At this point, it was clear that the young woman had completely forgotten about Lucas's presence, her eyes, mind, and heart entirely focused on the man in front of her.
"Oh, God."
"The moment I first saw you, I was curious because you really look like Paul, but your hairstyle seemed different, so I thought I might be mistaken. Oh, don't get me wrong, even so, you're still handsome. Jesus Christ, I can't believe I'm actually seeing you here."
"I, uh, I wanted to leave, but I couldn't. I needed to confirm it because I really like you—I mean, I like your character."
"Oh my God, listen to what I'm saying. Haha, it's an honor. I'm so happy to meet you. I didn't expect you to be even more charming in person."
Incoherent!
Rambling!
It was a completely stream-of-consciousness conversation, with her brain grabbing onto random thoughts without processing them and just throwing them out there. It felt like a chaotic, exhilarating roller coaster, with conflicting emotions clashing together, and every cell in her body seemed to be screaming.
"Stop, Susan, you need to stop. Don't keep babbling, but—"
"Oh, you're perfect."
The young woman was holding tightly onto Anson's right hand, squatting and standing up repeatedly in front of him.
Anson wasn't sure if she needed to visit the restroom to relieve herself.
This was the first time Anson had encountered such a situation, and he had no experience to draw on. He wasn't sure if he should interrupt her or say something.
Then.
The young woman suddenly shivered and finally regained some clarity.
"Uh, excuse me, sorry," she gathered her courage amid the chaos and grabbed hold of a thought, "Can I take a photo with you? Just one, just one picture."
Anson thought she might have had a different request, but in 2023, wasn't this the most basic and common thing? "Of course."
As soon as Anson finished speaking.
Lucas's voice came from behind.
"Anson, your look."
Lucas was concerned about Anson and whether he had signed a confidentiality agreement regarding his new movie's look. Although there was no need to wear a hat and mask when going out, was it something that shouldn't be leaked?
Anson turned to look at Lucas, "It's fine, we've been shooting publicly all along."
Since the start of filming, "The Princess Diaries" had not strictly closed off the set. There were often bystanders and reporters watching the shoots, and their looks had already spread around.
However, it hadn't caused a stir.
First, all the looks were just modern young student styles, nothing special.
Second, they were all newcomers, so there wasn't much buzz.
In other words, there wasn't much value in exposing it.
Reporters were waiting for Julie Andrews, but even then, her look wasn't exactly a secret. The reason director Garry hadn't stopped the reporters was that he actually hoped they would leak it, effectively providing free publicity for the film.
In an era when the internet wasn't widespread, with no social media and only forums and chat rooms, traditional media was still the main battleground for movie promotion.
So, if a fan wanted to take a photo?
Garry would say, "The more, the merrier."
---
**Anson smiled at Lucas and then turned back to the young woman.**
Lucas still didn't understand why she would want to take a photo with Anson. And then what? The same goes for autographs—leaving behind some indecipherable scribble, and then what?
The young woman fumbled nervously as she took out her digital camera, her hands shaking as she muttered to herself. It took her a while to turn it on, and when she finally looked at Anson, she froze in place.
Anson was puzzled: What happened?
At that moment, Anson noticed the young woman's gaze scanning the surroundings before she helplessly and desperately looked at Lucas, almost on the verge of tears.
Anson: ?
What's wrong with Lucas?
Lucas remained expressionless, sitting there as if to say, "I don't know you."
It took Anson a moment to realize:
It's the year 2000.
How could he forget? Even though cameras already had a timer function, selfies were still not popular. It wasn't until phones came with cameras that selfies became widespread. At this time, when people wanted to take pictures, they often needed someone else's help.
Anson didn't mind taking a selfie, but considering the young woman's digital camera, it wasn't convenient or suitable for that.
No wonder.
Seeing the young woman's timid expression, Anson took the digital camera from her and handed it over, "Lucas."
Lucas gave Anson an exasperated look.
Despite that, Lucas stood up and took the camera. Without waiting for them to pose, he was ready to press the shutter. Everything happened so quickly that the young woman panicked, not knowing where to place her hands and feet, and her forced smile looked worse than crying.
Anson raised his hand, signaling Lucas to wait.
At that moment—
"Hah!"
A sharp intake of breath was heard from nearby, as a middle-aged woman stretched her neck to look over.
She took a step forward, "Paul?"
Then, another step, stretching her neck like a turtle, "Paul?"
"Ah, it really is Paul!"
The middle-aged woman had a companion who looked confused, "Who?"
The middle-aged woman replied confidently, "From 'Friends,' the one who guest-starred recently, Paul, the brother of Ross's date?"
The companion was still full of questions.
The middle-aged woman patted her friend on the shoulder, "Well, he's a handsome guy anyway."
Without waiting for her friend to respond, she quickly rushed over, bursting with excitement and amazement, repeatedly exclaiming how unbelievable it was to run into him and how their trip was already worth it. When she found out Anson was about to take a photo with the young woman, she eagerly volunteered to help.
With a swift turn, the middle-aged woman took the camera from Lucas's hand and began instructing Anson and the young woman on how to pose for the photo.
Lucas was instantly forgotten, standing off to the side.
*Click, click, click.*
After a flurry of action, Anson and the young woman had finished taking their photo, and the middle-aged woman immediately handed the digital camera back to the young woman. It was her turn to take a photo with Anson. She even pulled her bewildered companion, who was still trying to understand what was happening, into the photo, insisting that her friend would regret not taking one.
Chattering.
Buzzing.
The scene was chaotic.
Lucas didn't understand, his mind full of questions:
Leaving aside those who recognized Anson, why would this woman drag along her companion, who didn't even know who Anson was, to take a photo? And why did that companion keep asking Anson, "What's your name? Are you really an actor? What have you been in? Why don't I recognize you?" on and on.
Lucas's face grew darker and darker.
And when the middle-aged woman handed the digital camera back to Lucas, asking him to take a group photo of the four strangers to commemorate their serendipitous encounter today—
He snapped.
Outwardly, he still seemed calm, as Lucas quietly stared at the three strangers before him.
"Sir, take the picture. Just a group photo." The middle-aged woman looked at the motionless Lucas, completely oblivious to the shift in atmosphere.
Lucas's lips curled into a faint smile, but there was no warmth in it at all. His expression was one of those smiles that didn't reach the eyes, which was rather eerie.
"Ladies, you should all know that biologically speaking, Anson is still under eighteen years old. He's still a minor, right?"
---