Chapter 159 – Tai Chi Push Hands
“Renly, Natalie came here today especially to support the premiere. Are the two of you dating?”
There was no pause, no room to breathe—the reporter fired the question straight at him. Clearly, compared to the release of an independent film, the rumours of them dating were far more entertaining.
Rodrigo looked bewildered, his mind struggling to process it. Natalie and Renly… dating? How had he heard nothing about this? Was it good news or bad news? His thoughts were abruptly cut off—the scene buzzed like thousands of bees swarming together, every corner filled with the hum of excitement. The fans’ energy was just as intense as the reporters’.
After all, Natalie had started as a child star but had mostly remained active in art films. She was known for keeping a low profile, and her rumoured relationships were few and unremarkable. And now? Not only was she linked to a scandal, it was with a tall, handsome young actor and on a platform like the Toronto Film Festival, of all places?
It was explosive. It was high-profile. Everyone’s excitement shot through the roof.
Countless eyes fixed on Renly’s shoulders, the heat of their gaze almost enough to ignite his shirt. Even Natalie, standing beside him, tilted her head upward, her eyes burning as they traced the curve of his jawline.
Though Natalie was at a disadvantage due to the height difference, forcing her to tilt her chin high just to catch Renly’s peripheral glance, it didn’t diminish her impact one bit. Her radiant smile carried an intense force, subtly projecting a sense of superiority. No words were needed—that effect alone was startling.
Renly’s lips curved slightly, forming a soft, straight line before lifting at the corners into a teasing, sly smile. Bathed in the flashing lights, he faced the chaos and pressure of the scene with composure. “According to the very latest news I just confirmed fifteen minutes ago,” he said in a refined yet lively voice, carrying a subtle warmth, “my current date is Ryan Gosling.”
The statement stunned everyone. Reporters stared at one another in disbelief, while the audience froze, unsure how to react. In everyone’s mind, the same question appeared: What did he just say?
Was Renly coming out at this moment? This… leap was far too sudden! One second, he was being asked about a rumoured relationship with Natalie, and the next, he was “coming out”? That was obviously impossible. Moreover, everyone knew Ryan’s past relationships, and no matter how you looked at it, these two did not resemble a couple at all. It was too strange.
Everyone could tell that Renly was joking, skirting the scandal, doing a bit of verbal Tai Chi—but the real question was, why choose Ryan? What on earth was the point of this?
Only Gavin Hunt seemed to understand. He couldn’t help himself and suddenly spat, even choking in the process. “Cough, cough, cough, cough.” His sudden reaction instantly drew all the reporters’ attention, each turning to him, hoping for an explanation. But Gavin couldn’t stop coughing long enough to clarify anything, so the reporters shifted their focus back to Renly.
Renly seemed thoroughly pleased with their reactions and chuckled lightly. “It seems you have no questions other than this one. You see me standing with Natalie and immediately ask if we’re dating. Then you see me with Ryan and ask the same thing. Have journalists’ skills really fallen to such a low level?”
Though playful, his words carried a sharp edge, hitting the reporters squarely. The fans in the background erupted in laughter. To outsiders, what Renly described looked no different from the work of paparazzi. Professional journalists, however, hated being lumped in as paparazzi with no skill or insight, and naturally felt a flush of irritation.
Had Natalie said the same thing, reporters might have simply laughed it off. But now it was Renly—a young newcomer—speaking, and immediately a reporter shouted, “Then how do you explain Natalie coming here specifically to attend the premiere today? That’s an extremely intimate gesture.”
What the reporter didn’t finish mentioning was that most of the top actors were busy preparing for the evening premiere of The Town.
The film was directed by Ben Affleck. As an actor, his skills were often mocked—some would say at a Golden Raspberry level—but as a director, this was only his second work. Moreover, his past “showy” romance with Jennifer Lopez had drawn widespread scorn, and when they broke up, the public cheered. Yet in 2005, after marrying Jennifer Garner, he had seemingly turned over a new leaf. With the steadfast support of his “best buddy”, Matt Damon, there were now plenty of actors willing to show up to support Ben.
