Age disadvantage

The elegant melody flowed gently like moonlight, meandering through the tranquil darkness. The soft sound rippled like mist, neither abrupt nor sharp, carrying a smooth and silky texture. It wove through the inky night, like thin mist curling and churning in the verdant woods, resplendent and enchanting. The mysteriousness and tranquility of the night were infused with a touch of artistic beauty.

It was Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite.

The phone on the bedside table incessantly echoed, the cello suite playing over and over again. Renly rolled over and continued to doze off. The classical melodies resonating in the room instead made him close his eyes, allowing him to immerse himself in the auditory delight brought by the notes and scores.

Finally, the melody came to a stop.

Renly once again entered the realm of dreams, drowsy and lethargic.

New York's winter was bitterly cold. The entire world was dyed white, tinged with a piercing chill. Just standing on the street for two minutes felt like plunging into the Hudson River; the sharp gusts of wind were omnipresent, stimulating pores and blood, almost freezing into ice. This weather was the best time for hibernation.

"Thud, thud," a muffled knocking came from the front door, waking Renly up once again. He tightly shut his eyes, reluctant to part with the warmth of his covers.

If the visitor was a stranger, after knocking for a while without getting a response, they would naturally leave. If it was someone familiar, they knew where the spare key was.

Sure enough, after waiting for a while, the knocking ceased, followed by the sound of the door being unlocked. The sound of the door sliding open was even louder, a clattering noise as cold air surged in, sweeping away the warm and viscous air inside. With a crisp sound, the amber light gently spilled in, dispersing the darkness like surging tidal water. Light extended its tendrils, gradually occupying the entire space within sight.

Andy Rogers glanced around the room casually; it was tidy and clean. There was no unexpected mess or scattered items; everything was neatly placed in its original position. Even the luggage Renly had dragged back from Sundance had been packed away, leaving no trace.

Just this scene was enough for him to understand that the room had been tidied up. Whether it was Nathan or Matthew, he was certain that it definitely wasn't Renly who did it.

Stepping over to the folding screen, he knocked on the wooden board and called out, "Renly, are you awake?"

A moment of silence followed before a lazy and husky voice came from the other side. "What time is it now?"

"Two in the afternoon," Andy replied straightforwardly. "I know today is your day off, but I have only three hours before I head to Philadelphia. There are some things I need to discuss with you face-to-face."

"... Give me ten minutes."

Andy nodded and didn't press further. He turned around and walked to the living room. Several copies of yesterday's newspapers were placed on the table. After Sundance concluded, the Oscar nominations were immediately announced, causing a sensation in various major news media.

On one hand, everyone was criticizing the Academy for being too conservative. This year's outstanding performance by Gen Y deserved more recognition. On the other hand, everyone was looking forward to the showdown between Natalie and Annette. Many critics were especially hoping for Natalie to come out on top. The controversy surrounding the body double scandal was one thing, but the expectations for the new generation to take over the legacy were another.

Of course, the intrigue surrounding the Oscar nomination list extended far beyond this. Major media outlets were already producing special features, analyzing the gains and losses of the first half of the awards season.

For Andy, this year was already perfect enough. He truly couldn't ask for more.

Just five months ago, Renly had just secured an Emmy nomination for "The Pacific", and he had also successfully taken over Renly's talent contract. Time had flown by, and Renly not only clinched the Emmy Award for Best Actor, but also received the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. He even managed to secure his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor, not to mention his debut in a commercial film.

Even the boldest, most arrogant, most radical, and self-assured top-tier agents, even the top agents of innovative artistic agencies, didn't dare hope for more spectacular results.

Andy had once imagined, "If "Buried" could get an Oscar nomination, that would be great." Andy had also once imagined, "If "Like Crazy" could achieve a breakthrough in independent cinema, that would be great." However, when these "imaginations" actually came true, Andy found himself somewhat incredulous. Everything was just too perfect, so perfect that it lacked any sense of reality.

Therefore, even though the Academy's PR campaign was in full swing at the moment, with each nominee making their final sprint towards the golden statuette, one couldn't be too greedy.

Renly, who was only twenty-one years old this year, had already achieved an incredible victory by making it to the Oscar showdown stage with only two film works under his belt, "Buried" being his big-screen debut. This was especially remarkable after defeating James Franco from "127 Hours".

