Chapter 377 The sword is deadly
“Him? Why? Didn’t we discuss this before? He has no relevant experience. The risk is too great.”

“I know, but last night’s SNL changed my mind about him. I think he is capable of doing the job.”

“SNL? He went to participate in the SNL? Sorry, Dawn, I’m on vacation in Africa at the moment. I don’t have internet or TV here. I only have a poor 2G signal.”

“I know Tom, otherwise I don’t think you would have waited for me to call you. Anyway, his appearance on SNL last night gave me a surprise, and I think it’s enough to put him on our radar.”

“Excuse me, Tom, I remember that in the last phone call, you told me that Anne Hathaway and James Franco had been finalized as the final candidates?”

“Yes, that’s right, but I changed my mind. And it’s not just me. Before calling you, I discussed it with many people, including ABC, and they all thought that they could at least contact him to see if he was interested.”

“why?”

“what why?”

“Come on, Dawn, how old is he? 24, 25? His nationality, his skin color, come on, Dawn, I feel like this is a risk, you can’t just be vague. You need to give me some solid reasons.”

“The reason is, OK. First of all, he is young enough, which fits our theme of youth. Secondly, the SNL ratings last night just came out to be 1370 million, which is their best ratings record this year, surpassing Baldwin.”

“That’s…I gotta say, that’s a little surprising to me.”

“When we first heard the news, we felt the same way. You know, SNL has never invited a 24-year-old Chinese to be a host in history. But now it seems that their gamble has succeeded. The ratings statistics released today show that although they lost a part of the stubborn elderly audience because of him, we can see that this part of the loss was completely covered by the younger, more active and more spending power 16-34 year olds. Tom, I want to remind you that this data is not only visible to us, but also to advertisers… So, you know what I mean.”

“Very convincing. I like these cold statistics, hahahaha. Okay, I agree with you. Then you go contact his agent and hope he won’t be like Justin. Then…if he agrees, what are you going to do with Hathaway and Frank?”

“Say sorry.”

……

……

On December 12, the morning before the Golden Globe nominations were announced, Chen Nuo was finally free of worries and could go visit friends he hadn’t seen for some time.

Li Jing had previously helped Gao Yuanyuan contact the UCLA Medical Center in LA. As one of the best choices for treating lung diseases in the United States, it is located on the UCLA campus in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. It covers a large area and has a beautiful environment, making it a great place for walking and chatting.

Chen Nuo and Gao Yuanyuan were about to leave the hospital building when Alison called him from behind, “Hey Chen, wait a minute.”

Chen Nuo turned around and saw Alison’s slightly excited expression, and asked in surprise: “What’s wrong?”

“I just got an insider message. The Oscar Organizing Committee may have an idea now. They want you to be the host of the 83rd Academy Awards!”

“What!?”

“It’s true. This is a text message that a friend of mine just sent me. He is very close to Oscar CEO Dwayne Hudson. OMG, Chen, if this is true, it is amazing and far beyond our previous expectations.”

“Alison, let’s wait until this happens. To be honest, I don’t think it was that great. I’m a little exhausted from the experience the night before. I’m not sure if I can do it again for a longer time.”

“Haha, don’t be like this, Chen, I know you can do it. Okay, let’s leave it at that for now, and we’ll talk about it later when we have more accurate information. Sorry, ma’am, for disturbing your private time.”

Looking at Alison’s back as she walked away, Gao Yuanyuan asked curiously, “Is this your future agent in the United States?”

“Uh, no…but you can understand it this way. Anyway, I’m here to help me.”

“She looks very capable. How much do you pay her per year?”

“One million, maybe.”

“…One million, RMB or USD?”

“Dollar dollars.”

“Dollar!?”

“correct.”

“Holy crap!!! $100 million!”

It seemed like it was the first time that Chen Nuo heard Gao Yuanyuan swearing. At this time, they had already walked out of the building and came to the outdoor garden on the first floor of the hospital.

The gardens are beautiful, with winding paths through low shrubs and tall oaks, as well as colorful flower beds.

There are several wooden benches scattered around for people to rest. On both sides of the path, there are artificial streams flowing.

Like most days in Los Angeles, the weather was fine today, with the sun shining through the tall oak trees, casting patches of mottled light and shadows. A light breeze blew, bringing with it the salty and humid air of the distant seaside.

