America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Martin had been considering the trip to Ukraine for a while and decided to go through the proper official channels.

In the latter half of the year, there was an official cultural exchange group in Washington preparing to join forces with Hollywood and pay a visit. They were looking for a few star personas, and even the White House had been in touch with him before.

Martin arranged to go there with an official identity.

He made a call to Thomas to get him to liaise with the Washington side.

After a brief holiday, Martin joined the "Thieves of the City" film crew and, along with other main creators, started the film's global promotion tour.

Although the film's overall investment wasn't large, and it was an R-rated movie, the response from media and theater managers was very good at the two screenings hosted by Disney Studios.

The film crew and Disney Studios adopted a fairly standard marketing approach.

As with many films starring Leonardo, given Martin's current fame and drawing power, maintaining a high-intensity, large-scale standard marketing strategy would naturally attract hordes of movie fans.

But this summer's most anticipated film wasn't Martin's "Thieves of the City," but "Fast & Furious 6."

Over the past month, numerous tributes to Vin Diesel had emerged.

With Paul Walker leading the cast, they all became Vin Diesel's family, talking about the time spent with Vin Diesel during interviews and various events, tearing up with emotion.

Vin Diesel's star status and influence were much greater than Paul Walker's.

No matter how many negative rumors there were about him during his life, as "See You Again" played, they all disappeared.

The media and the public are exceptionally forgiving towards those who have passed away.

Just as Heath Ledger was in Martin's previous life.

Although "The Dark Knight Rises" paid tribute to Vin Diesel, the activities initiated by the "Fast & Furious 6" cast in the name of family had a greater impact.

The film even touted the tagline "A final farewell to Vin Diesel."

A deceased star was much more useful at this point than one who was alive.

Riding on the heat ignited by Vin Diesel, "Fast & Furious 6" kicked off the 2013 North American summer box office, raking in 135 million US Dollars in North America alone over the opening weekend.

The global box office for the first weekend was an explosive 320 million US Dollars.

This performance was so explosive that many film company executives turned their eyes to the lead actors in their films.

They might have been praying for a car accident, a plane crash or to do something sensational for America's good if nothing else worked; even dying from drug use was not unacceptable.

After the release of the film's first-weekend box office numbers, Universal Pictures announced the initiation of "Fast & Furious 7."

The scene from Martin's previous life was bound to repeat itself, where every new release in the series would drag out Vin Diesel for a commemoration.

Compared to the half-year groundwork laid by Universal Pictures for "Fast & Furious 6," the upcoming "Thieves of the City" seemed to have a weaker momentum.

Midweek, Disney Studios held a premiere for the film at the Boston Opera House.

As a film with strong regional characteristics, the premiere took place in Boston, where the story unfolds.

On the red carpet, thousands of Cola Cult followers raised their cans of Cola to drink with Martin.

They chanted in unison, "Eternal Cola Cult! Eternal Cola Cult Leader!"

Martin took a few sips of Cola, handed the can over to Bruce, and briskly walked up the broad steps of the Opera House, finding monsters and demons standing inside the media area.

Drag queens, effeminate guys, females dressed as males, and a lesbian couple holding hands.

As soon as these people saw Martin, they came up to show their Cola Cult membership badges, saying, "Martin, we are your followers."

Martin smiled and shook hands with each of them, never revealing half of the thoughts he had inside, but still warmly said, "Thank you all for your support, your support is the biggest motivation for my work!"

Without asking, Martin knew this was definitely something Disney had orchestrated.

With the equality movement being so heated recently and Disney being a pioneer in this field, inviting representatives of various communities to the premiere was also for promotional marketing.

At that moment, the event host came over and asked, "Martin, do you have anything to say to them?"

Martin thought to himself that this was a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy; without the mess that had occurred in New York, he wouldn't be facing these people now.

The five individuals looked at Martin with eager eyes.

Especially the drag queen and the tomboy, who seemed to carry something other than admiration and affection in their looks.

Martin was a professional actor, his acting skills came naturally, and his skin had become thick as any politician's in Washington, tossed into hell long ago.

At this moment, what did he need his face for? He spoke loudly, "Guys, I know you must have faced criticism and suffered unfair treatment. Getting to where you are today was especially hard."

The five nodded in agreement.

Martin continued, "Each person is unique, with their own talents and worth. Following your heart, living a good life, and realizing your value is what's most important. Life always has its share of shadows, but..."

He hugged each person and then raised his voice: "but every one of us has the right to stand in the sunshine, shining bright!"

