In the previous life, Valkyrie experienced the same incident.
The film lab used the wrong chemicals, ruining the entire roll of film. The production company had to renegotiate with Germany to reshoot at the World War II memorial site.
But just like the exploding truck, Ethan and his team once again avoided disaster.
This was truly astonishing, and the film courier kept muttering about the incident within the crew.
"I'm telling you, it was really Ethan's voice calling me…" While having dinner that night, a crowd of crew members gathered around him as he recounted his experience.
"I don't know why, but I heard it—right by my ear, crystal clear!"
"What did Ethan say?" A girl with dark green hair curiously asked.
The courier became even more excited. "He said: 'Don't take the one on the right, take the one on the left.'"
"So, I was compelled to grab the roll on the left, and when I got to the lab, I had a strange feeling—something was off. The lab technician looked careless, nothing like a skilled professional. But this time, Ethan didn't say I couldn't give it to him."
"Hahahaha!" The group burst into laughter.
"You think Ethan is Jesus or something? That accurate?"
"But the director really does have insane luck. Like with the truck—if he hadn't noticed, we might have had to shut down the production."
"Yeah, so if I put a picture of the director around my neck, do you think I'll get lucky too?"
"Of course… not."
"I think it's worth a try!" The courier was the first to take action, and the method was simple.
Before filming started, the crew had taken a group photo. He just needed to cut out Ethan's face and use it as a protective charm.
No sooner said than done. The next day, the courier had a necklace with a photo attached to it. Whenever he met someone, he would proudly open the locket and show Ethan's picture inside.
"What's the point of this? Why not just wear a Jesus pendant?" Others scoffed, thinking he had gone insane.
However, a small number of people were tempted but couldn't quite bring themselves to do it.
Then, in the final week of filming in Germany, the courier suddenly disappeared.
He called the assistant director to ask for a day off and never showed up on set.
When he returned the next day, the crew was already packing up the props.
"So, where were you yesterday?" The green-haired girl saw the courier's barely contained excitement and asked.
"Heh, heh, I went to claim my prize, guys!" The courier spread his arms and laughed. "I won!"
"What did you win?"
"How much?"
"A supermarket lottery?"
The courier shook his head. "No, no, no! You guys lack imagination. I won third prize in the lottery—100,000 euros! 100,000!"
"WTF! You're joking, right?" The green-haired girl grabbed her head, unable to believe it.
"You heard me right, and I'm not lying—it's 100,000 euros! Wow! Once we wrap up this movie, I'm going on a world tour!"
"My God, how is this possible?" Everyone was in shock.
Only the courier lifted his necklace and kissed the photo. "This is the power of Lucky Ethan! I only bought the ticket because I heard his voice."
"Seriously?"
"Oh my God, I think I might need one of those necklaces too."
"Where did you get it? Tell me!"
As the crew prepared to leave Germany, the name Lucky Ethan became a hot topic again. Even producer Yuris heard about it.
"You heard about this, Ethan? They're all wearing your face around their necks," Yuri's joked. "Maybe you'll become a god?"
"Come on, Yuris, these guys have way too much free time," Ethan chuckled.
"But seriously, thanks to you, we avoided a huge financial loss." Yuris shuddered at the thought of all the accidents that had happened. Even though he believed in God, he didn't think miracles were real.
He never expected so many mishaps to occur during filming.
"This is all normal. I don't think there's anything supernatural about it."
"Supernatural or not… at least everything turned out fine for you." Yuris sighed and sat back down.
Back in New York, Ethan's first stop was Anne Hathaway's house. But something unexpected happened.
Over the phone, Anne's voice wasn't as affectionate as usual. Instead, she sounded cold and told him she had a guest waiting for him at her place.
When Ethan arrived, he was surprised to find that the guest was Avril.
Seeing Avril with a tense expression, arms crossed, staring down Anne Hathaway, Ethan rubbed his forehead, sensing trouble.
"Ethan!" Avril's face lit up when she saw him, but she quickly let out a cold snort and sat back down.
On the other hand, Anne Hathaway, holding a glass of water, glanced at Ethan with a much icier gaze than Avril's.
"What's going on?" Ethan asked in confusion as he walked in, casually tossing a black plastic bag into the trash.
"What was that?" Anne Hathaway raised an eyebrow.
Avril also looked at Ethan.
"Just a trash bag. I was cleaning up my car and threw out some junk."
In reality, the bag contained a gift he had bought for Anne Hathaway.
But given the current situation, if he took it out now, both women would definitely ask who it was for.
No matter which one he gave it to, it would push the other's emotions over the edge.
So Ethan had to get rid of it.
"Hmph!" Avril snorted again, expressing her dissatisfaction.
Anne Hathaway, seeing the tense atmosphere, spoke up, "I think, Ethan, you should talk to this little girl. She should focus on her music—she's still young."
"What do you mean, old woman!" Avril retorted unwillingly, "You're the one who should leave Ethan! You don't deserve him at all!"
"Wait, wait." Ethan sat between the two, using his body to separate their hostility.
"Don't be like this, Avril. Don't say such hurtful things, okay?"
"Hmph!" Avril turned her head away, refusing to look at them.
Ethan then said to Anne Hathaway, "I know this is my fault, but today is not a good time to resolve this. Everyone is angry. Besides, you should take your medicine."
Anne Hathaway had recently developed a fever and some stomach pain—Ethan remembered it very clearly.
Hearing his words, Anne Hathaway's cold expression softened slightly, though she still refused to look at him directly.
Avril snorted again upon hearing this.
Ethan turned to her, patted her shoulder, and said, "Come on, Avril, I'll take you home. You have a performance tomorrow afternoon."
"I…" Avril wanted to resist Ethan's arrangement, but when she saw his gaze, she softened.
