บท 161: Around the corner

Rodrigo wiped the sweat off his palms once more, took a deep breath, and endeavored to relax his stiffened facial muscles. Yet, this was far from an easy task. He had been worrying if today's premiere would be too quiet, but the outcome overwhelmed him—there wasn't even a moment to catch his breath.

So, all of this was orchestrated by Andy Rogers?

Entering the cinema, guided by the staff, Rodrigo headed towards the direction of the screening hall. His throat had gone dry due to nervousness. The fervor of the premiere indicated that "Buried", the film he was associated with, would now face the scrutiny of more audiences and media. Despite the Toronto Film Festival being known for its audience-friendliness, what if even the Toronto audience didn't like it?

The surging pressure caused Rodrigo's heartbeats to slowly intensify. His stomach churned. In the periphery of his vision, he inadvertently caught sight of Natalie Portman's figure. She was moving toward the cinema's back door, not the screening hall. Rodrigo was somewhat surprised and hurriedly caught up, calling out, "Ms. Portman."

Natalie's steps didn't halt; she continued forward, neither hurried nor slow, as if she hadn't heard the call at all.

Rodrigo quickened his pace, closing the gap in three strides to Natalie's side. He kindly reminded her, "Ms. Portman, the screening hall is in that direction. You've taken the wrong path."

Natalie raised her head, gave Rodrigo a glance, and responded with a polite smile, "Don't worry about me. You should go into the screening hall first. I have some ladylike matters to attend to." Ladylike matters—that is, the restroom.

Rodrigo smiled awkwardly, "Well then, I'll see you in the screening hall later." He slowed down, watching Natalie's departing figure, then adjusted his direction, and resumed his path toward the screening hall. Lifting his head, he saw the directional sign above: Restroom.

If the restroom was in this direction, then where did Natalie go just now?

Turning his head, the corridor was now empty. Rodrigo tilted his head in confusion, unable to comprehend, but still puzzled, he continued walking, glancing back three times as he made his way to the screening hall.

Natalie had left without any hesitation.

She knew that there was no need for her to stay here any longer. She had no interest in this film, and after the premiere, it would be difficult to create more gossip hints. Staying behind would be a mere waste of time, and she would also have to collaborate with Renly in promoting his film. On the other hand, even if she left now, the reporters wouldn't notice. At most, they would assume she sneaked away before the screening ended, thus creating a smokescreen to evade deliberate gossip.

Thinking about Renly's performance at the premiere today, Natalie felt a wave of annoyance. She had clearly fallen short in this competition, and the feeling was truly unpleasant. That infuriating Renly Hall was an itch she couldn't scratch. But she had no time to settle scores with that self-righteous fellow now; she had to focus on handling potential dangers.

In the past few days, they had deliberately leaked rumors one after another, guiding the speculations about her and Renly. But now, it was evident that Renly had no intentions of cooperating and had even turned the tables. As a result, journalists would soon take notice of her being seen watching the movie with Benjamin and her attempts to divert attention. This meant that after their failed attempts at concealing the truth, the reporters' suspicions would only grow stronger.

If the Oscar PR team didn't want their reputation to take a hit before the launch of "Black Swan", they had to act preemptively.

Rodrigo walked briskly into the screening hall and spotted Renly, who was engaged in a lively conversation with Rami and James. His apprehensive heart settled slightly. Approaching Renly, Rodrigo lowered his voice and reminded, "Renly, I saw Natalie go to the restroom just now; she might miss the beginning."

Renly glanced around, indeed not spotting Natalie's figure. However, he wasn't surprised. They were not on the same page, to begin with. If he were in Natalie's shoes, he would have chosen to leave—clearly the wisest choice. "Don't worry about her. Today's protagonist shouldn't be her. Enjoy your moment; we've been waiting for this day, haven't we? This is the Toronto Film Festival, and "Buried" is about to meet its audience. You shouldn't be concerned about anyone else right now."

Feeling Renly's calmness, Rodrigo gradually calmed down as well, a smile forming on his face. Indeed, he should have confidence in Renly. Memories of their collaboration on set flooded his mind once again, replacing his nervousness with a touch of excitement. He was becoming impatient, eagerly anticipating the audience's reactions and those of the reporters and critics.

"This is Toronto," Rodrigo sighed.

Renly beamed with a wide smile, "This is Toronto."

Tessa Britton trailed beside Chanelle Laurent, her eyes filled with incredulous astonishment. "Are you saying that he delivered such a remarkable performance right in the hostel's lobby, leaving everyone unsure if it was real or staged?"

