Director Brooks nodded slightly, seeming not to dislike this answer. At least there was self-awareness, and no excuses about not being professionally trained. However, Ethan Carter's reputation for acting really made people uneasy. Alan Brooks stared at Brian Foster for a long time without saying a word, making him feel uneasy.

Brian Foster just stood there, but his gaze lingered on Adam Bennett.

"0901, is there a real-life model for Adam Bennett's appearance?"

0901: "Mr. Foster, there is no real-life model. It was created based on your novel's settings."

This answer was rather perfunctory. Brian Foster couldn't help but keep looking at Adam Bennett, and unexpectedly, the other seemed to notice and turned his head to look at him.

"Director Brooks, how about I try a scene with Ethan Carter?"

Brian Foster was inwardly opposed to this.

Author's note:

About auditions: You can find many audition tapes of European and American actors online. Most of them perform lines in front of a camera (sometimes with a director behind it), basically interpreting a segment of lines in their own way, without props or scene partners. If you find this hard to believe, you can look it up. In China, very few audition clips are leaked, so I wrote this based on Western audition practices. I think they should be more or less the same.

Chapter 4: The Ultimate Showdown of Beauty and Acting (Part Four)

Director Brooks seemed to really like this suggestion: "Sure. You can help him get into the mood, and we'll take a look."

Adam Bennett got up from his chair and walked over to Brian Foster. He was very tall. Back when Brian Foster set the character, it was 187cm, and now he regretted it a bit—this man's presence was truly overwhelming.

"You memorized your lines well just now. Should we continue with that monologue?"

Brian Foster nodded, "Either way is fine."

He didn't have the ability to improvise on the spot, but fortunately, the previous monologue had already set up an emotional context for him. If Adam Bennett now chose a later, more intense scene, he definitely wouldn't be able to get into character right away.

Adam Bennett's professional skills were astonishing. His expression changed in an instant, and in the blink of an eye, he became Nan Ke from the script, his smile bright, and he started speaking fluent French without missing a beat.

"Hello sir, you just ordered an iced mocha. Would you like anything else?"

Brian Foster realized that the flashback was set in France. He looked at Adam Bennett, nodding involuntarily, then quickly shook his head. But neither he nor Ethan Carter could speak French, so he could only awkwardly skip the short lines that were supposed to be in French.

"Alright, that will be 2.25 euros in total."

Adam Bennett's mimed performance was excellent. The curve of his smile was just right—he was the perfect image of a skilled café cashier. Brian Foster reached into his pocket.

There was always a subtle trace of awkwardness on his face, which the director and screenwriter sitting below noticed. In fact, this kind of first conversation with a secret crush needed just this kind of perfectly timed awkwardness.

Brian Foster reached out to Adam Bennett, who naturally opened his palm, and a pink, crystal-clear candy dropped into his hand.

With perfect professionalism, Adam Bennett almost broke into a smile.

"Alright, please wait a moment." Adam Bennett walked to the side, busying himself, his actions very convincing.

Brian Foster looked down at his toes, then glanced at Adam Bennett's profile, using Chinese instead of the original French line.

"Are you French?"

While "making" coffee, Adam Bennett replied, "No, I'm Chinese, here to study."

"Really?"—in a slightly surprised tone.

Adam Bennett also turned his head to look at him, and the two exchanged a smile. He picked up a disposable paper cup from the small table nearby, walked over to Brian Foster, and handed it to him with both hands.

"Your coffee."

His fingers were long. When Brian Foster took the coffee, he accidentally touched his fingers. Adam Bennett's gaze was direct and intense, like the July sun.

In that instant, Brian Foster felt a deep, inexplicable nervousness. He couldn't say why, but the feeling was frighteningly familiar. A thin layer of sweat formed in his palm, and his hand trembled slightly as he took the cup.

"Thank you."

Brian Foster turned around. The next scene was leaving the café. His steps were slow, as if the soles of his shoes were really stuck to the melted asphalt on the road.

"Will you come again tomorrow?"

Brian Foster suddenly turned around. Adam Bennett scratched the back of his head, "I mean, the café has an event tomorrow. It's summer, so cold drinks are buy one, get one free."

The way he said "it's summer" sounded very sweet, like the tone used when confessing love.

"You can bring a friend too, it's a great deal."

Brian Foster looked at him, his tone sincere, "But I don't have any friends."

As soon as he said this, Brian Foster regretted it so much he wanted to bite his tongue, because this wasn't a line from the script. Clearly lacking experience, he started to blur the line between reality and acting.

Adam Bennett was stunned for a moment, but only for an instant. He walked around the imaginary counter, came up to Brian Foster, and reached out his hand to him.