Chapter 370

Are Chen Nuo and James Pritzker close?

Of course not!

But this didn't hinder him from standing in the center of the stage with his arms around the other's shoulders after the 18-minute-and-52-second short film by Mr. Pritzker finished playing, letting the flashes from the audience flicker one after another.

Although Ellen Page and Nina Dobrev also came.

But clearly, the local Toronto audience was more curious about how he, this somewhat famous foreign friend, appeared at their self-entertaining screening event.

When the host of the film set named him as being on-site, the enthusiastic applause that erupted in the screening hall was truly long-lasting.

Chen Nuo and their original plan was actually to accept interviews after the screening ended.

But with this applause, plus the host's enthusiastic invitation on stage and James Pritzker's smiling, frequent beckoning, Chen Nuo had to go on stage early.

James Pritzker clearly didn't expect this surprise either.

Originally, he had said in advance he wouldn't come, but now he had actually come uninvited. The round, chubby face of the short film director was smiling from ear to ear, like a full moon, with the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.

As soon as Chen Nuo stepped onto the stage, Pritzker immediately greeted him, opened his arms, and gave him a solid hug.

"Thank you, Chen, thank you for coming!"

Facing such enthusiasm, Chen Nuo naturally couldn't say anything else; after all, the person had really helped him a lot this time.

He took the opportunity to pat Pritzker on the back, his tone carrying a bit of sincerity, and said, "I should be the one thanking you, James. Thank you for your help. Also, your short film is excellent; I like it very much. Congratulations on filming a masterpiece."

Hearing him say this, tears actually flickered in Pritzker's eyes. He blinked hard and said with a slightly trembling voice, "Chen. To be able to say that, I'm really... really too grateful."

Originally, Chen Nuo didn't understand at all: what was this about?

Given the Pritzker family's standing, it was impossible for him to have lacked praise and love since childhood, right?

If it were really necessary, with the Democratic Party in its prime, it wouldn't be difficult to go to the White House to get a medal or accept an award from Obama, right?

His face couldn't possibly be bigger than Obama's, right? How could a simple polite remark cause such a big reaction?

Was it necessary?

However, in a private conversation after the event, Pritzker explained the reason for his loss of composure.

Alright, it was actually just an ordinary story of a rich kid starting a business outside, only to work hard for more than ten years without ever receiving recognition.

Everyone should have had similar experiences; it's not surprising.

"... I know, although they also say my movie is good, they are just flattering me because of my money. And besides Ellen, you are the first person to sincerely praise my work. Thank you, really."

What the hell!

Chen Nuo found that he seemed to have acted too enthusiastically... what should he do now?

He couldn't just have the person praise his sincerity and immediately turn his face and say, "Actually, it's okay, hahahaha, buddy, actually I have a matter here I'd like to ask you to help with. Didn't you make that Kara or Koala disappear before? I have two people here too, see if you can arrange something..."

How the hell could he say that?

He had to have some face, at least!

The words he had prepared were suddenly stuck in his throat.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue acting according to his persona, cleared his throat, revealed a just-right smile, and said sincerely, "James, seriously, don't doubt your own talent and gift anymore. Without a doubt, you are an outstanding director. It's just that I think you might need to change your environment."

James Pritzker was stunned for a moment and said, "Change my environment, Chen, what do you mean?"

Chen Nuo thought about it and said quite sincerely, "I feel that if you turn your gaze to Europe, you might have even bigger surprises."

He wasn't being perfunctory.

Just now, watching that comedy short film, the satirical and spicy humor in it was indeed very similar to the style of European art films. Such a style was really at a disadvantage in North America.

But if it were taken to those film festivals in Europe that favored avant-garde art, the treatment received would definitely be different.

It couldn't be like it was just now.

After the short film finished playing, the whole hall was silent, forcing the host to point out a few stars who had come to the scene to liven up the atmosphere.

It was really too insulting.

Actually, what he was saying now should be considered common sense to all directors outside North America. Hollywood plays commercial, Europe plays art.

However, for James Pritzker, it seemed to have opened up a new world.

