Chapter 8

Recharge immediately (Event time: September 29 to October 6)

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"No, I can't... I will always be your best friend."

"Just friends?"

"That's all I can give you... you understand."

"He made you promise... so that I'd be safer, right?"

After the funeral of Captain George Stacy, the weather was fitting, with a light, drizzling rain.

Gwen Stacy held an umbrella, looking at Peter with tear-filled eyes.

She had already lost one of the most important men in her life, and she never expected to lose another.

Their gazes intertwined.

Peter, feeling the same heartache, gritted his teeth, turned around, and disappeared into the rain, ignoring Gwen's attempt to hold him back.

"Cut!"

Marc Webb, with complex emotions, called out the final word.

The entire set suddenly fell into silence.

Then, a burst of cheers erupted.

"Yeah! Hooray!"

"It's a wrap!"

"It's over, woo-hoo!"

The filming, originally planned for half a year, officially wrapped in less than two months.

The live-action portion of "Spider-Man" had come to an end, and both the actors and crew members could enjoy a well-deserved long vacation.

Next, it was the post-production team's turn to get busy.

Watching the celebrating crowd, Marc Webb felt a sense of relief, yet he also felt empty inside, though he couldn't say why.

Perhaps it was because he could no longer ship the couple on set.

"Great job, Xu! You've worked hard during this time."

"You've worked hard too, Marc. I'm very lucky to have joined this team."

"No, I'm the lucky one. When you auditioned, your acting skills actually needed improvement. But facts have proven that my choice was right; you are the most suitable Spider-Man!"

Marc Webb said with emotion:

"I hope the film is a success, and we can continue to work together on the sequel."

"I hope so too!"

Xu Can and Marc Webb shook hands and smiled at each other, before the director was pulled away by other actors to celebrate.

Emma Stone quietly came to Xu Can's side.

She was still wearing her makeup and costume from the film.

She hadn't had time to take off her beanie.

The raindrops mixed with the crying scene from earlier had caused her eyeshadow to smudge slightly.

This tear-streaked appearance made one feel pity; it was hard to imagine that she was usually such a silly girl who loved to laugh and play pranks.

"Still haven't come out of character?"

Xu Can teased, taking a tissue to help her wipe away the smudged eyeshadow.

"If I were Gwen and you were Spider-Man, and we encountered this situation... would you choose to leave to keep me safe?"

"What kind of life-or-death question is that?"

Xu Can didn't answer, simply putting his arm around Emma's shoulders and holding her gently.

"I only know that instead of worrying about the future, it's better to enjoy the present as much as possible."

Emma Stone smiled faintly, said nothing, and wrapped her hands naturally around Xu Can's waist.

With two kissing scenes and Xu Can's "improvised performance" last time,

the two were currently in a dating state.

More than friends, but not yet officially in a relationship.

This situation was a bit unconventional in China, but the dating culture was quite common in North America.

Just like in the movie "La La Land," before the female lead Mia and the male lead Seb got together,

she was dating another successful man.

Mia suddenly left the table at dinner, running to the male lead Seb regardless of everything.

Such behavior was considered "cheating" in the eyes of many, and Seb became the "third party."

In reality, Mia had not officially confirmed a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship with the successful man; they were just dating.

Choosing to be with Seb carried no moral burden.

Of course, these were cultural differences, and everyone had their own scale in their heart.

In Xu Can's view, his relationship with Emma Stone was heating up,

and neither of them had officially confirmed a relationship, planning to spend some time getting to know each other first.

During the time they were filming, they had already developed a certain level of rapport.

"What are your plans for later? I guess when the movie is released, people will be lining up to Europe to ask you to film."

Emma looked up at Xu Can, her eyes full of admiration.

"I haven't thought about it yet, I'll take it one step at a time. What about you? You must have new opportunities, right?"

The future Oscar-winning actress had no reason to be buried in any parallel world.

"Yeah, my agent called yesterday and said there are two youth films looking for me."

"Oh?"

"One is 'Superbad,' it seems to be a raunchy comedy? And another one is also a comedy, 'The Rocker'."

"'Superbad' is a no-go, there's a kissing scene. The other one is pretty good, you can give it a try."

"Hmm? You don't want me to film kissing scenes?"

Emma looked at Xu Can playfully.

"Yeah, your kissing scenes are too immersive; only I can handle them."

Xu Can said with a straight face.

"Alright, then I'll ask the director to cut the kissing scene, otherwise I won't take the role."

Emma Stone laughed happily.

Her roles in these two youth comedies weren't very large, but they were still impressive and quite good for her acting career development.

"I'm just suggesting," Xu Can emphasized.

"Then I choose to listen to your suggestion, since you're jealous."

Emma Stone leaned closer to him.

The film market in the parallel world had certain differences from Xu Can's previous life.

Due to the continued slump of comic book adaptation films, Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" was never born.

After he created "Following," "Memento," and "Insomnia,"

he released "The Prestige" in 2006, which achieved a dismal North American box office of 109 million dollars.

Fortunately, the word-of-mouth was good, receiving an 8.5/10 rating on IMDb.

Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness" achieved an excellent box office of 307 million dollars on a low budget,

which was a masterpiece that succeeded in both box office and word-of-mouth;

the "Superman Returns" and "X-Men: The Last Stand" from the previous life did not exist.

Currently, the most popular movies were "Casino Royale," "The Da Vinci Code," "Night at the Museum"...

Unfortunately, a hot IP movie was about to sweep the globe and steal all the attention.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" would be released in the summer season!

The eyes of all entertainment media and movie fans around the world were focused on Captain Jack.

Johnny Depp was the most prominent actor in Hollywood.