With utmost caution, Chris gently parted the curtains and peered through the gap. Down below, he could see the surging crowd in front of the apartment building, resembling an endless sea that stretched as far as the eye could see. The parking lot in front of the apartment was jammed, and there were at least one hundred and fifty reporters, accompanied by photographers and live broadcasting vans from various television stations.
God, why had the TV stations sent live vans? It was truly baffling. Even if the news was sensational, it hadn't reached a level that warranted such attention. It was like comparing a speck of dust to the sudden death of Michael Jackson in 2009. So why were the media so excited?
The excitement gleamed on every one of their faces, as if... as if they had smelled the scent of blood like sharks.
He felt like a wounded person floating on a rock in the sea, and the scent of blood seeping into the water had attracted the sharks. One by one, they swam closer, circling the rock and occasionally surfacing to demonstrate their presence, as if they were prepared to snatch their prey.
What was worse, the tide was rising, and the slowly rising water was engulfing the rock. His space for survival was shrinking, and he desperately tried to escape, but the watchful sharks left him with no hope, not even a glimmer.
"Chris!"
Someone noticed Chris peeking through the curtains, and like a sudden clap of thunder, all eyes turned towards him. They were followed by a cascade of silver flashes, "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The resonating roar was like an earthquake, an imposing force venting out towards the window.
Chris felt like silver light was stabbing into his eyes. He quickly pulled the curtains closed, turned around, and pressed his back against them as if the enemies outside were about to burst in at any moment. But even so, his eyes burned like fire, his heart pounded like a drumbeat, and his blood seemed to drain from his body.
"...Is this the place?... The information said... I don't... Who is he, anyway?... Haven't heard of him..."
The sporadic, meaningless chatter echoed in the stairwell. Chris jumped reflexively. He tried to reassure himself that it was all a case of overthinking, self-inflicted fear. There was no way those reporters could enter the building, right? Otherwise, the other reporters downstairs would definitely be trying to barge in as well. They wouldn't just stay outside, would they?
With this self-reassurance, Chris cautiously made his way to the door, avoiding making any noise. He seemed to forget entirely that his presence in the apartment was no longer a secret. Placing his hands on the door panel, he inched closer, trying to avoid any noise. Then he pressed his right eye against the peephole and looked outside.
At that moment, there were at least seven or eight unfamiliar faces in the hallway. They all had cameras hanging from their necks, with no intention of concealing their identities. They were going from door to door, investigating each one, searching for any clues to prove the occupant's identity.
Not only that, but Chris could also faintly see that some figures were moving upstairs while others were coming up from downstairs, in a never-ending stream.
They were taking over this apartment building.
The thought suddenly struck Chris's mind, and he shivered as if electrified. He froze in place, gradually stepping backward. His joints creaked like a rusty robot, every step cautious, every movement laborious. As he retreated a few steps, he glanced back at the window and then at the door. He suddenly realized that he was trapped, confined to a prison with no escape.
It turned out that the dreamlike media frenzy could also turn into a nightmare.
Meanwhile, Renly, too, was trapped. The massive and surging crowd had completely sealed off the entrance to the apartment building. Looking out the window, all he could see was a dense sea of heads, impossible to count. In the short ten meters from the entrance to the parking lot, there was an overwhelming mass of people. It looked like a thousand, or maybe ten thousand. Just thinking about it, it would make anyone with claustrophobia faint again.
"Renly, are you sure? Shouldn't we wait for Andy to land before we go out?" Nathan asked with concern.
Even Renly felt a little uneasy about this situation. He had heard about the craziness of reporters before, but that was just in the news. Now it was happening right before his eyes, and the overwhelming shock was beyond description in words. "Even if Andy comes over, what can he do?" Renly's response left Nathan momentarily speechless.
After TMZ's revelation, Andy had immediately called Renly and booked the nearest flight from Los Angeles to New York. However, the flight time was a full six hours, not to mention the time needed for travel between the airport and the city. In other words, Andy couldn't possibly arrive in the short term.
Furthermore, as Renly had pointed out, even if Andy did appear with a massive security team, their effectiveness would be minimal in the face of such a frenzy of reporters. They all knew that these reporters would not rest until they achieved their goal, no matter what. Renly had to face the interviews.
