Actor in Hollywood

Ansen's words made Chris pause for a moment. A mix of absurdity, helplessness, and confusion crept onto his lips as he smiled, "Wait, are you saying this isn't a predicament but rather an opportunity?"

With a face that said, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I find your perspective very interesting," Ansen shrugged lightly and met Chris's gaze.

Chris examined him closely, and eventually, he couldn't hold back, "Haha." After a brief pause, he laughed even more brightly, "Hahaha."

In a slightly exaggerated way, one could say that ignoring the director and focusing on the actor's work, breaking free from the director's control, and engaging with the co-actors based on one's own understanding could turn a disadvantage into an advantage, becoming an opportunity for exploration.

So unconventional, so audacious, so unique.

Ansen—truly living up to his name—had a completely different attitude and perspective on things.

After laughing, Chris's first instinct was to reject the idea, as it didn't align with his understanding of the director and the role. However, just as he was about to argue, he hesitated, giving Ansen a strange look.

Ansen remained completely unfazed.

Chris couldn't help but smile and shake his head, "Is this how you were on Spielberg's set too?"

Ansen didn't hesitate for a second, "Of course not."

Because he was so direct and straightforward, Chris was momentarily stunned, and then he burst into hearty laughter, feeling as though some of the gloom had been lifted, "Are you ignoring…"

Brian?

The sentence remained unfinished as Chris hesitated again, glancing around worriedly, concerned that talking badly about the director behind his back might get him caught. Seeing this, Ansen couldn't help but sigh deeply—Hollywood was indeed a deep pool, and he was fortunate not to have encountered any troublesome sets yet.

Ansen shrugged lightly, "I'm just seeking the right way to collaborate."

He looked utterly sincere.

Ignoring? No, no, no, Ansen had no intention of ignoring Brian. Even if Brian was not particularly skilled, being able to become a director, secure investment, and create job opportunities meant he had his own strengths. Ansen firmly believed this was about adjusting, communicating, and exploring a collaborative method.

After all, in the end, they all hoped to complete a project together.

"I'd love to ignore him, but I'm not Tom Hanks just yet." Ansen continued nonchalantly, with a casual expression mixed with a hint of irony and sarcasm, which Chris immediately understood.

Chris wasn't Tom Hanks, but Brian wasn't Steven Spielberg either.

A smile crept onto Chris's face, and the tension in his mood relaxed slightly. He took a deep breath, "I'll give it a try."

Having made a decision, Chris's shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Anyway, we don't have a better option right now. All the actors are avoiding the director, and the atmosphere on set is downright terrifying. We were just worrying about how to handle the next scene."

"Actually, the last scene was a mess. The director already gave us a serious scolding, and we're all saying that the extras were dragged down by us—they didn't do anything wrong."

"We tried to communicate with the director, but any attempts at communication seem ineffective; it's all just emotional outbursts. We don't know what to do."

"Sigh."

"Oh, I sighed again."

Chris turned to Ansen, his eyes full of helplessness.

Ansen said seriously, "This is the burden you actors bear."

Chris: "You actors?" "Wait, aren't you an actor too?"

Ansen waved his hand lightly, "No, no, no, I'm just a pretty face, a body. I just need to stand in front of the camera."

Chris burst out laughing, "Hahaha, Ansen, you're hilarious."

With a deeply mysterious expression, Ansen accepted Chris's compliment, which only made Chris laugh even more joyfully.

When they reached the trailer, all the other actors had already stepped out. Regardless of their opinions about Ansen, there was no denying that he was the hottest actor this summer, with his fame now rivaling Leonardo's. One by one, they all came out to join in.

Looking at the bustling crowd before him, Ansen couldn't help but feel amused—

The stark contrast between the cold reception from the general public outside the set and the warm welcome from the professionals within the crew highlighted the different faces of the fame game in various ways.

Small talk, pleasantries, and superficial conversation, nothing more.

Amidst the monotonous and predictable exchanges, Ansen quickly noticed someone missing:

Where was Scarlett Johansson?

Scarlett was working on this project with Chris, which was the main reason Ansen had initially decided to visit the set. However, upon arrival, he only saw one of the leads, with the other nowhere in sight.

…

Scarlett was feeling a bit down. She sat on the stairs, legs stretched out and lightly swaying, head tilted back slightly, allowing the sunlight to dance lightly across her cheeks. The bright light stung a little, causing her to close her eyes.

In the stillness, the sound of engines roaring and conversations buzzing flowed over her eardrums like a river, making the world spin dizzily, but in that spinning, everything grew quiet, the noise transforming into the sound of blood flowing and her heartbeat echoing in her mind.

"All you need is a pair of headphones to recreate 'All About Lily Chou-Chou.'"

In the sunlight, a clear, serene voice floated over like a gentle breeze. Startled, Scarlett opened her eyes and turned to look. She couldn't make out the face against the blinding light, only catching a glimpse of those bright eyes.

The tranquility was broken, yet she felt no irritation.

Without realizing it, a smile crept onto Scarlett's lips, "What's Lily Chou-Chou?"

Then, she noticed Ansen's smile freeze slightly, as if he were thinking about how to continue the conversation, which made her laugh even more.

"Haha, sorry, I just wanted to see your reaction. That's from a movie, right?"

Unexpectedly, Ansen spread his hands, "I almost started to doubt whether my flirting skills were outdated."

This time, it was Scarlett's turn to pause her smile. The two exchanged a glance, both with a glint of amusement in their eyes.

Ansen said, "So, you're sure it's a movie?"

Scarlett replied, "Shh. Actually, I have no idea, but I didn't want to seem clueless, so I pretended to go along with your topic. How was my acting?"

Ansen responded, "Flawless."

With their back-and-forth banter, both of them laughed even brighter, the atmosphere relaxing. Ansen then moved to sit beside Scarlett, only to find his long legs touching the ground, forcing him to fold his knees. As he turned his head, he caught Scarlett's eye—

Clearly, Scarlett had noticed this too and rolled her eyes dramatically: there's no shame without comparison. She glanced at her own legs.

"Haha." Ansen chuckled, "So, are you sitting here alone to get some peace away from that group of high schoolers who never grew up?"