Standing by the luggage carousel in the airport terminal, Renly lifted his baggage and waved goodbye to Felicity, Drake, and others. "I'll be leaving now. Tomorrow at 8 AM? At the studio?"
Drake nodded in affirmation, then pointed to his throat, as if saying: "I have a lot to say, but I can't get the words out." Renly couldn't help but chuckle, waved at everyone, and turned to leave.
After getting off the plane, Renly received a message from Andy, stating that someone had been sent to pick him up at the airport. He was instructed not to leave the airport with the crew and to discreetly depart alone, avoiding drawing unnecessary attention.
Renly adjusted the baseball cap on his head and calmly navigated through the crowd. Dressed in a white t-shirt and distressed dark blue jeans, he wore a pair of black Nike running shoes and carried a sky-blue denim jacket. He neither purposely concealed himself nor walked with an overly proud posture. He appeared just like an ordinary college student.
In Renly's opinion, the effects of Toronto and Telluride were still in the fermentation process. Los Angeles, being the heartland of actors, had become accustomed to actors coming and going. Not many people could recognize him now. However, since Andy had instructed him, there must be a reason behind it. Thus, Renly took a few measures to disguise himself.
His experience in handling enthusiastic fans' pursuit was limited, but he knew that wearing a hat and sunglasses, or adopting an overly exaggerated disguise, would only attract more attention. Being unremarkable yet maintaining a low-key demeanor would keep people from deliberately looking his way—the safest approach. After all, true greatness was often concealed.
His gaze leisurely roamed the crowd, searching for his ride. Surprisingly, he didn't see a sign with his name, but there were quite a few signs for hotel shuttle services and many Asian faces. Could it be that his ride hadn't arrived yet?
Renly halted and carefully scanned the area. Then he spotted a somewhat familiar figure—plump and white-faced, resembling perfectly leavened bread. The person wore a slightly loose deep blue shirt that hinted at their roundish figure. With round eyebrows giving a kind appearance, yet carrying an air of a scholar, the image of a high school introvert who always greeted others with a smile effortlessly formed in Renly's mind. This person held a sandwich with both hands, struggling.
Trying to remove the packaging from the sandwich, the person unintentionally dropped the paper beneath it, causing the mayo inside to slide down and stain their hands. The scene left them looking utterly disheveled as they attempted to untangle the napkin wrapped around the sandwich. But just as they made a move, the documents under their arm began to slip, their balance teetering.
"Can I help you with that?" Renly approached and friendly inquired.
"Oh, no, I'm fine. I'm good. I mean, thank you for your offer, I..." The person responded in a flurry, their words brief yet full of gratitude. They fumbled to salvage everything, but the documents under their arm fell. Renly swiftly collected the scattered papers in his hand. "Thank you, thank you. Goodness, I'm just so clumsy. Oh, my goodness!"
The allure of gravity finally proved too strong for the mayonnaise, and it fell. Nathan Pryer let out a frustrated cry, but quickly regained his composure. "Sorry, thank you for your offer. I can handle this mess. Don't worry, I'll clean this up." He lifted his head, extending his hands to retrieve the documents, but then he noticed that Renly had positioned the papers in front of himself. Renly turned the papers around, showing the side with writing to Nathan.
"I believe the name on these documents should be mine."
A gentle voice sounded, causing Nathan's body to stiffen momentarily. He swiftly looked up, and the handsome face came into view. He let out a frustrated low growl. This was it, it was a disaster, a complete blunder. "Mr. Hall, I..."
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be our second encounter, Nathan Pryer?" Renly deftly removed the napkin from Nathan's hand, covering the mayo, then motioned towards the documents in his own hand. After glancing around at the passersby, who remained indifferent to this minor incident amidst the constant flow of people, Renly continued, "So, you're now working for Andy, right? I remember you were fired by Morgan Fisher last time, weren't you?"
Nathan, formerly Fisher's assistant and WMA's top agent, had been assigned to pick up Renly from Los Angeles International Airport a month and a half ago, only to witness Renly reject Fisher and subsequently cost him his job.
Unbelievably, they were now meeting again, at an airport, and Nathan was once again picking up Renly.
