Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 228: Passion

Renly could hear the blood rushing through his veins, thundering like a storm. The intense heartbeat made his mouth dry, and his tongue seemed to taste the youthful, sweet, wonderful, and smooth scent of hormones.

The blurred, ambiguous agitation made his vision incredibly clear, as if he could even see the tiny hairs on Felicity's pink cheeks. He captured the shyness and excitement flowing beneath her fair skin, filling his chest to the brim, almost overflowing.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of his heartbeat grew louder, dancing on his eardrums, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Renly? Renly?" Another voice exploded next to his ear, and Renly reflexively looked up, seeing Drake with his signature curly hair. "What were you two writing in that notebook just now?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Felicity's small movements—she was closing the notebook, seemingly hiding a little secret that belonged only to the two of them. This made Renly's lips curl up slightly. "Just a joke," Renly said casually, cleverly concealing his inner excitement and pretending to be calm. "Don't you think cutting this part out and leaving the audience in suspense, just like you guys, curious about what's written, would have a better viewing effect?"

Drake looked disappointed, his shoulders slumped. "Do we really have to? I'm really curious." He turned around and pointed to the large group of staff behind him. "They're curious too." As soon as he said this, everyone nodded in unison, making it hard not to laugh.

The small detail of the two exchanging feelings through the notebook was a bit romantic, a bit literary, a bit heartwarming. Most importantly, the smiles and tenderness between them created an unimaginable chemistry, with sparks flying visibly. It made people curious amidst their envy.

"How about this? For the movie's audience, we'll leave it for them to guess. But within our crew, let's not hide any secrets," Drake continued to bargain, unwilling to give up.

Renly was about to argue when Jennifer intervened from the side, reaching out quickly and accurately to grab the notebook. Taking advantage of Felicity's brief distraction, she snatched it away in the blink of an eye.

Felicity stood up in a hurry, trying to reach for it but immediately realizing her action was too conspicuous, quickly sitting back down and lightly biting her lip. She glanced at Renly, only to find his expression calm with a faint smile. That calm and composed demeanor was tinged with a touch of sweetness, making Felicity's cheeks even hotter.

The stance did not resemble Jacob's, but it was more characteristic of Renly. Yet her heartbeat wouldn't stop, the line between reality and fantasy becoming increasingly blurred.

"I think your smile is cute," Jennifer read aloud, prompting everyone to cheer and clamor, "What about the rest? What's next?"

But Jennifer didn't continue reading, instead showing a disgusted expression, waving her hands as if she had seen a monster. "Oh! Jesus Christ, Renly, admit it, you're an old hand at this, aren't you? How many girlfriends have you had before?" Jennifer gave a thumbs-up, her face full of admiration. "Man, I'm impressed! Truly impressed!"

This made everyone explode with excitement, reaching for the notebook in Jennifer's hand, eager to see what Renly had written. Even Drake squeezed into the crowd, impatient to know the answer. Fortunately, there were only a few people in the "Like Crazy" crew, so the commotion didn't get too out of hand, and everyone soon got what they wanted.

"Haha!" The collective laughter rang out, and Felicity, feeling at a loss, avoided their gaze, her face burning but unsure how to react. Meanwhile, Renly stood up calmly, moving from the end of the bed to block the others from approaching Felicity. "A bunch of ignorant folks. This is impressive to you? If I write a love poem next time, won't you bow down in worship?"

His composed, gentlemanly words, mixed with a hint of playful mockery, poured cold water on the overexcited crew members, diverting their attention to Renly and easing the pressure on Felicity.

"A bunch of lunatics! Nutcases! Shameless scoundrels!" A thunderous roar came from outside the hallway, instantly silencing the room, turning summer into winter in a second. Everyone froze, as if time had stopped. "Don't you know what time it is? Still making such a racket! You shameless fuckers! All of you, go fuck yourselves!" The endless stream of curses was filled with words unfit for ears. Miraculously, even with the bedroom and living room doors closed, the sound seemed to echo right next to them, deafening.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, no one daring to move. They knew it was okay to move, but no one did. The shared eye contact brought a strange sense of amusement. After a full three minutes, the cursing ended with a door slam, and calm returned.

They looked at each other's stiffened postures and couldn't help but smile. But this time, everyone kept their mouths tightly shut, not laughing out loud. The low chuckles lightened the atmosphere.

Drake handed the notebook back to Renly. "You're right, let's leave it to the audience's imagination. Although I think revealing it would be more effective, the content feels insufficient. If we filmed it, I'd want to see more, but there isn't enough time. Let's leave it."

Drake couldn't help but imagine if Jacob and Anna continued their notebook conversation, would they develop a "Before Sunrise" version of a notebook story? But he couldn't film it that way, or the movie would be too long.

"And you're funnier than I was," Drake said playfully, winking at Renly, full of satisfaction. He clearly loved the scene.

Even though they modified the script on the spot, Drake felt Renly and Felicity's performance added depth to the script. Their growing chemistry made the gradual fall into love palpable, enough to move every viewer.

"Alright, let's reshoot a few shots!" Drake announced. Though they had captured the main part of the scene, they still needed different angles.

While movies are called "dream-making stages," the process isn't easy. A scene that looks magnificent on screen might need to be shot dozens of times, even without mistakes, changing angles, perspectives, and depths to convey the director's vision. It's not as glamorous as it seems.

But Renly and Felicity were in top form. After resuming shooting, their performance remained outstanding. Drake switched angles and depths, filming five sets of shots. After ensuring nothing was missed, he declared the scene done.

"Next, the last scene of the day!" Drake announced. They had been busy all afternoon, and though tired, his spirit was high. "Folks, I know you're all exhausted; it's past midnight. But we have one last scene to go. Let's push through!"

The next scene involved Anna sending Jacob downstairs, the two saying a reluctant goodbye. Jacob initially left but turned back, seeing Anna watching him through the glass door. He returned, tracing Anna's face with his fingertips through the glass, their chemistry growing stronger.

For Renly and Felicity, this scene was easy. Their chemistry was perfect, and they finished all the shots in half an hour, with excellent quality. After reviewing the footage, Drake announced the day's shooting was complete.

For the first day of "Like Crazy," the shooting went incredibly smoothly. What was expected to take two to three days was completed in one afternoon, with higher quality than anticipated—a great boon for the low-budget independent crew.

After leaving the apartment building, Drake couldn't contain himself, shouting and jumping on the deserted street, reliving the process of falling in love. His howls echoed in the quiet street, and the rest of the crew joined in. Even Jennifer joined the shouting, attracting a group of young people leaving a bar. The quiet midnight turned lively.