She stood up, glared at Anne Hathaway, then pulled Ethan out of the room.
Inside the car, Avril kept her head down, no longer full of the laughter and energy she usually had. The atmosphere was unbearably heavy.
Ethan also remained silent, and neither spoke a word.
Fortunately, Avril couldn't hold back for too long. Seeing that Ethan wasn't speaking, she directly asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"
"No… baby, you're perfect." Ethan shook his head.
"Then why did you choose her?"
Not just her, of course—but Ethan wouldn't say that.
"I know this isn't fair to you." Ethan took Avril's hand. "Give me some time, okay?"
"What do you mean? Are you actually hesitating? Are you planning to leave me? To choose that b*tch?"
Ethan glanced at Avril, and she immediately fell silent.
"I'm the one who messed up in this situation, not anyone else."
When the car arrived at Avril's home, she immediately jumped out, unwilling to continue talking with Ethan.
But Ethan stopped her in advance, pulling her into his arms, letting her scratch, bite, and hit him as much as she wanted.
"Feel better now?"
Ethan remained silent until Avril bit his arm hard enough to leave a clear mark—breaking the skin, even drawing some blood—before he finally spoke.
"I won't forgive you, bastard!" Avril pushed Ethan away angrily and stormed back home.
"Mom, I'm back!"
She shouted loudly, just like the first time Ethan had ever brought her home.
But hearing her harsh words, Ethan didn't feel dejected at all. Because he knew—the louder someone spoke, the more false their words were.
If Avril truly didn't want to be with him anymore, she wouldn't have said something like that.
What actually troubled Ethan more was Anne Hathaway.
She might seem emotionally composed, but in reality, people like her were the most decisive when taking action.
So after thinking for a moment in the car, Ethan decided to return to Anne Hathaway's residence.
Unexpectedly, she wasn't in the living room when he arrived.
And when Ethan stepped inside, he noticed that the gift he had thrown in the trash had already been taken out.
"I knew she wouldn't miss it."
He picked up the gift and looked at it. It was a small bear encrusted with diamonds—clearly very expensive.
"Anne?" He called out, but received no response.
Then, he heard a noise coming from the bathroom.
Ethan walked over and pushed open the door, finding Anne Hathaway leaning over the sink, seemingly dry-heaving.
"What's wrong?" Ethan asked with concern.
"Nothing…" Anne Hathaway washed her face with water. "I just wanted to calm down a bit… Ugh—"
She retched again, leaning against the sink.
Ethan patted her back to help her breathe easier, then asked with suspicion, "How long has this been happening?"
"Not long… maybe a few days. Probably because of my stomach acting up."
Anne Hathaway finished speaking, then retched again.
But from her symptoms, Ethan sensed another possibility. He asked seriously, "Are you pregnant?"
"Hmm?"
Anne Hathaway stopped dry-heaving and looked at Ethan through the mirror.
Ethan shrugged. "It could be a pregnancy symptom."
Half an hour later, Ethan and Anne Hathaway sat on the couch, staring at the pregnancy test in their hands.
It was positive—those two lines were crystal clear.
This fact instantly pulled both of them away from the previous argument, and the atmosphere between them became unexpectedly calm.
"I really didn't expect this." Anne Hathaway touched her stomach, rubbing her forehead. "I thought it was just my stomach acting up again."
Ethan pulled her into his arms. "I know. It's a surprise, like a sudden gift from God."
"A gift from God?" Anne Hathaway lowered her gaze and suddenly said, "Do you know how I found out?"
Ethan was silent for a moment. "Tell me."
"My friend sent me a message about you two… She said you were hugging, looking very close. So I tested Avril, and I didn't expect her to confront me directly."
"I'm sorry."
"Men are all the same, Ethan. Seems like you're no exception." Anne Hathaway shook her head. "So what do you plan to do?"
"I haven't decided yet." Ethan looked down at her, gently rubbing her back.
"If you can't decide, then don't come looking for me again."
Anne Hathaway's voice was calm, as if she had already made up her mind.
"Your health—"
"I don't need your concern." Anne Hathaway lifted her head, pulled away from his embrace, and stood up. "If you can't make a decision, then stay away from me."
Ethan didn't speak. He just stared into her eyes for a moment.
Seeing the determination in her gaze, Ethan finally nodded, stood up, and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I understand, Anne. Give me some time."
After saying that, Ethan left Anne Hathaway's home.
By now, the sky had already darkened. The moon had risen high, casting a quiet glow over the surroundings.
Ethan didn't get into the car right away. Instead, he stood by the roadside and pulled a cigar from the car.
Tom walked over from the side and handed him a lighter.
Ethan lit the cigar, watching its smoke swirl in the air, obscuring his vision.
"By the way, Tom, do you have a girlfriend?" Ethan asked.
Tom shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
Tom thought for a moment. "Maybe because I find it too troublesome."
"Troublesome?" Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, it is. You know, women are like cats. When they're angry, they scratch and claw, leaving marks on your skin, biting and tearing at you. But when they're happy, they stick out their little tongues, licking your hands, neck, and face, purring, seeking your embrace."
"I don't like cats," Tom replied coldly, his tone just as indifferent as when he killed people.
Ethan shrugged. "You should try raising one sometime."
"I prefer dogs."
"Then you probably need a stronger girlfriend." Ethan laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm going to be a father again."
"Congratulations."
"But the kid's mother doesn't want to see me."
"You deserve it."
Ethan got roasted but didn't mind. His relationship with Tom had long surpassed a simple employer-employee dynamic.
It was more like friendship.
"Yeah, but why live life without some indulgence?" Ethan smirked. "Besides, this is really challenging—quite the thrill, don't you think?"