Slap!
The sound of the slap was crisp and sharp!
The entire restaurant fell silent instantly, even the cellist performing in the corner forgot to look at the sheet music.
All eyes were focused on Marshall and Gu Ran.
A violent incident in such a high-end restaurant was something fresh for everyone!
Hearing the slap, the restaurant manager rushed in from outside, ready to intervene.
But when he saw that it was Gu Ran who had delivered the slap, the manager immediately turned around and ran out.
His speed was faster than some professional athletes.
...No other reason, just that he couldn't afford to mess with Gu Ran!
At this moment, the young black man sitting across from Marshall covered his mouth and let out a shrill scream.
"Who the hell are you!" Marshall stood up angrily, clenching his fists, ready to fight back.
Gu Ran stepped forward, warmly embracing Marshall while locking his arms to prevent him from retaliating.
With genuine enthusiasm, Gu Ran greeted him, "Haha! Tony! My good buddy! Finally, I see you! It's been so long, hasn't it? I didn't expect you to still be so lively!"
Marshall angrily pushed Gu Ran away, "What Tony! Who the hell is Tony! Look carefully before you greet someone, will you? I'm not Tony!"
Gu Ran scrutinized him carefully, "Tony, are you kidding me? Didn't we agree to meet here? Isn't that suit the one I gave you for your birthday last year?"
Marshall retorted furiously, "I'm really not Tony! You've got the wrong person! Take a good look!"
Gu Ran looked again, "Oh, oh my, upon closer inspection, you're right. You're a bit taller than Tony. My apologies, the lighting here is a bit dim, and why are you dressed exactly like Tony? How strange, I clearly arranged to meet Tony here. If you're not Tony, then where is he?"
Marshall shouted, "How should I know!"
Marshall wanted to fight back, but Gu Ran had locked his arms, leaving him no chance.
Moreover, as a well-known director, getting into a fight in a restaurant wouldn't look good.
Especially since, in 2010, he hadn't publicly come out yet.
He was here for a secret rendezvous, and if things escalated, tomorrow's entertainment headlines would be a circus.
Gu Ran had seized upon Marshall's weakness and delivered a slap right to his face!
Marshall had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
"Forget it, next time make sure you recognize the right person before greeting them," Marshall said, resigning to his bad luck, not wanting to entangle further with Gu Ran.
Ding~
A blue skill bubble dropped at Marshall's feet!
Ha!
Besides venting Annie's anger, this slap had an extra reward!
Although this director had his issues, his skills were related to Hollywood, worth exploiting!
If I could get a skill that would help Annie, that would be fantastic!
Gu Ran subtly focused his mind and scanned:
Director Skill: Choreography +1.
This skill... really sucks.
Gu Ran was somewhat disappointed.
Rob Marshall's expertise was indeed in musicals; he started as a director for stage plays and musicals.
But Hollywood had long moved past the era of musicals. Skills like choreography were not only useless to Gu Ran but to most directors as well.
This skill wasn't even as useful as director communication skills.
Of course, even if he had gotten director communication skills, Gu Ran wouldn't have picked them up.
Director communication skills are useful for new actresses who are still finding their way, but for a star like Annie, who was already established in Hollywood, they weren't necessary. Annie's acting skills were already solid with little room for improvement, so she didn't need a director's guidance to enhance her performance.
Without further thought, Gu Ran ignored the blue bubble at Marshall's feet.
-- No rush, there will be more opportunities later.
With a cold smile, Gu Ran shrugged, "Alright, my mistake, but you look so much like Tony, especially in that suit. You're wearing the suit I bought for Tony, no wonder I mistook you for him. Really, Tony? Tony, where are you?"
Gu Ran called out for Tony as he casually walked away.
-- After slapping Rob Marshall, he made a clean exit!
When Gu Ran returned to their corner table, Annie was so excited she could barely contain herself.
"Gu! You really scared me just now! You're so brave! So manly! You actually slapped Rob Marshall, and he didn't even dare to fight back! That's Rob Marshall! Most Hollywood actors wouldn't dare to breathe loudly in his presence! Oh my God, Gu! You're amazing!"
Annie was so excited she seemed about to combust for Gu Ran.
...Stop praising me, Annie, really.
This is just an old trope from web novels twenty years ago.
