First collision

Jennifer knew that Renly was dead serious, utterly serious.

In the world of acting, there were never shortcuts or secrets. Methods and techniques were presented clearly, and as long as everyone devoted themselves wholeheartedly and polished their craft, they could achieve success. As for natural acting talent, it only distinguished between top-tier and exceptional actors. Of course, iconic veteran actors might only emerge once every decade.

However, under the spotlight of Hollywood, no one cared about that. Or to be more precise, no one wanted to be exceptional actors; they wanted to be top-level stars. The dream of overnight fame, the fairytale of turning from a sparrow into a phoenix, always attracted people like moths to a flame.

Jennifer wanted to become a star, but more than that, she wanted to become an actor.

"Thank you," Jennifer said sincerely. After receiving countless praises for "Winter's Bones" at Sundance, she had been a little complacent. However, she had once again become calm. There will always be someone better, a mountain beyond mountains.

Renly clearly hadn't anticipated such a response. More than anyone, he understood how appealing the glamour and attention of Hollywood were to young people. Even Renly himself, who had lived two lives, couldn't help but feel excited. However, the Jennifer before him brought a pleasant surprise.

"My honor," Renly responded with a smile and a nod.

The modest and sincere expression, yet one that didn't lack tranquility, made Jennifer chuckle. She pretended to search in her pocket and then extended an imaginary cigarette to Renly, a dog's hind leg kind of gesture.

Renly burst into laughter, looking at the cigarette between his fingers. "No need. It's just a means to relax through contemplation."

Before Jennifer could inquire about the story behind this, Drake's voice came over, "Are the actors ready? We can start shooting!"

Today's scene had already been moved to a different location, so there was no need to worry about disturbances from the neighbor across the hall. In the film, after graduating, Jacob had set up his own furniture design studio, renting a small warehouse. There was a staircase leading to a mezzanine on the second floor, which he had turned into his bedroom. Downstairs, the place was filled with various tools for furniture design and production.

Drake had arranged for this small warehouse through a friend's recommendation. The friend had been very generous and had only symbolically charged fifty dollars for utilities.

"I believe this is our call." Renly pointed in the direction of the voice with a smile. "We better make the most of our time."

"Of course!" Jennifer was already impatient, immediately getting up and lightly rubbing her palms together. The eager excitement was gleaming in her eyes.

The two made their way to the center of the studio. Drake personally came up to explain the entire shooting process, then noticed Jennifer's excitement and chuckled, "Calm down, calm down, little beauty. It's not yet time for you to shine in this scene."

Jennifer, however, proudly lifted her chin. "Truly exceptional actors grasp every detail of each scene. I won't easily let my guard down."

This made Drake chuckle in response. He turned around, patting Renly's shoulder. He didn't say much, but the trust in his eyes was crystal clear. In just a few days, Renly's outstanding performance had impressed Drake even more deeply than during their time in Telluride.

Renly took a seat at the desk. He spread out the design drawings, arranging them somewhat messily, then placed a few crumpled pieces of paper beside them. After a brief thought, he tidied up all the design drawings neatly and stacked them together. Only two crumpled paper balls remained.

After the breakup, Jacob's state of mind would have been dull and repressive, even appearing absent-minded during work. But once Sam moved in, the studio suddenly became well-organized. Sam's first line was to ask Jacob if he needed help ironing his jeans, clearly skilled in household tasks.

So, on the desk, everything else was neat and tidy, only Jacob's work area was messy. After some further consideration, Renly retrieved a small knife from a pen holder, using it to sharpen a pencil over the scrap paper, leaving behind scattered fragments.

In this world, when Renly received education, he chose music. However, he dabbled in other art forms like fine arts, sculpture, drama, and novels, mainly for appreciation purposes. As for practical skills, Renly couldn't claim to be proficient. In their family, Edith was the one most skilled in fine arts. But having never eaten pork yet seen pigs run, Renly still had some understanding of Edith's work habits. He hadn't expected to put that knowledge to use now.

At this point, the preliminary preparations were considered complete.

Renly closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, letting his thoughts settle. Actually, this scene itself was quite simple—just introducing Sam's entrance with a few lines of dialogue. However, the content presented by the "Like Crazy" from the previous world was too weak, causing the audience to misunderstand Jacob.

