Model to Holywood

"Cut!"

"No, that won't work! One more time!"

"Luca, your movements are too stiff!"

"Cut!"

"Luca, focus! You're the center of attention. Your emotions are too flat, this won't do. One more time!"

"Cut!"

"Luca! You're not in the right state today. Go and adjust yourself; we'll shoot your scenes tomorrow!"

"Haha, see? I told you he wouldn't last long. He's definitely going to mess up in the big scenes!"

"Yeah, models just can't act!"

"I heard a lot of people were fighting for this role. I have no idea how he got it."

"The production is going to lose a lot of money because of him again."

"Do you think the director will replace him if he doesn't perform well tomorrow?"

"Sigh~"

Nighttime, a bar, crowded and noisy.

In the dim light, Luca held his head in his hand, resting his cheek on the bar counter, staring blankly. In front of him were three empty glasses.

The filming started off pretty well today, but it got worse as it went on. Seven takes for one scene.

It was a group scene with lots of shots to film. If they kept focusing on him, the other scenes would be delayed, so the director decided to set his part aside and shoot the other scenes first.

After filming, Luca, feeling down, came to the bar. He ordered a few glasses of rum and tried to ponder his acting while drinking.

Sometimes he thought the scene was pretty simple and that he could perform it well.

But once on set, there were always issues, which was what the director referred to as being in a bad state that needed adjusting.

"Hey handsome! Are you here alone?"

A scantily clad woman approached him, draping herself over his shoulder, leaning against the bar, exposing most of her cleavage.

He didn't need to look at her face; her skin, shoes, and the scent of her perfume told him everything he needed to know.

"I need some peace and quiet."

Luca took out a green bill and waved it.

"F***~ So what if you have a little money?"

The woman cursed and walked away, swaying her hips. After a few steps, she turned back to snatch the money.

"Thanks, handsome!"

Luca shook his head, downed his drink in one go, and exhaled softly.

"Another one!"

He tapped on the bar counter.

"Sure thing!"

The bartender served him another glass of Charleston's special Pirate Rum, a strong drink with a refreshing fruity flavor, the sweetness of sugarcane, and a strong ginger taste, costing twenty-two dollars a glass.

Luca picked up a spoon, added a piece of crushed ice, and gently swirled it.

When he first decided to become an actor, it was just for fun; he never intended to take it seriously as a job. It was exciting back then—playing around without worrying about acting skills, without stressing over his state, without caring too much.

But recently, after meeting Tom Cruise and seeing the privileges of a superstar, he suddenly wanted to go all in. He wanted to take acting as a career, to achieve something, and then problems and challenges came at him all at once, leaving him overwhelmed.

"Should I go back to how I was before?"

Luca swirled his drink, the ice clinking against the glass.

"Isn't it good to just have fun?"

"Why aim to be a superstar?"

"This path is tough."

Luca shook his head, lifting his glass, ready to drink.

Slap! 

Someone's hand was on his shoulder again.

The glass wobbled, and a drop of golden rum dripped onto the bar. Luca's eyes turned cold as he turned to face the intruder.

A tall, muscular man, dressed in a black tank top and jeans, looked quite intimidating.

"Got a problem?"

Luca frowned slightly, lifting his shirt to reveal the handle of a gun on his waist.

"Whoa~ Easy there, handsome. I don't mean any harm!"

The muscle-bound guy raised his hands in a placating gesture, quickly explaining, "I've been watching you for a while. I noticed you're sitting here alone, drinking, and even turned down Maria. Did you come to the wrong bar?"

"What?"

Luca frowned slightly.

"The gay bar is next door. Wanna join me?"

The muscular guy winked suddenly, his expression becoming sultry.

Hiss~ 

So cringe.

Luca covered his forehead, waving his hand. "Get lost; I'm not gay!"

"Sigh~ What a pity!"

The muscle-bound guy shook his head, looking regretful, and left.

"F***~"

Luca had come to the bar to lift his mood, but it just got worse.

