**Chapter 155: After Drinking**

"Charlize Theron, ma'am?"

The next morning, Luca slowly opened his eyes and saw a woman standing in front of the floor-length mirror adjusting her dress. She had shoulder-length golden hair, fair skin, and a tall, slightly fuller figure.

"Don't tell me you didn't recognize me last night?"

Ms. Theron had a smirk on her face. Her expression was somewhat indifferent, but her voice was even huskier and more seductive than it had been the previous night.

Luca shook his head. "I wasn't sure last night, but now I am."

"So what?"

Ms. Theron said flatly, "You have a girlfriend, and I have a boyfriend. We drank too much last night and had a little misunderstanding, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly what happened."

Luca rubbed his forehead. Last night, they drank and talked; he shared the problems he encountered while filming, and Charlize spoke about her troubles. She had gained weight for a role, which had caused her to suffer from mild depression. After filming, she came out to unwind. They drank while chatting, got drunk, then returned to the hotel together and ended up in bed.

"Now that everything's clear, I'll be on my way."

Ms. Theron finished getting dressed, picked up her LV bag, and headed for the door.

"Sally, you're just going to leave like that?"

Luca sat up, revealing his well-defined chest muscles.

"Otherwise? Want to go again?"

Ms. Theron snorted, then suddenly sneered, "You know, the only reason you're still lying here talking is that you're lucky."

"Oh?"

Luca raised an eyebrow.

Ms. Theron sneered, staring at him coldly. "Last night, I told you I got into the role of Aileen and ended up with mild depression. The doctor said my condition was unstable. Last night, I had the urge to kill you. You're still lying here because I decided to show mercy."

"Really? Thank you, Ms. Killer."

Luca smiled faintly. "But it seemed like someone was shouting 'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die' all night. I thought I was the killer."

"Bastard!"

Ms. Theron gritted her teeth and suddenly picked up a handgun from the pile of clothes, pointing it at him.

"Calm down, please!"

Luca's mouth twitched. If he'd known, he wouldn't have brought a gun last night.

"Heh, scared?"

Ms. Theron laughed coldly.

Luca curled his lip and took out a fifty-cent coin from his wallet.

"Ms. Theron, you got into the role, right? In the movie, you only kill men who don't pay you for the night. I gave you money; you won't kill me, will you?"

"Bastard! Do you want to die?"

Ms. Theron gritted her teeth, holding the gun tightly with both hands.

"Not enough?"

Luca chuckled.

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

Ms. Theron disengaged the safety, her voice cold. "You think I don't dare?"

"Of course, you dare!"

Luca smiled slightly. "Dear Sally, let me tell you a secret. There's no bullet in the gun!"

"What?"

Ms. Theron was stunned for a moment, then immediately became furious.

"No bullets? I'll smash you!"

Ms. Theron picked up the gun and threw it at him.

Luca quickly raised his hand to block, but unfortunately, the flying gun hit his arm, and he couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

"You're a crazy woman!"

Luca rubbed his arm, cursing.

"Heh, now you know? I'm not someone to mess with."

Ms. Theron sneered, took a few steps toward the door, then suddenly turned back and took the coin.

"We're done. Don't let me see you again. If I see you, I'll hit you."

Ms. Theron shook her fist and slammed the door behind her.

The door closed, cutting off the view, but the faint scent lingered in the air.

Luca shook his head. Sometimes women are more decisive than men, leaving without a trace of emotion!

He picked up the gun, re-engaged the safety, and removed the full magazine.

"Close call!"

"Hey, Luca, you did well today. Just three takes and it was good."

At noon on set, after finishing a shot, Rachel said in surprise.

Luca took a sip of tea from his cup and smiled. "Actually, I kind of hope Nick does a few more takes."

"Oh? Why? Wouldn't more takes be stressful?"

Luca shook his head, thinking of what Charlize had said last night.

"The more takes I used to get, the more pressure I felt, but I figured it out yesterday.

I'm a newbie actor, and what I lack the most is on-the-spot experience. The more takes there are, the more chances I have to practice. I can perform more in front of the camera, correct more, and explore more.

Through these repeated takes, my acting skills will gradually improve."

"That actually sounds pretty good."

Rachel blinked, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Of course, the set is the best training ground. There's a good director, good co-actors here, so why not take more takes? Anyway, the contract is signed, and we're halfway through filming. Nick can't fire me.

