Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 230: Brushing Past

Renly couldn't deny his disappointment, a faint sense of loss swirling in his heart, causing his mood to slowly drop.

He was moved, that was a fact. He was truly moved. That kiss just now, sweet and intimate, fiery and surging, made his inner emotions dance, with every cell in his body screaming. It was a beautiful moment. Suddenly, hearing Felicity's rejection, along with the reality of the situation, his inner disappointment inevitably rose.

But he also knew that this kind of infatuation could be deceptive. It might be real, it might be fake. It could be Jacob's feelings for Anna, or it could be Renly's feelings for Felicity. It could just be a momentary impulse, or it could evolve into a long-lasting love. Only time could tell. But that was one of the charms of acting, traversing between reality and illusion.

He was still far from being a master of acting, still in the stage of relying on his efforts to explore. He couldn't control his emotions freely, nor could he switch acting channels easily. After filming "Buried," he couldn't get out of the role for a long time, so he chose rock climbing to divert his attention; now "Like Crazy" was the same.

Maybe it was a good thing, at least proving that both of them were excellent actors.

As for the inner loss, that was just a missed opportunity.

Renly was actually a bit relieved, thankful that Felicity had spoken up, returning everything to the starting point before anything had taken root, before emotions grew stronger, before impulses ran wild, before emotions were completely lost. He didn't like being the third wheel, nor was he interested in becoming one.

However, today was just the first day of shooting for "Like Crazy." They still had to continue working together. If they made too big a deal out of this, it would affect their cooperation. So, Renly chose the simplest way, neither avoiding nor emphasizing it, just brushing it off with humorous banter.

Undoubtedly, this method worked. The ambiguous atmosphere between them dissipated, and the awkward, raw emotions gradually calmed down. Although neither of them noticed, their steps had drifted about a person's width apart, subconsciously. The warmth of their lips and the confusion in their minds still brought a sense of distance in their subconscious, but at least, they started talking again. That was a good thing.

As they exchanged smiles, the tacit understanding slowly flowed, but Renly was the first to look away, looking straight ahead; Felicity also retracted her gaze, watching the crew members still bustling and running ahead, leaving the two of them far behind. It was as if they hadn't noticed the little episode just now, nor the ups and downs in a flash.

"Is that the person you confessed to?" Renly spoke again, breaking the silence, and the quiet, ambiguous night faded away like the tide.

Felicity was stunned for a moment, her brain not turning around for a while. After thinking carefully, she realized Renly was talking about their conversation in the afternoon, about the person she confessed to at Oxford University. Renly actually remembered. "Yes, that's the one." That was her own real experience, not Anna's.

"He's a lucky man." Renly spoke again, a warm smile in his eyes, then turned and walked forward.

Felicity paused, then quickly caught up, not knowing what to say, only instinctively saying, "Sorry."

"No, no need to apologize." Renly chuckled, his cello-like voice resonating in his chest. "I think it's a good thing. It shows that we are both dedicated actors. I believe that when the movie comes out, the audience will be moved. Everything that happened just now is just a continuation of the movie, isn't it?"

A day of intimate interaction, a day of gradually getting closer, a day of exchanging thoughts. When saying goodbye, Jacob and Anna lingered at the door downstairs... Everything was so natural. However, Drake's camera didn't show what happened next, didn't show whether they kissed again, didn't show if Jacob returned to Anna's apartment or left, didn't show if Jacob and Anna confessed again. The abrupt ending left the audience to imagine.

So, Jacob and Anna kissing on the streets at night made sense, didn't it? This also meant that just now it wasn't Felicity and Renly, but Jacob and Anna?

Thoughts surged, and Felicity could feel the warmth on her lips heating up again. She instinctively raised her fingertip to touch, but just as she lifted her right hand, she realized and hurriedly put it down, clenching her fist tightly.

Seeing the shy yet bold, excited yet determined Felicity in front of him, Renly lowered his gaze, hiding his emotions, shifting his eyes to the crew members ahead, "What's his name?"

