America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 575 Feeling Uncomfortable Without Causing Trouble

Harvey Weinstein probably never imagined that one day he would be accused of racism, especially in such a bizarre way.

In his Beverly Hills mansion, Harvey, wearing an electronic ankle bracelet, stared in disbelief at the related news reports in the newspaper.

After a long pause, he exploded: "They dare to pin all sorts of ridiculous charges on me! I'm not a dumping ground for trash! Are these black people out of their minds? I don't even touch them, and that's a crime?!"

The lawyer quickly advised, "Harvey, watch your words, watch your words!"

Harvey's anger flared even more: "I'd rather masturbate than touch those bastards!"

The lawyer was exasperated. Harvey had a terrible temper and was easily angered. Once he calmed down a bit, the lawyer said, "The first court hearing is coming up soon. The judge has agreed to allow the public to attend and the media to watch the proceedings live. You must control your temper. If the judge asks about Black people, don't say what you just said, and don't even mention the word 'Black.' Just say 'African American.'"

Harvey controlled his emotions: "I understand."

"Your strategy of feigning illness last time was quite good; it earned you some sympathy." Faced with the overwhelming public opinion, the lawyer could only rack his brains for solutions: "As for other aspects, I'll call my legal team over today so we can rehearse beforehand."

Harvey knew what was important and what wasn't: "Call them over."

In less than an hour, the entire legal team had arrived to prepare for the court hearing.

Everyone knows that Harvey is completely different from Simpson back then. He is facing a massive wave of public opinion, making it extremely difficult to secure a not-guilty plea.

From New York to Washington to Los Angeles, countless people and organizations are watching Harvey closely, waiting to reap the benefits of his downfall.

…………

Even a single court hearing in a Los Angeles court can attract hundreds of media outlets to report on it.

Victims, their families, members of the #MeToo movement, members of various women's associations, and representatives of Hollywood unions gathered in front of the courthouse, numbering in the thousands.

The Harvey Weinstein case has attracted more than 120 formal complaints, and its impact far surpasses that of the O.J. Simpson case.

Everyone was waiting for Harvey Weinstein to arrive.

Suddenly, all the reporters' cameras turned to one spot, where the person in question wasn't the main character, but a dark-skinned woman.

Megan Markle appeared in front of the camera wearing a T-shirt and holding up a poster with both hands.

The T-shirts and posters all bore the same slogan: "Severely punish racist Weinstein!"

This attention-grabbing act immediately attracted media attention.

Times have changed, and so have many ways of playing.

Meghan has grasped the secret to generating buzz.

In a nearby van, Martin, Julie, and Aniston turned their attention away from the spectacle.

Two opinion leaders of MeToo adjusted their attire.

As a victim and witness, Julie will also be questioned by the judge in court.

Aniston took out a Mee Rabbit fist logo with red nail polish, pinned it to Julie's chest, and encouraged her, "Be brave, be strong, we'll all cheer you on."

Julie rolled her eyes, took out another MeToo logo, and pinned it to Martin's collar.

Martin trusted Julie's mental fortitude; she had been to the UN General Assembly and traveled to war zones. He said, "You two will be walking together in a bit."

Aniston asked, "Aren't you coming with us?"

Martin said, "I'm going to support you with Leonardo and Nicholson."

Julie glanced at the time: "Let's get out of the car."

Aniston opened the car door, and the two of them walked side by side toward the courthouse doors, immediately attracting the attention of reporters and the public.

The #MeToo movement played a crucial role in Harvey's downfall, and its influence spread not only throughout North America but also sparked similar movements in Europe.

Another van pulled up, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, Martin got out and got into the van that came from behind.

Before he could close the car door, Leonardo waved his phone and said, "I'm going to show you something good."

Martin leaned closer; his phone was playing a video of Harvey Weinstein leaving his house.

Harvey, with gray hair and a haggard face, slowly moved towards the car with the help of a handrail.

Nicholson was also watching, and after watching, he couldn't help but shake his head, judging from his decades of experience and discernment: "The makeup was mediocre, the expressions were too exaggerated, the walking movements were not realistic enough, and the acting was far inferior to Leo's three-hit combo."

Leonardo DiCaprio retorted, "My acting is Oscar-worthy, can he even compare?"

Martin could easily see the reason behind Harvey's performance: "He wanted to garner sympathy from the public and the courts."

"Probably." Nicholson pointed to Harvey on his phone screen and continued his analysis: "Look, although he's gripping the armrests with both hands, because of long-term habit, his center of gravity and strength aren't really on the armrests. If someone knocks his chair off, that'll be interesting."

He turned to Leo and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"

Leonardo shook his head: "I've always been a low-key person and don't like to be in the limelight."

Nicholson couldn't resist stirring things up: "Those bastards from the Foot Gang are acting so over-the-top, we have to mess with them."

