Huayu: I'm reborn, but you still force me to be a scumbag?

Chapter 512 Fated Rivals

"The New York Times | August 18, 2012 | Entertainment Section"

Most talked-about wedding of the year: Mark Zuckerberg's lavish, star-studded wedding in Silicon Valley
Palo Alto, California – Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg's marriage this Friday has undoubtedly become one of the most talked-about events of the year. The private and lavish wedding took place in the backyard of his Palo Alto mansion, and the guest list included Silicon Valley tycoons and Hollywood stars.

The wedding was originally planned as a secret ceremony, but it was accidentally revealed by Donald J. Trump on NBC's "Today Show" a few days ago. After the leak, Zuckerberg reportedly gave the planning team a complete overhaul, turning it into a top-tier wedding extravaganza.

A night of music, glittering with stars, and also filled with subtle sparks.
The event was star-studded, with artists such as Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Green Day, and T-Pain taking turns performing. However, the most attention-grabbing figures were the two heavyweight guests standing beside the bride and groom: Taylor Swift, the rising star and American diva, served as bridesmaid, while renowned actor and Facebook's second-largest individual shareholder, Noel Chen, appeared as best man.

According to sources, the two were originally scheduled to sing Taylor Swift's classic song "Love Story" together on the show. However, Chen Nuo suddenly canceled their performance. Instead, he sang Adele's "Someone Like You" solo, winning applause from the audience and making this change a focus of public attention.

Old feelings or old grudges?

Rumors about Chen Nuo and Taylor began circulating as early as the 2010 Oscars ceremony. At the time, Chen Nuo was hosting the event, and staff members claimed to have seen the two enter a dressing room backstage together.

Shortly after, Taylor Swift released the emotionally charged single "Back to December," and the lyric "I miss your yellow skin, your sweet smile" sparked huge controversy—especially given that she had no known romantic relationships with Asian public figures at the time.

The last-minute change to the wedding program has reignited media speculation.

“The atmosphere between them was very subtle,” an unnamed guest told reporters. “Taylor was clearly not in a good mood during rehearsals, while Chen Nuo kept his distance all night.”

Although both parties have denied the rumors, neither has publicly responded to them since the wedding. According to industry insiders, the possibility of any future collaboration between the two superstars now seems extremely slim…

At the bottom of the article in the newspaper in front of Harvey Weinstein was a color photograph. On the left was Chen Nuo, wearing a black Tom Ford suit and with a cool expression, presumably taken at a premiere. On the right was Taylor Swift in a red dress. Harvey recognized this look as her red carpet outfit from last year's American Music Awards, which the editor had also found and included here.

Bob Weinstein remained silent while he read the newspaper, but after he finished and began to examine the photo, he finally spoke up: "Today, the song 'Back to December' is back in the Billboard download top 10, all because of this wedding."

Harvey didn't speak immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the photograph, on the frighteningly young Chinese actor in it. After a moment, he slowly placed the newspaper on the table and said, "He's been in the news a lot lately."

Bob said, "Yes, right now the whole of America is bragging about his investment acumen and speculating about how much money he has, whether he's one of the richest movie stars today, because his Facebook shares are currently worth over a billion dollars."

Hearing this, Harvey chuckled and said, "Young, handsome, and so rich. Just thinking about all those bitches in Hollywood these days, probably every single one of them would want to get into his bed, makes me a little jealous of this guy."

Bob laughed and said, "Me too."

Harvey laughed and said, "Women love him, men want to be him, he's the darling of the world's media... He must be feeling great right now."

Bob laughed and said, "Of course."

"Alright. Let's get down to business." Harvey's tone changed, and he clenched his fists, crumpling yesterday's newspaper into a ball, especially the area with the photos, deliberately obscuring the faces of the man and woman.

He tossed the newspaper into the trash can at his feet and said casually, "Tell me about Venice."

……

"Our biggest competitor at this year's Venice Film Festival is this film from The Weinstein Company."

On the plane back to New York from California, Allison Graham almost couldn't wait to start talking about the upcoming Venice Film Festival. Chen Nuo had actually sensed this beforehand; after all, that was her focus lately. He admired her patience in waiting until after the wedding, on the way back to New York, to bring it up.

"Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman, from what I've heard, this film is extremely well-made, and it's exactly the kind of award-contending subject that Harvey and his team excel at. To be honest, their choice of Venice instead of Cannes this time was quite unexpected. I even have a feeling that it was specifically made for us."

Chen Nuo nodded silently.

