Chapter 299: Chocolate Venus

In the back seat of a luxury car, two stunning beauties sat side by side—one with snow-white skin and fiery red lips, the other with a sweet smile and a smooth, sun-kissed complexion that exuded vitality—none other than Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba.

But Jessica Alba was not her usual chatty, girl-next-door self; she bit her lip in silence, clearly lost in thought and deliberation.

Anne Hathaway smiled faintly and asked, “What’s wrong, Jess? Still can’t decide?”

Jessica Alba forced a smile: “Anne, I just want to genuinely get to know Director Wu. I…”

Anne Hathaway scoffed and cut her off: “Jess, don’t play innocent with me. Genuine? Do you think any actress who made it into Hollywood still wants to be pure? What do you really want from Wu? Isn’t it just to flirt with him, to win an opportunity?”

“Do you really think you can get nothing in return—just say a few sweet words, flash a few seductive glances—and charm him like you do a bunch of high school boys? Wake up! Stop dreaming!”

Then Anne Hathaway locked eyes with Jessica Alba: “In Hollywood, no effort means no reward. That’s the rule.”

Afterward, Anne turned her head away and spoke to herself: “If you’re not willing, I’ll drop you off right now. No need to waste Wu’s time—he’s a busy man; every minute is precious. But once you miss this chance, it’ll be hard to get another.”

Jessica Alba was spotted by an agency at twelve, debuted in a comedy film at fourteen, and began appearing in teen-themed TV dramas; she accumulated plenty of acting experience, but never made waves—until last year, when she skyrocketed to fame with the sci-fi series “Dark Angel,” becoming a pop icon.

To be honest, compared to most of her peers, Jessica Alba’s entertainment career had been remarkably smooth.

Yet Jessica Alba looked at Anne Hathaway beside her: younger than her, not even debuting until seventeen, yet she exploded into stardom the moment she appeared in “Spider-Man”—her fame utterly unmatched.

What was the secret behind her success? Of course, the backing of a powerful man—the great Wu Yuchen!

Today, which female star in Hollywood doesn’t want to befriend or even just meet Wu Yuchen? Left hand: commercial blockbusters like “Spider-Man” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Right hand: Oscar-winning dramas like “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Hours” that launched leading actresses to glory. Who in Hollywood could refuse him?

Jessica Alba had originally sought out Anne Hathaway on purpose, hoping to use her as a bridge to meet Wu Yuchen. But she never expected Anne to be so direct—she’d found her, laid it all out, and wanted her to join in accompanying Wu.

Truthfully, she wasn’t opposed to something happening with Wu—after all, that was part of her goal. But she hadn’t even met Wu yet when Anne bluntly told her to join a “one woman, two men” game—it suddenly overwhelmed her, leaving her in turmoil.

But Anne’s earlier words had just stopped her from retreating.

She thought of her career…

She was already twenty-two—time to transition, couldn’t keep playing teenage girls forever. She was twenty-two—she couldn’t pretend she had years left. Hollywood actresses’ careers were nothing like actors’; they lived off youth. She was twenty-two—if she didn’t seize this chance, fight for better resources, and climb higher, she might never make it to the top.

She thought of her film “The Dictionary Lover,” released earlier this year as the lead—completely flopped.

She thought of Anne Hathaway, who had always held herself above her—she could do it, why couldn’t she?

Then Jessica Alba turned to Anne Hathaway and said: “Anne, are you certain—if I give myself to him, I’ll get exactly what I want?”

Hearing this, Anne Hathaway knew she’d won her over, and smiled:

“One hundred percent! Do you think Jennifer Connelly revived her career these past years? How did she win Best Supporting Actress? And Nicole Kidman’s Best Actress—without Wu, what would she have?”

Though rumors had circulated in Hollywood before, they were just rumors. Now, hearing such a firm claim from Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba couldn’t help but be moved, marveling inwardly at Wu Yuchen’s immense power.

This sealed her resolve. She immediately wrapped her arm around Anne Hathaway’s and flashed a radiant smile: “Anne, I’m happy to go with you—to listen to Director Wu’s guidance~”

…

The sun was high when Wu Yuchen slowly woke up.

Feeling the warm, youthful bodies of the two beautiful girls tightly pressed against him, Wu Yuchen couldn’t help but sigh—youth was truly wonderful; he didn’t even want to get up.

He reached out and traced his fingers over Jessica Alba’s sun-kissed skin—smooth, soft. Looking at her exquisite face, what an absolute treasure!

Jessica Alba was undeniably a goddess—her looks, her figure, both top-tier. She wasn’t just a fantasy for ordinary men; even many stars couldn’t resist her.

This wasn’t just talk—back in the past, a media survey had shown that American NBA and football stars voted Jessica Alba as the actress they most wanted to date.

Thinking of this, Wu Yuchen recalled rumors from his past life about Jessica Alba contracting some kind of disease.

Around 2007 or 2008, paparazzi had photographed her visiting a gynecologist; tabloids then spread rumors she’d contracted an STD. Though she vehemently denied it, the rumors stuck, and soon she was labeled as having a wild private life.

Wu Yuchen pinched her slender waist—he’d specifically asked her agent for details. So far, Jessica Alba showed no signs of a messy personal life; she’d just broken up with her boyfriend of three years last year and was fully focused on her career.

That reassured him. He knew, in truth, whether one contracted a disease depended mostly on protection—and luck. If your partner passed it to you, there was nothing you could do to prevent it.

