The scene was a bit crowded.
Originally, the crowd walking down the middle of the hallway suddenly shifted, spilling over into the space Anson and Jack occupied. The available room shrank, and both of them instinctively stepped back.
But clearly, they didn't retreat quickly enough. The oncoming group took over the main pathway in an instant, and Jack ended up bumping into the corner of the wall.
"Ah…"
Caught off guard, Jack grabbed onto a nearby display rack holding brochures to steady himself. The rack wobbled, and brochures cascaded to the ground in a colorful mess.
Jack groaned in frustration. "Oh, damn."
Anson also took a couple of steps back and, after making sure Jack was okay, turned angrily to the group. His eyes narrowed in irritation. "You're not crabs! Walk straight, will you?"
He looked up and immediately spotted Kate, standing gracefully at the front of the group.
Despite Anson's anger, Kate remained unfazed. She glanced at Jack with mild interest. "He's fine, isn't he?"
Jack quickly waved his hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Anson rolled his eyes. "Sure, apologizing won't fix anything, but some people don't even know how to offer one."
Jack caught on to Anson's sarcastic tone and nearly laughed out loud. However, sensing the tense atmosphere, he managed to hold it in.
Anson looked at the men around Kate. "The least you could do is help clean up the mess, instead of standing there like Smith."
The group blinked in confusion. "Smith? Who's Smith?"
This time, Jack couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.
Seeing Anson crouch down to pick up the fallen brochures, Jack quickly stopped laughing and joined him, squatting down as well. He looked up at Anson and whispered, "*The Matrix*, right?"
In *The Matrix*, the agents hunting Neo were named Smiths, and they weren't real people—they were programs using others' bodies, all with the same face and no souls or consciousness. Jack couldn't help but admit that Anson's analogy was spot on.
Anson chuckled. "Looks like we both chose the red pill."
Jack, barely able to contain his laughter, discreetly gave Anson a thumbs up.
Seeing Anson and Jack completely ignore her, Kate felt a surge of frustration.
She had noticed the two of them earlier. Their height, build, and overall appearance were certainly pleasing to the eye, making the people around them seem dim in comparison. But what intrigued her most was the taller man with a constant, faint smile on his lips—a man with an undeniable charisma.
Even in Hollywood, men like him were rare.
Thinking it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend, she had changed course to approach them. But to her surprise, these two didn't seem to pay her any mind.
Kate smiled and bent down, waving her hand between the two of them. "Hey, I'm right here."
Anson looked genuinely surprised. "You're still here?"
Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing, her expression faltering.
One of the men in her group couldn't take it anymore and spoke up. "Watch your mouth."
"Humans are talking. What, can't animals and computers process that?" Anson retorted calmly as he finished gathering the brochures and stood up.
The men, who had been ready to step forward, found themselves hesitating as Anson straightened up, his height and presence suddenly overwhelming them. Their eyes followed his movement upward, and they froze under the pressure.
Kate quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation, giving them an excuse to back down. One of the men muttered a threat as they retreated, "Watch your mouth," though Kate paid no attention to them.
Her focus remained entirely on Anson and Jack. Glancing between the two, Kate's gaze ultimately landed on Anson, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest.
"Hey, I'm Kate. And you are?" she asked confidently, offering her hand in introduction.
By now, Jack had also stood up.
To Jack, this was a minor misunderstanding, a small matter that didn't need to escalate. His smile grew, hoping to turn the tension into laughter.
But Anson didn't see it that way—
Of course, this is a small matter, a trivial one, not even worth mentioning.
The problem is, although it's just a minor issue, the other party never once apologized, not even a simple "sorry." There wasn't even a trace of kindness in their attitude.
Standing before him, Kate had been self-centered from the beginning, with everything revolving around her. She didn't notice they were blocking the passage, didn't see Jack almost fall, nor the scattered brochures all over the floor.
The tone of her introduction, combined with her gaze, conveyed one thing:
"Hey, kid, I want to get to know you. You should feel honored."
Anson felt the urge to roll his eyes. So what is this? A ridiculous version of *Meteor Garden*?
Is Kate supposed to be Dao Ming Si? And between him and Jack, who's supposed to be Shan Cai?
So, how to respond?
Anson wasn't really eighteen anymore, hot-blooded and impulsive like a teenager. Faced with a situation like this, there was no need to make a big deal out of it, but he also couldn't pretend nothing had happened. Anson thought there was a simpler way to handle it.
"John Doe," Anson said with a smile.
Then he looked at Jack, "This is my friend, Richard Roe."
John Doe, much like "John Smith" in Chinese, is used to refer to someone, or an anonymous person.
It originated from the "Disseisin Act" during the reign of Edward III of England, which featured two fictional names: John Doe, representing the landowner, and Richard Roe, representing the tenant who seized the land and kicked John Doe out.
Later, these two names were widely used in legal proceedings to refer to hypothetical parties—
John Doe specifically refers to the plaintiff, while Richard Roe refers to the defendant.
Though the origin is British, the term is now widely used in North America. John Doe is a common term for unidentified or anonymous men, while Jane Doe is used for women, and Baby Doe for infants or children.
Jack immediately realized Anson's strategy and quickly turned to look at him, visibly shocked and flustered. It was clear he was an honest kid, not good at lying, completely unable to hide his emotions.
Anson, however, remained calm, his composed demeanor radiating confidence and making his stance all the more convincing.
Kate didn't doubt a thing. Her smile bloomed perfectly, "John, nice to meet you. And, of course, Richard as well."
Jack: ...
He wanted to laugh, but he couldn't.
Kate then turned to Anson, "So, are you both actors?"
Anson didn't answer but instead responded with a question, "It seems like you're already an actor. I hope I get to see your brilliant performance on the big screen."
Kate's smile grew even more radiant, the picture of pride. Clearly, she was hopeful about Hollywood, believing she had the world at her feet. Even if not now, a bright future was already unfolding beneath her. "You won't have to wait long. I just finished a project, and it should be out next year."
Kate nodded in satisfaction, her gaze on Anson filled with admiration. "I hope we can meet again next time."
Without waiting for Anson's response, Kate already started walking away, her steps light and naturally exuding confident energy. Those "Smiths" behind her followed in single file.
At that moment, Anson's mind was filled with the image of little tadpoles searching for their mother.
End of Chapter Four.