Allison continued, "Of course, besides *The Master*, the other films in the main competition are also excellent. For example, the South Korean film *Pieta*, which I heard received the most votes from the Venice selection committee. There's also the French film *After May*, the German film *Filling the Void*, and the Austrian film *Paradise: Faith*, all works by some famous European directors. For example, Olivier Assayas, the director of *After May*, was previously married to Maggie Cheung, an actress from Hong Kong, China, and even helped her win the Best Actress award at Cannes."

“I know.” Chen Nuo nodded and said, “Maggie Cheung’s Chinese name is Zhang Manyu. She is a very famous actress in Hong Kong. I have heard who her husband is, oh, I should say her ex-husband.”

Allison nodded and said, "In short, none of our opponents at this year's Venice Film Festival are weak."

……

"...Actually, I'm 90% sure that the film he made this time is a piece of crap—and not just me, everyone's opinion is pretty much the same, it's almost certain. I've watched all of James Pritzker's previous films, and they're all garbage, nonsensical comedy shorts. To be honest, I find it hard to believe he deserves a nomination based on his own abilities. Judging from his past work, his level is at best comparable to a senior directing student at the University of Southern California..."

“But,” Harvey interrupted, “stop with the nonsense, say ‘but,’ Bob.”

Bob sighed and said, "But there's no way around it, it's still very appealing. You could even say that this 100% garbage film is currently the most anticipated film for the Venice Film Festival according to all film magazines. When it premieres, I dare say that film critics all over Europe will go to see it, and its tickets will be in high demand."

Harvey chuckled and said, "That's normal. After all, he only needs one more in Europe to be like Jack Lemmon or Sean Penn. Even I'm planning to go see it in person. Not to mention others."

Bob, however, was not as relaxed as his brother. His expression was quite serious as he said, "From the current perspective, it's really hard to say who will win between us and him. Although we have Hoffman and Joaquin, he is still the most watched one. Hoffman was once defeated by him, and he naturally has a stronger presence in the judges' eyes. As for Joaquin... although his acting skills are comparable to his, in other aspects, they are not in the same league at all."

Harvey took a puff of his cigar and said casually, "Of course, I know."

……

"Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Although there were many competitors at Venice this year, James and I ultimately agreed that our biggest rivals for the Best Actor award were Harvey Weinstein and his films. The reason is these two actors."

Alison spoke with a rare hint of seriousness in her voice.

“Speaking of which, Chen, you should be quite familiar with one of them. Philip Seymour Hoffman.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nuo couldn't help but smile, but there was no sign of relief on his face.

Yes, he certainly knows it.

Five years ago, when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," Philip Seymour Hoffman, with his superb performance in "Doubt," became his biggest competitor. It was that incident that set the stage for the feud between him and Harvey Weinstein that has lasted for years.

Although he ultimately won, in retrospect, he didn't feel his performance was significantly better than his opponent's; at best, they were neck and neck. His victory was perhaps simply a consolation prize awarded by the Academy because "The Dark Knight" won nothing at other Oscars that year.

On this point, Allison is right.

But what she didn't know was that the name Joaquin Phoenix also held deep meaning for him.

—The man who, in "future times," won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "Joker," causing a sensation on social media worldwide. Clips of his performances have been edited and circulated wildly on various platforms, making it difficult for even ordinary people who are not enthusiastic about movies to avoid his presence.

He remembered clearly that even in his past life, when he didn't like watching movies, those fragmented yet powerful performances by this person had left a deep impression on him. He even went to watch the entire movie "Joker" specifically because of this person.

It was for this reason that when he played the Joker, he turned away from Heath Ledger's madness and sought a more restrained, repressed, yet explosive way of expressing emotions.

The source of this influence is Joaquin Phoenix.

So, when fate came full circle, it brought these two people together at what was perhaps the most crucial film festival of his life, as his rivals in the quest for the Grand Slam.
Chen Nuo felt an indescribable sense of destiny.

It was like a contest meticulously orchestrated by the god of fate, and the two people locked in that hexagonal cage with him each had their own agenda.

He muttered something under his breath, but no one could hear him.

Allison continued, "...Joaquin Phoenix, who won Best Actor at Venice in 2010, is now collaborating with Philipp Seymour Hoffman, a collaboration that many critics consider a powerful partnership. With us and you added to the mix, many critics believe that this year's Venice Best Actor race is perhaps the most suspenseful in the last 20 years."

