The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1847 Sleight of Hand
Anne: ...

Noah:…

They looked at each other, speechless, and were both stunned for a moment.

Noah scratched his head. "I was just worried about not being able to fit it all in, but I didn't consider that. Hehe."

Annie choked on her words, feeling both amused and exasperated. A helpless smile crept onto her lips as she comforted Noah, "It's alright, let's leave it at that. Perhaps, because this box is so outrageous, Anson won't overthink it or recognize the surprise."

Noah frowned, deep in thought. "Miss Hathaway, how about I cut a piece of the cardboard box to fit your height? Would that work?"

Anne looked at the cardboard box, then at Noah. "We don't have time."

Cutting cardboard boxes?

This is a big project.

Looking at Noah's conflicted expression, Annie couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, leave it to me. The surprise party is 99% complete. Leave the last step to me, and I'll make sure the party goes smoothly."

"Go to the film set now and pick up Anson, making sure he doesn't suspect anything."

Noah's thick eyebrows were still furrowed. "Miss Hathaway, are you sure?"

Annie burst out laughing. "Yes, I'm sure."

Seeing Noah's hesitant and uncertain face, Annie waved her hand, "Hurry, hurry, or we'll be late."

Noah dragged himself toward the door, stood there for a moment, and said, "Miss Hathaway, I'm sorry. Also, I hope the surprise is a success."

After saying that, Noah clenched his fist to cheer on Annie, a gesture that made Annie unable to contain herself any longer, and her smile completely blossomed.

Finally, Noah left, and the house became quiet, with only Annie left.

Anne looked around. Although she wanted to tour the house, she didn't have time. She gathered her chaotic thoughts, regained her composure, let out a long breath, and began to examine the huge cardboard box. Her mind was racing, and various inspirations were bursting forth.

Regardless, we need to get the cardboard boxes standing up first.

Huffing and puffing, huffing and puffing.

Just by opening the cardboard box, sealing it with tape, and moving it to the center of the hall, Annie was already drenched in sweat. Although she had anticipated that it would be a physically demanding task, she hadn't expected it to be so troublesome. The box was large enough to fit three people inside; it was a behemoth.

Standing next to the cardboard box, Annie was soaked to the bone. When she checked the time, her heart clenched instantly.

Oh no, it's too late!
With no time to hesitate, Annie pushed her carry-on suitcase and dashed into the bathroom to quickly shower and freshen up.

Then, in a flurry of activity, she changed clothes, put on makeup, and fixed her hair, wishing she had two more hands. After hurriedly finishing, she prepared the cake and gifts. Looking at her watch again, the speed at which time had passed made Annie exclaim in surprise and let out a frustrated wail.

Anne carefully carried the cake Noah had bought in advance, stood beside the cardboard box, and racked her brains for the last moment—

How should she get in?

But more serious than crawling in is how she's going to get out.
The cardboard box was so tall that even if she tried her best to raise her hands high, only her hands would be visible from the outside. In that case, it wouldn't be a surprise but a shock.

Should she bring a chair and crawl inside?
This should be feasible; standing on a chair would ensure her upper body could fit out of the box. However, it's somewhat dangerous; if she loses her balance, the surprise could turn into a disaster. Moreover, how Anson will open the box is also unknown.

Time ticked away, and Annie grew increasingly anxious and worried, her mind a jumbled mess.

Then, Anne took a deep breath and an idea popped into her head—

If it were Anson, what would Anson do? Why was she so fixated on the idea of ​​the cardboard box? Why couldn't the cardboard box be used as bait, like a magic trick?

When Anson pushed open the door, he immediately noticed the cardboard box. With Anson's intelligence, he would likely have recognized the surprise. But instead of coming out of the box, Annie emerged from another corner, breaking the expectation and giving Anson a real fright.

The steps are all interconnected, with one unexpected event after another, ensuring the success of the surprise!
Anne's eyes lit up. She quickly leaned against the cardboard box, shifting its position slightly to ensure that Anson would see it as soon as he entered.

Annie stood next to the cardboard box, looking around quickly, assessing the situation and searching rapidly. Her gaze finally landed on the locker to the right of the door. She opened it and saw that it was filled with some odds and ends, but not much. She quickly put down the cake and deftly threw everything in the locker into the cardboard box to clear the space. Finally, she crawled inside and carefully closed the locker door, making sure that her skirt was completely inside.

yeah!
Anne clenched her fist and cheered inwardly. She was certain that her chance was perfect, everything was ready, and now she just had to wait for Anson to make his appearance.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!
Ahhh, Annie imagined Anson's expression upon seeing all this, all sorts of possibilities, and her heart soared. She couldn't contain her joy, her heart pounded wildly, and she curled up into a ball, using all her strength to control the urge to scream, completely enveloped in happiness.

Anne hugged her knees, curling up into a small ball like a hedgehog, patiently waiting as her thoughts raced wildly in the darkness and silence.

Noah!

Yes, Noah, what if Noah accidentally slips up? What if Anson discovers Noah's deception?

After all, the clumsy Noah was not someone to be trusted.

But it doesn't matter. Even if Noah is exposed, or even if Noah reveals the whole plan, it doesn't matter, because Anne has changed the plan.

Thinking about it carefully, Anne even secretly hoped that Noah would be exposed, so that Anson would think he had everything under control and prepare to welcome the surprise in the cardboard box, where she would crawl out of the locker—

Hahaha!
Anne wondered if she should let her hair down and change her appearance to pretend that "Sadako" was crawling out. Even though it wasn't a television set, the effect should be similar.

As she pondered, Annie curled up to herself and chuckled softly, her heart filled with joy and excitement; even the waiting felt like a bliss.

However, as the waiting time dragged on, she almost forgot about time. Annie had been frantically trying to make it in time, but now she had been in the locker for a very long time, and there was no movement in the hall. Things were starting to get boring.

Wait, the phone!
I forgot my phone in my suitcase, and I left the suitcase in the bathroom.

What should we do? Should we call Noah on our phones and see?

But thinking that contacting Noah might expose her and allow Anson to find out, Annie rejected the idea. She was also worried that if she went out to look for her phone, Anson would come back just in time, and her carefully prepared surprise party would be ruined. So Annie had to give up the idea and stay put.

Five minutes. Ten minutes.

Anne's hands and feet began to go numb, a tingling sensation spreading throughout her body, making it almost impossible for her to feel her toes. She tried to stretch her limbs, but instead bumped her head against the wall.

boom!
Anne kept her mouth tightly shut, swallowing all her gasps and pain. Her whole body was tense, and she held her head, afraid to make a sound.

(End of this chapter)