Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 540

As the mask was carefully removed, a petite face emerged, smooth and flawless.

Standing before Archer was none other than Zelena, who had disappeared from the entertainment industry for several months!

Archer certainly remembered Zelena.

A few years back, during a campus competition, she had greatly irritated him.

Zelena had gone so far as to hire four people specifically to target Archer in order to catch his attention. Archer had been furious that day.

He didn't do anything because he was a gentleman. Had Zelena been a man, he would have ensured she faced severe consequences.

He had a deep impression of Zelena.

Although they hadn't been in touch since, Archer was aware that Zelena had later made a name for herself as a star.

Running into her here was quite unexpected.

Zelena gestured toward the store behind her. "This is my side business. What do you think?"

Archer smirked slightly. "You? Do you even know how to bowl?"

Zelena's lips curled into a playful smile, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "How about we have a game after the ribbon-cutting?"

Archer replied, "Not interested."

His presence at the opening was more out of respect for the bowling club's general manager.

In reality, Archer wasn't a fan of bowling; his father was the enthusiast. Archer had invested in the club and attended the event as a formality.

When it was time, they moved to the front for the ribbon-cutting.

Zelena leaned in and whispered, "I understand if you're scared of losing. Is it so hard to admit you're bad at something?"

Archer's grip on the scissors tightened, veins standing out, but his expression remained unchanged as he completed the cutting and posed for photos.

As he prepared to leave, Zelena, noting his lack of reaction, said, "Archer, don't you want to defeat me?"

Archer turned to face her, his eyes cold and slightly disdainful. In a steady, low voice, he replied, "Zelena, where does your confidence come from, thinking that this stunt would grab my attention?"

"What?" Zelena was momentarily stunned.

Some of her previously scheduled events had been reassigned to other artists, while others continued under contract.

Due to a back injury, Zelena could no longer maintain the intense activity she had previously managed in variety shows.

With the successful release of Spring in Moon City, Zelena gained a new wave of film fans.

Her company restructured her career options, offering her a choice between two projects: The River's Breeze, an urban ensemble drama, and On a Rainy Day, a period romance drama.

In fact, Zelena's fees for variety shows were comparable to her film compensation.

Her former agency had even invested more to keep her in variety shows than on film projects.

Variety shows were Zelena's comfort zone.

With equal financial reward, she would naturally prefer to continue in that field.

Zelena was a natural performer, and creating a persona on a variety show came easily to her.

Acting, however, required patience and considerable effort to achieve even a basic level of proficiency.