Chapter 182: Wish You a Happy Birthday

When Chen Nuo received the call from Jiang Wen, he was treating Luo Rui Eisner and a group of Warner staff to skewers by the roadside.

Because the movie hadn't finished yet, once he finished watching the scenes he had performed in, there were still about ten minutes of plot left, so he snuck out the back door.

After all, it wasn't as if he hadn't seen this movie in his past life. He had even watched it over and over again many times.

Moreover, this time it counted as solving a mystery in his heart.

In the original version, the Joker was left hanging on top of a high-rise building by Batman, and the subsequent plot didn't mention his whereabouts at all, as if they had forgotten about this person.

It wasn't until this time that he learned from Jonathan Nolan that the Joker's final destination was actually a mental hospital.

And that was exactly where their sequel began.

Chen Nuo had a sudden realization at that moment; it turned out the rumors from his past life were true.

The two brothers, Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, had actually already prepared to film a third installment.

They had even left the lead-in, which was intentionally leaving the Joker's ending blank at the end of the second film.

As for why it wasn't filmed.

Because of that old saying: after Heath Ledger, there is no more Joker.

Nolan certainly couldn't continue to film this heartbreaking work.

However.

This time, he was alive and well.

And he didn't look like he was going to die anytime soon.

But at the time, he and Jonathan Nolan only talked up to that point.

After all, there was no point in saying too much too early.

What if the movie flopped? Right? What sequel would there be then?

So, actually, after accepting interviews from reporters and thanking the audience before the movie premiere, he could have left.

The only reason Chen Nuo stayed to watch the film was that he wanted to see with his own eyes, as soon as possible, how he had performed in this version.

As for the conclusion, as the only person in this world who had seen both versions.

He said with a clear conscience: each has its own merits.

Heath Ledger was clearly better than him in terms of "madness." And as for him, thanks to those few months of working, he might have had a slight edge in the depth of his performance.

At the table of the roadside barbecue stall, Luo Rui Eisner was struggling with a piece of sweet potato starch jelly, which to her was practically alien food, and it was the spicy kind that Southerners call "fish-ear root" and Northerners call "fishy-smelling herb."

They had circled around Beijing late at night before finally finding this barbecue stall at the entrance of a hutong.

The stall was run by a husband and wife in their 30s.

According to Chen Nuo's understanding, this couple must have been driven here by the city management, because this deserted late-night hutong entrance was really not a good place to set up a stall.

Seeing a motorcade of one Alphard and two Cadillacs stop by their small stall, and a group of foreigners jumping out of the cars with a clatter, the couple was clearly a bit bewildered.

It wasn't until Chen Nuo got out of the car and exchanged a few words that they discovered the barbecue stall owner was actually a rare fellow countryman from Sichuan, not a "Northeast iron buddy," and then things were easy to talk about.

As the host, Chen Nuo immediately took charge and made all the arrangements.

He even specifically instructed the fellow countryman running the stall not to put chili on anything except the skewers he was eating.

Seeing Luo Rui Eisner looking troubled, Chen Nuo encouraged her: "Eat it, stop looking at it. It smells stinky, but it tastes delicious."

Luo Rui Eisner actually believed his nonsense; she couldn't possibly use chopsticks, so she tried it with the disposable spoon provided by the stall owner.

As for the result, she almost threw up.

Chen, that heartless man, laughed out loud beside her, causing everyone else to laugh as well.

The landlady, who had a charming mature-woman air, laughed and said: "Mr. Chen Nuo, foreigners aren't used to it. Should I grill another one for her without the fish-ear root?"

"No need, let her eat something else."

Chen Nuo wasn't surprised; why would they know his name? Because when they greeted each other earlier, it was clear they all recognized him.

Especially this landlady; the "Nuo Nuo" that slipped out the moment she saw him was so smooth and familiar that he momentarily thought it was Pan Pan Chengrong calling him.

Although she wasn't used to the fishy-smelling herb, Luo Rui Eisner ate other things quite happily.

Seeing Chen Nuo eating skewers by the handful, she shook her head in disbelief: "Chen, if I ate like you, I would definitely die."

