America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 513 Hawking Verifies Martin

As dusk settled, Martin and Elizabeth's Cadillac pulled up next to a clubhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Ali and Thomas got out of the other car together.

Martin and his companion followed them into the clubhouse.

Upon arriving at the door of a meeting room, the men in black suits guarding the door were likely Secret Service agents from the White House.

Ram Emanuel is now the White House Chief of Staff.

Ali opened the door and said to the group, "Please come in."

Martin and Elizabeth walked at the very back.

As he passed the door, the special agent nodded slightly, patted his chest, and then subtly raised his right hand as if to drink water.

Martin is all too familiar with this; he uses a similar gesture when drinking Coke on the red carpet.

It's obvious that these are members of the Cola Cult.

Martin smiled at him and followed him into the main reception room.

Since the Santa Monica Pier incident, there have been tens of millions of Coca-Cola cult members across the United States.

Ram-Emanuel and his wife stood in the reception room, smiling as they said, "Hi, Martin, we meet again."

Martin quickened his pace, stepped forward, and shook hands with Ram: "I was originally planning to pay Ali a visit when he arrived..."

"No need to be so polite," Ram invited. "Please, have a seat."

His wife came over and said to Elizabeth, "There are some programs here suitable for ladies' leisure; let's not join in their boring conversations."

Elizabeth smiled and replied, then followed Madame Emmanuel out of the reception room through the side door.

Ram got straight to the point: "Martin, you've been doing better and better these past two years, you've become a cultural phenomenon."

Martin replied with a smile, "It's mainly due to WMA's support. Ali has invested a lot of resources in me over the years. Without their help, I wouldn't be where I am today. That's why I've always cooperated with WMA. Even though CAA kept tempting me, I never changed my mind."

Ali chimed in, "Martin is WMA's trump card right now. I have a plan to make the Martin brand a cultural icon like Star Wars."

Thomas discussed this with Martin. Martin himself wasn't interested in Star Wars, but he was well aware of its significance in the eyes of Americans.

It is no exaggeration to say that Star Wars is the premier icon of American film culture, and that is not even enough to reflect its influence.

Martin's words were quite fitting: "I will fully cooperate with the company."

Alibaba is WMA's largest shareholder. Does WMA's interest involve Ramu?

Martin certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to ask.

"We learned a lot on our last trip to California," Ram said, referring to the previous election: "Your stance influenced many members of the Cola Cult."

He laughed: "This loosely organized alliance idolizes you."

Martin appeared casual and humble: "The Coca-Cola cult is all show and no substance; they gather online because they like my character and Coca-Cola, but lack organization and cohesion."

But Ram had witnessed the power of these people during the election: "Cola God members are all over the United States, and voters can influence electors."

Ali interjected, "If it weren't for the entertainment law, I would have already invited you to become a partner in the company."

Martin laughed: "The company has been very supportive of me."

Ram added, "You are now one of the most famous democrats in the United States."

Martin said, "When I voted in the election, the ballot indicated my party affiliation."

Starting in Atlanta, Martin became entangled with Donald Party members, including Kelly Gray, with whom he maintained a romantic relationship, and later Louise Mayer, as well as Jennifer Aniston, all of whom were Donald Party members.

Hollywood has a large number of members and supporters of the "Donkey Party," including Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, the Roberts family, Steven Spielberg and Lucas, Meryl Streep, Scarlett Johansson, George Clooney, and many others.

The support and influence of celebrities are quite significant; Hollywood stars are always invited to campaign for them during elections.

To put it bluntly, the Hollywood Oscars system uses the same rules as general elections.

Considering Martin's growing influence, especially among the members of the Cola Cult, Rame did him a favor: "Independence Day is in a couple of days, and Barack will personally award you the medal."

Martin said, "During my hospital stay, Barack took time out of his busy schedule to visit me, and I've always wanted to thank him in person."

Ram continued, "The opportunity to express our gratitude will come soon."

Martin cursed inwardly, thinking that those involved in politics were far more ruthless than those in the entertainment industry.

Ram said, "Barack's eldest daughter, Maria, is about to start her summer vacation and is preparing to participate in a summer internship. She is very curious about film production and wants to intern at a film company."

Martin reacted quickly: "Leave that to me. Whether she wants to work for a top-tier big-budget production or an art film, it's no problem at all."

The two sides chatted for a while longer, basically about mutual support and giving each other a helping hand.

Martin's immense influence as a cult of Coca-Cola gave him some leverage.

Martin said goodbye and left the club at 8:30.

On the way back to the Cadillac, Elizabeth said, "I've arranged to meet Mrs. Emmanuel so that I can host her and the children when they visit Los Angeles."