His eyes lit up all of a sudden, and he muttered, "You mean, my style is more suitable for Cannes and Berlin?"

Well, he hadn't even filmed a feature film yet, and he was already talking about Cannes and Berlin; he was truly worthy of being a top-tier rich second generation among Americans.

Chen Nuo was about to persuade the other party not to be too ambitious and to try starting from places like Rotterdam or Locarno to test the waters; if that didn't work, trying his luck in places like Tokyo or Tallinn wouldn't be bad either.

But before he could say this step-by-step advice, Pritzker clapped his hands and shouted excitedly, "Chen, you're right! Indeed, I've limited myself too much!"

His round, chubby face turned red with excitement, his eyes shining as if he had been injected with chicken blood, "I've always felt that the audience in North America couldn't appreciate my depth; they just like those straightforward popcorn movies. But my movie is different; it has substance, it has artistry!"

Pritzker gestured wildly, "Just like that short film just now. The humor I set up isn't that simple; they have satirical significance, and the deep meaning behind them is for people to think! But the people here just finished watching and asked me 'where's the humor'? Motherfucker, a bunch of idiots. I originally thought it was my problem, but now it seems it's their problem?"

Chen Nuo's mouth twitched, he resisted the urge to complain, nodded, and agreed, "Yes, that's exactly it."

Pritzker grabbed Chen Nuo's shoulder and said urgently, "Chen, since that's the case, no matter what, you have to help me."

Surrounded by Brother Linghu, Qi Yuntian, and Alison Graham, Chen Nuo returned to the Ford SUV he had arrived in.

Only then did he notice the feminine interior of the car, "Alison, is this your car?"

"No, it's my daughter's." A trace of sadness flashed in Alison Graham's eyes, but she immediately cheered up and asked, "How is it, Chen, did you tell him?"

Chen Nuo shook his head a bit awkwardly and said, "No."

Alison was stunned for a moment, shook her head helplessly, and said, "Chen, you... alright, I can only say, you are a good person."

Qi Yuntian chuckled.

Chen Nuo glared at him and was about to explain.

But the woman had already continued speaking, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth resentfully.

"But it doesn't matter, the most important thing now is to calm the public opinion so you can go see your child. As for those two paparazzi, let's talk to them first. I hope they can be sensible and not make excessive demands."

"Hahaha, cheers!"

In a strip club in Toronto, Jeffrey raised a glass of amber whiskey, clinked glasses with Aaron, and shouted with extreme excitement.

The lighting here was dim and ambiguous, the air was filled with a mixed smell of alcohol, perfume, and tobacco, deafening electronic music was roaring, and the neon lights by the bar were flickering, making the faces of the people around them appear and disappear, with only the outlines clearly visible.

In the center of the stage, under the spotlight, a hot dancer was performing.

She was wearing a red bikini covered in sequins, her slender waist and long legs swaying out alluring curves under the lights, her skin glowing with an oily luster, and sweat beads sliding down her collarbone, disappearing into her deep cleavage.

She twisted her body to the music, and every movement drew whistles and cheers from the audience.

Jeffrey took a big gulp of whiskey. Then he took out a 20-dollar Canadian bill from his wallet, stood up, and squeezed toward the edge of the stage.

"Baby, you dance so fucking great!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

The dancer walked over knowingly. He stuffed the banknote into the dancer's waistband and took the opportunity to rub his fingertips against her smooth lower abdomen.

The dancer curled her lips into a charming smile, squatted down, leaned close to his ear, and said something. The hot air sprayed on his face, and Jeffrey immediately leered, took out a crumpled 50-dollar Canadian bill from his pocket, and stuffed it into the bikini on the dancer's chest.

Afterward, Jeffrey swayed back to his seat, winked at Aaron triumphantly, pointed at the dancer, and said lewdly, "See that? That's her. She told me to wait for her to get off work tonight; I'm going to get her tonight! Hahahaha."

Aaron laughed along, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and was just about to say something when he suddenly felt a heavy bump from behind.

"WTF!"

