Chapter 374: A Fatal Blow

"Him? Why? Didn't we discuss this before? He doesn't have the relevant experience. The risk is too high."

"I know, but last night's SNL completely changed my view of him. I think he's capable of the job."

"SNL? He went on SNL? Sorry, Dawn, I've been on vacation in Africa for a while. I have no internet, no TV, only a pathetic 2G signal."

"I know, Tom, otherwise I don't think you would have waited for me to call you. In any case, his appearance on SNL last night gave me a surprise, and I think it's enough to put him on our radar."

"With all due respect, Tom, I remember in the last call, didn't you tell me that Anne Hathaway and James Franco had already been finalized as the final candidates?"

"Yes, that's right, but I've changed my mind. And it's not just me; before calling you, I discussed it with many people, including ABC, and they all think we should at least make contact and see if he's interested."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Come on, Dawn, how old is he? 24, 25? His nationality, his skin color—eon, Dawn, I feel like this is an adventure. You can't just be vague. You need to give me some concrete reasons."

"Reasons, okay. First, he's young enough, which fits our theme of rejuvenation very well. Second, the ratings for last night's SNL, which just came out, were 13.7 million. It's their best ratings record this year. It surpassed Baldwin."

"This... I have to say, this surprises me a bit."

"We were the same when we first heard the news. You have to know, SNL has never invited a 24-year-old Chinese person as a host in its history. However, looking at it now, their gamble succeeded. The ratings statistics released today show that although a portion of stubborn older viewers was lost because of him, we see that this loss was completely covered by the younger, more active, and more consumer-capable 16-34 age group. Tom, I want to remind you that this data isn't just something we can see; advertisers can too... so, you understand what I mean."

"Very convincing. I like these cold, hard numbers, hahahaha. Okay, I agree with your opinion. Then you go contact his agent; I hope he's not like Justin. Then... if he agrees, what are you going to do about Hathaway and Franco?"

"Say sorry."

December 10th, the morning before the Golden Globe nominations were announced, Chen Nuo was finally in a state of having nothing to worry about and could come to see a friend he hadn't seen for some time.

The UCLA Medical Center in LA was contacted by Li Jing for Gao Yuanyuan previously. As one of the best choices in the US for treating lung diseases, it was located on the UCLA campus in the Westwood area of Los Angeles, with vast grounds and a beautiful environment, very suitable for walking and chatting.

Chen Nuo and Gao Yuanyuan were just about to walk out of the inpatient building when Allison called out to him from behind, "Hey Chen, wait a second."

Chen Nuo turned back and saw Allison's somewhat excited expression, asking with some surprise, "What's wrong?"

"I just got some inside information. The Oscar organizing committee might have an idea now; they hope you will serve as the host for the 83rd Academy Awards!"

"What!?"

"It's absolutely true. This is a text message a friend just sent me; he's very close to the Oscar organizing committee CEO Dawn Hudson. OMG, Chen, if this is true, that's just fantastic, far exceeding our previous estimates."

"Allison, let's wait until this becomes a reality before talking about it. To be honest, I don't think it's that fantastic. The experience the night before last has already left me a bit exhausted; I'm not sure if I can do another one that's longer and lasts longer."

"Haha, don't be like that, Chen, I know you can do it. Alright, let's leave it at that for now; we'll talk once there's more definitive news. Sorry, ma'am, for interrupting your private time."

Looking at Allison's departing back, Gao Yuanyuan asked curiously, "Is this your agent in the US from now on?"

"Uh, no... but you can understand it that way; in short, she's someone who does things for me."

"She looks so capable. How much do you pay her a year?"

"A million, I guess."

"... A million, RMB or USD?"

"USD, of course."

"USD!?"

"Yeah."

"Holy crap!!! 1 million USD!"

It seemed like the first time Chen Nuo had heard Gao Yuanyuan curse. At this moment, they had already walked out of the building and arrived at the outdoor garden on the first floor of the hospital.

The garden scenery was very beautiful, with winding paths running through it, decorated along the way with low shrubs, tall oak trees, and colorful flower beds.

