Chapter 2: Let's Just Give It a Shot

'Please not be him, please...' Sean, who held the phone, felt nervous in his heart. Finally, the call connected, and when he heard a voice on the other end, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey Laura, it's me... yes, of course, thank you," Sean said, leaning against the phone booth and holding the leash tightly to prevent the excited Polk from running around wearing a drenched t-shirt after a late afternoon run around the park.

"Hi, mom! how are you? ... I'm fine, really. I can take care of myself... Yesterday I receive my salary, and although my boss swears a lot, deep down he's a nice guy... of course, it can't compare to home, but it's a completely different experience... no, no, mom, let's not talk about that, okay?... alright, got it... um... I'll decide on a case-by-case basis... okay, yes, I love you too, bye."

After ending the call with his mother and hanging up the phone, Sean let out a sigh. Looking around, he noticed that the sky was getting dark, and the street lights had already turned on.

"Hey, Polk, come back, we should go," he urged.

"Don't worry, it's the weekend tomorrow, and you can go for a walk wherever you want," Sean said, squatting down and patting Polk's head.

As for extending the dog-walking time... Sean carefully scanned the surrounding streets again, finding nothing suspicious, still he quickly walked back to his apartment.

Luckily, Sean's apartment was not far from West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, and it was close to Highway 106, so the security was better than in the West Lake area. Even so, he wouldn't hang around outside after 9 o'clock; he didn't want to risk encountering troublemakers or someone holding a gun to his head.

**********

Sean performed sets of push-ups and sit-ups before proceeding to take a shower.

Afterward, he dressed in nothing but boxers, leaving his upper body exposed. Sean sat on the old sofa, and start playing the guitar while singing "The Sound of Silence" by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

"In restless dreams,

I walked alone,

narrow streets of cobblestone..."

With his exceptional vocal abilities and adept guitar playing, Sean managed to recreate the original rendition of the song flawlessly. "The Sound of Silence" held a special place in his heart, and whenever he found himself with spare time, he took pleasure in performing it. The captivating melody and meaningful lyrics brought him solace and tranquility. However, there was an untold tale behind his deep connection to this particular song, one that will have to be shared another time.

He has some thoughts to perform on Venice Beach for some extra income. Among the multitude of renowned beaches along its extensive coastline, Los Angeles boasts Venice Beach as one of its liveliest destinations. Situated adjacent to Santa Monica Beach, Venice Beach captivates visitors with its vibrant atmosphere.

However, he held that thought for summer if he doesn't make any breakthrough in his financial situation. During the summer season, Venice Beach becomes even more animated. Apart from attracting numerous tourists from across the globe, the pedestrian street of Venice Beach serves as a gathering spot for an array of street performers, artists, painters, cyclists, roller skating enthusiasts, and various other groups. This vibrant amalgamation of individuals creates an atmosphere akin to a bustling carnival, infusing the entire beach with exhilarating energy.

Despite having lived a second life, Sean couldn't help but acknowledge his lingering impulsive nature. He let out a sigh, his fingers gently brushing through his soft, curly brown hair. "Even if the outcome is uncertain, I should formulate a plan," he contemplated, recognizing the importance of preparing for the future, regardless of the potential challenges that lay ahead.

Well, let's not dwell on that. He had made some preparations, like acquiring his current car from an acquaintance for $2,000. It was a 15-year-old sand glow model Ford, but it still looked and performed well. He had saved some money for a while, but now it seems insufficient.

In his previous life, Sean was an ordinary young man from a small town in China, originally named Xiao Zhenhua. However, when he was young, his mother abandoned the family, and his father passed away when he was 15. He was practically raised by his community.

Although his life had its share of hardships, he was no different from an ordinary person in other aspects. He didn't have any grand adventures or sudden bursts of personality. He went to high school through a work-study program and later attended a second-tier university but he couldn't see his graduation. All his plans and all his efforts to be a reputable man in society. Everything went up in smoke.

When the car hit him, at first there was immense pain which later turn into numbness, his vision blurred while the surrounding voices became muffled. He can only see shadowy figures surrounding him, and his body started to turn cold causing him to lose his sense bit by bit, breathing air became so difficult as his last thought lingered on, 'How came a thing which is so easy to do at the first day on life become so difficult when you are on your last day on life?'

After then nothingness, maybe in a moment, or perhaps countless hours, or weeks, months, maybe years later, he was reborn into a family in San Francisco in 1981, from Xiao Zhenhua to Sean Tang.

