, explaining his future plans to him.
"Yeah, we can open a film studio if you have a Director's Certificate, but hold on—are you actually thinking of opening one yourself? Max, listen to me, it's really risky..." Jammy tried to explain, but Max cut him off, saying, "Okay, bye," and ended the call without another word.
Max opened U-Seek on his phone and searched for "Director Guild." He quickly clicked on the official website that appeared on the screen, which prompted him for a fingerprint. Max scanned his fingerprint, and soon his details appeared on the Director Guild site. He read through them carefully.
"So, I'm an E-rated Director, huh? " Max commented sarcastically after reading his details.