At this moment, a red-haired white woman walked over from another table while covering her phone and exchanged a few words with Luo Rui Eisner.

Chen Nuo was busy eating skewers and didn't listen carefully.

He only heard Luo Rui Eisner say coldly at the end: "Reject her. Didn't I say that you don't need to tell me about calls like this in the future?"

It was precisely at this moment that Jiang Wen's call came in.

Listening to the "Awesome" on the other end of the phone, he couldn't help but laugh and said: "Average, average, third in the world."

Later, he chatted with Jiang Wen for a bit more, agreed to get drunk together after returning to Hengdian, and then hung up the phone.

Luo Rui Eisner wasn't eating at this time and asked: "Chen, do you know an actress named Gao Gao Yuanyuan?"

Luo Rui Eisner's accent was very heavy, and Chen Nuo didn't hear clearly for a moment: "Who did you say?"

"Gao Gao Yuanyuan."

This time he heard clearly, and Chen Nuo nodded: "I know her, what's wrong?"

Luo Rui Eisner said: "Are you willing to let her come over to keep you company?"

Chen Nuo was a little surprised: "What do you mean?"

Luo Rui Eisner explained.

It turned out that Luo Rui Eisner hadn't been bragging earlier.

Warner indeed didn't need stars; it was the stars who needed it.

So tonight, there were quite a few domestic stars who spontaneously came to the premiere of *The Dark Knight*. It was just that Luo Rui Eisner felt they were all miscellaneous people and didn't tell him.

These big and small stars and artists all wanted to take this opportunity to get acquainted with this blonde beauty who represented Warner and also had a bit of a Disney background.

Among them were quite a few big names whom Chen Nuo would have to call "Teacher" upon meeting.

Although Chen Nuo knew that this woman, Luo Rui Eisner, was now a fallen phoenix not as good as a chicken and needed his help to return to Hollywood.

But these domestic film companies didn't know that.

After all, her uncle's name was too illustrious and had been world-renowned for decades; any filmmaker with any thoughts about Hollywood couldn't possibly not know who Eisner was.

So they were all prepared to line up to pay their respects to this former Disney princess, to see if they could build some connections and get familiar.

As a result, they didn't expect that Chen Nuo would take people and run before the movie was even over, and those who were waiting to get close after the screening were dumbfounded.

Luo Rui Eisner said that her red-haired assistant had received many calls just in this short while. They were all messages passed from China Film Warner wanting to meet them, but she had rejected them all.

"Chen, do you also know someone named Li Fan Bingbing?"

Chen Nuo said: "I don't know that one."

Luo Rui Eisner nodded: "Then it seems I wasn't wrong; most of these people are lying. As for that Gao, do you want her to be your temporary companion tonight?"

Chen "Respect Women" Nuo really hated this capitalist face of Luo Rui Eisner, acting as if being rich and powerful was something amazing.

What?

Being the Senior Vice President of Publicity for Warner Asia-Pacific and the niece of the former President and Chairman of the Board of Disney, could she treat people like objects?

That matter-of-fact tone didn't seem to consider that Gao Gao Yuanyuan also had self-respect and could completely refuse.

Don't forget you are a woman too! Why are you objectifying women like this?

Heh, what this woman said made people very angry to hear.

After a while, the skewers they ordered were served.

A group of foreigners were all wailing from the spice; although Chen Nuo said not to put chili, it was well known that many Sichuan barbecue dishes needed to be marinated in advance.

But that honest-looking Sichuan man's grilling skills were really good; although he made the group of foreigners stick their tongues out from the spice, they still couldn't stop their hands and kept eating.

At this time, the barbecue stall landlady must have gone to the restroom.

The boss walked over looking cautious, wiping his greasy hands on his apron over and over again, as if there were really some dirt on them.

After hesitating again and again, finally, under Chen Nuo's puzzled gaze, the man with a crew cut who actually looked quite handsome stammered: "..."

Chen Nuo understood after hearing only a few words; hearing the end, he grabbed the boss's hand, shook it vigorously, patted him on the shoulder, and said in Sichuan dialect: "No problem, leave it to me."

