The Greatest Showman

Chapter 1: 001 Ultimatum

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"It's too late, it's too late."

Renly glanced at the clock on the wall of the hall, and whimpered in pain. Although there is no time limit for today's audition, you can arrive at any time of the day from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, but if it hadn't worked until 4:00 am last night, the alarm clock could not wake him up, then he should The queues are waiting, and who knows if the people lining up to audition today will fill the theater.

At this moment, the phone rang suddenly, and the melody of Bach's a cappella cello suite was mellow and melodious, flowing slowly in the golden sunlight, but for Renly, it only made him more and more flustered. He picked up the phone and glanced at it, then threw it into his backpack, took the key from the TV table at the door, grabbed the skateboard at the door, and quickly left the room, leaving only a "bang" sound, the wooden door buzzing groaned and complained.

I ran downstairs, raised my hand, and a yellow taxi quickly parked on the side of the road. The only advantage of getting up late was that it avoided the rush hour. Otherwise, in the big city of New York, there are thousands of taxis, but none of them can be stopped in an emergency.

"Broadway, Sixth Street," Renly shouted, before pulling the door open and the cab started the engine again.

The phone in the backpack was still thinking tirelessly, the melody like a river of moonlight perseveringly calling for Renly's favor. Lifting his chin, he simply took care of his messy hair in the rearview mirror. The short golden-brown curly hair stretched stubbornly and wantonly, with slender fingers running through the strands of hair, trying to comb them in the same direction, and then again. After buttoning all the top buttons of the shirt and confirming that there are no flaws in the clothes, this can be regarded as a sigh of relief.

"Hello, this is Renly-Hall." Picking up the phone, Renly said quickly.

"Renly, what the hell are you doing! You should know that refusing to answer my call is a very rude behavior." A dignified, elegant but stern voice came from the other end of the phone.

Renly could easily picture the other person in his mind, a white lace shirt paired with brown straight-leg suit trousers, and a sky-blue suit jacket that was spotless, with today's Times in front of him, next to it. It is black tea and desserts with a curling aroma.

"Mother, you should know that there is a jet lag between us. I am here at 10:30 in the morning." Renly slowed down his speech, neither slow nor slow, with gentlemanly manners in his grace. , but with a hint of hidden sarcasm in his words, he fought back.

On the other end of the phone, it was Renly's mother, Elizabeth-Hall, who lived in London, on the other side of the Atlantic, and owned an art gallery on Piccadilly Street, not far from Somerset. Smoerset-House is not far away.

"Are you telling me that you just woke up?" Elizabeth's voice rose slightly, with an air of not being angry and arrogant. "You shouldn't let yourself live like this, you know that." Renly He pursed his lips, and there was a hint of disapproval in his eyes, but he had no intention of refuting. They had already argued enough, and there was no need to repeat it.

Elizabeth seemed to realize this too, took a deep breath, re-adjusted her emotions, and said again, "I know your dream of being an actor, and after much deliberation, your father and I thought that we should give you a chance to show yourself, at least It's up to you to prove your talent. So, buy your ticket today and come back to London, and next March, 'Hamlet' will be back in the West End, and we've got you a chance to play."

"What? 'Hamlet'?" Renly's eyes suddenly lit up. As one of Shakespeare's four most famous tragedies, the name of this play is naturally loud enough. If it can become a member of the regular cast, it is absolutely It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, after the surprise, Renly began to question. From childhood to adulthood, his father and mother never supported his dream of being an actor, and even strongly opposed him. Why did he change his attitude today? He has been in New York for three months. Even if he wants to change, he has missed the time. Is there anything special today

"Are you serious?" Renly's brows furrowed slightly, "Then what happened to your professional prejudice against actors? Don't you worry, after I became a real actor, I never looked back. Is there a chance?"

"Are you really going to take an actor as a career for life?" Elizabeth's tone seemed a little stiff, even if she didn't deliberately raise it, but the trace of coldness hidden in it was unquestionable, "You're going to show your face outside all your life, and then humbly. Begging for a job opportunity, betraying your privacy under the spotlight, entertaining others with yourself, and becoming the world's after-dinner talk? As an actor, you will always be someone else's plaything! Always just a joke! Renly -Hall, you should know that your surname is far more noble than this!"

