Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 221: Developing Tacit Understanding

Renly's speech rhythm paused slightly as he carefully studied Jennifer before him. His lips curled into a smile due to her unexpected question. "Do you want my answer or Jacob's answer?"

Jennifer realized her abruptness the moment the question left her mouth, causing her cheeks to flush slightly. However, she masked her emotions well, not letting them show. Renly's response, though, made her even more flustered. She bit her lip, unable to conceal her shyness and embarrassment. She then saw Renly chuckle softly. The lowered eyelids couldn't hide the gentle teasing in his eyes.

Jennifer rolled her eyes helplessly, not hiding her embarrassment. She spread her hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "Alright, I know I shouldn't have asked that question. I've already told you, my flirting skills are terrible."

"Hehe." Renly's laughter escaped from his throat. Jennifer raised her hands in a gesture of surrender and then smoothly switched the topic. "Do you think Jacob ever loved Sam?"

Renly's smile faded as his gaze returned to Jennifer.

To be honest, Jennifer wasn't a conventional beauty. She still had a bit of baby fat, and her features weren't the type to immediately catch your eye. Instead, she had a rustic charm, which was accentuated by her simple outfit of a plaid shirt and jeans, giving her a girl-next-door appeal. However, Jennifer's eyes were distinctive, with deep pupils hiding a multitude of emotions, serving as the source of her acting power. The subtlety and depth in her gaze seemed capable of telling countless stories, while the determination and stubbornness in her brows suggested a maturity beyond her years.

She was even a year younger than Renly.

"No, he never loved Sam," Renly said, knowing it was harsh but true. "He just needed someone to be there."

In Renly's view, after Jacob returned from London, he deeply felt powerless and lonely, especially since Anna had moved on, making new friends and advancing her career. Her life had changed drastically, but in Los Angeles, Jacob's life had remained stagnant. He was desperately missing Anna—so much so that he flew to London because he couldn't contain his longing. His world had fallen into neglect and inertia, and even though he tried to start his own business, his heart wasn't in it; it was merely an attempt to distract himself.

After returning to Los Angeles, they decided to break up. Both Jacob and Anna agreed to the breakup amicably, yet they still loved each other deeply. The breakup left a gaping hole in his heart that couldn't be filled.

That's when Sam appeared. At the right time and the right place, even though she wasn't necessarily the right person, Jacob embraced her warmth.

"So, he's a jerk," Jennifer said resolutely, her firm tone carrying a sharp edge. Only in such moments could you see Jennifer's nineteen-year-old youthful intensity.

Renly chuckled silently and nodded slightly. "Yes, he's a jerk."

To Sam, Jacob indeed was a jerk, but that's what love is: knowing the other person is a jerk, knowing the relationship won't work, knowing you're not right for each other, knowing you'll be the one who gets hurt, knowing it's wrong—but still being unable to resist, diving headlong into the fire, even if it means getting burned to ashes.

The same could be said for Jacob and Anna.

Renly's affirming tone made Jennifer's anger subside. She understood the helplessness and sorrow behind those words—everyone knows the rationale, but love is irrational.

"Why do you think Sam fell in love with Jacob?" This time, Renly was the one asking. "I mean, besides Jacob being a jerk, he wasn't exactly a charming man, was he?"

Sam always knew about Anna's existence and the past and present between Jacob and Anna, yet she never let go, steadfastly staying by Jacob's side. Perhaps deep down, Sam hoped that her patience and persistence would eventually lead to her own love story.

But from the beginning, Jacob wasn't the type who attracted women easily. Moreover, when Sam met Jacob, he was at his lowest—heartbroken, lost, and disheartened.

Jennifer realized this for the first time and fell into deep thought.

For the director and screenwriter, they wouldn't provide too many character settings and extensions; all that work needed to be done by the actors. In the script of "Like Crazy," it didn't specify how Jacob and Sam met or how they decided to live together. From the start, they were already in their daily lives. This fragmented narrative style required the actors to fill in all the blanks.

