novellhall Chapter 366 I've already agreed to both!
Chapter 366 I've already agreed to both!
Chapter 365 I've already agreed to both!
In New York, it has already snowed twice in December.
The streets of Manhattan were adorned with Christmas lights, shop windows were decorated with red and green ornaments, and the air was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and mulled wine.
The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year can be felt even from several streets away.
Filming for the sixth season of "2 Broke Girls" has temporarily come to a halt and entered a winter break.
However, the popularity generated by the series shows no signs of cooling down; on the contrary, it has intensified.
Fan-made videos about the series have gone viral on Twitter, with more than a dozen clips exceeding 100 million views.
Han Li's lines from the show "The Cutoff Line of the Bottom" have been made into various parody videos, paired with scenes of the daily lives of working people, and have become the most popular background music on the internet.
The "burp opens up" meme is being used extensively by netizens on both Twitter and Weibo.
Even many overseas internet celebrities are following suit and playing on the meme.
Jackie Chan's cameo scene of catching a plate was edited together by netizens with footage of Marvel superheroes, captioned "Brooklyn's hidden kung fu master vs. the Avengers".
The number of likes exceeded one million overnight.
Domestic social media platforms are even more lively.
On Bilibili, there are countless clips of famous scenes from "2 Broke Girls," analyses of Han Li's lines, and even a series of videos on learning business strategies by following Han Li.
On Weibo, the hashtag #HanLiAmericanTVChineseCharactersCeiling# has garnered over 10 billion views!
Numerous netizens left comments.
Finally, I saw a Chinese character in an American TV series who is not bound by stereotypes, and who is flesh and blood, intelligent and charming.
Chen Xun, holed up in his apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, looked at the overwhelming amount of fan-made content and memes online and shook his head with a smile.
He only wanted to give Han Li a happy ending.
I never expected this character to resonate so strongly, and even become a cultural symbol.
Just then!
The weekly intelligence update has suddenly been released:
Chen Xun raised an eyebrow and silently ordered to open the panel.
For several weeks in a row, the intelligence reports hadn't contained any major news, so he hadn't had high expectations. His eyes swept over the updated industry news, mostly the most authentic Hollywood industry news and gossip from the end of 2016:
[Kim Kardashian makes her first public appearance since the armed robbery in Paris, announcing an indefinite hiatus from her social media updates and temporary adjustments to filming plans for the Kardashian family's reality show.]
[Rogue One: A Star Wars Story officially premiered in North America, grossing over $150 million in its opening weekend, breaking the record for the highest-grossing December opening weekend in North America in 2016. Disney officially announced that sequel development plans are already in the works.]
[A new development has emerged in the child custody battle between Britney Spears and her ex-husband Kevin Federline. The court rejected Kevin's application for additional child support, giving Britney a partial victory.]
Leonardo DiCaprio and his model girlfriend Nina Agdal have reportedly broken up. Neither party has yet responded. DiCaprio has confirmed he will be absent from this year's Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
After going through the entire intelligence report, there wasn't a single piece of information about Christine's coming out rumors.
Chen Xun breathed a sigh of relief.
Recent updates are all about Kristen Stewart's cameo in "2 Broke Girls" generating a surge in buzz, and also "Spider-Man."
Despite the global attention garnered by the female lead's identity, there wasn't a single negative piece of gossip.
After nearly half a year of anxiety, my heart has finally settled down completely.
It seems Christine has given up on the idea.
-
He not only changed Kristen Stewart's fate of being marginalized in Hollywood and maliciously exploited by the media because of the coming-out rumors, but also put her on a broader stage and gave her more choices.
The rumors that would have trapped her have vanished without a trace.
He put down his phone, stretched, and looked out the window at the New York street scene with light snow falling, feeling relaxed.
Filming for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" has wrapped up and entered post-production; all that remains is to coordinate dubbing and promotional work.
"2 Broke Girls" will not resume filming until mid-January next year after its winter break, so there is plenty of time.
The Joker project has finalized its entire cast and crew.
Filming will officially begin in February, after the Lunar New Year.
In total, he had a whole month of free time.
This was the first time he had such a long vacation in the years since he transmigrated here.
In previous years, he was either filming on set or running around for auditions and publicity during Christmas, New Year's Day, and even the Spring Festival in China. He didn't even get to have a peaceful New Year's Eve dinner.
This year I finally have some free time.
He made up his mind to completely relax and have a peaceful New Year.
The script and the filming were all put out of their minds for the time being.
He had just taken out his tablet, ready to check out travel guides for the New Year's Eve trip, when his phone rang first.
