Renly could hear the rushing sound of blood coursing through his veins, a thunderous roar echoing, the intense thudding of his heart making his mouth dry and his tongue parched. His tongue seemed to taste the green, sweet, exquisite, and tender scent of hormones.
This blurry and ambiguous restlessness sharpened his vision immensely. It seemed that even the sweat on Felicity's rosy cheeks was clearly visible, and he caught the bashful and pounding emotions flowing beneath her fair skin. It filled his chest to the brim, nearly spilling over. Simultaneously, it blurred his sight, as if everything behind her had turned into a soft blur. Only her petite face and the elegant, pristine line of her neck remained, guiding a warm current down to his lower abdomen.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of his heartbeats grew nearer and nearer, dancing gracefully upon his eardrums, causing a shiver to run through his entire body.
"... Renly? Renly?" Another sound exploded near his ears. Renly instinctively looked up, spotting Drake's signature ramen noodle hair. "What exactly did you write on the notebook earlier?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Renly caught Felicity's small gesture—she was gathering the notebook, concealing a little secret that belonged only to the two of them. This made the corners of Renly's mouth gently curl upward. "Just a joke," Renly casually remarked, skillfully masking his inner turmoil. He pretended to be composed and said, "Don't you think cutting that part and leaving a suspense for the audience, just like you, being curious about what's written there, would enhance the viewing experience?"
Drake's face was filled with disappointment, his shoulders drooping. "Is that really necessary? I'm truly curious." Drake turned his head and pointed at the group of staff behind him. "They're curious too." As he said this, everyone vigorously nodded in unison, their synchronized gestures inadvertently amusing.
The small romantic details exchanged through the notebook just now—bit by bit romance, bit by bit literary, bit by bit heart-throbbing—above all, the smiles and tenderness exchanged between the two, collided in an unimaginable chemical reaction. One could even sense sparks flying. Beyond envy, curiosity grew stronger.
"Otherwise, for the movie audience, we'll let them guess slowly. As for us within the crew, let's not hide any secrets," Drake still refused to give up, bargaining.
Just as Renly was about to retort, Jennifer jumped into the fray, extending her hand to swiftly and accurately seize the notebook. Taking advantage of Felicity's momentary distraction, she seized it in a flash. Almost in the blink of an eye, the notebook had shifted into Jennifer's hands.
Felicity stood up anxiously, trying to reach for it. However, she quickly realized her movement seemed too conspicuous and hurriedly sat back down. She gently bit her lower lip and stole a glance at Renly, only to find him wearing a faint smile—a calm expression, full of candor. Paradoxically, that composed countenance carried a trace of sweetness. This only made Felicity's cheeks even hotter.
This posture seemed unlike Jacob, yet it was imbued with Renly's style. However, her heartbeats refused to cease; the boundary between reality and illusion was becoming increasingly blurred.
"I think your smile is adorable," Jennifer loudly read aloud. The crowd responded with cheers, followed by a clamor of voices asking, "What's next? What's next?"
However, Jennifer didn't continue reading. Instead, she made a cringeworthy expression, waving her hands in succession as if she had seen a monster. "Ew! Jesus Christ, Renly, spill it! Are you an old hand at this? Just how many girlfriends have you had before?" Then, Jennifer gave a thumbs-up, her face brimming with admiration, and exclaimed boldly, "Man, respect! I genuinely respect you!"
Now, everyone erupted with excitement. They all reached for Jennifer's notebook, curious about what Renly had written. Drake also dove into the crowd, eager to find out the answer. Fortunately, the crew of "Like Crazy" consisted of just a few people, so the commotion didn't get out of hand. Soon, everyone got what they wanted.
"Woah!" The clamor rose in harmony. Felicity felt a bit overwhelmed, her cheeks burning as she averted her gaze. She didn't know how to handle the situation. In contrast, Renly stood up calmly, intentionally or unintentionally blocking the crowd outside as he walked toward the foot of the bed. He shielded Felicity behind him and said, "A bunch of clueless guys. You call this impressive? If I were to write a love poem next time, wouldn't you all start worshiping me?"
The composed and gentlemanly words, tinged with a hint of teasing, poured a bucket of cold water on the drama of the group members, who had been acting surprised and astonished. Everyone's attention unreservedly shifted toward Renly alone. The pressure that had been gathering around Felicity lessened, giving her a moment to catch her breath.
