The Greatest Showman

Looking at Hope’s bright and determined eyes, Renly felt slightly embarrassed. His emotions surged wildly within his chest, colliding and crashing without any outlet.

It wasn’t just because Hope’s passionate gaze made him experience what it felt like to be a character from Twilight; it was also because Hope’s unwavering words revealed absolute trust and affirmation, weighing heavily on his chest—heavier even than an Emmy trophy.

“Wow.” Renly murmured softly, trying to sort out the jumble in his mind and regain his voice. “Thank you. I guess that’s why so many people love Los Angeles?” His teasing remark brought him back to life, the overwhelming sensation in his chest tugging the corners of his mouth upward.

“We originally planned to show it to you on the red carpet, but those Big Bang Theory fans just took over our spot—oh my god, they were absolutely savage!” Hope complained bluntly, her excitement from being so close to Renly causing her to bounce with energy, her words tumbling out uncontrollably. “We thought we wouldn’t get to see you today, but then—surprise! You showed up here! Jesus Christ, your singing is amazing.”

Hope suddenly paused, as if her brain had gone blank for a moment. “Ah, so amazing!” Other than that phrase, she couldn’t think of any other adjectives, feeling like she’d reverted to kindergarten vocabulary. “It totally healed my whole day. Those annoying fans don’t even matter now!”

“Haha.” Renly couldn’t help but laugh heartily, infected by Hope’s enthusiasm. “I was standing on the red carpet and honestly found it pretty entertaining—a whole sea of Sheldons, quite the spectacle.” His joke left Hope looking aggrieved, while William and Graham burst out laughing alongside him. “So, besides that, is there anything else I can do to save your terrible day?”

“No, no.” Hope waved her hands repeatedly. “That song earlier was the best gift… Wait, if—just if—you could give me an autograph, that would be even better.” As soon as she spoke, she bit her tongue hard, quickly trying to change the subject.

The two friends holding the banner immediately chimed in, nodding like bobbleheads.

“Of course, no problem.” Renly agreed readily, then watched as Hope scrambled to dig through her backpack, pulling out a carbon ink pen and a poster. After unfolding it, it turned out to be his character poster from The Pacific. But that wasn’t the end. Hope then pulled out another, smaller poster about the size of a notebook, revealing Cleopatra’s cover. “You’re like Doraemon—is there anything else in your bag?”

Taking the carbon pen and the poster, Renly asked, “Who should I make it out to?” He seemed a bit unpracticed. “This is my first autograph, so I’m not quite familiar with the process.”

“Shut up!” Hope exclaimed in disbelief. William and Graham also widened their eyes. “This can’t be your first! Absolutely not!”

Thinking back, Renly realized that the flight attendant on the plane had only asked for a photo, not an autograph. “Actually, you’re technically the second fan of mine I’ve ever met,” Renly said thoughtfully. The first wasn’t the flight attendant—it was someone else.

After returning from Europe, he had received the first fan letter of his life—a handwritten one. In the letter, the fan had described their feelings while watching The Pacific in detail and had also mentioned the emotional impact of the song Cleopatra. The letter ended with:

“You are an incredible person, moving forward cautiously yet determinedly on the path of dreams. Being able to accompany you and have you as part of my life is the most romantic thing I can imagine in this world.”

That letter was from Hazel Cross. Although she hadn’t left a name, the postmark revealed the source. A quick call to Mount Sinai Hospital confirmed it.

As the image of the pink letter paper reappeared in his mind, Renly’s smile softened. “I don’t think I’m an actor who draws much attention, but let’s pray that things take a turn for the better.”

His self-deprecating yet witty remark made Hope and the others burst out laughing. Renly glanced at the poster, thought for a moment, and then pressed it against the wall to write:

“When everyone praises Hamlet, and everyone laments for justice, in the deepest part of memory, someone always remembers—there was also an Ophelia. Thank you for your encouragement. I will not forget my Ophelia.”

After a brief pause, Renly signed his name at the bottom right: Renly Hall. Then he turned around and asked, “Your name?”

