Model to Holywood

"Luca! Luca!"

"Cool! Cool! Do it again!"

It was a hot summer afternoon in San Francisco, at the Bay Area Ocean Park Plaza, where a street dance competition was in full swing. Sponsored by Nike, the event attracted dozens of teams from all over the U.S., with exciting performances one after another.

The plaza was packed with people who had formed a large circle. In the center was a tall, muscular guy performing hip-hop dance moves. He was wearing an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants, with a baseball cap tilted to the side, smirking mischievously. His cool yet bad-boy vibe made the girls scream in excitement — it was none other than the infamous "Devil Luca."

Luca executed a series of powerful moves: handstands, windmills, and one-arm freezes, all with explosive energy and flawless precision. His muscular build stood out as he danced, showing off his toned, sexy physique.

"Luca is so cool!"

"Mr. Big is in amazing shape! No surprise, he used to be an athlete!"

"Mr. Virus, you're awesome! Do it again!" shouted a little boy with black hair and yellow skin from the crowd.

"Xiao Han, stop yelling!" scolded a middle-aged man beside him, tapping the boy on the head.

This man was none other than director Li An, who had just arrived in San Francisco. He was here to help his eldest son, Li Chun, check out schools. After visiting the University of San Francisco earlier in the day, they decided to explore the Bay Area with a local friend, and when they heard about the street dance competition, they stopped by to watch.

"Dad, Mr. Virus can breakdance too! He's so cool!" The little boy excitedly punched the air.

"Mr. Virus?" asked a young man holding a handheld video camera, confused. "Who's Mr. Virus?"

"Haha, Shi Jun-ge, Xiao Han is talking about Luca. We were on the same flight to San Francisco this morning. Luca caught a cold and kept sneezing, so Xiao Han started calling him 'Mr. Virus,'" Li Chun explained with a laugh.

"Yep, that's right. He's Mr. Virus, and he gave Dad the cold," the little boy chimed in with a grin.

"Dad, I remember you saying Luca was following you. Turns out he's here for the competition," Li Chun teased his father.

"Well, who knows!" Li An's face flushed red as he rubbed his nose, trying to justify himself.

"Dad, you're getting ahead of yourself," Li Chun joked. "Ever since you won the Golden Globe for Best Director, you've been acting like this. Do you really think Britney Spears' boyfriend would follow you just for a movie role?"

"Yeah, Dad, you've totally changed! You used to haggle when buying garlic, but now you just say, 'Keep the change!'" the little boy added, laughing.

"Shut it!" Li An glared, kicking his younger son lightly. "I may be getting ahead of myself, but I can still take you both down, believe that?"

"If you hit me, I'm telling Mom!" the little boy whined, holding his butt in mock protest.

Li An chuckled and patted his son's sweaty head. "Alright, be good, and I'll get you some Häagen-Dazs later."

"I want McDonald's!"

"Fine, McDonald's. We'll feast!" 

Money's no issue for us!

"Wow, that's so cool!" 

In the center of the plaza, Luca had just kicked a soccer ball into the air, and as it came down, he did a sweeping move and caught the ball on his back. 

The crowd went wild.

"Luca, can I get your autograph?" the little boy yelled as Luca started to leave.

"Don't run off!" 

Luca was swarmed with fans asking for autographs as he stepped off the stage. Li An, not wanting to lose his son in the crowd, quickly caught up and held his little boy's hand tightly.

"Dad, I want an autograph!" the little boy reached out his hand eagerly.

"I know, I know. Just wait a bit, okay? Don't you see how many people are here?" Li An shook his head. He couldn't understand why young people idolized someone like Luca, who had no real achievements apart from gossip and scandals. Why admire him? Wasn't a big-time director like Li An more worthy of respect?

"Luca, Luca! Over here! Can you sign for me?" 

Luca was signing autographs and giving a quick interview with some journalists when a familiar voice called out from the crowd.

He turned his head to see a young boy rushing over, followed by a somewhat exasperated middle-aged man.

"Hey there, little guy!" Luca greeted him, bending down to ruffle the boy's hair. He took off his hat and placed it on the boy's head.

"Director Li An! Nice to see you again!" 

"Achoo!" The response was a loud sneeze. 

Luca paused. "Director Li, did you catch a cold too?"

"Haha, Luca, my dad got it from you!" the little boy laughed heartily.

"No worries, it's just a cold," Li An said, rubbing his nose with a slightly resentful look.

Luca laughed out loud. "Mr. Li, I'm so sorry about that. Do you have time later? I'd like to treat you all to dinner."

"There's no need for that," Li An started to say, but the little boy cut him off, "Yes! I want McDonald's!"

Luca smiled, "Haha, alright. How about you wait a bit? I've just got to finish this interview, okay?"

"Sure, go ahead!" the little boy replied happily.

"See you soon, Mr. Li!" Luca waved as he walked away.

"Dad, see? I just saved you the cost of a meal!" the little boy proudly announced.

"Hmph! Do you really think your dad is the kind of person who can't afford a few dollars?" 

"Dad, you're really getting ahead of yourself. That's not a good thing!"

"Stop shaking your head. Let's go!" Li An said, pulling his son along.

"Go? Where to?"

"To get you McDonald's!"

"What about Luca?"

"Why wait for him? He was just being polite. You really want him to treat us?" Li An shook his head. It would make things awkward when it came time to cast the roles. You can't accept favors.

"Dad, how can you act like this?" the little boy protested, "You always taught me to be honest and keep promises. You told me stories about people who kept their word even at great cost. Now you're breaking your own rule! How can I live up to that?"

"..."

"Mr. Kelly, do you like street dance?"

"Of course, street dance is cool, right?"

On the sidelines, Luca was being interviewed by a radio station. According to the interview outline, the host's questions would soon shift from street dance to the movie Honey, and then to questions about Britney.

"Yes, it's very cool. Your street dance performance was impressive. The judges just gave you an average score of 8.25."

"Thank you to the judges. I'll keep working hard."

Luca smiled lightly. He knew the score was a bit inflated. While his moves were decent, his rhythm and flow needed improvement. As a guest performer, his rating was a bit higher than it should have been. Jessica had scored a 9.0.

"Mr. Kelly, how many years have you been practicing street dance?"

"Years? No, no. I only learned about street dance when I took this role. I thought it was really cool. Jessica is a street dance expert, and she taught me a lot. You could say she's my street dance teacher."

"Jessica, is that true?"

The host turned to look at Jessica, who was standing nearby.

"Yes!" Jessica glanced at him and smiled. "He's a quick learner, very smart, and he used to be an athlete, so he picked it up fast."

"Thank you, Jessica! I have to say, you're a great teacher!"

Luca complimented her in return.

The host glanced at the two of them — a handsome guy and a beautiful woman, both with such attractive physiques. They looked like a perfect match. It was tempting to draw a heart over their heads.

But Luca wasn't the male lead, and there were already rumors swirling about him and Britney. If there were more rumors, he'd really be in trouble.

"Mr. Li, sorry to keep you waiting!"

It was just after 5 p.m., and the on-site interview had ended. Luca found Li An and his group in the crowd.

"No problem!"

For some reason, Luca noticed that Li An's face seemed a little sour.

"Hello, Mr. Kelly, I'm Li Chun. Your performance was really cool!"

The eldest of the Li family introduced himself.

"Thank you!"

"Hello, Mr. Kelly, I'm Chen Shijun. I really liked your performance!"

A young man holding a camera greeted him.

Chen Shijun?

Luca glanced at him twice. He was in his twenties, had thick lips, wore metal-rimmed glasses, and had a simple, sincere smile. Why did he seem so familiar?

(End of the chapter)