Martin suddenly thought of someone and said, "I have an idea."

Leonardo chimed in, "Martin's bad ideas can pop up anytime, anywhere."

Martin first gave him the middle finger, then said, "I can find someone willing to do this..."

Nicholson looked out the window and could vaguely see the poster. He said, "I think it's a good idea."

Leonardo said, "It's not appropriate for us to approach her."

"I'm looking for someone." Martin had already taken out his phone, dialed Bruce's number, and started talking.

After he finished his call, Nicholson opened the car door and urged, "Go! Go! Hurry up."

The three people got out of the car one after another, put on their #MeToo collar badges, and walked together toward the courthouse.

A large crowd gathered in front of the courthouse. Megan initially attracted attention, but as Julie and Aniston, two #MeToo opinion leaders, arrived, the area around her quickly became deserted, and even the reporters stopped paying attention to her.

The cameras all turned away at once.

Megan must have felt disappointed. She had tried so hard, even sacrificing her dignity, but she still couldn't compare to those two female celebrities who were just walking normally.

The people around quickly left.

Megan suddenly felt like a clown.

A man suddenly appeared from behind and whispered, "Trying to steal the headlines?"

Megan turned around and saw an ordinary-looking man with a work badge around his neck that said he was a reporter for TMZ.

Ivan asked softly, "Do you want to be on TMZ's headlines and trending topics?"

Meghan, who dreams of making headlines, nodded eagerly, "I want to be on the front page!"

"Didn't you accuse Harvey of racism? There's no need to be polite to racists." Ivan lowered his voice even further, and after a few words, asked, "Do you have the guts to do it?"

Megan didn't answer, but instead asked, "Can you guarantee I'll be on the TMZ front page?"

Ivan nodded, glancing at his watch: "You have one minute to make a decision."

"No need, I can tell you right now!" Megan was no longer going to hold back: "I've already done it!"

Ivan pulled out a card and gave it to her.

Megan took it and found that there was only a phone number on it.

Ivan said, "You can call me on this number if you have any news in the future."

Megan put it away.

Ivan said no more and left, disappearing into the crowd of reporters.

Megan thought for a moment, but instead of throwing away the poster, she held it in her hand and, relying on her thick skin and the physical strength of a Black person, managed to fight her way through the crowd and squeeze to the front of the courthouse.

After waiting for a while, a black sedan drove up from a distance and stopped by the roadside.

As the car door opened, Harvey slowly stepped out, took the armchair handed to him by his assistant, and hunched over as he made his way step by step toward the courthouse entrance.

He was alone, with sunken eyes, an aged face, and unsteady steps, like an ordinary old man in his twilight years.

Many reporters present were deeply moved; in just a few months, Harvey Weinstein seemed like a completely different person.

The previously noisy area in front of the door suddenly fell silent. Some of the onlookers suddenly had a new thought: were the media and those women going too far in pressuring this old man?

The reporters' cameras were all focused on Harvey. Just as Harvey reached the steps, a dark-skinned woman suddenly emerged from behind the barrier and kicked Harvey's armchair before the security personnel could stop her.

With a crash, the armchair tipped over from Harvey's hands and smashed to the ground.

When the props he had brought for the performance slipped from his hands, Harvey's first reaction was not to fall over, but to instinctively straighten his back and stand up straight.

In that instant, the tall, fat, and domineering Harvey Weinstein was back!

Decades of habits, without long-term practice, cannot be changed so easily.

Reporters took photos.

Security personnel tried to stop Megan, but Megan threw a poster at Harvey, yelling, "You shameful racist!"

Harvey recognized the woman and accused him of racism.

In the past, he would have definitely slapped her across the face.

Harvey suppressed his temper, glanced coldly at Megan, and without picking up the fallen armchair, strode up the steps.

"Hush..." A deafening chorus of boos erupted from the courthouse entrance.

Then, a barrage of insults erupted.

"You hardened criminal, trying to gain sympathy!"

"That bastard has never changed!"

"Liar! Murderer!"

Up in a small building near the main gate, Martin and the others stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows and heard these sounds through the open windows.

The trio of scoundrels celebrated with a fist bump, and Leonardo said, "After this, even if he's really sick in the future, the public will think he's faking it!"

Nicholson said, "Trying to gain sympathy from the Face Gang trio? Dream on!"

Martin said, "The main character has arrived. Let's go to the audience seats."

The three went downstairs, met up with McLean from the LAPD, and went into the courtroom gallery together.

Although it was just a question-and-answer session, all the seats were filled.

Near Martin, San Francisco Mayor Gavin was also seated.

Like many celebrities and dignitaries present, Martin exchanged business cards with Gavin, who had accompanied his wife.

(End of this chapter)