America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

On one side of the red carpet, Martin was swiftly signing autographs on posters handed to him, with Rachel's fan team well-prepared, even bringing out western-themed posters featuring the Sect Hierarch and Holy Maiden to hand to Elizabeth for her signature.

Elizabeth felt very much involved and laughed sweetly, her joy reaching people's hearts.

Security came over to hurry them along, and Martin extended his hand as Bruce pulled out two cans of Coca-Cola from the side and handed them to him.

Martin gave one to Elizabeth and, after opening it, raised a toast to the gathered area of the Cola Cult.

Elizabeth quickly followed suit, shouting loudly, "Cola Cult Forever!"

Hundreds of fans in red T-shirts simultaneously raised their Cokes and chanted in unison, "Cola Cult Forever!"

Their voices thundered, overshadowing everyone else.

Martin and Elizabeth took a sip of their Cokes and handed the rest back to Bruce, then linked arms and returned to the red carpet.

Elizabeth was excited, her fair cheeks flushed with enthusiasm, and she said, "Not bad as a Holy Maiden, right?"

Martin gave her a thumbs-up, "Really great."

Elizabeth suddenly asked, "How many Holy Maidens does the Cola Cult have?"

Martin was quite forthright, saying casually, "Strictly speaking, just two."

One was Elena, and the other was Elizabeth.

Elizabeth didn't say anything more and followed Martin to the interview area, where Regis Philbin, who was hosting the ceremony, came right up to them.

"Is this your girlfriend, Martin?" he asked.

Martin lifted the hand he was holding Elizabeth's with, "Obviously."

Philbin said with a smile, "You guys are a perfect match."

Elizabeth replied, "Thank you."

Philbin still asked Martin, "Confident about taking home the Best Actor Oscar today?"

"I certainly want to take it home, so much so that I'd willingly age ten years for it," Martin half-joked about the importance he placed on the Oscar, then humbly added, "All the nominees are my seniors, each with exceptional acting skills. To be listed alongside them is already an immense honor."

Seeing the time was about right, Philbin said, "Wish you an early Oscar win."

Martin pulled Elizabeth with him into the Kodak Theatre.

From a distance, he saw Daniel Day-Lewis and Scott Rudin.

The latter was also an Oscar marketing master, having been responsible for half of the Weinstein Brothers' glorious Oscar records before 2003.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But he eventually broke with the Weinstein Brothers and became the new helmsman of Mila Max after the Weinstein's were kicked out by Disney.

This year's hottest Oscar contenders, "No Country for Old Men", and "There Will Be Blood", both had Rudin as the lead producer.

Martin and Elizabeth directly entered the hall and quickly found The Reader's crew's seats.

Kate and her husband Sam Mendes had already arrived.

Leo was seated in the same row as them.

The latter had greeted Elizabeth and deliberately taunted Martin, "Good evening, the second runner."

Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had carefully learned about the people around Martin, and apart from Old Cloth, Mene, and Thomas, the closest to Martin seemed to be Leo and Nicholson.

Martin retorted without hesitation, "I don't talk to men who run 100 meters in 11... ah, no, 15 seconds now."

Leo flipped Martin the bird, "Go ahead, mock me, your destiny as a runner-up is just beginning."

Martin nodded, "Not like you, who's been running-up for ten years with no end in sight."

Elizabeth, feeling helpless, asked Kate on the right, "Are they always like this?"

"What else would you call the Trio of Scoundrels?" Kate couldn't be bothered with the two idiots.

Nicholson then came over, arms wide as if he was the king of the world, "The true Oscar king has arrived!"

Martin immediately turned his weapon, "This guy's lost his mind."

Leo agreed, "Going crazy after getting an Oscar."

Nicholson laughed, "I have three Oscars, you two combined..." He curled a finger to form a big circle, nearly imprinting it on Martin and Leo's faces, "zero Oscars!"

Martin and Leo were speechless, dealt a heavy blow.

This was the Oscar ceremony, where the little gold men ruled supreme.

Worried that Martin might be affected, Elizabeth leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I have confidence in you, I believe you'll soon get your Oscar statue."

Seeing the sweet smile on her face, Martin's spirit, dampened by the old scoundrel's jab, instantly healed, and he gently patted Elizabeth's hand, "I'll get it before Leo does."

Just then, four people arrived in the row behind them, Harvey and his wife Georgina, along with the Affleck brothers.

Georgina tapped Martin's seat and, as he turned around, greeted him and everyone else such as Kate.

Harvey shook hands with Martin, saying, "I didn't expect you to get the Best Actor nomination so soon."

This meant that the hope he had of luring Martin with his methods was of little use.

When it came to the commercial appeal of movies, Weinstein Films couldn't catch up with Martin, even if it was to chase after him.

Martin smiled and said, "I'm just a bit lucky."

