Model to Holywood

"Luca, you seem a bit nervous?"

In the cinema lobby, Britney took off her hat and handed it to her assistant.

"Yeah, your fans are way too enthusiastic. I'm worried they might tear me apart."

"Only worried about the fans? Aren't you afraid Kate and Lima might beat you up?"

Britney burst into laughter.

Luca shook his head. He hadn't hidden the incident of dislocating his finger from Britney.

After all, Britney was the girl in the rainbow dress.

He had to step in and talk to Britney on behalf of Kate and Lima, which led her to learn about the incident where he got hit.

"Britney, a lot of people are curious about who the girl in the rainbow dress is. Are you going to publicly admit it?"

Britney thought for a moment. "If I don't admit it, that photo will remain full of possibilities. The girl could be anyone. If I reveal the truth, the picture would become boring."

"True, it's like the Mona Lisa's smile. If we never admit anything, maybe one day, that photo will become a priceless piece of art."

The discussion about the photo had spread from Europe to the U.S. Many were guessing who the 'sun' was, and who was being embraced by that sun. Speculations swirled, but no one could find the answer, only fueling more curiosity.

"By the way, I've got a secret for you. I bought the original photo."

"You bought it?!"

Not long ago, the papers mentioned that a mysterious buyer had paid $100,000 for the original photo and the negatives.

At the time, Luca had scoffed, saying the buyer was being extravagant. He never expected the rich person to be right next to him.

Britney shrugged and smiled. "I love that photo—everything about that moment, that hug, that rainy night. It's a memory worth keeping."

"Alright then!"

The two of them walked into the lobby together. Tonight was the premiere of *Honey Dance Fever*, and the theater's walls were lined with large movie posters.

In the posters, Jessica Alba struck some provocative poses in her skimpy outfit, catching the eyes of many passing men.

In the top-left corner of the poster were two men: Luca and the male lead, Mechi.

Their images were small, serving as mere background.

"Luca, between Jessica and me, whose body is better?"

Britney stood beneath the poster, raising her chin.

"Of course, yours."

Luca didn't hesitate. "Your figure is fuller. I like curvier girls."

"So, you're saying I'm not as slim as her?"

Britney asked with dissatisfaction.

"Not at all. If you stood on stage and asked, 'Who in the world has the slimmest and hottest figure?' Nine out of ten would shout, 'Britney Spears, of course! She's the sexiest, like an angel!' And the angels in paintings all have a little meat on them."

Luca imitated a high-pitched voice.

Britney laughed. "What about the tenth person? Why isn't he shouting?"

"Because he's busy drooling!"

"Haha, that must be you!"

Britney pulled his arm over her shoulder, and they walked arm in arm into the screening hall.

The theater was lavishly decorated, with an IMAX screen that could seat over 800 people. Many films had held their premieres here.

When they entered, most of the seats were already filled with about 600 or 700 people, including the film's crew, special guests, critics, and media.

"Britney, I'm so glad you could come!"

Billy, the director, warmly greeted them.

Many familiar faces came over to say hello, and soon Britney was surrounded by people.

"Felicia, Britney looks a bit off," Luca whispered to Britney's chief assistant, Felicia, as he stepped back.

"Yeah," Felicia gazed at Britney in the crowd. "Her fourth album is about to release, but pre-sale numbers aren't looking great. She's probably feeling a little anxious."

"Is that so?"

Luca shook his head. There wasn't much he could do about it. Besides buying more albums, he could only try to keep her company.

At 4:30 p.m., the movie officially started.

The first scene showed the female lead, Honey, working in a nightclub, with chaotic lighting everywhere.

"This music's pretty good," Britney said, lounging against Luca's shoulder as if they were at home, completely unconcerned that this was a premiere.

Luca wasn't much of a music guy. He quietly said, "Billy, the director, is a music producer. Watch closely, I'm about to appear!"

"Really?"

Britney paused her nibbling and focused on the screen.

"Pfft—your look is terrible. You must have pissed off the makeup artist."

On-screen, Luca's character Mike appeared with curly hair and big, thick glasses, severely downplaying his looks.

Luca shook his head. "I'm just a supporting character. I can't be too eye-catching."