Chen Nuo turned his head to look at the woman. He hadn’t seen her for several months. Her face, which had originally had soft lines, looked much thinner. In the sunlight, her skin was dazzlingly white, and her bright big eyes were filled with an incredible expression.

He couldn’t help but laugh and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mr. Chen, is your company still short of people? Do you think I can go and work for you?”

“Haha, yes, I need a female secretary, are you coming?”

“What kind of secretary is it? The kind that does things when there are things to do and does things when there are nothing to do?”

“Yeah, how’s it going?”

“Okay, can you charge me by the number of times I work? If I work more, I can get less money, but if I work less, I have to pay more.”

“Emm, did you say it the other way around?”

“No…”

“Fuck, you’re so…hahaha.”

“Ha ha ha ha.”

At this point, both of them couldn’t help laughing.

Then they fell silent again. Gao Yuanyuan looked up at the sky and said quietly, “It would be great if there were no diseases or pain in this world.”

Chen Nuo hummed.

Gao Yuanyuan glanced at him and said, “Thank you. If you hadn’t helped me contact the hospital, my mother wouldn’t be getting better now. The doctor said that she can be discharged next month, and she can go back to China for the New Year.”

“It’s okay, it’s just a piece of cake.”

Seeing that the man didn’t seem to want to talk more, Gao Yuanyuan immediately smiled and said, “Okay, let’s not talk about this. Come on, let’s change the subject and talk about you. I noticed that you’ve been in the news a lot recently.”

Chen Nuo also laughed and said, “Really?”

Gao Yuanyuan nodded affirmatively and said, “Yes, I’ve seen news about you on Twitter every day recently. You’ve been a guest star on BBC and hosted SNL. Have you started the promotion period here recently? For Twilight 3?”

“Part of it is.”

“Tsk tsk…Speaking of which, the Oscars invited you to be the host. What are you thinking about? Do you really not want to go?”

“Well, a little bit.”

“why?”

Chen Nuo smiled bitterly and said, “Because I’m really too tired. I just want to be an award presenter or something, and then just show up on the scene. If I really want to be a host, I guess I won’t be able to spend the New Year at home again this year.”

“Ah? Really?”

“Yes. I went to guest host the day before yesterday. Do you know how long I was busy before going on stage? I had meetings with their production team for more than a week, discussing the script every day, and rehearsing. Otherwise, I would have come to see you a long time ago. This is just an ordinary show, and it’s just an opening show! If it were an Oscar award ceremony… Haha, I think I would be exhausted to death.”

Gao Yuanyuan smiled and said, “By the way, I didn’t watch the live broadcast of the SNL you hosted the day before yesterday, but I watched it on YouTube yesterday. You hosted it really well.”

“Oh? Haha, you’re really appreciated.”

“It’s all in English. Aren’t you nervous?” Gao Yuanyuan looked at the man next to her with curiosity.

Although they have known each other for a long time and have been together for a long time, Gao Yuanyuan should not have any fan mentality anymore. But she feels that sometimes she can’t help looking at him with a look of sincere admiration.

“Nervous.” Chen Nuo smiled. “Didn’t I say that when I was hosting the show? I was very nervous, but I pretended well.”

Gao Yuanyuan looked unconvinced, “That’s obviously a joke.”

Chen Nuo smiled and said, “No, I added it now.”

Gao Yuanyuan still didn’t believe it, “How is that possible?”

“real.”

“Well, if it’s true, then you should go to the Oscars. You can make up stories on the spot… But, hey, you should think about it carefully. It’s true that family is the most important thing sometimes. Being able to spend a good New Year with them at home is better than anything else.”

Chen Nuo couldn’t help but pinch Gao Yuanyuan’s face with his hand, “Don’t look so sad, smile.”

Gao Yuanyuan wrinkled her nose, looked around, and said, “You’re not afraid of paparazzi.”

“Don’t worry, I haven’t reached that level yet in the United States.”

“I think it’s about the same.”

“No, not even close.”

“So what’s that about?”

“What’s the matter?”

“The paparazzi photographed you in Canada, and there are rumors that you and Fan Binbing have a child… I think this is too outrageous. What’s going on?”

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan looking at him curiously, Chen Nuo thought for a moment, nodded and said, “It’s actually true.”

“……What did you say?”

Gao Yuanyuan obviously didn’t expect to get such an answer. She stopped walking and stood still, as if she was struck by lightning, staring at Chen Nuo.

