Chapter 153 – Accidental friendship
“French films are always like this—possessing a kind of near-obsessive persistence, just like their passion for philosophy.” Renly nodded in agreement with Ryan’s opinion, then added his own thoughts.
Ryan, however, froze for a moment. “What?” Then Renly also froze, showing a look of surprise. Ryan quickly realised what had happened. “Ah…” he exclaimed, then again, “Ah!” And immediately after, he burst out laughing. “Sorry, I don’t speak French. I grew up in Ontario; I only speak English. As for French, I only know how to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you.’”
In Quebec, both English and French are official languages, but daily life revolves mainly around French. In Montreal, not knowing French can make your life miserable. Since Ryan was Canadian, and he had chosen to watch The Illusionist, a French-language film, Renly naturally assumed Ryan could speak French—after all, compared with English, French would be more convenient for him. That was why Renly had spoken French.
But unexpectedly…
Renly spread his hands and said self-mockingly, “You have to understand my pride and arrogance as a Frenchman.” The French can speak English, but they often refuse to—out of pride.
Of course, Ryan understood that it was a self-deprecating remark. He chuckled. “It’s fine. At least you didn’t show the superiority of being American.” Americans always liked to mock Canada as a backwater, much like the way New Yorkers looked down on New Jersey.
Going back and forth, the two couldn’t help but smile. “So, what exactly were you saying just now?” Ryan asked again.
Renly raised his brows in surprise. “I thought that shameful chapter was already behind us. Are we still talking about The Illusionist?” They continued chatting as they left their seats. They didn’t particularly mind staying in the theatre, but the staff had come in to clear the hall for the next screening. Renly repeated his earlier opinion.
“Although I don’t like the arrogance of the French,” Ryan gave Renly a pointed look, as if teasing him for his earlier excuse, though Renly remained perfectly calm, causing Ryan to smile again. “Still, you can’t deny they’ve made quite a few great films, right?”
“That’s already history.” Renly spread his hands. “Just like philosophy.”
The same comment, placed in a different context, carried an entirely different meaning. Ryan’s smile bloomed uncontrollably. “If you said that in French, it would be dripping with irony.” As they left the theatre, Ryan reached into the pocket of his coat, fished out two candies, and held out his palm invitingly to Renly.
Renly glanced down and asked bluntly, “No milk toffee?”
For two people who had just met, this was actually a little rude. Politeness would mean either picking one directly or refusing with a word of thanks. Normally, Renly would have done just that—he would never say something so impolite. But after their brief interaction just now, with its awkwardness and little embarrassments, he had relaxed a little, and said it half in jest.
Ryan, grinning, reached back into his pocket and rummaged again. This time, five or six candies appeared in his palm. Renly couldn’t hide his surprise. “You actually do have one.” Picking out a milk toffee, he unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth. “Honestly, I don’t really like candy. Milk toffee is the only exception.”
It was a habit left over from his previous life. Renly really didn’t like sweets, as ever since he was young, Ding Yanan had forbidden him from eating snacks. White Rabbit milk candy was the only exception. In his memory, it was one of the rare moments of indulgence.
“Fortunately, I always carry all kinds of candy with me.” Ryan unwrapped one himself and popped it into his mouth.
He was a die-hard candy lover—he would never go out without sweets. Naturally, candy had also become a way for him to make friends. He loved sharing it with others, then observing their reactions to sort them into categories of his own.
“Hey, hey, Renly!” Suddenly, someone cut across from the side, blocking both Renly and Ryan’s path. His face still carried an unshaken excitement. “Do you have time for a quick interview? Just a short one?”
Garvin Hunt was a little desperate. After watching Natalie and Benjamin head into the screening hall, he had split ways with Cornell—Cornell decided to go inside to sniff out more news, while Gavin chose to stay outside and try his luck with Renly. In the end, he couldn’t give up on that lingering regret. He had waited here for more than forty-five minutes, finally seeing the crowd that was watching The Illusionist let out, but Renly never appeared. He thought he’d missed him completely.
“An interview? This is my personal time right now. I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Renly didn’t hesitate at all; he rejected the request outright.
“But… hey, Ryan.” Only now did Garvin notice Ryan Gosling standing beside him. Compared to the newcomer Renly, Ryan was already an established figure, even having an Academy Award Best Actor nomination under his belt. But that also meant his aura of mystery had long since faded. Garvin was still far more eager to land an interview with Renly. “So… are you two dating?” The idea flashed in his mind, and the question slipped out before he could stop it.
Renly burst out laughing—this was exactly the same question he had just been asked about Natalie earlier. Ryan, however, stood there baffled, clearly not following what was going on.