That's the purpose of today's meeting; actors need to communicate and connect to piece together all the fragments. Especially for Jacob and Sam, and Anna and Simon, since the main focus of the film was on Jacob and Anna, their story was relatively complete. The two subplots, however, didn't receive the same treatment. With only a few scenes, these subplots played a crucial role in elevating the film's theme.

It's worth noting that perhaps because the script was written by Drake, he gave more vivid and specific attention to Jacob and Sam. The storyline between Anna and Simon was lackluster, leaving Charlie Bewley with no room to shine, which led many viewers to only remember "three main actors" after watching the film.

This was indeed a pity because if Charlie and Felicity could fill in those gaps, the story would have been more complete.

So, what exactly did Sam fall in love with about Jacob?

"Maybe there's a special allure to broken, desolate men, isn't there? Especially heartbroken ones." Jennifer joked playfully. "Don't some women go to bars specifically looking for men like that?"

"That's an interesting premise." Renly refrained from critiquing or commenting, but his slightly raised eyebrows revealed his disagreement: Sam wasn't that type of girl. At least he didn't think so.

Jennifer caught the sentiment in Renly's expression, and she couldn't help but laugh softly. "I can't paint that picture right now, at least not looking at..." As she spoke, Jennifer looked Renly up and down, her underlying message crystal clear: Renly didn't look anything like Jacob.

Today, Renly was wearing a simple white crewneck T-shirt paired with black shorts and graffiti-covered Vans sneakers. His skateboard was placed beside him—he had skated over to the meeting spot this morning. His outfit was extremely simple, but it exuded youthful exuberance, making his clean, pure aura stand out even more without any extra embellishments.

This wasn't Jacob.

Renly glanced down at his outfit, then faced Jennifer, slightly leaning forward. Placing his hands on the table, he gradually shifted his weight forward, fixing his gaze on Jennifer. His deep eyes exuded a hint of subtle sorrow and disillusionment, with emotions settling within him, sparse and heavy.

Jennifer instinctively leaned back; she wasn't used to such close proximity, and she didn't like the overwhelming sense of pressure from his approach. She opened her mouth to scold Renly, but the words stuck in her throat under his intense gaze. His thick eyelashes lifted slightly, revealing glimpses of the chaotic and confused emotions within that deep abyss. The feeling was indistinct, just a shadow of negative emotions. Amidst the desolation, there was a touch of pain, and even the sunlight reflected in his eyes seemed to dim.

Jennifer found Renly strangely unfamiliar—though they weren't very familiar to begin with, this Renly was even more alien to her. The unfamiliarity made him unrecognizable, and then a voice, deep like a cello, sounded in her ears. "So, what are you waiting for?"

The gentle tone, as if it could be dispersed by a light breeze, was filled with so much disappointment that Jennifer's heart skipped a beat, seemingly freezing for a moment. Her eyes revealed her astonishment, and then she snapped back to reality, pushing Renly's shoulder forcefully. "Nothing, nothing at all," Jennifer replied stiffly.

Renly hadn't anticipated such a confrontation. Caught off guard, he crashed heavily into the back of his chair, the dull thud attracting the attention of everyone nearby. Drake, who was chatting with Felicity, looked over in confusion and hurriedly asked, "What happened? What's going on?"

Jennifer realized she had overreacted. Embarrassed, she scratched her head. "...I just don't like people getting too close suddenly. It... feels too gross." Jennifer's words left everyone stunned. She gave Renly an awkward smile. "Sorry...?" The prolonged and rising intonation suggested she wasn't even sure if she should apologize.

Renly, now recovered, saw the bewildered expressions of Drake and the others, then Jennifer's sheepish look. A strange sense of amusement welled up inside him, and a smile spread across his face, growing wider and wider until he finally burst into laughter. The cheerful laughter started at the corners of his mouth and reached deep into his eyes, blooming freely. Then he quipped, "Looks like I need to update my flirting techniques. Otherwise, if someone in a bar calls me 'gross,' that night would be completely ruined."