Hollywood—commonly known around the world as Cinema City—is actually located on the outskirts of Los Angeles. To date, it has become an independent city, yet its administration still falls under the management of the Los Angeles Government, with only an honorary mayor appointed.
In fact, this place was originally just a small village on the outskirts of Los Angeles. It began with a single farmhouse. At the end of the 19th century, a couple in real estate, enamored with the name "Hollywood" after hearing someone mentioning they were from "Hollywood" in Ohio during a trip, transported a large number of holly trees to the suburbs of Los Angeles and named the area "Hollywood," meaning "Holly Forest."
It first became known for its beautiful scenery, which many film studios liked to use as a backdrop for shooting scenes. It later became a hub for smaller companies seeking to evade patent controls to build their studios, which led to many excellent movies and the booming development of the film industry there until it became the world-famous Cinema City of today.
Hollywood has a typical West Coast climate, with no extreme heat in summer, no severe cold in winter, mild and rainy weather all year round, and excellent natural light conditions. It also features beautiful mountain ranges as a backdrop—its natural scenery is second to none in the West Coast area.
Of course, the city's construction also embodies the romantic style of the West Coast. With a sparse population, many plots of land have been used for parks instead of being built up with towering skyscrapers like in New York, where it's crowded and densely packed with buildings. From afar, everything in Hollywood looks spacious and orderly.
Given its past as part of Mexico, the culture here is colorful, with a mix of Native American culture, European and American culture, the remaining Mexican culture, and the later influx of Eastern culture—all these streams converge here, creating wonders at every corner and scene.
The countless outstanding films produced here have also brought fame to this city, with the most famous ones including "The Godfather," "Gone with the Wind," "The Wizard of Oz," and so on.
The aggregation of these advantages has made the city's tourism industry extremely developed. Countless visitors are attracted each year, and with the advancement of air transportation technology, the frequent shuttle routes between Los Angeles and Hollywood have offered tourists more possibilities for sightseeing.
One of the shuttle stops is particularly popular, bustling with people almost every moment, an extremely rare sight to behold on the West Coast, where visitors are jostling shoulder to shoulder in the crowds.
Two figures swiftly made their way through the throng, the one in front moving so deftly it was almost as if he knew exactly which way each passerby would turn, threading through the crowd as gracefully as a dragon slipping through gaps.
"Slow down," Gwen gasped out, "I can't keep up anymore, and we're not in a hurry to get there, right?"
"Oh, sorry, Gwen, I just can't wait," Peter said, shaking the camera in his hand, "I've wanted to take a photo from this angle for a while, but unfortunately, this stop didn't exist the last time we came here."
Gwen followed behind him; the two held hands to avoid being separated by the flow of people. After climbing another level, there were even more tourists, most of them taking photos in front of the railing.
While waiting in line, Peter was still excited, "I remember the last time we came, we could only see that sign from the foot of the mountain, and it was half-blocked by a hill. Time really flies."
Gwen nodded with a smile, "I also remember how nervous we were when we stopped to take photos, because that spot was no-parking allowed."
"But now we can take photos freely. You go ahead and take a photo first, I'll adjust the camera, and then we can take a picture together."
Peter kept his head down, fiddling with the camera, while Gwen curiously peered ahead. Finally, when it was their turn to step onto the platform, they both leaned over the railing to look out.
Atop the rolling green hills, the white sign stood out conspicuously—"HOLLYWOOD."
Gwen first posed with both hands on the railing while Peter took several photos of her, then they switched, and she took pictures of him. Then they took photos together, but they didn't need Peter to adjust the camera because a friendly tourist nearby helped them take many pictures in succession.
While carrying the camera back, Peter said, "I saw that sign on TV when I was a kid, and I thought it would be awesome to take it down and put my name up there."
Gwen immediately burst out laughing, "Were you really that rebellious? Back then, I just wanted to doodle all over that sign."
"That's more rebellious; you'd get arrested by the police!"
They laughed and squeezed their way down the stairs, then took a shuttle back to the heart of Los Angeles. They got off and made their way to the parking lot, only to find an impatient Stark leaning against a car, chewing gum.
"Where have you two been? It took you a whole two hours? I was beginning to think you wouldn't come back," he said.
"We went to the Hollywood sign to check in," Peter replied, connecting the camera to the communication terminal and starting to send photos to Stark.
Stark shrugged helplessly and walked back to the driver's seat, "I just don't get it, it's just a white sign, what's there to see?"
"Didn't you also hang your own name on top of the Stark Building?" Peter retorted without giving in, "Isn't that just a sign too?"
How can that be the same? Can the great Stark's name really be compared with the mediocre name of a holly forest?
"Actually, Holly Forest sounds more artistic," Peter said contentedly as he scrolled through the photos on his camera, "Stark sounds like the name of a parking lot."
