From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Hmm. I don't want to."

So light, yet so certain.

So simple, yet so strong.

It was just a sentence, but Lucas's mind was re-forged under Anson's gaze, a tenacious force erupting from the depths of his soul.

Then, Anson smiled.

"So, I need your help, Luca. You owe me this."

A small jest, with a hint of teasing.

Lucas recalled Anson as a child, reckless and unreasonable. If his parents refused his requests, he could always find a breakthrough with Lucas. Those clear, big eyes would stare at him pitifully, standing there playing the rogue, and he would always easily give in.

Suddenly, his nose felt a little sore.

But this time, the corners of Lucas's mouth gently curved upwards, "Okay."

Anson clenched his fist and quietly celebrated, "Oh yeah."

A low chuckle rumbled in the depths of Lucas's throat.

Anson's face was earnest, "I'm serious."

"I don't know what will happen next, when and in what form those nightmares lurking in the darkness will breach the defenses, but I'm mentally prepared now, at least I know the truth of that secret."

"So, if I need help, I'll call for it,"

"And…"

He exhaled a long breath.

"Luca, I think you need to talk to Mom and Dad."

Lucas, puzzled, pointed at his nose, "Shouldn't that be you?"

Anson lightly shrugged, "What should I talk about? I still don't have any memory of that event. Am I supposed to tell them, 'Hey, I know there's this thing, but I don't know exactly what happened, so don't worry'?"

"Do you think they'll be relieved?"

Seems… a little reasonable.

"Luca, this is a secret between the three of you, but you've never talked about it."

"I know I'm the victim, but we shouldn't forget that the victim's family also experiences psychological trauma. You are also victims."

"Since the incident, you've never talked about it, which is not normal."

"Judging from what happened at the hospital that day, your silence doesn't mean you've completely forgotten. On the contrary, your wounds are still there."

"You should tell Mom and Dad that I've been acting strangely lately, that I seem to have noticed something. You should discuss countermeasures, so the three of you can sit down and truly face the event, instead of pretending it doesn't exist, even if it's an argument. At least you're willing to confront the wound."

Lucas's forehead was covered in black lines.

Anson burst out laughing. He could almost see the veins popping on Lucas's forehead, and quickly braked, "Only when you solve the problem first, can you lend a hand when I face the problem, instead of arguing among yourselves when the problem surfaces."

Lucas looked at Anson with hesitation and confusion, "Why are you so calmly calling yourself a victim, and then telling us what we should do?"

This isn't right.

Anson lightly shrugged, "I told you, I have no memory."

Lucas's gaze lingered on Anson's cheek, carefully observing him, finally believing Anson this time.

Lucas finally withdrew his gaze, picked up his wine glass, and took a big gulp, "So, are you afraid? I mean, subconsciously…"

"No." Anson shook his head, "Why should I be bound by something that happened in the past? I'm not a victim, I mean, I used to be, I don't want to always be one."

"And."

Anson hesitated slightly, but in the end, he spoke the words.

"I know you've always been there."

This was Anson's true reliance in his heart.

From the alienation and wariness of first arriving in this space-time, to gradually letting down his guard, many things have changed along the way.

"And silently praying that you'll always be there, instead of being like most parents, 'Hey, you're eighteen, you're twenty-one, I've had enough, you get out of the house and be self-sufficient, we need to start enjoying our own lives.' Jesus Christ, I've been praying for that."

Obviously, this was a complaint.

Lucas glanced at Anson speechlessly out of the corner of his eye, "Ha. Ha."

That dry laughter made Anson laugh heartily, his mood particularly bright, which slightly relaxed Lucas's heavy heart.

Tonight wasn't easy for Lucas. His entire back was completely soaked, and the muscles that had been strained to the extreme were now starting to ache; but now, the storm seemed to have passed, and his mind had regained its composure.

Once, he was so afraid that those memories would be reawakened, that those nightmares might hurt Anson again.

However, what he feared most didn't happen.

Perhaps Anson was right, they should face the demons hidden in the depths of their memories, otherwise they would never be able to truly move forward.

"Anson, what are you going to do about Sony Columbia?"

Calming down, Lucas regained his rationality and nonchalantly threw out a bombshell.

To be precise, this was the real reason Lucas came to Columbus this time, but he didn't expect to be ambushed by Anson.

Anson didn't hide his surprise, "Sony Columbia? What can I do? Either demand an exorbitant price during 'Spider-Man 3' and bleed them dry, or simply reject the sequel proposal and screw them over. What else?"

"You wouldn't be preparing to fight a stone with an egg, would you? That doesn't sound like your style at all."

Lucas, "What is my style?"

Anson, "Calm. Objective. Rational. Looking at problems with numbers."

Lucas, "Indeed. But that also means fairness and justice. What we lost must be recovered. You don't think I'd allow them to treat you like a toy, do you?"

This time, Anson was truly surprised, "Luca, that's Sony Columbia, a top-tier company in the Hollywood pyramid. What are you going to do?"

Lucas, "When you treat it as a giant, you need to look up to it, and there's no way to start; but if you treat it as a structure, you'll find that it's just a pile of numbers."

"If Sony Columbia isn't making money, do you think the board of directors would be willing to sell the company? If Sony Columbia's operational decisions keep making mistakes, do you think the CEO can still keep his job?"

"Sony Columbia is a giant, but giants can also fall, and there's more than one way to do it."

These things weren't Anson's forte, but he could still gradually sketch out a grand blueprint from Lucas's words.

Anson couldn't help but exclaim, "But, Luca, is it worth it?"

Lucas, "No one should treat you like that."

In the understatement, a hint of murderous intent could be captured.

Lucas turned to look at Anson, "Or are you getting soft-hearted, thinking we should downplay things and make them disappear?"

Anson pulled the corners of his mouth down, revealing a smile, "I just think there's no need to condemn everyone involved just because of one thing and fight against an entire company, but you're right, we shouldn't treat the company as a whole. After breaking it down, things should become clearer."

"So, what are you going to do?"