“Is this your standard opening line?” Renly shot back. Garvin chuckled as well, though he didn’t lower his guard. He pressed on: “But really, you don’t have any time at all? Just ten minutes is enough. A simple, basic interview. Right now, audiences are dying to know about your background, your experiences, your story.”
Seeing not a flicker of hesitation in Renly’s eyes, Garvin grew more anxious and quickly bargained down. “Five minutes. Just five minutes!”
“As I said, this is my personal time,” Renly remained unmoved. “But I don’t mind doing interviews. You can schedule one through my agent.”
Renly was new to all this and didn’t really understand how it worked, but he’d seen Chris Hemsworth handle things that way—all interviews and jobs went through his agent. Renly figured that was the proper approach, so he gave the same answer.
“Agent?” Garvin saw a sliver of hope and immediately seized on it.
“Andy Rogers,” Renly said after a moment’s thought. He didn’t have Andy’s business card on him, so he added, “Creative Artists Agency.”
“Great!” Garvin’s smile broke wide with delight. Though arranging something through an agent was just as troublesome, at least he had found a gap. What’s more, Renly actually has an agent now? That was brand-new information. Nearly ten days had passed since the Emmys, and no word of this had spread in the industry.
This was the first breakthrough.
Renly turned his head toward Ryan and noticed the look of shock still plastered across his face, as if he’d just been startled. “What’s wrong? Did I say something strange?”
Ryan glanced at Garvin, then back at Renly. He swallowed hard. “No…” The denial had barely left his lips before the absurdity of it all suddenly hit him. He couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his lower lip in disbelief. “Sorry, I honestly thought you were just a regular audience member—or maybe one of my fans or something.”
“Ha.” Renly froze for a beat, then let out a laugh himself. He realised the irony in the situation. First, he had made a blunder and admitted it openly; now the roles were reversed, and the exact same thing had happened again—twice in less than ten minutes. “I don’t think that’s a problem. As a newcomer who’s only just entered the industry, if you had recognised me, now that would be truly bizarre. Then I might have to consider that reporter’s little theory seriously.”
Theory? What theory?
Ryan’s smile froze for a moment as he thought it over. Then it clicked—the reporter’s assumption that they were dating. The realisation bent him double with laughter. He slapped his thigh and roared, “You’re a funny guy. Honestly, you’re such a funny guy.”
Renly wore an expression that all but said, I don’t know this lunatic, and strode away quickly. That only made Ryan laugh harder. He staggered after him, trying to steady himself, and finally managed to rein in his laughter. With an easy grin, he extended his right hand. “Ryan Gosling, from London.”
There was a London in Ontario, not far from Toronto.
Renly raised his brows slightly. “Renly Hall, from London.” He reached out and clasped Ryan’s hand. Ryan immediately caught on—this was the London in the U.K. Both of their eyes lit up with a flicker of surprise, and amusement spilt over, uncontainable.
“So, are you here in Toronto just to watch the movies in the festival, or…?” Ryan asked tentatively.
“I’ve got a film premiering here. The release date is the twelfth—or was it the thirteenth?” Renly wasn’t entirely sure. “What do you say? Interested in coming to the premiere? You’d be very welcome.”
“Of course. It’d be my pleasure.” Ryan spoke with that unique Canadian warmth and enthusiasm, then added sincerely, “I mean that.” Renly couldn’t help but smile.
“Would you mind if Michelle joined us as well?” Ryan asked.
“With the reporters already spinning their wild theories? By all means—that would be perfect.” Renly quipped lightly.
The Michelle in question could only be Michelle Williams. She and Ryan had co-starred in Blue Valentine, which was also set to have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Ryan immediately followed up, “Then why don’t you come to our film’s premiere?” The moment he said it, the idea struck him as even better. “You know, you could bring a date, show up at the premiere, throw a little French at the reporters, and introduce The Illusionist, this truly remarkable film.”
“I was waiting for your invitation. You know, as a newcomer, without enough exposure, it’s impossible to survive.” Renly’s playful remark made Ryan break into a bright grin. He snapped his fingers. “Settled then!”
“So, what are your plans for this afternoon? Any other films you’re planning to catch?”
“I’m thinking of seeing Biutiful. I’ve heard the performances in it are outstanding…”
T/N – I AM BAAAAACK, or not yet. So, I took a break, a summer break, I really needed one – the chapters are going to return at the beginning of September. Additionally, I found a job, which was a new moment in my life. As a result, I am still figuring out my schedule, but I am not giving up on this novel.
T/N – If you like this novel, please give a review or rating on Novel Updates
Thank you for your work, I enjoy very much your translation of this novel!
Hope you had a nice summer break.