Outside the Warner Bros. studio, the Nolan brothers and Christian Bale stood silently, cigarettes in hand.
"Jonathan, what do you think?" Christopher Nolan frowned, breaking the silence.
"I… I've never seen an actor like this before. Jesus Christ, no wonder he insisted on playing the Joker. He is the Joker, isn't he?" Jonathan Nolan's voice carried a hint of unease.
"Honestly, just reading the script with him gave me goosebumps. I was scared he might pull out a revolver and shoot me on the spot."
Even Christian Bale, who once played the deranged lead in American Psycho, found Xu Can's presence unnerving.
"I played a psycho before," Bale muttered, "and still, Xu Can's mental state feels even more intense."
"Hey, what are you all whispering about?"
A bright, cheerful voice suddenly called from behind. The three men jumped in surprise.
"Nothing, just… smoking," Nolan replied, trying to mask the tension.
Xu Can approached with a relaxed demeanor. His gaze was clear and composed, his smile warm under the blazing California sun. Yet, standing in that sunlight, Nolan felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The good news was: even during a script reading, Xu Can could immerse himself in character. He was the Joker.
In Nolan's eyes, if Xu Can could maintain that level of intensity, he might truly surpass Jack Cornelsen and create the definitive Joker.
While the media and internet buzzed over Xu Can's casting as the Joker, The Dark Knight had already officially started filming.
Batman was played by Christian Bale, with Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face, Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
New and veteran actors gathered in a New York studio, forming a powerhouse cast.
The film's opening centered on the Joker—his stage alone.
Although other actors had no scenes in that sequence, they came to the set out of pure curiosity to see Xu Can in action.
"What's everyone doing here? Trying to intimidate me?" Xu Can joked.
"No, no," Gary Oldman laughed. "We heard your script reading was terrifying. Everyone's curious to see what you're like on set."
"Oh, is that so…"
Xu Can, now in full Joker makeup and dressed in a purple suit, suddenly twisted his grin and gave Gary Oldman a chilling smile.
"I'm going to rob a bank now. Gonna stop me, Commissioner Gordon?"
"Jesus…"
Gary Oldman's heart jumped. For a split second, he felt the urge to run. He had no idea what this "madman" might do next.
"Relax, Gary. I'm kidding," Xu Can said with the same Joker face but the innocent tone of Peter Parker.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, kid. If you keep this up, we old guys are gonna be obsolete," Oldman said, giving him a sincere thumbs-up.
Gary Oldman was a legendary chameleon actor, capable of shifting seamlessly between roles. He knew from experience: embodying a new character meant crafting an entirely new persona. That kind of transformation didn't come easily to young actors.
Yet Xu Can, in just a heartbeat, had flipped between personas in a way even Oldman found hard to match.
Oldman himself needed time to transition between roles like Sirius Black and Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional.
At this moment, Oldman could only look at Xu Can with wide-eyed awe—like the stunned reaction of a short video meme gone viral.
This kid is destined for greatness.
As The Dark Knight began filming, time flew by.
Not only was Xu Can busy, but so were the two women closest to him.
Thankfully, the love triangle he dreaded didn't materialize—at least, not for now.
Taylor Swift was busy working on her new album. Most of the tracks had already been recorded.
The title track of Fearless was being sent to major radio stations by Sony Music, kicking off early promotion.
"Xu, I finished the demo for my new song. Want to hear it?" Swift said during a video call.
"Oh? What song?"
"I'll sing it with my guitar. Hold on, I'll grab it!"
That evening, Xu Can was resting in his hotel room after filming when Swift called him over Facebook. Since mobile video apps weren't fully developed yet, he used his laptop to connect.
On screen, Swift dashed off like an excited teenager and returned with her guitar, jumping back into view.
Once she held the instrument, her whole aura shifted. She entered her musical zone, completely immersed.
In a warm, upbeat country melody, she began to sing:
"We were both young when I first saw you..."
"I close my eyes, and the flashback starts—I'm standing there."
