588 Business

"Ding-dong," the doorbell interrupted Renly and Matthew's conversation. Matthew cast a glance. "Are you expecting a guest?" Even Renly himself couldn't remember the address of this apartment, so it was highly unlikely that someone would find their way here. Was it Nathan or Andy? Matthew looked at the keys on the coffee table. He hadn't had time to return them to the door frame.

"Yes, it's Roy Lockley, my manager," Renly replied simply. Roy had helped defuse a situation when reporters had swarmed them downstairs the last time Matthew was driving. So, the two had met briefly. However, Matthew was unaware that Renly had hired Roy as his manager.

Matthew raised an eyebrow slightly. "I thought he was your bodyguard." After the jest, he stood up, pushed open the iron gate, and saw Roy standing at the door.

Roy wore a wrinkled, deep blue casual shirt, as though it had been crumpled and stored at the bottom of a suitcase for ten days. His sleeves were haphazardly rolled up to his elbows. His ash-gray jeans bore unidentified stains, his belt hung loosely, and his shoes looked like they had just returned from a trek through the Amazon rainforest.

In his hands, Roy held two enormous takeout bags, and atop his head, he wore a black motorcycle helmet. He looked like a delivery guy, wearing a lazy and nonchalant smile on his face. He raised the bags high and said matter-of-factly, "Your takeout, totaling $68.99."

If it were anyone else, they might have genuinely been stunned at the moment. But Matthew wasn't just anyone; he effortlessly took down his coat from the coat rack by the door. "Credit card payment, is that okay?" he asked while taking out his wallet.

"Not today," Roy replied with a smile in his eyes. "How about this: I'll put it on a tab today, and the next time I come by, we can settle the bill together." With that, Roy took a step forward. "Shall I bring it in for you?"

However, Matthew didn't budge to make way. Instead, he extended his hands and said, "I'll handle it myself."

"Are you two finished yet? I'm starving, and if you don't come in soon, I'm going to fall asleep right here on the couch," Renly, who was lying on the sofa, couldn't take it anymore. The two men's banter appeared endless, with no end in sight. Both of them were just acting foolish. True wit meant knowing when to stop, and these two clearly weren't adept at joking around. If they kept going, they'd wear out the humor.

Only then did Matthew make way for Roy to enter.

When they wrapped up filming "Detachment", Roy had brought up the issue of selecting Renly's next project. It wasn't that he was rushing Renly into taking another role; rather, he understood that reading scripts was a substantial undertaking, akin to reading a novel. Finishing it in a day was no challenge, but to truly focus and read it required time and concentration. This time, Andy had submitted quite a few scripts, and reading through them would naturally take more time.

So, Roy informed Renly in advance that he had finished his preliminary selection. Whenever Renly was ready, he could receive a report from him. Renly didn't mind at all; reading was one of his leisure activities. Thus, he invited Roy over today. However, Roy arrived even faster than expected, and he brought takeout, which resolved Renly and Matthew's lunch issue.

"Why did you bring takeout?" Renly sat up with crossed legs, eagerly looking at the lunch Roy had brought.

"It's lunchtime now, and I need lunch, and so do you," Roy explained simply. "Nathan was a bit concerned about your meals, so I had him take the afternoon off and personally brought the takeout." Roy turned to Matthew and asked, "But I didn't know Matthew was here too. Are you accustomed to Chinese food?"

Matthew stood nearby, refined and aloof, his gaze somewhat helpless as he looked at Renly.

Due to Renly's influence, Matthew had eaten his fair share of Chinese food. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they had personally tasted various types of Chinese cuisine on the streets of London. Even though Matthew wasn't particularly interested, he had become somewhat of an expert. Although Matthew didn't understand why Renly was so obsessed with Chinese food, it was clear that this wasn't the only enigma surrounding Renly.

Renly said seriously, "His survival skills are stronger than you think." Without confirming or denying it, Renly added, "Come on, let's have our meal first."

In the end, they didn't choose French or Italian cuisine; instead, they went with Chinese food. At the dining table, they ate in silence, with no words exchanged. This made Roy somewhat uncomfortable because he realized that he still knew very little about Renly.