Aaron's back was bumped painfully, and he almost fell off the high stool. His anger flared up, and he turned his head, ready to start cursing.

However, the middle-aged man with flaxen hair who seemed to have just passed by behind him suddenly stared at his face and shouted in surprise, "Aaron? You're Aaron House, right?"

Aaron was stunned for a moment, and under the dim light, he looked up and down at the man in front of him.

A middle-aged white man, about forty years old, wearing an ordinary black leather jacket, medium height, with a plain appearance—the kind you absolutely wouldn't find if thrown into a crowd.

Aaron frowned, searched his memory, and hesitated, "Who are you? Do I know you?"

"Of course! Oh, Aaron, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Hearing his answer, the man immediately put on a smile and shouted at the top of his lungs amidst the deafening music, his tone as enthusiastic as if he had met an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

He patted Aaron on the shoulder, a bit too affectionately, and then pointed at Jeffrey, laughing, "Jeffrey Zhang, right? Haha, you, do you remember me?"

Jeffrey shook his dizzy head, squinted his eyes, tried hard to identify him, and then shook his head, mumbling, "No, I don't know you."

"Haha, looks like you've forgotten. OK, no problem, I'll go find a friend over there and come back to find you later." The man waved his hand and said with a bright smile. He turned and squeezed into the crowd, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Jeffrey and Aaron looked at each other.

"Do you know him?"

"No. You?"

"I don't know him either." Jeffrey said: "Fuck, is he crazy?"

Aaron shrugged, "Should be." As he said this, he suddenly leaned over and lowered his voice, "When are you planning to reply to them?"

"No rush." Jeffrey shook his finger, "Aaron, remember, keep them hanging; it has benefits. Now they should be hiding somewhere shivering, afraid we'll break more news. Let them be afraid for a while longer; when the time comes, whatever we want, they will give us."

Aaron chuckled, licked his lips, and said, "I'll listen to you, Jeffrey, you still know how to deal with Chinese people."

Jeffrey showed a triumphant smile: "Of course, haha! Remember what I said last time? To deal with Chinese, you need to give them a little color to see! Don't be polite to them. Look, just two tweets, and now they're turning around and begging us."

"Haha, really going to get rich. 1 million Canadian dollars, then we'll each get 500,000, I'm planning to go..."

"Come on, Aaron." Jeffrey interrupted, "What 1 million. That's the old price; it's not that number anymore."

Aaron's eyes widened, "Then how much are you planning to ask for?"

"5 million!"

"What!?" Aaron was dumbfounded.

Jeffrey laughed: "What? Think it's a lot?"

Aaron looked left and right, leaned closer with excitement, and said, "So much? Fuck, are you sure they can agree? I mean... this is 5 million, motherfucker 5 million, we each get 2.5 million!"

Jeffrey shook his head, "Don't make a fuss, Aaron. You don't follow entertainment news; you only know he's famous, but you don't know how rich he is. Let me tell you this: 5 million is an astronomical figure for us, but for him, it's nothing."

As he spoke, Jeffrey couldn't help but feel like he was in a dream.

He also didn't expect everything to go so smoothly.

Actually, he had originally only prepared to post one or two pictures to scare the other party.

As a result, he didn't expect it to spread back to China. So much so that this news ultimately became a giant bomb. Instead, it achieved an unexpected effect.

He licked his lips. Greed grew like vines in the bottom of his heart. Thinking about how much the other party cared about the handle they had in their hands, he couldn't help but fantasize about how many zeros would be in Chen Nuo's bank account.

"Also, Aaron, let me tell you one thing."

"What?"

"I have a bit of a thought to make him our long-term wallet."

Aaron was surprised: "What do you mean?"

Jeffrey said: "We hold such key things, think about it, news about his lover, his child, all these messages are in our hands. And we only ask him for a mere few million? I really feel it's too little. That's Nuo Chen; he earned 120 million US dollars in the past two years, and he will earn even more later! Don't we have the qualification to get a share of it?"

"My God, Jeffrey, you... you, motherfucker, you really are a greedy devil."

