Chapter 212: Chen Nuo, the Dark Knight

When Chen Nuo was promoting The Dark Knight last year, he already knew that once Uncle Sam's fans went fanatical, there would be no room for the reserved fans of East Asia—China, Japan, and South Korea.

The most extreme example is the death of John Lennon.

However, Liu Qi Yifei had never experienced the feeling of being chased by hundreds or thousands of Americans.

On both sides of the red carpet, those white folks were frantically waving their hands as if summoning souls, calling out "Joker! Joker!" in a very dramatic fashion with hoarse voices and bulging veins.

It truly gave her a tremendous shock.

So much so that the smile on her face disappeared, and she became somewhat nervous.

Chen Nuo noticed this out of the corner of his eye and immediately reminded her: ". smile."

After all, the Liu Qi Yifei of this life had been trained by Mr. Zhang Zhang Songwen, and a smile instantly returned to her face.

But it was only a mask-like smile,

not like Chen Nuo, who, no matter how hollow he felt inside or how much he feared being shot, still maintained the appearance of an old hand on the surface, putting on the look a Joker should have.

A smile, a grinning smile, a surprised smile, a gratified smile, a happy smile—he performed them in turns for the fans screaming at him.

At this moment, he was seen laughing exaggeratedly while pointing at a Dark Knight poster in the hands of a black girl, giving a thumbs-up as if he had met a relative.

"Joker!!!!! I love you!!!"

The black girl became instantly excited and started screaming at the top of her lungs; her voice was not only loud but also drawn out extremely long, and her expression made it seem like she was about to suffer from hypoxia the next moment.

Chen Nuo, acting like an old acquaintance, waved at her again, prompting the fans in that area to wave their Joker posters and scream wildly.

In this harmonious atmosphere, Liu Qi Yifei was also stirred into a bit of excitement: "Chen Nuo, you are actually so popular in America."

Chen Nuo still cared a bit about his image,

so of course, he wouldn't say that it was because among all the films nominated for this year's Oscars, The Dark Knight was the only top-tier commercial blockbuster,

and that Jonathan Nolan's script had indeed created a very unique character in the Joker, which, in this land of America that prizes individuality, felt quite like a classic that was hard to replicate,

and as for him, he hadn't appeared in North America for a long time, so his foreign fans who wanted to see him had no choice but to follow him here from all over the world, just happening to gather together,

which resulted in the illusion that he had become a Hollywood superstar, as he had the most fans holding his personal posters on a red carpet filled with countless superstars at the prestigious Oscars.

"It's alright." Chen Nuo continued to wave at the American wallets without changing his smile,

and said lightly: "Also, don't be so narrow-minded. It's a global village, after all; where is there any distinction between America and China?"

Seeing that her compatriot was not being discriminated against by Chen Nuo, Liu Qi Yifei was clearly a little happier and said: "Then do you want to go over and sign autographs for them? I see they look like they really want your signature."

". I think you must have seen wrong."

Seeing that Liu Qi Yifei seemed ready to retort, Chen Nuo immediately quickened his pace.

8-centimeter high heels are not that easy to wear, especially when paired with a floor-length gown;

one careless move and she could really end up face-planting in front of a billion viewers.

Liu Qi Yifei had no choice but to walk carefully and swallow her doubts.

Chen Nuo felt that his approachable image had been shaped well enough,

and if there were any American suckers or advertisers willing to come to his door to be slaughtered, they should be a little tempted by now.

So he brought out the speed he used when walking the red carpet at Cannes and reached the interview area in a few steps.

To his surprise, Ryoko Hirosue, who had been walking in front, was actually waiting for them in the interview and photo area while posing.

Seeing him and Liu Qi Yifei approach, Ryoko Hirosue immediately turned around, bowed slightly, and said in English with a slight accent: "Nice to meet you, Chen Sang."

Chen Nuo was simply flattered and hurriedly said in his rudimentary Japanese: "Miss Hirosue, nice to meet you, please take care of me."

Ryoko Hirosue's eyes immediately crinkled into lines as she smiled, and she also said in Japanese: "I really like the Joker you played, Chen Jun. I truly hope you can win the first Oscar for us Asian actors."

After hearing Liu Qi Yifei's translation, Chen Nuo also smiled, bowed slightly, and said: "Thank you for your blessing. By the way, I might be going to Japan soon. March is the season when cherry blossoms are in full bloom; I hope to meet with Miss Hirosue under the cherry blossom trees."

