Nodding, shaking her head, a brief pause, thoughts tangled, and then nodding again.

Blair was confused. So, should she nod or shake her head?

This brought a faint smile to Anson's lips. "I hope you've fallen into a brief state of madness due to the overwhelming success of tonight's surprise event. That way, it would at least feed my arrogance as an actor."

For the first half of that statement, Blair wanted to nod.

But the second half?

Blair froze again.

"No response? Well, I guess that confirms my arrogance."

Anson added another line, and it would have been foolish not to recognize it as a joke by now.

Blair looked at Anson, on the verge of tears, but the smile in her eyes burst through. She finally stared at Anson with a strange expression. "This might be the most non-aggressive arrogance I've ever seen."

"Still, no matter what you are like, I like you just the same."

Finally!

Blair finally caught hold of her sanity, struggling to piece together a coherent sentence.

Anson shrugged lightly. "I won't refuse that."

Pfft.

A wave of soft laughter rippled through the surroundings.

However.

This time, Anson didn't let the mood swell. He raised his right index finger to his lips.

"Shhh."

"The movie's starting."

With that, Anson turned his attention forward, falling silent, just like an ordinary college student. Tonight, he was simply attending with friends to watch the Superman series, enjoying a Friday movie night.

Dressed in youthful attire, Anson indeed blended seamlessly into the crowd—ordinary, yet extraordinary.

Watching Anson's profile quietly, Blair's frantic heart finally found its rhythm, calming down. The noise of the world faded into the background, as if time had paused in this moment.

Turning her head, Blair looked at Karen.

The two friends exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same excitement, the same thrill, the same disbelief, and the same overwhelming joy. Even without speaking, they understood each other completely.

Ah.

Silent screaming.

Ahhh.

No sound came from their throats, but the scream in their hearts broke free, utterly unleashed. Happiness spread across their faces, and they could feel countless butterflies fluttering in their stomachs, while fireworks burst across the sky.

Climbing from the depths of their moods to the pinnacle of the universe—it felt just like that.

Then, a deep breath, another deep breath, forcing themselves to calm down. Blair's gaze stole back to Anson, but she kept her attention mostly on the big screen—

Superman II had begun.

It was indeed an odd scene.

At least, it seemed that way to Nicholas.

If the audience had come for Anson, then the flash mob surprise was over. Anson had now blended into the crowd, completely swallowed by the sea of people. Looking around, he was nowhere to be seen.

If the audience had come for the free screening of Catch Me If You Can, they were now watching a movie from twenty years ago, with no CGI, and easily predictable. Unless someone had a deep love for it, it would bore most people.

To be precise, those standing at the far back, or in the obscure corners at the sides, couldn't even see the screen clearly, let alone those sitting cross-legged in the front rows.

So why were people still flocking to Washington Square in droves?

Layer upon layer upon layer.

Nicholas stood in the middle of the crowd, like the middle slice of a sandwich, feeling the unrelenting surge of people from behind.

Rising on his tiptoes, he looked toward the arch, but the line of people extended so far he couldn't see the end. The sheer number of heads was astonishing.

For a moment, it felt like experiencing New Year's Eve again.

Grand, majestic, lively.

Far beyond imagination.

Nicholas was also surprised. Without a doubt, this flash mob promotional event had become a marketing case study. Major film companies should take note—this was how promotion should be done—

And at a low cost.

Throughout the event, there were no PR expenses, no marketing costs, no additional event organization fees. Even tonight, the climax of the entire event, the collaboration with NYU likely required no special expenditure.

For companies like DreamWorks, struggling with cash flow, and Universal Studios, notorious for being stingy with promotional budgets, it was a near-perfect case.

Admiration. Nothing but admiration.

Nicholas thought—

Maybe this deserved a feature, focusing on the movie, on Anson, and on the entire promotional campaign.

And, of course, Nicholas did just that.

Three days later, The New York Times ran a special feature, diving deep into the discussion.

"How 'Catch Me If You Can' Impacted the Holiday Season Box Office."

In the feature, Nicholas described the conclusion of that night at Washington Square like this:

"Anson, Anson, Anson."

The whole square chanted the same name, like a rock festival. While common at music events, it's rare in the film industry. At least in my memory, this was the first time.

Anson quietly and attentively watched Superman II, blending in with the audience without any distinction. After the grand promotional event, he didn't rush to leave or quickly retreat to his hotel to rest but stayed to watch a two-hour-old film.

And after the movie ended, there were no grand farewells, no formal goodbyes. He left quietly, without bodyguards or assistants.

Washington Square responded in kind.

They chanted, but didn't crowd him.

They were fervent, but not out of control.

They lined up to clear the way, cheering and applauding in an orderly yet wildly enthusiastic manner as they bid Anson farewell.

Undoubtedly, this should go down in North American film promotional history as a milestone event.

As Anson left amidst the deafening, heart-wrenching cheers, the party's energy continued to surge, not fading for a long time.

Those who stayed behind to continue watching Superman III were in for a treat. After the film ended, instead of Superman IV, at precisely 12:05 AM, they began screening Catch Me If You Can—

A gift from Anson.

Thus, the 2,000 audience members who remained experienced the most unforgettable, magical night of their lives. After hearing the lead actor's creative insights, after seeing him break the fourth wall into reality, they watched as he returned to the movie screen, breaking the fourth wall once more to enjoy the film again.

The same, yet different.

It was the most joyful, relaxing, pleasant, and enjoyable screening I've had in the past three years, because Anson made me fall back in love with cinema itself—not for work, not for duty, but purely for relaxation.

Catch Me If You Can was that kind of Christmas gift—unconventional, unexpected, but full of surprise when you opened the box."

In great detail.

Nicholas recorded the end of that night in a unique way, providing readers with a slightly different perspective. But without a doubt, it sparked heated discussions from various angles.

The New York Times special report was just the tip of the iceberg.

Because the aftershocks of this storm were only beginning.