"Yes, I am. So, Aaron, what do you think of this idea, do you want to join?"

"Of course, I fucking love the feeling of being a devil!! Hahahahaha, OK, fuck it, let his money become our money, let Nuo Chen work for us! Come, cheers! To our long-term wallet!"

"Hahahaha, to the wallet!" After the two excitedly drank another glass.

Suddenly, they heard a voice from the side: "Hi, Jeffrey, Aaron, can we have a drink together?"

Jeffrey and Aaron turned their heads to look, and under the dim light of the dance hall, it was exactly the stranger who had greeted them just now.

But this time, he was accompanied by a blonde, blue-eyed woman.

In the shadows, one could see that this woman was tall, wearing a miniskirt that tightly bound her body, and at the same time, she had a large chest and a perky butt, with most of her chest exposed in a fair-skinned way, which felt no less impressive than the sexy stripper on stage.

It made both of their eyes go straight at once.

"Hello, two handsome guys. Nice to meet you, I'm Catherine. I heard you are good friends with Mike, do you want to have a drink together?" At this time, the woman said.

The light was very dim, but one could see that she was wearing very heavy makeup, her blush was very heavy, her expression was a bit stiff, with big eyes and long eyelashes, looking a bit like a Barbie doll in a shop window, and her voice was a bit hoarse, but it sounded quite sexy.

Jeffrey and Aaron looked at each other, and the words of refusal in their mouths were immediately swallowed back.

Next, the four of them squeezed at a table, chatting and drinking. Jeffrey and Aaron's attention was entirely on the woman named Catherine, flirting with her left and right, their eyeballs wishing they could fall into her towering cleavage.

However, the man named Mike seemed not to care at all that he was being left out, always looking smiley, and even took the initiative to pour them a few glasses of wine.

Mike and Catherine sat for about a quarter of an hour before saying goodbye.

Before leaving, Catherine gave them both a wink, and Mike held the woman's waist and disappeared into the crowd together.

Jeffrey stared at Catherine's back, only then noticing that the other party was truly tall, even taller than Mike, and couldn't help but say: "This woman is really hot."

Aaron chuckled: "Pity she left, otherwise tonight..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly frowned and rubbed his chest: "Jeffrey, do you feel... like the air is a bit stuffy?"

Jeffrey was a bit surprised and was about to ask if he was drunk, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he himself felt something was wrong, only feeling his chest as if pressed by something, his fingers starting to go numb, and his head starting to spin violently.

He shook his head, "What's going on?"

Then, in a very short time, the situation took a turn for the worse.

Aaron clutched his stomach, his face turning green, his lips turning purple, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, his hands supporting the table wanting to stand up, but he ended up knocking the whole table over, and with a crash, the wine bottles and glasses on the table shattered all over the floor.

Jeffrey was the same, his whole body also slumped to the ground, slowly falling into a coma.

The commotion caused by the two of them immediately attracted the attention of the people around them.

Just as the people in the bar began to panic and dial 911, on the street outside, a gray Toyota car was slowly driving away.

Driving was exactly that middle-aged man named Mike, and sitting in the passenger seat was the tall and sturdy Catherine.

Under the streetlights outside, Catherine's appearance looked even stranger than in the strip club.

And at this time, Catherine suddenly pulled off the long golden hair on her head, revealing a big bald head underneath, and at the same time asked in a rough voice: "Mike, the amount you used is no problem, right?"

Mike said lightly: "No, I guarantee it's just right."

Catherine nodded, finished pulling off the hair, and then pulled off her face and the entire chest pad.

In an instant, the originally charming beauty immediately turned into a sturdy man with short hair.

"That's good, it's best not to have anyone die in this kind of thing. Anyway, we've already gone to the car of those two idiots and got the stuff. According to the instructions from above, next we just need to let them disappear for a while."

