Chapter 30: Return
The airport seemed to never rest. Even in the early hours of the morning, passengers coming and going, heading for transfers, kept the flow constant. The 24-hour lights of the Los Angeles International Airport resembled an eternal, unextinguished lighthouse, guiding the way home.
As one of the world's most crucial transportation hubs, especially owing to its proximity to Hollywood, the Los Angeles International Airport saw a continuous stream of tourists, journalists, celebrities, and businessmen. The hustle and bustle never ceased.
Upon landing, Renly sensed a wave of commotion. Many passengers were heading in the same direction, even those who weren't going anywhere exchanged the latest news they'd received. Word had it that Robert Pattinson had just arrived in the City of Angels. This "vampire heartthrob", who had turned globally famous with "Twilight", was undoubtedly hot at the moment. Any news related to him would send countless female fans into a frenzy of screams.
In comparison, Renly, who had just finished shooting "The Pacific", seemed utterly composed. He was an ordinary person, walking through the various corners of the airport without any pressure.
In fact, "The Pacific" had wrapped up as early as mid-January 2010. However, Renly hadn't returned directly to North America with the rest of the crew. He stayed in Australia, renting a Jeep and setting off towards the Gold Coast. Traveling leisurely, he spent over three weeks, traversing more than half of Australia's landmass before arriving at the sunlit and clear waters of the Gold Coast.
For Renly, performing was crucial, but enjoying life was even more so. He worked diligently and played wholeheartedly; that was his life philosophy.
During his time on the Gold Coast, Renly stayed for a full three weeks. He learned to surf with local Australian youths, went diving with a French girl on her gap year, went fishing with a South African guy on a world tour, went coral digging in the ocean with a Brazilian beauty who was in college, and shared stories with a Chinese traveler. He lived by the rising and setting sun, occasionally reveling in all-night parties. Renly had truly assimilated into life on the Gold Coast. He even found a part-time job at a nearby surf shop and became a bona fide local.
Three weeks still felt too short. If possible, Renly would have loved to stay on this relatively unspoiled land longer. However, St. Patrick's Day was approaching. Every year, New York held a grand celebration for this Irish holiday. It would be Renly's first time celebrating the holiday in New York, so he intended to return before St. Patrick's Day.
Hence, he purchased a ticket with a layover in Los Angeles. Renly finally left behind the envy-inducing sunshine of the Southern Hemisphere. After seven months, he set foot on North American soil once again.
"Ah, he's over there, there!" A group of young girls surged forward, crowding around. Renly had to step aside, giving way. Then, he saw a dozen or so people swarm by like a bee colony, rushing towards a spot not far away. Their fervent excitement could deeply convey the power of an idol to anyone around.
Was Robert still in the airport and hadn't cleared customs?
As Renly pondered this, he considered finding a quiet place to rest for a while. The layover was quite long, and he had two more hours until his flight to New York. He didn't wish to watch that group of fanatic fans chase Robert all around the airport—it resembled a cat-and-mouse game.
Renly looked around and found a small supermarket. It was about the size of a palm, with only twelve shelves. It sold some basic food and drinks. Compared to the coffee shops and burger joints, it was a remote corner. There were only three departure gates nearby, and not many passengers were waiting at the moment. It was quite peaceful, with only one African-American attendant behind the counter.
Renly walked to the back of the potato chip shelf and sat down cross-legged beside the cooler for alcoholic beverages.
This was a habit from his previous life. He enjoyed sitting in the corners of supermarkets. Apart from the cashier area, supermarkets always felt spacious and quiet, but not too silent. Occasionally, he would hear the sounds of customers and staff, the trivial chatter, complaints, gossip, and rumors flowing in one ear and out the other, adding a touch of seasoning to the quiet atmosphere.
Compared to libraries occupied by romantic couples and bookstores taken over by pretentious artsy youths, the vibrant atmosphere of supermarkets brought him a sense of tranquility. Sometimes, he would even bring his university assignments to the supermarket to work on or silently prepare for exams.
He knew it was a rather peculiar habit, but it was the only habit that allowed him to feel calm. After being reborn, this habit continued. His brother, Arthur Hall, used to say that the supermarket was his secret chamber. Except for engaging in unspeakable activities, it contained all his secrets.
