A turn, a glance back.
Annie froze, caught off guard by the smiling face before her. That was...
Before, the man had remained seated the entire time, so she didn't remember seeing him stand. Now, seeing him like this, she was momentarily stunned.
Tall, upright.
The entire impression was different—the visual impact of his height and broad frame was striking, subtly altering his aura and the image she had of him.
Her brain hit the pause button, flooded with surprise and confusion, even before she could fully process it. The man had already greeted her.
"Hey, good afternoon."
Annie's gaze inadvertently followed the movement of the man's waving right hand and noticed the book *To the Lighthouse*.
Annie: ...
She blinked a few times, and her first reaction was to look up at the sky, focusing on the small, square patch of sky framed between the tall hotel buildings.
—How exactly does the universe work?
Annie admitted she had some odd thoughts bubbling up in her mind, like wondering if this man was some kind of stalker. But given the recent mix-up, she had to remind herself that the world didn't revolve around her, and not everything was connected to her.
But still.
Annie looked down at the man, hesitating before speaking, "How are you here? You're not..."
The second half of her sentence trailed off, caught between the need to speak and the reluctance to do so, leaving her words hanging awkwardly in the air.
However, just because she didn't say it aloud didn't mean Anson couldn't understand.
From Annie's hesitation, confusion, surprise, and the tangle of emotions in her expression, it was clear that in the brief moment they met, her mind had likely gone through thousands of thoughts. Even if he couldn't read her thoughts perfectly, Anson had some ideas.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Wood. Anson Wood."
Anson reintroduced himself. Annie, clearly not understanding why, was puzzled. She remembered him, so why did he feel the need to reintroduce himself? Was it because she had said she hoped they wouldn't meet again, so he thought they should start over since they did meet again?
Anson hadn't finished speaking.
"I'm here for work, with the *The Princess Diaries* crew, playing a small role."
Annie: ...
Gulp.
Annie swallowed, her jaw showing signs of unhinging, "I... you... I'm also in *The Princess Diaries*... playing a role..."
She stuttered for a while before noticing that Anson didn't seem particularly surprised. It was as if he already knew she was part of *The Princess Diaries* cast.
Wait—
Suddenly, everything clicked, and Annie froze as if struck by lightning. Her jaw dropped, possibly dislocating.
Now she finally understood why, when she said she hoped they'd never meet again, this man had looked at her the way he did.
Her expression fell apart completely, all composure gone.
Tears of frustration.
If she were to start crying again now and then run away in shame, what would happen? Would the scene play out just like before?
Annie desperately buried her face in her hands, letting out a groan of despair, "Oh, Jesus Christ... Sir, could you do me a favor and go borrow a shovel from the hotel? I'd like to dig a hole and disappear."
Ha, hahaha.
Anson hadn't expected such a reaction, and a full smile spread across his face, "So, are you here alone? Or do you need a little help?"
Joking at a time like this?
Annie lowered her hands, her face devoid of any will to live as she met Anson's gaze, trying to put up some resistance but quickly realizing it was futile.
Then, she finally came to terms with it.
Annie spread her hands in surrender, her whole demeanor one of resigned acceptance, "I know, you know, and I know you know I've embarrassed myself again. This isn't the first time, and from the looks of it, it probably won't be the last."
If she hadn't stopped herself just in time from accusing Anson of stalking her again...
Ugh.
A shudder ran through her. The consequences—she didn't dare imagine them. Even just thinking about it made her skin crawl, sending shivers down her spine.
Annie looked at Anson with an air of resignation.
But to her surprise, Anson smiled, "Very nice to meet you. From now on, we're colleagues. I'm looking forward to working together."
Those words...
Reading between the lines, it was clear that Anson was suggesting they forget what happened on the plane and treat this as their first meeting, starting fresh as colleagues.
Annie met Anson's gaze with an open and honest look, her lips curving into a smile. But then her eyes drifted to the book in Anson's hand, *To the Lighthouse*, and her cheeks flushed with heat again, her gaze momentarily uneasy.
This time, however, Annie managed to keep her composure. "I'm really looking forward to working together."
It was obvious that Annie's face still betrayed her, making her no match for someone like Anson in this situation. She quickly lowered her gaze, trying to shift the conversation. "Which role are you playing?"
"Michael."
Annie: ...
Michael? Which Michael?
Wait, could it be the Michael who has a crush on Mia, the one who shares romantic scenes and even a kissing scene with her? Or was it just some random, insignificant background character named Michael?
Annie blinked, staring at Anson.
Anson flashed a smile. "Hey, Annie."
The greeting was friendly, but there was a trace of schadenfreude in his voice that he couldn't quite hide.
Annie instantly understood. The worst had indeed happened. Today was clearly the unluckiest day ever, as foretold by her horoscope. A deep groan rose from her chest, "Ah…"
It was like a lion's roar.
Whatever shred of ladylike dignity she had left was now utterly gone.
Anson couldn't hold back his laughter. "Haha, hahaha."
Despite the joking, Anson still stepped forward to help Annie load some scattered luggage onto a cart. Otherwise, they'd be the cause of a traffic jam at the hotel entrance.
This back-and-forth interaction actually helped Annie relax completely—
After all, she had already shown Anson her worst and most embarrassing sides. There were no secrets, no image left to maintain. Though mortifying, it also meant she could drop the pretense and just be herself.
Fine, so she wasn't a proper lady. She didn't even like pretending to be one anyway.
Annie quickly revealed her true self, displaying a bold, boyish demeanor with no reservations or burdens, exuding a spirit that didn't quite match her outward appearance.
"This is my first mainstream movie."
"Mine too."
"Ah, I'm so nervous. Honestly, I have no idea how I even got the role. My audition was a disaster. I was so nervous I fell off my chair, hahaha. After the audition, I thought I'd blown it completely and had no chance at the part…"
"Maybe that's exactly why you got the role."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing special. There are plenty of pretty faces in Hollywood, but interesting personalities are rare. Everyone tries to show their perfect side during auditions, but that's not real—it's boring."
"Hmm… Why does that feel a little off? Honestly, I think you're roasting me, right?"
"Ah, you caught me. Looks like I need to work on my sarcasm skills."
"Ha. Ha. Very funny."
Despite having just met, it was clear that their unusual encounter had already created a certain rapport. They skipped the awkward small talk typical of strangers and quickly fell into a friendly rhythm, as if they'd known each other for ages.