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

Chapter 602 Living with Pride
Time passed by minute by minute.

Around nine o'clock, the nurse came and said that the baby's condition was very good at the moment, and she should be able to leave the intensive care unit in a couple of days. This good news eased the tense atmosphere in the ward a little.

At 9:5, George Walker went out to make a phone call, instructing the CAA's public opinion monitoring department to keep a close eye on online messages.

At 9:40, Gao Yuanyuan fell asleep.

At 10:5, the elderly couple from the Gao family were also starting to feel the strain, but they refused to rest.

At 10:16, Chen Nuo and George Walker chatted about the movie, using casual conversation to ease the agony of waiting.

At 10:23, the atmosphere of chatting about movies in the ward was broken by a sudden ringing of the phone.

Suddenly, Gao Yuanyuan woke up, and everyone's expression turned serious as they all looked at her.

Chen Nuo looked at the unfamiliar phone number, answered it, and after a couple of sentences, the person on the other end hung up.

He said to Linghu, "There's a white Toyota parked at the hospital entrance. Go to the passenger side and knock on the window twice to get the things they gave you."

Linghu accepted the order and left.

A dozen minutes later, they pushed the door open from the outside and entered.

"Did you get it?" Chen Nuo asked immediately.

Linghu handed over an iPhone.

Everyone else gathered around. Chen Nuo took it, fiddled with it for a few seconds, then looked up and asked, "Where's the password?"

Linghu answered truthfully: "He said they didn't open it either. But if they did, it must be in this phone."

Chen Nuo nodded, not pressing for the phone password, and instead asked, "How are the paparazzi doing?"

Linghu said, "I didn't ask, do I need to ask?"

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, "Never mind."

"Done!" George Walker shouted, laughing heartily. "Two hours! ...These motherfuckers' phone tapping has finally come in handy!"

Grandpa Gao chuckled and said, "In China, this kind of thing takes at most an hour. But for you Americans to finish in two hours is quite good."

Gulnazar said, "Boss, do you want to check again? What if it's not?"

George Walker laughed and said, "Nazha, since Chen has already called the White House, there can't be any problems. Otherwise, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, MTF America would have been wiped out."

Chen Nuo had initially been a little skeptical, but upon hearing this, he realized it made sense. What kind of nation is the United States if it can't even handle something this simple? Besides, they dug out and killed Bin Laden, who was hiding in some remote mountain village; how could they possibly not find a single person in Los Angeles and then try to fool him with some junk phone?

Even if we take a step back and say that Old Tang might be capable of doing something like that, Old Ma definitely wouldn't.

With this thought in mind, Chen Nuo breathed a sigh of relief, handed the phone to Allison, and said, "Find a way to crack the password."

Naza chimed in with a grin, "No need for all that trouble, boss. Leave it to me. I'll pulverize it in no time."

Chen Nuo glanced at her and said to Alison, "I think those photos are pretty good. See if there are any others, and send them to me later as a souvenir."

Alison smiled and said, "Okay, I understand."

Chen Nuo smiled at Gao Yuanyuan again and said in Chinese, "It seems you can't leave the entertainment industry now."

Gao Yuanyuan looked at him and said seriously, "Do you think it's worth it?"

Chen Nuo laughed and said, "What's so unworthy about this?" He answered crisply and decisively, as if he had done something insignificant.

Grandpa Gao walked over, patted Chen Nuo on the shoulder, and said with deep emotion, "A friend in need is a friend indeed. Little Chen, Yuanyuan really didn't misjudge you."

This was a difficult question to answer, so Chen Nuo gave a shy smile and remained silent.

George Walker then said, "Chen, I know you might want to stay here a little longer, but there will be more and more people soon, so I think it's time for you to leave."

Chen Nuo frowned.

“Yes, Xiao Chen, Mr. Walker is right. Your identity is different; it would be terrible if you were recognized. You should go and do your thing. We'll take care of Yuanyuan.” Old Master Gao said kindly. He was completely different from his cold and indifferent demeanor at the beginning.

Next, Gao Yuanyuan's mother also came to comfort her, saying, "The child is fine now, don't worry, Xiao Chen."

