Chapter 475: Blood and Tear Lessons

With Luo Rui Eisner putting it that way, how could Chen Nuo, seeing the woman’s haggard face, fail to understand? Why had this illness come about in the first place?

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

He immediately repeated, word for word, everything Mr. Pitt had said to him at the Golden Globe nomination luncheon. Afterward, he recounted what Ms. Zhu Li had said to him backstage at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony.

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

"In my experience, your ex-girlfriend was very serious at the time; she probably wasn't joking."

"..."

"But, as a friend, I suppose I’ve avenged you. 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 you don't feel better at all. Then I can't help you; there's nothing more I can do."

"Give."

"What did you say?"

"Give me a hug."

"Alright."

The two embraced, Luo Rui leaning against his shoulder, remaining still for a long while. When she pulled away, Chen Nuo noticed her face was still clean and the corners of her eyes were dry—not a single tear had fallen.

"Okay, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Get some good rest and get your health back as soon as possible. Once I return from the Oscars, the production crew will officially start work. According to the casting plan you mentioned, everything has to start over, and there are many things to handle. Don't count on me too much; my main job is acting, and I must use this time to think about how to play this role. I don't want to be hyped up to the heavens by you, only to end up acting like a piece of shit."

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

Luo Rui was amused by his last sentence; although it was only for a brief moment, she truly, genuinely laughed. She nodded: "Mm."

"Then I'm off, bye."

"Bye."

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

"Chen."

He turned his head.

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 morning at eight, I'll wait for you in the office, and we'll go find Producer Du together to talk about the casting."

"Okay." She answered decisively, then paused, finally revealing a truly complete smile: "Thank you."

Chen Nuo didn't say anything more, nodded with a smile, and turned to leave.

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

Chen Nuo glanced at her: "What, are your ears that sharp?"

"Hehe." Nazha blushed, gave an awkward laugh, and shrank her neck: "No, not at all."

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 emotions, that is more painful to them than death."

"Oh..." Nazha was thoughtful. After two seconds, she asked again: "Then 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 to host his own program on CNN, Piers Morgan and his production team had been closely following a certain foreign actor.

Now he believed the time had finally come.

In Piers's view, this person was too different.

He wasn't a traditional Asian kung fu star, but someone who had climbed the Hollywood pyramid step by step, relying on one blockbuster after another that defied the critics. 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-circulation film magazines, he would say something shocking and create a buzz.

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

They were all boring questions like "How does he act?" or "Did he experience cultural differences on set?"

He wanted more than that.

What he wanted to ask was—

What do you think of America? What do you think of China? What do you think of the racial ratio issue in Hollywood? What do you think of the rise of Eastern power in the global capital market? As a Chinese actor, how do you view your role in this Western-dominated narrative system? What do you think of the systems and futures of the two great powers of East and West? 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 that 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.

Time passed day by day.

Until three weeks had gone by, and with the Oscar ceremony only a few days away, Piers suddenly saw 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 Nade."

The duck-like voice on the other end said: "Hello, Piers."

"Tang Nade. There's something I want to ask you," Piers Morgan said. "I just saw a photo of Chen with his girlfriend—is he 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 Nade, could you help me book a time with him again? Ask him to come to New York for an interview?"

The duck-like voice agreed readily: "Of course, no problem. I'll call him right now. I'm one of the few people who knows his private phone number. You know, he has never made a guest appearance 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 is also willing to tell me many things about himself."

"For the past few weeks, he has been casting actors in China for his TV series. There are so many Chinese actors who want to be in his series, and there are many problems that have put him in a very difficult position."

"I don't want to take credit, but actually, it was I who gave him an idea—a very, very clever 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 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 Nade, I'll wait for your word."

The call ended, and Piers Morgan paced his office with some excitement. With the CNN brand plus his own exclusive interview, the other party really had no reason to refuse.

If he could get those questions out during the interview, he was very much looking forward to the other party's reaction. It could be said that if even one word of the answer was wrong, it would stir up a monstrous wave.

As for whether the other party would be crushed to pieces in this wave, that was none of his concern.

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

Thinking of the other party's massive fan base, and the scene where they would be left speechless and tongue-tied by his questions, Piers was incredibly excited. Whether the other party answered or didn't answer, or even stormed off, it would bring new life to his show.