America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Reflecting on it now, Kate Blanchett also had a feeling that ever since the "Heath Ledger's toxic driving scandal" began, she always encountered some inexplicable troubles, and even her career became less smooth.

Progressing to the present, under the stimulation of one frustrating incident after another, being purposefully led by others, she made the most foolish decisions in her rage.

Looking back on the reasons, Blanchett now had a completely different idea. She, like Bale, not only stood beside Heath Ledger during the toxic driving scandal but also used her own status and influence to pressure Martin, who at the time obviously had a lower status than them.

A famous saying from the American-elected Great Commander goes, "If you're not with me, you're against me."

She had always been against Martin.

Americans...

Blanchett felt helpless and thought about the two countries; isn't Australia just a dog for the Americans?

Quily said, "If you can't beat them, it's not shameful to seek peace proactively."

Blanchett asked, "Doesn't CAA think of a solution for me?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to discuss. That call I got when you walked in, came from Bryan Lord," Quily spoke bluntly. "Martin's contract with WMA is about to expire and Bryan is in touch with Martin's agent, Thomas Ryan, trying to get them to CAA."

Blanchett felt what Aniston felt back in the day, "So, for the sake of the newcomer, I, a somewhat washed-up old timer, have to be the one to give ground."

She suddenly laughed, "At that time, we used a similar approach to pressure Aniston. CAA has never changed."

Quily was clear-headed, "Our current situation is far from Aniston's. Your commercial appeal is too weak, without taking the route of artistry seeking awards, there's no room for development."

Blanchett had already come to terms with reality upon arriving and said, "I have already publicly bowed to Nicholson. Bending to Martin Davis too isn't unacceptable."

Once you make the first concession, the second step, the third, and so on, all become acceptable.

As the crew wrapped up, people started to come out, among them Blanchett saw Martin. She waited for him to part ways with that girl and then approached him proactively.

"Can we talk alone?"

"Wait a while," Martin gestured to his own face, "I need to remove my makeup first, these stick-ons are too uncomfortable."

Blanchett nodded slightly and patiently stepped aside to wait.

As the crew was about to leave, the trailer's door opened and Bruce came out first, making several phone calls in succession.

Following that, Martin came out, waved at Blanchett, and climbed up on the roof of the trailer.

He wouldn't be alone with Blanchett in a confined space, but rather gave Blanchett a chance to see how far she could go.

Blanchett followed him up.

Standing high, looking towards the western sky, the sun about to dip below the horizon painted a vast expanse of clouds red.

Regardless of how Martin interpreted it, Blanchett went straight to the point, "All the grudges between us started that afternoon in New York when Heath Ledger, after taking drugs, almost hit you and Aniston. Out of friendship and the stance of the Australian circle, I sided with Ledger, pressuring you, Aniston, and the talent agency..."

Martin didn't join the conversation but instead walked a few steps forward, slightly closer to the edge of the trailer.

Blanchett also moved forward and, after recounting some past events, emphasized, "There are many rumors in the Hollywood circle about the Trio of Scoundrels, all saying it's orchestrated and formed by Nicholson. It's not actually the case, right? The conflict between you and Nicholson about Joker is also false, isn't it?"

Martin neither confirmed nor denied, "You've been thinking a lot lately."

"Yes, I've thought about a lot of things, made sense of a lot." Blanchett appeared genuine, as personal pain seemed to bring clarity, "This was never an issue between you and me. I foolishly inserted myself into it, pointlessly. I'm an actress seeking the art of cinema; I aspire to be an artist, not a tool of the circle and conflicts of interest.

There's no personal conflict between us, nor any conflict of film roles, it's just that an accidental incident made us take opposing stands, which led to a series of errors on my part, causing you much trouble."

Martin was a bit surprised, but soon wasn't, knowing the painful discomfort the 'old white male gate' incident with Nicholson truly cost Blanchett.

Blanchett turned towards Martin, bowed deeply, her head almost reaching Martin's waist, "I am truly sorry for this. I'm not begging for your forgiveness, but from this moment on, I will no longer stand against you."

Martin watched Blanchett; she was not Leonardo, who could discern between acting or not from the slightest frown or glare.

He glanced below the trailer and spoke indifferently, "I too hope that our relationship will be nothing more than that of ordinary colleagues."

"I believe it will be," Blanchett said without any further gestures, finished her apology, turned around, came down from the trailer, glanced at Bruce standing with arms crossed, and left the area.

Once she was far enough away, Silsa Ronan appeared with her camera from behind another vehicle, "What good are these? Can they be sold to the media for money?"

Bruce took the camera, removed the memory card and secured it, "I'll buy you a new one later."

He held leverage over Silsa, pinpointing the young girl's vulnerability and said, "If it wasn't too late, I wouldn't have had to ask you to come."

Silsa was confused.

Martin climbed down from the trailer, handed Bruce the audio recorder, and said to Silsa, "Remember this lesson, if you want to survive as a good person, you first need to learn how to protect yourself."