Chen Nuo smiled, “What’s wrong?”

Gao Yuanyuan came back to her senses, shook her head and said with a smile: “Impossible, you are kidding me, right?”

If it were another woman, Chen Nuo wouldn’t actually say this.

But as mentioned before, he and Gao Yuanyuan have always had a lot in common because they are of similar age and personality. The relationship between the two has always been a subtle one between friends and close friends.

So he had no intention of hiding this matter from the other party.

Seeing that she didn’t believe him, he just briefly told her the whole story.

As Gao Yuanyuan listened to him, her expression kept changing, sometimes shocked and sometimes calm.

“…That’s it.” Chen Nuo sighed sincerely, “I didn’t expect that I would become a father in this way. Isn’t it amazing?”

Gao Yuanyuan didn’t say anything, but her beautiful eyes kept staring at his face.

Chen Nuo asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

Gao Yuanyuan was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, “Are you sure the child is yours?”

“Cough cough cough!” Chen Nuo was choked by his saliva.

Gao Yuanyuan ignored him and just looked at him silently.

Chen Nuo coughed for a while and said unhappily: “What are you talking about? I tell you, it is definitely true. To be honest, anyone who has experienced it will know that feeling. You can see it at a glance, and there is no way to fake it.”

“Okay.” Gao Yuanyuan still had no expression and continued, “Haha, I didn’t expect her to be so brave. She’s really bold. So what do you want to do next? Marry her?”

“How can you possibly get married? What are you thinking?”

“How is it impossible?”

“Those are two different things.”

Gao Yuanyuan nodded and said, “Since you think so, I feel relieved.”

Chen Nuo smiled and said, “What do you mean?”

Gao Yuanyuan said calmly, “Don’t you think this is very strange? Fan Binbing is an artist of your company. She has been doing so well these past few days and is so popular. She actually did this. Don’t you think there is something wrong?”

“Uh……”

“Don’t be so silly, think about it carefully. Although I shouldn’t say this about others behind their backs, I’m really worried that you’ll be deceived. I haven’t had much contact with her, but I’ve heard from many people that with her personality, it’s unlikely that she’ll really become a good wife and mother overnight. You…you really have to be careful. By the way, did she ask you to break up with Liu Yifei?”

“Well, that’s not the case.”

“Oh, maybe not yet, but if she asks you to do so, what are you going to do then?”

Chen Nuo thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think she would ask for this, but if she did, I wouldn’t listen to her.”

Gao Yuanyuan nodded, her expression looking a little better, “That’s right… Does Liu Yifei know about this?”

Chen Nuo said: “I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone else. Now the only one who knows about this, besides the people around me, is you.”

Gao Yuanyuan’s face became better. She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Can you tell me how many women you have now?”

Chen Nuo was stunned for a moment and said, “There are not many. Why are you asking this?”

Gao Yuanyuan said, “Nothing. I was just thinking that no matter whether it’s Liu Yifei or them, you’d better not tell them. Otherwise, I think women’s jealousy is terrible, and they might do something. Now the matter has actually died down. I see that both the domestic media and netizens agree that it’s a rumor. If public opinion turns around at that time, it will definitely have a big impact on you.”

Although Chen Nuo felt that it might not be as serious as Gao Yuanyuan said, he did think there would be some trouble, so he nodded and said, “I know.”

Gao Yuanyuan tilted her head and looked at him. After hesitating for a moment, she actually said, “You really didn’t lie to me? Really? Fan Binbing gave birth to a daughter for you?” Chen Nuo smiled.

To be honest, he understood Gao Yuanyuan’s behavior very well.

This matter may have caused a big stir in the public opinion, but except that Liu Yifei took some time out from filming to call and ask about it, at that time he was upset because of Fan Binbing’s unreasonable request and had no mood to say anything to her. He just perfunctorily brushed it off with a few words.

No one else asked him about it.

This is very normal.

Because this matter is really too incredible.

Who would have thought?
Even he couldn’t think of it, let alone others.

Even his parents would never have imagined that they had become grandparents without realizing it.

When he thought of this, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but feel a headache.

When the truth is revealed one day…what should I do?!
He is not afraid of women, and he is not even afraid of the media.

Because now, his original development ideas have changed.

Before, he had thought of returning to his country to develop after Donald came to power and the world returned to the stage of isolationism.