He picked up his glass, enduring the strong ginger taste while savoring the rum's fruity sweetness. After four glasses, he was getting a little dizzy.

Leaving some tips, he planned to call Tony and leave.

Bang! 

Just as he stood up, someone bumped his shoulder again. He lost his balance and fell back into his seat.

"Sorry!"

The apology came from a woman. Even before he turned around to look at her, he could guess a few things.

She was wearing a rare Chanel perfume, a 50ml bottle priced at $196, a favorite of Kate's.

A woman who could afford such perfume definitely wasn't short on cash.

Her apology sounded blunt, a mere formality without sincerity.

And for a woman to bump a tall, well-built man back into his seat, she had to be tall and... well-built.

He turned around just as the woman took a seat beside him.

"A glass of Pirate Rum!"

The woman tapped the bar.

As he guessed, she was nearly 5'11" and undoubtedly a top contender in the plus-size category. But she was tall, so she didn't look overly fat, rather she had a full, curvaceous allure.

She was fashionably dressed, wearing a designer black summer dress, with a golden ponytail, and like him, she wore glasses.

Her light brown tortoiseshell frame covered her eyebrows and eyes, giving only a general view of her slightly round face and fair skin. She moved elegantly as she picked up her drink.

"Kid, don't you recognize me?"

She took a sip of her drink and asked casually.

Luca raised an eyebrow. This woman looked to be only in her thirties, but she was speaking like she owned the place.

"Lady, are you someone famous?"

"Guess."

She adjusted her glasses.

"Not interested."

Luca glanced at her, not recognizing her, and stood up to leave.

Bang~ 

A hit to his right arm. He was tipsy, and with a stagger, he sat down again.

"Hey, lady, what are you doing?"

Luca asked in surprise.

"Drink with me."

She slid a glass of rum in front of him.

Luca was puzzled. "Why should I drink with you?"

"It's rare to meet an acquaintance in Charleston. How could I let you go so easily?"

"An acquaintance?"

Luca shook his head. "I don't know you."

"But I know you."

She gave him a once-over and smirked. "Mr. Big, right? What are you doing in Charleston?"

"I'm here for a shoot. I might have had a bit too much to drink. Sorry for not recognizing you. May I know who you are?"

"A shoot?"

She asked, intrigued. "What kind of project?"

"That's not fair. I answered your question, so you should answer one of mine."

"Alright, alright."

She smiled with a curve of her lips, then her expression changed, becoming cold and intense.

"My name is Aileen, Aileen Wuornos."

"Aileen Wuornos?"

Luca rubbed his temple. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"I'm sorry, I can't recall. Are you a model?"

"No, no, no. I'm actually a killer!"

She said coldly.

"Really?"

Luca frowned slightly. A killer that pretty? A female killer?

"Want to hear my story?"

She raised her glass and asked.

"If I refuse, will you kill me?"

Luca smirked.

"You can try."

She squinted, her expression turning wild and erratic, with a hint of danger that couldn't be underestimated.

"Alright, listening to a story from such a beautiful killer is my honor."

Luca straightened up, clinking glasses.

"My name is Aileen Wuornos."

She sighed, slowly recounting, "I was born into a broken family. When I was two, my father was imprisoned for raping a girl. At four, my mother left me, and I was raised by my grandparents. I was raped by my grandfather's friend and got pregnant, giving birth to a child..."

Listening, Luca frowned, not because she was so tragic but because the story sounded so familiar.

"...Later, I provided *** services on Florida highways. Once, a man refused to pay and beat me, so I shot him. Over the next ten years, I killed six men, including a cop. I didn't want to kill them, really..."

She covered her face, her body trembling slightly, a dark aura surrounding her.

Thud~ 

Across the bar, the bartender's face turned pale, and he dropped a shaker.

"Hey~ buddy, relax."

Luca said quickly. "She's just kidding. She's telling the story of Aileen Wuornos, the first female serial killer. Aileen was executed last year."

