制霸好莱坞

"Really?" Josh's tone was a bit too enthusiastically unnecessary. "I thought Jenny and Jennifer were the same person."

In reality, it wasn't easy to have a conversation amidst the wind and waves. Not only did you have to raise your voice, but the salty and bitter sea water would choke your mouth with each wave, which wasn't exactly pleasant. But both Jenny and Josh tried hard to keep the conversation going. Jenny knew she was panicking. The sea had grown dark, and if she weren't talking, she would hardly feel that someone was there with her. The sensation of being alone in the middle of a storm could easily trigger panic in those with a weak psychological endurance.

Josh may have been feeling the same way, so he showed a great deal of interest in the agent's decision to change names without consulting her.

"This is normal," he shouted into Jenny's ear over the wind. "Good agents are always too busy to maintain relationships."

As for Jenny's contract with Josh, she later asked Cesare why he didn't inform her about the changes beforehand. Cesare's response was simply "busy"—too busy to forget or too busy to care. But to Jenny, it was clear: "No, it's not that we don't have time. It's that we're not worth their time."

"Okay," Josh yelled back. "You're right. When I become Johnny Depp, Anna will definitely treat me much better." Anna was his agent.

Despite the tense situation, Jenny couldn't help but laugh. Empathy or not, she found Josh amusing.

"I think you're even more handsome than him!" she shouted, encouraging Josh.

"Thank you!" Josh shouted back. "You're beautiful too!"

Coincidentally, as Josh shouted his last sentence, the rain slowly stopped, and the wind and waves subsided dramatically. Not that the sea was perfectly calm now, but compared to the earlier storm, the waves could only be considered a mere aftershock. The relentless sound of the waves, wind, and rain faded away in an instant, and Josh's words echoed across the now peaceful sea.

A dark cloud moved away, revealing half of the moon. Under the moonlight, Jenny and Josh looked at each other. Although they could only make out vague outlines, that didn't stop them from bursting into laughter at the same time. Even the captain, floating nearby, laughed along.

"Young man, even the wind and waves can't stop you from being attentive," the captain joked, his English heavy with an accent.

Jenny wanted to join in, but after the storm subsided, she felt even more dizzy and nauseous. The gentle rocking was hard for her to adjust to, and she clutched her mouth in an attempt to signal Josh to back away. But before she could do anything, she—literally—vomited right in Josh's face.

Even if she wanted to apologize, she couldn't find the words. Luckily, Josh didn't mind. He casually scooped up a handful of seawater and washed his face, then moved into a position where he could support Jenny, helping her to vomit more comfortably.

"Wow, there will be a feast for the fish here tonight," he joked.

Jenny wanted to laugh, but the overwhelming urge to vomit was stronger. The captain, meanwhile, laughed from across the boat. "Is this a response to you, Josh?"

Once Jenny felt a bit better, the captain instructed them, "Let's gather and head toward the reef."

Earlier, the group had split up because the storm had been too strong. Although the distance wasn't far, they couldn't stay together. Now, with the winds calmed, they were able to regroup quickly. The captain removed his life jacket and gave it to Josh. Then, diving in the moonlight, he reinforced the rope and returned to position the life buoy so that Jenny and Josh could both hold onto it while chatting with the captain.

"I'm so sorry…" Jenny tried to apologize after finding a moment.

"It's nothing," Josh responded kindly, without any resentment. "You don't have to worry about it. Hey, are you tired? Do you want to rest on the life buoy for a while?"

Jenny was exhausted after the events of the day, and the storm had taken its toll. She was reluctant to open her eyes, as seeing the still-shaking sea made her feel even worse. It wasn't helpful to speak her discomfort out loud, so she kept it to herself. Josh's offer, however, felt considerate, so she leaned her head on the life buoy, hoping to rest.

"I warned your producer before the shoot that the winds in the Caribbean Sea are particularly strong at this time of year," the captain said as he spoke to Josh, somewhat frustrated over the crew's night shoot damaging his beloved boat. Jenny listened to their patient conversation while relaxing in the calm, warm sea water. Slowly, her seasickness symptoms eased, and she felt sleepy, starting to drift off.

But just as she was about to doze off, the sound of a speedboat approached, and the captain began frantically blowing his whistle. Jenny's fear turned to excitement as she realized it was a rescue, and she couldn't wait to share her experience with Lillian and praise both Josh and the captain for their reliability.

