A Tough Challenger Appears

The commotion in the crowd finally settled down. The young woman who appeared to be a college student walked over again. "It seems you're truly an actor, and a remarkable one at that," she said confidently, her eyes glinting with light. "What's your name?" Amidst the earlier chaos, everyone seemed to be shouting "Eugene "Sledgehammer" Sledge."

So far, the audience Renly had encountered hardly cared about his name, instead addressing him with names from "The Pacific." This was normal, akin to how people still referred to Daniel Radcliffe as "Harry Potter" when they met him now. For a newcomer, it was a good sign.

Yet no one wanted to be typecast, by a single role.

"Renly Hall."

The girl blinked playfully. "Chanel Laurent." She introduced herself with the same ease. "Your performance just now was truly remarkable. I think I'll have to dig out 'The Pacific' and give it a watch. I hope I won't be disappointed."

Renly nodded respectfully in response, eliciting a light laugh from Chanel. From the name and accent, it was discernible that Chanel was French, most likely from the middle class — like the British, French surnames were often indicative of lineage.

Chanel didn't say much more, simply pinching the nonexistent hem of her skirt, taking a step back with one foot and slightly bending her knee, offering a royal princess's acknowledgment. Despite the attire of jeans and a T-shirt, there was no sense of contradiction, only an added touch of youthful vitality.

With a turn, her golden ponytail traced a wonderful arc as Chanel walked away, heading back towards the crowd with light steps.

"Phew, finally can breathe easy," Rodrigo wiped the sweat off his forehead, sitting on the couch, breathing heavily.

Renly retracted his gaze and sat back down, sighing, "Such unexpected incidents really catch one off guard." Truth be told, Renly had some concerns before the performance began. While performing in public wasn't difficult for him, the excerpt from "Buried" required absolute silence. Once interrupted, the rhythm would be thrown off balance.

Renly's worries had come true, just not in the way he anticipated.

"I wouldn't call this unexpected," Rodrigo held a different opinion. Sensing Renly's puzzled gaze, he explained, "I mean, such sudden situations do catch one off guard, not something we hope to see; but, I'm not surprised by their reaction because your performance was indeed stunning."

With that said, Rodrigo pondered seriously for a moment before nodding in affirmation, "Yes, stunning."

It had been seven or eight minutes since the performance ended, and Rodrigo now had a different feeling as he reminisced. Watching Renly's performance was truly enjoyable. His innate charisma seemed untouched by any form of refinement, making it impossible to guess the rhythm and pattern of the performance. Yet, the emotional impact was crystal clear, especially during reflection afterwards, leaving a lingering impression.

"Thank you," Renly accepted the praise calmly, without false modesty.

"In fact, I'm more curious about how you interpreted the character of Paul, and the entire story," Rodrigo admitted. From an actor's perspective, Renly had brought out different shades of the story, which was intriguing. Of course, a significant part of it was due to the unique nature of "Buried" — it was a monologue.

Renly shrugged, "If we collaborate, we can discuss it further."

Rodrigo paused, then nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

At this moment, Renly was also reflecting on his performance. Strictly speaking, it wasn't complete. The preparation time was too hasty, and Renly's understanding and portrayal of Paul's character were incomplete. Most of the time, he relied on his performance style to interpret the role. However, during the performance, he could touch upon some elusive feelings — why did Paul make such choices? How did he feel after making them?

Renly felt like he had grasped a tiny bit of it, but it wasn't clear enough. Given enough time, he was willing to delve deeper. Not just for this scene, but for the entire work — this scene was just a microcosm of the piece. While a solid performance could bring surprises with expressionist acting, the methodical understanding and portrayal of characters throughout the entire work would truly test Renly.

This lingering feeling left Renly's lips slightly dry. He couldn't wait to thoroughly read the script again and start constructing Paul's life from scratch.

Seeing Renly in front of him, Rodrigo had to admit that age was the least of his concerns.

Indeed, Renly appeared too young, but his performance exuded enough depth, mature yet complex. With just a few words and gestures, he sketched the character of Paul Connolly, leaving a lasting impression. In less than two minutes, the power of his acting had truly stunned Rodrigo; no extra words were needed, he was thoroughly impressed.

