America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

Just like the first-class cabin of an airplane, the main cast, including Martin and Mene, formed a circle around a metal box, connecting together through the extended conduits.

Everyone was in deep sleep, as if they had entered a profound slumber.

A woman dressed as a flight attendant walked over, and the camera turned along the tracks.

"Cut, that's a wrap!" Nolan called out as he glanced at his watch, "Pack up, we start promptly at 2 PM."

The group gradually woke up, and Ellen Page even stretched languidly.

On the seat next to him, Mene muttered, "I had a dream, filled with beautiful women."

Martin asked, "All your artistic muses?"

Mene laughed heartily.

A few people left the set, and Ellen Page followed Martin and Mene on their way out, asking Mene midway, "I heard through the grapevine that your next job is with Isabel Huppert."

Where did these rumors come from? They were all spread by Mene himself.

He cheerfully said, "Yuper personally invited me."

Ellen Page was quite impressed, "Such an opportunity is incredibly rare."

The three of them joined Bruce and headed to a nearby restaurant.

A girl in her early 20s, pushing a costume cart, came over as the costume designer collected the suit jackets the cast had taken off and hung them on the cart's rail.

When the costume designer walked away, the girl quickly asked in not-so-fluent English, "Hello, Martin, could you sign this for me?"

Martin stopped, smiled, and nodded, "Sure."

The girl pulled out a pen and notebook from a small bag hanging on the side of the cart, handing them to Martin while saying, "My name is Gisele."

As usual, Martin signed quickly, adding a wish, and asked, "Are you from Morocco?"

"Yes," Gisele cautiously replied, "I got this job through the crew's recruitment because I can speak English."

Martin handed it back to her, "You're a lucky girl."

Gisele beamed a radiant smile at Martin and then asked Mene and Ellen Page for their autographs too.

As the group walked away, Gisele found the costume designer, pushed the cart to the temporary costume storage, and headed out alone for lunch.

Leaving the studio, she took a circle around and slowly made her way towards the studio where a gigantic centrifuge was being built. Seeing Professor Mordecai coming out of the main gates of the studio, she quickened her pace.

Gisele walked fast and urgently. In less than half a minute, she had passed Mordecai from behind.

The road ahead was slightly uneven, and as she stepped onto it, her foot twisted to the side, sending her tumbling to the ground with a cry of alarm.

The noise immediately caught Mordecai's attention, and the kind professor saw someone had fallen ahead, wearing the same crew vest, and hurried over, asking, "Are you okay?"

Gisele's eyes welled up with tears as she replied, "Just a twist."

The good-hearted professor said, "I'll call a doctor for you, just wait here."

Gisele quickly said, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll be fine after resting for a bit."

Nevertheless, Mordecai called a doctor and accompanied Gisele to the crew's medical room. Fortunately, her sprain was minor, and she was fine after some rest.

......

In the restaurant, Ellen Page had a small appetite and finished her meal first.

She gestured to the three people at her table pointing outside, saying, "I'm afraid of getting fat, I'm going to move around a bit."

Martin nodded.

After Ellen Page had left, Bruce glanced at her retreating figure and asked, "Why does she hang out with us?"

Mene seemed to have discovered the truth, "Could it be that she has a crush on Boss Martin?"

Martin gestured towards her, "Don't joke around, she's into women."

"Such a waste!" Mene shrugged dismissively, "A waste of two women."

Bruce reminded him, "Think before you speak."

Martin also said, "In Hollywood, we should avoid discussing these kinds of topics."

Mene nodded repeatedly, "I dare to speak my mind only in front of you guys; I keep my mouth shut when others talk about this stuff."

Bruce looked again at the distant figure of Ellen Page, "She might have been bullied in other crews; joining a new crew, she subconsciously looks for a protector."

This reminded Mene of something he had heard, "I've heard rumors on another set. During the filming of 'X-Men 3,' director Brett Ratner invited her to a hotel party, and she straightforwardly revealed her orientation. The producer stormed into her room that very day, furiously telling her she had no sense of tact."

Bruce said, "It's not easy for actresses to get ahead."

Mene joined in, "It's not easy for male actors either. If it hadn't been for Boss Martin, I would probably have had to resort to using that fat jerk Antonio's recommended Hyena Doctor."

Martin, thinking of his own experiences with Louise and Kelly's casting couch, agreed, "It's indeed too hard for male actors."

In the afternoon, the crew moved to a new studio, still shooting the main group's indoor scenes.

The photography studio nearby, equipped with a centrifuge, was where Gisele, carrying a bag, told the security guard at the door that she was looking for Professor Mordecai.

After a phone call made by the security guard, Professor Mordecai came out quickly.