In high society, a formal Western meal typically consisted of multiple courses, including appetizers, soup, side dishes, main course, vegetable dishes, dessert, and coffee, among other things. A two-hour meal was considered basic, while three to four hours was the norm. That's why during meals, people tried to avoid making any noise, not just in terms of talking but even with the clinking of cutlery and plates. Therefore, a closer look would reveal that all the dishes in top restaurants were designed to be easy to cut or had already been deboned or peeled, avoiding any cumbersome objects like bones or shells.

However, for young people like Renly and Matthew, the rules had evolved over the years. Such strict requirements only applied to formal dinner occasions, while casual breakfasts, brunches, or quick meals didn't adhere to such rigid standards. However, today, all three of them remained silent, leading to a quiet atmosphere.

After the meal, Matthew left the apartment and headed to work. He had indeed been quite busy in recent times.

Renly sat on the living room sofa, leisurely enjoying a cup of coffee. Roy, sitting beside him, found the situation increasingly strange. Renly didn't seem like someone from an ordinary family. His good education and graceful manners often gave people the impression of refinement and sophistication.

"Are you planning to discuss it with me after my nap, or now? Personally, I think taking a nap is a good idea." Renly was starting to feel a bit drowsy. Filming for "Detachment" had lasted for over seven weeks, and it had been a rigorous test of both his physical and mental strength. Now that he could completely relax, he felt like the Sandman was calling him.

Roy came to his senses and brought his bag over. Since there were too many scripts, his briefcase couldn't hold them all. In the end, he had to use Nathan's backpack to carry them over. "I can leave the scripts here and give you a brief overview. Then, I'll go rest, and we can go over them in more detail when you have time."

Roy took out the scripts one by one, briefly glanced at the covers, and then organized them into categories. At the same time, he explained, "Don't worry; I'll be quick."

After making sure all the scripts were laid out, Roy divided them into three stacks and looked up at Renly. "I've categorized them based on my personal opinions: one stack is scripts I think are worth considering, another stack consists of scripts I believe have no reference value or are unsuitable for you, and the last one contains scripts I'm unsure about."

Once he started working, Roy maintained his usual efficient and no-nonsense approach, getting straight to the point without any unnecessary chatter. He summarized everything in just a few sentences.

"Why is there a stack labeled "unsure"?" Renly didn't bother looking at the scripts but instead turned his interested gaze toward Roy.

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Roy replied without trying to show off. "They seem like good projects on the surface, but I have a feeling there might be issues, or conversely, they don't seem like worthwhile projects, yet there could be something to unearth. I think maybe you might be interested, or maybe not."

Roy was a smart man, much like Andy. Naturally, he could sense the significance of this evaluation. The cooperation had just begun, and both parties needed to adapt. From a broader perspective, both managers and agents were employed by the artists, and artists had the right to terminate the collaboration at any time. Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable for them to assess each other's abilities.

So, Roy didn't take this task lightly. He meticulously read through each script, even taking notes, thoroughly analyzing, pondering, and considering before reaching his conclusions.

For the first time in a long while, Roy felt the enthusiasm of his work. It wasn't just because he could be fully involved or because everything was new and unfamiliar. It was because he genuinely felt the passion: Renly's reverence for scripts, his fervor for acting, and his pursuit of art. This energy rekindled Roy's deep-seated dedication and persistence.

Roy couldn't help but speculate that maybe he could witness a miracle through Renly. Even if it were just a "possibility", this kind of collaboration was off to a fantastic start. So, he was willing to give his all, even if it meant hard work.

Renly took a sip of his coffee, his second cup of the day. Fortunately, both cups were black coffee; otherwise, he might have felt a twinge of guilt. He adjusted his posture slightly, then casually began flipping through the scripts in front of him.

In the stack labeled "worth considering", there were only two scripts, each with a title written on the cover: "21 Jump Street" and "Looper".

The stack labeled "completely unnecessary" contained a whopping four scripts: "Snow White and the Huntsman," "The Vow", "Jack Reacher", and "Pitch Perfect".

The last stack, labeled "unsure", consisted of three scripts: "Django Unchained", "Battleship", and "John Carter".