It is enough to make people shiver with anger, even without a single dirty word. But Renly was already used to all this.

"Call me." A majestic voice came from the side, from far to near, and then the strong and steady voice came, "You should know that this is your last chance."

This is his father in this life, Gee-Hall, a poor British nobleman, the current owner of the hereditary baronial title, who works for Barclays Bank and is responsible for managing the trust fund of the wealthy family.

"I've already made up my mind. You enter the 'Hamlet' crew and play Laertes. As for the first lineup or the second lineup, it depends on your strength." George's cold voice Without any temperature, he gave the order resolutely, "This drama will be staged in the West End of London for three months. After the three months are over, you will go back to Cambridge University and complete your studies. We will arrange your future work for you. ."

I see.

They arranged everything in order, gave him three months to realize his dream, and then obediently got back on the trajectory they wanted. This is what they call a compromise, expecting him to accept it joyfully and then bow down to them gratefully.

"Gene Era"

But he didn't want to, and he couldn't either.

"No!" The short but forceful answer, Renly once again made his position firmly.

"What? Are you crazy?" George's voice not only didn't break out, but instead deepened, the anger hidden in it began to gurgle, "We've allowed your absurd request to give you three months to fulfill that Stupid goal, you are still not satisfied?"

"I want to be an actor, a real actor." Facing the oppression of his father, Renly didn't flinch at all, and his eyes shone brightly, "I will make unremitting efforts towards this goal, even if The end is an abyss, and I will never regret it.”

"Heh." The anger turned back to laughter, and the deep laughter rolled in George's throat, "Should I say you are naive or stupid? You should know that there are not a million people in the world who want to be actors. , there are also 800,000. But how many of them can really reach the top and create great achievements? Five hundred? Or eight hundred? Everyone thinks they are special, everyone thinks they are geniuses, everyone thinks they are themselves are unique, but I tell you, no. They aren't and neither are you. There aren't that many geniuses, and there aren't that many miracles, you're just a fool with a daydream with zero odds of success !"

"This is my dream." Renly said word by word, like a beacon in a storm, about to be destroyed, but indestructible.

"A dream that will never come true!" George said coldly, not caring that it was his son on the other end of the phone, and sparing no effort to hit him, "You are not a genius, never have been! A true genius, he should know how to measure himself. You should also know how to put yourself in the right position, and you should know the difference between choosing to give up and choosing to persist. You are not, you have seen what a real genius should be like, from childhood to adulthood, there are too many geniuses around you So, you should understand that pointless persistence is stupid, not only a waste of your time and energy, but also a hindrance to everyone around you. You are not stupid, you should at least know how to give up.”

In the face of his father's bombardment, Renly did not respond, he just listened quietly, like a statue, silently, the other end of the phone came an ultimatum from the other side of the Atlantic, "Did you hear? If you don't have the talent to perform, you should give up! If you don't know how to give up, then it's time for us to give up on you. So, come back to London for 'Hamlet', my concession and your last chance. "

After talking to himself, George hung up the phone without waiting for Renly's response, and the busy tone of "dududu" hit Renly's eardrum like a drum. , earth-shattering.

Renly let out a light breath, and looked at the bustling scene of the city outside the window, a little dazed. Ultimatum, today, he finally ushered in the first audition opportunity in New York in three months, but also ushered in an ultimatum from home.

He knew the majesty of his father, and George was a man of his word. Although it is said that in the past three months, he has persevered completely with his own hands and did not take a penny from the family; but he knows that today's ultimatum is different, and it may mean their giving up, Totally banish him. Even if it's not evicted from the house, it should be not far off.

Maybe, as George said, knowing that giving up is the ability of a wise person, but giving up dreams and freedom means giving up life? In the last life, he chose to follow the steps and follow the rules; in this life, will he continue to repeat the same mistakes

No, he refuses! God gave him the chance to come again, this time, he will not miss it!

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