From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Just one sentence, one sentence was enough.

Lucas's most feared and dreaded nightmare had finally come to pass.

He thought he had prepared himself, that the heavy stone hanging in his heart had finally fallen, that he no longer needed to guess or feel uneasy; but the reality was not so.

In an instant, Lucas forgot to breathe, a tingling sensation rushing from his toes to his hair.

"This is a good thing," Anson said.

Anson looked at Lucas, "It means I'm finally ready to face it head-on, no longer running away, no longer afraid, but confronting that nightmare."

Lucas, "…Are you sure?"

Anson nodded, "Yes."

"In fact, it's not just me, it's all of you, you and Mom and Dad."

"You refuse to discuss it, refuse to face it, those wounds are also in your bodies; but now, maybe it's time to face them, the events have already happened, and they won't disappear because of silence and neglect, in fact, the opposite is often true, silence and neglect will only allow those wounds to evolve into ubiquitous nightmares."

The argument between Charles and Nora at Sinai Hospital that night was just the tip of the iceberg.

Lucas felt a wave of panic—

But he kept reminding himself that this wasn't about him, but about Anson.

Perhaps, as Anson said, that incident affected their whole family, but if Anson had now mustered the courage to face the nightmare head-on, they had no reason to continue running away, otherwise, what if Jack-Forrest reappeared?

Taking a deep breath, Lucas regained his composure, "Maybe this isn't the end of the world."

"The end of the world happened thirteen years ago, these years have all been a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and now it's a brand new beginning," Anson joked lightly.

Lucas was speechless, this guy, he was really getting into joking around.

Anson noticed Lucas's expression and stopped while he was ahead, quickly raising his hands in surrender, "I'm just proving to you that I'm ready to get back to work."

Lucas wore a stern face, full of seriousness, "State is state, work is work, these are two different things, you still need to rest and adjust. Imagine how worried Mom and Dad would be if they knew you were in that state and immediately threw yourself back into work?"

Charles and Nora had also come to California.

During this time on set, Anson hadn't seen Jack again, but Anson's state of being completely immersed in the role and gradually falling into darkness was truly worrying. They were always worried that Anson might really become possessed.

If they knew what had just happened…

Anson's face tightened, where was the composure from before?

"Lucas, look."

"For me, acting isn't that simple, it's not only a process of exploration, but also a process of healing. I've been trying to find resonance between the role and the performance, to complete a dialogue between drama and reality."

"Work, in fact, is a good thing."

"Really! Lucas? Lucas!"

One sentence, then another, explaining eagerly.

Lucas hadn't seen Anson like this for a long, long time, it was as if he was seeing his younger brother again, clinging to him like a snotty-nosed kid.

In the end, Lucas couldn't control himself, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes.

Anson noticed it, "Wait, Lucas?"

Lucas quickly put on a stern face, suppressing his smile.

Unexpectedly, Anson didn't care at all, "Does that mean you agree? Hey, Lucas, you can't go back on your word, you won't tell Mom and Dad, will you?"

Lucas: …"We'll see how you do."

Anson didn't care at all, "Hehe, you agreed, it's settled, I need to prepare for the next scene now, the performance level needs to be adjusted, the starting key for the live performance should be slightly higher."

Hearing Anson say this, a hint of curiosity appeared in Lucas's eyes, "You just now…" But he wasn't too sure, his words were slightly hesitant, but he still asked, "That song you were playing just now?"

"The song you were humming and playing before we came in."

Although the words were spoken, Lucas still seemed slightly worried, if that song was written by Jack, or by nine-year-old Anson? Would that mean…

Lucas was worried about opening Pandora's box.

Anson seemed particularly calm, "Oh, that was just some scattered inspiration in my mind."

"Illusions and reality, dreams and movies, have all been mixed together lately, some melodies and inspirations linger in my mind, so I played them out."

Lucas let out a long breath—

Sure enough, Anson was right, facing fear, maybe fear wasn't so bad after all.

Anson glanced at Lucas, "Hehe, were you worried about split personality just now? That I'd switch to another personality in the next second, like a face-changing act?"

Lucas: …

One second, two seconds.

Lucas finally realized that Anson was joking, a breath stuck in his throat, "Anson-Wood."

Anson stopped while he was ahead, immediately shifting his gaze, pretending not to see Lucas's expression, "Work, work! I need to get into character now, please don't disturb the actor's work, okay?"

Anson used a fly-swatting gesture to make Lucas leave.

Lucas was speechless, but he didn't say anything, just quietly looked Anson up and down, pondered for a moment, and then asked with a serious face.

"This actor, you just rolled around on the ground a few times, and you're all sweaty, are you sure it's okay to go on stage in this state?"

Anson was stunned, looking down at himself, he realized the situation was not good—

The costume!

Johnny Cash's performance at Folsom Prison was famous for his Man in Black image, a black shirt with a black suit, the black representing nonconformity and standing up for justice, giving a voice to those who are ignored, neglected, and forgotten.

Originally, Anson was ready, but he had rolled around on the ground, sat on the floor, and sweated profusely, the neat suit was like dried sauerkraut, a wrinkled mess, it wouldn't be a problem to call him a tramp.

Terrible.

Anson couldn't care about Lucas at this time, and rushed out in a puff of smoke.

Lucas remained in place, watching Anson's back as he ran all the way, the smile on the corner of his mouth rising slightly.

Although his heart was still worried and nervous, and it was hard to believe that Anson had returned to normal just like that, as Anson said, they still needed long-term observation—

Jack had disappeared, but what about nine-year-old Anson Wood?

But at this moment, looking at Anson's energetic back, his expectation and enthusiasm for acting were so frank and sincere, that couldn't be a lie.

Lucas's cluttered thoughts settled down slightly, maybe this was a good thing.

Who knows, maybe acting can really become Anson's breakthrough to find a new direction, just like Johnny Cash, finding a home in the art world, turning those wounds and nightmares into the driving force for creation.

And what Lucas needed to do was to allow Forest Films to grow and transform, and eventually evolve into a strong backing for Anson to freely explore the art world.

Thinking of this, Lucas's eyes showed a hint of determination.