Several wooden benches were scattered about for people to rest. On both sides of the path, a small artificial stream flowed murmuringly.

Like most of the time in Los Angeles, the weather today was sunny, with sunlight filtering through the tall oak trees, casting patches of dappled light and shadow. A breeze blew, carrying the salty, damp scent from the distant seaside.

Chen Nuo turned his head to look. Having not seen the woman for several months, her originally soft-lined face looked much thinner. Under the sunlight, her skin was dazzlingly white, and her pair of bright, large eyes were full of an expression of disbelief.

He couldn't help but laugh, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Chen Zong, is your company still hiring? Do you think I can go work for you?"

"Haha, yes, I'm short a female secretary. Will you come?"

"What kind of secretary? The kind where the secretary does things when there's work, and the secretary gets done when there's no work?"

"Hmm, yeah, how about it?"

"Sure, can it be billed by the number of times? If I do more, you can pay less; if I do less, then I need a raise."

"Emmm, did you say that backward?"

"No..."

"Holy crap, you're so... hahaha."

"Hahahaha."

Speaking of this, both of them couldn't help but laugh.

Afterward, they fell silent again. Gao Yuanyuan looked up at the sky and said wistfully, "If only there were no diseases or pain in this world, how good that would be."

Chen Nuo gave a grunt.

Gao Yuanyuan glanced at him and said, "Thank you. If you hadn't helped me contact the hospital, my mother wouldn't have improved now. The doctor said she can be discharged next month, just in time to go back to China for the New Year."

"It's nothing, just a small favor."

Seeing that the man didn't want to talk much about it, Gao Yuanyuan immediately smiled and said, "Alright, let's not talk about this. Come, let's change the subject and talk about you. I've noticed you've had a lot of news lately."

Chen Nuo also laughed along, "Really?"

Gao Yuanyuan nodded affirmatively, "Yeah, I see news about you on Twitter every day. Guest-starring on BBT, hosting SNL—have you entered a promotional period here recently? For 'Twilight 3'?"

"That's part of the reason."

"Tsk tsk... Speaking of which, what's up with the Oscars asking you to be the host? What are you thinking? You really don't want to go?"

"Hmm, a little bit."

"Why?"

Chen Nuo said with a bitter smile, "Because it's really too tiring. I just want to be an award presenter or something, go to the scene and show my face. If I really go to be this host, I guess I won't be able to spend the New Year at home again this year."

"Ah? Will you?"

"Yes. I guest-starred as a host the day before last. Do you know how busy I was before going on stage? I had meetings with their production team for a full week, discussing the script every day, and had to rehearse. Otherwise, I would have come to see you long ago. And that was just an ordinary show, just an opening monologue! If it were the Oscar ceremony... hehe, I think I'd be exhausted to death."

Gao Yuanyuan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I didn't watch the live broadcast of the SNL you hosted the day before last, but I watched it on YouTube yesterday. You hosted it really well."

"Oh? Haha, you're too kind."

"All in English, weren't you nervous at all?" Gao Yuanyuan looked at the man beside her with curiosity.

Although they had known each other for a long time and had been together for a long time, logically speaking, there shouldn't be any fan mentality anymore. But Gao Yuanyuan felt that sometimes, she still couldn't avoid looking at him with a gaze of heartfelt admiration.

"I was nervous." Chen Nuo laughed, "Didn't I say it when I was hosting? I was very nervous, but I just pretended very well."

Gao Yuanyuan didn't believe it, "That was clearly a joke."

Chen Nuo laughed, "No, I added it on the spot."

Gao Yuanyuan still didn't believe it, "How is that possible?"

"Really."

"Alright, if it's true, then you should go to the Oscars even more; you can even improvise on the spot... But, sigh, you should think it over carefully. Indeed, sometimes family is truly the most important thing. Being able to spend a good New Year at home with them feels better than anything."

Chen Nuo couldn't help but pinch Gao Yuanyuan's face with his hand, "Don't look so gloomy, smile."

Gao Yuanyuan wrinkled her nose, looked left and right, and said, "Aren't you afraid of paparazzi?"