The landlady in her 30s came out of the hutong after a while; she hadn't even walked out of the hutong entrance when she was startled.

"Liu Yong, Liu Yong." She called the boss's name twice and started running. There was no other reason; she saw only a barbecue stall and a few empty tables left at the hutong entrance, and her husband and Chen Nuo and the others were all gone.

Did something happen?

She hurried out, and as soon as she stepped out of the hutong entrance, the woman heard a chaotic, out-of-sync, and off-key singing voice coming from the left:

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you～"

Although the voices were not in sync, mainly because the clapping of those black bodyguards was too loud and they were off-key.

But since Americans were speaking English, the accent should have been quite authentic.

Chen Nuo, that shameless man, actually took the lead and took over the role of host to wish someone a happy birthday.

He was seen holding a small birthday cake with a small candle lit on it.

It was the barbecue stall owner who gave this opportunity to him.

The reason was that his wife was a "Nuo Mi" (Chen Nuo fan), and a die-hard one at that. Even on the walls of the basement where the couple lived, there were posters of Yang Guo.

Sigh, one can only say the boss was too kind, actually feeling that it was fine for his woman's idol to be a man.

The reason was that the woman had followed him across the country since graduating from junior high, coming out of a mountain in Sichuan, working hard for over ten years without enjoying any blessings, but instead being chased by chickens and dogs every day.

The former school beauty of the village middle school was ravaged by the elements until she didn't look like herself before she was even 30.

When the man finished speaking, his eyes were red.

The key was that the woman worked from dawn to dusk every day without a single complaint, often comforting him instead, saying it's fine, it's fine, we are still young, let's save more money, and later we'll go back to our hometown to build a house and I'll give you a chubby baby.

For such a woman, what was the problem with chasing a star?

And today, it just happened to be the woman's birthday.

The man had also secretly prepared a birthday cake.

If Chen Nuo and the others hadn't come earlier, they probably would have already finished singing the birthday song and started eating.

However, it was a good thing Chen Nuo came.

The woman had just whispered to the man that when she saw the person stepping out of the car was truly Chen Nuo, she had almost fainted, and her heart had nearly stopped beating.

This chance encounter could be called the best birthday gift she had ever received in her life.

In short, by the end of the conversation, the honest-looking man made a presumptuous request.

Which is how things are now.

Outside a remote alley in Jingcheng, the heavy night air at midnight felt like a suffocating pot covering one's head. But the streetlights cast an orange glow, spilling onto the ground like gold, making one's heart feel brighter.

Chen Nuo stood in the middle, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Luo Rui Eisner stood on the left, and the black-haired, apron-wearing barbecue stall owner stood on the right; it looked surprisingly harmonious.

Chen Nuo led his group over to the stall owner's wife, who had already started shedding tears.

The singing stopped, and he smiled and said, "Sister Zeng Dong Jie, happy birthday. May you stay forever young, beautiful, healthy, and safe."

One can only say that uncultured people are just like this; what kind of blessing is that? It's incredibly tacky.

However, if the owner hadn't stepped forward in time to give his wife a loving hug, she probably would have slipped to the ground, unable to even stand.

Luo Rui Eisner was quite moved on the side, her blue eyes seemingly glistening with moisture.

One second she treated Gao Gao Yuanyuan like a piece of cargo, and the next she was moved by this tiny bit of love.

Chen Nuo didn't know what kind of person this woman was either.

The skewers were eaten, a chunk of the birthday cake was consumed, and as it was about time to wrap up, Chen Nuo said goodbye to the two fellow countrymen.

They refused his money, but he didn't argue much and got into the car.

Before long, the red taillights of the three cars disappeared from the eyes of the couple at the barbecue stall.

The wife stared blankly for a while, then suddenly burst into a giggle, leaned over, and gave the owner a fierce kiss on the face, saying, "You really have a lot of nerve!"

The owner laughed happily, "It was your birthday, so I thought if he didn't want to, then so be it, and just gave it a try. I didn't expect—hey, he really is different from other rich people."

The wife said proudly, "I told you earlier, Chen Nuo is different from other celebrities! Are you still going to say I'm stupid now?"