In that case, why not end the interviews as soon as possible and head to Studio 11 to focus on work? To Renly, all this gossip was truly boring, and he preferred to concentrate on his work rather than wasting time here. Even during his days off, he wouldn't stay trapped in his own apartment, unable to move because of fear of reporters.
Renly patted Nathan's shoulder, showing no hesitation, and directly began to step forward. However, he didn't expect that after just two steps, Nathan would quickly catch up and overtake him, blocking Renly's path and saying loudly, "I'll lead the way." With that, Nathan opened the door to the apartment building.
Chatter, humming, murmuring, rumbling... a wave of hot, moving air rushed towards them, and countless trivial sounds mixed together, turning into a twisted and restless cacophony, like an exploding thunder, not in the usual "one and then another" pattern but with the first one not ending before the second, the second not waiting before the third, the third not pausing before the fourth, and so on.
The eardrums, stretched to their limits in an instant, began to buzz, and then all other sounds disappeared, leaving only a constant echo of "buzz, buzz, buzz." It was as if thousands of bees were dancing in their ears at close range, and the close resonance made their blood boil, causing their entire bodies to twitch.
The crowd in front of them resembled colossal beasts in a vast ocean, while Renly and Nathan were like a small canoe, bobbing up and down amidst the tempest. The monstrous creatures opened their mouths, swallowing the canoe and seawater in one gulp, yet their fury only intensified. There was a constant danger of capsizing and being engulfed. The foul odor, scorching heat, and stifling atmosphere enveloped every pore, suppressing them to the point of almost exploding.
"Renly, Chris' script, lies, truth, reactions, feelings, situation, roommate..." Fragmented words were scattered everywhere, giving the illusion that countless gods were speaking, filling the entire world and echoing continuously in all directions.
Nathan did his best to open his arms wide, protecting Renly behind him. He shielded Renly from reaching arms, taking blows on his cheeks, chest, arms, thighs, and even his groin. The pain was indescribable, like twinkling stars, irregular, weightless, and disconnected, spreading across every corner of his body.
He even received two hard slaps. Of course, the reporters didn't do it on purpose; in such a surging crowd, controlling their bodies was nearly impossible.
But Nathan didn't have time to consider himself. He kept turning back to check on Renly behind him, then used his shoulder to push forward, applying force with his body to forcibly open a path through the impenetrable curtain of people. Little by little, they advanced.
Renly felt like there was a wall of flesh in front of him, blocking as many incoming attacks as possible. But there were still numerous assaults from both sides and behind. However, the feeling of stability, as if they were breaking through effortlessly, made the chaotic and restless scene feel easier.
However, in such a tumultuous crowd, the strength of two people remained feeble.
Their steps pushing forward gradually slowed down. The space ahead remained densely packed, with no end in sight. The distance from the apartment door to the parking lot was only about ten meters, but today it felt like a laborious journey, and they had only covered less than a third of it. It seemed like an endless journey.
Renly wondered how those top-tier superstars managed their daily lives. This was truly a one-against-a-hundred scenario! Then he thought of the answer: "Security." The security teams of those superstars were incredibly powerful. However, Renly was just a second or third-tier actor, without the financial means to hire security. A faint smile appeared at the corner of Renly's mouth.
In the midst of the chaos, Renly somehow found the time to daydream, and if the reporters knew, they would probably collectively spit blood.
Just at that moment, a commotion suddenly arose in front of them. Faintly, they could hear someone shouting. However, in such a chaotic environment, breaking through wasn't an easy task. But miraculously, the agitation in front gradually ceased, the shouting stopped, and the restless noise subsided faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, the scene quieted down.
Nathan and Renly, who were pushing forward, couldn't help but stop. The crowd ahead was still dense, and they couldn't see what was happening exactly. But they could hear a voice saying, "Quiet, everyone, calm down. Even if Renly wants to be interviewed, he needs to hear the questions. Make way, make way, where's Renly?"
With these words, the crowd in front slowly dispersed, clearing a path leading straight ahead. Standing at the end of it was none other than Roy Lockley.