Mike said: "I know, so I only hid 2 milligrams in my fingernails, flicked it into their whiskey, and after mixing with alcohol, this dosage will only make their brains start to lack oxygen, but it's not enough to be fatal. 15 minutes later, the hospital won't be able to find anything, only thinking it's a drug overdose caused by drug abuse. Next, they will be in a coma for a while... afterward, they might have amnesia, or they might be in a vegetative state for a while, or they might become addicted to drugs later. No matter what, they definitely won't die."

"Awesome. Did I tell you, I really like this method you developed. Drug abuse, this saying is not bad, hospitals like it, and the police like it even more, because everyone can push the responsibility onto Mexico, and no one needs to be responsible. Hahahahaha."

"Hehe."

"Mike, I have to say, no wonder you can climb up. Because Clinton and the others like to use people like you who have clean hands and a smart brain. When you get promoted and get rich, don't forget me."

"... Don't talk about this, are you holding the camera's memory card or am I?"

"You hold it, just find a place to destroy it."

"Good."

Afterward, the Honda sedan drove further and further away in the night of Toronto.

At a corner, a small glass bottle flew out of the driver's window and accurately landed in a trash can by the side of the road.

That glass bottle was very, very small, only the size of a finger joint.

On it was a smaller English label, writing a strange word:

"Fentanyl".

"Is there any news from them?"

"No, the phone is already powered off."

"Shit, what do they want to do? Want more money? I have never seen such greedy paparazzi. I swear to God, these two people will die miserably one day."

Chen Nuo watched Alison Graham pacing back and forth in front of him with an impatient face, couldn't help but smile, and said: "Alison, alright, don't worry, no matter what, the matter is already half solved now, isn't it?"

Alison Graham stopped, looked at him, and said: "But, Chen, these two people are like a time bomb. If they are not dismantled in time, no one knows what will happen later."

"Then we'll talk about it when the time comes. We have a saying in China: 'Haste makes waste,' which means..."

He coughed, waved his hand, "In short, don't panic. Now let's talk about something else. Alison, I want to tell you that so far, I am very satisfied with your work. I think we should talk seriously."

Chen Nuo looked down at the little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the incubator in front of him and said softly.

One day ago.

When the Chinese internet was still discussing whether Chen Nuo and Fan Fan Fan Binbing really had a child, an even more explosive piece of news came from across the Pacific.

The woman wasn't particularly good-looking; when she smiled, her nasolabial folds were a bit heavy, and there was a gap between her front teeth, but her whole person looked very kind and approachable, just like a neighbor's big sister, making one feel close to her at first sight.

Chen Nuo shook hands with her in a daze, said hello, and then looked at Qi Yuntian with confusion.

Qi Yuntian introduced: "Allison is a PR expert. She has currently joined our crisis PR team as a special consultant."

Holy shit, what is crisis PR? I only dozed off for a little while, and Toronto turned into Raccoon City?

Chen Nuo had a head full of question marks.

Seeing his confusion, Allison Graham said: "Chen, we will explain to you on the way what happened. Now, we must hurry and leave."

"Where to?"

"Fan and your child will be transferred to James's country villa, and the medical team will stay with them to ensure the safety of the mother and daughter."

"And you, you should go attend Mr. James's short film screening promotion."

Afterward,

At 10:00 AM Toronto time on November 15, 2010, which was 11:00 PM Beijing time on November 15,

Qi Yuntian told Chen Nuo in the car about an incident that happened at 7:00 PM on the 14th in Toronto, which was 8:00 AM Beijing time on the 15th.

Listening, Chen Nuo remembered that at that time, Qi Yuntian had indeed come over with his phone, telling him that the Chinese-American paparazzi named Jeffrey had said he had some things in his hands and wanted to talk to them.

At that time, he had no heart to deal with this matter and directly let Qi Yuntian handle it.

"It's my problem; originally I just wanted to drag it out, but I didn't expect the other party to be so……"

"Dumb."

Allison took over Qi Yuntian's words.

Qi Yuntian nodded at her.

Clearly, the woman understood the ins and outs very well and immediately said: "I don't think Qi's approach was problematic. Paparazzi extortion is something almost every star encounters. It's not rare. Qi's approach was very normal. Drag it out, assess the severity of the situation, and then negotiate. Mature paparazzi will also understand this, give some time, and be prepared to negotiate terms in the next round."