It's Christine.
Chen Xun answered the phone with a smile. He'd barely said "hello" when Christine's slightly languid, husky voice came through the other end, accompanied by soft background music: "Where are you? New York or back in Los Angeles?"
"I'm in New York, and I've just gotten some free time. I'm thinking about where to spend New Year's Eve."
Chen Xun leaned back on the sofa, listening to her voice, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up: "What's up? A busy man like you, not filming, has time to call me?"
"Don't be poor~"
Christine gave a soft hum on the other end of the line, her stubbornness unchanged, but her tone softened: "Christmas is over, and New Year's Day is just around the corner. What are you doing all alone in New York?"
"My villa in Beverly Hills is all packed. Come back to Los Angeles and spend the New Year with me."
She paused, then added, as if afraid he would refuse, and made up a good excuse: "Anyway, you're just sitting around doing nothing. When you come back, you can help me with the post-production dubbing of Spider-Man's lines. It's better than you being alone in an empty house in New York."
Chen Xun couldn't help but laugh.
He knew Christine too well; he clearly wanted her to spend the New Year with him, but he insisted on finding a plausible excuse.
They're very stubborn.
"Sure!"
Chen Xun didn't expose her, and readily agreed: "I'm too lazy to do any planning anyway, so going back to Los Angeles for the New Year is fine. I'll book my flight for tomorrow and fly over to see you."
"Then I'll have the housekeeper clean up the room."
Christine's tone betrayed her undisguised joy, yet she feigned nonchalance: "By the way, let me know in advance what you want to eat, so I can have the auntie prepare the ingredients beforehand, lest you come over and say that all I know how to do is bake pizza."
"Anything is fine, I'll eat anything you make."
Chen Xun smiled and responded for a few words, then chatted for a bit about the weather in Los Angeles before hanging up.
He had just tossed his phone onto the sofa and hadn't even caught his breath when it rang again.
This time it's "Dakota Fanning".
Chen Xun raised an eyebrow and answered the phone.
Before he could even speak, Ellie's excited voice came from the other end, almost shattering his eardrums: "Brother Chen Xun, you finally answered the phone!"
"Ellie?"
Chen Xun smiled and softened his tone: "Why are you so excited? Is there something fun you want to tell me again?"
"Brother Chen Xun, you have to come to our house for Chinese New Year!"
Ellie spoke confidently, her voice sweet and affectionate: "My sister and I are at home in Los Angeles. Mom said she's inviting you over to celebrate New Year's Eve with us. I miss you so much! You haven't come to see me in so long!"
Chen Xun's heart melted at the sound of her voice. Just as he was about to speak, the person on the other end of the phone changed. Dakota's gentle yet slightly embarrassed voice came through: "Don't listen to Ellie's nonsense. She's been talking about you every day these past few days, saying she wants you to come over for the New Year. But—our family really does hope you can come too. It'll be more lively with more people."
Chen Xun leaned back on the sofa, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes, and teased her deliberately, drawing out his words, "Oh? So it was Ellie who missed me, or was it another older sister who missed me too?"
"Dakota, to be honest, haven't you been wanting me to come all along, but were too embarrassed to say so, so you had Ellie act as a mouthpiece?"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Dakota's slightly choked rebuttal: "You—you're talking nonsense—it's because Ellie keeps nagging you that I called you."
As she finished speaking, her voice softened, tinged with grievance: "We really haven't seen each other for a long time. You've been filming '2 Broke Girls' in New York and Spider-Man in Atlanta. It's been so hard for me to see you. Surely you'll have some free time during the Chinese New Year?"
Chen Xun's heart softened instantly. The promise he had just made to Christine was still on his lips, but now he couldn't bring himself to say it.
He could only smile helplessly and say gently, "I do have time. I just booked a flight back to Los Angeles for tomorrow."
"real!"
Dakota's voice lit up instantly, forgetting even her shyness: "Then come over, okay? Ellie has already tidied up your room, it's right next to mine, and she said she wants to learn the coin trick from you."
Hearing the expectation in her tone, Chen Xun could only vaguely reply, "I'll talk to you when I get to Los Angeles. I'll definitely need to adjust to the time difference after I land. I'll contact you then."
After hanging up Dakota's call, Chen Xun looked at his phone and rubbed his temples helplessly.
He was faced with an invitation from Christine and another from Dakota and Ellie. He had just accepted Christine's invitation when Dakota caught him red-handed, leaving him in a dilemma.
Before he could figure out a solution that would satisfy both sides, his phone rang again!
Who is it?
