Chapter 161

The real protagonist hasn't made an official announcement yet,

but the media has already promoted Taylor Swift and Xu Can as being in a formal relationship.

This has also driven Emma Stone, who considers herself his girlfriend, absolutely crazy,

to the point where she wishes she could hold a press conference and publicly declare Xu Can her boyfriend.

But doing so would be too low-class and would likely be seen as riding on their popularity, surely inviting backlash.

Persuaded by Xu Can, Stone could only temporarily lie low and wait for the storm to pass before finding an opportunity to make an official announcement.

"I suspect you two are just pretending and it's become real! You are clearly dating!"

"You are my girlfriend; Taylor is just a collaborator."

"Then give me her phone number so we can have a proper talk."

"Fine, here you go. I've already dialed it; you talk to her."

Without any hesitation, Xu Can immediately dialed Taylor Swift's number and handed the phone to Stone.

Stone herself actually got scared; she feared her worries would become reality and didn't even have the courage to face it.

"Hmph."

Before the call connected, Stone turned away to do her makeup, as she had scenes to shoot soon.

"Darling, do you miss me?"

Taylor's tone on the phone was very happy; Xu Can rarely called her proactively.

"What are you doing?"

"Writing a new song; want me to sing a couple of lines for you?"

"Sure." Xu Can's lips curved upward.

Only he in the whole world could hear Taylor's impromptu phone concert first.

On the other end of the line, Taylor picked up her guitar and strummed a slightly upbeat country-pop melody.

Compared to her previous pure country style, it added a touch of rock.

"Every move you make hits me like a storm, unforgettable."

"And I'm as fragile as a house of cards, easily conquered."

"You make me infatuated without thinking of consequences; I should stay away."

"But I know deep down I can't..."

As her longtime fan, the moment Taylor opened her mouth, Xu Can knew which song it was.

"Sparks Fly," the lead single from Taylor Swift's third album, "Speak Now."

It tells the story of a girl's inner journey as she can't control falling in love with someone.

After singing a short demo, Taylor couldn't wait to hear Xu Can's opinion.

"Great, I like it; it will definitely top the iTunes download chart."

"Hehe, this song was written for you too; the download chart doesn't matter, as long as you like it."

Taylor's sweet voice made Xu Can more intoxicated than her songs themselves.

To date, Taylor Swift has already written many works for him: "Fearless," "Love Story," "You Belong With Me," and so on.

And she has stated more than once in interviews that the creative inspiration for these songs came from Xu Can.

Emphasizing this in her Grammy acceptance speech was also one of the key factors that broke Stone's defenses.

After some sweet talk between the two, Xu Can returned to the set to face Emma Stone.

Stone's expression was somewhat complex, but since it was work time, she could only hold it in for now.

"Alright, let's get ready!"

"Scene 72, Take 2, Take 1!"

"Action!"

Previously, at the end of "Spider-Man 1," Peter Parker broke up with Gwen.

Peter had promised her father to stay away from Gwen and not let her encounter danger.

Gwen's tearful appearance under the umbrella made countless fans heartbroken.

However, how could two people in love separate so easily?

This scene is their first face-to-face conversation after the breakup.

Peter weaves through traffic and comes before Gwen.

The two gaze at each other from afar in the crowd, their eyes colliding.

Gwen, wearing a white coat, sees her beloved in the winter night, her emotions of surprise, heartache, and awkwardness intertwining.

On set, due to the recent Taylor Swift incident, Stone's state of mind was equally complex.

Looking at the still-handsome Xu Can before her, she was essentially acting out her own feelings.

"Hey."

"Hi..."

"You look beautiful."

"Sorry for being a bit abrupt in calling you over."

"No, not abrupt at all."

"I just think we should be good friends again; I don't want things between us to be too complicated."

"Mm, that's good. If we're friends, we need to set three rules."

"Like what?" Stone raised her eyes, her bright gaze fixed on Xu Can.

"For example, your smile—it's a foul."

"What? How did I foul?"

"You have to smile more annoyingly… No, that's still too cute."

"I have one too—you're not allowed to look at me with those mesmerizing eyes." Stone Sister tucked the hair by her ear.

Clearly two people who had broken up, yet sweeter than many couples madly in love.

That careful, tentative collision, the probing of feelings not yet severed between them—the two were no longer acting; they were plainly dating on set.

This five-minute scene, director Marc Webb had originally planned to cut into several shots.

But the moment he saw the opening, Marc Webb hurriedly told the cameraman to follow the two, tracking from different angles.

He didn't call cut, so the two kept performing, until it became a single long take.

All in one go!

"HolyMoly, my God!"

"How did they do that?"

Whether the director or the cameraman, both were won over by the two's performance.

That seamless chemistry, and the radiance each of them shone with—

Even a rough, tough guy with no interest in romance would be melted by this performance.

"Cut!"

Marc Webb came up to the two and couldn't help but applaud them.

"Honestly, I've shot teen romance films before, but your scene here is even more moving than a romance film—Bravo!"

Xu Can and Stone Sister exchanged a glance and broke into a soft smile.

"Can only say, we have great chemistry, right?"

"Mm, great chemistry." Stone Sister's eyes could no longer leave Xu Can.

During the break, the two sat in chairs, silent for a moment.

"I'm going to compete."

"What?"

"I said, I'm going to compete." Stone Sister looked into Xu Can's eyes, enunciating each word.

"Compete for what? You're already the winner."

"Stop, don't use the tricks you use on sixteen-year-old girls on me. I'm not that dumb."

Stone Sister wore an expression of utter refusal to back down.

"Right, Taylor is prettier than me, taller than me, has a better figure than me…"

"But my love for you is no less than hers."