It is unknown how many photographers captured this scene of actors from China and Japan talking on the Oscar red carpet.

Not only were the reporters from China and Japan excited, snapping photos of the three of them wildly,

but some Western reporters also turned their lenses toward this small corner.

On the Oscar red carpet, a conversation between Asian faces from two different film crews appeared—how rare!

It seemed this was the first time in history.

The footage was sent back to China and Japan,

and in the CCTV live broadcast room, the three hosts immediately began discussing who Ryoko Hirosue was, what movies she had acted in, what awards she had won, and how she was dubbed the number one female star Japanese men most wanted to marry.

But the "Nuo Rice" fans looking at the photos didn't care about any Ryoko Hirosue or "cool fans"; they were already dissatisfied with Janice Man, a Hong Konger, let alone a Japanese person.

"This woman looks like a vixen at first glance; Brother Nuonuo must be careful."

"Don't worry, Brother Nuonuo couldn't possibly like a Japanese person; he just finished filming The Message."

"But in The Message, he played a Japanese person."

". Where did you come from, hater? Get out."

"I can't even tell the truth? You Nuo Rice fans are too overbearing."

Unlike the opposition from Chinese netizens, on the entertainment section of Yahoo Japan, this illustrated news directly replaced the headline about "Angelina Jolie's Oscar slip of the tongue":

"Ryoko Hirosue and Chen Nuo-kun have a friendly exchange on the Oscar red carpet."

I don't know if the editor did it on purpose, but only the two of them were in this photo; Chen Nuo's female companion, Liu, was cropped out directly.

Japanese otaku men and women didn't seem to think it was impolite at all, and they were chattering about everything—some were confused, some were sighing, and some were spouting daydreams.

"Two of the most beautiful smiling faces I've ever seen have met; I really want to know what they are talking about."

"It would be great if Chen-kun married a Japanese wife and lived in Japan in the future."

"Who is Hirosue talking to? Who is the Chen-kun you are talking about? Is he Chinese?"

"Both of them are the pride of Asia."

"I really wish a Japanese woman could capture Chen-kun's heart; it would be best if Chen-kun could become a Japanese citizen!"

Chen Nuo didn't expect that while he was planning to trick the "devils," someone wanted him to become one.

After chatting with Ryoko Hirosue for a few words, Chen Nuo felt that Liu Qi Yifei was quite competent as an interpreter.

Just as he was about to praise her, he didn't expect this person to say directly: "Chen Nuo, are you trying to stir up a scandal with her this time?"

This left Chen Nuo speechless.

This woman is truly too direct.

Next, it was time for the main event of the red carpet: photos and interviews.

To avoid misunderstandings, he and Liu Qi Yifei kept their distance, without any actions like putting his arm around her waist or holding hands; they just stood side by side like friends.

When the photos were sent back to the country, the Return of the Condor Heroes fans were very happy.

To be honest, neither Chen Nuo's nor Liu Qi Yifei's fans really wanted to see them together.

Therefore,

it was precisely this sense of distance between the two that made people even more satisfied.

Just as the old saying goes, more than friends, less than lovers.

Hey, this is what we fans want to see.

Don't be too far, and don't be too close. Spreading sugar is fine, everyone likes it, but please don't let it be wedding candy.

The number of Chinese netizens who happily saved the photos for this reason was countless.

The ABC interview reporter certainly wouldn't let go of Chen Nuo, one of the most eye-catching candidates tonight.

After Chen Nuo and Liu Qi Yifei received about 2 minutes of baptism by flashbulbs, they were invited by the on-site staff to ABC's live interview area.

Facing the host's questions, Liu Qi Yifei did not appear to be overwhelmed. When Tim Gunn asked her as usual what brand of evening gown she was wearing, she replied gracefully and fluently in English: "This is a custom piece from Dior. Actually, the original owner is not me, but Chen Nuo's girlfriend. It's just that she couldn't come due to some matters, so I am accompanying him to the Oscars."

Tim Gunn: "It seems that just as Chen said earlier, you really have a deep friendship. Beautiful Miss Liu, I hope you have a pleasant evening at the Oscars."