It was a stable and loving family. His father, Tony Tang, mixed with Chinese heritage was a dignified man with a set of principles and a traditional mindset. His mother, Alice Tang, hailed from New York. She was gentle, generous, and poised, highly regarded within the community. His older sister, Laura Tang, appeared serious and mature on the surface, but she was quite lively and mischievous in private.

However, there were problems in his past life, and in this one as well. The most significant issue was Sean's strained relationship with his father, which led him to move to Los Angeles alone after high school. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the challenges of living independently, and now he found himself in this situation.

Speaking of rebirth, it did offer the advantage of foresight to some extent. One might think that making money should be easy, but in reality, it was far from certain. Although memories didn't completely disappear, if they weren't vivid or memorable, it would take a lot of time and stimulation to recall them.

Even so, if it wasn't something significant, it was just a fleeting memory.

Therefore, ordinary people like Sean didn't gain many advantages from rebirth; they were more likely to be lost in hindsight. For instance, when he realized he could buy Microsoft stocks and wait for their value to rise, it was already too late—the price had skyrocketed.

Although he had spent his savings in investing nearly $1000 in Microsoft shares, he only made $3,000 after selling them in 1998, with taxes deducted. He had to sell it because of his decision to move to Los Angelis. He needed enough cash for all the travel, living, and necessities expenses and also to buy a car.

Of course, that didn't mean he was mediocre. Thanks to his past life, Sean had developed a keen intuition. For example, in late April 1992, his school organized a trip to Los Angeles, but he had a strong feeling that something bad would happen. So, he made excuses not to go and even persuaded a few friends to do the same, successfully avoiding the riots that ensued. Regardless, Sean wasn't one to easily give up.

He suddenly stand up from the sofa, clenched his hand, and whisper to himself, "Let's just give it a shot!"

**********

"Hello, I'm Sean Tang, and I have an appointment with Mr. Frederick Rogers," Sean spoke to the young girl at the front desk while scanning the hall.

It has an atmosphere of a large company, with people walking around hurriedly, entering and exiting.

"Alright, Mr. Tang, please proceed to the third floor. Mr. Rogers' office is the fifth space on the left of the elevator." The young girl informed him as soon as she finished her phone call.

She looked adorable.

"Thank you," Sean nodded and then pointed to her ear, "You know, I think you should wear brighter earrings."

"Oh?" The young girl looked at him with slight surprise and curiosity.

"While your skin tone is a little darker, it appears healthy and beautiful. However, your earrings shouldn't match your skin tone closely. It will make your skin look even darker in contrast."

"Really?" she asked while leaning forward.

"Well, at least that's what I believe would suit you better," Sean raised his hands, maintaining a calm demeanor.

The young girl quickly grasped the situation, sat up straight, coughed slightly out of shyness, and promptly switched to a professional tone, "I understand, thank you."

After a brief pause, she glanced at him again, lowered her voice, and said, "My name is Sarah, Sarah Rivett."

"Nice to meet you, Sarah. See you later," Sean nodded, secretly impressed, and walked towards the elevator. This life is quite different indeed if it was in his previous life he wasn't sure if he could utter a single sentence smoothly like that.

Upon reaching the third floor, Sean soon spotted Frederick, who had greeted him on Friday afternoon. Frederick waved at him from not too far away, saying, "This way, Sean."

He hadn't been completely idle during the weekend. Since he had decided to give it a try, he conducted more detailed investigations. Perhaps there were opportunities without prior preparation but the world was full of unexpected things. Just like how he had underestimated the difficulties of living alone, without being adequately prepared, he is not taking any unnecessary chances. If Sean hadn't been purposefully scouting since elementary school and slowly saving money, he wouldn't even have been able to afford a secondhand car, let alone move out and become independent.

So, he had a general understanding of the agent profession. In a way, they acted as intermediaries, connecting celebrities like movie stars, TV stars, and sports stars with jobs or helping them secure roles in major productions. They negotiated deals, found desired scripts, fought for good roles in blockbusters, arranged transfers, and more. Agents typically earned a 10% commission from their clients' income as compensation.

It was worth noting that agents and managers were two different roles. The former focused on selling, while the latter specialized in image packaging and career planning. Initially, these positions were essentially the same, but in the 1960s and 1970s, many agents prioritized making money over their clients' development, leading to the downfall of many celebrities—Elvis was rumored to have been affected by this as well. That's when the roles started to separate, with many clients' family members taking on managerial responsibilities.

And the people sitting in these cubicles were ordinary agents, representing ordinary actors. However, it was these ordinary agents and actors who formed the backbone of the American film industry.