Harvey emphatically introduced the people next to him, Ben Affleck and Cassie Affleck, and said, "Ben is now a director; if you have a suitable project, you could collaborate."

He then turned and started talking to Sam Mendes.

Because of his close friend Matt Damon, Big Ben had a very poor impression of Martin and spoke with emotion, "A small-time director like me can't afford a big star like you, Martin."

The words sounded like a compliment, but as a famous contender in the world of passive-aggressiveness, Martin could hear the hidden meaning and snapped back, "If the project is right and the pay meets my demands, I'll consider it."

Cassie Affleck, who had a thick beard, was displeased, "When Ben was pulling down a superstar's salary, you didn't even know where you were."

"Is that so?" Leo, who never shied away from trouble, especially when it wasn't big enough, retorted, "It seems none of us are quite up to scratch."

Nicholson, seeing the fun unfold before him, wouldn't miss out, and as the boss of the Trio of Scoundrels, he was always ready to stir things up and trade on his seniority, "You Foot Clan guy, whose little squirt are you?"

Facing the unflappable Nicholson, even Harvey would be vexed.

Big Ben quickly explained, "We meant no disrespect, and certainly had no other intention."

Martin glanced at Cassie, "Stop stirring the pot; the Face Gang and the Foot Clan are like well water and river water, unrelated to each other."

Cassie's face darkened, and he said no more.

Upon hearing the exchange, Harvey wrapped up his conversation with Sam Mendes, turned around, and said, "What Face Gang and Foot Clan? We're all friends in the industry."

Georgina glanced over there and shook her head to herself.

Indeed, she was not fond of several people around Harvey, especially Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

How could the things Harvey did be completely hidden from her? Her service brand needed celebrity endorsements, so she could only bide her time without acting.

Georgina had heard the rumors that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had always been accomplices to their husband.

The key members of the Face Gang returned to their seats.

Harvey and the Affleck brothers also sat down.

Only Kate and Georgina were left, whispering across the seat to each other.

Harvey glanced at Martin, who was sitting in the row ahead, but didn't hastily bring up the invitation.

At the Oscars, Martin had already secured a nomination for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor.

Business-wise, Weinstein Films couldn't compare to Louise Mel's Pacific Pictures in recent years.

Trying to throw his weight around wouldn't work as Martin was a member of the Trio of Scoundrels, with the fierce Nicholson standing behind them.

Harvey felt a headache coming on. This was troublesome.

The disheartened Cassie Affleck sitting next to him whispered, "They look down on us brothers."

Big Ben was silent for a while, "We haven't been doing well these past few years."

Cassie said, "Your directorial debut 'Gone Baby Gone' was critically acclaimed. As long as you find the right script and project, you're sure to make a comeback."

Big Ben nodded. He had hit a dead end in his acting career, failing to make a comeback, so he turned to directing, and his first film was a success.

Cassie glanced at Harvey, who wasn't paying attention to them, and said, "We, including Matt, have done so much for Harvey, he owes it to us to support us."

"He's working on it," Big Ben said, looking at the trio in the front row and emphasizing, "We have no direct conflict of interest with the Trio of Scoundrels, so don't provoke them."

Cassie nodded, his eyes sweeping over the trio, Nicholson and Leo were both out of his league.

In the front row, Elizabeth asked, "Do you have a beef with them?"

Martin briefly explained, "There have been a few clashes between the Face Gang and the Foot Clan."

Then, he explained the origins of the Face Gang and Foot Clan to her.

Elizabeth, with her beautiful eyes, said, "I can also help you 'wash your face.'"

Before Martin could reply, Leo on the other side pulled at him, "It seems the Foot Clan wants to challenge us."

Nicholson asked, "Shall we take them on?"

A day without causing trouble was uncomfortable for him.

After pondering, Martin said, "The timing isn't right, they have the Weinstein Brothers backing them, let's not act rashly."

Nicholson added, "That glum-looking kid is not up to any good; you two be careful." He mused, "The Face Gang against the Foot Clan, I need to think of a way."

Elizabeth heard it all and suddenly found Martin's life to be very colorful.

In another row, the 'Atonement' crew's Silsa Ronan took out her phone and sent a text, "Teacher, look to your left."

Martin took out his vibrating phone, glanced at it, and looked to his left.

Silsa Ronan was waving at him, then sent another text, "It looks like you had some unpleasantness with those scoundrels in the back; want me to secretly film them?"

Martin made a lowering gesture with his hand towards her.

Silsa settled down, not texting anymore.

Elizabeth saw her too; they had crossed paths on the 'Benjamin' crew, and couldn't help saying, "Silsa actually got a nomination for Best Supporting Actress."

Martin pointed to the stage, and Elizabeth didn't say any more.

The music started up, lights shone on the stage, and the award ceremony began.

Even the perennial runner-up Leo became serious.