Maverick

Seth sat on the couch, restlessly shifting back and forth, occasionally sneaking glances towards the direction of the bathroom, then quickly diverting his gaze, pretending as though nothing had happened.

"Seth!" Will's hushed voice echoed in his ears, like a hiss, fluttering in the air. "Could you get any weirder? We're not crazy, you know!"

Seth straightened his posture, placing his hands formally on his knees to indicate his innocence. He muttered under his breath, "We're not peeping at him taking a shower. Your behavior is strange!" Seeing Will's speechless expression, Seth widened his eyes, shaking his head as if admitting defeat, and refrained from continuing.

Yet it wasn't only Seth. Anna, Bryce, and the others seated beside him also couldn't help but let their gazes drift toward the bathroom. Even Will couldn't resist. However, he considered it impolite to do so, especially since Renly's assistant, Nathan, was still in the adjacent bedroom packing luggage, and the bedroom door wasn't closed!

Consequently, Will lowered his voice to give a warning. "Hey, everyone, let's act a bit more normal. He's not a circus monkey."

"But he's really strange!"

"Who goes jogging in the rain?"

"And he just flew in from the East Coast."

"What's up with him? When he greeted us earlier, he was smiling so brightly it startled me."

"Exactly! I felt like a peeping tom caught in the act. It's truly thrilling."

"Am I the only one who thinks this way? He doesn't look like the character from the movie."

"No, no, I agree! He looks different from the photos in the media too. I'm not sure if it's because he's drenched or for some other reason, but he doesn't seem like the same person."

...

A bustling hum of discussions filled the air, incessant and pervasive. Everyone lowered their voices, conversing with the hushed tones and frequencies of secrets exchanged. This resulted in exaggerated body language and facial expressions as they all tried to emphasize their points. The scene became somewhat chaotic.

A muffled sound of a door opening came from behind. A swift whoosh followed, and instantly, all sounds in the living room vanished. Everyone shut their mouths. Furthermore, they sat up straight, muscles stiff, eyes fixed straight ahead, as if they were elementary school students in the classroom and the teacher had suddenly appeared.

Such a scene was incredibly bizarre, revealing their guilty conscience and casting them in an awkward light.

Will rolled his eyes in exasperation, giving Seth a stern look, communicating with his gaze, "Could you be more deliberate?"

Seth, however, shot a defiant glare back. "Then could you be more natural?"

Will ground his teeth, his eyes filled with helplessness, as if saying, "I don't even know him. You were the one who contacted him initially, alright? Plus, you're the producer!"

Seth was dumbfounded, not knowing how to counter, only coughing awkwardly a couple of times, exaggerating his tone to say, "Hey, Renly, how does it feel? Are you adjusting well? No problems, I hope?"

Will rolled his eyes dramatically, clearly dissatisfied with Seth's insincere politeness. Seth, however, glared back with teeth gritted, conveying an unspoken message like, "Then you do it." This made Will avoid eye contact, like a deflated balloon.

"It's lovely weather, isn't it?" Renly's voice held a lightness that indicated he wasn't joking. This statement prompted everyone to exchange puzzled glances, their expressions full of disbelief. Good weather today? When it's been drizzling all day? This...

Seth felt like his eyeballs were about to fall out. His face reflected sheer surprise, as he clearly had no idea how to deal with Renly's eccentricity. Mainly because the two of them were too unfamiliar. Even if they complained, they didn't know how to control the situation. The production team of "50/50" certainly didn't want to scare Renly away.

Will could only stiffly say, "Yeah, the weather is suitable for jogging." Upon hearing this, Seth couldn't help himself and burst into laughter, but he quickly covered his mouth, lowered his head, and concealed his absurd expression. "I've always wanted to give it a try, but I never had the courage."

"Hehe." Surprisingly, Renly chuckled. "This isn't jogging weather, of course, unless you're Ethan Hunt, then that's another story." shoutout to the "Mission: Impossible" series.

This playful jest caused Seth to lose his restraint. He burst out laughing, and the people beside him also burst into low laughter.

Will was caught off guard by this turn of events, he looked at Renly in astonishment, unsure how to respond. Then, he saw Renly walking over and stopping nearby. "But you should give it a try. Maybe you'll like it?"

Will blinked in slight confusion, his thoughts spinning. Involuntarily, a smile crept onto his lips. "Yes, maybe I'll give it a shot. Who knows, I might really enjoy it."