"Don't worry, I haven't reached that level in the US yet."

"I think it's about the same."

"No, far from it."

"Then what's up with that thing?"

"What thing?"

"The thing where paparazzi photographed you in Canada, and it was rumored that you and Fan Fan Binbing have a child... I feel like it's too outrageous. What's going on?"

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan looking over with curiosity, Chen Nuo thought for a moment and nodded, "Actually, it's true."

"... What did you say?"

Gao Yuanyuan clearly hadn't expected to get such an answer. She stopped walking immediately, standing in place as if struck by lightning, staring straight at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo laughed, "What's wrong?"

Gao Yuanyuan came back to her senses, shook her head, and laughed, "Impossible, you're joking with me, right?"

If it were another woman, Chen Nuo actually wouldn't talk much about this.

But as mentioned before, because his and Gao Yuanyuan's mental ages were similar and their personalities were also quite similar, they had always had a lot in common, and the relationship between the two had always been a subtle one between friends and friends-with-benefits.

So on this matter, he didn't intend to hide it from her.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, he roughly told her the ins and outs of the matter.

Gao Yuanyuan listened to him, her expression changing constantly, sometimes shocked, sometimes calm.

"... That's how it is." Chen Nuo sighed sincerely, "I didn't expect that I would just become a father like this. Isn't it magical?"

Gao Yuanyuan didn't say a word, just stared at his face with her beautiful eyes.

Chen Nuo asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Gao Yuanyuan was silent for a while, then suddenly blurted out: "Are you sure the child is yours?"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Chen Nuo was choked by his own saliva.

Gao Yuanyuan didn't care about him, just watched him silently.

Chen Nuo coughed for a while and said irritably, "What are you saying? I'm telling you, it definitely is. That feeling, to be honest, anyone who has experienced it knows. You can tell at a glance; there's no way to fake it."

"Alright." Gao Yuanyuan still had no expression, continuing, "Hehe, I didn't expect her to be so bold. She really is willing to go all out. Then what do you plan to do next? Marry her?"

"How could I marry her? What are you thinking?"

"Why not?"

"These are two different things."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded, "Since you think so, then I'm relieved."

Chen Nuo laughed, "What do you mean?"

Gao Yuanyuan said calmly, "Don't you think this matter is very suspicious? Fan Fan Binbing is an artist in your company. These past two days, her development has been so good, she's so popular, and she would actually do this. Don't you think there's a problem inside?"

"Uh..."

"Don't 'uh' me, think about it carefully. Although I shouldn't talk about others behind their backs, I'm really worried that you'll be deceived. I haven't had much contact with her, but I've heard many people say that her personality is unlikely to suddenly become a virtuous wife and mother overnight. You... you really have to be careful. By the way, has she ever said you should break up with Liu Yifei?"

"Hmm, that hasn't happened."

"Oh, well, maybe not for now, but what if she demands it? What will you do then?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, "I don't think she would demand that, but if she did say that, I wouldn't listen to her."

Gao Yuanyuan nodded, her expression looking a little better, "That's right... Does Liu Yifei know about this?"

Chen Nuo said, "She doesn't. I haven't told anyone else. Now, apart from the people around me, only you know about this."

Gao Yuanyuan's expression looked a little better again. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Can you tell me how many women you have now?"

Chen Nuo was stunned for a moment, "Not many, why are you asking this?"

Gao Yuanyuan said, "Nothing, I'm just thinking, whether it's Liu Yifei or them, you'd better not say anything about this. Otherwise, I think a woman's jealousy is very terrifying; maybe they'll do something. Now, this matter has actually subsided. I see that domestic media and netizens all unanimously believe it's a rumor. If the public opinion reverses, it will definitely have a big impact on you."

Although Chen Nuo didn't think it would necessarily be as serious as Gao Yuanyuan said, he did indeed feel there would be some trouble. He nodded, "I know."

Gao Yuanyuan tilted her head to look at him, hesitated, and actually said again, "You really didn't lie to me? Really? Fan Fan Binbing gave birth to a daughter for you?" Chen Nuo laughed.