The recent filming satisfied Silsa's curiosity, and Martin's words ignited her thirst for knowledge.

After thinking for a while, Silsa said, "You didn't talk to her inside the trailer because you were worried she might exploit her femininity to malign you or something?"

Martin just looked at her.

"Old Cloth asked me to come over to film again, which normally wouldn't be necessary... no, that's not right. Why did you choose to be on the top of the trailer? Because you want to watch the Michaud Equipment Factory?" Silsa said.

"Do you think everyone is like you, with holes in their head?" Martin assumed the posture of a teacher and scolded her first.

Silsa shrank her neck, "I can't figure it out."

"I wanted to create an opportunity for her, and also see her courage and ethical boundaries." He pointed to the top of the trailer, "There are only two people up there. If her boundaries are low enough, her courage big enough, and she's ruthless enough with herself, she could jump down and then say I pushed her."

Silsa looked at the camera in her hands that had its memory card removed, "So, we have to record everything?"

In fact, Bruce spoke nicely, but it was not only Silsa who was really filming.

Silsa understood, "If she slanders us, we then release the video amid the media frenzy and deliver a fatal blow to her."

Martin didn't answer but got a bag and a cellphone from inside the trailer, "Let's go, back to the hotel."

Silsa hurried after him, glancing at Martin and Bruce, thinking thankfully she heeded Leonardo's threats and kept her mouth tightly shut, otherwise...

What kind of people are the teacher and Old Cloth!

If Kate Blanchett really harbored any ulterior motives, she would definitely be played by the teacher!

Silsa suddenly realized; the teacher said the first thing was to teach her the true essence of photography. Was this the true essence of photography? All her previous random snapping with a camera made her look like a stupid peeping tom!

Upon reaching the production team's parking lot, Silsa got into her mother's car, waved goodbye to the crew, and left the production studio first.

Bruce started the car and waited for Martin to get into the passenger seat before asking, "Aren't you afraid of leading people astray with this kind of teaching?"

"This is teaching the idiot how to protect herself," Martin fastened his seatbelt, "Old Cloth, don't you find it really interesting to teach students as a teacher?"

Bruce drove out of the studio gate, "I thought your greatest pleasure was stealing someone else's girlfriend or wife."

"Don't slander people like Leonardo," Martin insisted, "The joy of teaching students as a teacher is different from other kinds."

Bruce didn't want to discuss it further, lest he be influenced and become even more perverted. He changed the subject, "Did Blanchett make peace with you?"

"She apologized to me on her own initiative, conveying that she wouldn't stand opposed to us in the future. I told her that we would just have a very ordinary professional relationship from now on," Martin said.

The more Bruce knew Martin, the more he understood what he meant, "If Blanchett really does as she says, then she is simply a colleague with whom we are casually acquainted. Otherwise, she is a colleague with whom we are in fierce competition?"

Martin gave a thumbs-up, "Old Cloth, you would score full marks for reading comprehension!"

Arriving at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel where the production team was staying, Martin just entered the lobby when he saw the people sitting at the resting area.

Leonardo and Nicholson had come unannounced and were chatting with Tilda Swinton.

Elizabeth Olsen, dressed in a beige sweater and sky-blue jeans, walked over quickly and gave Martin a warm kiss.

Martin embraced her without concern and kissed her back.

In this respect, his reputation was already well known.

"How come you suddenly showed up?" Martin asked.

Elizabeth glanced at Bar Refaeli, who was also sitting in the resting area, "I heard Bar say they were coming to visit the set together, so I hitched a ride on Leo's private jet."

As the two started to make their way over, Silsa Ronan came from behind and asked, "Teacher, is the Cola Saintess your girlfriend?"

"The Cola Saintess? Me?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"You don't know." Silsa thought about putting away the camera that she had used to sneak photos, "After you shot the commercial with Martin, many on the internet started calling you the Cola Saintess."

Remembering that Martin was the Sect Hierarch of the Cola Cult, Elizabeth smiled sweeter than cola, "I like this nickname."

Only then she remembered, "And you are?"

"Silsa Ronan, Martin's student." Silsa, with a humble demeanor, hid her intense curiosity.

Elizabeth now knew who she was, "I'm Elizabeth Olsen, playing the same role as you."

Martin, seeing Silsa's eagerness, decided to give his new student a bit of the teacher's nurturing care and called out to them, "They're waiting for us." Explore more at empire

Impressed with Silsa and considering that their ages were not far apart, Elizabeth offered, "Let me introduce you to a few friends."

Silsa saw Leonardo and Nicholson and thought to herself that she didn't need an introduction to recognize them.

But she couldn't refuse and had to follow along.

They greeted each other and Tilda Swinton was the first to leave.

Leonardo, that scoundrel, of course, hadn't forgotten Silsa. He grinned and said, "Hey, kid, you did a good job keeping your mouth shut, no need to silence you for now!"