Los Angeles International Airport, a muscular white man in a suit was frowning as he watched his boss say goodbye to a few won.
"The artist’s life is really decadent."
"But... it’s also really enviable!"
"All right, Chris," Wang Jian rubbed the other’s round face, smiling and said, "This movie will be released soon, and I’ll be back in Los Angeles then."
"Mm." Chris stood on his tiptoes and planted a kiss on Wang Jian’s face, reluctantly stepping aside.
"Hmph, we have such an easy life in Los Angeles," a woman with exaggerated proportions scoffed. "We stay in five-star hotels for food and lodging, we’re happy whether you co or not."
"Heh, Mr. Wang, Max is being sarcastic," Caroline stepped forward and embraced Wang Jian.
"We’re really grateful for this opportunity."
"We’ll work very hard on the promotion in the movie."
You really don’t have to...
Wang Jian looked at the three won and just wanted to tell them, "Just muddle through and be content with the paycheck."
However, as he was considering how to express this subtly, his cellphone rang.
Wang Jian glanced at his phone, then waved to the Universal staff, signaling that the three won could be sent away.
As soon as he turned and entered the VIP lounge, he picked up the phone.
"Wang," Jas’s voice ca through, "try not to make any comnts about the recent dia storm."
Hmm?
Hearing this, Wang Jian was a bit puzzled.
Although stirring up public interest like this was not in his interest,
it certainly was in ABC’s interest!
"Why, wouldn’t that make ’Anomalies’ more popular?" he asked.
"That’s with the dilution of corporate background," Jas’s voice was sowhat urgent, "uh... you wouldn’t still be unaware of the current situation, right?"
"Just buy a few gossip papers, and you should understand."
"A dia battle with ABC? Once the hype dies down, I don’t want any of these gossip papers to get away!"
Wang Jian hung up the phone and gestured to his bodyguard to go get a few tabloids from the staff.
When he got the papers and took a glance, he understood.
"Start with how ’Friends’ won eight major awards but lost the most important one."
In the report, the journalist questioned the legitimacy of ’Anomalies’ winning the Emmy for Best Drama.
The main argunt was, how could a drama that didn’t outperform ’Friends’ in major categories like Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and Actress,
manage to beat it for Best Drama?
"This thod feels strangely familiar," Wang Jian murmured to himself as he read the article.
Monts later, he scoffed, "Using your own spear to attack your own shield?"
The article was filled with conspiracy theories.
It blended various scandals exposed in the entertainnt industry with its own conjecture.
With both implicit and explicit accusations, it suggested that there was an exchange of interests between ABC and the Emmy judges.
Only then could the grand prize go to ’Anomalies and Creatures.’
"Heh, this journalist is talented. I almost believed it myself," Wang Jian said with a laugh.
He was so relaxed because it was clear that the article targeted ABC’s production quality.
The only two ntions of him even borrowed praise for the script from ’Friends’ producer, Stan Lee.
"Maybe... it’s because of the recent scandal that my image as a ’fearless artistic power’ has struck a chord?"
Writing it that way was unlikely to win public approval.
Wang Jian pondered for a mont, nodded slightly, and was quite in agreent with Jas’s handling.
Having dealt with the dia, he was now fully aware of the style of these tabloids.
Any rebuttal from you is just fuel for their fire.
Under these circumstances, the best response was to ignore the criticism altogether.
Or... to have the majority of the jury mbers co forward and explain their reasons for voting.
But how could that possibly happen?
For the jury mbers, that would be a complete self-demotion!
"Forget it, I wasn’t planning on speaking up anyway."
Wang Jian fiddled with his phone and dialed Dan Brown’s number.
After hearing the other party’s voice, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Good, you’re still alive..." Wang nodded, "Alright, it’s ti to get back to updating ’King Arthur.’"
...
Actually, in so ways, Wang’s understanding wasn’t wrong.
Industry critics, led by Roger Ebert, were often accused of taking money to give high ratings to lousy movies.
They couldn’t care less about the rebukes from gossip newspapers.
Not to ntion industry insiders like Woody Allen, there was no need to go into depth.
Was there any director or actor in the world who had never been criticized by the public or the press?
Even this little tempest couldn’t cause a ripple in their hearts.
However, Wang had overlooked a group.
Due to various reasons, he had nearly no contact with them.
These were the old money crowd, who because of their own wealth and status, were invited to be jury mbers.
It was undeniable that their lives were rife with all sorts of dirty exchanges of interests.
But on this matter, the old money really felt they had been wronged!
"I made a deal with ABC to choose ’Anomalies’?"
Inside a luxuriously decorated villa sowhere uptown, a middle-aged Caucasian was holding a newspaper and speaking to himself with a sarcastic tone.
"What could they buy us with, a few hundred dollars?!"
The old-money individual disdainfully threw away the newspaper in hand, then picked up another.
The result...
"That previous report was written rather subtly."
"This newspaper... are you making a movie or what!"
From birth to now, these rich generations had never suffered such an indignity.
They were always the ones bullying others; when was it ever their turn to be bullied?
"It’s just so gossip rag, not worth getting angry over," the middle-aged man, taking deep breaths, drank a glass of milk.
But just a few minutes later...
"Fuck! Why am I getting angrier the more I think about it!" He placed the glass down hard on the dining table.
"Master, do you need to hire a lawyer to sue them?" a maid inquired obsequiously.
"No, these gossip newspapers love the attention!" The rich heir thought for a mont and rejected his most common course of action.
"They say we’re involved in exchange of interests?" The old-money gentleman tugged at the corner of his mouth, "We did it because of the Catholic Church!"
He thought for a mont, then picked up the phone at ho.
"Hello, is this Jack Walton? Last ti we played golf, didn’t you say you also voted for ’Anomalies’?"
"I know you haven’t watched it, just because everyone else did, that’s all."
"I suggest you buy a few gossip newspapers and have a look."
"Uh-huh, we’ll contact again later."
After hanging up the phone, the old money heaved a long sigh.
"We, due to our status, cannot afford to respond to the gossip newspapers proactively, we can only tease them a bit at the right ti."
"But as for the nouveau riche from the Walton family, they don’t care about these things!"
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