Anson was slightly stunned—
His thoughts briefly entered the world of Evan from "The Butterfly Effect," but unintentionally delved further into his past life, plunging him into deep doubt.
Does he even deserve happiness?
The mess his father left behind plunged countless families into the depths of despair. His smile, his joy, his happiness seemed to further harm those families. He must carry those shackles and chains forward, and if he can't repay the debts, at the very least, he shouldn't be happy.
Living itself became a form of atonement.
For a fleeting moment, he felt burdened by guilt, leading him to question whether he deserved happiness.
Was Evan the same? Unable to find a way for everyone to be happy, and unwilling to sacrifice others' happiness for his own, he repeatedly went back in time, trying to fix things, only to find that he still couldn't. The pain and torment seemed like fate.
Happiness, too, can be a sin.
Then—
"Do you deserve it now?"
A simple question, yet it carried profound meaning, pulling Anson out of his thoughts and back to reality, as if he had journeyed from his past life to the present.
Anson looked at Rachel and nodded slightly, though with difficulty.
"Maybe."
Maybe this time, he could embrace happiness. Maybe this time, he could freely spend time. Maybe this time, he could truly enjoy life.
Rachel noticed. Although she had no idea what Anson had been through, she could sense a heavy weight in his deep blue eyes, bringing unexpected warmth to her own.
This time, Rachel didn't hide it.
She took a deep breath, once again showing her charming demeanor. Her mouth didn't curve into a smile, yet warmth could still be felt in her eyes.
Then Anson asked, "What about you?"
Rachel's smile lingered at the corners of her mouth.
Anson clarified, "Are you ready to open your heart and embrace happiness?"
Rachel was stunned. For a moment, she was caught in a struggle—
She didn't know how to respond.
It was a deep and complex emotion, one that Rachel, with her limited life experience, had neither encountered nor could understand. Worse, she had no character or script to rely on, no way to research or think it through. The performance she was trying to deliver felt like a floating weed without roots, suspended in midair. She didn't trust her own acting.
So—
When Anson delivered the key line, Rachel got stuck.
The panic, the confusion, the bewilderment completely took over her mind.
In the end, she just lacked experience—
At this moment, Anson could clearly see Rachel's struggle and confusion. Although Anson himself didn't have much acting experience, it was still different from Rachel, and from the beginning, Anson had the upper hand.
Realizing this, Anson didn't continue to press, instead giving a smile. "Do you still need to perform the audition scene you prepared?"
The fourth wall, broken.
Silently, they returned to reality.
But the key was when to enter the scene and when to return to reality; when to act as the character, and when to show genuine emotions. There were no boundaries, making the atmosphere in the room particularly special.
Rachel didn't notice, but she felt like she'd just been on a rollercoaster and involuntarily let out a small breath, savoring the moment.
Unfortunately, her brain wasn't working, like a mushy mess.
"No, I'm fine. My audition went well enough."
Rachel felt a bit dejected—
It turned out she wasn't as good as she thought. Leaving aside the unexpected events, she still messed up the audition. Even with Anson personally acting with her, she failed to seize the opportunity.
Her mouth showed a hint of melancholy; but it only lingered for a moment. Rachel took a deep breath, regained her usual smile, and looked back at Anson.
Anson noticed the fleeting confusion in Rachel's smile. "You don't always have to smile. I suppose your agent told you to do that to leave an impression on the casting director."
"But you're not a Barbie doll. Before you become an actor, you're a person first—a person with edges, colors, and a soul. You're allowed to show different sides."
A simple statement made Rachel's smile freeze.
Then Anson raised his hands, "Sorry, I shouldn't be telling you what to do. I spoke out of turn."
This made Rachel's smile return, "You mean like when I mess up an audition?" This was in response to Anson's earlier comment. Clearly, Rachel felt she had messed up her audition.
Anson chuckled but didn't reply. "Thank you for coming to audition."
Rachel said, "I'm more eager than you think. Trust me, it should be my honor."
Finally, she threw out a small joke, ending the conversation as it began, with a joke. Then Rachel didn't stay any longer and turned to leave.
Clap.
The room returned to silence.
Marcia and Nicholas were still immersed in the atmosphere, unable to pull themselves out.
Marcia admitted she had been mistaken.
Rachel had an artistic temperament, mixed with unique resilience and fragility, though it was hard to see normally. It only revealed itself, unintentional yet brilliant, when sparked by Anson's performance.
Of course, at the last moment, Rachel couldn't keep up, which was indeed regretful, exposing her inexperience. Her resume didn't lie—lack of experience is lack of experience, and her youthful acting couldn't be hidden.
But Marcia didn't see this as a problem. Anson wasn't an Oscar-winning actor either. They weren't preparing for some artistic showcase of acting prowess. Those rough edges and inexperience could be smoothed out over time.
What really mattered was the chemistry between the actors.
Marcia couldn't help but ponder, imagining Rachel and Anson together, trying to picture Evan and Keller. She had to admit, the image of the two actors together made her heart flutter with excitement.
Nicholas didn't have time to observe Marcia; his eyes were fixed on Anson. "Wait, Anson, where did those lines come from?"
"They weren't in the script."
Anson turned around, "Even if they were, she hadn't read the script; and I haven't started memorizing it either."
Nicholas: ???
Thinking back, Nicholas thought he'd found a gap, but Anson's words threw him off again. What had just happened?
Nicholas looked at Anson, puzzled, almost bursting with questions.
Anson, slightly exasperated, still replaying the audition in his mind, reluctantly pulled himself back to reality. He spread his hands, "Inspiration, Nick, inspiration."
Nicholas was taken aback, and couldn't help but laugh. "Look at me being foolish. Where are we, and what are we doing?" He then put on a deliberately mysterious expression. "Art, we're discussing art, right?"
Anson shrugged lightly, "This is Hollywood."