The Greatest Showman #726 – A Gentleman Takes Revenge

Looking at Renly's innocent expression, Paul Walker couldn't help but be momentarily stunned. For a brief second, he even subconsciously believed that Renly had nothing to do with the chaos that had just ensued. The Renly Paul knew was too composed, too graceful to make such a grimace—there was no way it could be him. Even now, as Paul recalled it, the image of the grimace was fading, leaving him wondering if it had all been his imagination. Had he been dazzled?

Paul found himself in self-doubt, and Donald couldn't argue with his own thoughts either. With a sigh, he hung his head, hands on hips, muttering to himself, "Why didn't anyone notice?" Then he shook his head repeatedly, "Why not? They must've noticed!" His helpless, slightly exaggerated, and somewhat sad expression made the other actors burst into laughter.

Donald looked up at Kaya, Alexander, Tony, and Rami—who were all watching the scene unfold—and gritted his teeth in frustration, saying, "Your turn next!" This only made them laugh harder, incredulous at the thought.

Well, almost all of them were laughing. Except for Alexander, whose eyes flickered with the light of triumph.

Laughter continued for a while before gradually fading as the actors regained composure. They refocused, and Alexander began from the top again, portraying his role as a tough sergeant. He stood diagonally behind Renly, just outside the camera's view, while Rami was the first to break.

Renly's posture was bizarre, almost surreal. His shoulders were slightly hunched, like a falcon's wings, and his knees bent at a strange angle, opening and closing in a small arc. The whole posture was inexplicably awkward—it resembled an ostrich preparing to lay an egg, a puppy shaking its legs, or even a vulture preparing to hunt. When Renly's neck slowly extended forward, it resembled a rattlesnake flicking its tongue. It was strange, and the weirdness of the movement reached its peak.

The whole thing was silent. Renly moved so quietly that no one would have noticed if they weren't paying attention. In fact, only Lamy, who subconsciously glanced at Renly, noticed something off. The rest of the crew was too focused on the scene to pay attention to him. Only a few people who happened to glance at Renly's movements had their faces freeze in shock.

Lamy couldn't hold it anymore. He bent over in silent laughter, biting his lip so hard that his shoulders shook with the effort. At least he was out of the shot.

However, Kaya and Donald—standing in front of the camera—were in a far worse position. They had a clear view of Renly and couldn't help but laugh as well. They could also see Rami standing behind Renly, making the whole situation even harder to bear. Finally, it wasn't Kaya or Donald, but Tony, who cracked first.

"Haha!" Tony's loud, rough laughter echoed through the set, and soon Kaya and Donald joined in. Kaya collapsed, laughing so hard her legs gave out, while Donald curled up on the floor, clutching his stomach.

Paul, Alexander, and the rest of the crew were completely confused. They had missed Renly's subtle movements, and now they were staring at the laughing group of actors, unsure of how to react.

Renly, meanwhile, had returned to his usual demeanor. When someone shot him a confused glance, he spread his hands in innocent bewilderment. "What's going on? Are they seeing ghosts?" The "clients"—the other actors—were still laughing so hard that Donald even started coughing violently, as if choking on his own laughter.

The thing wasn't so much the movement itself, but who was doing it—Renly, the ever-dignified gentleman. This was a man known for his poise, his calm demeanor, and his impeccable etiquette. But seeing him perform such a bizarre, almost vulgar movement made everything feel surreal. It was like he had become possessed by a ghost.

Once the laughter started, it couldn't be contained. The humor from the very first scene of the day spread like wildfire, and the smallest jokes became exaggerated. It's true what they say—laughter is contagious. Happiness shared is doubled, and sorrow shared is halved.

By now, Donald had realized: this was Renly's revenge. On the surface, they appeared to be getting along fine, but beneath it all, Renly had played a clever prank. The contrast between his usual elegance and the ridiculous movement was so jarring that even someone like Donald, a professional comedian, couldn't resist.

After the third take, everyone started behaving themselves again. They tried to focus on the scene, and no one dared to look directly at Renly. It wasn't hard—everyone needed to focus on Farrell, so avoiding Renly was simple. But they had underestimated Renly's ability to pull off his antics.

Paul, forcing himself to focus on Alexander, couldn't resist sneaking a glance at Renly. To his horror, he saw him… dancing. It wasn't ballroom dancing or a choreographed performance. It was a mix of hip-hop and samba—awkward, uncoordinated, yet somehow perfectly timed to a rhythm that only Renly could hear. His hips twisted in one direction, his body in another, while his face remained expressionless. The whole thing was absurdly out of place.

And then… Renly was no longer alone.

Jennifer Lawrence, who had been standing behind the camera all day, observing the filming, caught sight of Renly's bizarre dance. She blinked, confused, then looked around, finally realizing Renly's absurdity. She wasted no time and joined him, adding her own wild, exaggerated moves. Jennifer danced like a wild, uninhibited spirit, hands flailing and expressions changing every few seconds. She pulled and pushed her chest, swayed her hips, and even jerked her head violently.

The key detail? There was no music.

Renly and Jennifer's impromptu dance performance finally caught everyone's attention. Alexander nearly choked on his lines, his jaw hanging open. Kaya, unable to hold it in any longer, let out a strangled laugh. And Paul—finally—lost it. He couldn't stop laughing, even as his stomach ached from the effort.

The whole crew was left in stunned disbelief. Was this really happening? Was this the same Renly they all knew?

Donald was the first to join in, running over to stand beside Renly and Jennifer. He danced along with them, twisting his face into every imaginable grimace, like a contestant in a "World Grimace Contest." It was the perfect ridiculousness to match their antics.

The rest of the crew finally caught on, and one by one, they started clapping and laughing. The whole scene descended into chaos.

As the director, Paul knew he should restore order. He should tell everyone to focus and get back to work, but in this moment, he couldn't hold it in. He laughed and laughed, tears welling in his eyes.

Eventually, wiping his tears away, Paul took a deep breath, trying to regain control. "Everyone, pay attention," he said, though the smile still lingered in his voice. "We need to be serious. There's a lot of work left to do today. Film is expensive, and Tim is supervising us."

His reprimand was ineffective, as his words were drowned out by more laughter. "Let's get back to it," he added, but even he couldn't hold back his amusement.

Finally, everyone returned to their places, ready to continue filming.

Paul looked at Renly and Jennifer, who were now standing side by side, talking in hushed voices. They seemed completely innocent, as if they hadn't done a thing. Renly's hands were casually spread in front of him, and Jennifer's smile was completely nonchalant.

But the sight of the two of them—so composed yet so absurd—was enough to send Paul, Alexander, and the rest into a fresh wave of laughter.

Renly and Jennifer, oblivious to the chaos they had caused, simply shrugged. "What's so funny?" they asked innocently.

"Hahahaha!" The laughter was all the answer they needed.