But now, he inexplicably gets along well with James Pritzker of the Pritzker family, a big Democratic Party financier. After returning to Toronto this time, they will talk about new movies and so on.

Then… wait until Donald leaves after four years in office, and old Biden stays in office for eight years. He uses the support of the Democratic Party bigwigs to get involved in Hollywood. Why would he return to China to develop his career?
He asked, is American money money? In China, if he gets paid a high salary, he will still worry about rumors, but in the United States, who cares how much he gets paid?

So, if my work focus continues to be placed in America in the future, then is there any problem with having an illegitimate daughter?
Take Justin Bieber for example. He smashes cars and takes drugs, but he still goes on world tours. Wherever he goes, he acts like a world superstar and gets every penny he deserves.

So what is he afraid of?
After all, the only person he was afraid of was Pan Chengrong.

……

……

Afterwards, Chen Nuo and Gao Yuanyuan took a walk in the hospital garden for about an hour before saying goodbye. He still had to go back to the hotel to put on makeup and prepare for the Golden Globe Award nomination dinner tonight, and also walk the red carpet.

Even though Gao Yuanyuan was reluctant to let him go, she did not try to keep him.

After watching Chen Nuo drive away in the car, she did not go upstairs to the ward immediately, but sat on the bench at the entrance of the hospital.

Only then was she able to calm down and sort out her feelings.

It’s actually true.

Fan Binbing actually gave birth to a child for him!!!

The woman who always shines brightly and is the center of attention under the spotlight actually did this!!!
She couldn’t think of it.

She also doesn’t believe that anyone in China could have thought of this.

Gao Yuanyuan bit her lower lip.

At this moment, she felt as if her heart was pricked by a needle, with pain mixed with sourness.

She knew she shouldn’t be jealous.

After all, there had never been a clear commitment between her and Chen Nuo, and this relationship was her own choice.

Originally she didn’t think it was a big deal, after all, she knew he had a lot of women, and everyone was the same.

But now,

Fan Binbing was so bold and decisive to take this step first!
She tried to calm herself down, but some scenes flashed through her mind uncontrollably.

Some scenes of a family of three having fun together.

She knew she shouldn’t think that.

After all, Chen Nuo said that he didn’t actually plan to marry Fan Binbing.

But she couldn’t help asking herself, what if Fan Binbing insisted? What if the child grew up? Who could guarantee that he wouldn’t change his mind?
The way Chen Nuo talked about the child just now was so gentle that she had never seen him before.

How can we be sure about the future?

She has always been careful to guard her boundaries, afraid of crossing the line.

But in the end, she watched others take away things she didn’t dare to touch.

Gao Yuanyuan took a deep breath and tried to suppress the irritation in her heart.

But there was a voice in her heart asking a question: What would she do if it were her?
“Hi, Miss Gao…”

At this time, Gao Yuanyuan was brought back to reality by a voice coming from the side.

She turned her head and saw a hospital staff member in a light blue uniform.

She knew this person, her name was Alice, and she was the one who handled her mother’s admission procedures.

Alice walked towards her with a stack of documents in her hand. With a professional smile on her face, she said in English with a California accent, “Hello, Ms. Gao, are you free now? We need you to go to the front desk to update the billing information.”

Gao Yuanyuan was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said softly: “Okay, I’ll be there right away.”

She arrived at the main lobby of the UCLA Medical Center, where several people were already queuing at the front desk.

Gao Yuanyuan stood at the back of the line, forgetting her previous worries and thinking only about the fees she would have to pay.

Although the pay for domestic films is not small and she is not the kind of person who spends money lavishly, the cost of medical treatment in the United States is indeed too high. She has hardly worked this year and can only rely on her previous savings to get by.

And now I don’t know how much I have to pay.

When it was her turn, the cashier at the front desk was a young white girl, her fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard.

She looked up at Gao Yuanyuan and smiled, “Hi, Miss Gao, let me check the bill for you. Your mother is in the hospital because of pulmonary fibrosis, right? Let me see the latest expense details.”

The girl entered the information skillfully, and a string of numbers popped up on the screen. She read as she looked at it: “As of December 12, your mother has been in the hospital for 10 days. This is the first four-month settlement cycle, according to the standard charges of our center…”

She paused and continued, “The basic hospitalization cost is about $2500 per day, which is $122 for 305 days. Add in the specialized treatment for lung disease, including the use of a ventilator, oxygen therapy, medications, and weekly CT scans, for a total of an additional $000. There are also miscellaneous items such as doctor’s consultation fees and nurse’s care fees, which are about $178. So the total cost for these four months is $000.”

