Urban System in America
Chapter 226 - 225: This is nothing

Chapter 226: Chapter 225: This is nothing

Rex remained silent for a long beat, his gaze fixed on the crowd but his mind clearly elsewhere. Then, he let out a low exhale, glanced at her with something that hovered between admiration and sadness.

"You’ve got guts," he said quietly. "Most people would’ve folded by now. Given in, sold out, become what the world told them they had to be. But you? You’re still standing. Still fighting. That matters more than you think."

Lena blinked, clearly not expecting the compliment—especially not delivered in such a calm, grounded tone. Her lip twitched slightly, caught between a smirk and something more vulnerable.

"You trying to be charming again?" she asked.

Rex shrugged. "Just telling the truth. That’s rare enough in this place to count as a compliment, right?"

She didn’t answer immediately, but the silence between them softened.

As a waiter passed by with a tray of drinks, Rex casually took a glass of red wine. Lena followed suit, grabbing her own and downing it in a few swift gulps. Rex blinked. "Hey, hey—slow down," he said with a raised brow and a half-smile.

She didn’t reply, just wiped the corner of her mouth and exhaled like someone releasing a week’s worth of stress in a single breath.

Rex lifted his glass slightly in a loose toast. "I believe you’ll eventually shine, you know. Don’t worry so much. Compared to most people, you’ve already got a solid foundation. Beauty, brains, real training—and something they can never fake: pride. Hollywood might be closed off, yeah, but sometimes all it takes is meeting the right person at the right time. One crack in the wall is all you need to slip through. And once you’re in? You won’t just survive—you’ll blaze. So don’t lose heart. Your light’s too real to stay hidden forever."

Lena tilted her head and gave him a long, thoughtful look. "Hmm. Right person, huh?" she said slowly, dragging the word out with a half-amused, half-curious tone. Her eyes narrowed slightly, teasing. "Are you perhaps talking about yourself?"

Rex grinned, swirling the wine in his glass. "Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows?" He leaned a little closer, his voice playful but edged with mystery.

Lena stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to peel back another layer. Her smile lingered but her gaze had sharpened—calculating, curious, even a little amused.

"Don’t look at me like that—I’m not at that level," he added, flashing a grin, then taking a casual sip like he was deflecting more than just her curiosity.

"At least... not yet," he said, his eyes glinting with that familiar spark of quiet confidence.

She raised a brow. "Hmmmm."

"Ohh, ambitious too," she said, chuckling.

"Ohh, ambitious too," she said, chuckling. Then her gaze drifted past him, toward the heart of the party. "Then what about that invitation?" She gestured with her glass toward the star-studded crowd. "Pretty exclusive group in there."

Rex shrugged. "Oh, this? Got it from a friend."

"A friend?" she echoed, clearly not buying it. "Must be a pretty powerful friend."

He thought of the system and chuckled internally. "Oh yeah. A bit too powerful, actually."

Lena gave him a playful squint. "Mhm. Sure. Okay, I believe you—no need to explain yourself."

Rex smiled and smoothly shifted the subject. "So, how’d you end up here, anyway?"

"Me?" she said, sipping the last of her wine. "I was working as an extra—y’know, one of those roles where you die three seconds after showing up—and overheard an agent of a pretty famous actress bragging about how his client got an invitation to this exclusive top-tier party. So I decided to roll the dice and sneak in."

He raised a brow. "Even though you knew you might not be able to enter?"

She flashed him a mischievous grin. "But I did enter." She glanced at him pointedly. "Thanks to someone."

Rex laughed. "Fair point."

Her grin lingered for a moment but then softened into something more subdued. She sighed and stared back toward the crowd, the flickering lights casting strange shadows on her face. "Still didn’t manage to catch the eye of any famous director or producer, though," she said, her voice low, almost resigned.

"Funny thing is, I actually overheard some big-name actress earlier bragging about how she got her invitation just because she flirted with some exec’s son. Not even subtly—just straight-up bragging. And here I was thinking maybe, just maybe, I’d get noticed for being good. For actually having talent."

She let out a short, humorless laugh. "But I guess... that’s how it goes sometimes." Her fingers tightened slightly around her empty glass, the bravado fading into quiet frustration as she blinked back whatever bitterness was trying to rise.

Rex, watching her reaction carefully, leaned slightly closer and said with a voice that was both soft and sure, "Hey. Look, I know it’s frustrating as hell. "You don’t need to compare yourself to them. You’re fighting a different battle—with actual skill, not shortcuts. That kind of integrity? It’ll pay off. Just might take longer. But when it does... it’ll be worth a hell of a lot more."

"It’s only a matter of time before the right person notices, and when they do? Game over for everyone else. You’ve already climbed farther than most ever will. And I have no doubt you’ll go further still."

Lena gave him a long look. Her lips curved faintly, but her eyes were sharp, probing, searching for any trace of pity. She found none—only sincerity.

She exhaled, then smiled, a little crookedly. "It’s okay," she said, placing the glass gently on the tray of another passing waiter, her voice was calm, but laced with steel. "I’m not that weak. I’ve already been through much, much worse than this. Compared to what I’ve faced back home—this? This is nothing."

She glanced at him again, smile soft but eyes unwavering. "Okay, enough talking about me. I’m afraid if we keep going, I’ll end up spilling something even more embarrassing."

Rex smirked, taking a slow sip of his wine. "Oh? I’m kinda interested now."

(End of Chapter)