Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 600 Nothing Happened
The chandelier in the reception hall was dazzling, and the party was still going on.

Wang Yalun turned and walked towards the corner rest area, while Gu Bo's calm face gradually began to suppress a smile.

The two companions behind him were the same, even more so, their expressions full of smugness.

"It seems Wang has brought good news."

Several white men were sitting on the sofas in the lounge area. One of them picked up a glass of wine from the table and stood up to greet him, "Wang, how is it?"

Wang Yalun's lips curled up slightly as he accepted the wine glass with the air of a hero, but he still bowed his head in gratitude, saying, "Mr. Ackerman, thank you."

The group sat down and chatted.

Wang Yalun brought up the invitation he had just received.

"It went more smoothly than I expected. Chen didn't refuse and was very cooperative throughout. He just said at the end that he needed to check the itinerary."

"Really?" Ackerman's eyes lit up. "I thought he would be as tough as the rumors say."

“Wait a minute, something’s not right,” a white man next to Ackerman said warily. “Chen Ke isn’t that easy to talk to. Besides, even if a smart man wants to surrender, he’ll still have to sell for a good price.”

They were prepared for a long and drawn-out struggle, but they didn't expect it to go so smoothly.

"Brian, people can change."

Wang Yalun habitually glanced around and lowered his voice, saying, "Standing in his position, he must feel the pressure. Now he should understand which side is more profitable."

No matter how much Hollywood promotes him, he's still an outsider. Only by truly joining can he integrate into our mainstream society.

"But he used to give the impression of being a staunch patriot."

“It’s just a show,” Wang Yalun scoffed. He didn’t believe in patriotism at all; it was just rhetoric from nation-states.

"If you really loved your country, why would you come here to make money?"

"That's true. If he wants to make more money, this is the best choice for him."

Brian nodded, choosing to believe.

Working at the UNDP, he had seen far too many Asians like this.

As Wang said, perhaps everything Chen showed before was just a facade.

“That’s right, Wang’s discovery this time is very important. Once we really bring Chen to our side, I will personally recommend you for credit.” Ackerman made the final decision.

"Haha, thank you, Mr. Ackerman."

The three exchanged a smile and lightly clinked their glasses.

"Is the gathering next week all planned?" Ackerman asked. "Since Chen is going to attend, we can take this opportunity to expand the scale. I think Senator Martin would be interested."

“We are ready. This kind of high-level gathering happens every year, and we already had related plans.”

"Don't rush things," Brian was ultimately a cautious person.

"Let's wait until we really drag Chen into this before we talk about it. We can't be reckless when it involves Mr. Martin."

“Well, you’re right.” Ackerman’s mind cleared up a bit. “Let’s let Chen Jian meet the Asian elite circle in America first. Boiling the frog in warm water may be an old trick, but it’s still the best way.”

Meanwhile, Chen Linfeng was chatting with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Leonardo was unusually enthusiastic today; he almost held onto Leonardo's hand tightly.

"Chen, I must thank you again for giving me this opportunity. I truly believe that 'Joker' can help me realize my wish."

Considering the feedback he received recently after his public relations efforts, this is an unprecedentedly wonderful start.

"It's not a good idea to open the champagne too early; it's better to be cautious," Chen Linfeng reminded him, even though he also felt that Leonardo had a very good chance this time.

Leonardo nodded silently, completely convinced by Chen's words.

Keep up the good work and strive for even greater achievements.

"By the way, Chen, what's going on with all this talk about you lately? Are you really going to officially join Hollywood?"

Leonardo was quite curious about the opinions and views expressed in the media, which gave people this impression.

However, judging from some details, it doesn't seem to be true, given that they share a public relations team.

Considering Chen's character, it makes things even stranger.

"This matter is a bit complicated. In short, just pretend you don't know about it for the time being."

Chen Linfeng has always maintained a cautious approach.

It's not that I don't trust my friends, but there's no need to take the risk.

Well, to be honest, I still have some doubts.

Everyone knows that Hollywood stars are close to the Donald Party, so who knows if the news might inexplicably get over there.

"Okay, feel free to contact me anytime if you need help."

"Yes, I will."

The two didn't chat for long; both were prominent figures in Hollywood, and many people at the banquet had come specifically to see them.

