America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 186 This Anne is Not That Anne

In a restaurant on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

The waiters brought out the food one after another, moving away from the booths.

Julie raised her glass and clinked it with Martin's: "Louise told me that the idea of ​​me playing the lead role originated from your suggestion."

After taking a sip of his drink, Martin replied with a smile, "I really admire Laura Crawford and dream of working with you because you are my goddess and idol."

Julie was puzzled. She had thought Martin was just being polite when he said this before, but now it seemed like he wasn't.

Martin clinked glasses with her, saying, "To Laura."

Julie finished the rest of her drink and invited Martin to dine: "Make yourself at home."

As they ate and chatted, sharing some interesting anecdotes from the industry, Julie asked, "I heard the selfie scandal originated from your suggestion?"

"I would definitely deny it if someone asked me," Martin said, trying to sound nice. "I was the one who first suggested it, but I wasn't good at the actual implementation; it was Warner Bros. who did it."

Julie then asked, "So, Paris Hilton from Madame Tussauds is also related to you?"

Martin mumbled, "It's mainly thanks to one of my guys."

Julie looked at Martin with a hint of admiration. Good acting skills and good looks are nothing special; knowing how to operate is what's truly impressive.

The former are countless in Hollywood, while the latter are few and far between.

"I'd like to hear your opinion on something related to media relations and publicity." Julie hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask directly: "What are the chances of turning something—not a good thing, more like a scandal, involving a romantic relationship—into a viral news story like Madame Tussauds or The Hills Have Eyes, that would bring benefits?"

It's clear that Jolie is thinking about how to properly handle Brad Pitt's affair with her behind his wife Aniston's back.

Martin and Louise had discussed Julie more than once. For the sake of their own future, the two even planned to wait until Julie did not react before secretly having someone expose the scandal.

At this point, Julie came knocking on his door, and Martin wasn't about to let it go: "I heard that Paris Hilton wants to create her own brand because she has enough fame and even a group of supporters."

Julie fell into thought for a while before saying, "It won't be easy for her to clear her name."

Martin needs to make Julie famous, to ignite the fire first: "Actually, if Anne and I really released a video like the one on the tape, the effect might be even better. Times have changed. The Internet has brought people closer together, amplified gossip, and increased the public's desire to pry into the privacy of celebrities. Sometimes a scandal is not a scandal. If handled well, it can become a catalyst for people to rise."

Julie said this because Martin had done something similar. She carefully considered her words, saying, "Suppose... you and Anne got married, and I fell in love with you—just suppose! You liked me too, we did everything we were supposed to do, and we even starred in a movie together. If the scandal broke, wouldn't the movie be ruined?"

Hearing this, Martin guessed that Julie had some ideas, but hadn't actually put them into practice and lacked sufficient confidence.

It would be impolite to refuse such a generous gift offered to one's door. Martin has a polite friend who says, "Aren't the coolest men and the coolest women destined to be together? In the name of true love, nothing else matters. It's too easy to find reasons and excuses; just throw mud at Anne, saying she cheated first, didn't want the children, and chose her job over her family."

This Anne is not that Anne.

Julie not only listened, but also took it all to heart, after all, Martin's seemingly terrible ideas had succeeded several times in a row.

Martin added fuel to the fire: "I will openly admit my mistakes, take photos with you and the children and send them to the media to express my love and longing for the children and family, such as the family life that Martin wants, which you can give, but Anne, who doesn't want children, can't."

Julie remembered something: Aniston had an abortion last year.

"This guy's a genius, a genius at creating messes!" She couldn't help but stare at Martin, thinking to herself, "How much of the news about him is true? Thirty percent? This kind of person is a perfect fit for the entertainment industry!"

Martin added, "This is Hollywood. The public is used to infidelity, divorce, and extramarital affairs. Think about it carefully, aren't some actresses and actors who have affairs still worshipped by the world and enjoy media hype? As long as it's packaged with true love, family, and children, bad things can turn into good things."

Julie recalled that there were indeed precedents, but she still had some concerns: "I... already had some not-so-good rumors about me."

Martin feigned surprise: "You're doing very well now, just keep doing what you're doing, okay?"

"Adopting children?" Julie reacted incredibly quickly, because she was already trying to clear her name: "It is indeed a good idea."

Martin has personally experienced this; the American public is always very tolerant of prodigal sons and daughters who turn over a new leaf, and even Jolie can be marketed as a saintly figure.

And Americans are particularly drawn to Jolie's style.

Julie then asked, "Aren't children alone enough?"

For the sake of his future, Martin decided to pass on his killer move and the ultimate secret: "You can go to Afghanistan or Iraq and comfort the local refugees."

Julie's true evolution has only just begun: "As far as I know, those people lost their homes, their families, and even parts of their bodies, and when they saw Americans..."