……

"Right now, in terms of pre-opening hype, no film can compare to them. The recent news about him has been absolutely crazy, and I think it's hard for the judges not to be influenced. Moreover, there's one of his own people on the jury this year, that Hong Kong director. I heard they have a very good relationship, and he even acted in one of his films. I'll definitely vote for him. That means we're already one vote behind the jury. I'm really worried."

"Haha, relax, Bob. So what if we didn't stop him this time? It's Europe, not the Oscars. Even Sean Penn is just another face in the crowd in America. Who's even heard of him? Judging from the current situation, we've already achieved our goal. Look how many people are talking about Venice now, just like we wanted when we sent 'The Clouds' to the Shanghai Film Festival. In a sense, we've already won. Besides, I think you've overlooked something."

"what?"

"Actually, it's precisely these news stories you mentioned that make me feel like we have a good chance of winning."

"Oh?"

Harvey smiled and said, “Young, rich, handsome, and very, very famous, Bob, don’t you think he’s too successful? He’s not like Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sean Penn, or Daniel Day-Lewis. He has so much more than just acting.”

He has the most social media accounts with the most followers, he is a billionaire, he is an idol for many teenagers in the United States and Europe, and his salary for a single movie is several times, or even dozens of times, that of Joaquin Phoenix and others.

If you were a jury member at the Venice Film Festival, what would you think of this kind of person?
Do you think he doesn't actually need this trophy to prove anything anymore, and perhaps it should be given to someone who needs it more?

And these continuous news reports serve as a constant reminder to our dear judges of this point.

Bob's expression slowly changed as Harvey spoke, and finally, he nodded involuntarily, smiling as he said, "You're right, Harvey. I didn't expect that. It's true."

Harvey, with his fleshy face, also smiled and said, "So, don't worry. I saw his news in the newspaper just now, and I knew he was going to lose this time."

……

"So much bad news, but I'm actually very confident." "Why? Because James bribed the judges?"

“No,” Allison said helplessly. “In fact, when I heard that you gave him this terrible idea, I really… Chen, if those three major European film festivals were really just a money game, they would probably have gone bankrupt twenty years ago. So, public relations are fine, creating public opinion is fine, you can even play the personal card, but to actually bribe them with money, NO.”

"Luckily, I stopped James, otherwise, we would be facing the biggest PR scandal in history. Especially since Harvey Weinstein is our competitor. I guarantee that the moment James approached any of the judges, Harvey would have heard the news and would have been calling all the media outlets in the world with a smile, saying, 'You bought the award.'"

Chen Nuo awkwardly touched his nose, coughed lightly, and said, "Actually, it's not my fault. I just saw what other people online were saying, that there's something fishy going on..."

Allison paused for a moment, then asked, "Online? Someone else? Who?"

"Well, some of our... netizens over there."

"Netizens? Are you kidding me? Have they been to Venice? Or Cannes?"

"...I think they must have all been there, otherwise they certainly wouldn't know these inside stories, and they wouldn't allow anyone to refute them."

"Chen, please, don't make me laugh. I'm very serious right now."

"Haha, let's lighten the mood a bit, don't be so serious. Okay, go on. If it's not about money, then what is it?"

"It's these recent news reports."

"News? I mean, don't you think this is distracting the judges?"

"Of course. In fact, the film festival is just around the corner, and these things have been appearing in the media repeatedly lately. This will inevitably draw their attention to other aspects of you. They'll think you have too many other identities, making you less pure. Then, these judges will likely scrutinize your performance in the film with a magnifying glass, exaggerating even the slightest flaw. Finally..."

"In the end, the award was given to someone else. Do you think that's a good thing?"

"Haha, no. That's not what I meant. What I meant was, what if, under their magnifying glass, they ultimately discover that you're still just a real actor? What would that be like?"

……

……

The Gulfstream G650 landed in New York at 9 p.m. on August 18.

As soon as Chen Nuo boarded the bus to the city, he received a phone call from his hometown.

"Where did you go? Why is my phone out of service?"

"Taking a plane? What's up?"

"Can't I call you for no reason?!"

"I'm busy, I'm hanging up now!"

"you……"

Old Chen was so angry he was grinding his teeth, but before he could finish speaking, Pan Chengrong's voice immediately replaced his own: "Get out of here, really, you can't even speak properly... Hey, Nuonuo."

Chen Nuo immediately changed her tone and said sweetly, "Mom~~ Why are you up so early? Didn't you go out to play cards?"

“I’ve given up playing cards,” Pan Chengrong said.