This story was the same as the movie *Monster*. If he hadn't seen it, he might have been fooled.

"You've heard of this story?"

The woman lowered her hands, actually crying.

"Uh~"

That's some serious role-play

"Not bad at all. Next year's Oscar for Best Actress is definitely going to Ms. Charlize Theron," Luca said with a confident smile.

"So sure?" The woman adjusted her glasses and looked at him in surprise.

Luca nodded firmly. "I heard that Ms. Theron gained 30 pounds for this role. With such a big sacrifice, she's bound to win the award."

"Hah, you're oversimplifying it. So many people are vying for the Best Actress spot. If it were just about sacrifices, who hasn't made a big one?" The woman sighed softly, resting her chin on the bar.

Luca glanced at the woman and suddenly smiled. "How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" The woman asked with interest. "What's the bet?"

"If Ms. Theron wins Best Actress next year, you buy me a drink. If not, I'll buy you a drink."

"Deal!" The woman raised her glass.

"Alright!"

"Now it's your turn to answer my question. What movie are you shooting in Charleston?" The woman propped her head up with her hand and asked.

"The Notebook, based on Nicholas Sparks' novel. You should know it. I'm playing a supporting role," Luca said simply.

The woman nodded. "You're drinking alone. Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Yes." Luca took half a glass of his drink and slowly began talking about the issues he encountered during filming.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the environment, but he talked a lot.

"Acting? Emotions? State of mind? Immersion?" The woman held her cheek with a slight smile. "None of those are the real problem. The problem is you've played too few roles. You lack experience. When you face a big scene with many actors who are better than you, you get nervous, you feel the pressure, and your performance naturally declines. It's a difficulty every new actor faces."

"You know how to act too?" Luca was a bit drunk, resting his head on his hand as he asked.

The woman's lips curled into a high smile, and she gestured with her fingers. "Just a bit more than you do."

"Is there a way to fix it?" Luca asked, leaning on the bar.

"Want to know?" The woman pushed a glass of wine towards him.

Thud! Luca took it and drank it all in one go. "Please, go ahead."

"Confidence!"

"Confidence?" Luca frowned slightly.

"Yes, you need to be confident. The reason you feel pressured, nervous, and your performance keeps declining is all because you lack confidence.

The first time you performed, you were well-prepared. You believed you could pass, and that was when you were at your best. Unfortunately, you didn't pass the first time.

The second time, you pulled yourself together, but still didn't pass. The third time, you tried your hardest but still didn't pass. Your confidence started to waver, and after that, your self-confidence seriously dwindled."

The woman spoke slowly, saying a lot of things—very professional, even more thorough than Ryan had told him.

"In fact, after the first, second, and third failures, you don't need to feel dejected at all. Sometimes it's just that the director thinks you can do even better, improving each time. This shows that you're becoming more successful, not less.

Why feel dejected then? You should push yourself to perform even harder, until you've used up every last bit of effort. When you act with everything you have, your potential gets unleashed."

Listening to her, Luca gradually had some realization.

"Thank you for your guidance, Ms. Killer!"

"You're welcome!" The woman smiled softly and raised her glass.

Clink~

"Want to hear my story?" Putting down her glass, the woman leaned on the bar and asked faintly.

"A female killer's story?"

"No, my story! I got too into character, got depressed, and wanted to kill someone."

Luca smirked. "Sounds thrilling and interesting. Please, go on."

"I wanted to kill a bad man but couldn't find the right one, so I came to the busiest bar and then met you."

"…"

"Haha, scared?" The woman patted his shoulder. "I'm just kidding. Let's drink."

"Of course I know you're joking," Luca said, raising his glass with a smile.

"You recognized me?" The woman propped her head with her hand, appearing a bit drunk.

Luca smiled slightly. "Not sure, unless you take off your glasses."

"If you want to know, drink first!" The woman pushed another glass of strong liquor towards him.

"Alright!" Luca downed it.

The woman slowly took off her...