It is no exaggeration to say that when Liu Liu Xiaoli saw this scene on ABC's live broadcast, tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew that when Chen Nuo gave the center position of the interview to Liu Qi Yifei,

making it impossible for the live camera and the host to avoid her,

thereby allowing her precious daughter to have a decent appearance in front of over a billion viewers worldwide,

and elevating her status above the average female star or family member who just tags along on the red carpet,

Liu Qi Yifei's future acting career, both in China and the United States, would be ten times smoother.

And this behavior of Chen Nuo's, giving up the spotlight, was something she previously thought was extremely stupid,

but now, she felt that this boy was truly gentlemanly and magnanimous, a qualified boss.

It seems she can rest assured leaving Liu Qi Yifei's future prospects in his hands. At the same time, that vague thought in her heart became even clearer.

Perhaps it really isn't a bad thing. It's just a bit difficult to handle.

But it's not impossible to handle either.

In any case, let's see the results of tonight first.

If it really... then she, as a mother, can't be blamed for making a move.

Next, Robin Roberts asked Chen Nuo a few questions about the awards ceremony, and finally, Tim Gunn, who was responsible for livening up the atmosphere, asked the "Easter egg" question of the night.

"Chen, if you had to choose between winning an award tonight and keeping this beautiful lady beside you from falling, what would you choose?"

This question from Tim Gunn had already been asked to many people so far.

From Brad Pitt, who was competing for Best Actor with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, to Ron Howard, who was competing for Best Director with Frost/Nixon, he had asked every male candidate who brought a wife or female companion.

Every man chose the option of "I would never let the lady fall and make a fool of myself in front of global viewers," saying that compared to this, winning an award was not important at all,

truly demonstrating the gentlemanly demeanor of men in civilized society to the fullest.

Tim Gunn thought Chen Nuo would be the same.

Unexpectedly, Chen Nuo, like a reckless barbarian who had not been educated, just paused for a moment and said: "Of course, winning the award."

Tim Gunn was stunned.

Even the hundreds of millions of global viewers who were originally watching the television with a grin were stunned.

From the United States to Japan, from Argentina to Australia, there was no telling how many women instantly furrowed their brows.

Everyone knew that this question was only meant to liven up the atmosphere, not to actually make you choose!

Don't you even have the basic verbal grace?

Could the actor who played Joker really be such a selfish and self-interested villain in real life?

Also in the live broadcast room of the Central Television Network, when they saw the text transcript recording Chen Nuo's answer, several hosts looked at each other in dismay.

Zhu Jun said: "This, it seems Chen Nuo is still too eager to win an award. Director Zhang, what is your take on this? Does this kind of answer coming from Chen Nuo count as somewhat disappointing?"

Zhang Zhang Yimou frowned and said: "Hmm, it's quite strange, because based on my understanding of Chen Nuo and his reputation in our director circle, he doesn't seem like the type of person who would say such things."

Zhu Jun chuckled: "It seems Director Zhang really holds Chen Nuo in high regard. What about you, Teacher Bi? What do you think?"

Bi Bi Chenggong said: "This is just a joke! And young people, it's normal not to understand humor. I think everyone doesn't need to be too harsh on Chen Nuo; you have to know, an actor is not a talk show host after all, as long as he can act, that's enough."

The reason Bi Bi Chenggong was trying to smooth things over was because he saw from the computer screen that the chat room had already started to quarrel.

"Hahahaha, this is the Yang Guo and Li Xiaolong Maiden you guys made? It seems Yang Guo doesn't love Li Xiaolong Maiden very much! Hilarious!"

This message was repeatedly spammed by that viewer, immediately causing a wave of chaos.

Many "Nuo Rice" (fans of Chen Nuo) were refuting it, trying to cover for Chen Nuo.

But there were even more casual viewers who felt that this answer was indeed not well-spoken by Chen Nuo, clearly a sign of lacking emotional intelligence.

In the end, many "Nuo Rice" also expressed one after another that, although they didn't think it was a big problem, they had to admit, well, in this matter, it seemed Nuo Nuo didn't handle it too well.

But so what? Just like Teacher Bi said, it's enough for an actor to act well.

This is the consequence of Chen Nuo not appearing often and not frequently accepting interviews.

In fact, those so-called fans of his mostly only know him through his works; very few people really know what he is like as a person.

How pathetic.

The reason the online discussion in China was so heated was because of the delay in the text live stream.