Currently, almost all media outlets were hyping up the confrontation between Renly and James. The confrontation between the two since Toronto had reached its climax in the past two days. The media was completely unafraid of stirring the pot, continuing to incite conflicts. If either Renly or James couldn't help but explode in a tirade, that would be the real excitement.

It could be imagined that the precocious Renly was now standing in the eye of the storm.

At this juncture, instead of chasing after the elusive golden statuette, this year's most prominent figure was likely Colin Firth. Others couldn't really compete with him. Rather than clinging on, it was better to gracefully withdraw and focus on getting back to the business of filmmaking, showing a more professional stance.

After the conclusion of the Sundance Film Festival, Andy generously granted Renly a week off, away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, allowing him to truly relax.

Now, for Andy, the Oscars were no longer his top priority. Renly's choice of future projects was the real headache. The outstanding performances in three consecutive films had raised people's expectations of Renly to a whole new level. The upcoming commercial film, "Fast 5", wasn't just a buffer zone; it was also a good litmus test. But what would come after that?

Casually picking a mediocre or even terrible work, only to overturn the reputation painstakingly built up from three previous films? Impulsively choosing a commercial film to make a quick profit while riding the wave of popularity, only to squander the reputation established in the independent film scene with difficulty?

Andy knew that surpassing the peaks of "Buried" and "Like Crazy" was an incredibly difficult task, but at the very least, he should aim to maintain the same level. Andy couldn't help but think back to when Renly had independently secured the role for "Like Crazy" in Tribeca. It was clear that Renly had his own understanding and attitude towards scripts and characters. Perhaps he could gather some independent film projects for Renly to carefully choose from.

But the problem lay here – whether it was independent works or commercial films, there were simply too few roles suitable for Renly. Because Renly was really too young!

Since Hollywood's primary consumer group consisted of middle-class individuals aged thirty to forty-nine, regardless of gender, the lead roles in mainstream films were generally within this age range. Scripts that belonged to the younger generation were already scarce, and they also needed to be of exceptional quality, making it even more challenging.

Last time, Andy had taken considerable effort to find the scripts for "Horrible Bosses" and "Fast 5". This was one of the reasons Andy had agreed for Renly to take on "Like Crazy". Now, Renly had advanced even further, which presented a great challenge for Andy's role of script selection.

Renly's youth had won him immense praise, but it had also brought more obstacles to his career. If Renly wanted to achieve even greater success in the future, then Andy needed to be cautious, very cautious.

Indeed, in the world, nothing was perfect. Everything was a double-edged sword; the key was how one perceived and utilized it.

To be honest, if they were only picking some youth campus comedies, or supporting roles in commercial blockbusters, or just a random role in a gangster comedy, it wouldn't be a difficult task. With Innovative Artists' network, Andy could easily find plenty. However, Andy didn't want to settle, and he definitely didn't want to be arbitrary.

In fact, Renly's range of performance was already quite broad. In the two films, "Buried" and "Fast 5", Renly portrayed characters around the age of thirty, and it wasn't just without a problem, but had also received the production's approval.

So, Andy understood that what he needed to do was to calm down, not to be impatient, to slowly select, to gradually search – truly excellent works required more patience.

While lost in thought, the sound of water in the bathroom had stopped. Not long after, Andy saw Renly walk over in a simple white T-shirt paired with black athletic pants. His wet hair was still dripping water, and he carried a languid yet elegant aura that was indescribable in its flavor.

Renly walked to the window, opened the blinds, and the thin sunlight spilled onto the pristine white snow, refracting inside. The entire room instantly became brilliantly lit, then he walked in the direction of the sofa set, saying, "You came all the way to New York for something important."

After a quick scan left and right, Renly continued, "But I don't see you carrying a script, so it's not about a new job. You also didn't bring Nathan, so it's probably not about attending some PR event. So, what important matter is it that disrupted my hibernation?"

Andy couldn't help but smile at Renly's teasing tone. He nodded gently, affirming, "I came all the way here to talk to you about manager affairs."

"Manager affairs?" Renly sat down, his motion of wiping his hair paused for a moment. "And then?"