Nick is willing to spend time, money, and effort to guide me. Isn't that a cool thing? Why not take it?"

Luca patted his cheek and smiled. "As an actor, the most important thing is to have thick skin, right?"

"Hahaha, you make it sound so... burp~"

Laughing, Rachel suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on something behind him.

"What's wrong?"

Luca turned around in confusion.

Director Nick stood behind him, his mouth twitching and his face looking a bit complicated.

"Nick, do you need something?"

Luca stood up, asking calmly.

"I can't fire you?"

Nick asked flatly.

"Haha~ You can, of course, you can."

Luca gestured with his hands. "We all know this movie is your passion project. It can't have any flaws. If any actor's performance is not up to standard, they should be fired. No need for sentimentality.

But for a good, proactive actor, even if they've made mistakes before, you'd give them more chances, right, Nick?"

Nick's mouth twitched. "A good actor? Are you one?"

"Yes, I am a good actor."

Luca patted his chest confidently.

"Snort~"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh.

"Hmph! Stop talking nonsense. The next scene is where you announce your engagement. You must show excitement and give a good performance, or I'll kick you out."

Nick snorted and turned back to the director's area.

"That was close!"

Luca smiled slightly.

"Luca, your skin seems to have gotten thicker."

Rachel laughed.

Luca pinched his cheek and nodded.

"Much thicker indeed."

"Haha~"

"Everyone, get ready!"

After half an hour's rest, everything was in place. John shouted through a megaphone.

"Scene 13, Shot 5, Take 1, Action!"

Filming started, and Luca was still in his black suit. He kissed Rachel, stood up, and strode toward the stage.

"Have the band stop!"

Luca waved his arm with a large movement, looking very excited.

The orchestra on stage stopped, and the crowd turned to look at the stage.

He held the microphone, smiling coolly. "Excuse me, I want everyone to know that this lady is going to marry me!"

Saying this, he suddenly pointed toward the audience, as if shooting Cupid's arrow toward Rachel.

"Wow~ Luca's performance is really good. He's very excited, full of emotion."

John couldn't help but clap his hands. He glanced at the director, who didn't look pleased, so he quickly put his hands down. "Ahem, there's still some room for improvement."

On stage, Luca excitedly waved his hand, walked off the stage, and held Rachel, kissing her passionately.

Gasp~

In the crowd, a spirited young man in a flat cap clutched his chest.

"CUT!"

"One more time!"

Director Nick said flatly.

"Okay!"

John nodded. This was the norm. Whether it was good or not, Director Nick always shot a few more takes for comparison and improvement.

"Band, please pause!"

Luca continued acting. He ran back on stage and shook his shoulders, grooving to the band's accompaniment. Turning around, he shouted into the microphone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, excuse me, but I can't wait to tell you the good news. That beautiful lady is going to marry me!"

Luca paused for a moment and suddenly pointed both arms toward the audience, as if presenting something grandly, displaying extreme excitement.

After making the announcement, he walked off the stage, held Rachel's face, and kissed her passionately.

Gasp~

Someone in the crowd gasped.

"Cut!"

The performance ended, and everyone looked at the director. This time, it was even better, more engaging.

"Nick, this time—"

John asked.

"One more time!"

Director Nick said flatly.

"Uh, is there anything Luca needs to pay attention to?"

John asked tactfully.

"No, continue!"

"Okay!"

John was puzzled. It was pretty good this time. Why another take?

"Scene 13, Shot 5, Take 3, Action!"

Offstage, Luca took a deep breath, jumped in place a few times, and then walked back onto the stage. He shook his shoulders and swayed to the band's accompaniment, turning around excitedly to shout:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have great news that I can't wait to share with you. That beautiful lady is going to marry me!"

He paused for a moment, then suddenly pointed both arms toward the audience, as if he were grandly introducing something. He appeared very excited.

"Wow~"

The audience applauded enthusiastically.

Luca clapped his hands in excitement, ran off the stage, and embraced Rachel for a kiss.

Hiss~

In the crowd, Gosling scowled and looked toward the director's area. This time, the guy acted so crazily, like he had rabies or something. Surely this take would be the one, right?

"Again!"

Nick said calmly.

"Again?"

Ryan Gosling clutched his chest.

John shook his head.

