The Greatest Showman

Chapter 85

“You could have just asked me directly.”

Renly’s words, spoken with clarity, pierced Chris’s chest like a series of heavy blows, making it hard for him to catch his breath.

In fact, Renly hadn’t really been concerned about the whereabouts of the script for “Thor.” After deciding to give it up, he had put the matter of the script out of his mind. If it weren’t for Roy bringing it up today, he wouldn’t have even realized that the script was missing. But regardless of whether Renly cared or was interested in it, it was his script, his personal property, and even though Chris was curious about it, he couldn’t just “steal” it.

Yes, he could have directly asked Renly.

Ask Renly what the deal was with the “Thor” script. Ask if Renly had been involved in the casting competition for “Thor.” Ask if Renly could let him have a look at the script because he was also interested in getting the role of Thor.

As long as Chris initiated the conversation, Renly would have been more than willing to share, because they were not only roommates but also friends.

If Renly refused to share, that would be a different story.

However, Chris had never asked him. He didn’t give Renly the opportunity to refuse or the space to share the script with him. He bypassed Renly entirely, took the script from the bookshelf, and withheld all the information. From a legal standpoint, this might not be considered an offence, and it couldn’t even be determined if it was theft. But from a moral standpoint, Chris had made a wrong choice.

An irresistible sense of shame swept over him, as Chris clenched his fists, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. An angry volcano began to erupt incessantly, with scorching magma coursing through his veins. “And what if you refused?” Chris screamed wildly at Renly, but deep down, he knew Renly wouldn’t refuse. It was precisely this bit of rationality that made Chris even more uncomfortable, and he wished he could tear Renly apart, shattering that composed face.

“So?” Faced with Chris’s questioning, Renly’s responses became even more dismissive. He raised an eyebrow, and his deep eyes sparked with an unbelievable light. All the refinement, restraint, and composure were incinerated at that moment by flames. “You can’t snatch what I wouldn’t give!”

Chris’s chest constricted as if he had been thrown into the Arctic Ocean, where the piercing cold collided with surging magma, exploding into anger and shame, jealousy and torment, disgust and bitterness, all of it tangled together.

Watching Renly’s self-righteous and superior expression, standing on a moral high ground, criticizing his behaviour, that hypocritical sanctimonious attitude was nauseating. Chris finally understood why he didn’t like Renly. It was because Renly is a self-important jerk, full of talk about the grand dreams of an actor, looking invincible and disregarding the eyes of others, living in his own world, but in reality, he is just a struggling clown on the verge of survival.

So, he always liked to show off his own success, he always liked to see Renly struggle in realizing his career, he always enjoyed seeing Renly’s dreams brutally colliding with the harsh reality, and most importantly, he always liked to see Renly bow his proud head in front of him.

“Ha,” Chris laughed in anger. Renly’s words were so pretentious and ridiculous, sounding like a beggar shouting, “I don’t care about money,” while their rumbling stomach told a different story. “So, I snatched it, what are you going to do about it?”

Chris tossed his clothing aside, placed his hands on his hips, and took a few powerful steps forward, his mountain-like muscles creating an imposing presence. “What are you going to do?”

Chris chuckled twice, “Do you plan to crush me with your dreams? Or take me to the court? Or perhaps… vent your grievances to the paparazzi?” Chris spread his arms, a manic expression on his face, full of disdain and mockery. “Let me tell you, whatever you plan to do, go ahead because you won’t have a chance after this.”

Chris’s expression suddenly became excited, and his small eyes widened completely, revealing that breathtaking blue colour. At this moment, he was like a tsunami creating frightening waves, “You know what? We won’t be on the same level anymore. ‘Thor’ will be my stepping stone, propelling me into the ranks of Hollywood’s top actors – fame, reputation, attention, and popularity, all will follow. And you?”

“Hehe.” Chris seemed to think of something amusing, and he laughed triumphantly, “You’ll be trapped in the world of those damn independent films, playing some unknown minor roles, and struggling in the outskirts of New York. No one will know your name, no one will care about your talent, and not anyone will even realize you ever existed.”

“Our gap will only grow larger, to the point where we might not even have a chance to meet in the future. I’ll be standing on the Oscars’ red carpet, receiving cheers from all over the world, while you’ll be wandering the streets of New York for a living.” Chris had a longing look on his face, nodding with satisfaction. “So, this is your last chance.”

