From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Hope is a funny thing, ethereal and legendary, only truly believed when seen and experienced firsthand.

Just like now.

Looking at Anson, looking at James, Chris and Hayden exchange a glance, hope quietly rising. Looking back at the long wait, their mindset subtly changes, feeling like they can persevere a little longer.

The deafening shouts are shaking the whole house, like a construction crew demolishing the place, causing Anson to look at James with a worried expression.

"Where's Brad?"

Normally, Brad's schedule is completely reversed, sleeping during the day and partying at night. Even at home, they might not see him.

"Out," James gestures, "Not sure if it's an audition." Then he adds, "As long as he doesn't forget the party tonight, everything will be fine."

Alcohol.

At eighteen, being under twenty-one, they can't freely enter bars or legally drink in the United States, but it's exactly the age when they're energetic and eager to party. The more forbidden something is, the more they crave to challenge it, the rebelliousness of adolescence.

To some extent, high school parties are wilder than college parties. After all, college students can openly try many things, and the allure of alcohol is quickly overshadowed by other novelties.

Anson is covered in question marks, "Party? When was this planned?"

"Now," James says, then laughs unrestrainedly.

Beside them, Chris is jumping up and down, so much so that Anson and James have to shout to talk, but unexpectedly, he suddenly quiets down. Chris lies down without warning, face down on the ground, his hands neatly placed on either side of his thighs, completely together.

The noise completely disappears, making people feel unaccustomed, all eyes turning to him.

Anson is a little worried, thinking Chris accidentally slipped, "Chris?"

Chris flops like a dead fish, literally flopping, which makes them look at each other, not knowing how to react for a moment.

Then, Chris turns his head, his cheek against the ground, and mutters, "Ah, I'm so jealous."

Everyone: ......

Chris sighs deeply, "I'm really jealous, so jealous my stomach hurts. What should I do? I can't even look you in the eyes."

Clearly jealous, but said so righteously and openly, it's truly amusing, and the corners of Anson's mouth turn up.

"Chris," Anson says with a smile in his eyes, "From the moment you realize this and bravely admit it, jealousy is no longer jealousy, but admiration and longing, a motivation to push yourself forward."

The air is a little quiet.

Hayden is slightly stunned.

Actually, he was also a little jealous just now.

He was sincerely happy for Anson and James, that joy was real, but after being happy, thinking about his own situation, he inevitably felt a little lost.

When he realized this, he felt a little ashamed, so he swallowed all the words and used cheers and applause to cover up that fleeting emotion.

He didn't expect Chris to admit it like that, so generously.

Even more unexpectedly, Anson's response gave "jealousy" a different meaning.

Hayden couldn't help but look at Anson.

Anson noticed Hayden's gaze and looked over. Those eyes were clear and unhidden, compared to him, an old fox who had been rolling around in society for many years and only decided to unload his burdens because he won a second chance in life, these young people simply couldn't hide themselves.

"Heh," Anson chuckled, "You're jealous too?"

Hayden was a little embarrassed, but didn't deny it.

Anson nodded very generously, "It's okay, it's good to be jealous, it burns calories, which is good for losing weight. Maybe after a while, it will be James and my turn to be jealous of you. Fortune rotates, and you never know when it will be your turn, right?"

Actually... it can be like this?

Pfft.

Hayden couldn't help but laugh.

Chris also sat up again in one go, "Yes, I'm admiring. Admiring!" Then he let out a long breath, "When will I get my chance, Anson? I can't afford my rent anymore."

Anson patted Chris on the shoulder, "It's okay, owing a few months isn't a problem. When the time comes, we'll pull you out to stand on the street."

Chris' eyes widened, "You..." The first half of the sentence was still moved to tears, but how did the second half take a sharp turn, "I didn't expect you to be this kind of Anson!"

"Haha," the surrounding friends burst into laughter without mercy.

Chris couldn't help but laugh himself, a smile still creeping onto the corners of his mouth, "I think I should continue auditioning, I can't stay at home all the time."

Hayden seemed thoughtful, and before he even had time to think it through, the words blurted out, "Yeah, me too."

Only after saying it did he realize his true feelings, and he immediately became firm, "That audition news still needs to be patiently waited for, but waiting doesn't mean doing nothing. Even if that audition goes smoothly, it doesn't mean everything, because I still don't know what project it is. So, I should also leave the house and try other auditions."

Since returning from New York, Hayden has been at home, except for occasionally going to the supermarket or eating out. The rest of the time, he stays at home, a veritable homebody.

The friends could all sense that Hayden's condition was a little off, but they didn't know what to do. Those knots still needed Hayden to untie himself, but they didn't expect to have an unexpected gain today.

Hayden could feel his friends' gazes and became slightly uncomfortable, "There's no need to look at me, I'm not always staying at home."

James was the first to complain, "Oh, really?"

Hayden, "Of course!"

Chris followed suit, "That's true, Hayden only went out to throw out the trash yesterday."

Anson added a knife, "Right, he went out for a full twenty yards and stayed for seventeen seconds."

Roar roar roar.

One or two started to heckle, how could Hayden withstand it? After holding back for a long time, he only managed to squeeze out a sentence, "Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll go find my agent. I won't be home all day tomorrow, you just watch."

Anson muttered, "Just like those unemployed middle-aged men during the Great Depression who couldn't find work but didn't dare tell their families, so they wandered around the park all day with newspapers, pretending they were still working?"

Boom!

James and Chris laughed very loudly.

Hayden looked at Anson pitifully, his eyes filled with innocence and helplessness, silently issuing a condemnation with his eyes.

But Anson didn't buy it, gently patting Hayden, "Just go out for a walk and come back, if you don't want to be seen, just squat in the corner of the garden. There's no need to wander around, it wouldn't be good if the paparazzi saw you."

Hayden, "Anson Wood! I'm going to kill you, I'm serious, I'm going to kill you!"

Third update.