Stark rolled his eyes but reversed the car quickly. With the introduction of shuttles, traffic in Los Angeles had become a thing of the past; they could even speed down the city's main roads during the day.
The restaurant for their dinner gathering that day was the only three-star Michelin in Los Angeles, called Addison. Normally, one would have to reserve a spot half a year in advance, but that was not an issue for Stark.
Not only was the reservation made, but the entire restaurant had been cleared out today, just for one group's dinner. Before even entering, Peter spotted several familiar cars, indicating they had indeed been delayed a bit.
The restaurant was located inside a hotel in Santiago. The decor was that of a traditional Western dining establishment, quite dim but with a high-end and elegant style. Given that there was a pregnant woman among them, the restaurant had added some extra lighting to prevent any stumbling in the dim environment.
As Peter stepped onto the steps beneath the hotel's archway, he saw Captain America Steve and his companion, Agent Carter, discussing the menu with the restaurant's manager.
Stark walked up and clapped Steve on the shoulder, draping an arm around his neck and said, "Listen, you damn blue-eyed, you'd better not betray me later..."
Steve, as if he heard nothing, snorted coldly and replied, "I really don't know which one of us slept for 70 years. The surprise you're preparing is outdated even by our standards. Who would go through the trouble to expose you?"
"But I've been preparing for a long time!" Stark said through gritted teeth. "You absolutely cannot let me down!"
Steve was very perfunctory, turning his head back to talk with the manager again. They were carefully checking every dish to ensure there was nothing that a pregnant woman couldn't eat, and of course, it also had to be harmless to women recovering postpartum, especially since Wanda was present.
Carter smiled at Peter. After he greeted her, Carter said, "Nick couldn't make it, he's been quite busy lately. He asked me to send his regards to you."
"Don't worry." Peter said, "Let's go in first."
Upon entering, the previously cramped and dim corridor suddenly opened up. Most of the tables and chairs had been removed, with a magnificent long table set up in the center, draped with dark green tablecloths and deep blue banners, while the waitstaff bustled around.
The dishes being prepared were laid out on a prep table behind them, and at first glance, they were an impressive sight in terms of appearance.
What puzzled Peter, however, was the camera set up in the corner of the room. Seeing the camera made Gwen suddenly become uneasy.
"Don't worry, it's probably just a home video." Peter said with a smile. "In the worst case, it's not live, otherwise Tony would have definitely told us."
"Come over and sit down!" Eddie called from behind the camera. "It's a documentary shoot, they'll edit and retouch! Don't worry!"
Relieved, the two breathed a sigh of relief. Peter pulled Gwen over to the dining table to sit down. He then glanced at Shiller fiddling with his phone and asked in a low voice, "Why are we shooting a documentary again? Didn't we just finish one last season?"
"Tony's wedding documentary," Shiller rolled his eyes subtly and whispered back. "Do you think there's even the slightest chance he wouldn't record the most important moment of his life? He's strutting around proudly like a peacock in full display!"
Peter looked around anxiously and said, "This setup looks more like New York Socialites. Is there a script? What am I supposed to say?"
"Just relax." Eddie replied. "It'll be a documentary about the everyday life of superheroes. That's what the audience loves to see. Of course, no one knows you are Spider-Man, so don't be too nervous."
Peter immediately identified his role. He was a genius researcher mentored by Stanke and his friend, merely invited to join the trip and congratulate him.
He whispered with Gwen, speculating about the ingredients of the dishes across the table. Soon, Steve returned to his seat, followed by another unfamiliar lady. Peter learned from Shiller's introduction that she was Eddie's neighbor, Miss Brlokhita, who Eddie was, of course, currently pursuing.
Just as Peter was wondering how the two had met, he heard a low growl from Venom near Eddie, who was adjusting the camera, "You said you were just helping him feed his dog, you damn liar!"
"I did just feed his dog, but he's on vacation lately, and since I'm about to shoot with the crew, naturally I invited him to join," Eddie said.
"Liar! Damn liar!"
Peter knew Eddie's path to romance wouldn't be smooth and began to worry a bit about the safety of Miss Brlokhita's pet dog.
Loki and Helen had also arrived, though in the guise of mother and daughter. For some reason, possibly due to the documentary, common folk now believed that in Asgard, Loki was the Second Princess rather than the Little Prince, thinking of the Asgardian Divine King and the Female Princess.
Loki thought this was Stark's revenge.
Indeed, Loki's female persona seemed to be more popular, causing a stir on the internet with the topic of "the most beautiful princess" often trending on social media.
Loki was sure this was Stark's revenge.
Of course, this princess was also a hot topic for various superhero shipping fantasies. People guessed who the father of her daughter might be: some said the flirtatious Iron Man, others the faithful Captain America, and there were those who suspected Spider-Man or even Thor.
But the endless shipping brought about endless dispute, which was a major reason for Loki's continued popularity.
Loki was certain, this had to be Stark's revenge.