“Hope Bates!” The young woman shouted, and Renly wrote her name in the upper left corner before moving on to sign the smaller Cleopatra poster—which wasn’t an official one, just something Hope had printed herself from iTunes, with somewhat blurry quality.

Renly handed both posters back to Hope and then looked at the two guys, “And you two?”

Hope looked down at the poster in her hand. The flowing cursive script was elegant and refined, revealing a strong scholarly aura. Wasn’t it said that handsome guys have terrible handwriting? Why is Renly’s handwriting so beautiful? The corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn up. This was Renly’s first autograph! Seeing the inscription above, her mood soared even higher. This was a truly memorable signature.

William brought posters of The Pacific

Renly recapped the pen and handed it to Hope. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ed, who had been hesitating and wanting to say something, so he walked over to him and asked, “So, how was our haul tonight?”

Ed secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried about how to interject. “We made a total of four hundred and seventy-six dollars.” Ed included all the earnings. He had been playing here for almost an hour every day, and although the previous income was not much, there was some. But Ed knew that without Renly, this income today would have been impossible.

Renly looked at the colourful bills and a pile of coins in Ed’s hand and said in surprise, “It seems we earned a good income tonight.” It was truly unexpected. They had only sung two songs, and such a high income in such a short time was indeed worth celebrating. “So, what’s my share?”

Ed smiled in relief. He had been worried that Renly would look down on this small amount of income, and it would be embarrassing for him to eagerly offer it. Now, Renly’s generous demeanour, placing the two of them on equal footing and expressing enough respect, warmed Ed’s heart. “This is yours.” Ed separated a stack of money and handed it to Renly. “Wait!” Then he poured all the coins from his left hand into Renly’s palm.

“What about yours?” Renly asked.

“Oh, this isn’t all the coins.” Ed moved aside, and Renly saw the piano case full of coins, revealing a big smile. Ed wiped the sweat from his hands and gave Renly two hundred and fifty dollars. Although he knew it was still unfair, since most of the income was earned because of Renly, he added some extra on top of the equal distribution to express his sincerity.

Renly nodded. “It seems I should come out more often at night.” His humorous tone made Ed laugh. “Ed, it was really enjoyable playing with you tonight.” Ed became nervous again, shaking his head repeatedly, his smile awkward. He kept trying to fix his hair, but the more he tried, the messier it got, not helping at all. “I hope we will have the chance to perform together again.”

“Of course! Of course!” Ed couldn’t help but jump up and down. Only in this way could he suppress the urge to scream. He earned more than two hundred dollars tonight, and with his previous savings, maybe he could earn enough for the trip to New York if he worked hard for a few more nights. If it were just him alone, the income wouldn’t be as much as tonight. This was indeed some good news!

“I have to go to the party now. You know, everyone is waiting for my appearance.” Renly’s teasing made not only Ed but also Hope and the other two standing next to her burst into laughter. “However, for such an occasion, suits can’t have any wrinkles. So, Ed, could you do me a favour?”

“What?” Ed blurted out.

Renly held up the cash and coins in his hand. “Could you please keep these valuables for me temporarily and give them back to me when we meet next time?” Ed was stunned. “We just met today, and I’m not sure if you’re trustworthy. So, I’ve counted them, and you’d better not have any ideas about it.” (T/N – What an absolute legend this guy is…)

“…No problem.” Ed’s voice was a little choked up. He knew that Renly was taking care of his self-esteem and pride, expressing his support in this way. In fact, with these two hundred and fifty dollars, he could set off for New York tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. But these two hundred and fifty dollars still need to be returned to Renly, right? “Of course, no problem.”

Ed nodded vigorously, trying to hide the embarrassment in his eyes, but his slightly red eyes still betrayed his true emotions. “I’ll go to New York in person then. Don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you.” Renly extended his hands again, and Ed raised his hands as well. Renly carefully placed the entire stack of bills and coins into Ed’s palms. “Whew, this really solves a big problem for me. Sincerely thank you!”

“Renly, Renly, are you going to the after-party now?” A strange voice suddenly interrupted them, attracting everyone’s attention.

T/N – Good chapter, no actually, great chapter.

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