If Renly were to be cast, the age of Paul could be slightly adjusted, from thirty-five to around twenty-seven, with the child count reduced to one. With some effort in makeup, the character setting would be no problem.

Now, what Rodrigo was looking forward to was what sparks their cooperation would ignite. "I've always forgotten to ask, how old are you this year?"

"Haha," Renly laughed outright, "I thought we've already discussed this." However, this time, Renly didn't beat around the bush. His performance just now was evidence enough of his skills. He openly said, "Twenty."

"..." Rodrigo could almost hear his jaw dropping, looking at Renly in disbelief, unsure how to react.

"Rodrigo, someone's here for an audition," the receptionist's voice interrupted Rodrigo's train of thought once again. Dazed, he looked up, still trying to process, his eyes searching the lobby for the source of the voice.

At this moment, the lobby of the youth hostel began to buzz again. The murmurs were like the rumblings of an imminent eruption, then two figures walked intimately side by side, attracting everyone's attention.

The man on the left was tall and imposing, seemingly even taller than Renly. Broad shoulders and sturdy muscles made him stand out, effortlessly drawing attention. With a handsome face adorned with a sunny smile, he seemed like a natural beacon of light.

The woman on the right appeared petite and charming. Her arm was around the man's waist, and a white shirt couldn't hide her well-proportioned figure. With dark red curly hair, she exuded allure and sensuality, moving like a lazy cat with every gesture.

Standing together, the two needed no words to become the center of attention. Clearly, they were accustomed to such treatment, their relaxed posture exuding an indescribable aura. Despite the excited whispers in the lobby, no one approached them, as if the radiant halo around them served as an invisible barrier.

Renly turned around and immediately spotted them. It was Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson. The two got married at the end of 2008 and were considered a relatively low-key couple in the Hollywood fame scene. Before this, Scarlett's career was thriving, while Ryan was relatively unknown. However, the success of two films last year brought Ryan into the public eye, while Scarlett's career hit a temporary pause after "Midnight in Barcelona."

Unexpectedly, Ryan showed up in person. Renly wasn't sure to what extent Ryan and Rodrigo had conversed, but this was clearly not a positive sign — after all, compared to Ryan, Renly was far behind in terms of fame and popularity. Moreover, Ryan was Rodrigo's first choice.

Even more unexpectedly, Scarlett accompanied Ryan. In the absence of reporters, this meant Scarlett had come specifically to support her husband. This undoubtedly increased Ryan's leverage — who could refuse Scarlett?

Compared to Renly, a rookie with no fame, Ryan and Scarlett's influence was much more direct and clear. Everyone in the lobby could accurately recognize them, especially Scarlett. As the new "Marilyn Monroe" of the modern era, her influence had spread worldwide. The excitement and frenzy in the lobby were a perfect reflection of it.

This was not good.

Ryan's timing was too subtle, coinciding precisely with Renly and Rodrigo's further discussion. This meant Renly couldn't seamlessly secure the role. Now, everything had to be replanned.

Renly adjusted his breathing, calming the waves of his emotions, then stood up proactively, smiling at Ryan and Scarlett, ready to greet them. Since the competitors had met face to face, they could now have a fair, open confrontation. The ultimate victor would win the opportunity to perform in "Buried." Even though Renly knew he had fewer chips, he still faced his opponents with his head held high.

On this path of performance, he wouldn't fear any challenge.

But Ryan just walked straight towards Rodrigo, completely ignoring Renly standing to the side, as if Renly, like the rest of the audience, was just an ordinary visitor in the youth hostel. "Rodrigo? Finally meeting you," Ryan reached out his right hand warmly, greeting him, "Sorry it took me so long to get in touch. Please believe me, I'm more anxious than you are. You see, I rushed here straight from Los Angeles, hoping we could talk face to face. That's my sincerity."

At this moment, Rodrigo finally came back to his senses, his eyes sparkling with disbelief and excitement.