And this isn't even the best part of the trope; the double and triple slaps are the real highlights!
If any web novel author still writes scenes like this and gets caught by readers, they'd be castrated and buried alive.
But then again, if just one slap got you this excited, imagine what a triple slap would do to you tonight?
Gu Ran chuckled inwardly.
Annie continued excitedly, "Gu, do you know? Over the years in Hollywood, I've endured so much disdain, so much suppression and bullying. Every time I was treated unfairly, people would comfort me, and eventually, I started to doubt myself, even comforting myself. But you didn't comfort me; you stood up and fought for me! Gu! You really... no one in this world has ever treated me so well except for my parents..."
As she spoke, Annie's delicate shoulders trembled slightly, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Annie was moved to tears!
Gu Ran immediately took Annie's hand, "Annie, don't cry... I'm not good at comforting people, all I can do is make you feel better."
Annie looked up with teary eyes, "What... could be even better? But Gu, you've already stood up for me, I feel so much better! I can't imagine anything better."
"Of course there is."
As Gu Ran spoke, he glanced back towards Marshall's direction.
At that moment, Marshall was cursing under his breath as he argued with the belated restaurant manager, then changed his seat.
Marshall also took off his suit jacket, revealing his vest, afraid of being mistaken again.
...Heh, little guy, even if you wear a vest, I'd still recognize you!
Gu Ran turned back, reaching out to wipe the tears from Annie's cheeks, "Annie, watch this--"
With that, Gu Ran stood up and strode towards Marshall.
Annie, who had just been lost in the heart-fluttering sensation of Gu Ran touching her cheek, now saw Gu Ran walk up behind Marshall and raise his hand--
Annie's heart skipped a beat!
This... this is too much! Don't!
Annie's "don't" stuck in her throat as she heard another "slap," and the restaurant fell silent once more.
All eyes turned again towards Marshall and Gu Ran!
The restaurant manager simply turned and walked out of the restaurant!
Marshall was completely dumbfounded!
After a few seconds of confusion, Marshall staggered to his feet--
Gu Ran warmly embraced Marshall, locking his arms, "Haha! Tony! My dear friend! I finally found you! You wouldn't believe it, there was a guy over there wearing the suit I bought for you, I thought he was you, I even slapped the back of his head! Who knew, you weren't wearing a suit today, but a vest!"
Annie, who had just been worried about Gu Ran's actions, almost burst out laughing!
This is too much!
Gu Ran is really amazing! So smart and so strong!
Such a good man... definitely a rare gem in this world!
Annie, Annie, tonight, you must hold onto him tightly!
Annie's heart was uncontrollably fluttering for Gu Ran.
Meanwhile, Marshall, who had been "wrongly" slapped twice, was on the verge of a breakdown!
"I am the guy you just slapped wearing the suit! Look carefully! I'm not Tony! I'm not! Damn it, Tony!"
Marshall's崩溃般的咆哮 echoed through the restaurant!
Gu Ran blinked in surprise, "What? You're the same guy? No way, you were sitting over there earlier! You were wearing a suit! How did you end up here in a vest?"
Gu Ran's face was full of genuine confusion.
Marshall was almost in tears, "I moved here to avoid you! I took off the suit so you wouldn't mistake me again!"
Gu Ran waved his hand, "Alright, alright, calm down, calm down, this is a high-end restaurant, don't make such a scene, it's impolite."
"Me? Making a scene? I'm making a scene! You slapped me twice and I didn't even fight back, and you're saying I'm impolite?" Marshall was going mad!
Ding~
A full blue bubble appeared at Marshall's feet.
Here it comes!
Gu Ran focused his mind and scanned:
Director Skill: Montage Editing +1.
This...
This is a post-production skill!
First, you have to be a director, make a movie, then you can do post-production.
Without the raw footage, post-production skills are useless!
This skill is also pretty much useless.
Even worse than the previous choreography skill.
Gu Ran looked disdainfully at the skill bubble and ignored it.
No rush, there should be one more chance.
Gu Ran casually walked away, returning to the corner.
Annie excitedly said, "Gu! You were amazing just now! You slapped Marshall twice, and he didn't even fight back! Thank you! Thank you, Gu, you stood up for me again, this feels even better than the first time! In just two minutes, you made me feel great twice! You're really, really, really amazing!"
