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Chapter 1: An Honest Encounter
🕑 Added 2024-09-07 19:14:56 +0000 UTC2002 New York
"La~la~la, la~la~la~la~la
"You occupy my mind, you just won't leave.
"Boy, I just want your love."
Lying flat on the bed,Ethan Li heard the song "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in his half-conscious state, suddenly waking him up from a deep sleep.
He opened his eyes and slightly lifted his head to check where he was.
He found a beautiful woman, wearing a bathrobe and combing her golden hair, smiling sweetly at him.
Ethan Li frowned, squinting in the warm sunlight to see her face clearly.
A high-bridged nose as perfect as a sculpture, pink, sensual lips slightly raised, golden hair draped over her fair shoulders, making anyone who saw it have romantic thoughts.
"Scarlett?"
It couldn't be wrong; he had seen many of her works. As the actress who played the most famous Marvel character, Black Widow, her popularity among Chinese people was no less than that of top domestic stars.
But why was she standing in front of his bed?
His brain quickly flashed back to last night's events.
A dimly lit bar, the heavy bass, and the crowd dancing wildly on the floor. The two met over a drink, followed by a passionate kiss and the sound of rustling clothes.
The messy sheets on the bed and the cluttered floor at this moment also confirmed this.
Ever since he had crossed over to America in 2002,Ethan Li had wondered if he would meet any celebrities early on, but this way of meeting was definitely the most straightforward.
Just as he thought of this,Ethan Li heard Scarlett's voice, "Good morning, you slept like a log, couldn't wake you up no matter what."
Recalling everything,Ethan Li relaxed his frown and smiled, "Good morning, darling. You know, there's no such thing as bad land, only tired oxen."
"That's an interesting metaphor," Scarlett lifted her hair and gently wiped her long swan-like neck with a towel. The droplets of water slid down her collarbone, disappearing into an unseen abyss.
"So, Miss Scarlett, the beautiful lady, did you enjoy yourself last night?"
Hearing his question, Scarlett smiled and said, "Enjoy? Very much so. We had a wonderful night, although this was my first time trying it, but I think if my friends hear that someone can keep going all night, they'd probably gasp in disbelief."
Scarlett smiled slightly, then, without any hesitation, lifted the bath towel covering her, revealing a voluptuous figure.
Even though she was only eighteen at the time, she already had the makings of a future Black Widow
Ethan Li stared intently, involuntarily whistling.
A big star who was once out of reach was now undressing in front of him—it was indeed…exciting.
But before he could show any readiness to continue, he saw Scarlett turn around, brushing her hair aside, and said, "But let's stop here, okay?"
Alright, she knew where to draw the line.
Ethan Li shrugged, "I understand. I've seen your work… 'The Horse Whisperer.'"
Although Scarlett wasn't yet a big name at the time, she had already participated in a few films and even received a nomination for Best Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Ethan Li knew that at this stage, female actors should avoid any scandals, though many celebrities surely had their fair share in private.
"Are you my fan?" Scarlett asked with a puzzled expression as she put on her clothes, then spread her hands, "Then I'm truly honored."
"You could say that."
After finishing with her hair, Scarlett went to the bathroom again.
Ethan Li also got up and tidied up a bit before standing in front of the large floor mirror opposite the hotel bed, looking at himself.
A mix of Asian and European, his features were rugged like a marble sculpture—calling him handsome seemed too weak a word, while describing him as a tough guy seemed too heavy.
Since his transmigration,Ethan Li had been most satisfied with this appearance.
As for his past, let's just say it was a path that led to the wrong results.
Despite graduating from a top film academy in China and winning the industry's highest award as a cinematographer, financial pressures led him astray. After working as an advertising photographer for a few years, he became the top adult photographer and videographer in the industry. His works, combining commercial and artistic elements, earned him the nickname "Dark Cameron."
However, Ethan didn't care much for such titles; he merely scoffed at those images and videos focused solely on lust.
In his view, no matter the work, it's the story and the artistic sense of the shots that leave a lasting impression, preventing it from becoming a disposable product.