Chen Nuo turned his gaze to Gao Yuanyuan.

Gao Yuanyuan smiled slightly and gave him a big smile, "Go ahead."

Seeing the woman's eyes radiating a joy as if spring flowers were in full bloom, Chen Nuo sensed her happiness and felt that all the trouble he had gone through was worthwhile.

"So I'm really leaving?"

"Ah."

Chen Nuo didn't care about the crowd. He lowered his head and kissed Gao Yuanyuan on the forehead, then turned around and said, "Uncle and Aunt, I will contact the best postpartum care center in LA. I'll be troubling you to take care of Yuanyuan from now on."

"Of course, of course," the elderly couple replied with smiles.

Finally, they agreed to return to China together after he finished filming. Only then, under the cover of a large entourage, did Chen Nuo leave the hospital with his head down, wearing a hat and mask, looking rather suspicious. If the FBI were there, they might have given him a good whack with a gun butt.

On his way to the airport, he suddenly remembered the matter of naming his child.

Having gone through so much, he was filled with emotion and gratitude for someone's help in getting through this difficult time. He took out his phone and sent a text message to Gao Yuanyuan: "How about we name him Chen Ao? What do you think? It's quite memorable, don't you think?"

After waiting for a long time, Gao Yuanyuan still didn't reply.

He awkwardly put his phone away.

I told you not to ask him to fetch it! Honestly! I finally came up with something, and now he's ignoring me!

However, when his plane landed in New Orleans, he received a reply from Gao Yuanyuan.

"Let's name her Chen Ao. I hope she can live a proud life."

Chen Nuo considered it for a moment and replied, "Okay."

……

After a 4-hour flight, G650 landed in Louisiana at 4 p.m. The film crew hadn't finished get off work yet, so Chen Nuo called the car that was picking him up to take him directly to the studio.

When he tiptoed into the film set, he saw that a scene featuring Haruka Ayase was being filmed.

In the movie, Sean used the jade pendant given to him by Hong Tianjiao to gain the trust of slave owner Calvin Candy. Calvin was enamored with the jade pendant, so he invited Sean to his "Candy Manor" and offered a deal: Sean could choose an Eastern maid from among the manor's maids in exchange for the jade pendant.

When Sean arrived at the manor...

Haruka Ayase plays Hong Tianjiao, who receives orders from the housekeeper to serve a guest. Hong Tianjiao is immediately filled with humiliation and anger at being treated as an object to be exchanged. Although she agrees on the surface, she secretly hides a dinner knife in her sleeve.

As usual, Quentin stood next to the camera, while a dozen or twenty people, including the lighting, sound, cameraman in charge of the shots, script supervisor, and prop manager, crammed into the studio.

Chen Nuo did not approach, but stopped next to the sound engineer.

After watching for a few seconds, Quentin said, "Cut. One more time. Ayase, you acted well, but I want you to be more expressive, to fully express Hong's anger and humiliation. I want to see the fire in your eyes, understand?"

"Okay, director."

"OK, take a two-minute break."

After Quentin finished speaking, someone whispered a few words in his ear. He was startled, turned around, and saw Chen Nuo smiling at him.

……

"Isn't it supposed to be two days?"

"Well, things went smoothly, so I came back early. Tonight, I'll treat you and Leo to a drink to relax. I know a great place around here. It should be just what you and Leo like."

Quentin chuckled in surprise, “My God, what did I just hear? You, the famous Hollywood alcohol allergy sufferer, the guy who acted like a drunkard after just two glasses of champagne at the Golden Globes, are actually buying drinks for people? Looks like everything’s really going smoothly. Hahaha. Congratulations, how’s it feeling to be a father?”

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "It feels pretty good. I suggest you try it too."

A hint of bitterness flashed in Quentin's eyes as he smiled and said, "One day, I will." He then patted Chen Nuo on the shoulder and said, "Okay, go call Leo first. He should be at the hotel now. Wait for me for half an hour. We should be done filming in half an hour."