"Who?" Felicity's heart was pounding, seemingly getting closer to Renly, but rationality pulled her back, silently chanting: It's just Anna at work, nothing more; it's just a continuation of the movie, nothing more.

"That lucky man." Renly chuckled, his heart calming down again, his words carrying a hint of ease, "Today is only the first day of shooting, and we have to continue working together for some time, so I think I need to take precautions. Otherwise, if he comes looking for me and I don't know what's going on, that's the last thing I want."

The half-joking words made Felicity relax again, laughing out loud. Renly was always like this, using humor to lighten the mood instantly, "Don't worry, he's a pacifist and definitely can't beat you." Felicity's eyebrows relaxed, the tension gradually easing, "Ed, his name is Ed."

Yes, all the emotions just now were merely Anna's continuation. Now, after waking up, everything became clear. Felicity clasped her hands behind her back, the mixed emotions gradually calming down, the heated mind gradually cooling down.

"That's enough, I don't need more information, otherwise it would feel too strange."

"It wasn't strange before, but you saying that made it strange, didn't it?"

"When thoughts are strange, everything you see becomes strange. I'm normal, so that means..."

"Hey, Renly Hall! Don't mislead me!"

"Renly? Not Jacob now? So, you're Felicity? Then why are you following me? We just met today, didn't we?"

"Are you sure it's not you following me?"

...

The ambiguous, throbbing atmosphere dissipated amidst the awkward, raw emotions and laughter. That kiss remained forever on that midnight street, as if it never happened. The cold moonlight spread in the slightly damp air, the scorching temperature gradually cooling down, returning to calm, like a cold deep pool after boiling, the surface showing no ripples.

Renly and Felicity quickened their pace, catching up with the crew. Renly raised his voice and asked, "Drake, are we heading for a midnight snack or heading back?"

"Midnight snack? Renly, are you crazy? For a female actor, eating a midnight snack is like suicide! How could we eat a midnight snack?" Jennifer's sharp voice was merciless, followed by another female actor, Felicity, joining in, "He really doesn't understand the struggles of female actors at all. All men are the same."

"...Drake, then I'm going home. My place is in the opposite direction."

"Bastard!" "What an awful guy"... curses echoed.

The streets of Los Angeles in the early morning were wide and empty, with the starry sky as the backdrop. It seemed like you could embrace the world just by spreading your arms. A group of young people with dreams of making movies were taking solid steps towards their goal, one step at a time.

The "Like Crazy" crew embarked smoothly, without a grand opening ceremony, without noisy media interviews, not even an official announcement of the start of filming. It started plainly and then quietly moved into production.

This crew, with an investment of only $250,000, didn't attract any attention in the vast Hollywood. Every day, dozens to hundreds of similar crews started shooting, but maybe less than one percent of those films would get a chance to be shown on the big screen.

So, even though Renly had recently garnered a lot of attention in Toronto and Telluride, it didn't attract any media attention. Let alone "Winter's Bone," which had premiered at Sundance eight months ago, Jennifer's halo wasn't enough to excite the reporters.

Moreover, Hollywood never lacks news. Gossip emerges endlessly. The rumors about Natalie in Toronto hadn't developed further, and the internal strife in the "Fast & Furious 5" crew was enough to excite reporters. Not to mention, the awards season was gradually opening, and the annual show was starting again.

Who would care about a small crew like "Like Crazy"?

However, this allowed the crew to focus entirely on their work, concentrating on the shooting. That was a good thing.

Similarly, for Andy Rogers, this was also a good thing. Everything was going according to plan. Renly was getting closer to the "Fast & Furious 5" crew, but he needed Dwayne Johnson to hold out a little longer. Otherwise, even if "Fast & Furious 5" eventually chose Renly, with Renly busy filming "Like Crazy," he wouldn't have enough time, possibly giving the opportunity to other new actors—in this cutthroat Hollywood, there were always competitors lurking around.

So, Andy sincerely prayed: Dwayne, please hold on a little longer.