In truth, Jacob had already broken up with Anna. To sever that relationship, he started dating Sam, even though his heartache remained. Anna, unable to withstand the pain of separation, persistently begged and coaxed, leading Jacob to pick up the phone and propose to her. Jacob made his choice, confessing everything to Sam because he knew it wouldn't be fair to her. Selfish or cruel, he chose to break up with Sam and headed to London to marry Anna, embarking on the arduous journey of seeking a visa.

How to convey the post-breakup state and struggle to the audience within the shortest time and narrowest space, waiting for the revelation of the truth later, allowing the audience to suddenly understand—this was undoubtedly Renly's greatest challenge.

The entire warehouse fell into a peaceful silence. The crew had already grown accustomed to Renly's working method, quietly awaiting the signal. When they saw Renly raise his hand and gesture "OK," Drake quickly approached, shouting, "Action!"

Jacob sat at the desk, earnestly sketching out the design, a smile gracing his lips—a sweet and blissful smile, with a gentle curvature. His lowered lashes couldn't hide the radiant halo in his eyes, as if he possessed the entire world. Even the lines of his shoulders softened, the white t-shirt lightly undulating, making the air turn gentle.

Drake couldn't help but be taken aback. "It shouldn't be like this!" Jacob had already broken up with Anna; he should be in great pain. The relationship between Jacob and Sam wasn't about love; it was merely a companionship born out of loneliness. He shouldn't be so happy... But why was Renly acting this way? The expression of happiness reminded him of the beautiful days between Jacob and Anna.

Drake hesitated, unsure whether to call "cut" or not. After struggling for a moment, he decided to trust Renly for now and see how the performance would unfold. Thus, Drake lifted his head and signaled the assistant hiding by the railing on the second floor, and Bryan then signaled Jennifer.

Jennifer had already entered her performance mode. She nodded calmly in acknowledgment and silently counted down three times in her mind before speaking up, "Do you want your jeans ironed?"

Sam's voice broke the stillness in the studio. The flowing air seemed like a warm current, casting a radiant glow of happiness between Jacob's brows. "Huh?" Jacob lazily responded, as if he had been married for thirty or forty years, automatically filtering out the content of Sam's words but still able to catch her voice. The faint rising tone in her voice carried a taste of sweetness.

"Your jeans. Do you want me to iron them?"

The voice gradually approached, becoming clear. Jacob finally realized and turned his head following the sound, only to see Sam, wearing his navy blue shirt, peeking her head out from the railing on the second floor. A gentle smile adorned her face.

Jacob's gaze froze unexpectedly, just for a moment, a millisecond, but during that instant, a mix of shock, astonishment, panic, and loss flickered through his eyes. The intermingling emotions were bittersweet, and a trace of sadness emerged in his deep brown irises, fleeting yet poignant.

He lightly pursed his lips, a smile curving upwards, and his eyes widened slightly, seemingly earnestly pondering Sam's question. The previously scattered agitation between his brows discreetly vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor. However, this time it was somewhat different. The previous happiness and delight were gone, as were the surprise and sorrow from earlier. Instead, there was politeness, as if he had put on a mask of courtesy. His smile even carried an unnatural sense of distance and awkwardness, a faint sense of unfamiliarity permeating. However, his true emotions had completely disappeared, concealed thoroughly.

"Uh..." Jacob lengthened the trailing sound, contemplating for a moment, as if pondering Aristotle's three laws. Then, the corner of his brow slightly lifted. "Sure," he said.

Sam's smile at the corner of her lips brightened, an expression befitting a woman in love. A gentle halo radiated from her face. She mouthed the word "ok," then turned around to attend to her tasks. Although she held the jeans in her hands, she couldn't help but clasp them lightly, and even her footsteps became lively.

Jacob pursed his lips and smiled too. Even after Sam turned around, his smile remained, but now it was tinged with a hint of bitterness and desolation. He stood there in a daze, frequently glancing at the second floor. Sam's departing figure, with those translucent eyes, slowly dimmed as if something was collapsing. A hint of confusion and bewilderment surfaced. There were no unnecessary movements; time stood still in this moment. His world seemed to freeze perpetually in this second.

Wordless pain, shattering heartache, slowly diffused through the air, a bitter and acrid surge.