America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Nickelson, striding forward, stopped five meters away from Blanchett, his hands holding up a bright bouquet of roses as if reciting lines from a play, and loudly declared, "I love Blanchett! I love Blanchett..."

No matter what expression Blanchett had on her face, Nickelson continued his solo performance.

Because he found it amusing and enjoyable, not only did his voice grow louder, but he decided to go all out, his face sincere, his heart on his sleeve, "Kate Blanchett, marry me!" Discover more stories at empire

The scene erupted into chaos.

In Hollywood, who doesn't know that Kate Blanchett is married?

Martin, not far away, shouted, "Marry him! Marry him!"

Upon hearing this, Leonardo immediately followed suit, "Marry him!"

He didn't just shout, he also spread his arms, inciting those around to join in, "We are witnessing the birth of a great love, shout with me!"

Those who enjoy a spectacle never seem to think things are too extreme; beginning with a few people who came with Leonardo, within seconds, the surrounding onlookers all began to shout.

"Marry him! Marry him..."

Some passersby, not even clear on what was happening, joined in the shouting.

Blanchett's face grew exceedingly unflattering, as all of Hollywood knew she had a husband and they were very much in love; as soon as she returned to her home in Australia, she was the model wife and mother.

Did this bastard want to ruin her reputation?

Blanchett, face as dark as rock, strode up to Nickelson, snatched the bright roses, and threw them to the ground.

To vent her frustration, she stepped on them, grinding them into a muddy mess.

Nickelson looked quite helpless, "I was just proposing, I didn't harm you, there's no need for this."

Blanchett continued to trample the roses, her face icy, as words of scorn grated out like iron on iron, "Scram! Freak, with your old and ugly looks..."

She spat rudely, "Pah!"

Nickelson opened his hands innocently, not doing anything else, appearing even more like a gentleman rejected in love.

Not far away, his daughter Lorraine was holding a handheld camera, recording every scene.

Nickelson said, "I just love you very much and hope you can give me a chance." His age and experience showed when he saw Blanchett was very, very angry, and he spoke with a certain edge, "Although I've aged and my influence has waned, becoming an inconspicuous old white man in Hollywood, I still have the right to express love."

He deliberately emphasized, "Old white men in Hollywood should have their spring too."

"Pah!" Blanchett spat again, yelling loudly, "Disgusting old white man of Hollywood!"

Nickelson shook his head, ultimately saying nothing and instead stepping aside to make way.

Hearing the surrounding jeers, Blanchett turned and hurried away, not wanting to spend another minute there for fear she might throw up.

After she left the crowd, Nickelson signaled to Leonardo, "Let's go, let's go."

Leonardo, Nickelson, and Lorraine, who had sneakily followed along, all got into a golf cart and quickly left the scene.

Martin jumped into the driver's seat of the golf cart and urged Bruce to quickly sit down as they headed straight for the studio parking lot.

Fifteen minutes later, Martin arrived at the WMA headquarters in Century City, where they had agreed to meet.

Martin entered the lobby on the first floor, waved at Leonardo and the others lounging there, and went straight to the reception to request a meeting room.

Given his current status in the company, even asking for Ari Emanuel's office for a meeting wouldn't be an issue.

It was partly because of his clout and partly because Martin's three-year contract was about to expire.

The whole company was treating him with kid gloves.

Retaining a star like Martin, with huge commercial appeal and still rapidly ascending, for another three years was not an easy task.

Once the meeting room door was closed, Nickelson asked Lorraine for the digital camera.

Martin and Leonardo immediately leaned in.

Lorraine was quite helpless; her unreliable father and his two most steadfast friends seemed even less dependable.

The three buffoons, always causing trouble together.

After watching the recorded video, Martin gave Lorraine a thumbs-up, "Well filmed."

Lorraine responded with a smile.

As someone whom they had pulled in at the last minute, Leonardo asked, "What now?"

Martin looked at Nickelson curiously as well.

Nickelson already had an idea, "Of course we sell it, make back all the money invested today, and I expect it will even turn a profit; we firmly refuse to do business at a loss."

Martin nodded, "You sure know how to do business."

To Martin's surprise, Nickelson actually humbled himself, "I learned it all from you."

Martin turned his head, "Old Cloth, make the call."

Bruce asked, "Direct trade?"

"Direct trade," Nickelson glanced at Lorraine, thinking his daughter must be put to the test, "You make the trade."

Lorraine's mouth dropped open, "Me? Okay, I'll go."

Nickelson added, "If it doesn't sell for 10,000 US dollars, you make up the difference to me; keep any excess for yourself."

Lorraine copied the video and went out with Bruce to negotiate with Jody.

Leonardo asked, "Jack, did you do this on purpose?"

Martin was also quite interested.

Nickerson said, "For some real fun, of course, you've got to spice things up. All those old white guys in Hollywood are so petty, haha..."

He himself was one of them, of course he understood.

Martin gave Leonardo a pat on the shoulder, "You have the most say in this."

Leonardo felt like crying but had no tears.