If you thought wild sex meant disease, or many boyfriends meant disease, then Madonna was the one who played the wildest and should’ve gotten it first—but she’d never had a problem.

In his past life, Jessica Alba’s romantic life was nowhere near as wild as Madonna’s—only five confirmed or rumored boyfriends, including her husband. The rumor that she contracted the disease was speculated to have come from her rumored boyfriend, the captain of the Yankees football team.

Wu Yuchen gave Jessica Alba’s firm buttocks a light pat—he, the benevolent Director Wu, had just saved her from a potential future disease risk!

At that moment, Jessica Alba woke up from his touch. She rubbed her eyes, remembered last night’s wildness, and blushed slightly.

But since she’d already done what needed to be done, she looked at Wu Yuchen, who was smiling warmly at her, then reached out and pulled him in for a morning kiss.

Wu Yuchen gladly obliged. When their lips parted, he grinned: “Mmm, chocolate flavor—so sweet.”

After exchanging sweet nothings, Jessica Alba asked Wu Yuchen: “Darling, you said last night you got inspiration because of me—was that true?”

“Of course~” Wu Yuchen smiled.

Director Wu knew why these young, beautiful women sought him out—even if they claimed to sacrifice for art, there had to be art to attract them, right?

Jessica Alba opened her wide, sparkling eyes, eagerly watching Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen’s hand wandered over Jessica Alba’s graceful curves, sighing: “So supple, so full of energy—what a perfect body! Jess, you’ve trained in dance, right?”

Jessica Alba nodded: “I trained in ballet for a few years, and I just finished filming a street dance movie—‘Step Up.’”

Wu Yuchen snapped his fingers: “Your agent finally picked the right direction for you. I guarantee your box office for ‘Step Up’ will far surpass your previous film, ‘The Dictionary Lover.’”

Seeing Jessica Alba confused, Wu Yuchen explained:

“Sweetheart, you’re beautiful—your face, your figure, your sun-kissed skin—all scream health, vitality, sensuality. Your roles should follow this trait.”

Wu Yuchen stroked her body and smiled: “A rebellious street hip-hop boy and a refined, elegant ballet girl—two people from different classes, different worlds—what kind of sparks will they ignite on the same stage? I’m certain it’ll ignite passion in every viewer!”

Jessica Alba’s face lit up. She couldn’t judge whether this idea was brilliant from just one sentence—but this was Wu Yuchen, Hollywood’s undisputed creative master. Whatever he created must be exceptional!

What Wu Yuchen told Jessica Alba was “Step Up,” a hugely famous film series, among the top-ranked dance films even today.

Honestly, Jessica Alba’s Latin mixed-race complexion already defined her roles. Many films simply wouldn’t suit her. For example, could she play the lead in “The Princess Diaries”? Absolutely not—that role belonged to a pure white girl like Anne Hathaway, for the audience to truly identify with.

The most suitable genres for her now were those steeped in street culture—like “Fast & Furious,” or this street-dance film “Step Up.” Street culture was surging worldwide; if she starred in such films, she’d shine effortlessly, and fans of these genres would adore her.

Jessica Alba pressed further: “Darling, can this make me as famous as ‘Spider-Man’ or ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’?”

The female lead in “Spider-Man” made Anne Hathaway famous; the female lead in “Pirates of the Caribbean” made Keira Knightley a global star—both exploded overnight.

Wu Yuchen studied Jessica Alba’s hopeful gaze and thought: this girl is greedy. But greed wasn’t a flaw to him—ambitious girls were never wrong.

Wu Yuchen shook his finger: “Jess, opportunities like ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ are rare—once-in-a-lifetime.”

Jessica Alba felt a pang of disappointment. She’d hoped for the same chance—to explode globally and catch up with Anne Hathaway. The rivalry between close friends was fierce.

“Jess, don’t you know the troubles Anne faced after ‘Spider-Man’?”

Jessica Alba knew well. Anne had complained to her before—everyone only called her “Spider-Woman,” and she didn’t want that role to become her cage.

But such troubles were happy ones—just look at how many Hollywood dreamers envied her! Who wouldn’t want overnight fame?

Jessica Alba rubbed against Wu Yuchen’s chest: “Darling, I just want to be like Anne~”

Wu Yuchen gently patted her buttocks: “Jess, don’t rush. Isn’t it better to climb step by step? If you follow my plan faithfully, I’ll give you a billion-dollar production as lead—propelling you to the whole world.”

Seeing Jessica Alba nod obediently, Wu Yuchen smiled:

“Bread will come. Milk will come. As long as you work hard and listen, Dad won’t let any diligent, obedient girl down~”

Jessica Alba gave a sweet, subtly seductive smile: “Dady, I’ll work hard! But I think I need milk to replenish my energy now—can I?”

Though phrased as a question, Jessica Alba had already begun acting—proving to Wu Yuchen she was a girl willing to strive.

Wu Yuchen stroked the girl’s soft hair. He’d meant to tell her to practice dance—but hadn’t expected her to be so quick to understand.

Previously, he’d promised Anne Hathaway “The Princess Diaries.” Now he was giving Jessica Alba “Step Up.”

He could’ve given her a big-budget film right away—like “Fantastic Four.” But why?

Human desire is insatiable. Once you satisfy a star’s hundred points, she’ll want a thousand. So why start so high? Why not begin with ten?

Besides, “Step Up” was already a hugely successful project—a $10 million budget, over $100 million box office. For Jessica Alba right now, that was more than enough.