So Natalie choosing to skip the premiere of The Town and attend the afternoon screening of Buried was certainly suspicious.
“I didn’t know that an actor attending another actor’s premiere requires an explanation,” Renly shot back, refusing to answer directly. More importantly, he used “actor” as the pronoun, not “friend.” That subtle difference conveyed an entirely different tone, quietly emphasising a professional stance.
Renly shrugged with a light chuckle. “It seems the journalism industry is evolving so fast that I’m starting to fall behind.” Once again, he subtly mocked the reporters present—only paparazzi would make such an unreasonable fuss.
Being hit with two soft jabs in a row was unexpected. Although he had previously experienced the premieres of The Pacific and the Emmy Awards red carpet, showing his intelligence and humour, most reporters still had no vivid impression of Renly as he was just a new actor. Their understanding of him remained stuck at the stage where he unexpectedly won the Emmy for Best Actor. Billboard news and online buzz were, for film reporters, merely gossip. Until today, as the premiere of Buried seemed to become Renly’s stage, finally presenting him fully before the press.
“So, will you be attending the Black Swan premiere later?” The reporter, of course, did not give up. Reframing the question in a more polite and official tone, it was essentially the same query.
“That depends on my performance today,” Renly answered, surprising everyone. “Performance?” What did he mean by that? The statement could be interpreted in countless ways. The reporters immediately grew excited, energised by the ambiguity. Then Renly turned toward Natalie, smiling, and said, “Since meeting in Toronto, the only reason we could become friends is because we’re both actors. I hope the performance of Buried will live up to my title of ‘actor.’”
A simple sentence, yet loaded with hidden information: Had they only just met in Toronto? Then what about the previous rumours—was this love at first sight? Was being actors truly their only connection? Did it mean they only interacted professionally, with conversations centred on work? And why was topic of Buried being entangled with rumours? Could it be that Natalie’s attendance was purely professional?
Everything Renly said implied another possibility: that they were merely ordinary friends.
It wasn’t a simple “yes,” nor a “no,” nor some evasive Tai Chi-style dodging. Faced with the reporters’ question, Renly gave an unexpected answer, yet it revealed a wealth of information. Especially notable was the gentlemanly etiquette in his words—there was none of the familiarity you could hear when one talks about friends. Instead, he projected complete professionalism, mentioning “actor” in every sentence. Considering the brief earlier exchange, events were clearly not unfolding as the reporters had expected.
In an instant, the weight of every gaze fell upon Natalie’s shoulders.
She could feel Renly’s polite yet distant gaze, subtly defining the boundaries of their relationship. Importantly, Renly neither revealed anything about Benjamin nor offered a polite, evasive response. Nor did he slyly dodge the question. In other words, he left Natalie no loophole—only one clear path: Buried.
No matter in what capacity Natalie attended the premiere, or what calculations she might have had, Renly had already steered the conversation back to the film. If she continued to avoid the topic, the reporters would certainly sense something was off. To keep the “performance” going, she had to follow the lead. This forced, constrained feeling, the sense of having to obey a script, was something Natalie disliked, loathed even.
And yet, she couldn’t show it at this moment.
“Ha,” Natalie laughed lightly, while teasing, “It seems you’re brimming with confidence. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have invited me to this premiere, right?” Natalie could have chosen to contradict Renly, but she needed the reporters to feel the spark between them, so she offered praise instead.
“As far as I know, you’ve gone through a lot of hardship and poured countless efforts into Buried. I believe in your talent—and even more, in your capability. So let’s wait and see. I’m sure the audience will give a fair judgment; after all, this is the Toronto Film Festival, isn’t it?”
The last sentence was directed at the audience. Just as Natalie intended, the crowd erupted into cheers. Many whistled, cheering on Renly with full enthusiasm.
Renly didn’t even need to look closely to see the satisfaction in the reporters’ eyes—Natalie was being so proactive in promoting Buried, so openly displaying a friendly stance, that it couldn’t have been more obvious. This was the perfect breeding ground for rumours. All of Renly’s previous efforts now seemed on the verge of being undone, as if he was once again stepping into Natalie’s trap.
So, how will Renly respond?
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