"The problem this time isn't with Qi; the problem is that the other party was truly too stupid, making such a big deal out of it. Of course, I feel they probably didn't expect it to cause such a big reaction in China."

Hearing this, Chen Nuo finally woke up a bit from his sleepiness and couldn't help asking: "So, what did they do?"

(End of chapter)

"The people's eyes are sharp, so they saw early on that you are a two-faced person." Likes: 6,503, Comments: 121

"You've been muddying the waters from beginning to end, pretending to be high and mighty?" Likes: 5,917, Comments: 78

From this, it can be seen that Editor-in-Chief Hu made a mistake in his busyness. After editing, it can also be called "turning back from the wrong path."

However, actually, this cannot be blamed on Editor-in-Chief Hu.

It is really because this rumor is truly too terrifying and also very real. It can be said that it pierced through some worries that have been vaguely circulating in the Chinese entertainment fan circle for a long time.

Therefore, not only did major portal websites report it in the first instance, but also on the Weibo of several major companies, an unprecedented situation appeared, which was that the entry "Chen Nuo preparing to immigrate" occupied the first position on every Weibo trending search list.

With this kind of heat, how could Editor-in-Chief Hu not occupy it?

"I knew this would happen sooner or later. #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Haha, those people who spread rumors, are you happy now? People aren't playing with you anymore! #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Someone on Tianya analyzed it long ago; 90% of the money Chen Nuo earns is abroad. For him, immigrating is all benefits and no harm. His career will only develop better! #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"The salary for filming a movie domestically is one-tenth of Li XX's, while abroad it's almost the opposite. If it were me, I would have left long ago. I admire Brother Nuo for being able to endure until now. #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Not playing with you anymore. Haha. Haters, are you angry? Although I'm reluctant, I respect it. #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Is it true or false? Don't, Brother Nuo! I won't talk about you anymore. Even if you find eight women to open a harem, I will only say you have ability, don't go! #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Brother Nuonuo is going to immigrate, then I won't stay either. #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

"Who wouldn't be angry! He was just preparing to buy a house, but was rumored by trashy foreign tabloids, and some brainless people domestically followed the trend to hate him. Anyone has a temper! But I still don't want him to leave. #DontGo# #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate#"

And next, the entry #DontGo# also erupted, and even on Sina Weibo at 1:31 PM on November 16, 2010, it used an "Explosive" character, surpassing the entry #ChenNuoPreparingToImmigrate# and topping the trending search list.

I don't know how many people ran to leave messages under Chen Nuo's Sina Weibo.

"Brother Nuo, don't go! We true fans are still domestically! #DontGo#"

"Brother Nuonuo, don't go, let's not argue with fools! #DontGo#"

"No matter how good abroad is, it's not home, don't go! #DontGo#"

"Brother Nuo, I was wrong. I hated you before, but now I regret it. Stay! #DontGo#"

"Don't go, okay! Haters, go to hell, all apologize to me! #DontGo#"

"As a hater, I want to say I was wrong. I believe you and Fan Fan Fan Binbing are innocent. I'm sorry! #DontGo#"

"Chen Nuo, if you leave, won't the haters laugh like crazy? Stay and piss them off! #DontGo#"

"Go to your mother, if you're a man, you should stay and fight the haters, what does leaving count as! #DontGo#"

"Brother Nuonuo, don't go! I've been following you since the house of the mute, and I will always support you. Those trash who spread rumors don't deserve to make you angry. #DontGo#"

When Chen Nuo's latest Weibo post, which was a photo of the film set he posted when he arrived in Canada in October to start reshooting *Twilight 3*, had its comments break the 100,000 mark, and Chen Nuo himself still hadn't responded.

The third trending search entry related to Chen Nuo appeared and squeezed into the top five of the Sina trending search list.

#HowToPersuadeHimToStay#.

PS:

This is a bonus update for 1,100 monthly tickets, totaling 2,000 words.

(End of chapter)