novellhall Chapter 290 The Nickname Wasn't Wrong
Chapter 290 The Nickname Wasn't Wrong
Chapter 289 The Nickname Wasn't Wrong (Happy New Year, Please Vote!)
After he finished speaking, the carriage fell silent for a moment.
The car radio then switched to the piano prelude of "City of Stars," a soothing yet melancholic melody that drifted in.
Emma stared blankly at Chen Xun, lost in thought.
Today we filmed the final scenes all day long, from the farewell scene at the observatory in the afternoon to the eye contact scene in the bar that spanned five years in the evening.
Her emotions were like a rollercoaster, rising and falling throughout Mia's life.
When Chazelle yelled "cut," the whole stadium applauded.
She stood there, staring at Chen Xun in front of the piano, unable to leave for a long time.
She couldn't tell whether the stinging in her eyes at that moment was out of regret for Mia or out of excitement for herself.
"You really went too far today."
Emma's tone was a mix of reproach and a hint of inexplicable pride: "When we were filming that eye contact scene in the bar, the way you looked at me didn't seem like acting at all. Even after Chazelle yelled 'cut,' you were still sitting at the piano looking at me. The whole crew was watching us, and my face was burning."
Chen Xun tightened his grip on the steering wheel, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
He couldn't deny it.
When the spotlight shone on him, his fingertips touched the piano keys, and he looked up and saw Emma in the crowd, his mind went blank.
Looking at her with red eyes but forcing a smile, he felt as if something had gently tapped his heart.
At that moment, he saw not Mia, but Emma.
The girl who was scolded by the director during her audition and cried in the stairwell, then turned around, wiped away her tears, and went back to the set with a smile.
I stayed with him on set at three in the morning to work on his piano scenes. I was so sleepy that I was nodding off, but I still insisted on helping him with his lines.
In the play, Sebastian and Mia are separated by five years and can only spend their lives in fantasy with a single piano piece.
But off-screen, he and Emma are sitting in this small car right now.
They were less than half a meter apart.
Emma Stone's favorability +1, current favorability: 94
Emma's cheeks suddenly turned red.
She hurriedly turned her face away and looked out the window, pretending to admire the night view along the roadside.
She and Chen Xun had known each other for almost half a year, and spent more than four months together, from the audition to the start of filming.
Chen Xun's dedication as he stayed up late into the night studying the script.
A unique understanding of the character.
And his patience with group performances.
All of this made her feel different from others.
She had seen too many sides of Chen Xun, and gradually fell for him.
The rumors circulating online are rampant.
But only she knows the truth.
Those days spent side by side on set until dawn, the tacit understanding between us without needing to speak, were never an act.
"You've seen all the rumors online, haven't you?"
Emma composed herself, turned around, and broke the overly ambiguous silence in the carriage with a teasing tone: "Everyone is guessing whether you and Christine broke up, and they're saying I'm the new rumored girlfriend. Your fans have even given me a nickname: 'Mia's Rise to Power's Female Lead."
She laughed as she spoke.
"She truly lives up to her reputation as a womanizer. From Kristen Stewart to Jennifer Lawrence, and now to me, every collaboration she has sparks a new scandal."
Emma started teasing him.
"Then they've really wronged me."
Chen Xun chuckled, his tone tinged with helplessness.
He paused for a moment, and the car slowed down as it entered the neighborhood where the hotel was located.
The engine is turned off.
The roar of the engine suddenly disappeared.
The only sounds in the carriage were the piano music of "City of Stars" playing on repeat on the loudspeaker and the clearly audible breathing of the two people.
Chen Xun didn't speak, but leaned forward slightly.
In the cramped carriage, the two were already close together, and when he leaned over, he instantly filled that small gap completely.
He could smell the faint scent of gardenia perfume in Emma's hair, mixed with the lingering scent of setting spray from the film set.
Emma's heart skipped a beat.
The fingers gripping the mineral water bottle tightened suddenly, and the bottle made a slight scraping sound.
Emma could clearly feel Chen Xun's breath on her forehead.
She instantly remembered the man sitting at the piano watching her under the spotlight on set.
Is it Sebastian, or Chen Xun?
She couldn't tell for a moment.
All the emotions I had during filming during the day surged up instantly.
The starry sky we watched side by side at the observatory, the tap dance we did off-beat under the streetlights, the silent eye contact we shared across the crowd in the bar, and Sebastian's unspoken "I love you" in the montage, and the hand he couldn't hold.
The regrets in the play washed over her like a tide, enveloping the feelings she had kept hidden in reality for more than four months, and shattering her last bit of rationality.
Chen Xun had only meant to tease Emma and was about to leave.
After all, his current romantic relationships are messy enough, and he's not ready to accept new people yet.
Who would have thought that Emma would become completely immersed in the atmosphere created by Chen Xun?
The moment Chen Xun's hand left her cheek, Emma took a half step forward, closed her eyes, and kissed his lips.
Chen Xun's body suddenly stiffened.
He muttered a curse under his breath.
We hadn't done this in a long time, and we messed up right from the start!
Chen Xun is still very dedicated.
I started this myself, so I have to finish it no matter what!
The next second, he grabbed the back of her neck with his other hand.
He hugged Emma even tighter.
At that moment, the two seemed to be cut off from the entire world, with only each other's warm breath remaining.
Emma Stone's favorability +1, current favorability: 95
The kiss lasted until Emma was almost out of breath, and she gently pushed him away before they finally separated.
Forehead to forehead, neither of them spoke.
Emma's cheeks were as red as ripe cherries, her eyes were moist, and her lips were slightly swollen from being kissed.
She looked into Chen Xun's eyes, which were so close to hers, and her mind went completely blank.
What did she just do?
She actually kissed Chen Xun first!
The hotel was teeming with staff, and paparazzi were lurking outside. If someone saw us—
The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. She abruptly pushed back the seat, frantically unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed her bag from the passenger seat, and couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
"I—I'll go up first!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed open the car door, lowered her head, and rushed into the hotel.
She didn't even dare to turn her head, like a frightened fawn, her back view revealing panic.
Chen Xun sat in the car, watching her disappear through the hotel's revolving doors, the soft touch of her lips still lingering on his fingertips.
He stood there stunned for a long time before muttering a curse under his breath, raising his hand to rub his temples, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up in a smile.
"A magnet for female celebrities —"
Chen Xun suddenly remembered the nickname given to him by netizens.
He shook his head helplessly.
"As expected, the nickname was correct."
Chen Xun muttered something to himself, started the car, and slowly drove away from the hotel entrance.
In the rearview mirror, the hotel lights grew farther and farther away.
The car drove smoothly through the streets of Los Angeles late at night, the lights outside the window rushing past.
Just then, the words suddenly appeared before my eyes:
[Filming of core scenes for the "La La Land" project has been completed; project data is being updated in real time.]
Project Name: La La Land
Current filming progress: 90%
[Performance Rating: A+]
Director's satisfaction rating: A+
Teamwork: A+
[Audience Expectations: A—]
Overall Rating: A
[Stage Reward: The progress of "Ten Thousand People Drawing the Streets" +13%, Current Total Progress: 37%]
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