To be honest, he understood Gao Yuanyuan's reaction very well.

It was as if this matter might have caused a huge stir in public opinion, but apart from Liu Yifei taking a break from filming to call and ask about it—and at that time he was annoyed by the unreasonable demands Fan Fan Binbing had made and was in no mood to tell her anything, just brushing her off in a few words—

no one else had asked him about it at all.

This was too normal.

Because this matter was simply too unbelievable.

Who could have thought of it?

Even he himself couldn't have thought of it, let alone others.

Including his mom and dad, who absolutely couldn't have thought that they had unknowingly been promoted to grandparents.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

When the truth comes out one day in the future... what should he do!?

He wasn't afraid of women, and he wasn't even afraid of public opinion and media.

Because now, his original development strategy had changed.

Previously, he had originally thought about returning to China for development after Tang Tang Nade took office and the world returned to the big stage of isolationism.

But now, he had inexplicably gotten along quite well with James Pritzker, a big donor to the Democratic Party and a member of the Pritzker family. After returning to Toronto this time, he was going to chat about new movies and such.

Then... after Tang Tang Nade rolls out of office in four years and old Biden does eight years on stage, with him leaning on Democratic Party bigwigs to mix in Hollywood, why would he go back to China for development?

He just asked, is American money not money? If he takes a high salary in China, he'd worry about some rumors, but in the US, who would care how much he takes?

So, if the focus of his work continues to be placed partly in America in the future, is having an illegitimate daughter a problem?

Take Justin Bieber, for example—smashing cars, taking drugs—isn't he still holding world tours, walking around with the style of a world superstar, and earning every cent he should?

So what is he afraid of?

When all is said and done, the only person he's afraid of is Pan Chengrong.

Afterward, Chen Nuo walked with Gao Yuanyuan in the hospital garden for about an hour before saying goodbye. He still had to go back to the hotel to put on makeup and tidy up, prepare for the Golden Globe nomination banquet tonight, and also go walk the red carpet.

Even though Gao Yuanyuan was reluctant in her heart, she didn't ask him to stay.

After watching Chen Nuo drive away in the car, she didn't go upstairs to return to the ward right away, but instead sat on a bench at the hospital entrance.

At this moment, she could finally calm down and sort out her feelings.

It was actually true.

Fan Fan Binbing actually really gave birth to a child for him!!!

That woman who was always radiant and in the limelight under the flashlights would actually do this!!!

She couldn't have thought of it.

She also didn't believe anyone in all of China could have thought of it.

Gao Yuanyuan bit her lower lip.

She only felt that at this moment, her heart was like being pricked by a needle, with sourness mixed in the stinging pain.

She knew she shouldn't be jealous.

After all, there had never been a clear promise between her and Chen Nuo, and this kind of relationship was something she had chosen herself.

Originally, she felt it was nothing; after all, she knew he had many women, and everyone was the same.

But now,

Fan Fan Binbing had actually taken this step first, so boldly and so decisively!

She tried to calm herself down. However, some scenes flashed uncontrollably through her mind.

Some scenes of a family of three living in harmony.

She knew she shouldn't think this way.

After all, Chen Nuo said he actually didn't intend to marry Fan Fan Binbing.

But she still couldn't help asking herself, what if Fan Fan Binbing insisted? What if the child grew up? Who could guarantee that he wouldn't change his mind through subtle influence?

Just now, seeing Chen Nuo talk about the child, that look was simply a gentleness she had never seen before.

Then how could future events be certain?

She had always carefully guarded her boundaries, afraid of crossing the line.

But in the end, she watched others take away the things she didn't dare to reach out and touch.

Gao Yuanyuan took a deep breath, trying to suppress the irritability in her heart.

But a voice in her heart was asking a question: if it were her, what would she do?

"Hi, Miss Gao..."

At this moment, Gao Yuanyuan was pulled back to reality by the voice coming from her side.

She turned her head and saw a hospital staff member in a light blue uniform.

She recognized this person; her name was Alice, and she was the one who handled her mother's admission procedures.