Martin simply said, "Though they have nothing, they are free!"

Julie's eyes lit up; she had found the true meaning of freedom! She couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Martin, you shouldn't be a star; you should be a PR person!"

Martin shrugged: "It's not easy cleaning up other people's messes."

Julie didn't mind Martin's rudeness at all; her gaze fell intently on Martin as if she had found a kindred spirit.

At this moment, Pete felt utterly bored and lost all interest.

But she is, after all, Julie, not a young girl who gets carried away by a fleeting crush; Martin's status and wealth are too low.

Julie raised her glass: "Martin, I'd like to toast you."

The meal was a great success, with both hosts and guests enjoying themselves immensely. Julie raised her glass several times to thank Martin.

During this time, she even suggested that her Cambodian son recognize Martin as his godfather, but Martin politely declined.

During a casual conversation, Martin casually mentioned that he was vying for the second lead role in Martin Scorsese's new film.

It would be best if Julie could play a role, but it wouldn't matter if she couldn't.

Having just made a great harvest, Julie felt that Martin was a trustworthy person and kept the matter in mind.

She once heard Pitt mention that Plan B was the second-largest investor in Scorsese's new film, and that they could simply give Martin a hand when the opportunity arose.

Julie is very good at whispering sweet nothings in someone's ear.

The large-scale promotion and marketing for "The Hills Have Eyes" is basically over, and there's no need for Martin to appear again.

Martin then focused his energy on two projects: "Wanted" and "The Departed".

The former involves Warner Bros., but is led by Pacific Films. The specific planning and filming can help Martin compete for the latter's role and avoid scheduling conflicts.

Martin's Boston accent lessons, which started twice a week, were increased to five times a week, and he gradually began to speak it quite well.

In addition, he specially invited Kate Winslet, who was busy with her award bid, to dinner.

The connections and resources you've built up should be used in crucial moments.

Martin and Kate are old friends, and Martin very subtly mentioned that he was going to audition for a role in "The Departed".

Kate stated frankly, "I do have a very good relationship with Leo, but we rarely talk about work. I can mention you when I see him, but I can't guarantee how effective it will be."

Martin laughed and said, "This is already beyond my wildest expectations."

Kate didn't mince words with Martin: "In that case, you owe me another favor."

Martin remembered that Kate had helped him when they first met, and he said without hesitation, "Whatever you want to do, just say it."

Having paid off billions in debt, why would I be afraid of a favor?

Relationships deepen through interactions and exchanges.

No one who's gotten this far is a fool, Kate smiled and said, "We'll talk about it later."

This is also a kind of investment in relationships. Martin's stock price is rising rapidly, and he can't do anything for Kate at the moment, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future.

Martin had also thought of this.

Kate changed the subject: "You've been making headlines lately."

Martin said, half-jokingly, "It's the only way. I'm not famous enough, so I can only come up with bad ideas. You can't use this kind of thing twice."

Kate said, "I've been to some parties, and I've heard that some people have noticed and want to imitate you."

Martin was remarkably generous: "I won't charge them tuition." He then asked with concern, "The Oscars are coming up soon, what are your chances of winning?"

Kate slowly shook her head: "I've been nominated for Best Actress, but winning is out of the question. My PR efforts aren't enough either."

Without investing heavily in public relations, the chances of winning major awards are practically zero.

The two chatted about the Oscars for a while, and then parted ways.

After leaving the restaurant, Martin headed to the Hilton Hotel to find Annie.

In the car, Bruce asked, "Have you thought it through?"

Martin said, "Women don't smell as good as work."

"You lousy person, can't you think of a better way?" The two had discussed this beforehand, and Bruce felt his intelligence was being insulted: "She passed the test, didn't she?"

Martin said very seriously, "What should you do when a true love is placed in front of you?"

Bruce was a piece of trash too: "I'd be especially happy to smash it to pieces and watch it cry its eyes out."

Martin felt superior: "So, you're a jerk, and I'm not."

"That's definitely not it." Bruce's tone took a sharp turn: "You're a jerk."

Martin scoffed: "Only jerks break up with people, I don't."

The car turned into the Hilton Hotel, Martin got out and went into the hotel. He straightened his clothes in the elevator lobby and took the elevator straight to Annie's floor.

He knocked on Annie's door, went in, and gave her a passionate kiss.

The two got entangled and quickly got into the mood.

That night, true love blossomed once again.

Martin's passionate love was all given to Anne.

As dawn broke and the sun rose, Martin's phone vibrated.

He quickly picked up his phone, left the bedroom, glanced back to see Annie still fast asleep, went to the living room, and answered the call.

I took my daughter out to play over the weekend. I didn't finish writing yesterday, but I just finished the second chapter.

(End of this chapter)