Yet, many films focus solely on satisfying desires, failing to meet people's growing spiritual needs!
So he insisted on shooting with complete stories and excellent compositions. Although the costs were high, the subscription numbers for the films steadily grew, making his peers green with envy.
Perhaps because of this, some people grew jealous. On the day of shooting a new film, they suddenly faced a police raid, and in trying to escape through a window, he accidentally fell.
However, when Ethan Li first discovered that he had crossed over to America, a land of "freedom" without restraint, he was delighted, thinking that his skills had finally found a place to shine.
Unfortunately, after six months, the lousy family and financial pressures left him exhausted. His unfortunate Chinese father died in a street shooting, becoming one of the countless unnoticed victims in America.
His mother couldn't work either because she had to take care of his two younger brothers.
On top of that, his father's debts left Ethan Li, as the eldest son, the main support of the family.
The reason he was drinking at the bar last night was because he recently took on a job shooting for an underground adult magazine, earned some money, and went to the busiest bar in downtown New York to treat himself.
Unexpectedly, that self-reward turned out to be a huge windfall.
Just as Ethan thought of this, Scarlett walked out of the bathroom, picked up her bag from the floor, and waved to him, "I'm leaving."
"When's the next time?" Ethan asked while putting on his pants.
"Next time…" Scarlett smiled, "Even though you're great and I like you a lot, just this once."
Ethan raised an eyebrow and tightened his belt, "Once? Don't be so absolute, girl. This is America, where anything is possible."
"Anything…is possible?" Scarlett raised one eyebrow higher than the other, as if pondering the origin of the phrase.
But after thinking about it, she couldn't seem to place it, so as she lifted her high heels with her toes, she replied, "That's a good phrase. Indeed, this is America. Then maybe we'll meet in another city…Los Angeles, London, Tokyo…just as you said, anything is possible."
"No problem." Ethan spread his hands in agreement.
Then Scarlett blew him a kiss and walked out of the room, the sound of her high heels clicking as she left.
"Amazing!" Ethan placed his hand on his waist, mimicking a cowboy's shooting gesture, aimed at the bed, and made a "bang" sound with his mouth.
Ten minutes later, Ethan also left the hotel, holding his camera, a Canon EOS D30. This was Canon's first digital flagship of the 2000s and was a university gift from his father.
Thanks to it, he didn't have to add another heavy loan to buy a camera.
After all, there weren't many amateur photographers using digital cameras in 2002; many were still using film, and some even called digital cameras toys, tools that violated the art of photography.
But its ever-increasing sales proved the correctness of people's choice.
He skillfully turned on the camera and reviewed last night's photos. Sure enough, there was a picture of Scarlett.
However, the content was somewhat inappropriate for younger viewers.
"This can't be shown to others; it's my private collection…" Ethan took a new CF card from his pocket and replaced the original one.
Then he descended into the dark subway tunnel filled with the smell of urine, pulling the metal ring all the way back to the neighborhood where his home was located.
This was the outskirts of New York. To pay off debts, the family had already sold their original house in the wealthy district and moved to a place where only lower-class white people lived.
And just a fence away, you could see the nearby Black neighborhood.
It was chaotic there—gun violence, drugs, and sex trade happened regularly. So,Ethan always took a detour when returning home.
However, today, his detour didn't work, as a few young Black boys with bandanas stopped him.
"Hey, you're that photographer from the 'New York Underground Arts Journal,' right? I've seen you!" The Black boy, who seemed to be the leader, looked around, hands in his pockets, acting all tough.
"…?" Ethan, who wanted to deny it, moved his camera to his back, his mind flashing to the image of this Black boy smoking in front of the magazine office.
"There's something we need you to help with." The lead Black boy grinned, came up to Ethan, and suddenly opened his green coat to show him something.
Ethan didn't get a good look, but the black metallic gleam made him instantly realize what he was facing.
"Alright, what do you want to do?" In front of a gun, everyone is equal, so Ethan didn't try to resist, fearing he might provoke these kids.
But in his mind, he was already cursing.
Damn America, damn Black gangs! Is it the fate of good people to be held at gunpoint?