Martin looked at Nickerson, "You're a true talent, for sure. Blanchett is taking the path of art and awards. If those old guys really develop a bias against her, she's done for."

Nickerson laughed, "It's not that quick, just plant a seed that irks people first."

Martin said, "Push it. She's so recognizable that we have to make sure those old guys remember her distinctly."

Leonardo pointed at his two harmful friends, "When it comes to being unscrupulous, you guys are always so reliable."

"If you want to sell the video at a high price, you need to let the seller know where the selling point is!" Martin took out his phone and called Bruce, telling him the real selling point of the video.

...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Meanwhile, at a mall in Century City, Lorraine met with TMZ's editor-in-chief, Jody.

Seeing Jody, who had a somewhat attractive face but no booty or bust, she asked Lorraine, "Are you the one looking for me?"

Lorraine gripped the card reader in her hand and said, "Let's start with the code."

Jody, albeit helplessly, could only respond, "Who is Leonardo's biggest love?"

Lorraine confirmed the person was correct and answered, "Gisele Bundchen."

She turned back to look at Bruce. Although she couldn't see him, the thought that Bruce would have her back gave her some peace of mind. She took out the card reader and demanded boldly, "I want 20,000 US dollars for this video."

Jody took the card reader, plugged it into the laptop, and after hitting play and finding footage of Nickerson propositioning Blanchett and getting bluntly rejected by her,

Blanchett's words were somewhat harsh, and her behavior quite rude, but it was justifiable given she was dealing with someone like Nickerson.

The content of the video wasn't explosive enough.

Jody shook his head, "It looks like tomfoolery. It's not worth 20,000 US dollars. Nickerson and Blanchett are both somewhat popular, and the middleman who referred you is reliable. I'll take it for 5,000 US dollars," he said.

At that price, Lorraine would have to cough up 5,000 US dollars from her own pocket to cover for her dad; she wasn't willing to do that. She somewhat calmed herself, replayed the video, and then paused at a crucial moment, forcing Jody to listen again to Blanchett's words.

Jody had a sharp nose for news. After just another listen, he immediately realized the video's greatest value and said right away, "10,000 US dollars."

Lorraine, having never made such a deal before, couldn't keep her cool, "15,000 US dollars, take it or leave it."

"Deal," Jody said, fearing she might change her mind, and he immediately wrote her a check.

Realizing she had undersold it, Lorraine wasn't happy, but with the check in hand, she couldn't take it back and got up to leave.

Jody immediately returned to the office and summoned the editorial department's technicians.

"Here, here, make the audio clearer," she said as she played the part where Blanchett spit for the second time, "Boost the audio here, to make her voice sound even sharper."

While waiting for the video to be processed, Jody sat behind her desk contemplating how to attract more eyeballs.

As a highly professional entertainment journalist, it didn't take Jody very long to come up with a headline.

"Kate Blanchett suspected of discontent with certain groups, blasts the old white male group of Hollywood!"

It doesn't involve race, so it wouldn't cause problems like racial discrimination.

Jody wrote the article and called her assistant to watch the video and write some content based on the footage and headline.

After watching the video, the assistant asked, "Boss, can this really garner attention?"

"Absolutely!" Jody instructed, "Don't forget to state the source is open for sharing. Publications like the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly will definitely pick it up."

The assistant didn't understand, "Why?"

Jody responded, "Because the old white male group in Hollywood is very sensitive, yet outdated. They can only showcase their presence and influence in one place, and if anyone offends them, even inadvertently, they can hold a grudge for a decade."

The assistant still seemed puzzled.

Jody simply gave an example, "Like Leonardo saying he didn't want to steal the Oscar's thunder."

Realizing the point, the assistant said, "I get it. You're talking about the core group at the Academy. They really are the epitome of old white guys with petty grudges."

An idea suddenly struck Jody, and she added another piece, "Blanchett has a beef with the Academy. In the 1999 Oscar for Best Actress, she was the hot favorite but ended up losing to Gwyneth Paltrow. This might be Blanchett's way of venting!"

The assistant flattered, "Boss, you're amazing!"

...

On the other end, Martin picked up Elizabeth on the southern slope and headed straight for Brentwood, driving directly into Leonardo's mansion.

Leonardo and Nickerson were already chatting in the living room.

Bar Refaeli, Leonardo's temporary companion, came over proactively to greet Martin and pulled Elizabeth aside to discuss topics among women.

Bar Refaeli had a peculiar relationship with Leonardo; she lived in Leonardo's mansion, nominally his girlfriend, using Leonardo's fame to quickly rise in the modeling world.

But she never meddled in Leonardo's amorous affairs outside. Leonardo could bring home as many women as he wanted, even throw wild parties, and Bar Refaeli would help with the arrangements.

It was, perhaps, a situation of mutual benefit.

After chatting with Nickerson and Leonardo for a while, Lorraine and Bruce entered the living room, one after the other.

Lorraine handed the check to Nickerson, "15,000 US dollars, all here."

"Take it," Nickerson, now the generous father said, "It's what you deserve."

Suddenly, Lorraine felt that this trio, led by her dad, wasn't so bad after all.