Chapter 475: A Lesson Written in Blood and Tears

With Luo Rui Eisner putting it that way, how could Chen Nuo, seeing the woman's haggard face, fail to realize what was going on? Why exactly had this illness come about?

However, at a time like this, Chen Nuo had always believed only one type of therapy was effective: shock therapy. In this regard, sympathy is sometimes crueler than cruelty itself.

Right then and there, he repeated word for word everything Mr. Pitt had said to him at the Golden Globe nomination luncheon. Afterward, he recounted what Miss Jolie had told him backstage at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

After finishing, he didn't forget to twist the knife.

"Based on my experience, your ex-girlfriend was very serious when she said that; she probably wasn't joking."

"..."

"But, as a friend, I suppose I've helped you get your revenge. Look, if it weren't for me, you might still be seeing this pair at the Oscars. I think when Mr. Pitt saw he hadn't been nominated, his mood must have been about the same as yours right now. Tell me, doesn't thinking about it that way make you feel a lot better?"

Luo Rui revealed a barely visible smile. "Yes, thank you."

Chen Nuo laughed. "But the way you look gives me the feeling that it didn't help at all. In that case, there's nothing I can do; I can't be of any more help."

"Give."

"What did you say?"

"Give me a hug."

"Alright."

The two embraced. Luo Rui leaned against his shoulder and didn't move for a long while. When she finally let go, Chen Nuo noticed her face was still clean and the corners of her eyes were dry—not a single tear had fallen.

"Alright, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Get some good rest and get your health back as soon as possible. Once I get back from the Oscars, the production crew will officially start work. Based on the casting plan you proposed, everything has to be redone now, and there are still many things to handle. Don't count on me too much; my main job is acting, and I must take this time to think about how this show should actually be performed. I don't want to be hyped up to the heavens by you only for the final result to look like a pile of shit."

"So hurry up and get better. Otherwise, watch out, or I'll tell Reed Hastings that the Elf Prince is actually better suited for this project than the Disney Princess."

Luo Rui was amused by his last sentence. Although it was only for a fleeting moment, she truly and genuinely smiled. She nodded: "Mm."

"Then I'm off, bye."

"Bye."

Chen Nuo walked to the bedroom door and was just about to push it open when Luo Rui's voice came from behind him.

"Chen."

He turned his head back.

Luo Rui was sitting on the bed, looking at him with a serious expression: "I'm fine now, I'll go to work tomorrow."

Chen Nuo chuckled: "It's a deal then. Tomorrow at eight in the morning, I'll wait for you at the office, and we'll go find Producer Du together to talk about the casting."

"Okay." She agreed readily, then paused, finally revealing a truly complete smile. "Thank you."

Chen Nuo didn't say anything more; he smiled, nodded, and turned to leave.

In the elevator, Guli Nazha leaned over curiously and asked: "Boss, didn't Luo Rui cry? I didn't hear a sound."

Chen Nuo glanced at her: "What, do you have sharp ears?"

"Hehe." Nazha blushed, gave an awkward laugh, and shrank her neck. "Not really."

Chen Nuo didn't pay any mind to the girl's strange reaction and sighed: "You don't understand. For some people, if they cry in front of others because they've been hurt by love, that is more painful to them than death."

"Oh..." Nazha was lost in thought. After two seconds, she asked again: "What about you, Boss? If you were hurt, would you cry?"

Chen Nuo said indifferently: "I'm usually the one who makes others hurt."

It was time.

Ever since he took over the great *Larry King Live* in January 2011 and began hosting his own program on CNN, Piers Morgan and his production team had been closely monitoring a certain foreign actor.

Now, he believed the time had finally come.

In Piers' view, this person was too different.

He wasn't a traditional Asian martial arts star; instead, he had climbed the Hollywood pyramid step by step, relying on one blockbuster commercial hit after another that subverted the critics' expectations. He rarely accepted interviews, yet every time he appeared on the red carpet, at film festivals, on the cover of *Time* magazine, or in exclusive interviews for the world's largest film magazines, he would say something shocking and spark a topic of conversation.

It was just that Piers Morgan wasn't satisfied with the interviews he had given previously.

They were all boring questions about "how he acts" or "whether he experienced cultural differences on set."

He wanted more than that.

What he wanted to ask was—

How do you view America? How do you view China? How do you view the issue of racial representation in Hollywood? How do you view the rise of Eastern power in the global capital market? How do you view your role as a Chinese actor in this Western-dominated narrative system? How do you view the systems and futures of the two great Eastern and Western powers? And that world-famous feud with Harvey Weinstein, including the rumored discord with Fox boss Murdoch...

These were the things he wanted to ask.

On the day he learned Chen Nuo had been nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor, Piers Morgan immediately had his assistant contact a mutual friend to arrange an exclusive interview.

But the news he received left him deeply disappointed. The person had returned to China.

But he didn't give up.

Days passed by.

Until three weeks later, with the Oscar ceremony only a few days away, Piers suddenly scrolled past a photo on Twitter posted by the celebrity gossip site x17online.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number himself.

"Hi, Tang Tang Nade."

The gravelly voice on the other end of the line said: "Hello, Piers."

"Tang Tang Nade. I have something I want to ask you." Piers Morgan said, "I just saw a photo of Chen and his girlfriend—he's back? Is he in Los Angeles now?"

The other side of the phone was silent for a moment, then said: "Yes, why?"

Piers said: "Tang Tang Nade, could you help me book a time with him again? Let him come to New York for an interview?"

The gravelly voice agreed readily: "Of course, no problem. I'll call him right now; I'm one of the few people who knows his private number. You know, he has never guest-starred on any variety show, but as soon as I asked, he came on *The Apprentice*. He likes me very, very much; I've helped him settle many business matters, and he's also willing to tell me a lot about himself."

"These past few weeks, he's been selecting actors for his TV series in China, and so many Chinese actors want to be in his show; there are many problems in there that have put him in a very difficult position."

"I don't want to take credit, but in fact, it was I who gave him an idea—a very, very smart solution that finally solved his problem perfectly. The media knows absolutely nothing about this. So, what was the idea I gave him? Piers, if you invite me, I would be very happy to tell you on the show..."

Piers knew the other party's personality and had been holding back the urge to interrupt, only speaking up now: "Tang Tang Nade, I would be very happy to have you on the show to talk about your brilliant mind and your exclusive perspective on solving global problems. But for now, please help me ask Chen if he can come, okay?"

"Fine, fine, I get what you mean. I'll call him right now."

"Thank you, Tang Tang Nade, I'll wait for you."

The call ended. Piers Morgan paced around his office, feeling somewhat excited. The CNN brand combined with his exclusive interview—the other party really had no reason to refuse.

If he could manage to ask those questions during the interview, he was very much looking forward to the other party's reaction. It could be said that even one wrong word in the answer could trigger a massive storm.

As for whether the other party would be crushed to pieces in that storm, that wasn't his concern.

This interview would be the first step in changing his interview style in the United States. Over the past year, his ratings had been lukewarm, and this time, he would bring the aggressive, direct interview style from the UK to the US, making it a signature unique to him, Piers. That highly popular young actor, although it might be a bit harsh to say, would become the sacrificial lamb for his takeoff.

Thinking of the other party's massive fan base and the scene where he would be left speechless and tongue-tied by his questions, Piers couldn't help but feel incredibly excited. Whether the other party answered or didn't answer, or even walked off in a huff, it would all bring new life to his show. ===== CHAPTER 476 =====