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Chapter 173: The Dinner Party’s Ripple
🕑 Added 2025-01-01 09:58:47 +0000 UTC"Do you think I might be pregnant?" After a workout that left her sweaty, Naomi Watts was too exhausted to move and lay on Gilbert's chest.
Gilbert, holding her soft waist, replied, "I think so. After all, we've put in so much effort for a child, especially me."
Naomi Watts gave Gilbert a playful glare. "I'm the one who's been the most tired. I told you to stop, but you still went all out. Look, it's all red now."
"Sorry, baby, let me rub it for you," Gilbert said, gently placing his hand on her and massaging.
Naomi Watts let out a soft groan and weakly pushed his hand away. "Don't move, I really have no energy left."
"Alright," Gilbert withdrew his hands, then suggested, "How about we go pray to Guanyin? Let's ask for blessings so we can have a child."
Naomi Watts was puzzled. "Who is Guanyin?"
"Uh, a deity in Buddhism. It's said she's very effective," Gilbert explained.
Naomi Watts thought it sounded useful and immediately agreed. "Okay, but is there Buddhism in North America? Do we need to go to China?"
She thought Buddhism only existed in Asia.
Though Naomi Watts believed in God, it seemed that childbirth wasn't under God's domain. Perhaps because the issue was too trivial, God didn't bother with it.
But whatever the reason, since God wasn't responding, she thought she'd better find a more reliable deity.
Since medicine couldn't explain everything, they might as well turn to the gods.
However, their plan to go to China to pray to Guanyin didn't happen, as Naomi Watts' film Contact soon started shooting. After finishing the promotional tour for Twister, she headed to the set.
Gilbert also wrapped up his work on Saving Private Ryan and went on vacation.
By June, many blockbuster films from various movie studios hit the summer release window, and competition was fierce.
As the blockbuster opening film for the summer, Saving Private Ryan had been in theaters for five weeks in North America, with box office earnings reaching $173 million, just over $30 million shy of the North American R-rated box office record held by Terminator 2.
The global box office was also doing well, reaching $418 million.
What was even more impressive was that the film had yet to be released in many regions, so there was still great potential for growth.
The impact of Saving Private Ryan wasn't just reflected in its box office earnings. Even in Washington, officials would recommend the film to their allies when they met.
The film perfectly represented the American spirit and promoted the image of a strong nation and military, which Washington greatly appreciated.
To recognize Gilbert's contribution to promoting American values, Washington invited him to a dinner.
This year's event was special, as it was the biennial North American Martial Arts Tournament, and Washington used this opportunity to gain some public favor by hosting the dinner.
As a leading Hollywood director, Gilbert was naturally invited. If he publicly supported Washington, it would help rally more people to his side.
Although Gilbert didn't want to get involved in politics or have too much to do with politicians, he still agreed to attend after being persuaded by his agent, Sheena Boone.
Sheena Boone told him, "As a Hollywood filmmaker, Gilbert, you need to understand that politics is never far from Hollywood. You don't have to participate, but you must support it."
"You make a good point," Gilbert nodded and eventually agreed.
Since Naomi Watts and the others had their own work to attend to, Gilbert decided to bring Sheena Boone to the dinner instead.
Sheena Boone was familiar with such events and could advise Gilbert on what to say and what to avoid.
At the Washington dinner, the venue was packed with distinguished guests, and the atmosphere was lively. Gilbert, used to being at the center of Hollywood, noticed that here he was almost completely overlooked.
The attendees were all big figures—representatives of conglomerates, capitalists, and those whose actions could shake the whole of America.
In comparison, Gilbert was still a young figure who had made a name for himself but had yet to reach the pinnacle.
Of course, being invited to the Washington dinner meant he had already entered the upper echelons.
The dinner began, and the host gave a speech before announcing the start of the evening's festivities.
Gilbert, still amidst the crowd, muttered in Chinese, "I didn't expect Washington to be so bureaucratic, the leader's speech, sigh!"
His words weren't a big deal, but a nearby Chinese guest overheard.
The Chinese guest's eyes gleamed as a plan quickly formed in his mind. He decided to approach Gilbert for a conversation.
The dinner began, and Gilbert, along with Sheena Boone, wandered around the hall, speaking with people, exchanging business cards, and socializing.
