Chapter 205: A Surprising Discovery

Chapter 205: Chapter 205: A Surprising Discovery

This year, although Irene Coppola’s The Italian Job had impressive box office numbers, it was almost completely wiped out in terms of awards. Except for some fan-driven awards like the MTV Movie Awards, it came up empty-handed at the mainstream ceremonies.

Shelly had already explained this to Irene Coppola beforehand. After all, last year’s Oscar nomination was too high-profile, and toning things down was a necessary tactic.

Irene Coppola was flipping through the script. Hearing this, she didn’t even look up, her fingertip tapping lightly on the lines, her tone crisp and without a hint of hesitation: "I’m not going."

Shelly was taken aback: "Won’t you reconsider? The Golden Globe Awards have high exposure. Even though you aren’t nominated, going to present an award is the same kind of promotional tactic. It’s beneficial for both you and Pirates of the Caribbean."

Irene Coppola looked up, glanced at the busy yet orderly crew on set, and said in a calm voice:

"The crew has just gotten back on track, and the atmosphere has finally stabilized. I don’t want to leave, and I certainly don’t want to run off to deal with red carpets, interviews, and social obligations at a time like this."

She paused, then smiled faintly: "My battlefield is here. Making the movie well is more important than anything else. The Golden Globe Awards aren’t important enough to make me lose sight of my priorities."

Watching her unwavering expression, Shelly didn’t try to persuade her further, just nodded slightly.

He knew very well that once Irene Coppola made a decision, she wouldn’t waver.

Ever since Henry and Keira Knightley had confessed to each other that they both had someone in their hearts, the vague, lingering ambiguity between them had completely vanished, and they got along even more easily and openly than before.

However, Keira Knightley had a lively personality and loved teasing Henry about his secret crush. Whenever she had a moment, she would lean in to pester him about the progress of his love life, forcing Henry to just make up some trivial remarks to deflect, his ears occasionally turning faintly red.

To coordinate with the film’s early promotional efforts, the crew had arranged a shoot for some behind-the-scenes interaction footage between the leads that day. The requirement was for an intimate and natural atmosphere, with maximum chemistry, ensuring the playful banter and eye contact in the footage would be convincing enough to pass for the real thing.

At Irene Coppola’s command, Henry and Keira Knightley immediately entered "professional mode," leaning shoulder to shoulder as they laughed and talked. They performed all the specified actions with tacit understanding, even nailing the chemistry in their eyes perfectly. The publicity team in front of the monitors nodded repeatedly as they watched.

"They aren’t actually together, are they?"

"You never know. They’re both single, and you’ve seen plenty of people fall in love on set."

"That’s true. This pair is very attractive. They should be able to attract quite a few fans."

"If their relationship can last, maybe they could become the next Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt."

Before the discussion could even finish, the moment filming wrapped, Keira Knightley immediately returned to a safe distance, pulling Henry into a corner. Her tone carried a hint of genuine concern:

"That footage we just shot is definitely going to look real when it’s edited. Aren’t you afraid that the person you like will see it and misunderstand that we actually have something going on?"

Henry froze for a moment at these words, his gaze instinctively cutting through the crowd to look at Irene Coppola, who was nearby checking shots with the director of photography.

She was looking down slightly, her fingertips quickly marking up the storyboard, her expression focused and sharp, with absolutely no intention of glancing over in their direction.

He withdrew his gaze, shook his head gently, and said in a very low voice: "She won’t."

Keira Knightley raised an eyebrow: "You’re that sure? Did you hear what others were saying about us? Like a couple pairing just like Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt—they’re the golden couple everyone in Hollywood envies. That just shows how real our ’romance’ looks."

"Her attention is never on gossip or behind-the-scenes footage," Henry said, his tone calm but filled with unquestionable certainty. "To her, a movie is just a movie."

Keira Knightley asked suddenly, sounding a bit uncertain: "Wait, is the person you like an insider or an outsider?"

Henry didn’t answer directly but looked at Keira Knightley seriously. Keira Knightley seemed to be struck by the news. "No way, which industry big shot are you into?"

As soon as these words fell, Irene Coppola’s clear voice came from nearby. She had finished her discussion and was gathering the main cast to prepare for the next live-action shoot.

"All departments in position, we start in ten minutes. Wrap up the behind-the-scenes footage. Prioritize the progress of the main film."

Irene Coppola didn’t care at all about the behind-the-scenes footage that could have sparked a media frenzy. She didn’t even spare a glance at the interaction between the two leads just now.

Having witnessed the promotional footage for those "danmei" adaptations in her past life, these were just child’s play in her eyes. Furthermore, some of these promotional materials were actually based on her suggestions. In her mind, it was just part of the job.

What was most important to her right now was ensuring the quality of the main film. Those little behind-the-scenes clips were merely dessert.

Henry collected himself and walked quickly toward the shooting area, putting away all personal thoughts and leaving only his most professional state. Just as Irene Coppola always insisted, on set, everything served the film.

And after learning that the person Henry had a crush on was actually an industry insider, Keira Knightley’s gaze when observing him became a bit more deliberately sharp.

She carefully recalled all of Henry’s routines after wrapping for the day: aside from returning to the hotel to study lines or pulling her or Depp to practice scenes, he would frequently go to the director to discuss the script or camera angles. His life was packed tightly with work, leaving almost no room for a private life.

Keira Knightley the more she thought about it, the more suspicious she felt. In such a tightly packed, non-stop schedule, how on earth did he find the time to contact his crush and keep track of her movements? This doubt was like a small loose thread, pulling longer and longer in the back of her mind.

Until she belatedly caught a detail that everyone else had ignored: the amount of time Henry spent watching the director, Irene Coppola, was truly, unnaturally long.

He never blatantly approached to chat, but he would always unintentionally keep an eye on her every move. He would silently have someone deliver warm drinks to the monitor, and when she was too busy to eat, he would quietly place a meal box within her reach.

The care hidden beneath his politeness and professionalism was so delicate that it couldn’t hide his feelings.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed these actions before, but she knew Henry was a gentleman, and she knew Henry was someone recognized by Irene Coppola.

The two even shared the same agent. She had assumed these gestures were just Henry’s way of showing gratitude for being given a chance.

Now that she thought about it, everything had signs.

On the day of the press conference, Irene Coppola had mentioned with a smile that the core inspiration for this movie came from a trip to Hawaii.

And Henry had previously told her that the person he liked was someone he had met by chance in Hawaii, falling for them at first sight and finding it hard to forget ever since.

The travel location overlapped, the time of falling in love overlapped, and the circle they were in also completely overlapped. All the scattered clues instantly twisted into a single rope, pointing to an answer she had never dared to imagine.

Keira Knightley’s heart gave a violent jolt. Almost unable to contain the shock and sudden realization in her heart, her footsteps turned uncontrollably, and she walked quickly straight toward Henry’s room.

She had to ask him face-to-face right now: was the person Henry had been hiding his crush on for so long really the person she had just thought of?