Chen Xun sensed that something was seriously wrong.
I picked up my phone and saw it was Jennifer Lawrence.
Chen Xun stared at the screen, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
The moment I answered the phone, I heard Jennifer's loud voice; I could feel her aura even through the phone: "Chen Xun! Where are you?"
"You're in New York, what's wrong?"
Chen Xun asked with a smile.
"What else could it be? It's Chinese New Year!"
Jennifer said confidently on the other end of the line, "I've already made arrangements back home in Kentucky. You're coming to spend the Lunar New Year with us. I've already spoken to my parents; they've been wanting to meet you, the Golden Globe-winning Chinese actor."
She paused, then added with a smile, her tone full of teasing: "You're Hollywood's number one eligible bachelor right now, so many eyes are on you. If I don't reserve you first, who knows which little vixen will snatch you away by the New Year. I'll have to keep an eye on you."
You're too late!
I've already agreed to both!
Chen Xun leaned back on the sofa, both amused and exasperated: "Jennifer, this is so sudden. I just promised someone I'd go back to Los Angeles for the New Year."
"What's so fun about Los Angeles? For Chinese New Year, you have to go back to your hometown. That's what makes it a lively and festive celebration."
Jennifer persisted: "I don't care, I've already checked the plane tickets for you, direct from New York to Louisville. Book them now. If you dare not come, I'll wait for you on the red carpet at the next awards ceremony and tell the reporters you stood me up."
After hanging up with Jennifer, Chen Xun threw his phone onto the sofa and collapsed into the cushions, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
He looked at the snow falling outside the window and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
In previous years, every Chinese New Year, he was either rushing to meet filming schedules on set or running around for publicity, and he couldn't even have a hot New Year's Eve dinner. He looked forward to having a free holiday every day so that he could have a peaceful New Year.
This year, I finally had some free time, with holidays and time to spare, but invitations kept coming in one after another.
Christine, Dakota, Jennifer —
Everyone was so enthusiastic that he couldn't refuse, which put him in a sweet dilemma.
He picked up his phone, looked at the three names in his contacts, and swiped his fingers across the screen, unsure of what to do.
Back in Los Angeles, should we go to Christine's villa or the Fanning sisters' house?
Or should I simply decline all invitations and go with Jennifer to her hometown in Kentucky for a lively American New Year?
Chen Xun sighed and buried his face in the cushion.
After hanging up Jennifer's call, Chen Xun tossed his phone onto the sofa, stared at the ceiling for half a minute, then suddenly sat up, grabbed his tablet, and opened the calendar.
Today is December 3rd, and there are exactly 28 days left until the New Year.
Chen Xun began to make plans.
He had been fixated on one thing, thinking that he could only choose one place for the Chinese New Year, but he forgot that there was still nearly a month from the beginning of December to the New Year, which was enough time to stagger his trips, so as not to disappoint anyone's expectations and to make sure his time was well arranged.
He circled three time periods on the calendar:
I flew to Los Angeles first to stay with Kristen until mid-December, which coincided with the post-production dubbing schedule for "Spider-Man".
Using the script reading for "2 Broke Girls" and a Warner Bros. project meeting as an excuse, I went to Santa Monica to spend ten days with Dakota and Ellie.
Finally, just before the New Year, he used the Nashville preparatory meeting of the Joker creators as a springboard to go to Kentucky to find Jennifer and spend New Year's Eve with her and her family.
The three itineraries are interconnected.
Each excuse is supported by solid work.
These are all things he was planning to push forward soon, and he's not afraid of being exposed at all.
Once the plan was finalized, Chen Xun immediately booked a first-class flight from New York to Los Angeles for the next morning and casually sent Christine a message:
[I'll be landing in Los Angeles at 10 AM tomorrow. Will you pick me up?]
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Christine called, her voice brimming with undisguised joy, yet she still feigned nonchalance: "You're here so soon? I thought you were going to stay in New York for a couple more days."
"Didn't someone invite me back for the Lunar New Year, saying they'd show off their cooking skills?"
Chen Xun joked with a smile, "I was afraid that if I arrived late, all the ingredients someone prepared would have gone bad."
"Be poor."
Christine snorted: "I'll pick you up from the airport tomorrow. The second bedroom has been tidied up for you. I've prepared all your favorite iced cola and food in the fridge. Oh, and Marvel just sent a message that the post-production dubbing schedule is set for next week. It'll be perfect since you're coming over, so you won't have to travel back and forth between the two places."
7
See, he doesn't even need to come up with an excuse; his work schedule just pops up on its own.