It was a good place for networking—one never knew when these connections might come in handy.
These upper-class figures were equally curious about the young Hollywood director, especially the representatives of Jewish financial groups.
One such representative handed Gilbert a business card and address. "Gilbert, you're eligible to join a more exclusive club. We're very optimistic about the development of your companies. If you're interested, we can discuss this further."
"Sure, I'll definitely think about it," Gilbert replied, eagerly accepting.
Once the representative moved on to speak with others, Gilbert immediately threw the business card and address into the trash.
Sheena Boone asked curiously, "Gilbert, aren't you going to accept the invitation?"
"What's there to accept? He dared to eye my two companies. Saying 'let's discuss it'—he's just after my shares in Facebook and Banana," Gilbert snorted coldly.
"But," Sheena Boone worried, "won't this upset them?"
"Upset them? Good! That's exactly what I want. If they're upset, I'm happy," Gilbert replied. He had noticed that the representative was from a group supporting extremist movements, and he wasn't about to be intimidated.
Having dealt with various shady deals in his life, Gilbert immediately recognized something fishy about the invitation and wasn't about to sign up for any secret obligations.
After all, if he couldn't control his own life, what was the point?
Sheena Boone cautioned him, "Gilbert, you still need to be careful. You can't make enemies everywhere. We need friends."
For Gilbert, since he didn't want to integrate into their circle but couldn't fight them alone, he had to build his own circle and find his own friends.
But it was too early to focus on such things. He had earned his place in the upper class, but to them, he was still just a young newcomer.
Afterward, the host and his wife chatted with Gilbert for a few minutes, encouraging him to continue promoting Hollywood and the American culture and spirit.
Gilbert humbly acknowledged the praise, then offered some supportive words.
He would have said the same thing to anyone from another faction; it didn't matter who was in power.
After some socializing, Gilbert finally managed to slip away and hide in a corner. The host's wife invited him for a dance, as she was the First Lady, and he felt obliged to accept.
However, Gilbert couldn't shake the feeling that her gaze was a bit too intense.
Soon, he realized that all the female guests at the party were eyeing him with a similar intensity. Dance invitations started pouring in.
A quick reflection made Gilbert realize why. Most of the attendees were older men, and he, as a young and handsome man, was a rare sight.
Just as men love young women, women generally like young, handsome men too.
It seemed that if Gilbert left his contact information, many of these older socialites, bored with their husbands, might actually take the bait.
However, Gilbert wasn't interested. They were all in their 50s or 60s, and Western women aged quickly. He wasn't interested in that.
After completing his fourth dance, Gilbert declared a truce and quickly retreated to a corner.
Just then, a Chinese man approached him. "Director Gilbert, hello, I'm Zhong Yuhan, a businessman."
"A businessman?" Gilbert frowned. "For someone like you to be here, you must've paid quite a price."
"Indeed," Zhong Yuhan replied. "Actually, I was invited by the host."
"Wow," Gilbert exclaimed. "That's not easy. Are you close with him?"
"Not really," Zhong Yuhan said, glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention. He then leaned in and whispered, "I actually donated $300,000 to be here."
"$300,000?" Gilbert was puzzled.
Zhong Yuhan continued, "This year is important."
Gilbert quickly understood. It was the year of the North American Martial Arts Tournament, which included events like arguments and summoning spirits.
"Do you know where my $300,000 came from?"
"No, I don't."
"I'll tell you," Zhong Yuhan whispered into Gilbert's ear, explaining the origins of the donation. Gilbert frowned deeply as he listened.
Although it was none of his business, he still felt angry.
Zhong Yuhan then added, "That man loves movies, especially Stallone. He has a lot of money and wants to invest in film production. I think you could direct and have Stallone star in it."
"Really?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow and firmly refused, "I don't think that will happen."
"Why not?" Zhong Yuhan was confused.
"Because I'm too busy. I don't have time. Find someone else," Gilbert said, dismissing him.
Attending this dinner had already been annoying, surrounded by a bunch of old women, and now hearing news from a backstabber had only made Gilbert more upset.
He considered telling his friends about what he'd heard, but then reconsidered. After all, he was still an outsider. What if they thought he was trying to cause trouble?
Gilbert regretted bringing his ears to this event. He had heard enough.
It seemed like a summer trip would be necessary after all.