Luca took a deep breath. Each time, he put in so much effort that his hands were starting to feel weak.

"Luca, be gentle. My lips are starting to swell."

Rachel pursed her lips and said helplessly.

"Alright, I'll be more careful."

Luca touched his lips; they were starting to feel warm too.

"Scene 13, Shot 5, Take 4, Action!"

"Scene 13, Shot 5, Take 18, Action!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have great news that I can't wait to share with you."

Luca's left leg gave way, and he knelt on one knee while extending his arms to the right, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"That beautiful lady is going to marry me!!!"

After saying that, he raised his arms, let out two loud roars, and then, enduring back pain and leg cramps, ran off the stage to kiss Rachel.

Even though they had applied ice several times, their mouths were still red, as if they were about to bleed.

"Nick!!"

Ryan patted his head, shouting in frustration, "Enough is enough!!"

"What's enough?"

Director Nick raised his head calmly.

Ryan took a deep breath and tried to speak as calmly as possible, "Isn't Luca's performance good? If it's his problem, we can just film the declaration part. Or, if it doesn't work, just replace him. Why involve Rachel? She's done great."

"Don't you think the last take was better than all the previous ones?"

Nick stroked his chin and said slowly, "A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. What about a performance repeated dozens of times? When an actor repeatedly does the same action, they become the character, fully immersed in the performance, and give their best."

"Luca and Rachel are both new actors. They're like pieces of iron that need to be constantly refined to shine. How do you refine without repetition?"

"So, a few more takes?"

Ryan asked helplessly.

Those around also had pained expressions, nearly pleading for mercy.

On set, Luca and Rachel kept wiping sweat and drinking water. Their pale faces were in stark contrast to their blood-red lips.

Nick curled the corner of his mouth, "Go ask Luca if he can keep performing."

"Uh~"

John scratched his head and walked over to Luca. After a while, he came back.

"How is it?"

Nick, stroking his beard, asked curiously.

John shook his head, "Luca said he wants to try again."

"Okay~ One more time!"

"..."

The whole set fell silent.

"Scene 13, Shot 5, Take 19, Action!"

John shouted hoarsely.

Luca slapped his face hard, using what little strength he had left to walk onto the stage.

Wave, declaration, action, jump offstage, kiss.

He was like a machine running at high speed, forgetting the performance, forgetting what he was doing. He operated entirely on Ron Hammond's programming, without a single extra thought other than the character's own. All the performance and actions became extremely simple, yet more powerful than a thousand words.

"..."

Behind the monitor, Nick stroked his chin, his mouth curling into a frightening smile.

"How is this possible?"

"That was amazing!"

"How did he do it?"

John, Ryan, and the assistant director were all stunned by the performance, their mouths agape.

"Haha, did you see that? Did you all see that? This is potential; he has enormous potential as an actor."

Nick chuckled softly.

"This guy!"

Ryan shook his head. This guy was progressing so fast. Next time, if they act together, could he still overshadow him?

No way!

Next time, he absolutely couldn't let it pass in two or three takes. He had to drag it out!

Ryan Gosling clenched his fist.

"Nick, do we need another take?"

John asked. This time he didn't oppose another take because one great scene is worth dozens of mediocre shots.

Nick shook his head, "That's enough. Let's call it a wrap!"

"Yeah!!!"

The entire crew cheered louder than if they had wrapped the whole shoot.

Bang!

On set, Luca's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, pale-faced and drenched in sweat. His arms and legs were trembling.

The injuries from the battle last night hadn't had time to heal, and today he went through a drill that nearly took him down.

He knew he could just find the director to protest or plead, and Nick would definitely let him off.

But he didn't.

He just said that repeated drills are like repeated battles, helping him grow quickly.

The director was willing to give him a chance, so why not cherish it? As long as he didn't die from exhaustion, it was a chance to gain experience. How could he level up and fight monsters if he didn't take the free experience?

"Luca, do you know who in this world I least want to kiss?"

Rachel sat down and sighed deeply.

"Who?"

"You!"

Rachel patted his shoulder.

Luca chuckled. The first kiss felt gentle, but the eighteenth kiss was like kissing shards of glass, each one accompanied by a prickling pain. It wasn't a pleasant memory at all.

"Me too!"

They looked at each other's blood-red lips and burst into laughter.

"Rachel, thank you!"

"Don't mention it; we're friends!"