The owner shook his head, "I won't say it, I won't say it. I really didn't expect it, I really didn't expect that such a big star..."

I won't repeat the mushy words; in short, the couple chatted happily for a good while before they started cleaning up the messy tables.

As it turned out, just as the wife picked up the plate that had held the skewers at Chen Nuo's table, she saw a thin stack of money underneath.

She was stunned for a moment. She took it out and counted it; there were 20 hundred-dollar bills in total.

The couple looked at the money back and forth, and finally confirmed it.

The wife asked in disbelief, "US dollars?"

The owner nodded, "It looks just like the ones on TV, it should be."

Actually, it wasn't much; 2,000 US dollars might only be enough for them to build a toilet after returning to their hometown.

But for a moment, neither of them spoke.

The wife started crying again.

In the departing car, Luo Rui Eisner said to Chen Nuo, "Chen, you are a good person."

Good person?

Wasn't it your money you took? And you said it could be reimbursed by the Huana Company?

But Chen Nuo didn't intend to take advantage of the Huana Company and planned to give the money to them tomorrow.

One must cherish one's own countrymen.

It wasn't like he couldn't afford it.

It was true, what was a 2,000-dollar tip?

Look at that guy Leonardo, he gave a 50,000-euro tip for a single meal in France.

One can only say that if Boss Chen wants to show off like Leonardo, he still has a long road ahead.

…

…

Hearing the message relayed by her agent Jin Ling, Gao Gao Yuanyuan's face flushed slightly, and she felt a bit angry, "He... how could he be like this?"

Jin Ling was startled, looked left and right, and said, "Lower your voice, my dear. I didn't say it was him who said it. It was the message passed down from the Huana side."

Gao Gao Yuanyuan felt a thousand knots in her heart.

Although she knew before that crows are black all over the world, and Hollywood would only be darker than the mainland.

But such a direct demand made her feel like she had lost her dignity; if she really agreed, how would she be any different from a prostitute?

Her mind was dizzy, and she subconsciously asked, "But... but why? That's the Huana Company..."

Jin Ling said speechlessly, "Why do you think? Didn't you watch the movie just now?"

Mentioning the movie, Gao Gao Yuanyuan slowly calmed down.

It wasn't that she hadn't seen impressive movies or impressive actors.

However, in the process of watching the movie just now, the thought that the actor playing the Joker on the screen had once pinned her to the bed, the sofa, and touched almost every inch of her body...

If Chen Nuo's performance was considered a difficult problem for people like Duan Duan Yihong and Zhang Zhang Songwen.

Then for her, this problem was unsolvable.

Thinking that the person who set this unsolvable problem had once pinned her down, Gao Gao Yuanyuan, also an actor, really couldn't control her body's natural reaction to power.

Thinking of this, and then thinking about the cameo in "The Message" mentioned earlier, which seemed to have no progress yet, as they still hadn't contacted them to this day.

She suddenly made up her mind to go and see.

"Alright then, Sister Jin, tell them I'll go."

Jin Ling didn't seem surprised by her answer and whispered, "Gao Yuanyuan, look at the bright side. We both watched the movie just now; in all fairness, can this film not be a hit? Once it's a hit, what kind of status will Chen Nuo have? It was one thing before, but in the future, with this master standing here, who among us in the country who wants to break into Hollywood can bypass him?"

"The number of vixens who want to hook up with him and sleep with him now could stretch from here to Xizhimen, let alone in the future!"

"We are lucky to have established a connection earlier. Otherwise, think about those people just now—Li Fan Bingbing, Chen Hao, Xu Jinglei—which of them isn't a bigger star than us? They were lining up to see that Disney princess, but did she pay any attention to them? You tell me. Except for the people from the China Film Group, she doesn't answer anyone's calls."

"So, Gao Yuanyuan, you know me; I've never arranged this kind of thing for you before, but this time is different. This time we are killing two birds with one stone! And..."

Jin Ling suddenly smiled ambiguously, leaned into her ear, and whispered a sentence, making Gao Gao Yuanyuan's pretty face flush to the roots of her ears.

"That night, didn't you go and knock on his hotel door?"

(End of chapter)