Then Chen Bicheng's voice came from the side, it seemed his phone was on speakerphone: "It's not that she quit, it's that no one plays with her anymore."

Chen Nuo asked curiously, "Why?"

Pan Chengrong said irritably, "Isn't it all because of you... I saw in the news the other day that you have a stake in that book company? It's worth billions of dollars now? Is that true?"

Chen Nuo said, "It's fake."

Pan Chengrong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I knew it! You scared me to death! How could that be!"

Chen Bicheng chimed in, "Of course not. Anyone with a brain would know that if he made that much money, would he still be making movies? To be honest, I know best what your son is capable of. From childhood to adulthood, besides deceiving young girls' feelings, his other skills are actually quite average..."

Chen Nuo interrupted, "It's not worth billions. The stock has dropped quite a bit. I think it's still worth about 17 billion today."

There was a sudden silence on the phone.

After a few seconds, Chen Bicheng asked, "17 billion? What's that in units?"

Chen Nuo said: "Vietnamese Dong!"

"You son of a bitch..."

"Chen Bicheng, get out of the way, I'm asking you a question. Are you serious? 17 billion US dollars or RMB?"

Chen Nuo said, "Dollar."

"Dollar?"

"correct."

"...How much is that?"

"If you do the math, it's probably around 10 billion. But Mom, don't get excited. This is all just paper wealth. I haven't sold any stocks. It's just money in theory, and my life hasn't changed much."

There was a silence on the other end for several seconds.

Pan Chengrong suddenly said, "You should be careful when you're out, you know? The taller the tree, the more the wind will blow. If all else fails, hire a couple more bodyguards. I'll ask your dad to find you a few more of our own people, they'll be more reliable."

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "Let's talk about it when I get back to China."

"Then you should keep a low profile while you're abroad. You can buy guns there, and if some bad guys try to talk to you, even Linghu might not be able to handle it."

"Don't worry, Mom, I understand."

"Stop rambling on," Chen Bicheng interrupted again. "He's a grown man, but he's also timid. You know that. Let's get down to business!"

"Okay, okay, don't yell!" Pan Chengrong said. "Nono, are you still using that plane you have lately?"

Chen Nuo was taken aback: "You haven't been using it for the past few days, what's wrong?"

“It’s like this…” Pan Chengrong began to get down to business.

It turned out that Choi Sulli had gone back to South Korea, and Pan Chengrong had also returned to Long'an from Beijing. Having stayed in her hometown for so long and spent so much time with her siblings, she felt a restless urge to go. Thinking that her husband and son were both successful and had plenty of money, she decided to contribute some funds to organize a 15-day trip to Europe for Chen Nuo's maternal grandparents and several other families.

My visa finally came through these past couple of days, and I was about to book my flight when I saw news online that Chen Nuo had made a fortune and was worth billions. Although I was skeptical, I suddenly had a different idea. I called to ask, and since it was true, I decided to splurge and have Chen Nuo send a G650 to pick me up.

Chen Bicheng laughed and said, "So, your mother is the real vain one."

“Yes, I am vain,” Pan Chengrong replied crisply. “When I married you, Nuonuo’s grandfather nagged me for over ten years, saying I married the wrong person and would suffer in the future. I’ve endured it all these years. Is there a problem with me being a little vain now? When Nuonuo was just born, when we went back to our hometown, people looked at us like that, made cold remarks, and said that he was unlucky, had a tragic fate, was a wanderer, and was an unfortunate person who deserved to suffer…”

"I've kept these words bottled up inside for over twenty years, it's almost driving me crazy. Now that I have the chance, I'm going to show those people what they called an unlucky kid, and look at him now. I'm vain, I admit it, but is there a problem?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, and Chen Bicheng didn't say anything either.

After a while, Chen Nuo said softly, "No problem, Mom. Just let me know when you've decided on a time, and I'll arrange a plane to pick you up."

"Okay. By the way, our last stop is Venice. I plan to bring your grandparents along to see you win an award."

"Huh?" Chen Nuo was taken aback.

"What? I read in the newspaper that it's crucial for you to win an award at Venice this time. Wouldn't it be great if our whole family went to cheer you on? If it weren't for Teacher Li having to record your program in Hengdian, I was planning to invite her along this time. What a pity."

"It's good..." Chen Nuo chuckled dryly, "but I'm afraid I won't be able to get it."

"If you can't get it, you can't get it. Treat it as a trip. Okay, I'm hanging up. Chen Bicheng, shut up!"

(End of this chapter)