America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Blake turned her head back, resting her face on Martin's arm and rubbing it constantly as she put on a pitiful act, "Do you know how I've managed to get through these past months?"

She looked utterly destitute as she continued, "Every morning, I study theories, read interviews and reports of shark attack survivors, find time to visit marine biologists to learn about the habits of great white sharks, and go to medical school to converse with doctors and medical students about basic trauma treatment."

Martin caressed Blake's face with the back of his hand in a comforting manner.

Blake went on, "The hardest part is the afternoon, after the fitness, swimming, and surfing training are over, I'm exhausted like a lump of mud, unable to even stand."

Martin was aware of the preparation she had been doing, "You've done very well."

Blake grabbed Martin's hand tightly, pulling him close to lower his body, and turned back to kiss him passionately.

After a long time, they finally parted.

When their breathing somewhat settled, Blake took out her phone, opened Twitter and Instagram in succession, and showed Martin, "The number of social media followers the Sect Hierarch has is definitely in the top five in Hollywood."

After some thought, Martin said, "Your social media will be an important platform for promoting the film. Once we start shooting, you'll need to post related content every few days. The specific details will be communicated to you by the publicity department of the crew."

Blake responded, "No problem on my end."

Martin lifted her up, "Alright, let's not talk about work, there are more important things waiting for us to do."

"Let's get moving, no time to waste," Blake said, embracing Martin in return, "I've expended too much energy these past months, I urgently need to replenish."

Martin commented, "This time Taylor and the others aren't here, it's all yours."

Excited, Blake said, "That's fantastic, I get to have it all to myself, can't wait to make Taylor and Carly, those two little bitches, jealous!"

The next morning, Martin, representing the crew, signed a rental agreement with the production studio and returned to Los Angeles that very day.

The "Shark Beach" crew was still in formation, with personnel matters temporarily being handled by Louise and the first assistant director, Steve Downton.

The film didn't require many actors, not more than ten, and the crew would not conduct widespread auditions; aside from Blake Lively as the female lead, other actors would be dealt with internally at WMA.

The Oscars ceremony was fast approaching, with "La La Land" as the frontrunner for many awards, and Martin's attention shifted from preparing for the new film to the Oscars.

Not to mention, all of the publicity and public relations work of Davis Studio and Disney Studios were nearly all focused on Best Picture.

On the first weekend of March, the 86th Oscar Awards ceremony kicked off at the Dolby Theatre.

But what attracted the most attention outside the Dolby Theatre was not the female stars on the red carpet, but the hundreds of black-clad female moguls.

These individuals were dolled up ostentatiously, like chimpanzees that had rolled in a muddy pit filled with engine oil after smearing on makeup; their colorful exteriors couldn't hide their blackness.

Black people, homosexuals, along with transgender individuals, many journalists voluntarily made way, putting them in the prime C position close to the red carpet.

Martin, leaving the interview area, met up with Leonardo and Nicholson at the entrance of the Dolby Theatre.

The latter looked around, noting that nobody was paying attention to them, and said to Martin, "See how ferocious the beasts you've released are?"

Standing in front of the window, Martin glanced again at those black-clad female moguls and commented, "The more cheerfully they dance now, the more forceful their backlash will be in the future."

Leonardo, hands clasped behind his back, said, "Not getting a Best Picture nomination for 'Twelve Years a Slave' caused a lot of discontent among black people in the industry. I heard that Will Smith and his wife wanted to protest, but they were appeased by the Academy and various unions. Surely tonight there will be a performance award given to a black person."

Nicholson offered a more precise prediction, "If things go as expected, it should be Best Supporting Actress."

Martin shook his head, "If whoever makes the most noise wins an award, then it won't take long before the Oscars are no longer the Oscars."

Leonardo continued, "Considering the current social climate, especially in places like California and Los Angeles that lean heavily left, it's unstoppable."

"Great," Martin nodded slightly, "When it's my turn to go for Best Director, I'll announce that my gender is 'attack helicopter.'"

Nicholson asked, "What?"

Leonardo reacted, "You can play it like that?"

"Heh..." Martin scoffed, "The games they're playing now are leftovers from what I used to play in Atlanta. If we're comparing versions, I'd wipe the floor with them in a second!"

Seeing someone approaching, Nicholson stopped talking about this lousy stuff, "Let's go, into the theater."

The three of them headed towards the hall and ran into some people from the "Twelve Years a Slave" crew, including the black actress nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

The chance of this black actress winning tonight was nearly one hundred percent.

Martin and his party entered the main hall of the Dolby Theatre before reaching their seats; suddenly, Tom Hanks appeared and called out to him, wanting to have a chat.

"Tommy, is there something important?" Martin asked.

Tom Hanks asked with a puzzled look, "You have been on the list of nominees for Best Actor for many terms in a row. Why not this term?"

"I also wanted to keep getting nominated," Martin said helplessly. "The crew did submit my name for the award, but after the votes were cast, the judges didn't select me."

He shook his head, "Perhaps the judges thought my performance was just average this time, and to tell you the truth, I'm not particularly good at musical roles. I can manage dance, but singing is indeed a bit difficult for me."

Tom Hanks smiled, "You can always try again next year. I believe you'll definitely make a comeback and contend for another Oscar statue."

These words felt somewhat different to Martin, who couldn't help but give Tom Hanks a glance.

Tom Hanks's aging face wore his trademark simple-hearted smile.

But nobody would really take him for a guileless good old man.

Martin said seriously, "The Oscar is the top honor in the industry. I have always been working towards winning another Oscar, and I will definitely continue to do so next year."

Tom Hanks said, "I wish you good luck for next year."

"Thank you." Martin excused himself and walked towards the area where his crew was sitting.

But before he reached his crew, he had an epiphany.

The words spoken by Tom Hanks weren't simply from the perspective of a Hollywood star but as the vice-chairman of the Academy's Board of Governors.

Martin speculated to himself, "Is this an encouragement to ramp up my competitiveness next year?"

When he reached his seat, the crew of "The Wolf of Wall Street," where Leonardo was seated, was adjacent to "La La Land."

Nicholson, a special figure who was an essential presence at every Oscar event, had his seat near Martin.

The Trio of Scoundrels were sitting together tonight.

Martin spoke in a low voice and roughly relayed what Tom Hanks had just said to Leonardo and Nicholson.

Nicholson, practically the mascot of the Oscars and very knowledgeable about the inner workings of the Academy, said, "It's quite obvious. The lack of public relations competition this term has led to a severe shortage of hot news, which could affect the ratings tonight significantly."

Leonardo chimed in, "My PR this time around hasn't worked well with the sob story; both media and judges' reactions have been incredibly bland."

Martin spoke bluntly, "A sob story only works once. Leo, can't you use your brain for once? With an Oscar for Best Actor in your hand, did you really think it would work to play the sympathy card in PR again?"

Leonardo glared and frowned, retorting in a low voice, "At the party in December when I suggested playing the sympathy card, why didn't you remind me of this?"

"Get this straight, Leo!" Martin retorted confidently, "We're competitors now! You and I are in the middle of an Oscar race. The loser will have to solve century-old puzzles for the rest of their life, why should I remind you?"

Leonardo clutched his chest, "I'm your brother. Can you really betray me like this without feeling guilty?"

Martin replied bluntly, "No."