Chapter 180

A few people had gathered together chatting about Marvel, thoroughly enjoying themselves; in the meantime, Xu Can was a bit thirsty, so he went over to the coffee machine on his own to make coffee.

At that moment, Scarlett Johansson also came over.

"Coffee?"

"Thanks, I'll make some red tea."

While pouring the hot water, the Widow's gaze drifted toward Gwyneth.

"Be careful, she's got some tricks."

"Oh?" Xu Can was amused. "Are you worried about me?"

The Widow let out a very natural, soft laugh.

"I can't bear to watch you get used."

"What if I'm the one playing with someone else?" Xu Can deliberately stressed the word "play."

"So you're saying you're pretty bold—are young people really that full of energy?"

Scarlett took a small sip of tea, her slender fingers circling the rim of the cup, her gaze alluring.

The Widow is twenty-four this year, two or three years older than Xu Can, so calling him a young man is fair enough.

"Why don't you try it and find out?"

Xu Can met her gaze, locking eyes with the Widow.

Scarlett Johansson was the first to lose the battle, looking away, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Back at the Cishanwan Society, she and Xu Can had already had a bit of a back-and-forth.

At the time, she had even wanted to flirt with this handsome Eastern guy,

but this time her emotions had surged up so quickly it startled even Scarlett herself.

She was afraid that if she held his gaze two seconds longer, she'd want to pin him against the wall and wall-pound him.

"What's wrong with me?"

Xu Can was equally surprised.

He found that since playing Jamie in *Love and Other Drugs*,

not only could he wrap any woman around his finger in a few words, he could even pick up on the other party's emotions with decent accuracy.

The first time, the Widow's mindset was very steady—she was just talking, no ripples inside.

This time, it was obvious the Widow's heart was in disarray.

Oh?

Xu Can watched the Widow flee in disarray with an amused look, finding it inexplicably interesting.

As long as he's willing to ask, the odds of getting the Widow to go out could probably be raised to 100%—it all depends on whether Xu Can wants to.

Unfortunately, he's pressed for time; he still has to fly back to New York that evening to continue filming *Love and Other Drugs*.

He'll wait for a chance later to ask the Widow out.

As an upcoming co-star, going out for a chat and a drink is perfectly reasonable, right?

……

Back in New York, filming was nearly wrapped up; another two or three weeks on location should be enough to wrap.

The original film focused mainly on the romance between the male and female leads,

on whether the two could overcome hardship and firmly choose to walk forward together when the female lead suffers from an incurable Parkinson's disease.

Xu Can offered the director and screenwriter a lot of suggestions.

He suggested adding some other details and plot, depicting the impact of North American healthcare from the side.

How low-income groups, without insurance, struggle desperately to survive when struck by serious illness.

At the same time, reflecting some wealthy groups,

how, while some people are struggling bitterly, they spare no expense on a little blue pill, and doctors pour more of their energy into the little blue pill.

The original touched on this a little, but not much.

Xu Can just wanted to dig a little deeper, at least giving the audience more to think about,

rather than walking out of the film only remembering Anne Hathaway's standout assets.

During filming, there were inevitably several fight scenes.

Xu Can and Anne Hathaway's one-on-one bouts, one after another, were practically on par with a Hollywood commercial action blockbuster.

The crew didn't have a professional "martial arts choreographer," so every move had to be worked out between the two leads, Xu Can and Anne.

Perhaps because of the rapport built from previous shoots, after filming wrapped that day, Anne Hathaway called out to Xu Can.

"I have a small idea about the action design going forward."

Anne, like a two-dimensional anime girl, shyly clasped her hands behind her back, head lowered, not daring to look at Xu Can.

"Oh? Coincidentally, I have ideas too—shall we test them out in practice?"

"Mm." She gave a small nod.

Afterward, through practical testing, they finally confirmed the move designs that were easier to execute on camera and visually striking.

The two of them got into the groove once shooting officially started, not delaying the schedule at all.

"Uh… those two really have great chemistry."

"Mm."

Director Edward and assistant director Clark were both numb to it, sitting in their chairs with legs crossed, not moving a muscle.

"Do you think it's really…"

"Who knows? As long as the shots are aesthetically pleasing enough."

"Well, I'm going to hit the restroom." Assistant director Clark stood up and left.

"Cut!"

Director Edward decisively called a halt.

"What's wrong? Director, was something off just now?"

Xu Can was a little puzzled; he felt it had been all right, hadn't it?

"Mm… you did very well. Do you think we should keep this take?" Edward asked tentatively.

Xu Can had the biggest star power, so he had the final say.

But Xu Can didn't answer; instead, he looked down at Anne Hathaway.

"What do you think?"

Anne had been working very hard on set; she didn't even have the strength left in her fingers to move.

But she was still willing to persevere, striving to make the shot perfect enough.

"I think, mm, we could do a few more takes, just to make sure the film's effect is sufficiently… perfect."

Xu Can was deeply moved — truly worthy of being one of the most dedicated actresses in Hollywood,

in her past life she had cut off her long, straight black hair for *Interstellar*,

and now, to make *Love and Other Drugs* shine enough, she had taken the initiative to suggest doing a few more shots with him.

"Alright then, let's do a few more takes."

"OK, let's take a five-minute break first. I have something to take care of in the trailer, I'll come back to shoot in a bit."

Director Edward also seemed a bit tired and hurried back to his trailer to rest.

The crew's cinematographers, lighting technicians, and others drifted off to rest one after another, leaving only Xu Can and Anne Hathaway on set.

"Want to run through it once more, to make sure the next shoot goes smoothly?"

"Mm." Anne gave a slight nod.

This dedicated on-screen pair continued to polish their performances on the empty set.

……

"That's a wrap!"

"Congratulations on wrapping!"

"Hard work, Xu, and Anne too — you worked hard as well."

*Love and Other Drugs* officially wrapped; Director Edward was beside himself with excitement.

During this period on set, the director's health had been getting worse and worse.

Xu Can and Anne Hathaway, on the other hand, were in pretty good spirits.

Anne especially — her complexion had gotten a lot rosier lately.

"What are your plans next?"