Gisele smiled shyly, "Professor, about what happened at noon, thank you. Without you, my foot wouldn't have healed so quickly."

Professor Mordecai asked, "It's all right now?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Gisele deliberately walked back and forth a few steps, her blue capri pants hugging her legs tightly, accentuating the key areas: "Look, I've completely recovered."

Professor Mordecai's gaze quickly shifted away to her shy and innocent pretty face and said, "That's good, that's good."

Gisele opened the bag and handed it to Professor Mordecai: "This is something from my family's home, just delivered. It's our local specialty, Professor, you..."

Professor Mordecai waved his hand: "There's no need to be so polite."

Gisele insisted on handing it over: "It's a token of my gratitude, and it's nothing of value, just something homemade."

Seeing her sincere thanks, Professor Mordecai accepted the gift, since the bag indeed contained only some local specialties.

Gisele took the opportunity to ask, "Professor, could I have your phone number?"

She pulled at her crew vest and explained, "I'm a utility worker on the set, not very busy, really. If you ever need my help with anything, you can call me anytime."

"I don't really have anything for you to do," Professor Mordecai said, but he still took out his phone and saved Gisele's number.

Which normal man could reject a young and beautiful girl offering her contact information so proactively?

Gisele said, "Professor, I won't bother you any longer with your work."

Professor Mordecai waved: "Goodbye, Gisele."

At the entrance of another nearby studio, Ellen Page took a break from filming to step out for a smoke, just in time to witness the scene.

She had just lit her cigarette when Mene came out, on a phone call.

Ellen Page faintly heard the name Emma Thomas.

Mene hung up the phone and greeted her, "Hey, Ellen, what are you looking at?"

Ellen Page exhaled smoke, signaling with her eyes, "That pretty girl who was collecting clothes at noon, she's giving something to Professor Mordecai."

Mene didn't take it seriously and said, "Got a cigarette? Give me one."

Ellen Page handed one to him and lit it with her lighter, "You don't smoke much?"

"I quit for my future's sake," Mene, who used to be a smoker, had given it up out of concern that the smell would affect his ability to persuade with words. He had forcibly quit and only occasionally smoked one when under considerable stress.

Discipline and effort were important reasons for Uncle Mene's success today.

Ellen Page asked him, "Why are you smoking again?"

Mene simply said, "Lately, I've been under a lot of pressure. I've never played a part with such a heavy role before. The character, Arthur, has the second-most scenes right after Martin. If I don't perform well and let Martin down, I'd be betraying his strong recommendation of me."

Ellen Page couldn't help feeling envious, "I've noticed, you seem very comfortable on set."

"That's how it is on pretty much every set." Mene thought about it, his career had been going smoothly these past years, and he hadn't really faced any sort of set bullying.

There were two main reasons for this, either Martin played the lead role in the productions he joined, with all the pressure falling on Martin.

Or he flattered female directors or producers to get into the crew, the kind who had backings, and ordinary people didn't want to provoke him.

Others came out of the studio door, it was Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy.

Both men just glanced at Mene and Ellen Page and made their way to the other side of the entrance.

Neither side had any intention of engaging with the other.

Mene had noticed when he joined the crew that Martin's fellow Englishmen looked down on him, and outside of work-related interactions, they had no contact whatsoever.

Since he followed Martin's lead, he naturally looked down on these Englishmen as well.

Ellen Page returned to the studio, and soon after the shoot was completed, Martin and Bruce came out from inside.

Mene had finished his scenes. He pointed at the two English actors in the distance and said, "Old Cloth, I thought you said you were tight with the Englishmen? Cillian Murphy is one thing, that Tom Hardy gives us a dirty look every day. Go sort him out!"

Bruce replied, "I need a mortar and mortar shells, the bigger the caliber, the better. Will you get them for me?"

Mene asked, "Shouldn't be too hard to get weapons here in Morocco, right?"

Martin shrugged, "Not sure, this is my first time in Africa, I'm not familiar with the place."

After a moment's thought, Bruce said, "Morocco and Algeria, I think, haven't clearly defined 90% of their border, there are many clashes, and they support each other's opposition groups. It shouldn't be difficult to get weapons and ammunition."

Mene said, "I'll handle the mortar and shells, Old Cloth, you'll handle the Englishmen?"

"Both of you just stay out of trouble." Martin was ready to head back to the hotel and walked towards the trailers, waiting for the two men to catch up, then said, "This crew is unusually quiet..."

Bruce spread his hands: "Quiet because you haven't stirred up any trouble."

Mene quickly changed the subject: "Remember the pretty girl from before lunch? The one named Gisele? I just saw her giving a gift to Professor Mordecai... Ah, what a pity, why does she have to have the same taste as me?"

Martin offhandedly said, "She might just be yearning for knowledge and technology."