Alice was holding a stack of documents, walking toward her with a professional smile on her face, and said in English with a slight California accent: "Hello, Miss Gao, may I ask if you are free now? We need you to go to the front desk to update your billing information."

Gao Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said softly, "Alright, I'll go over right now."

She arrived at the main hall of the UCLA Medical Center; there were already a few people lined up at the front desk settlement area.

Gao Yuanyuan stood at the back of the line, forgetting her previous entanglement, her heart full of calculating the fees she would have to pay later.

Although the domestic salary was not small, she wasn't the type to spend money lavishly. However, the expenses for seeing a doctor in the US were indeed too high. She had almost no work for the whole year this year and could only rely on her previous savings to hold on.

And now she didn't know how much she had to pay.

When it was her turn, the settlement clerk was a young white girl, her fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard.

She looked up at Gao Yuanyuan and smiled, "Hi, Miss Gao, let me check your bill. Your mother is hospitalized for pulmonary fibrosis, right? Let me see the latest fee breakdown."

The girl entered the information skillfully, and a string of numbers popped up on the screen. She read while looking, "As of December 10th, your mother has been hospitalized for 122 days. This is the first four-month settlement cycle, according to our center's standard fees..."

She paused and continued, "The basic hospitalization fee is about 2,500 USD per day, so 122 days is 305,000 USD. Adding the specialized treatment for lung disease, including ventilator use, oxygen therapy, medication, and weekly CT scans, the total is an additional 178,000 USD. Plus doctor consultation fees, nursing fees, and other miscellaneous items, it's about 95,000 USD. So the total cost for these four months is 578,000 USD."

Although Gao Yuanyuan knew the costs of American hospitals were ridiculously high, especially for top medical centers like UCLA, hearing this specific amount still made her face turn pale.

She asked, "Then... how much have I paid before?"

The clerk tapped the keyboard a few times and looked up, "You paid 150,000 USD successively before, so there is still 428,000 USD outstanding. We need you to confirm the bill for this cycle today, and then you can choose to pay in installments or in a lump sum. If you have insurance, we can also help you connect with the insurance company to adjust the claim."

Gao Yuanyuan gave a bitter smile and shook her head, "I don't have insurance here in the US; it's all self-pay."

She lowered her head to rummage through her bag and took out her wallet. Inside were a few credit cards, but she knew clearly in her heart that these cards added together could at most swipe less than 50,000 USD, plus the 40,000-plus USD in her Bank of America savings card, totaling only about 90,000-plus.

And for the remaining 300,000-plus USD, she could only use her domestic savings.

She had several large fixed deposits in China, which added up to enough to pay.

But the problem was, withdrawing fixed deposits was very troublesome, and transferring from China to the US also had to go through SWIFT international transfer. The procedures were cumbersome, and bank approval and foreign exchange control would take at least 3-5 working days, or even longer.

So, let alone today, she probably couldn't come up with so much cash within a week.

She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady, "I might not be able to pay in full today. Can I pay a part first, and then I'll give the rest in two days?"

The clerk nodded and said in a gentle tone, "Of course you can, Miss Gao. We can arrange installment payments. However, according to our hospital's policy, you need to pay at least 30% of the balance first, which is 128,400 USD, as a down payment. Do you think that's okay?"

Gao Yuanyuan bit her lip, her fingers clutching her wallet, her knuckles slightly white.

128,000!

Still too much; she couldn't give it.

She was silent for a while and was just about to open her mouth to ask if she could give 100,000 USD first.

The clerk suddenly said "Eh," looking down at the screen as if she had discovered something.

She looked up at Gao Yuanyuan with a somewhat surprised expression, "Oh, wait, Miss Gao, the bill seems to have been updated. It shows here that your balance has been cleared."

"What?" Gao Yuanyuan was stunned, thinking she had heard wrong.

"Yes," the clerk turned the screen and pointed to a line of records, "just a short while ago, someone helped you pay the remaining 428,000 USD in full. The payer's note is... Chris. Should be your friend, right?"

Gao Yuanyuan stared blankly at the line of numbers and the name on the screen, her mind a blank.

428,000 USD.

Chris.