Chanelle nodded, confirming, "That's why I rushed all the way to Toronto. I wanted to be among the first to witness this movie." A brilliant smile crossed Chanelle's face, and her excitement was palpable. "Believe me, witnessing it in person is far more impactful than any words can describe! You'll feel the authenticity and impact firsthand. Oh, by the way, just two weeks ago, he won an Emmy Award for Best Actor for "The Pacific". Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks he's an exceptional actor."

"Ehh, "The Pacific"?" Tessa repeated, processing the information. "I've heard of that series. Wasn't it created by the team behind "Band of Brothers"?" After receiving Chanelle's affirmation, realization dawned on Tessa. "I'm not particularly into war dramas, so I hadn't watched it before. But starting now, I might develop an interest."

Tessa clenched her fist. After all, she wasn't interested in the series itself, but rather in Renly. Watching a handsome guy on the big screen was in itself a delightful experience. As for the quality of the series, what did it matter? She had already secretly decided to rewatch "The Pacific" once she got back home.

Tessa and Chanelle followed the crowd into the screening hall. The surging mass of people ignited within the confined space, creating a stifling heat and restlessness that felt suffocating. With a single glance, Tessa spotted Renly standing in the front row, right at the open space, and her emotions flared up. Ryan is here too!

Tessa couldn't help but clench her fists, her excitement so intense that she stomped her foot in place. Originally, she had only wanted to catch a close glimpse of Ryan near the red carpet, but now there was an unexpected surprise! Not only did she see Renly, but she also saw Ryan standing side by side with him! Observing the two handsome guys chatting and laughing, Tessa was too overwhelmed by excitement, her body trembling slightly beyond her control.

"Ryan!" Tessa couldn't suppress her emotions and exclaimed uncontrollably. She knew she was in a cinema, and she was aware that her behavior was impolite, but her excitement got the better of her. "Renly!"

Amidst her calls, both Ryan and Renly turned their heads, quickly spotting the source of the voice. Ryan raised his right hand high and waved. Standing beside him, Renly broke into a big smile, leaned slightly, and said something to Ryan, resulting in Ryan chuckling as well.

"Renly!" Tessa's voice burst out from her throat again, and she trembled with excitement. She felt everything was too beautiful, unbelievably beautiful. It was as though a thin halo of radiance enveloped the world, creating a magnificent scene. The crowd behind her pushed forward, seeming displeased with the pause. Tessa was pushed forward, but her gaze remained fixed on Renly and Ryan, reluctant to move away.

Gavin Hunt lifted his head to scan the screening hall. Surprisingly, nearly half of the three hundred seats were already occupied, and more people were still streaming in behind. If things went as expected, the cinema was going to be fully packed.

Though it was a smaller venue, "Buried" was the least hyped among the fifty-one films at this year's Toronto Film Festival. It lacked A-list stars, renowned directors, local advantages, and even substantial promotion. Despite its global release, it was scheduled at the awkward time of 4 PM. Given these circumstances, the venue being close to capacity was a remarkable achievement.

Gavin felt a subtle anticipation, just as Ryan had said: What kind of performance would Renly deliver?

"Hey, buddy." A voice came from beside Gavin, and he turned to find someone smiling at him. "Daisy Lucas, from Vanity Fair. At the premiere just now, Renly mentioned he's in a relationship with Ryan. What's the story behind this?" Daisy followed Gavin's steps closely; she knew he was likely the only insider in the know.

Not only did she refer to the story she just mentioned, but Daisy also suspected that Gavin knew something about Natalie and Renly.

Gavin didn't think too much of it and smiled as he briefly recounted his encounters with Renly and Natalie and later with Renly and Ryan.

However, Daisy immediately caught on to something unusual. "You mean, Renly didn't watch the movie with Natalie but with Ryan? And Natalie watched the movie with Benjamin?" Daisy felt like she had caught a spark of inspiration. It seemed that the situation was more complex than she had imagined, yet it was also simpler.

"Yeah." Gavin nodded, then realized that not only Daisy but also a circle of reporters around them were listening intently, appearing contemplative. It dawned on Gavin that he might have missed something and unintentionally let something slip. He quickly shut up, earnestly pondering, but with no clear clue.

"The movie is about to start." Gavin watched as the lights dimmed gradually and hurriedly found an empty seat to sit down. Regardless of the rumors outside, what he was truly curious about today was "Buried"!