From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

"Anson."

Blair completely lost her ability to react. Before her brain could even process it, she heard her own voice explode like thunder in her ears.

In the next second, her heart stopped beating, and she involuntarily held her breath.

Whoa.

The figure turned around, that handsome face unfolding brightly under the sunlight. The surrounding noise and crowding instantly blurred into a haze, even the clamor and heat vanished completely. At the moment the smile on his lips gently tilted upwards, time seemed to press the pause button.

Blair just… fell.

As if in free fall.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, the whole world exploded with fireworks, and a happiness that was hard to describe swelled up instantly, filling her entire chest.

Quietly, intently, Blair completely locked onto that face.

Simple and clean attire made Anson in front of her seem approachable, not a high-and-mighty Hollywood superstar, but the boy next door who liked to play basketball, yet so dazzling that people couldn't take their eyes off him.

He made his entrance just like that, appearing in front of her with grace and poise.

The glamour and noise of the premiere faded into mere background.

"Hey, Blair."

Anson smiled and greeted her proactively, stopping in front of her.

In that brief instant, Blair's heart rushed to her throat. She could clearly feel the overwhelming, scorching gazes surging from all around, instantly submerging her.

But Blair really couldn't care less at this moment.

"You kept your promise," Anson said.

Blair said she would come to watch "Spider-Man," and she did.

But she didn't expect Anson to actually remember! God! Anson! Actually! Remembered!

Blair fell into a state of weightlessness, as if surrounded by a cloud. Even though the wind was howling and frantically hitting her eardrums, she soared freely amidst the splendor of the rainbow, and happiness exploded like popcorn.

Blair quickly reminded herself to breathe, not to forget to breathe, nodding repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, "Of course, I wouldn't miss it."

"Thank you for coming to see my movie," Anson smiled again.

He said, thank you.

Boom!

Blair's brain just exploded completely, losing all ability to react, only able to nod continuously. She was just a nodding machine.

Before, when reading other people's stories, standing in front of their favorite idol, things like their brain turning to mush, not being able to say a word, the whole world spinning, Blair always felt like it was all made up.

It wasn't until she experienced it herself that she knew what it was like.

And then—

Buzz. Buzzing.

Obviously, people hadn't anticipated this scene.

This was a premiere, the premiere of a work with an investment cost of over 100 million US dollars, the premiere that officially kicked off the 2002 summer season. Perhaps it didn't need to be as formal as the Oscars, but it was still a stage of great attention, and every guest attending would definitely dress up in grand attire.

And Anson?

In casual clothes, like the neighbor next door. Not to mention the attending guests, even the suits of the security personnel on site seemed much more formal.

Is… is this really okay?

But there was no time to think carefully. In the gap between hesitating and thinking, gazes, minds, and focus had already quietly fallen on Anson.

An accident, a breakthrough, a surprise.

Breaking the halo of a high-and-mighty star, approachable, instantly shortening the distance between actors and the audience, even becoming friendly, yet not that simple. The charm revealed between his gestures made people unable to look away. Unconsciously, they couldn't help but be drawn into it.

"Anson… Anson, Anson…"

Whispers spread, drawing attention from the hustle and bustle of the red carpet at the end of the street, focusing on Anson.

One, two, three, four, five. Just like that, a commotion started.

Eve turned to look at Edgar, a glint in her eyes:

Realistically speaking, Anson's recognition and exposure were indeed excellent. From Paris Fashion Week to "The Tonight Show," in these short eight months, news came one after another. Anson never strayed far from the public eye. Added to that, Sony Columbia's barrage of posters and trailers meant Anson's face appeared in every corner of North America, and people could easily recognize him.

However, recognition didn't equal popularity.

Ultimately, Anson currently had too few works. Accurately speaking, compared to being an actor, labels like model, band, and talk show brought more traffic. The general public's perception of Anson remained at the level of a pretty face, idol, and traffic driver, naturally unable to form connections and resonance.

However, at today's premiere, Anson shed those labels, returning to simplicity, returning to the simplest, most authentic, and most unadorned self.

The entire sense of distance, unfamiliarity, and potential prejudice quietly settled, replaced by an approachable, warm, and vibrant image—

The connection between actors and the audience was established in this way. If "Spider-Man"'s box office could be successful, Anson's acting career would take a crucial step, completing a qualitative leap from a quantitative change.

Eve made connections by analogy, her brain working at high speed.

Edgar looked at Eve. She seemed much calmer, her face full of composure, her eyes clearly saying: See, I told you, there's no need to worry.

Eve raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at the situation on the red carpet ahead. The crew also knew that the male lead of the movie was about to appear. After Tom Cruise, a series of crew members were arranged to appear, "clearing space" for Anson, so the next five to ten minutes should all belong to Anson.

So, how should she help?

Eve didn't stand there in a daze. Looking around, she immediately caught sight of a small group of audience members in the bustling crowd, particularly eye-catching:

The number wasn't large. Only twenty or so people, just a small handful in the sea of people, but they were all wearing "uniforms," a white shirt, that classic Dior heart-exploding white shirt, which was also the shirt Anson wore at last year's "Princess Diaries" premiere.

They instantly stood out.

Then, Eve saw a familiar face in front of that small group of people. That should be… Gloria Preston? It seemed to be that name, the fan Anson recognized at last year's "Princess Diaries" premiere.

Turning around, taking a step, Eve walked towards Gloria's direction.

At the same time, in front of the red carpet, Jay Leno, who had just gotten out of the car and hadn't had time to step onto the stage built in front of the Chinese Theatre, noticed an anomaly and couldn't help but stop.

Ahead, Tom Cruise was showing off his wit and humor. Such a premiere was very easy for him. Cheers and screams surrounded him.

This was a superstar. He didn't need too many actions. Just one entrance was enough to easily become the focus.

However, from behind, he could feel a rustling breeze surging, like wind blowing through wheat fields. More and more gazes turned to look behind.

Wait, what's behind?

Jay Leno also turned to look.