Applause broke out around him.

The five individuals came over one by one to express their thanks to Martin.

"Thank you for your encouragement, Martin, I will always support you!"

"You will always be our friend!"

"Martin, you're the epitome of a celebrity!"

"You've given us the courage to stand in the sunlight!"

Going all out for the act, Martin walked into the midst of the five people, linking arms to face the media reporters for a group photo.

The flashes lit up the area.

Various movements were on the rise at the moment, and these could become excellent promotional material.

Martin was well aware that behind these movements were a mix of commercial interests, political demands, class conflicts, and various other games, all manipulated by countless hands.

Not to mention him alone, even pulling in the Trio of Scoundrels was like trying to stop a car with your arms outstretched.

Exiting the media area, Martin walked towards the entrance of the theater.

Bruce followed behind and said, "I was worried for a moment there that you might explode on the spot."

"Don't worry, all this is just trivial stuff," Martin replied in a lower voice as he walked. "None of these people claimed to be rice cookers or shopping bags, otherwise, it'd be even harder to handle."

He asked, "Old Cloth, how do you praise someone whose gender is a rice cooker or a shopping bag?"

Bruce, despite having dealt with countless crap and crappy people, even the English blokes from Congo, couldn't think of a suitable way to handle it.

It was tough, oh so tough!

Bruce sighed, "These people should all be sent to the military, to Iraq or Afghanistan."

Martin said, "America's military turning into one composed of ten different genders? Maybe in a few years, it'll be hundreds."

Bruce felt completely out of his depth and thought he was living in a magical era.

Martin entered the front hall of the opera house.

Catherine Daddario immediately spotted him and hurried over to say hello, "Hi, Martin."

"It's been a while, Catherine," Martin said, giving her a once-over.

Catherine was dressed in a black backless evening gown, her makeup was exquisite, and she was tall and slender with fair skin and long legs.

But in Martin's eyes, she was just averagely pretty.

The sound of high heels hitting the floor came from nearby, and Alexandra Daddario approached Catherine's side, her eyes shining with a unique smile, like the eternal ice crystals on Mount Everest and Makalu reflecting the sunlight.

Martin hugged her briefly, looked at Alexandra, then back at Catherine, and found the latter's attractiveness had skyrocketed.

He mused to himself that indeed, a woman's appeal depended on the time, place, and company.

Martin chatted with Alexandra for a moment.

Catherine interjected, "I forgot to tell you that I passed the audition for 'House of Cards' and got a role as a female reporter, Martin. Thank you for your recommendation; I couldn't have won without it."

Martin had simply made a phone call to Netflix, "Small stuff."

Catherine grabbed one of Martin's hands and Alexandra's with the other, "Shall we head back to the hotel together tonight?"

Of course, Martin wouldn't refuse, "Sure."

Alexandra said, "We're definitely going to hell after this."

Martin responded, "If we're doomed to go to hell, we should indulge wildly while we're on earth."

Catherine agreed, "You don't have anything tomorrow morning, right? Let's have a wild threesome party tonight."

Alexandra nodded slightly, "If you both insist, I have to agree."

More high heels clicked on the ground, and Linda Henry, dressed in a bright red evening gown, came over.

As the owner of Boston Red Sox, one of the film's main sponsors, she had also received an invitation to the premiere.

Linda curiously asked, "I just heard something about a party? Martin, are you throwing a party? Can I join?"

Alexandra, knowing this type of person's allure for Martin, quickly said, "We haven't seen Martin for a while, we want to have a private gathering."

"You guys..." Linda glanced over the Daddario sisters and quickly understood, saying, "Have a pleasant evening."

She was about to leave but pulled out a business card and handed it to Martin before departing, "I've updated my contact information."

Martin politely accepted it, "I'm still with the old one."

Linda smiled glamorously and walked away with a swaying waist.

Once she was far away, Catherine leaned in and said, "Martin, that woman has designs on you."

Martin replied, "I'm only interested in the sponsorship and advertising fees from Fenway Sports, not her personally."

"That's not right, is it?" Alexandra specifically mentioned, "Her name is Linda Henry; Henry is her husband's surname."

Martin was helplessly frustrated, "Where did you hear all those messy rumors? With you guys around, how could I be interested in her?"

The Daddario sisters were surely more interesting compared to Linda Henry, weren't they?

Was there even a choice to make?

Martin checked the time and urged them, "Let's go, into the screening hall. There's a small media event before the screening; don't be late."

The trio then entered the main hall of the opera house together.