From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

If he could, Anson also hoped that Jack could stay away from the entanglements of his original family for the rest of his life; that nightmare should remain in the past forever.

But Anson had experienced it himself; he knew that unseen didn't mean non-existent. Even if Jack never saw his father again, the persistent nightmare in his mind would still chase after him, always lingering.

Ultimately, we need to face our own fears, otherwise the scars on our souls will never be healed.

So, instead of worrying about Jack meeting his father in New York, it's better to focus on Jack himself, hoping he can muster the courage to resist—

They can't run away forever.

Jack stared blankly at Anson, his eyes involuntarily turning slightly red, "At least, I'm not afraid to go back to New York now. One day, I won't be afraid to see him."

"But now… New York is so big, I'm not worried about him finding me."

"More accurately, he's probably drunk in some corner, unconscious, and has no energy to care about other things. How could he possibly know I'm back?"

Deep down, Jack was still afraid; he still wasn't mentally prepared to face his father.

It wasn't easy.

Jack took a deep breath and flashed a big smile, concealing his embarrassment, "But I had to come back. You had an accident, didn't you?"

"Now the media is full of all sorts of rumors, becoming more and more outrageous. I don't know what to believe; those reports are too scary."

As he spoke, Jack even shivered, grimacing and making a face.

This made Anson laugh directly.

"Don't believe anything," Anson said. "The media are all liars. More accurately, you should be enjoying your campus life, starting to think about what university to go to and your future path, instead of following my news."

Jack pursed his lips, "It's hard not to pay attention. Do you know that your news is everywhere?"

Anson looked serious, "I don't know. Because I don't look at the internet or the news, so I don't know anything. You can do the same."

Jack opened his mouth in shock: Could it really be like this?

A smile appeared in Anson's eyes.

Jack finally relaxed, came to the end of the bed, and carefully looked Anson over. From the surface, Anson didn't have any broken arms or legs, and nothing seemed to be wrong. He was lying on the bed with ease, a far cry from the media's sensational descriptions, which made Jack a little confused.

"Anson, are you okay?"

Instinctively, Anson said, "I'm fine."

But after saying it, looking at Jack, Anson carefully considered his words, "My waist and back are injured and need to be rested. I will also need rehabilitation, but it's not that serious and shouldn't affect the rest of my life."

"Or rather, in order to avoid affecting the rest of my life, I need to cooperate with the doctor and follow his instructions, so I'm lying here obediently now."

Often, parents facing children, and adults facing minors, often assume that they don't understand anything, or protect their childhood from the cruel realities of society; but this approach is questionable.

Firstly, they actually understand.

Secondly, their ignorance of the truth does not mean that social reality will be gentle with them.

The movie "Life is Beautiful" is very touching. In order to protect his child's beautiful childhood, the father still weaves a magnificent fairy tale world in the concentration camp. Undeniably, this is a classic work.

But that doesn't mean that reality will let that child go. Or rather, when reality kills that father, the cruel world that this child needs to face will be even more bloody.

So, Anson tried to tell the truth, in a reasonable way.

Perhaps this can help Jack grow up.

Sure enough, Jack calmed down, quietly looked at Anson, and fell into thought.

"…Does it hurt?"

Anson nodded, "Yeah."

Because he was worried about Anson becoming addicted, Lucas went over Anson's medical history with the doctor, so the doctor was particularly cautious and attentive to the use of painkillers.

Painkillers usually only last for a period of time. After the effects wear off, that electric shock-like stiffness and sharpness would once again pull Anson's nerves back and forth on the edge of chaos, drifting between flames and the ocean, half-dreaming and half-awake all night, unable to sleep but also unable to wake up.

But there was no need to tell Jack these details.

Jack thought seriously, "Even so, do you still like this job?"

Anson smiled.

Jack was puzzled.

Anson said, "My mother also asked the same question."

Anson noticed it. He remembered that last time in Portland, when filming "Elephant," Jack seemed to have developed some curiosity about acting, "What, are you interested in becoming an actor?"

Jack looked up at Anson, his eyes full of confusion, as if not understanding where Anson's thoughts came from, and then he reacted.

"Haha, no, no, no, it's not like that."

"I can understand why you misunderstood, but that's really not the case. I was just thinking that maybe being a news reporter is an interesting profession."

"Not like paparazzi digging up secrets, but uncovering the truth through investigation, dialogue, and thought, about justice, fairness, and hope."

"Like you. The media are all making wild guesses, talking nonsense even without evidence. I hope people can know what really happened."

He paused.

"I also hope people know what happened between me and Mom, instead of pointing fingers behind our backs."

The last sentence was almost a murmur, but Anson still caught it sensitively.

"Jack, what happened at school?"

Jack shrugged lightly, "Just the same old stuff. Nothing new. But don't worry, I can handle it, I know what to do."

Hedge and dodge, cover up.

Anson just felt a pang of heartache. Could it be that Jack had just escaped from domestic violence and was now caught in a vortex of school bullying?

But what should Anson do? Teach those older kids a lesson, or help Jack escape again?

Taking a deep breath, Anson looked at Jack, "They will twist these things into your fault, but you haven't done anything wrong. They are just looking for excuses for their own violence and stupidity."

"You should know that you should stand up for yourself, be proud of yourself, and be proud of yourself. Those guys who use violence to show their strength are often the truly cowardly and insignificant."

Inspirational chicken soup, useless, that's the truth, but those difficulties and setbacks, Jack must face them himself, the road of life must be completed by himself.

The difference is that Anson will always be by his side, becoming a strong backing.

Jack looked at Anson and suddenly smiled, "Like Spider-Man?"

Anson then remembered that Peter Parker was also a victim of school bullying. He also laughed and nodded in agreement, "Like Spider-Man."

The two exchanged a look and smiled at each other.

Knock knock.

There was a knock on the door, abruptly cutting off Anson and Jack's laughter.

Anson looked calm and was about to respond.

But Jack put his finger on his lips, "I sneaked in."

Anson: ? ? ? So what? This isn't Romeo and Juliet!