"On a balcony in summer air..."
"See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns."
"I saw you walking through the crowd and said hello."
"I'm the only one who knows that."
Huh?
Xu Can's heart skipped a beat.
The lyrics sounded… eerily familiar.
He had listened to this song countless times in his previous life. It was one of Taylor Swift's most iconic hits. But he never imagined the scene she described was inspired by their first meeting.
That night at the Sony party—
He remembered walking through the crowd, spotting Swift standing quietly at the edge of the room.
"You are Romeo, the one who threw stones at my window..."
"Romeo, please take me somewhere we can be alone."
"I'll be waiting—all that's left to do is run."
"You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess..."
"It's a love story, baby, just say yes."
…
As her final chords faded, Swift gently set her guitar down and leaned closer to the camera. Her eyes locked with Xu Can's through the screen, like she was trying to read the thoughts behind his gaze.
"Well? What do you think? Is the song good?"
"It's beautiful," Xu Can said softly. "I really love it."
"Are you just saying that to humor me?"
"Of course not. Honestly, I could listen to this song for the next ten years and never get tired of it."
He meant it. He had been listening to this song for over fifteen years—through heartbreaks, through youth, even into adulthood in his previous life. And still, in 2023, it was playing on his playlist.
Swift hadn't expected such sincerity. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down shyly, then lifted her gaze back to him with a small smile.
"Then... do you know what the song means?"
Xu Can hesitated.
He had assumed it was inspired by a boy Swift once knew when she was still a student—at least, that's what he remembered from his past life. But now, hearing her sing it, feeling her stare through the screen...
Could it really have been about him?
Maybe he was reading too much into it.
"I'm not sure," he said honestly.
"If you want to know…" she replied, her voice gentle but firm, "how about I tell you the next time we meet? You still owe me a date, you know."
Swift said it teasingly, but her expression was serious. She wasn't being flirty—she meant it.
Why did she hesitate to explain the meaning? Xu Can didn't know. But something told him the answer would come in person.
"Obviously, you owe me a date," he countered, grinning.
They both chuckled, but in truth, neither had been able to schedule the long-promised date due to their increasingly packed work calendars.
…
After exchanging sweet goodnights and ending the video call, Xu Can had just closed his laptop when his phone rang again.
The caller ID lit up: Emma Stone.
"Baby, I miss you."
Her voice was soft and syrupy, completely at odds with the wild, carefree woman Xu Can once knew on set.
He still found it hard to reconcile this clingy, affectionate Emma with the one who used to chug rum, crack dirty jokes, and call everyone "bro."
"I miss you too, baby."
"Hmph. You don't sound like you missed me. It's been three whole days and not even one call."
"Three days? Really?" Xu Can blinked. "I lost track of time during filming."
"Whatever. You didn't hang up on me, so I'll let it slide," she pouted playfully.
Ah, this…
Her tone was so gentle, Xu Can actually felt a little guilty.
He hadn't meant to ignore her—it was just that life had become insanely hectic. Between the nonstop filming of The Dark Knight, meetings with the Nolan brothers, Swift's album progress, John Wick promo, and early Marvel script development…
He barely had time to breathe, let alone flirt.
"I'm about to start filming a new movie soon. Zombieland. What do you think?"
"Of course! You showed me the script last time. It's going to be a hit. I bet it'll make at least a hundred million."
Sony was fast-tracking a low-budget zombie comedy to ride the wave of Emma's rising popularity.
Emma would play the female lead, alongside Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg.
In Xu Can's past life, this exact combo had been a surprise box-office smash. It was a smart career move.
"Also... the premiere of Twilight is scheduled for early May. Can you come with me?"
"Sure, I'll come with you… Wait, early May?"
Something clicked in Xu Can's mind.
John Wick was also set to premiere around that time.
Was his movie about to go head-to-head with The Twilight Saga—one of the biggest pop culture juggernauts of the 2000s?
Now that… was going to be interesting.
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