Eric was a bit anxious, watching helplessly as Anson left the coffee shop and walked toward his motorcycle. In his panic, he couldn't help but start babbling. Looking at Mackie, who still seemed conflicted but was visibly upset, Eric felt a surge of frustration.
"Damn it!"
"Mackie, that's Anson, Anson Wood!"
"He has countless options right now. He doesn't need to compromise for us, let alone choose us specifically. But he still showed up."
"He read the script, he thought about the character."
"He even worked with us, guiding the discussion step by step. Do you think any other actor or producer has ever studied our script this closely?"
"You always complained that no one truly appreciated the effort we put into the script. Now that someone finally sees it, you're worried they'll interfere with our creativity?"
The more Eric spoke, the more agitated he became.
Usually, Eric would sit by with a simple smile, letting Mackie take the lead in the conversation. But now, he couldn't help but reveal his true feelings as a friend, venting his frustration without holding back.
"For God's sake, what are you waiting for? No, what are you even hesitating about?"
"Damn it, Mackie."
"Damn it!"
At this point, Eric couldn't care less about Mackie. He stood up and rushed out of the coffee shop.
Standing at the entrance, Eric frantically looked around, trying to spot Anson. But before he could lock onto his target, a figure darted past him, rushing out the door.
It was… Mackie.
Mackie bolted to the roadside, anxiously leaning out into the street, completely ignoring the traffic. Her long, smooth hair broke free from its tie and fluttered in the wind, resembling the heroine from an innocent love story—
"Anson!"
Mackie called out.
"Anson…"
Her shout, filled with mixed emotions, made the scene feel like something out of a movie.
Except… Mackie's appearance really ruined the cinematic moment; her wildly flying hair was almost comical.
Eric couldn't bear to watch. The shout he had been about to call out was swallowed back down, and he glanced around at the stares from people near the coffee shop. Feeling embarrassed, he quietly took a step back, distancing himself as if to say:
I don't know him.
"What's going on with him?"
A voice asked nearby. Eric instinctively covered his face, lowering his voice and mumbling, "I, I'm not really sure either."
"Is this some kind of dramatic confession of love?"
A teasing comment made Eric wish he could crawl into a hole. He was a simple guy, bad at talking, and had no idea how to respond. He let his hands drop, looking over in confusion.
And then he froze.
"Anson…"
Eric stood there like a statue, his brain completely shutting down. His voice caught in his throat as he looked from Anson to the motorcycle still parked where it was. It dawned on Eric that they'd been foolish.
Anson's gaze was fixed on Mackie's figure. "Does he need some help?"
Eric shook his head, then nodded, finally regaining a bit of his senses. "We were looking for you. I, he, uh, we want to work with you."
This time, fearing they might lose the chance, Eric spoke quickly.
"You, it's you."
"Indeed, we hadn't considered the nuances and depth of this character. Any actor could play the role, and we have no right to make demands. More importantly, we hadn't seriously thought about the character's own colors."
"But our conversation just now gave me inspiration."
"I believe he's a bright kid, or at least he used to be. Because of a series of events, he gradually closed himself off. Even though he still appears cheerful on the outside, his eyes show sadness."
"Just like you."
"To be precise, like Peter Parker, but more mature and broken than Peter Parker. He's not a high school student; he's in college, caught between being a student and entering the real world. He's starting to reflect on his life, trying to sort out his thoughts and find direction."
"As you said, he's confused and troubled by life, happiness, and his own existence, not because of superpowers, but because of reflecting on his own life."
"So."
After a burst of frantic talking, Eric had to pause to catch his breath. He stared blankly at Anson in front of him—
Incredibly, the protagonist they had spent seven years creating was gradually coming to life before Eric's eyes, perfectly overlapping with Anson.
Very unexpectedly, the story of "The Butterfly Effect" suddenly felt entirely different in his mind.
"Blade Runner" didn't receive much praise when it was first released, but it made a strong comeback more than a decade later, earning widespread acclaim. The fundamental reason was that the characters in the story were full of life, giving the audience space to interpret them.
Over the years, Eric and Mackie had poured their hearts and souls into the script of "The Butterfly Effect," growing more confident over time. But they kept hitting walls in reality, never finding the right producer or studio, leaving them puzzled and even starting to feel resentful.
But now, suddenly, as they broke out of their own little bubble and their narrow mindset, everything became clear—
A charismatic character, a flesh-and-blood protagonist, and a chance to truly merge the sci-fi setting into reality and life.
The answer might just be Anson.
Taking a deep breath, Eric found himself getting excited.
"We need you."
"In fact, it has to be you."
"Anson, you… you can use your charm to give the character more possibilities. At the same time, we need you to be the key to this project, to secure funding, to gain attention."
"Sorry, today's entire meeting was a mess, a complete mess, but it's not too late. We can still get back on track."
"We're asking you to join us."
Usually, Eric preferred to leave the talking to Mackie, standing by with a smile. But now, he hadn't expected it himself—he just blurted it all out, letting all the thoughts in his mind spill out.
Anson was taken aback too, not expecting such a turn of events.
Just as Anson was about to speak, Mackie, who had been dramatically shouting his name from the center of the world, returned and was now calling out to Eric. Then, he saw Anson.
Mackie's face lit up, "Anson, I'm sorry, sorry, really sorry."
He hurried over to Anson, stumbling over his words as he tried to collect his thoughts, taking a deep breath to recover from the surprise.
"You're right."
"We don't want anyone interfering with the script because we believe no one knows it better than we do. But that doesn't mean the script is perfect."
"After the movie is released, thousands of viewers will watch it, and they're bound to find flaws. So why not let it be you?"
"You're a viewer too. You found a flaw. We shouldn't treat you differently. On the contrary, it's better to find the flaws now and fix them before it's released and criticized by the audience."
"We were too arrogant."
"So, are you still interested in our project?"
Having said that, Mackie anxiously looked at Anson, his heart pounding wildly, nearly ready to leap out of his throat.
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