From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Eve truly lived up to her reputation as a professional. With just a small opening, her mind began racing, understanding the grand scheme from the slightest clue—

If Michael Lynton planned to replace Anson, would he not anticipate the backlash from public opinion? Would he be unaware of Anson's current immense popularity?

Clearly, Michael was aware. Therefore, he couldn't recklessly fire the first shot, exposing his true intentions.

However, a small accident occurred: Sam Raimi.

Sam's unwavering support for Anson, his all-in attitude, changed the landscape, making Sony Columbia somewhat hesitant.

Currently, Sony Columbia appears calm, like the calm before a storm. Perhaps Michael is waiting for Anson to make the first move, then they'll respond accordingly, avoiding prematurely revealing their wolfish ambitions and cleverly turning disadvantages into advantages.

Suddenly, Eve's eyes lit up.

"Anson is right."

Anson shrugged lightly. "While I'm always right, elaborate."

Eve: Heh heh.

"We can't incite Kristen and James. If we band together, Anson, initially the victim, will transform into a schemer who disrupts the crew's unity over minor issues and tries to break away from Sony Columbia. It might even appear that Anson orchestrated everything to seize producer power."

"Michael Lynton has set a trap, waiting for us to fall into it."

Eve quickly connected all the clues. Looking at Anson again, a hint of surprise flickered in her eyes.

She knew Anson was smart, but this smart?

This wasn't just intelligence; it was also professionalism, a deep understanding of news, media, public relations, public opinion, and more.

Anson noticed Eve's scrutiny and put on a nonchalant expression, smiling back.

Eve paused slightly, finally convincing herself that she was overreacting. Perhaps it was just a coincidence; Anson didn't see the complexities and purely refused the proposal because he didn't want to morally blackmail his friends.

Anson remained calm. "So, your suggestion is?"

Eve withdrew her thoughts. "We can't be direct, nor can we be forceful. We need a comprehensive plan to confront Sony Columbia."

"Although the situation is terrible, and they caught us off guard, we still hold the moral high ground. As long as we don't act foolishly, we can still counterattack."

"I suspect Michael Lynton didn't anticipate that this Anson, seemingly a pretty face, would be so composed and even bite back."

Anson looked at Eve. "I actually have a strategy, but I'm not sure about it. It might come in handy."

Could he be catching a cold?

…

Dusk gradually descended. The bright light outside the window of Mount Sinai Hospital slowly transformed into a dazzling golden hue, even more magnificent than the sunrise.

Anson was quietly admiring this burning sunset.

Due to his injury, regardless of his personal wishes, Anson was forced to lie in bed, unable to move. Especially this time, with injuries to his lower back and back, he needed to rest for a short period and couldn't act rashly. Lucas, taking the doctor's orders to heart, completely pinned Anson down.

Perhaps the only positive aspect was having plenty of time to finally stop and look up at the blue sky.

He had once heard that modern people were too tired and busy, trapped in their desires and pressures, unable to escape. They rushed around every day, so much so that they couldn't stand straight, their gazes always fixed on the ground, with no time to look up at the sky.

This was even more true after the advent of smartphones. Everyone was trapped in their phone screens, blurring not only the sky but even the world around them. Eventually, their eyes and minds were filled only with the world inside their phones, gradually disconnecting from reality, floating in mid-air.

Occasionally, stopping, raising your head, searching for a small patch of sky among the crowded high-rises, looking for traces of clouds and the sun, searching for infinite possibilities in the vast universe, then your troubles and confusions would seem insignificant, no longer important.

Anson had always tried to remind himself of this, not to repeat the mistakes of his previous life, and to occasionally look up at the sky.

But he didn't expect to be so busy recently that he had gradually forgotten about it.

Perhaps this injury wasn't entirely a bad thing.

So, while the whole world was noisy and chaotic, Anson had the leisure to admire the sunset outside the window, stealing a moment of peace from his busy life.

Knock knock.

A soft knock came from the door, not loud or forceful, making it uncertain whether the person in the room was meant to hear and respond.

Involuntarily, it reminded one of a thief—

Sneakily testing the waters. If it didn't disturb the person inside, it meant the coast was clear. Even if someone was inside, they could still try to see.

Sure enough, without waiting for Anson to respond, the door was pushed open, and a head peeked in furtively, secretly looking around. Turning, it saw Anson lying in bed, smiling, looking like he was watching a good show, just missing the popcorn in his hand.

This made the newcomer slightly shy, awkwardly touching his neck, entering the room and standing straight against the wall, like a child being punished by the teacher.

"Anson."

He called out awkwardly.

The smile in Anson's eyes couldn't be contained, flickering slightly. "It seems you spent a lot of time standing in the principal's office at school, your posture is perfect."

The newcomer chuckled softly, not denying it.

Anson also laughed, but the smile quickly disappeared from his lips, replaced by a hint of worry. "Jack, you shouldn't have come back to New York."

The "thief" appearing before him was none other than Jack Forrest, the boy who had desperately fled New York.

Jack had always tried to leave New York far, far behind, otherwise, he and his mother might be entangled by the past again, unable to escape. But now, he had reappeared in New York.

Anson couldn't help but worry.

Jack looked at Anson hesitantly. "You're not the one who needs to be worried about right now, are you?"

Anson was slightly stunned, then chuckled. "It seems someone has grown up and started to learn how to fight back. That's a good thing."

Jack laughed.

Anson said, "First of all, I'm fine. Half the hospital is watching me now. I finally know why kings feel so uncomfortable when they're sick; it's probably more annoying than the pain itself."

"Secondly, you should fight back, you should defend yourself. If you see that man, don't be silly and let him continue to do whatever he wants."