Martin discovers that the little witch can do more than just wash her face.

Elizabeth held his arm tightly and said, "There are some things that are inconvenient for you to do, but I can help."

She said, intentionally or unintentionally, "Both my mother and father have said that sometimes it's easier to build relationships through diplomacy with one's spouse."

Martin patted her hand: "Go ahead and do it. Let me know if you need anything."

At this point, he remembered what Ram had just mentioned, and Elizabeth would undoubtedly be more suitable to do it.

Martin pondered for a moment and said, "After the Independence Day celebrations, there's a reception luncheon at the White House, which the entire Obama family will attend. His eldest daughter, Marissa, wants to participate in a film-related internship this summer..."

Elizabeth remembered everything. After Martin finished speaking, she thought about it carefully and said, "Leave this to me. It's easier for girls to talk to each other."

Back at the hotel, Bruce opened the door and found Lily fiddling with a camera inside. He nodded to Martin.

Martin took off his coat and hung it up, then asked, "Are you going out to take photos so late?"

Lily said, "I'll take a picture when you receive your medal so it can serve as a model for the sculpture."

Elizabeth chimed in, "We'll buy it then, as a collector's item."

Lily deliberately and quietly gave Elizabeth a thumbs-up.

Elizabeth winked at her.

Martin saw them, but didn't bother with them. He went back to his room to shower and change, saying to Lily, "Go back to your room early if you have nothing else to do."

Lily put away her camera and said, "I'll sleep on my side here tonight." She added, "I already told Elizabeth."

Martin, recalling something from Atlanta, said to Elizabeth, "You don't understand her..."

Elizabeth said, "Lily promised me that."

Lily smiled at her.

Martin shook his head and went into the master bedroom.

Elizabeth didn't sleep well that night, mainly because Martin tormented her to the point of near death. Even when she woke up in the morning, her voice was a little hoarse.

Lily hadn't slept well either, sporting huge dark circles under her eyes. She stared at Elizabeth the whole time she came out of her room.

She couldn't understand why the girl, who usually seemed so quiet, would shout so loudly.

That day, Martin took the two of them to buy suitable clothes and visited several famous tourist attractions in Washington.

During this time, Benjamin called, and Martin made a special trip to the vicinity of the North Gate of the White House to meet with Benjamin.

Benjamin, along with a dozen or so off-duty Secret Service members, waited near the North Gate.

After Martin's departure, these relatively young agents, while not as crazy and enthusiastic as movie fans, became more disciplined and unified.

They chanted together, "The eternal Cult of Cola! The eternal God of Cola!"

Martin took photos with them one by one, asked their names, and wrote different blessings for each person as he signed his autograph.

For struggling students, writing down all sorts of creative and inspiring blessings must have cost them countless brain cells.

Benjamin also specifically asked for autographs and photos of some other Coca-Cola cult members on duty.

Martin fulfilled all their requests.

Although he joked with Bruce a bit, he didn't take it seriously; after all, the Cult of Cola was a loose organization.

Not long after, Martin took his leave.

The Independence Day atmosphere was even stronger on the streets of Washington, D.C., than in Los Angeles.

On the morning of July 4, Benjamin arrived at the Hilton Hotel on time to pick up Martin and take him to the White House to attend the celebration.

Upon arriving at the North Lawn once again, Martin was seated in the front row.

Lily and Elizabeth were in the family quarters a little further back.

Shortly after Martin sat down, more people came over, including many he knew.

The person in the wheelchair is Stephen Hawking; the Presidential Medal of Freedom is not awarded only to Americans.

The man standing next to Martin was the renowned Steven Spielberg.

Martin went to Hawking first to express his respect, hoping to receive a similar evaluation as Charlize Theron.

For example, Martin Davis could be a hero in an endless array of parallel universes.

The electronic voice that played instead was: "Greetings, Master."

A nearby photographer captured the moment, and Martin turned around and gestured to Bruce.

Old Bu understood immediately and went to the photographer to ask for a copy.

This is the leader of the Coca-Cola Cult, certified by Stephen Hawking!

When Martin returned, he shook hands with Spielberg again: "Steven, you are my idol, the director I most want to work with. Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park, you provided all the fun of my childhood."

Spielberg said, "Today, I am your supporting character."

Both he and Hawking received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

It's the kind of neckband Martin had last time.

Martin said frankly, "Actually, I don't want that kind of situation. Who wants to face that?"

Spielberg watched the video and said, "You're amazing. Let's have a good chat sometime. I've heard Catherine praise you more than once."

Kathleen Kennedy, the producer of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," is Spielberg's right-hand woman.

As Guan Hai walked onto the stage, the scene quickly quieted down.

(End of this chapter)