Looking at Chris in front of him, Renly couldn’t help but find this to be a very interesting situation.

In his previous life, in the media, Chris always had a positive image, a family-loving husband and father figure, a slightly cute handsome guy, a striking but not overly aggressive eye candy. That kind of Chris always delighted people’s hearts and he succeeded in winning the hearts of a large number of fans.

But at this very moment, Chris standing in front of Renly is entirely different. He’s twisted, aggressive, and even manic, with no disguise of his ambition and arrogance. He is far smarter than he appears on the surface.

However, Renly soon understood. He had been too naive. In Hollywood, in the world of fame and fortune, those who can make it to the top, to the highest echelons, are not fools. People like Hayden Christensen, who appeared foolish, are merely flashes in the pan and are quickly eliminated.

Renly recalled the passionate kiss Scarlett and Ryan had shared this afternoon in front of the Hello New York Youth Hostel.

The true face of Hollywood was gradually unveiled before Renly. It’s a bizarre world, even more fascinating than the movies that were about to come.

A faint smile crept onto his lips, not aimed at Chris but simply at this situation that he found somewhat amusing.

He didn’t harbour any unrealistic fantasies about Hollywood, having experienced the ups and downs of human relationships in his previous life. He knew that the glamorous life under the spotlight was only a part of reality; however, only today did he get a glimpse of the other side of Hollywood. Maybe in the past, he had been on the periphery, not qualified enough, and never truly stepped onto the stage of this world of fame and fortune.

So, does this mean he has finally entered it now?

Chris, looking at Renly’s smile, began to feel a surge of anger cloud his judgment. Renly was belittling him, showing him disdain, and mockery! But this time, before Chris could respond, Renly interrupted him.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything. If you like it, just take it.”

The tone of Renly remained unchanged, as if completely unaffected by Chris’s lengthy discourse earlier, as if it was merely a light breeze that had come and gone, leaving no trace behind. “The reason I brought up this matter is because someone mentioned it to me today, and I asked casually, with no ulterior motives.”

Chris was taken aback, as if… as if he had gathered all his strength for a powerful blow, only to strike the air, causing his balance to waver and making him feel utterly helpless. The jumbled emotions inside his chest collided once again as if they were about to burst forth like blooming flowers.

Then, Renly stood up.

Chris’s muscles tensed, and every cell in his body went into emergency mode. He instinctively clenched his fists, assuming a boxing stance and taking a half-step back, preparing to engage in combat.

Seeing Chris on high alert, Renly chuckled silently. He wanted to offer some advice but didn’t know where to begin. In the end, he just shook his head, as if an adult was looking at a three-year-old child. He spoke again, “Do you know why I don’t care? Because it’s not worth it.”

With that, Renly turned and walked towards the door, opening it. “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining your celebration party. Enjoy your evening.” Renly smiled, gave Chris a supportive fist bump, and then casually closed the door behind him, leaving the house.

The soft sound of the door closing brought Chris back to his senses. He looked down at his tightly clenched fists and quickly relaxed them. The sharp contrast and vast difference between Renly’s nonchalance and Chris’s raging anger, nervousness, and heightened vigilance left Chris breathless.

“It’s not worth it.”

“It” or “him”?

These words rang in his ears once again, and in that moment, Chris finally snapped back to reality. He could no longer contain the anger welling up inside him. He lifted his foot and kicked over the nearby table. But even that didn’t provide enough release for him, so he started viciously stomping on the scattered balloons on the ground. “Pop!” “Pop, pop!” Those crisp sounds allowed him to vent his emotions.

Damn Renly, shameless Renly, disgusting Renly, arrogant Renly, pretentious Renly, self-righteous Renly…

The explosions continued one after another, and Chris finally started to calm down a bit. He let out a long sigh. As he had said, the gap between them would only grow wider, and their paths would soon diverge. “Renly Hall” would no longer be his concern, so he didn’t need to dwell on it, did he?

After Renly left the apartment building he stood at the bottom of the said building. His steps paused involuntarily as he looked at the familiar street in front of him. His mood was somewhat melancholic. He took a deep breath, then resumed his stride, walking into the golden sunset on the horizon.

T/N – Bruh, really loved the calmness Renly showed In this situation. I am not sure me personally would be able to stay so calm because practically his friend stabbed him in the back and that kind of thing always hurts the most.

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