She didn't have any friend named Chris, but she knew who Chris was.

"Miss Gao, are you okay?" The clerk asked cautiously, seeing her not speaking for a long time.

Gao Yuanyuan came back to her senses and squeezed out a smile, "I'm fine, thank you." She paused and asked again, "This bill... can I have a printed breakdown?"

"Of course." The clerk quickly printed out a slip and handed it to her.

Gao Yuanyuan took it, lowered her head to look at the dense list of fee items and the final "Paid" mark. Really, at this moment, her tears suddenly came out.

She wiped them dry quickly, turned and walked out of the settlement area, returned to the bench in the garden, and sat down, staring at the slip in a daze.

She wanted to call Chen Nuo, but picked up her phone and put it down again.

She didn't know what to say.

Say thank you? Or ask him why he didn't tell her in advance? Or promise she would pay him back?

She felt that these questions or answers were neither what she wanted to say nor what he wanted to hear.

Gao Yuanyuan remembered at this moment that she had still been secretly blaming him in her heart before.

For a time, she felt both ashamed and sweet.

It turned out that when he was walking before, he hadn't asked anything.

It wasn't because he didn't want to know, but because he already knew everything.

On the evening of December 10th, the Golden Globe nomination banquet was star-studded.

Stars like Johnny Depp, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Jesse Eisenberg, as well as Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the male and female leads of this year's big hit movies, all arrived one after another.

As for Chen Nuo, he basically just walked the red carpet and answered some questions from reporters, most of which were unrelated to the movie, such as whether he was satisfied with his debut on the SNL stage, and whether he had anything to say about his guest appearance on "The Big Bang Theory" in a few days, and at most, they asked about "Twilight 3" being postponed to the end of December, and whether it would affect this year's box office results, etc.

He answered these questions in a standard way, and then stayed at the banquet for a while.

Immediately following that, because he had a small misunderstanding with someone, he didn't want to stay any longer and left.

Come to think of it, it was just right; he had originally wanted to leave early, but had to stay a while longer for the sake of appearances.

This just happened to give him an excuse, and he really slipped away fast.

And in the car, he told Qi Yuntian to hurry up and check out and buy flight tickets. At this time, it was only about 9 PM; if they hurried, they could still buy a red-eye flight in the early morning, pack up, and fly directly to Toronto. By the time they arrived at Pearson International Airport, it should be morning local time, which would just happen to save a day.

Qi Yuntian and Allison already knew what had happened at the banquet just now, and both of them were laughing quite happily.

"Don't you know? Didn't I tell you?" Allison said incredulously, "Originally, the hosts they contacted were Hathaway and Franco. Now the wind has changed; I guess those two are discussing this matter, and you went up to chat with them. Of course, they thought you were going to show off."

Chen Nuo said helplessly, "How would I know? I didn't pay attention to this at all. I just went over to get a glass of wine and wanted to put together a trio nearby."

Qi Yuntian laughed and said in Chinese, "As a result, they gave you the cold shoulder, haha."

Chen Nuo ignored him and said to Allison, "Although we have officially received the invitation now, I am indeed still hesitating. Of course, I do hope you can convince me, Allison."

Allison laughed and then said, "No problem, Chen. I happen to have a good reason here."

"What?"

"If you agree, although it will be very tiring and busy, you will be the first Chinese person in history to host the Academy Awards."

Allison paused and said in a clearly inflammatory tone, "Not Asian-American, not Chinese-American, but an actor clearly from China, standing on that stage with Chinese nationality, standing on the world's most important and grandest award ceremony, saying anything you want to say, and directing everyone on site."

"This has never happened in the 83-year history of the Oscars."

"Chen, don't mention how much this will help you impact the Oscars in the future. I just want to say, as long as you really do it, I think even if you appear publicly with your daughter the next day, it won't matter, really."

What is a top-tier PR expert? This is it.

Every sentence was a fatal blow, stabbing Chen Nuo in his soft spot.

When he heard the end, Chen Nuo couldn't help but start recalling in his mind what classic jokes from the 10-plus Oscar ceremonies between 2011 and 2024 he could use.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 375 =====