America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

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In the hotel restaurant, the group had their own private dining room. Fresh seafood dishes were being brought out one after another. Martin called the waiter to pour the wine, dismissed the server, and raised his glass, "Welcome to your arrival."

Everyone raised their glasses and drank together.

When Martin put down his glass, Elizabeth had already peeled a crab leg and placed it on his plate.

"Thank you," Martin smiled.

Nicholson continued the previous topic, "Blanchett has taken the initiative to sue for peace?"

Martin swallowed the crab leg meat and said, "It happened an hour ago."

Nicholson was quite disappointed, "I chased her all the way here with great enthusiasm, but now there's nothing to be done since she's already backed down. It wouldn't be right to bully the weaker."

Leonardo said, "As if you've never done such a thing."

Bar Refaeli, like Elizabeth, was quietly eating without speaking.

Martin flicked his wine glass, "I've found something even more interesting than Blanchett, far more entertaining. Perhaps you'll see it when you arrive at the film set tomorrow."

Nicholson asked, "What is it?"

"Top secret!" Martin repeated, "Knowing in advance will spoil the surprise."

Leonardo was curious, "Could it be David Fincher is up to something?"

Nicholson, however, shook his head, "David Fincher isn't that kind of director. He has personally said that he doesn't make films merely to please or entertain the audience."

Meanwhile, the news that Martin was passionately kissing a sweet girl in the hotel lobby spread as if it had wings.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At the same time, the news about Leonardo and Nicholson visiting the film set was also circulating.

After brooding in his room for half the day and emerging smelling of smoke for dinner, Shia LaBeouf got the news from other members of the film crew. Feeling spurred, his brain electrified as if a dam had burst, and his artistic inspiration flowed torrentially.

Shia LaBeouf wasn't hungry anymore, skipped dinner, and rushed out of the hotel. He hailed a taxi and headed straight to the local commercial district, walked into an adult store, and began a large purchasing spree.

An artist's performance art also requires props.

...

Martin and his group left the private room, agreed to meet at the Michoud production factory tomorrow, and dispersed.

Elizabeth linked arms with him, and they went upstairs together.

Once they entered the room and the door had just closed, they entwined with each other.

Elizabeth's passion was as brilliant as the color of her hair.

But Martin suddenly pulled away from her embrace, "Wait a minute, Liz, wait."

Elizabeth looked up, her eyes misty, and cupped Martin's face in her hands, "My old boy, give it to me now."

Martin gently pressed a finger to her lips.

Elizabeth restrained her restlessness and let go of him.

Martin went to the door, yanked it open with force, and peeked out.

Less than five meters away, a girl with braided golden-brown hair was pressed tight against the wall, sneaking a look their way.

Silsa faced Martin, hurriedly stood straight, and put on a smile, "Teacher, I..."

Martin pointed to her pocket, "Take it out."

Silsa pulled out a recording pen, handed it to Martin, and said, "I just bought it while you were dining, haven't used it once."

After checking it, Martin handed it back to her, "What were you thinking?"

"Teacher, I was just curious," Silsa said like a truthful good student, "Honestly, I knew once the door was closed, I wouldn't hear anything. I just couldn't suppress my curiosity."

Martin warned, "There better not be a next time, or I'll call Leonardo over."

Silsa immediately covered her mouth, her eyes widened with terror, fearing she might be silenced.

Martin said, "Get out of here."

Silsa left, dejected.

The door across from Martin's suite had long been open, with Bruce smiling as he watched the scene.

"It's nothing," Martin returned to the room.

In the suite, a trail of clothes lay scattered on the floor, from sneakers to socks, from jeans to knit shirts, like a narrow path in the wilderness, marking the right way for Martin.

Running water sounded from the bathroom, and the glass wall mirrored a slender curvaceous figure.

Martin strode inside.

...

New Orleans had once been ravaged by hurricanes, and like the quick arrival of storms, because commonly used roads were long in disrepair, Martin drove a new route that only he had taken.

The sky was overcast, and headlights came to life, bright and round.

The rain was heavy, and the road wet and muddy. Martin slowed down, waiting until the car adapted to the conditions before accelerating towards the production factory.

The road was full of bumps and undulations.

But Martin was especially adept at action scenes, his driving skills exceptional, and no incidents occurred along the way. Though it took some time, he safely arrived at his destination.

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When the car stopped, he honked the horn, emitting a bright and crisp toot.

With the rain stopped, Martin arrived on time at the makeup trailer to begin his day's work.

Almost simultaneously, Kate Blanchett entered another nearby trailer.

Today, the shooting of the real leading male and female roles was about to commence.

Martin discarded his crutches, no longer needing to hunch over, finally able to stand normally on the set.

The set, too, came alive with bustle, as numerous crew members gathered at the open-air platform. They urgently drained water and used large blowers to dry the ground so the crew could start filming on time.