"A bunch of lunatics! Crackpots! Shameless scum!" A deafening roar erupted from the corridor outside. The room fell silent in an instant, as if it had transitioned from midsummer to midwinter in a single second. Every person stiffened in their tracks, as if time had frozen. "Don't you know what time it is now? You're still making such a racket! You shameless scum. All of you can f*ck off. F*ck them all!" The unending stream of foul language and sensitive words was almost unbearable. What was even more miraculous was that, even though there were two doors—bedroom and living room—separating them, the sound still reverberated as if it were echoing in their ears. It was deafening.
Everyone in the room exchanged bewildered looks. Not a single person dared to move. Despite knowing that moving their bodies would be fine, no one moved. Amid the exchange of glances, an inexplicable sense of amusement crept in. For a full three minutes, the stream of insults outside came to an end with a resounding door slam, finally quieting down.
As they gazed at each other in their awkwardly frozen postures, a smile couldn't help but tug at their lips. However, this time, each one of them suppressed their laughter and didn't burst out. Those muffled chuckles lightened the atmosphere once again.
Drake held the notebook and approached Renly. "You're right. Let's leave it to the audience's imagination. Although I think revealing it might have a better effect, I feel like the content isn't substantial enough. Once it's shot, I'd like to see more, but time is limited, so let's just forget it."
Drake couldn't help but imagine—what if Jacob and Anna continued their conversation in the notebook? Would these two artistic souls put on a "Notebook Edition" of "Before Sunrise"? But he couldn't film it that way; otherwise, the movie would run too long.
"Also, you're wittier than I was back then." Drake blinked at Renly and playfully said, his eyes full of satisfaction. Evidently, he couldn't have been more pleased with the scene they had just enacted.
Although the script had been modified on the spot, Drake felt that Renly and Felicity's performance had actually enhanced the depth and richness of the entire script. Especially the gradual intensification of the chemistry between the two, it allowed the audience to vividly experience the process of falling in love, captivating every viewer.
"Alright, let's prepare to reshoot the scene!" Drake announced loudly. Even though the main sequence of this scene had been shot, they needed to capture different angles.
Though movies were often called the "stage of dreams", the process of making dreams come true wasn't so easy. A scene that appeared stunning on film might require dozens of takes during shooting, and that's without any mistakes. Switching angles, perspectives, and depth of field according to the director's vision, everything that had been in his mind needed to be portrayed. It wasn't as glamorous as it seemed on screen.
However, Renly and Felicity were still in their zone as they resumed shooting. Drake changed angles and depth of field multiple times, capturing five different shots. Once he was certain that he hadn't missed anything, he announced the completion of this scene's filming.
"Next up, the final scene for today!" After a busy afternoon, Drake's body felt a bit tired, but his spirit was incredibly high. "Guys, I know everyone is tired, and it's already past midnight. But there's just one more scene left, and we'll be done with today's work! Let's give it our all!"
They were about to film another scene—Anna seeing Jacob off downstairs, with the two of them bidding farewell reluctantly. Jacob had already left, but he couldn't bring himself to leave entirely. When he turned back, he caught Anna standing behind the glass door, gazing at him. So Jacob turned around again, went back to the glass door, and used his fingertips to trace the contours of Anna's face. Even though separated by glass, the chemistry between them became stronger and stronger.
This scene held no difficulty for Renly and Felicity. With both of them firing on all cylinders, in perfect condition and completely in sync, they completed all the shots in just half an hour. And the quality was exceptional. After scrutinizing the monitor, Drake finally announced the end of today's filming.
As the first day of shooting for "Like Crazy", it had gone far smoother than imagined. The scenes that were initially expected to be shot within two to three days were finished in a single afternoon, and the quality exceeded expectations. For an independent crew that had to stretch every penny, this was undoubtedly the best news!
Drake bounced around like a child, jumping three feet high, completely letting loose. His excitement infected the other crew members as well.
Once they left the apartment building and were on the empty streets, Drake couldn't hold back anymore. He shouted at the top of his lungs and then started to run and jump around, as if he were reliving the process of falling in love. The quiet streets echoed with Drake's wild howls. None of the crew members stopped him; in fact, everyone joined in, even Jennifer, who boldly and cheerfully yelled along. This even attracted a group of young people who had just left a bar, turning the tranquil midnight into a lively uproar.