"OK." Chen Nuo nodded, then glanced at Ayase Haruka, who was deep in thought and gathering her emotions. "How did she perform?"

Quentin glanced back, then turned back, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "You taught well."

……

……

In a dimly lit place filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol, deafening music played as scantily clad strippers with wigs writhed on stage.

The decor here remains unchanged, just as it was when Chen Nuo visited a few years ago—the walls are adorned with vibrant oil paintings and metal ornaments, and red lanterns hang from the ceiling.

However, the dancer on stage now is no longer Charlize Theron, who once drove the entire audience wild.

Inside the VIP room on the second floor, Quentin stood by the railing, watched the energetic dance on stage for a while, then shook his head, smiled, and walked back, marveling at it:
"Chen, I really didn't expect you to come to a place like this."

Leonardo DiCaprio, lounging on the sofa, chuckled at the comment: "Wow, looks like you were fooled by his looks too. Believe me, this guy at my party—"

"Shut up!" Chen Nuo interrupted him impatiently. "What do you want to drink? Tell me!"

He turned his head and said, "Lewis, give me a glass of soda."

“Yes, Mr. Chen.” A bald black bar manager immediately nodded respectfully in agreement.

"I'll have a few beers," Leonardo DiCaprio said lazily. "I have to film tomorrow." "Me too," Quentin replied.

Clearly, a few bottles of beer and a glass of soda were far from the minimum spend required for a private room on the second floor of this upscale New Orleans strip club. Normally, if anyone dared to order such paltry items after he'd spent so much time forcing smiles, Lewis would have called security and thrown that pretentious pauper out.

But now, the smile on his face is probably more enthusiastic than when he meets the Queen of England.

"Okay, you three, I'll make the arrangements right away. Please wait a moment."

Chen Nuo said, "Lewis, don't let anyone bother us."

"Understood, Mr. Chen."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Distinguished guests, please wait a moment."

After saying that, Lewis turned around, walked out, and quietly closed the door behind him.

At that moment, a dozen or so brightly dressed, sexy women immediately surrounded him in the corridor.

"Lewis, is that Leo? OMG, I heard he's here! Tell him I danced with him at a party in LA last year!"

"Is Nuo Chen inside too, Lewis? May I go in and offer him a drink?"

"And me, Lewis, I'm a huge fan of Chen! Let me in and say hello to Chen, just for five minutes, okay?"

"Lewis. Look at my feet, they're sure to make Quentin Tarantino relax and have a good time."

"Alright, all of you shut up." Lewis said sternly. "They have no needs right now. If the opportunity arises, I will call you. Now get out of here and don't disturb our distinguished guests."

He was known for his authority in the club, and after he said that, the group of women, though unwilling, dispersed.

Looking at the women's backs, Lewis understood perfectly why they behaved that way.

Everyone knows they're filming in New Orleans, but who would have thought they'd actually come over for drinks together today!?

An hour ago, when he received a call informing him that these three people were coming to Red Lantern, he reacted much like they did. Even now, more than ten minutes after they were brought in through the back door, he was still excited.

He was confident that as long as the news of these people coming to "Red Lantern" for entertainment and drinks spread, their club would become the undisputed number one club in New Orleans!

The big problem now is to make them feel at home; otherwise, the boss will definitely throw him into the sea to feed the fish.

Thinking of this, Lewis didn't dare to delay for a moment and hurriedly made the arrangements.

……

"...I came here when we were filming 'DROP,' and Charlize even worked here as a dancer for a while to get into character."

Wow, really?

"Yes."

"She must be very angry that she didn't even get an Oscar nomination last year after all the effort she put in."

"Haha, I think so."

"I heard that the new movie she's filming in Africa is the sequel to Mad Max, and director George Miller shot a total of 370 hours of footage."

"OMG, how long will their post-production take?"

"Who knows? If it were me, I'd guess it would take two years. Haha. I think the production company would go crazy."

"Haha."

"By the way, are you really confident that you can finish editing the movie in two months? I think we have quite a bit of content. When I read the script, I was quite intimidated."

"If I told you now that I could do it 100%, I would be lying. But I will do my best."