After sitting down, Renly put on his built-in earbuds, listened to music, and took out "Telling Lies" by Paul Ekman from his backpack to start reading.
Actually, Renly wasn't much of a book lover. He always found reading a bit tiring, and with the advent of smartphones, e-books had gradually replaced physical books. However, after being reborn, his reading habit had slowly formed. Physical books were still different from e-books.
"Telling Lies" was a psychology book and an essential textbook for criminal investigation in various American universities. It wasn't as dry as he had imagined. On the contrary, Renly found it engrossing, truly opening a new door. The hustle and bustle of the airport was thus isolated from the world. Even the passing of time was no longer so apparent.
In an attempt to avoid the rampaging "fangirls", Jennifer Lawrence narrowly missed colliding with a trash can, dodging skillfully at the last moment to avoid the embarrassing situation of being covered in garbage. Even so, she still bumped into the nearby wall, and her back throbbed with a dull ache.
Watching the frenzy of fans disappearing into the distance, Jennifer sighed helplessly. She could actually understand the mentality of these girls. If she were to see her idol, she wouldn't be in great shape either—screaming, jumping, twirling. However, chasing after idols, recklessly rushing around the entire airport, and even disrupting public order was truly exasperating.
"What's so attractive about that pale square face?" Jennifer pondered. She liked Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep because their performances always left a profound impact. But Robert Pattinson?
Shaking her head to dispel the questions swirling around, Jennifer continued walking forward and finally spotted a supermarket not too far away. She felt like she was dying of thirst. If she didn't find a convenience store soon, she might just rush to a restroom and start gulping water straight from the tap.
The supermarket was smaller than she had imagined, but at least she could buy water—enough to suffice. Jennifer walked past the shelves and headed straight towards the direction of the cooler. There, she saw a young man sitting cross-legged on the floor. He wore a simple light blue shirt paired with dark blue jeans. An earth-toned work jacket was casually draped over his backpack. The shirt sleeves were rolled up nonchalantly to his elbows, giving him a laid-back, carefree appearance.
At the moment, the young man was engrossed in reading a book on his knee. Jennifer silently nodded in her heart, guessing that he was probably French or British, definitely not American.
However, before she could proceed further, Jennifer's footsteps involuntarily halted. The young man was actually sitting right in front of the cooler, blocking the door. That was troublesome.
After a moment's thought, Jennifer walked up to the young man. She looked around carefully and indeed, the track for the cooler's door was completely blocked. It was impossible to bypass the young man. This led Jennifer to silently complain about how large the airport was. There were so many places to sit, yet this guy chose to sit in the supermarket. Did he lack common decency? Could he be Spanish?
Gathering her thoughts, Jennifer coughed gently twice, trying to catch the young man's attention. However, there was no response from him. She considered it and coughed a bit louder, "Excuse me, you're blocking the cooler. Could you please move? I need to grab a bottle of mineral water." Despite her inner complaints, she spoke politely.
However, the young man remained unmoved. He not only declined her request, but he didn't even acknowledge her. This made Jennifer furrow her brows. This was truly impolite! The favorable impression from earlier plummeted in an instant. Even if he was reading a book, what did it matter? His manners were appalling.
"Hello there," Jennifer raised her voice again, speaking seriously, "You're blocking the cooler." Although her words remained polite, they became more concise. Clearly, her patience was wearing thin.
Looking at the young man before her, who was still engrossed in his reading, blatantly ignoring her existence, not even bothering to look up, Jennifer widened her eyes in disbelief. First, she encountered a group of brainless fangirls, and now she came across a rogue sitting in the supermarket. The anger in her chest began to burn. Jennifer couldn't help but place her hands on her hips, her expression turning stern, "Mister! How could you be so inconsiderate? Sitting right in front of the cooler, disregarding the needs of other customers! This isn't just a lack of manners, it's outright patronizing behavior! You must realize, this is completely inappropriate! You're reading a book right now, and I can guess you're not some uneducated brute. So…"
Jennifer realized she was essentially talking to a wall. The young man remained unfazed, not responding at all. This caused Jennifer's last shred of patience to crumble. "At the very least, you should show some respect. Look up when I'm talking to you! Mister! I said, Mister!"
The situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.
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Shallowman
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