Chapter 78

Please collect! Please vote!

The cool night breeze blew from the west, landing on the faces of the three people, extinguishing their previous fervor and clearing their alcohol-stimulated heads. Standing on the sidewalk outside the bar, James Franco stared intently at the fat man ten feet away, seemingly ready for another fight, but his body, hiding behind Murphy, revealed his outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature.

The fat man shook his head forcefully, as if still dazed from Murphy's punch, and had not fully recovered.

Murphy lightly patted James Franco's arm from behind, and for some reason, James Franco's originally tense body relaxed involuntarily.

Under the bright streetlights, Murphy glanced at the fat man's cheek, which was clearly swollen where he had hit him, and couldn't help but shake his head. After leaving prison, he hadn't fought with anyone, and he never thought that fighting was a way to solve problems. The brawls in prison were just for self-preservation.

If the fat man hadn't tried to hit James Franco with a bottle, Murphy wouldn't have punched him.

As he gradually sobered up, the fat man also looked at Murphy. Unlike his flushed, angry face in the bar, he now looked somewhat simple and honest.

Seeing the current situation, Murphy knew that the impulsive emotions on both sides had calmed down, and he nodded at the fat man.

The fat man rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, took two steps forward, and from a distance, said to Murphy, "I'm sorry about what happened just now. I was too impulsive."

Hearing this, Murphy glanced back at James Franco. James Franco seemed surprised that the other party would apologize first and was momentarily at a loss.

"It's okay," Murphy said. He wasn't an unreasonable person, and since the fat man had apologized, "I should also say sorry."

The fat man unconsciously touched his still swollen face.

"Are you okay?" James Franco stepped out from behind Murphy, "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, no," the fat man waved his hands quickly, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

He looked at James Franco, "I was too impulsive after drinking."

James Franco was eccentric but not a bad person, "I spoke too loudly."

He turned and glared at Murphy, wasn't it because of this guy that he spoke so loudly?

There were many people around watching, and a few had even followed them out of the bar, as if they had come out specifically to watch the show. Seeing that the two sides not only didn't fight but also reconciled, they started to cheer.

Seeing the fat man and James Franco still muddling over who was at fault, Murphy walked over, interrupted them, and suggested, "Don't let them watch the show. Let's talk somewhere else."

He looked at James Franco, his goal not yet achieved, and proposed, "Come on, I'll treat you to some late-night snacks."

"Together," he glanced at the fat man's somewhat familiar face and pointed to Mr. Zhou's Restaurant nearby, "Right here. I should at least have a chance to apologize for what happened earlier, right?"

The fat man hesitated for a moment, but seeing that it was Mr. Zhou's Restaurant and not a secluded place, he finally nodded, "Okay... okay, I'll go."

Five minutes later, the three of them were sitting at a table by the window in Mr. Zhou's Restaurant.

"My name is James Franco..." James Franco introduced himself, then pointed to Murphy, "This is Murphy Stanton."

The fat man, without his glasses, squinted to see, "I'm Seth Rogen."

"From your accent," Murphy probed, "you seem to be Canadian."

"I just came to Los Angeles from Vancouver," the fat man rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "to see if there are any opportunities here."

"Opportunities?" James Franco was puzzled.

"I'm a comedian."

At this moment, the waiter brought cold towels. Seth Rogen took one and applied it to his face, speaking in a muffled voice, "I want to try my luck in Hollywood."

"Is that so..." James Franco suddenly extended his hand, "Let's start over. I'm James Franco, you can call me Jim. I'm also an actor and have starred in a few low-budget films."

Seth Rogen looked at him in surprise and mechanically shook his right hand.

James Franco introduced, "This is Murphy Stanton, he's a director, and...,"

He raised his right hand, pinched his thumb and index finger together, and made a small gesture, saying with an exaggerated tone, "This guy is also the boss of a very, very small film company."

"Hello," Murphy extended his hand to shake Seth Rogen's, "nice to meet you."

Seemingly unaccustomed to such formal greetings, Seth Rogen nodded blankly, "Seth Rogen, from Vancouver, I came in second place in the amateur comedy competition in Vancouver."

At this moment, the waiter brought the dishes they had ordered, all Western-style Chinese food, and they used knives and forks to eat.

"I've been in Los Angeles for a while but haven't found a suitable role."

While eating and chatting, Seth Rogen explained why he had been so short-tempered earlier, "I just met an agent today, and he made some disgusting demands. We had an argument, and I was in a bad mood, so..."

He shrugged.

James Franco glanced at Murphy, "I spoke so loudly because of this guy. He insisted that I star in his movie."

"Hey! Hey! Jim!" Murphy tapped the table, reminding him, "We didn't argue because of that."

He looked at James Franco, who immediately remembered what Murphy had said, and his face showed a bit of embarrassment.

"You guys..." Seth Rogen was confused.

"Never mind him," James Franco stuffed a piece of broccoli into his mouth, chewing and mumbling, "This guy is very stingy."

"Jim, that's not right of you to say," Murphy put down his knife and fork, picked up his napkin, and wiped his mouth, "Did I say I wouldn't pay you? Did I say I would deliberately lower your pay?"

Seth Rogen looked at Murphy, then at James Franco, completely puzzled.

Murphy picked up his water glass, took a sip, and deliberately brought up the old topic, "It was you who was ungrateful."

James Franco stiffened his neck again, about to say something, but then saw Seth Rogen beside him, remembered what happened in the bar, and the words of rebuttal fell back into his stomach. After a full ten seconds of silence, he said in a mosquito-like voice, "Is... is she also in the crew?"

Murphy raised an eyebrow, "What do you think?"

"That... that..." James Franco clenched his fist and coughed lightly, "I... I don't want to act opposite her."

The page flip ad starts

The page flip ad ends