"Chen, long time no see. 'Joker' was so well made, I voted for you!"

"Thank you, Meryl."

"Chen, congratulations on receiving 11 Oscar nominations. It keeps reminding me of those super classic movies from the past. I wish you great success."

"Haha, that's what I dream about."

"..."

After dealing with the constant social interactions, the party was nearing its end.

Chen Linfeng used the excuse that Qianqian was not feeling well to leave early.

Later, inside the villa, Mei, Pete, Bolton, and a few others came to visit.

“Things are better than we expected,” Bolton said first, pulling out several newspapers.

He then picked out one of the documents and handed it to Chen Linfeng, saying, "Our strategy has worked. The mainstream media are starting to question whether the accusations against your identity are fair."

Chen Linfeng took it and looked at it; it was the latest article from The Hollywood Observer.

A quick glance at the article content—"Anonymous Oscar judge: Art should transcend national boundaries, and the universal value of 'Joker' deserves recognition."

"Here, there's also this."

Chen Linfeng took another copy, this time from the Los Angeles Times, which was also criticizing those articles from some time ago.

The Los Angeles Times has published many articles praising him in the past, so their quick response was not unexpected.

Bolton distributed the other newspapers he had to the crowd.

"This is just a part of the major newspapers with good sales. The tabloids have also responded, just in case."

He already had a considerable amount of public relations funds at his disposal, and Chen added a large sum, making his resources excessively abundant.

We've never fought such a costly battle before.

"In addition, I have also tried my best to contact those media outlets that have published articles that defamed Chen Wenzhang, and asked them to stop such behavior, at least in the near future."

"Of course, a few conservative media outlets were not easy to talk to, so the deal fell through."

It's not that money is useless, it's just that he's asking for too much, which he doesn't think is worth it.

After consulting with Chen, they were allowed to leave.

Given the media landscape in the US, it would be abnormal if there were absolutely no dissenting voices.

"You did very well."

Chen Linfeng nodded, expressing his approval of his work.

“This is just the first step,” Pete added. “My father contacted some old friends who have agreed to support Joker in the second round of voting. I’m also making contacts, and the feedback so far is quite good. In the eyes of many people, you, Chen, still have a lot of prestige.”

However, to ensure everything goes perfectly, we need more.

He continued, "As for the money, Chen, you've given more than enough. The first uncertainty is whether we can win a few major awards."

"Leonardo DiCaprio's Best Actor award is handled by him and his team, and then there's Best Picture and Best Director. Judging from the current situation, it's hard for us to have the chance to compete for them all at the same time."

"Chen, which one do you prefer?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Pete, Burton, Mei, and Sissi all looked at Chen Linfeng.

Only he can make this decision.

Actually, this decision should have been made from the beginning, but the hype surrounding "Joker" was so great that it was hard not to have expectations.

Therefore, everyone initially agreed to try both approaches.

In order to win as many awards as possible, not to mention the public relations expenses, they were extremely well-funded.

In other aspects, whether it's networking, emotional communication, public opinion mobilization, or expert commentator praise, they've spared no expense.

Even Warner Music put in a lot of effort to help.

But for now, we should at least try to secure a profit first.

Chen Linfeng tapped his fingers on the table, clearly indicating that he was also having trouble making a decision.

A few minutes later, Chen Linfeng stopped moving.

Let's lean more towards the Best Director category.

The Best Director award is for an individual, while the Best Picture award is for the entire film crew. The difference between the award and the award for an individual is quite significant.

Chen Linfeng needs this award to give him one last push and take him to the next level.

"Okay, boss, I'll do as you say."

Bolton nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then couldn't help but say, "Chen, if I may be frank, many problems would be much simpler if... if you had really considered another option."

With your talent and achievements, becoming an Emilycan citizen would be a piece of cake; the White House might even issue you a special visa.

The room suddenly fell silent.

“Mr. Bolton,” Chen Linfeng said calmly, “this topic is a single-choice question, and there is no need to discuss it.”

Although the other party's tone remained calm and gentle, Bolton inexplicably felt a little intimidated.

“OK, my bad,” Bolton raised his hands, “it was just career advice, so let’s get back to the main topic—”

Seeing the atmosphere become somewhat heavy, Pete changed the subject.