Because of Chen Nuo's long-winded speech, the Central Television staff in the United States couldn't keep up with the recording.

In reality, after Tim Gunn was stunned, seeing the matter-of-fact expression on Chen Nuo's face, he followed the script and continued to ask: "Chen, can you tell us your... reason for choosing to win the award?"

Chen Nuo did not answer immediately.

Because Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were walking over from the side.

Angelina Jolie looked at him with a beaming smile, clearly preparing to chat after his interview was finished.

Chen Nuo looked at her and smiled, raised his hand to greet her, and then continued to answer Tim Gunn's question: "Why choose to win the award? The reason is obvious."

"Because the lady beside me is my good friend. I know how independent and how strong she is. She can travel to all parts of the world alone, experiencing all kinds of storms and stresses, many of which I can hardly imagine."

"She has climbed glaciers in the Antarctic and danced with penguins, and she has chiseled ice lakes in Greenland to fish for cod. She has outwitted robbers in the Agoda of Colombia to escape danger, and she has fought for her life against poachers on the East African savanna to protect those lovely, innocent creatures."

"The rough seas she has weathered could be recorded in an epic."

"She is just like all women in the world, seemingly beautiful and fragile, but actually harboring endless energy within her body, capable of resisting the frost and crossing cliffs."

"Such a woman, how could she be tripped up on this red carpet?"

"Even if she really fell, so what?"

"I think this does not diminish her beauty, let alone count as a disgrace. She will stand up by herself, brush the dust off her body, and continue to walk forward."

"She is that kind of woman. And all women in the world are also such people."

"Fearless and dauntless, strong and unyielding. Even if they are tripped by life for a moment, they don't need to rely on anyone; they can stand up by themselves..."

His long-winded speech, full of cadence and emotion, hadn't even finished yet,

in the ABC control room,

the general manager of today's broadcast, ABC Vice President Luo Sen, was already screaming: "WTF, what is this guy doing!? Is he giving some kind of feminist manifesto? Fuck, fuck, look at these ratings, it's fucking..."

"It's amazing!"

"Tell Tim Gunn, don't you dare interrupt him! Let him keep talking! Don't interrupt him, it doesn't matter if he talks until the end of the world!"

"21 million now! My God, I swear, every woman in America is turning on their TV!"

"Let him keep talking!"

Tim Gunn received the instruction from his earpiece and immediately understood.

However, Chen Nuo also felt it was about enough at this point.

He had really gone all out this time to earn some money from these foreigners.

He had shown himself to be kind, generous, and approachable on the red carpet, and he had talked big about feminism in the interview, acting as a friend to women.

He truly didn't believe that no merchants would come knocking to ask him for an endorsement.

Still the same saying, as long as it isn't tampons, anything else is fine.

As long as the US dollars are there, he would even endorse baby strollers.

Moreover, every word he said hit the sweet spot of the Democrats, and it was absolute political correctness in Hollywood, the stronghold of the Democratic Party.

He knew very clearly who would take office as president in 2009 and which camp would rule America.

With this image established,

not only would it be helpful for taking on future films,

but also, if Warner wants to film Batman 3, they will have to have a good talk with him about his salary.

"... So, Tim, of course I would choose to win. Because this lady needs nothing more to prove herself, but I am different."

"I feel that if I don't have a little golden man in my hand, I might roll off to the circus at any time to be a real Joker."

"So, yes, I just want to wish myself good luck tonight. And as for this lady, I think she can take care of herself. Thank you."

What is a "lick-dog" (sycophant)? This is a lick-dog.

And he was licking Liu Qi Yifei in front of the whole world. It was truly shameless. One could completely scold him for disgracing the dignity of a reborn person.

However, when he said that final "Joker," and ABC's Luo Sen saw the number 24.05 million on the ratings monitor, he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

You have to know, this was just the red carpet show!

The real Oscar ceremony hadn't even started yet, and this had already set the best red carpet ratings in the last five years, which could be said to be a shot in the arm for their entire live broadcast team.

Without a doubt, this was an excellent start for the main course of ratings to follow.

You have to know, households that have already chosen to turn on the TV generally won't turn it off.

Luo Sen said with a beaming smile to those around him: "Regardless of whether this Chinese boy can win an award tonight, tell the host at the backstage scene that they must find an opportunity to interview him again later. Like all the women in America, I really like this guy's sense of humor."

(End of chapter)