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Martin and Blanchett emerged from their makeup trailers in succession, exchanging a glance but ignoring each other, entering the set like strangers.

After finishing her scenes as young Daisy, Silsa Ronan did not leave the crew but stayed, claiming she wanted to learn.

With her hair braided and a camera hanging around her neck, she watched Blanchett's trailer until the stylist came out. She walked over, hands in her coat pockets, whistling a tune.

"Morning, Tina." Silsa had arrived early and spoke pleasantly, making her quite popular among many members of the crew.

Tina greeted her with a smile: "Haven't you finished filming your scenes?"

Silsa smiled adorably: "I've decided to stay with the crew for some time to observe, especially Kate Blanchett. She's my favorite actress, a real powerhouse performer. To see her act live, this learning opportunity is too precious to miss."

Tina looked at her as if she were her own daughter, praising her: "You are such a hardworking and ambitious girl."

"Thank you." Silsa was an actress, and could be incredibly charming when she wanted to: "I'd love to get closer to Blanchett. Since you're her makeup artist, do you know anything she dislikes? Or has she ever complained about anything?"

Tina shook her head: "During makeup, aside from asking her opinion on the styling, she hardly says anything else."

Silsa scratched her head, looking troubled: "So she's not very talkative and hard to approach."

Tina laughed heartily, finding the young girl even more endearing.

After asking a few more questions, Silsa excused herself on the pretext of needing to be somewhere else near the set and slipped away from Tina, circling around a crane and sneaking into the crowd of extras.

"Aren't all women petty? Like me, Emma Watson upset me, and I'd take risks just to give her a hard time." Silsa muttered to herself, "Did Blanchett really make peace with the teacher?"

She pondered whether being caught by the teacher the previous night had left a bad impression and wanted to recover some lost favor by uncovering some solid information today, but managed to learn nothing.

David Fincher's voice then echoed across the set: "All departments, get ready, we'll start shooting in five minutes."

Martin and Blanchett had already rehearsed their movements thoroughly and were just making their final preparations.

When the time arrived, the clapperboard clapped, and the shooting began punctually.

Blanchett walked onto the elevated platform, gazing affectionately at Martin. She undid her coat, taking it off, and performed various ballet movements while delivering lines about wanting to have a relationship with Benjamin.

Before Martin could respond, David Fincher called cut, reminding her, "Kate, emotion! Your lines are too dry, your eyes lack sparkle... "

Blanchett raised her hand: "My mistake."

She glanced over at Martin, trying to forget all the unpleasantness and muttering to herself in a low voice: "Pour in all the emotions, I just want to have sex, doesn't matter who the man in front of me is, that's all I want!"

The shoot started again, and Blanchett's performance improved greatly, with David Fincher not calling cut for a while.

Still, compared to Martin, who had been part of the ensemble for many days and was completely in character, she fell a bit short.

David Fincher asked to continue filming that take.

They went back and forth many times, but eventually, it was approved.

Martin's professionalism on set has always been high, and he had never complained, even though he did not like or even hated Blanchett due to professional differences. Still, it was apparent that Blanchett had prepared well for the role, and each ballet movement was fluid.

David Fincher could see that Blanchett was tired and asked the crew to take a temporary break.

He was somewhat relieved about Martin and Blanchett, as long as they did not cause trouble at work, he could not be bothered with whatever chaos erupted off the clock.

It seemed like the biggest trouble in the crew did not lie with them anyway.

Ten minutes later, the shooting resumed, and Blanchett gradually found her groove, reducing the number of NGs significantly, making the shoot a bit smoother.

But by noon, the scene where Daisy actively pursued Benjamin's affection was still not complete.

Martin was puzzled and asked Bruce: "Haven't those two assholes shown up?"

Bruce shook his phone: "They're stuck in traffic on that old road, but they've arrived now."

After lunch, news spread quickly through the crew: the big star Leonardo and the king of Oscars, Nicholson, had come to visit the set!

Those two assholes showing up together had quite an impact.

Many people from the crew, especially the large number of temps and workers recruited locally in New Orleans, left the rest area, hoping for a chance to take pictures and get autographs.

Likely, in normal circumstances, big celebrities who visit other sets are always approachable and friendly.

Martin and Bruce also came out, and with the crowd gathered near the soundstage, they simply climbed onto the roof of a trailer.

It wasn't long before Silsa Ronan, with her backpack, climbed up to join them.

Martin pulled out his top-of-the-line iPhone, ready to start recording at any moment, but his target was not Leonardo and Nicholson, who were surrounded by people. It was the far West.

He reminded Silsa: "Turn on your camera."

Silsa quickly powered on her camera.

Just then, from the West, the artist Shia LaBeouf arrived alone.