...Wait a minute, that sounds a bit off!
What do you mean by "in just two minutes"?
Alright, my goddess definitely isn't making dirty jokes.
Gu Ran cleared his throat, "Annie, do you want to feel even better?"
Annie said in disbelief, "No way? Gu, you can do it again?"
...Goddess, please stop saying things like that!
Gu Ran said with a bitter smile, "Yes, I think I can still manage..."
Annie grabbed Gu Ran's hand on the table, saying softly, "Gu, thank you, I know you did all this to stand up for me, I already feel so much better, I don't want you to get into trouble."
With Annie holding his hand so proactively, Gu Ran felt his soul was about to float away, "Don't worry about that, just ask your heart, do you want to feel even better?"
Annie's body trembled slightly, then she subconsciously replied, "...Yes."
Gu Ran then gave Annie a charming smile, "If you want it, I can give it to you."
Annie's whole body trembled uncontrollably.
This statement was quite confident, and quite bold!
Annie felt she was about to lose control, she almost wanted to pull Gu Ran to a hotel right now...
But she held back.
She didn't want Gu Ran to think she was a frivolous woman.
Gu Ran glanced back towards Marshall's direction.
Sure enough, as he had anticipated, Rob Marshall, who had suffered two of his "Iron Palm" strikes, was in no mood to continue dining with his lover.
After cursing at the restaurant manager, they threw down some pounds and stormed out of the restaurant.
Gu Ran then said to Annie, "Are you done eating?"
Annie nodded, "Yes, I'm done."
"Alright, let's go."
Gu Ran helped Annie up from her seat, leaving a tip on the table.
Annie insisted, "Today, it's my treat, this is my gratitude, you can't refuse me."
Gu Ran smiled, "Alright."
The meal cost over 1000 pounds.
For a Hollywood star like Anne Hathaway, this was just a drop in the bucket.
After paying and stepping outside, they saw Marshall waiting for the valet to bring his car.
Another opportunity!
Gu Ran whispered into Annie's ear, "Wait here, watch me vent some more for you."
Annie quickly grabbed Gu Ran's arm, "Gu, that's enough, really."
...You've had enough, but I haven't!
Gu Ran squeezed Annie's hand, "Be good, wait here and watch."
"Okay..." Annie obediently nodded.
Gu Ran's words had become a habitual command for Annie, not just to wait here, but even if Gu Ran asked her to join in slapping Marshall, she would comply.
Gu Ran strode over to Marshall, winding up for a full swing--
Slap!
The sound of the slap echoed through the empty street.
Marshall was slapped to his knees on the road!
Before Marshall could stand and turn around, Gu Ran warmly embraced him, "Haha! Tony! So you're here! I just met a guy at the fire station restaurant who looked exactly like you! But he was eating inside, and you're out here! This time I definitely got the right person!"
Marshall cried, "Big brother... it's still me..."
Gu Ran jumped back with exaggerated surprise, "What! Still you! What's going on? What are you doing? Why do you keep showing up in front of me making me mistake you?"
"I, I, I..." Marshall wiped his tears, "It's you who keeps chasing me to slap me, big brother! Today is really my unlucky day, boo hoo! Please, let me go! I'm really, really, really not Tony!"
At that moment, the valet brought the car around, and Marshall scrambled into his car.
Ding~
A full blue bubble appeared where Marshall had been standing!
Marshall himself floored the accelerator and fled like his life depended on it.
His blue bubble remained on the spot.
This was the last chance for today.
Gu Ran took a deep breath and focused his mind:
Screenwriting Skill: Storyboard Scripting +1.
Holy crap?
This skill!!!
Screenwriting skill! Writing scripts! And it's storyboard scripting, directly writing shooting scripts!
This is awesome! Gu Ran's heart leaped with joy!
This is a truly useful skill! It's also the favorite and most commonly used method by great directors!
For example, great directors like Cameron, the eccentric Tim Burton, the master of suspense Hitchcock, the sci-fi master Nolan, and Chinese film director Tsui Hark, as well as the Wachowskis (siblings) who directed "The Matrix," all use hand-drawn storyboards for their scripts.
Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, the Red Queen, the Mad Hatter, and other characters were all first sketched by him, and then the movies were shot based on these sketches. Cameron is even more impressive; when filming "Titanic," not only did he sketch the storyboards himself, but he also personally drew the nude sketches of the heroine in the cabin!
