Actor in Hollywood

Harry? Pesci?

With these words in mind, Anson's brain instantly conjured up the iconic scene from "Home Alone," but the Harry in front of him didn't quite catch on as quickly.

Harry: "Huh?"

Anson raised both hands and slapped his cheeks, reenacting the classic scene from the movie, "Kevin!"

Harry: …

This time, Harry finally caught on. After all, the scene is so classic that it's impossible not to recognize it. But looking at Anson, he was speechless, "No, I'm not related to Joe Pesci."

"Wait, you mean Joe Pesci, right?"

Anson laughed heartily, "What, no one ever made that connection before?"

Harry's face was full of frustration, "No."

Anson didn't mind, "Well, now they will. Maybe you can use it for promotion, like a personal business card."

Harry instinctively jumped out of his seat, "No way!"

If people started making that connection, his professional image would be ruined. Harry looked at Anson in horror, beads of sweat forming on his forehead again.

Hahaha!

Anson burst out laughing and then casually asked, "Did you drive here?"

Harry: "Yeah."

The moment he said it, Harry regretted it. Why was he so obedient, answering whatever Anson asked? What was going on?

But Anson didn't seem to notice Harry's distress. "Great, can you give me a ride? I have plans to meet a friend later, and I need to swing by home first."

What was with that matter-of-fact tone?

Harry was speechless!

Even so, Harry still instinctively asked, "What friend?" This was the paparazzo in him.

"Kristen." Anson didn't hold back.

Harry's eyes lit up, "Kristen Dunst? Your co-star?"

Anson nodded, "Yeah, we're planning to meet up and talk about the roles."

That was the truth.

After today's shoot, Kristen had approached Anson to discuss the roles further. She wanted to delve deeper into the emotional dynamics between Peter Parker and Mary Jane and had some ideas she wanted to bounce off Anson. She thought he might provide some inspiration.

Anson had readily agreed.

So, they had decided to first return home, remove their makeup, change into something more comfortable, something casual and low-key, and then meet at a café.

Harry suddenly became excited, sweeping away his earlier dejection and exhaustion. "Of course, I have a car. Where do you live?"

Inwardly, Harry was secretly thrilled—

Anson was still too naïve. He had foolishly exposed himself, not only revealing his home address but also disclosing his schedule, including the meeting with Kristen. He really was just a kid.

Harry didn't care about the real reason Anson and Kristen were meeting in private. As long as he could get the photos, it would be a scandal—a juicy, exclusive one.

Harry even had the headline ready in his mind:

"Sparks Fly: 'Spider-Man' Couple's On-Screen Romance Turns Real—Anson and Kristen Are Inseparable On and Off Screen."

This exclusive story would make all of today's hard work worth it.

Suddenly, Harry was full of adrenaline.

He didn't even bother taking pictures while Anson was changing clothes. Those were just trivial scraps, not worth the effort. Instead, he relaxed and let his mind wander, crossing his legs.

As they left the set, Harry noticed how the crew members one by one greeted Anson with high-fives, a sign of camaraderie that reflected Anson's place in the group. 

Harry was a bit surprised.

But as a paparazzo, reporting on these positive, behind-the-scenes moments wasn't profitable, so he just took note of it. Still, he started to see Anson in a new light.

It took just twenty minutes to get from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Anson's place in New York—barely enough time to start a conversation before they were almost there.

Harry was a little worried. He had thought Anson was staying at a hotel, which would have made revealing his address pointless. But soon, Harry was taken aback—

This place…

New York is small yet large, and Harry was only familiar with a few neighborhoods, as he lived in Los Angeles and was only in New York for work. This area looked somewhat unfamiliar, but Harry had vaguely heard of it.

This should be Midtown… right?

The gray stone buildings looked both solemn and modern, with simple yet luxurious entrances. As Harry looked up along the building's exterior, he saw high-end, modern apartments with one unit per floor reaching up into the sky. The spacious, bright floor-to-ceiling windows reflected the golden sunlight from the Hudson River, making one imagine the opulent scenes behind the glass.

Wait, Anson lives here?

Is this a temporary residence during filming, or is this Anson's private apartment in New York?

Whether it was the former or the latter, Harry was lightly stunned.

If it was the former, it meant that Anson had signed with a top agency that was willing to invest in this newcomer. If it was the latter, it meant that Anson's salary might be higher than expected, given that "Spider-Man" was only Anson's third film.

Of course, there were other possibilities.

His mind was racing, but he had no answers. Suddenly, Harry realized how little they actually knew about Anson.

At the beginning of the year, due to the Sony-Columbia Studios theft incident, "Spider-Man," which had been largely out of the spotlight, came into view. The media's enthusiasm was sparked by Sony-Columbia's secretive attitude, and the cast became the focus.

Anson, who had broken out through "Friends," became a hot topic once again.

But in retrospect, from "Friends" to "GQ" and now to "Spider-Man," they had only focused on the events and never really paid attention to Anson as a newcomer.

Harry's brain was filled to the brim with all kinds of speculations, almost to the point of exploding.

Then.

A voice broke through his thoughts, "Ahead, just pull over to the side."

Harry didn't even realize he was obeying the instructions like a taxi driver, pulling over without a second thought—his mind was elsewhere.

When the car stopped, Harry finally snapped out of it and cautiously glanced at Anson—

So, this is where Anson would try to ditch him, right?

But Anson still looked relaxed, smiling at Harry. "Thanks, today was great. I hope we get to talk more next time."

Harry: ???

"Kevin, see you later."

Harry: ? What?

"Hey, I'm not Kevin, I'm Harry, Anson? Anson Wood! Harry, my name is Harry Pesci!"

Anson had already gotten out of the car and walked away, leaving Harry to shout after him, as if trying to win back an ex, but without getting any response.

Harry watched as Anson crossed the street, only realizing several beats later—

Why did he correct Anson?

If Anson thought his name was Kevin, then he should have let him continue under that misapprehension. Paparazzi need to keep their identities hidden; they hope celebrities forget their faces, their names, so they can stay undercover and catch the next scoop.

But what did he do?

What did he do!

He had been an idiot, not only correcting Anson but practically begging him to remember, shouting it over and over until the whole street was looking. It couldn't have been more public.

He had seen stupid things, but nothing this stupid.