Raging Undercurrents

Vin's mind was filled with questions, so was he duped or not?

If he was, then why was Renly so relaxed now, as if the two and a half hours of waiting had no effect at all? But if he wasn't duped, why did Renly show up here at eleven o'clock, discussing some nonsensical matters with Paul?

"So, what were you guys talking about just now?" Vin tried to bring up the topic lightly, like he was joining a conversation at a social gathering. But his tone was inevitably stiff, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making it very uncomfortable.

Paul didn't lift his head, seemingly uninterested in engaging with Vin, or perhaps he was lost in thought, making it hard to discern his emotions with his head down.

"Scripts." Renly's voice came over, and Vin reflexively looked over. "We were discussing the script just now."

Anger started to burn in Vin's chest. Wasn't this an outright lie? They were clearly talking about surfing earlier, not the script! More annoyingly, Vin disliked Renly's perpetual script-reading pretense, which was downright nauseating.

"Is there anything new in today's script?" Vin maintained a smile with difficulty, but his words started to sound mocking. "I didn't know scripts needed such thorough study. I thought today was all about shooting action scenes."

"Hah, for you, of course, it is," Renly replied with a smile.

Those simple words felt like a dagger stabbing into Vin's chest—he was just an action star, purely an action star, without any acting skills to speak of. Even if he studied the script, he wouldn't get anything out of it.

Vin's fists were already clenched, but then Renly continued, "I was just asking Paul about camera movements, which are invaluable acting experiences you can't find in the script."

The sarcastic words that were about to come out of Vin's mouth were swallowed back because of this remark. It was really frustrating. But Vin had to nod in agreement, saying with a forced smile, "Yes, in that respect, Paul is an expert. It's right to learn from him."

Vin noticed out of the corner of his eye that Paul was still standing with his hands on his hips, silent.

Vin had known Paul for many years. He knew Paul was a simple person, not fond of scheming or ambitious plans, always warm and kind to others. Paul had a chance to become a producer for "Fast and Furious 5," but he felt it represented too much responsibility and chose to focus on being an actor instead, so he declined.

He declined.

To others, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Paul turned it down. In fact, Paul was not only more popular in the "Fast and Furious 5" crew but also had a stronger appeal. Even Vin didn't want to cross Paul directly—after all, who would? Paul was just a great guy, wasn't he?

At this moment, Vin knew Paul was expressing his dissatisfaction.

But why? Vin couldn't think of any reason. If it was because of Renly, well, Renly didn't look bothered at all, so why should Paul? Besides, Vin was even more clueless.

"… Vin?" Renly's voice interrupted Vin's thoughts. He quickly turned his head. Renly had to repeat his question, "Why did you come to the set early today?"

This question nearly choked Vin. Renly actually brought up this topic himself!

Vin was momentarily speechless, stunned. His immediate reaction was to ask: Why did you come to the set so early? But he realized he couldn't ask that. It would be like stepping on a landmine, so he was at a loss for words, his cheeks flushing red and then pale, "Preparation."

Finally, Vin managed to say something, "Preparing for today's shoot." He forced a dry smile, "No one wants to realize they've forgotten their gun when they're about to go on stage, right?" After saying that, he chuckled awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.

But Renly didn't respond, just nodded earnestly in agreement. And then… nothing.

The atmosphere suddenly cooled down, the conversation abruptly ended, and the awkward and raw silence was like falling into an ice cellar. At this point, Vin no longer felt like enjoying the spectacle; he just wanted to leave. He didn't want to see Renly's radiant smile or his leisurely demeanor.

So, Vin pointed in the direction of the set, "I'll go check it out first. We'll be starting soon. I hope everyone's prepared." He was lying through his teeth; it was only eleven, and there was still plenty of time before shooting started. But no one called him out on his lie.

"Paul." Vin nodded at Paul in greeting. Paul shrugged, then raised his right hand to wave, which counted as a casual greeting. Vin felt a dull ache in his chest, but there was no time to pursue it, so he quickly left, heading towards the set.

Even after leaving the scene, Vin couldn't figure out what was going on. Was the prank successful or not?

Watching Vin's departing back, Paul snorted. Of course, he knew why Vin came to the set early, purely to watch the show or to verify his victory, a pettiness that made Paul see him in a new light.

Paul and Vin had known each other for many years, from the first "Fast and Furious" film until now. They had been friends for ten years.

In reality, Vin's reputation among the crew wasn't great. On one hand, Vin was impulsive and blunt, not very smooth in social interactions, which inevitably led to conflicts at work. Action films involved physical confrontation, and fights breaking out were not uncommon.

On the other hand, Vin had some diva-like bad habits. Paul didn't like it, but he could understand because he had also spent many years struggling in obscurity. In the world of fame and fortune, everyone had experienced some disdain when they were nobodies. Now that he had finally made a name for himself, it was understandable to want to show off. This caused Vin to often act condescendingly, which offended many people.

However, Paul always spoke well of Vin and mediated conflicts. Although Vin had many shortcomings, his emphasis on brotherhood was commendable. Paul always believed Vin was a good friend.

But today was different. Having conflicts at work was one thing; maliciously playing pranks on a rookie actor was another.

They all started as rookie actors and were aware of the old Hollywood traditions that still persisted. In fact, cold-shouldering rookie actors was still rampant. Just like the fraternity culture in the U.S., joining a fraternity meant finding an organization that provided protection and resources, but before joining, rookies had to endure severe ordeals and tests, sometimes risking personal safety. This culture was hard to eradicate.

Paul had experienced it, and so had Vin. That's why Paul hated this culture. When Sung Kang joined the fourth installment, Vin wanted to give him a harsh initiation—

Hollywood's racial discrimination against Asian actors had a long history and showed little improvement. Just look at the roles played by Asian actors in movies: most of them were comedic, goofy, or clownish.

Even actors like Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi, who had made a name for themselves, still couldn't break free from the shackles of prejudice. Maggie Cheung was the only Asian actress who had reached the top in the Western film industry and received corresponding recognition, but even she was mostly confined to Europe.

Back then, Vin wanted to give Kang a hard time, but Paul stopped him. They had a good talk then, and Vin promised he would never engage in such rookie rituals again. But it seemed like a cycle, and Vin ended up doing it again, even coming to the set to see the results of his prank.

This made Paul very uncomfortable.

Renly could sense the rejection in Paul's eyes and couldn't help but smile wryly. However, he had no intention of speaking well of Vin, "Paul, I was serious earlier."

Paul looked up, giving Renly a puzzled look. Renly held up the script, gesturing, "I need to understand the camera movements. During shooting, the path of movement, the direction of gaze, the way of acting—are there any special techniques?"

Paul looked at Renly seriously, making sure he wasn't joking, and couldn't help but chuckle. He couldn't tell if Renly was genuinely seeking advice or just avoiding Vin's mischief, "I haven't filmed any art movies. I'm not familiar with your style."

"Really? What about 'The Skull Club'? And if I remember correctly, you were in 'Flags of Our Fathers', weren't you?" Renly's words left Paul speechless, and he could only spread his hands in a mock-threat, "So, do you want to learn about camera movements or not?"

On the set, there was a tense, stormy atmosphere. Vin was radiating anger, deterring anyone from approaching. It seemed like stepping into his range would mean being torn apart by a tornado. He paced back and forth, like a caged beast, before dialing James Currie's phone:

"No excuses, don't you fucking make excuses! He looks perfectly fine now! Shut up! If something hadn't gone wrong, how could he not have reacted at all? Get lost, you son of a bitch! I want an explanation, a fucking explanation!"