From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

The Kristen before him was without makeup, her golden-brown hair falling smoothly over her shoulders. She simply wore a black polka-dot sundress, with a denim jacket casually draped over the back of her chair. Her eyes, gentle and bright, looked at Anson.

The impish sprite that had just emerged quietly hid again due to the appearance of a third party, peering and observing the newcomer from behind her pupils.

Slightly different from the character of Mary Jane in the movie, the real Kristen was somewhat playful and a little cunning.

Even after spending a full decade in Hollywood, she still maintained a mischievous spirit, always enjoying harmless pranks on set.

Like deliberately flipping Anson's script to a different page from where he had folded it.

Or suddenly making a face at Anson before filming started.

At this moment, looking at the stranger standing next to Anson, Kristen was neither timid nor shy, staring with wide eyes, carefully examining the face.

The dim light in the coffee shop fell lightly and mysteriously on Kristen's shoulders, her face radiating a soft halo, her eyes sparkling, and her entire demeanor becoming vibrant.

On the contrary, Jack was somewhat restrained and shy—

He was looking at the girl but was caught. The girl looked back, poised and with bright eyes, seemingly discerning his inner thoughts. Involuntarily, his gaze flickered away, silently looking up at the ceiling.

After pretending that nothing had happened, he looked back again.

As a result, he found that the girl still hadn't shifted her gaze. Jack was startled and hastily turned to look at Anson, sending out a signal for help.

This scene, falling into Anson's eyes, vaguely sensed the undercurrents.

But Anson didn't say anything, as if he hadn't seen anything, and naturally introduced them.

“Kristen, this is Jack.”

“Jack, this is Kristen.”

“Jack just came from Los Angeles today for a movie audition and is temporarily staying at my house. I figured he hadn't had dinner yet, so I invited him to come along. I hope that's okay?”

Kristen grasped Jack's right hand, but found that Jack was about to let go as if he had grabbed a hot potato. Kristen deliberately played a prank by not letting go, so that Jack couldn't shake her off, looking at Kristen with a bewildered expression, which made her eyes fill with smiles.

Then, Kristen released his right hand and looked at Anson, “Of course, it's no problem. We're just chatting, just chatting. It's good to make another friend. I was worried our conversation might be too boring.”

Anson waved his hand gently, “It doesn't matter if it's a little boring, at least there's good looks.”

Kristen was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood the teasing created by Anson's deliberate distortion of her words. She was talking about the conversation, worried that the two of them might feel awkward together; Anson was talking about himself, that he was a boring person, relying entirely on his looks.

Was this self-deprecation?

Kristen's smile fully bloomed, “Is a wooden beauty okay too?”

Anson looked serious, gesturing towards Jack, “A wooden beauty is still a beauty, right?”

From beginning to end, Jack didn't say a word. Wasn't he just a wooden beauty?

Jack wasn't paying attention at all, not understanding Anson's teasing. One moment he was making fun of himself, the next he was teasing Jack. He looked at Anson in confusion, “Huh?”

Wooden. Beauty.

Kristen, however, understood and burst out laughing.

Anson gently patted Jack's shoulder, “I mean, you can look at the menu. Although this is a coffee shop, there are also quick meals.”

Jack nodded blankly.

As soon as they sat down, Kristen got straight to the point, “Sorry for inviting you out today after work, but after watching your performance this afternoon, I had some inspiration and some confusion that I wanted to discuss.”

Anson nodded gently, “Of course, no problem. I'm very happy to have a discussion. I don't have much experience, and I'm looking forward to having in-depth conversations with other actors and then slowly adjusting. Especially since we're partners.”

Kristen revealed a smile, “Partners. Oh, I'm a little sad, I thought we were friends.”

Immediately, a prank.

But Anson wasn't fooled, “This friend doesn't even have my contact information. Today on set, you temporarily asked me for my phone number. I thought the relationship between friends could be a little closer.”

As he spoke, Anson pinched his index finger and thumb together, making a tiny gesture.

Kristen laughed along, “Then do you think Mary Jane and Peter Parker are friends?”

Anson thought seriously, “Yes.”

Kristen was somewhat surprised, “But they don't talk in private, they don't have each other's contact information, and their lives don't intersect at all.”

“But Mary Jane is willing to show Peter Parker her most embarrassing, ugliest, and worst side.”

“She had no choice, did she? Because they're neighbors.”

“No. In Peter's eyes, they're neighbors; but in Mary Jane's eyes, Peter is a stranger.”

“Yet Peter still likes Mary Jane.”

“Unrequited love is the most perfect love in the world because it only takes one person; but at the same time, unrequited love is also the most bitter love in the world because it only has one person. Peter Parker secretly loves Mary Jane, no less and no more, that's all.”

Back and forth, swords flashing.

Sitting on the side, Jack felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, his gaze anxiously moving back and forth between Anson and Kristen, unsure if he should interrupt, then quietly, just quietly, he raised the menu, hiding himself.

This time, Kristen couldn't keep up with Anson, and her words paused like that, briefly falling into her own thoughts.

“We all know that Mary Jane likes Spider-Man, she even takes the initiative to kiss him, but when did she fall in love with Peter? It's not written in the movie.”

“I mean, I know Spider-Man is Peter, but Mary Jane doesn't know, does she?”

Confused by thinking, all kinds of considerations not being able to be completely sorted out, so that the words also not being able to be completely spoken clearly, Kristen looked up at Anson.

“Do my words sound reasonable?”

Anson understood, Kristen had an idea, a concept, a framework. Obviously, she had her own ideas about the character of Mary Jane, no wonder she was able to impress Sam Raimi and take the role later; but Kristen couldn't see the whole picture, not having a framework to organize her thoughts.

It wasn't because Kristen wasn't smart enough, but because “you can't see the true face of Mount Lu, because you are in the mountain yourself.”

The bystander is confused.

Obviously, Kristen also realized this, so she needed someone else's opinion for reference.

Kristen found Anson.