Will could sense Seth's utterly flabbergasted expression and felt the urge to make fun of him. However, because there were guests around, he hesitated to unleash a full assault. This left him somewhat uncomfortable, making Will even happier, "It's just like driving. Once you're behind the wheel, I finally realized I don't actually like driving."

Renly raised an eyebrow, curiosity lighting up his face. "Why is that?"

"Before, it was because I was afraid of dying. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of death, and I didn't want to meet an untimely demise." Will raised an eyebrow, self-deprecatingly adding, "But later, I discovered that it might not be the number one cause of death."

For someone battling cancer, dying in a car accident might actually be more tolerable, even a bit relieving, if it happened on the spot. Amidst the light banter, Will's mentality was deftly portrayed.

"In that case, have you tried driving?" Renly walked over, casually found an empty seat, and sat down. The familiar and natural atmosphere mingled with the tension, curiosity, awkwardness, and peculiarity, gradually easing the room's ambiance.

Each person quietly sized up Renly. They had too many reasons to be interested in him.

Regardless of "Buried" or "Like Crazy", both topics had been fervently discussed recently. Particularly the former, which gained even more attention after its Oscar nomination. Not to mention the fervent promotion and publicity across major media outlets.

Even aside from that, Renly's decision to join "50/50" at the eleventh hour was admirable. The rising star in acting, who was the hottest sensation, was willing to take on this challenging role. And that too after James McAvoy backed out at the last moment.

This choice seemed no different to anyone from willingly jumping into a fire pit. Though describing the upcoming project this way might not be appropriate, even Seth and Will couldn't deny it.

Everyone's gazes involuntarily fell on Renly, yet he remained completely oblivious, enthusiastically continuing his conversation with Will.

Will, too, didn't notice the astonished looks of the others, naturally saying, "After trying to drive, I realized I don't like the version of myself behind the wheel."

These tactful words left Anna, Bryce, and the others momentarily stunned. Seth, however, caught on right away and burst into amused laughter.

In reality, Will was mocking those irritable drivers: it seemed that as soon as someone got behind the wheel, their temper would become impatient. Not only did they easily quarrel with others, but even minor things could affect their mood, causing their emotions to fluctuate noticeably. Even those who were generally friendly were no exception, let alone those who were already hot-tempered.

Driver's Syndrome had already become a common talking point.

Seth turned his head and saw that everyone else had bewildered expressions. Only Renly was sporting a smile of agreement, gently tucking in his jaw. "We often find a whole new side of ourselves under unique circumstances." This was a double entendre, referring not only to Driver's Syndrome but also to cancer.

Seth widened his mouth in astonishment, surprised by the current situation. If he was Will's best friend who knew Will's sense of humor like the back of his hand, then what about Renly?

"Is that why you were running in the rain just now?" Will's eyes lit up, bringing up the topic smoothly. "Just a sudden whim? Or is there another reason?"

All eyes landed on Renly, but they saw him break into a light laugh. His smile was like raindrops falling onto a lake's surface, causing ripples of tranquility, a unique serenity. "Yes."

Renly initially gave an affirmative answer, then his rhythm paused for a moment as if he were lost in thought. After about two seconds, he nodded again, repeating, "Yes. I mean, after a long flight, I always felt a bit stifled. Looking at the city washed by the rain outside the window, that aquatic scent carried an especially fresh quality. I thought, maybe running could be a good idea. Why not give it a shot? So, I did just that."

Weirdo. Truly a weirdo.

Almost everyone's initial reaction was as such, seeing Renly before them, and their responses were somewhat awkward.

At their first meeting, Renly's behavior was indeed too eccentric! Even if they simplified the act of running in the rain, now Renly had completely integrated into their conversation circle without a formal introduction. And gradually, the focus had shifted. It wasn't Seth, who was recognized as the talkative one, taking the lead, but rather the usually quiet Will engaging in a lively conversation with Renly.

Strange, this was really strange!

But then again, if they thought about it, Renly taking on "50/50" at the last moment and even agreeing to shave his head wasn't normal in the first place, was it?

Everyone's expressions were somewhat odd, and for a moment, they didn't know how to interact with Renly. However, Will wasn't one of them.

Will was nodding repeatedly, and his small eyes gleamed with excitement. "Yes, yes, exactly. I often have such thoughts too. But I'm not one to act on them. More often, I just sit there and think."

"In your mind, you've completed a full marathon and an Ironman triathlon, right?" Renly playfully teased with a light laugh.

"Yes! Exactly!" Will clapped his hands and burst into laughter.