America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Chapter 272: Chapter 269: The Taste of Menthol Oil

Celebrities, especially those on the level of Martin, Pitt, and Aniston, are the subject of gossip that spreads with astonishing speed; many entertainment channels urgently slotted in segments into their evening news, and by the following morning, it was plastered all over the newspapers.

Two male gods fighting over America's sweetheart, a spectacle the general public relished.

That day, there was only one topic of conversation at American dinner tables: Martin had beaten up Pitt over Aniston!

Most Americans cheered for this, thinking that Pitt deserved it!

Compared to Jolie, who had whitewashed her image into sainthood, Pitt did not have a good reputation.

It could be said that however popular Rachel was in North America, Pitt was equally disliked.

Martin, meanwhile, was jumping up and down the shadows.

If there's heat and no one stirs it up, it's a crime against heaven and earth.

The internet was abuzz with discussions, and videos and photos spread across almost every website.

The first site to break the video, TMZ, shot to fame and dramatically boosted its profile.

Similarly, the news that Aniston was about to star in Martin's new film as the female lead spread everywhere.

The preliminary promotion of "Limitless" completely overshadowed the previous "Wanted Order" and "The Hills Have Eyes," becoming the first of Martin's films to ignite instant interest upon announcement.

As for Martin himself, after hurriedly sending away the overzealous female Cao Zei who wanted to party all night, he hid out at home, without showing his face.

With the video out there and scores of witnesses at the bar, there was no need for him to personally hype the situation.

And if Martin didn't show up, naturally someone else would.

He knew the other two members of the Trio of Scoundrels all too well.

Nicholson, practically retired, was afraid of missing out on the fun, and showed up early in the morning, lingering near the hotel entrance on purpose.

Seeing that no reporters came to interview him, the old scoundrel got angry, pulled out his phone, and called the entertainment desk of a news agency, "I'm Jack Nicholson, I was at the scene of the fight between Martin and Pitt last night, and I've got some juicy details to spill!"

Less than ten minutes later, reporters zoomed into the hotel parking lot as if riding wild horses, nearly colliding with Nicholson to get the interview.

Nicholson sadly realized that he was indeed outdated, and the media only focused on the newly rising idiots.

Upon entering the hotel's ground floor café, the reporters ordered a Blue Mountain coffee for Nicholson and asked, "Do you have any insider information?"

"Last night, Leonardo, Martin, and I were drinking at Avalon," said Nicholson with all seriousness, "I reckon Martin and Aniston are just friends. Pitt clearly misunderstood. I didn't expect Pitt, being so weak, to start the provocation. He might look the part but is no good at all.

I even suggested they settle it like men with a one-on-one duel, but Pitt resorted to a sneak attack and was easily subdued by Martin."

His mouth notoriously foul, he cared little for those youngsters, "If I were Aniston, I definitely wouldn't choose Pitt; what's the use of such a wimp?"

The reporter seized on the keypoint, "So, you're saying Martin is both good-looking and useful?"

Nicholson bragged, "Martin's half as tough as I was when I was young, but he's a scoundrel!"

He didn't forget to leech some fame for his old buddy Scorsese, "On the set of 'Infernal Affairs,' I was in a relationship, enjoying the most beautiful love, when that scoundrel Martin incited Leonardo to throw firecrackers into my trailer, nearly scaring me impotent!"

The reporter was thrilled; even Leonardo was brought in—what a scoop!

As a member of the Face Gang, who considered himself the leader of the Trio of Scoundrels, Nicholson of course promoted his own people and belittled his opponents.

About fifteen minutes later, Nicholson left the café and went upstairs back to the suite where he had stayed the previous night.

Meryl Streep, who had come to meet him secretly, emerged from the bathroom, freshly washed, and complained, "Where did you go so early in the morning?"

She untied her bathrobe, "While there's still time, let's go for another round, don't tell me you're not up for it!"

Last time in New York on set, he and Meryl had been thwarted halfway through their encounter by Martin and Leonardo's antics, almost to the point of muscle cramps.

Months had passed, and with the rare chance of a date, they certainly wanted to make up for it.

Nicholson was indeed getting old and somewhat lacked vigor, but to turn down an invitation from Meryl was far too embarrassing.

How could he hold his head up high after that?

He thought of the miracle drug given to him by Martin.

It looked similar to something he'd seen in Chinatown, and to be safe, Nicholson hadn't yet tried it on himself.

Seeing lustful Meryl, he simply said a word, opened a bottle of menthol oil, poured some out, and applied it to Meryl's vital area.

Meryl inhaled sharply, involuntarily crying out; the peculiar sensation was indescribable.

Perhaps due to her age and having been with countless people over the years, Meryl wasn't as sensitive and could bear it for a while.

Nicholson didn't trust that bastard Martin, and seeing Meryl's expression as if she was about to fly off, he asked, "How does it feel?"

Meryl endured, giving a thumbs-up and squeezed out one word, "Good!"

Nicholson was overjoyed, poured out some more, and applied it to himself; what followed was earth-shattering cries like those of slaughtering pigs.

