Hollywood: The Greatest Showman

Chapter 41: Secret Trading

Renly looked at the girl in front of him, and his pupils slightly contracted. Then he took out his phone, aimed it at the girl's figure, and directly pressed the shutter button with a "click" sound.

The girl obviously didn't expect Renly's action, which disrupted all her plans. She widened her eyes and said, "Hey, are you crazy?" She strode towards Renly, her aggressive posture reminiscent of a wolf, but Renly wasn't worried at all. He raised his right hand high, his height advantage immediately placing him in an unbeatable position.

The girl's height only reached Renly's chest. Faced with the seemingly unattainable distance, she wisely chose to give up. Her steps halted in front of Renly, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly and saying, "So, is this how you welcome me? How long has it been since we last met... Christmas two years ago?"

"That question should be asked by me." Renly remained unmoved. "From your tone just now, it's obvious you knew I would appear today, but you didn't bother to call me beforehand."

This counter-question left the girl stunned for a moment. Helplessly, she waved her hand and said, "You don't need to show off your intelligence in front of me."

Renly shrugged. He didn't buy into her act at all. The person in front of him was not someone to be bullied easily. "I'm just leaving evidence for future use as needed."

"Hey!" The girl complained but glanced at Renly. Her rebuttal died on her lips. "Alright, how about this, delete the photo you just took, and I'll set up the lighting and angle properly, and we'll take another one. I don't trust your photography skills, they're just beginner-level."

Seeing the disdain on the girl's face, Renly didn't argue further. In fact, she could be considered his photography mentor. "It's not necessary. Besides, the people who might see this photo won't appreciate your photography skills anyway."

The girl rolled her eyes and remained silent, knowing that what Renly said was true.

"So, how did you end up here, walking out of the media room? This means that you're part of the interviewing team today, including you." Just from a brief encounter, Renly pieced together the clues and speculated the truth. "But in reality, shouldn't you be in Sudan working for the United Nations? At least that's what George and Elizabeth believe."

Standing in front of Renly was his sister, his second sister, Edith Hall. She majored in fine arts and was exceptionally talented, but she gave up fine arts later on and developed an interest in photography, becoming a professional photographer.

In a way, photography was a product of fine arts relying on modern technology. Coupled with her being a woman, in the traditional views of aristocratic families, a woman could choose her interests and hobbies, and as long as she chose a suitable husband from the same social class, that was enough. Just like Elizabeth having her gallery, although traditional British aristocrats still had many constraints on women, there had been significant progress.

Edith's brilliance lay in her choice to partner with the United Nations, working as an official photographer to complete shoots worldwide for charity purposes. Even among British aristocrats, such actions were highly praised. So, the family didn't oppose Edith's choice too much.

Last month, Sudan ended a seven-year civil war, officially establishing the Republic of Sudan. The United Nations peacekeeping forces were still dealing with post-conflict matters in Sudan. Logically, Edith should be in Sudan right now, not Los Angeles.

"I knew I shouldn't have taken this job." In fact, she only realized after taking the job. "The male lead of 'The Pacific' is actually you. It was too late to refuse then."

But surrendering wasn't Edith's style. "If the family finds out that you've become a television actor, not a movie actor or a theater actor, but a cheap soap opera actor, do you think they'll come personally to drag you back?" She was trying to gain leverage.

Renly, being cunning, the first thing he did upon meeting was to take a photo, evidently foreseeing the current situation and having the upper hand early on. Edith couldn't help but grit her teeth. Everyone thought Renly was a well-behaved gentleman, but she saw through her adorable younger brother's true nature, which was quite bitter.

"Crocodile tears won't work." Not to mention Renly had been reborn; he wasn't easily fooled. "George and Elizabeth have cut off all my sources of income. They refused to call me six months ago. So..." Renly shrugged, meaning your threats are useless.

Edith opened her mouth, ready to say something, but Renly cut in, "Arthur knows about 'The Pacific.' He specifically wrote an email mocking me." In the eyes of many aristocrats, being a television actor wasn't even considered being an actor.

"Damn Arthur." Edith cursed. Arthur was good at talking but unreliable in action.

Edith took out a cigarette from her pocket, lit it quickly, held it between her lips, and scratched her head in annoyance. Renly didn't rush, standing quietly beside her. Then he took a step to the side, making space. Edith noticed this small movement and widened her eyes. "Don't tell me you're trying to get the hotel cameras to catch me and hope they kick me out?"

Renly looked innocent. "Edith, have you been paranoid from staying in Africa for too long?" Well, the plan was busted; that was disappointing.

Edith squinted at Renly and then turned around, striding towards the balcony at the end of the hallway. Without looking back, she knew Renly must have followed. Indeed, when she turned on the balcony, she saw Renly standing under the yellow lights. Edith leaned on the railing with both hands. "So, what do you want?"

If Renly told the family about her situation, she'd probably face some tough times ahead. Considering the family hadn't paid any attention to Renly for over half a year, who knew if they would vent their anger on her. Edith knew she had no room for argument.

"You owe me a favor." Renly didn't rush into the trap but calmly said, "You'll be in charge of taking photos later, right? You better not treat me as a guinea pig." There were no extra words; the tone of threat was clear.

Edith sighed and took a drag of her cigarette, showing her displeasure. But she didn't argue further. Renly might be full of mischief, but he was definitely someone who kept his word. She didn't have to worry. "Do you really intend to continue down the path of an actor? You're smart; you should know how unreliable this path is."

"What's your suggestion then?" Renly joked.

Edith thought seriously. She and Renly were alike, inherently rebellious, always trying to break free from the constraints and oppressions of traditional British aristocracy.

She admired Renly. From choosing his major at Cambridge University to dropping out and going to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, to raising enough funds and boldly going to New York, he meticulously planned each step, resisting immense pressure from the family, and truly embarked on his acting career. Deep down, she hoped Renly would succeed, maybe then she could truly break free from the shackles of being labeled "female."

"Become a better actor," Edith replied. This brought a smile to Renly's face. "This time, according to the editor of 'Fame,' you should be the absolute protagonist, the focus should be on you. Spielberg seems to have a different view of you. So, spill it, what did you do?" Edith stubbed out her cigarette and walked back to the room with Renly, side by side. "Spielberg isn't interested in men, so how did you win him over? You're just an unknown rookie actor; it doesn't make sense without some kind of deal, right?"

Renly deliberately ignored Edith's serious nonsense—if he took it seriously, he'd have reincarnated already. "Can't you think of any other reason?"

"Nope," Edith replied confidently.

Renly glanced at her wordlessly. "Then why don't you ask the editors or Steven himself?"

"They'll definitely tell me it's because of your talent. Ha, only fools would believe that." Edith said, laughing to herself, clearly getting back at Renly for the forced deal earlier.

Renly shrugged casually. "As far as I know, someone here is the fool." With that, Renly pushed open the door to the room, picked up his suitcase, and walked in. Edith trailed behind, biting her lip in frustration. "Renly Hall!" But all she was greeted with was the sound of the door slowly closing.

Oh boy, that creaky sound was truly exasperating!

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A/N: The offer still stands.... Ratings before 24 hours of this Chapter and you get 2 bonus Chapters