After being rescued and taken to shore, Jenny and the others were sent to the hospital. Jenny, diagnosed with mild dehydration, was given an IV. Mary rushed to the hospital to check on her within twenty minutes of her admission.

"I was so scared, really," Mary said, her voice frantic. "I almost had a heart attack—literally. Do you know how devastated they were when they got ashore? I heard someone say they called Mr. Bruckheimer directly. If you and Josh had gotten lost in the storm... my God!" Mary went on, her words tumbling over each other. Before Jenny could respond, Mary dashed out again, "I'm going to call Mr. Vigeri. I wonder if he's already on a plane."

Jenny glanced at the clock, noting that they had been out of contact for about an hour. Given that Mary received the news at least half an hour later, she realized Cesare probably decided to rush there as soon as he heard about the incident.

Jenny couldn't help but feel a little touched. Although she often dismissed her importance, Cesare had always been loyal to her.

After a basic checkup, the captain was discharged, as he was in good health. Josh, in the next bed, was having a similar conversation. Jenny listened for a while before pulling back the curtain separating them.

"Hey, is Anna on her way?" she asked.

"They were almost scared to death," Josh said. "Anna's already on the plane. You know, everyone still remembers what happened with Aaliyah last year."

"Oh, this is nothing like her case. At least our captain didn't take drugs," Jenny replied, trying to lighten the mood. Josh let out a small laugh.

Despite the tense situation, Jenny could sense a shift in Josh's behavior. In the sea, during the storm, he had been friendly, enthusiastic, and reliable, just like when they first met. But back in civilized society, he seemed distant, closed off.

Jenny observed him carefully, narrowing her eyes.

"Okay," she said. "You get some rest. I just want to apologize for…"

She gestured to her face, and Josh laughed lightly. "It's okay, I don't mind. Don't worry about it."

The atmosphere seemed to relax, but Josh still didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation. After making his point, he lowered his head and avoided eye contact with her.

Jenny thought to herself: It seems Josh doesn't hate me, he's just avoiding me for some other reason.

A small noise at the door caught her attention, and she saw Mary talking to someone before Gore and executive producer Andy entered the room.

"Thank God you're okay," Andy said sincerely, pulling the curtain around them to create privacy. "Listen, we'll express our condolences later. But right now, Gore and I need to ensure that you don't say anything that could cause trouble for the film crew."

"Like what?" Josh asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Like saying you knew the island was dangerous before you went, or that you went out on the speedboat without the proper training, or didn't wear life jackets at night. They'll ask you all sorts of questions. If you think it might hurt the film company, just say no. You know how many regulations there are about safe shooting," Andy explained. "If we follow every rule, we won't finish shooting until next year. Once a lawsuit comes in, the whole crew gets halted. The publicity and production will be affected. Do you want that?"

Josh and Jenny shook their heads in agreement—neither of them wanted that.

"Great," Andy said. "Now, unofficially, have we reached an agreement? Do you understand how to talk to the union and police?"

Gore didn't speak, but his sharp gaze lingered on Jenny. Jenny nodded slowly. There was nothing wrong with what had happened—an unfortunate accident. But if talking this way helped the crew avoid a lawsuit, she wasn't about to cause problems.

But just as she was about to speak, she noticed Josh's gaze. He subtly shook his head, signaling for her not to say anything.

"Well, then," she said hesitantly, "I'm so tired. You can talk to Cesare tomorrow and let me know the results."

Andy's face darkened, but Gore seemed to lose interest, standing up to leave. "Told you it was useless," he muttered as they walked out of the room, arguing.

After they left, Josh turned back to Jenny.

"This is the first lesson Anna taught me," he said. "Never agree to anything without your agent present."

Jenny nodded. "That's great advice. I think I almost gave away something valuable."

"Haha, you're right. Even a favor should be sold at a good price," Josh joked, winking at her. "I bet Anna and Cesare will ask for a pretty high price now."

Jenny laughed, feeling more at ease. "Yeah, Cesare never lets go of anything. He's like that."

Josh chuckled. "He wouldn't be a good agent otherwise."

As they joked, Jenny decided to ask a question she had been wondering about for a while.

"Josh," she began. "I've always wanted to ask you something."

"Huh?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

His sharp features, lit by the hospital lights, were even more striking now. Jenny softened her approach.

"Do you want to tear up the contract?" she asked carefully.

Josh appeared slightly surprised, but not too much. "You mean..." he trailed off, processing her words.

Jenny continued. "We're both actors. But being part of this whole whirlwind... sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it."