"Actually, I don't care whether it can be released this year or not."

"Haha."

"Honestly, I don't think it's a big deal if it's released next year."

"Me too, so relax, Quentin. Maintaining the quality of the film is the most important thing."

"Don't follow my example, Chen. You're different. You're the male lead in this movie; you could win the Best Actor award."

"Do you think that's possible? Best Actor? Based on that iron mask I wear for half the movie? Do you think you'd vote for an Oscar judge who can't be seen in a mask for 60 minutes?"

"Hahahahaha—okay, you're right."

"So being nominated is already pretty good. A third Oscar nomination for Best Actor sounds pretty great. Leo, how many times have you been nominated?"

"Alright, Chen, stop bragging. You know I've only been shortlisted twice. Let's talk when you get shortlisted."

"Ha ha……"

dong dong dong.

A sudden knock on the door interrupted the conversation of the people inside.

"Come in," Chen Nuo said.

Lewis pushed open the door, followed by a waiter. The two carefully placed the beer and soda they had brought in front of the group, opened the beer bottles, and then Lewis politely said, "The drinks are ready, so I'll head out now. If you need anything, just call me; I'll be right outside the door."

"OK, thanks."

Chen Nuo said, then took out several $100 bills from his pocket and handed them over.

Lewis accepted it readily, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Chen." Then, he bowed and quietly closed the door behind him.

The private room fell silent again.

Chen Nuo picked up the soda water, his expression becoming more composed, and his tone became serious, "Leo, thank you so much this time. You've helped me a lot. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know. I appreciate it."

Little Li smiled, raised his beer bottle and lightly clinked it against his: "Don't worry, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Chen Nuo then turned to Quentin: "And you, director, thank you for letting me take leave."

Quentin laughed and said, "What nonsense are you talking about! Chen, that's one of the most important moments of your life, how could I possibly stop you? On the contrary, I should be the one apologizing to you—I know you really want to win an Oscar, but the script made you wear a mask, and I really feel bad about that."

Chen Nuo shook his head: "No, Quentin. I made this movie not for the Oscars."

"really?"

"Yes. Really not. It would be great if we could win an award, but if we can't, it's fine. Actually, I don't care what you ask me to do, whether you ask me to wear a mask or whatever. If this movie can attract more people to the cinema and be seen by more people, then I will do it."

"That gave me the creeps," Leonardo DiCaprio chuckled. "Is there some particular reason...?"

Chen Nuo picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said, "I just feel that what happened on this land deserves to be remembered by more people."

Little Li nodded and said, "I understand, I agree with your opinion."

Quentin laughed. "Looks like our movie is aiming for a blockbuster?"

Chen Nuo smiled and said, "You could say that, Leo, what do you think?"

Leonardo DiCaprio shrugged and said, "I have no objection."

"Haha, great! Our goal is to make the highest-grossing Western of all time! Cheers!" Quentin exclaimed excitedly.

"Cheers." "Cheers."

The three of them raised what they were holding, tapped it in the air, and then each tilted their heads back and took a few sips.

"But how much does the highest-grossing Western cost?"

"I don't know, but I'd estimate a few hundred million dollars."

"Isn't that a bit too small a target?"

Quentin laughed, "Wow, no wonder he's the highest-grossing actor of all time. So how about this goal? Take down Murdoch and let 20th Century Fox fucking die."

"Hahahahaha."

Chen Nuo and Quentin laughed together for a while, then suddenly noticed Leonardo DiCaprio frowning and deep in thought.

“…Leo?” He couldn’t help but give Leonardo DiCaprio a nudge. “What are you thinking about?”

"Hmm—" Little Li frowned and looked thoughtful, then looked up seriously and said, "I'm thinking, just drinking like this is too boring, should we call a couple of girls?"

"...Damn it, I knew it. But let's skip it today. I'll take you to play K-sports another time."

What is "商k"?

"Haha, you don't know Shang K? Let me tell you... It's super famous in Japan..."

Ps:

Damn it, I fell asleep while writing yesterday.

I'm asking for your monthly votes, guys.

(End of this chapter)