This skill is incredibly powerful!
Of course, the most impressive script skill isn't storyboard scripting, but the visual script skill pioneered by the "Sci-Fi Fox Spirit·Cyber Succubus" Guo Fan.
What is a visual script?
It's first gathering the main actors to shoot for two months, creating a 2.5-hour sample film, then Guo Fox uses this 2.5-hour sample as the script, having the actors perform again more meticulously, and the post-production team refines it further...
It's said that there's no payment for those two months of shooting the visual script.
...Scary.
Fortunately, Guo Fox is just starting out!
Thinking of this, Gu Ran couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart—invest in Guo Fox while he's still young.
Try to bring him to Hollywood, suck the investors dry, and at the same time transform Hollywood from America's Hollywood to the world's Hollywood!
No rush! Such big plans need to be done step by step!
First, secure the main business of football, then gradually develop the side business of Hollywood.
Regardless, with this storyboard scripting skill, there's no need to rely on typing out English scripts; just recall the classic scenes from past life movies, sketch them out, and the entire movie's characters, key dialogues, plot development, and camera work are all there!
In terms of movie script creation, Gu Ran is definitely a novice; even if he wrote an English script, it would hardly catch the eye of a great director. But with this storyboard skill, that's a different story!
Directors can just shoot according to the storyboard!
Haha! Finally, I've acquired a useful Hollywood skill!
And this skill will definitely help Annie!
Just draw up a script for a future box office hit and assign Annie to star in it, and she can proudly return to Hollywood!
Annie is going to love me to death!
While inwardly chuckling, Gu Ran quickly focused his mind and absorbed the "Screenwriting Skill: Storyboard Scripting +1" Hollywood skill into his consciousness.
Instantly, Gu Ran felt his mind fill with comic-like structural images!
Done!
Today's 10 pick-up attempts are all used up, mission accomplished!
"Gu!" Annie ran over concerned, "Gu, are you okay? I saw you standing here motionless, is it... your hand hurts?"
Annie grabbed Gu Ran's hand without waiting for his response and gently stroked it.
Gu Ran tried to suppress the violent beating of his heart, "...It's okay, Annie, for you, even if my hand hurts, it's worth it."
Annie looked at Gu Ran gratefully, "Gu, I really don't know how to thank you, you're such a good person."
...That's right, I'm a decent good person.
Good people will surely be rewarded with good things.
Gu Ran held Annie's slender hand, smiling as he responded, "It's nothing, Annie, as long as you're happy."
Annie quickly added, "By the way, Gu, I prepared a gift for you earlier, but now I feel that this gift is too trivial, it's not enough to express my feelings for you."
Too trivial?
Are you talking about weight?
Gu Ran laughed, "Annie, any gift from you, no matter what, even if it's as light as... stockings, I would love it."
Annie giggled, her voice coquettish, "You're so annoying, it's you who gave me the stockings, how could I give them back to you? Actually, the gift I prepared for you is... no, no, I won't say now, keep you in suspense."
With such a tease, I'm really looking forward to it.
Gu Ran cleared his throat, his expression cool, "But first, it's getting late, how about tonight... we stay in London?"
Annie shyly said, "Ah? Okay, I'll listen to you."
Gu Ran's heart leaped with joy, "Then let's just find a hotel?"
Casually said, but if Annie agreed, it definitely wouldn't be just any hotel, at least it would have to be the Ritz Hotel!
Can't let the goddess feel shortchanged!
Annie quickly shook her head and waved her hands, "No, no, can't just pick any... I, I had the gift I prepared for you placed at the Ritz Hotel."
Holy crap?
Isn't this thinking alike?
So Annie, you've been planning this too!
Wait, the gift is at the Ritz Hotel? Do I feel like you're trying to trick me into booking a room at the Ritz Hotel?
Annie, are you thinking of... no way?
Isn't this moving too fast?
Gu Ran suppressed his excitement and asked curiously, "What exactly is the gift that needs to be placed at a place like the Ritz Hotel?"
Annie shyly said, "You'll know when we get there."
"Alright, let's go to the Ritz Hotel."
"Okay."
Gu Ran habitually wrapped his arm around Annie's soft waist and hips, hailing a taxi.
...
(End of Chapter)