"But you'll still stand out. At first glance, your look might be ugly, but the more people look at your face, your lips, your eyes, they'll realize you're quite handsome. It's like, they can't see it clearly at first, so they want a second, then a third look, until eventually, they can't take their eyes off you."

Britney gripped his hand excitedly. "Honey, you're irresistible."

"Am I really?"

Luca looked at his on-screen image, feeling a little embarrassed.

It was his first time acting, and his performance felt awkward, with stiff body movements.

"Luca, your face is very photogenic. The strong contours really grab attention. You're a natural-born actor," Billy said softly beside him.

"Billy, it's all thanks to your direction," Luca replied with a slight smile.

"You did a good job," Billy chuckled.

"This part's bad," Britney leaned over and whispered sweetly into his ear, her voice carrying a faint scent of chips.

"What's wrong with it?" Luca tilted his ear toward her.

"Your character is so handsome. If he's talking to a girl in a nightclub, do you really think any girl would ignore him? That's way too fake! If you showed up in a club, they'd be all over you."

"No way. Just the other day, I went to a model party with Kate and Lima, and all the models stayed far away from me."

"Haha, really?"

Britney covered her mouth, struggling to hold in her laughter.

"Yeah, because of all our rumors, I've now got several labels: jerk, demon, mooch. You really think I'm still attractive?"

"You blaming me?"

Britney raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm getting what I deserve."

"Haha!"

Britney leaned against his shoulder, laughing uncontrollably.

Luca shot an apologetic glance at Billy.

Billy shook his head, smiling. "It's great that she could come."

After laughing for a while, Britney straightened up and seriously watched the movie.

Luca started listening to the surrounding chatter.

Most of the comments were about how hot Jessica's body was, how cool the street dancing scenes were, and how the kids did a great job.

But while there were positive remarks, the complaints outnumbered them. People said the plot was weak, the conflict too simple, and that Jessica's dance moves were too stiff—she didn't seem like someone who could choreograph.

They also criticized Luca's acting for being too forced.

Luca sighed inwardly, bracing for the criticism that would come tomorrow.

Slap!

Soon the scene came where Luca's character got slapped.

On-screen, Jessica's character shoved him away.

"Wow, Luca! If I were you, I would've taken her right on the pool table," Britney teased.

"This is a musical, not a crime movie."

Luca shook his head.

"So what? The plot of this movie makes no sense. You're so handsome, and you haven't done anything wrong. Why would Honey reject you? Isn't she supposed to be ambitious? If I were the director, I'd have you go for it right here.

If you and Jessica had a steamy scene on the pool table, the box office would blow up."

Britney was excited.

Luca forced a smile. This wasn't that kind of movie.

"Honey, how about we try the pool table tonight?" Britney suddenly leaned in seductively.

Luca shook his head. "Your knee's not in the best shape."

"It's fine, we'll be careful. It's settled."

Britney was thrilled.

Luca chuckled. Looks like he'd have to go along with it.

"Come back, Honey. They need you. And, well, I need you too," Mike said on-screen, in a low and pitiful voice.

"Mike, you know what's funny? The first time I met you, you were ten feet tall. But now, now you're just... tiny."

Mike's face twisted with discomfort, but he forced a smile, his lips twitching awkwardly.

"Luca's performance is pretty good!"

"Yeah, he's really improved as an actor."

"Luca's got talent."

People around were whispering.

"Hear that, Luca? They're praising you!" Britney grinned.

Luca smirked.

Now he suddenly began to understand why some actors enjoy performing in art films. Art films are more challenging, allowing actors to feel their progress more keenly and providing a greater sense of accomplishment.

Unfortunately, when filming "Honey," Billy's standards weren't very high, so he didn't gain much experience from it.

Clap, clap, clap~

The movie soon ended, and the room erupted in lively applause.

Director Billy led the main cast and crew onto the stage to thank the audience.

Luca also stood up and applauded. Overall, it was a pretty good movie, a bit more refined than the original.

As for how the box office would do, Luca was curious, wondering if his involvement might make any difference.

"Come on, come on, tonight I'm the star!" Britney urged, tugging on his arm.

"Alright!"

Luca waved goodbye to a few people and quietly left with Britney.