"Yes, that's correct." Nathan's excitement made him stutter. They had only met once before, yet Renly not only remembered their encounter but also recalled his name. For Nathan, this was almost inconceivable. After all, it had taken Morgan ten days to remember his name.
"I mean, I found a job at CAA and was assigned to Mr. Rogers," Nathan explained in the most concise terms. "God, work, work. I have a special task today. I came here specifically to pick someone up!" Nathan realized he was raising his voice, then quickly lowered it to a hushed tone.
This contrived behavior bordered on the eerie, which elicited a chuckle from Renly. He raised the paper with his name on it, indicating he already knew.
Nathan chuckled foolishly, paused for about two seconds, then continued, "Right, the car is parked in the nearby parking lot. We can't park here, so we need to walk there. It's a five-minute walk." After glancing around, he searched for Renly's luggage, then realized he still held the sandwich.
Nathan rushed over to a nearby trash bin, discarded the sandwich, wiped his hands with the napkin, and hurried back. He took Renly's luggage initiative, saying, "This way, please." Leading the way, his disheveled appearance seemed quite similar to when they had first met. Renly could hardly hold back a chuckle.
"Sorry for my earlier rudeness." Nathan knew he had been unprofessional. He had not only missed the pick-up time but also nearly missed picking up his passenger.
In fact, that was his lunch, having skipped breakfast. With a touch of low blood sugar, he had intended to quickly take a couple of bites before Renly arrived. However, he hadn't anticipated being bumped on the shoulder by someone, which caused him to become flustered, although he hadn't been injured.
Nonetheless, Nathan refrained from explaining. Fisher had always detested explanations, as any explanation would merely serve as a failed excuse.
"It seems I interrupted your lunch," Renly remarked, refraining from jumping to conclusions. The plane had arrived at the airport ten minutes ahead of schedule, and his luggage had come out faster than expected. Felicity, Drake, and the others were still waiting. Given the unexpected situation, where was their current destination? If they had time, they could stop along the way, grab some fries and burgers."
As a nation on wheels, the United States had fast-food joints by its cities and highways, where one could drive through, completing the entire process of ordering, paying, and receiving food.
Nathan swiftly turned his head to glance at Renly, noticing the faint smile at the corner of his mouth. This reminded him of their last encounter. If not for Renly, he might have been left stranded by the freeway, completely bewildered.
"West Hollywood." Nathan retracted his gaze, reaching the parking lot and spotting today's ride: a black SUV. It was one of the most common vehicles in Los Angeles, clearly reflecting Andy's cautious nature.
Nathan felt a bit overwhelmed, unsure of what to do first. Renly smiled and said, "You should put the luggage near the back door and open the passenger door for me first. Once I'm in the car, you can deal with the luggage and then return to the driver's seat. If this were a hotel, the driver has the driver's job, the bellboy has the bellboy's job, and what's left is your job."
Renly had seen Phillip perform this action countless times in his life, so he understood it well.
"Oh, okay." Nathan hurriedly followed the instructions, busying himself in an orderly manner.
Nathan's movements were cautious and meticulous, showing his lack of experience. His restless motions indicated he had graduated from college not too long ago, even though his appearance seemed to be around thirty years old. After Renly's guidance, however, he adapted quickly.
This aligned with Renly's initial impression of Nathan. Unfortunately, in Hollywood, competition was fierce. Top agents like Morgan Fisher had no time for slow cultivation. A single mistake could lead to immediate elimination.
In the Hollywood of the 1970s, WMA was undoubtedly the leader, setting the industry rules. Before anyone officially transitioned into being an agent, they were required to work in the mailroom for three to six months, or even a year. The class structure was rigorous, making both agents and assistants seasoned professionals.
However, this structure also constrained the younger generation's growth. The rigidity and contradictions brought about by this class system were inevitable. Five young individuals, dissatisfied with WMA's inflexible system, left the company and founded their own agency—CAA.
With gains come losses; they achieved a beneficial cycle of rapid expansion but lost the patience to cultivate fundamental business skills.
As Nathan settled into the driver's seat and ensured Renly's seatbelt was secure, he started the engine. "We're heading to West Hollywood. Andy has rented a room for you there to facilitate your comings and goings for filming."
"Oh? Why not continue staying at a hotel?" Renly raised an eyebrow inquisitively.