A man and a woman, howling incessantly, making a more exaggerated spectacle than the most hardcore scenes from Sacred Valley.

The noise was so loud that even the soundproof doors of the luxury suite couldn't block it.

The service staff on this floor heard it and couldn't help shaking their heads, "What kind of game are the Oscar Best Actor and Actress playing? Such an exaggerated reaction? Hollywood people are really dissolute!"

By noon, after Nicholson had taken several showers, he finally recovered. Such a wonderful drug, how could he enjoy it alone without telling his friends?

He immediately picked up his phone and called Leonardo: "Leo, the medicine Martin gave me last night, I just tried it, it's damn awesome. Used in that place, it's absolutely a miraculous drug, you and your companion can fly to the sky!"

Leonardo asked, "Is it really that good?"

Nicholson, very seriously, said, "I just used it, a hundred percent positive review!" He gritted his teeth, "When I see Martin later, I have to properly thank him!"

Martin recommended it, and Nicholson guaranteed it. Normally, this should be particularly reassuring, but Leonardo, thinking of the two scoundrels' liking for rotten activities, immediately abandoned the idea of trying it.

Not a chance he'd use it.

On the third day after TMZ broke the news, the "Limitless" crew held auditions for the female lead, Linda, with only one auditioning candidate—Aniston.

At the door of the audition room, Martin signaled his assistant and asked Bruce to bring over the handheld game console prepared in advance.

After returning to the room with the game console, the representatives from the actors' union and Warner Bros. demonstrated good professional ethics. They very consciously picked up the consoles, sat in the last row of the audition room, turned off the volume, and quietly played games without uttering a word.

Martin sat in the second row, and the casting director Molly said, "Please, Miss Aniston, come over."

Aniston promptly came over; she knew many people in the audition room and greeted each one.

An assistant went through the lines with her; the audition scene was no more than half a minute.

After Aniston left, Martin, Molly, Boyle, and Louise all watched the audition video on the screen.

"No problem." The role itself was quite simple. Director Boyle asked, "Shall we choose Aniston?"

Martin nodded, "I agree."

Louise and Molly said in turn, "That's fine."

Once the lead actress was decided, Louise had Nicky, the assistant producer, inform Aniston of the result so they could start formal negotiations as soon as possible.

There were more auditions for several other roles, but Martin and Louise did not participate further and left the audition room together.

Another important role in the film was offered to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Their current fees were not high, seemingly indicating a trend where they'd accept almost any film as long as the money was right.

Walking down the corridor, Louise asked, "Will you come for dinner at my place for Thanksgiving?"

"Aren't you going home for Thanksgiving?" Martin knew Louise's parents lived in Brentwood: "Not staying with your parents?"

Louise continued to the office, "My parents have gone to Europe for a vacation."

Martin could only decline tactfully, "You've mentioned it too late, I've already made plans to return to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, I can't break that promise."

"It can't be Kelly." Louise guessed the answer, "Lily Carter?"

She suddenly laughed, her face full of irreverence, "How about this, I'll go with you to Atlanta."

Martin knew she was promiscuous; how could he possibly take her to Atlanta? As they entered the office, he found a recipe, "A new cocktail recipe, it's quite complex to mix—take some time to practice it, so you don't embarrass yourself at the bartender's convention."

Louise took it, glanced through quickly, leaned in, and kissed Martin on the face, "You do have a conscience, remembering who's good to you."

No matter what, since arriving in Los Angeles, even if through transactions, Louise had helped him a lot, and he said, "Don't worry, I won't forget your kindness."

The thirty-something beautiful producer—how could he, a good-hearted person that cherished old memories, ever forget her?

If it were someone like Whoopi Goldberg, Martin guaranteed he would forget her as soon as he turned around.

Louise left the office contented.

Martin called Jessica and asked her to book tickets to Atlanta and New York in advance.

Subsequently, the crew officially announced that Jennifer Aniston had joined "Limitless" and would play the role of the female lead.

Because she didn't want to respond to the still buzzing 'Martin rubbing Pitt's door' incident, Aniston, just like during her divorce, issued a statement through her agent and then remained silent, but the hype for "Limitless" was immediately boosted.

Along with it, "Wanted Order" starring Martin heated up again. During the weekend before Thanksgiving, its drop rate tightened from before, making another 9.88 million US Dollars in North America, bringing the North American box office to over 160 million US Dollars.

The global box office of the film was closing in on 300 million US Dollars.

With just ticket sales alone, the film had already made a profit.

During the Thanksgiving season, despite the onslaught of numerous films entering the market, "Wanted Order" still maintained its position.

As the film appeared in more overseas markets, the international box office also surpassed its North American earnings.

The market outlook for "Wanted Order" became increasingly clear, with Warner Bros., the distributor, issuing the most conservative forecast that, by the time the film fully exited theaters, the North American box office will most likely surpass 200 million US Dollars, and the overseas takings could reach 2.5 billion US Dollars.

Before Thanksgiving arrived, Martin returned to Atlanta.