Actor in Hollywood

City of Sound, Los Angeles.

The sun was still shining brightly, the air was still dry and hot, and this corner of the world remained as forgotten as ever, unnoticed by anyone as time seemed to pass it by.

The summer box office frenzy had come and gone several times, yet it never reached this place. The City of Sound appeared to be left behind, as the rest of the world moved forward, expanding its horizons, but forgot to bring this corner along.

However, the constant presence of paparazzi was an unusual sight, like flies on a garbage heap or vultures circling a carcass. Even when everyone else steered clear, they couldn't be stopped.

The reason? There was only one, and only one was needed—

Anson.

With the waves of summer blockbusters coming one after another, the excitement seemed never-ending. Even though the pace wasn't as frantic as a new hot topic every hour, switching to a new buzz every three or five days was still part of Hollywood's charm.

Naturally, the paparazzi were overwhelmed.

They didn't need to fixate on just one story. If they couldn't dig up an exclusive here, they'd switch to another. After all, this was Hollywood, where there was never a shortage of scandals, just a lack of eyes to find them.

Anson, a rising star just emerging, should have been low on their list.

However, the reality was slightly different—

"Spider-Man" continued its unstoppable momentum, with its massive success showing no signs of slowing down. Its box office trajectory became increasingly astonishing, completely overshadowing "Star Wars: Episode II" in a way no one had expected.

To say that "Spider-Man" single-handedly rewrote the rules of the summer box office would not be an exaggeration. Nearly every record was claimed by Peter Parker, thoroughly overturning the market's norms.

Moreover, it elevated the status of superhero movies in one fell swoop.

Naturally, each week when the North American weekend box office numbers were released, it dominated the conversation, with the endless buzz never fading away.

"Spider-Man." "Spider-Man." And still "Spider-Man."

In this context, it was odd that the red-hot Anson had suddenly gone silent. Was that normal? Was that even possible?

The answer was no.

The media being unable to track Anson's whereabouts was understandable, but for the paparazzi to be equally clueless? That made them look incompetent.

And so, this scene unfolded.

Flies or vultures, no matter what you called them, the paparazzi would regularly visit the City of Sound, hoping to dig up some news.

Unfortunately—

They came back empty-handed.

Gradually, the paparazzi's pride was hurt.

They might not be kings without crowns, but they were not to be trifled with. Having roamed Hollywood for decades, when had they ever been so frustrated and embarrassed? When the paparazzi targeted someone, they wouldn't stop until they'd dug up everything. So how could a mere Anson remain so unperturbed in the face of their siege?

And so—

The paparazzi, each using their unique skills, did manage to uncover some scoops.

For example, Hayden Christensen.

He and Anson were once roommates, and the blockbuster films they starred in were released one after the other this summer, competing head-to-head. Yet, neither had publicly or privately mentioned the other, raising suspicions.

However—

Both Hayden's and Anson's managers expressed similar views:

They avoided mentioning each other to prevent confusion and keep the promotional focus clear. They were just roommates, not friends, but there was no conflict.

Paparazzi: Yeah, right, we totally believe that.

The problem, though, was a lack of evidence.

Paparazzi could speculate, stir the pot, and make wild claims, but once a manager made their stance clear, it was hard to push the story further. Recklessly releasing a scoop could end up wasting a good piece of material. In the end, they could only wait.

Then there was Brad Renfro.

Given the situation with Hayden, even though there seemed to be no conflict between Brad and Anson, the sharp-nosed paparazzi immediately sensed something was up when they saw Brad moving alone to Santa Monica.

But!

Brad firmly insisted that nothing had happened.

Once again, the paparazzi came back empty-handed.

Sifting through a heap of suspicious clues, they found few that were actually useful. Even the room to create stories out of thin air was limited, leaving the paparazzi with a deep sense of frustration.

And so, every now and then, the paparazzi would detour to the City of Sound—

According to TMZ's photos and information, Anson was still recording here.

"…Is Anson still inside?"

"That's what TMZ says."

"I've never staked out a recording studio before. The Backstreet Boys going into a studio isn't news, but is it normal for them to lock themselves in there day and night like this?"

"It's normal. Singers do that."

"For that long? How long has it been now? Two weeks? Three?"

"Haha, you can tell you're new to this. Two or three weeks is just the start. Last year, *NSYNC stayed in the studio for three or four months. Now that was a disaster."

"Oh, damn it!"

The paparazzi chatted noisily, exchanging information as they tried to dig up something exclusive on Anson. But clearly, it wasn't easy. Not easy at all.

"So, Harry Percy is just sitting here like an idiot?"

"Don't call him an idiot. TMZ's click-through rate depends on Anson right now."

"But it's easy like this. Not having to run around, it's like being a regular nine-to-five worker. I never expected the paparazzi gig to feel like that."

"If you don't run around, how are you going to get exclusives? I bet Harry Percy won't last much longer with TMZ..."

Their gaze drifted over to Harry—

He was holding a newspaper, wearing a bib, and taking a big bite out of a burger.

To many of his colleagues, he looked like a fool.

Harry noticed the stares but didn't mind. He even waved in greeting, and the other paparazzi waved back, though they couldn't help but keep grumbling.

Until—

"Hey! Wait, did you guys see TMZ's latest scoop?"

"What scoop? That Anson is still recording in the City of Sound? Haha."

"No, no, no. The scoop that Anson just finished working on an indie project in Portland with director Gus Van Sant."

Suddenly, there was dead silence.

The paparazzi exchanged looks, some shocked, some confused, but none could find their voice.

"Wait, hold on. TMZ said Anson's been in the City of Sound this whole time..."

"Right, but in the scoop, they said Anson had fooled everyone, including TMZ, into thinking he was recording in the City of Sound, but he was actually in Portland working on this project with Gus."

"A project? How long did they shoot?"

"Don't know. The scoop didn't say. Just mentioned it's an experimental project that Anson is personally very fond of."

One second, two seconds...

After the silence, the paparazzi couldn't hold back anymore and started swearing, their gaze turning toward Harry Percy.

Harry was still eating his burger. Noticing the looks, he waved again and even shouted, "Have you had lunch yet?"

Paparazzi: Damn it.

If they still didn't realize they'd been completely played by Harry, then they might as well quit the paparazzi business for good.

Immediately, they all pulled out their phones and started making calls. In the blink of an eye, the noisy crowd scattered.

Harry smiled broadly. "Enjoy your lunch!"