From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Laughter and harmony filled the air—

This was the scene that greeted Jennifer Aniston upon arriving at the set, so unexpected that she doubted her eyes.

What… what's going on?

Where's the tension? Where's the united front?

The action of opening the car door paused slightly.

"Jennifer?"

The assistant, who was driving, noticed Jennifer's pause and called out with concern.

Jennifer only froze for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine. I can handle it."

Jennifer didn't like these tabloid news stories; in fact, she loathed them. She didn't like her private life being laid bare for people to discuss.

At the same time, she didn't like Brad being jealous over trivial matters; it wasn't manly at all. Nor did she like Brad doing things behind her back.

Actually, if Brad had openly discussed this with her, even though she quite liked Anson, she would have stood by Brad's side and pressured David Crane to fire Anson. The matter would have been much simpler. She believed David Crane wouldn't refuse her request.

After all, they were in the same boat now and would need to work together on salary negotiations.

Moreover, similar things had happened before.

No need to go too far back; just a few months ago, during the filming of the sixth season of "Friends."

At that time, Reese Witherspoon was a guest star, appearing as Rachel's sister. After filming one episode, Marta really liked Reese's energy and the chemistry between her and the cast, so she wrote a second episode for Reese, and the script for a third episode was already completed.

Jennifer didn't like Reese.

She felt that she and Reese didn't have compatible auras, and Reese's exaggerated performance completely stole her spotlight.

So, Jennifer protested to David Crane and Marta.

In the end, the third guest appearance was canceled, and Reese's character was written off after two episodes.

See, it was that simple. David Crane clearly knew how to choose between a guest star and the six main characters. Even Reese, who had already made a name for herself, was treated this way, let alone the newcomer Anson?

Originally, it was just a matter of a word, but it had turned into this mess, a complete disaster.

The situation was now completely different.

Even if Jennifer wholeheartedly stood by Brad's side, she couldn't fire or alienate Anson now, or it would be like protesting too much.

Moreover, not only could she not alienate him, but she also needed to get along with Anson—at least, she had to appear friendly and amicable in public. Otherwise, if she wasn't careful, Reese's situation might be dug up, and then she and Brad would be in a world of trouble, even if there was nothing to it.

Damn it!

Before coming to Stage 24, Jennifer already knew that reporters were waiting there. She and her agent and publicist had already discussed it. She had to appear as a savior, helping Anson out and creating buzz for him, showing an attitude of maintaining peace on the set.

She not only needed to clarify the misunderstanding but also turn the passive situation around.

Everything was ready.

Jennifer had prepared to face a storm of controversy, but what was this—?

Is that all?

When she left home for Burbank, things were still under their control, but what had happened in just half an hour?

One wave subsides, and another rises.

Jennifer's brain was a bit of a mess.

Astonishment. Nervousness. Irritation. Depression. Confusion. Anxiety. Anger.

Different thoughts and emotions intertwined and collided, like a wad of cotton stuffed in her chest, making her restless and breathless, yet unable to find an accurate word to simply describe it. Finally, it turned into a long, drawn-out sigh, barely suppressing her thoughts for the time being.

Reason returned to her head.

Jennifer took out her makeup mirror, not to touch up her makeup, but to raise the corners of her mouth in the mirror, rediscovering her most familiar and confident smile.

Perhaps the only not-so-bad part of the whole thing was that she didn't dislike Anson.

To be precise, she quite liked Anson.

On and off-screen, the energy and charm emanating from Anson were indeed captivating. Although Jennifer didn't see Anson as a romantic interest, it was undeniable that, as an actor and a man, purely from an appreciative perspective, Anson did have a special attraction.

This also meant that the following events wouldn't be so torturous.

Click.

Occasionally, very, very occasionally, Jennifer would hope to enjoy a moment of peace, just hoping that others wouldn't recognize her.

But now, when those reporters didn't realize she had arrived, she felt a faint sense of loss.

Jennifer straightened her back slightly, secretly telling herself: This is a good thing, indicating that Anson has successfully shifted the focus.

Her footsteps slowly approached.

The conversations, the dialogues, the jokes, entered her ears. Jennifer didn't expect that Anson and the reporters were actually discussing this topic.

"Of course, no problem."

Seizing a brief audio pause, Jennifer spoke.

Swish, swish, swish.

The reporters turned around one after another, immediately seeing Jennifer's figure, but because it was too unexpected, they didn't react for a brief second.

Jennifer displayed her signature smile, shouting to Anson across the crowd of reporters, "You just need to ask. My phone number isn't that difficult to get."

Click.

Finally, the reporters came back to their senses, pressing the shutter. The silver flash devoured the golden sunlight, instantly covering Jennifer.

Whoosh.

The crowd swarmed towards Jennifer, and Anson, who had been tightly surrounded, now revealed his slender figure.

But what was special was that the crowd didn't spread from one end to the other like a honeycomb, but rapidly approached Jennifer while gradually making way, as if Moses was standing before the Red Sea, automatically opening a passage, the bustling crowd splitting into two sides, forming a magpie bridge.

One end was Jennifer, and the other was Anson.

The camera aimed at Jennifer, continuously pressing the shutter to record Jennifer's every second as she walked towards Anson, as if it were a historical moment.

Jennifer was used to such big scenes and was very familiar with them. She calmly took a step forward and walked towards Anson—

Two corners of the love triangle finally met.

Jennifer was very generous and very sincere, opening her arms and giving Anson a warm hug.

Without avoiding suspicion.

Because at this time, avoiding suspicion would only prove the suspicion. Being magnanimous was the correct way to dispel the rumors.

But the hug wasn't too intimate or too long. Jennifer released her arms after a brief moment, tidied her hair, and her smile fully bloomed.

"Jesus Christ, I never expected that our reunion would be like this. What should we do? It's a bit awkward."

Instead of avoiding the topic, she directly confronted it. Without even waiting for the reporters to ask questions, Jennifer herself targeted the rumors and expressed her views.