Model to Holywood

"Ahhh~~~"

At night, the full moon hung in the sky, slowly moving across the Toronto skyline.

Toronto was asleep, and so was Luca. But in the middle of the night, a sudden scream outside the window woke him up. He quickly sat up, blinked, and glanced outside.

The road under the moonlight was a pale gray, the green lawn was pitch black, and the tall maple trees swayed their branches in the wind, rustling as if murmuring drunken words to the starry sky.

"Is this Toronto?"

He blinked, sighed softly, pulled the blanket back over himself, and went back to sleep.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, everything outside the window was silent. Luca turned over, got out of bed, put on a Nike T-shirt and sweatpants, and headed out for a run from his villa.

This was Bayview Avenue in North York, less than five kilometers from Lake Snow Pine. The area was lined with villas, quiet and clean—a typical wealthy neighborhood.

"Hey, Luca! Wait for me!"

Barely two hundred meters into his run, he suddenly heard someone shout from behind. He turned to see Rachel catching up with large strides.

She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and was wearing a light green sports vest and shorts. Her skin was fair, her figure was graceful and sexy, and she exuded youthful energy.

"Good morning, Rachel!"

Luca waved.

"Good morning, Luca!"

Rachel caught up and gave him a once-over with a smile. "Luca, you look younger in workout clothes."

"You too. You look even more beautiful in sportswear."

Luca said as he jogged.

"Is that just a polite compliment?" Rachel said with a playful smirk.

"No, I mean it. You're even more stunning than I imagined."

"Haha, thanks!"

Rachel's laughter was bright and infectious.

Luca smiled to himself, feeling much more cheerful.

"Do you run every morning, Luca?"

"Pretty much. Back when I was on the team, I used to run ten miles every morning. But I took a break for two or three years and turned into a big fat guy. My body nearly fell apart. Now I have to stick to exercising, or I'll get fat again."

"You look great now. It's hard to imagine what you'd look like fat."

Rachel chuckled.

Luca shook his head. "Ugly, really bad. If you saw me once, you'd never want to look again."

Rachel smiled softly and glanced at him. The morning light cast shadows from the branches onto his face, giving it a cool, serene glow. His determined brows, melancholic eyes, and stubborn lips were captivating. Even if he were fat, he'd still be a very handsome guy.

"Luca, I hear you're a fast runner!"

"Yeah, faster than you might think."

Luca grinned confidently.

"Let's race and see who gets to the lake first?"

"Sure! I accept this no-challenge challenge!"

"Haha, don't be too cocky. Whoever loses buys breakfast! One, two, three, go!"

Rachel suddenly sped up, quickly overtaking him, her high ponytail swaying side to side, carrying a pleasant scent on the breeze.

Luca chuckled and sprinted after her. How could a Brazilian forward lose in speed to a Canadian woman? If people found out, they'd laugh at him for days.

An hour later, he lost the race.

They had jogged side by side most of the way, but in the final stretch, Rachel took a shortcut and reached the lake first.

"Haha, Brazilian forward, you lost!"

By Lake Snow Pine, Rachel wiped the sweat from her forehead and laughed heartily.

Behind her, a clear lake stretched out.

Under the sunlight, the blue-green water mirrored the sky. The lake turned bluer, reflecting the pine forest on the shore. The water grew greener and, with a beauty standing by it, even more beautiful.

Luca walked slowly up to the lake. "You know this area well?"

"Yes!" 

Rachel grinned and pointed to a tall building in the southwest. "Do you know what that is?"

"What?"

"York University. I lived here for four years, so of course, I know it well!"

"Alright, you won. But next time, I definitely won't lose."

"Hah! Do you even know how many shortcuts there are around here? How about we race again tomorrow?"

Rachel extended her hand with a smile.

"Sure!"

Luca, accepting his defeat, treated Rachel to a Chinese breakfast of soup dumplings, potstickers, and black rice porridge.

It was at a Chinese restaurant right on Bayview Avenue.

There were many Chinese people in Toronto—about one in ten had an East Asian face. Chinese restaurants were everywhere, and Luca caught a whiff of pork and green onions in the air. Feeling hungry, he suggested Chinese food, and Rachel didn't object.

"How's the food, Rachel? If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else."

Luca had a soup dumpling and thought it wasn't bad.

"It's good! I had a Chinese roommate in college who used to cook in our dorm. I ate with her a lot. That's how I found out about stinky tofu!"

Rachel winked with a smile.

Luca wrinkled his nose. "I smell something familiar... is that stinky tofu? Want to try some?"

"No way! Not today!"

Rachel said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because we have a kissing scene tonight!"

"Haha, alright."

The film crew had been prepping all day, and by the afternoon, they were ready to shoot the Halloween scenes. They had two kissing scenes left, and once those were done, Luca's part would be almost over.

"I'm really too busy this year to go back to the island. The shoot for 'The Last Ride' isn't finished yet, and I've got a new script. This year and next year, I'll be in Toronto. We'll take a family vacation in Toronto during the summer." 

While eating, Luca overheard someone speaking in a Taiwanese accent behind him, seemingly talking to a director. He turned around and saw a familiar face.

A man in his 40s or 50s with a round, kind face, eating stinky tofu while talking on the phone. It was a bit much for the early morning.

Luca raised an eyebrow and, after the man finished his call, excused himself and walked over with Rachel.

"Are you interested in starring in Director Li An's new film?"

Around nine, after they left the restaurant and returned to the villa, they chatted along the way.

"Not really. Gay films are too intense for me. I just can't do it."

Luca frowned. He didn't have an issue with it, but kissing another man was a line he couldn't cross, no matter what.

As they reached the villa's front door, just before parting ways, Rachel suddenly smiled.

"Luca, watch out for Lindsay the next couple of days. She's planning to get back at you."

"Get back at me?"

Luca was stunned. Was it about the dressing room incident? Ugh, young girls can be so tricky.

"Yep. Yesterday, you said the villa was haunted. Lindsay went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and saw a pair of glowing green eyes at the window. She screamed, and we were all woken up."

"Glowing green eyes?"

"It was a wildcat. They're common in Canada, but Lindsay had never seen one before, and at night, she thought it was a ghost. She was so scared she couldn't sleep and now says she's going to mess with you."

Rachel laughed a few times and waved as she walked back to the villa.

Luca shrugged. What could he do? He'd deal with it as it came! 

(End of the Chapter)