"Chen, I just heard from May that someone from NED approached you at the party?"

"Yes, that's right, they invited me to a party."

"You agree?"

"I agreed on the surface and replied that I would check the schedule later to make arrangements."

“Xiao Feng,” Sisi asked with some doubt, “Isn’t it a bit wrong to lie like this? I think it would be better to just say you disagree directly, otherwise it’s easy to offend people.”

“It’s mainly a matter of timing,” Chen Linfeng explained patiently. “If I refuse directly, the other party will probably immediately realize that the attitude they showed before was fake.”

"There are still two weeks left before the voting deadline. If the other side realizes this now, they may still cause us trouble in the remaining time."

"But postponing it to next week will be different. Not to mention that I will have Sister Mei check the schedule with the other party during this time, and then find something to do to get rid of the invitation. It will be difficult for the other party to realize that something is wrong at first."

At this point, Chen Linfeng looked at Sister Mei.

Sister Mei nodded knowingly. She was using the snake as a pretext; she had already maxed out the relevant skill points.

"Based on past experience, this period is the most concentrated time for voting. Those who procrastinate and wait until the last minute to vote are only a minority."

"Even if you react immediately, the time required to report to your superiors, communicate back and forth, and the process of underhanded tactics will basically mean the voting period has passed."

"As for whether they'll get angry or embarrassed, the Oscars are over, why worry about that?"

Liu Qianqian nodded thoughtfully.

"Sisi, you don't need to worry too much."

Mei helped explain, "Don't think of the United States as a whole. The group that found Xiao Feng tonight is at most just a part of an organization under the Development Agency."

"Just think of them as some office worker in NED trying to achieve political success. In terms of strength itself, they are not really scary."

"That……"

"You mean, what was the big fuss they were making all the time recently?"

"Yes, that's what I wanted to ask."

"The key is still the competition for the Oscars. They spent money, and with some people from the Development Agency acting as promoters, the two sides worked together to achieve that result."

“That’s right,” Chen Linfeng nodded. “The Development Agency alone might not be willing to spend their precious funds on me.”

It's best to think of them as a company.

Publishing articles in the media requires money and resources to some extent.

But what working person doesn't compete for resources? If you get more, I get less. If you achieve results, it's even more painful than having my bonus deducted.

Initially, Chen Linfeng was genuinely worried that some people in the upper echelons of the US government, or at least some heavyweight congressman, disliked him and wanted to get rid of him.

But looking at how things developed later, it turned out that all they did was make a statement and throw some money at the problem to quell it.

This immediately made him realize that the key was Oscar's opponent putting in the effort, while the others were just incidental.

Once he starts spending more money, the other party feels it's not worth it, or that they can't compete, so they give up.

After all, Hollywood production companies are aiming for the Oscars to make money, not just for that little golden statuette.

This is quite different from Chen Linfeng.

He was prepared for this last time, at least the last time in 10 years, to compete for an Oscar. He was not short of money, so he was very willing to spend it.

Not only him, Leonardo DiCaprio was also very willing to spend money.

To some extent, attacking Chen Linfeng will also damage the reputation of "Joker".

When it comes to the entire movie "Joker," it's about picking a fight with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Both of them are wealthy, so when it comes to short-term public opinion campaigns, no one can really outmaneuver them.

In fact, Bolton and Pete understood this principle as well, and they even had a deeper understanding of Emilyken's operating rules.

The UNDP is the UNDP, and Hollywood is Hollywood. Although they may seem to be one at times, when their interests are not aligned, Hollywood can completely ignore them.

Even if the UNDP is above the CIA, it's perfectly normal for them to have disagreements as long as it doesn't involve core issues.

Chen Linfeng's matter clearly doesn't touch on the core issues.

He's not Huawei or TT.

Or rather, as long as he can continue to help Hollywood companies make money, even if he touches on things a little, everyone will pretend nothing happened.

As for using political power to reverse the voting results, it is not impossible, but it would require a very strong force, which is not something that one or two members of parliament could accomplish.

Judging from the current situation, it's far from that point.

Besides, Chen Linfeng, as a transmigrator, wasn't completely idle.

Before the 08 election, he also took the opportunity to spend money, so he had some influence.

As long as it's not a major taboo, protecting him shouldn't be difficult.

(End of this chapter)