From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Inside the car, silence reigned, the air subtly tense. Though nothing specific had occurred, the faint roar of engines from beyond the parking lot felt like a fire gradually consuming everything, stirring up restlessness and anxiety, prompting constant shifting in the seats.

"Mackey… …"

Eric could barely endure it. Mackey was like a hedgehog in the driver's seat, constantly fidgeting, the seat emitting chaotic creaks and groans, tormenting his ears. He couldn't help but call out.

Mackey responded, turning his head, tucking stray hairs behind his ear, and looking at Eric with a puzzled expression, completely unaware of the noise he was creating.

Eric's words swirled on his tongue for a moment, but he swallowed them down.

"I'm thirsty. I was wondering if you wanted to get a coffee… …"

Mackey bit his fingernails. "Let's skip it. If I drink coffee, I'll need to use the restroom. Maybe Anson will be out soon, right?"

The underground parking lot seemed sealed and confined, the air and time completely frozen. Now they finally understood what it was like to be trapped in amber, unable to move, isolated from the outside world, time seeming to both pass and not pass, a sense of disorientation that left them helpless.

Eric was seriously considering whether he should go outside to buy a coffee, even if he wasn't thirsty, just to get some fresh air.

Just then—

"Anson."

Mackey squeezed out a gasp from his throat. Eric looked up and immediately saw Anson walking out of the elevator. Both of them scrambled.

Mackey lurched forward, but was pulled back. He was a beat too slow, realizing he was still wearing his seatbelt. He fumbled with it, but the more he hurried, the more chaotic it became. The seatbelt wouldn't open.

Eric had already jumped out of the car and taken two steps forward when he noticed Mackey's absence. He turned back and called out.

"Mackey?"

Mackey still hadn't unbuckled his seatbelt. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Anson… …Anson!"

Eric hurried forward, but Anson was already approaching, so the two of them turned back. Eric, like a guard, escorted Anson into the back seat, hurrying back to the passenger seat, eagerly turning to look at Anson, afraid of missing something important.

Anson looked at the two eager faces before him and couldn't help but chuckle. "How about we leave here first, what do you think?"

Mackey slapped his forehead. "Right, right, right."

Start the engine, let's go.

Mackey, like a chauffeur, turned to Anson. "Where are we going now?"

"'In-N-Out'. I need to refuel. It's past lunchtime, right?"

First Warner Bros., and then New Line Cinema—

This is New Line.

After leaving Warner Bros., Anson and his team went straight to New Line Cinema, also located in Century City. Anson still went upstairs alone, getting straight to the point, busy all morning, completely unaware of the passage of time. Lunchtime had already passed.

"In-N-Out" is a hamburger chain limited to California. Its specialty lies in ensuring the quality of its stores, so they only operate in California. Their juicy patties have made them famous, practically a Californian specialty.

In 2013, Ang Lee won his second Academy Award for Best Director for "Life of Pi." After the award ceremony, the image of Lee holding his Oscar and devouring a hamburger went viral. The hamburger he held was from "In-N-Out."

Mackey nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. "I was just telling Eric that we needed to fill our stomachs."

Eric: ? ? ? When was that?

But Mackey didn't bother paying attention to Eric, quickly glancing in the rearview mirror.

"Ahem."

"Anson, uh, so, did things… …go well?"

"You were only up there for a little while before coming down. Did you not even get a meeting? Or… …"

Stammering, hesitant, a terrible thought was already swirling on his tongue, but he didn't dare say it, fearing it would come true—

Thirty minutes?

To be precise, it wasn't even thirty minutes, more like twenty-five. Anson had finished the meeting with New Line Cinema, seemingly before he even had time to warm his seat.

They were restless when there was no news; but now that the meeting ended so quickly, they were seized by a bad premonition.

Mackey turned to Eric, and the two quickly exchanged a look:

In their experience, meetings that ended so quickly usually meant failure. The other party wasn't interested and just wanted to get rid of them, or they would ask them to leave the script and then never follow up.

Anxiety spread in their pupils.

Anson didn't notice the exchange between Eric and Mackey, but he knew that the two writers must be anxiously awaiting the results, so he didn't keep them in suspense any longer. After the car left the underground parking lot, he revealed the answer directly.

"We had a brief meeting, exchanged ideas, and confirmed our thoughts. New Line Cinema is willing to invest in the production of this project, with me as the producer. They will also send an executive producer to handle the specific work."

Casually, Anson dropped a bombshell.

For a moment, there was no reaction from the front of the car.

Mackey and Eric exchanged a glance, seemingly not understanding.

Because Mackey was driving, Eric simply turned to look at Anson in the back, but when he was about to speak, he found his mind in a chaotic mess, unable to react. He blinked his eyes.

"Uh, you mean… …?"

Anson looked at Eric. "They agreed to cooperate."

One second, two seconds.

Time briefly froze, then Eric silently turned around, raised his right hand, bit his jacket, and let out a muffled roar—

Ah!

Ah ah ah!

Ah!

All the roars were muffled in his clothes, but you could still feel the surging tension.

Beside him, Mackey was slightly stunned, not saying anything, just opening the car window, looking out, and raising his chin to bask in the sunlight.

Just when Anson was wondering what Mackey was acting out, some kind of youthful, romantic movie scene, Mackey shouted at a passing car without warning.

"We're making a movie!"

"We're going to make a movie, boo hoo hoo."

Tears, scattered in the wind.