Although Gao Yuanyuan knew that the cost of American hospitals was ridiculously high, especially top medical centers like UCLA, she still turned pale when she heard the specific amount.

She asked, “So…how much did I pay before?”

The settlement clerk tapped on the keyboard a few times, then looked up and said, “You have paid $15 in installments before, so there is still $428000 left to be settled. We need you to confirm the bill for this cycle today, and then you can choose to pay in installments or in one lump sum. If you have insurance, we can also help you connect with the insurance company to adjust the claim.”

Gao Yuanyuan smiled bitterly and shook her head, saying, “I don’t have insurance in the United States. I pay for everything myself.”

She lowered her head and rummaged through her bag, took out her wallet, and found several credit cards inside. But she knew in her heart that the maximum amount that could be spent on these cards combined was less than $5. Add to that the more than $4 in her Bank of America savings card, and the total was only about $9.

As for the remaining $30, she could only use her savings in China.

She had several large deposits in the country, which together were enough to pay the bill.

But the problem is that it is very troublesome to withdraw fixed deposits, and remittances from China to the United States must go through SWIFT international transfer, which has cumbersome procedures. Bank approval and foreign exchange control will take at least 3-5 working days, or even longer.

Therefore, she probably wouldn’t be able to come up with that much cash within a week, let alone today.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice steady: “I may not be able to pay the full amount today. Can you pay part of it first, and I will pay the rest in two days.”

The billing clerk nodded and said gently, “Of course, Ms. Gao, we can arrange for installment payment. But according to our hospital’s policy, you need to pay at least 30% of the balance, which is $128400, as a down payment. Do you think this is okay?”

Gao Yuanyuan bit her lip, her fingers clenched her wallet, her knuckles slightly white.

12 thousand 8!

It was still too much and she couldn’t give it.

She was silent for a while and was about to ask the other party if he could give her $10 first.

The cashier suddenly said “Huh”, lowered his head and stared at the screen, as if he had discovered something.

She looked up at Gao Yuanyuan with a surprised expression on her face: “Oh, wait, Ms. Gao, the bill seems to have been updated. It shows here that your balance has been cleared.”

“What?” Gao Yuanyuan was stunned, thinking she had heard it wrong.

“Yes,” the accountant turned the screen and pointed to a line of record. “Not long ago, someone helped you advance the remaining $428 in full. The payee’s note is… Chris. It should be your friend, right?”

Gao Yuanyuan stared blankly at the line of numbers and names on the screen, her mind going blank.

$428.

Chris.

She doesn’t have any friends named Chris, but she knows who Chris is.

“Miss Gao, are you okay?” The cashier saw that she hadn’t spoken for a long time and asked carefully.

Gao Yuanyuan came back to her senses and forced a smile, “I’m fine, thank you.” She paused and asked, “This bill…can I have a printed copy of the details?”

“Of course.” The cashier quickly printed out a receipt and handed it to her.
Gao Yuanyuan took it, looked down at the densely packed expense items and the final “paid” mark, and really, at this moment, tears suddenly came out of her eyes.

She wiped it quickly, turned and walked out of the checkout counter, returned to sit on the bench in the garden, and stared at the receipt in a daze.

She wanted to call Chen Nuo, but she picked up the phone and put it down again.

She didn’t know what to say.

Say thank you? Or ask him why he didn’t tell her in advance? Or promise that she would pay him back?

She felt that these questions or answers were neither what she wanted to say nor what he wanted to hear.

Gao Yuanyuan remembered at this time that she had been secretly blaming him in her heart before.

It was both shameful and sweet at the same time.

It turned out that he didn’t ask anything when he was taking a walk before.

It’s not because he doesn’t want to know, but because he knows it all.

……

……

The Golden Globe Awards nomination dinner on the evening of December 12 was star-studded.

The leading actors of this year’s hit movies, such as Johnny Depp, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, were all present.

As for Chen Nuo, he basically just walked the red carpet and answered some questions from reporters, most of which were not related to the movie, such as whether he was satisfied with his debut on the SNL stage, and whether he had anything to say about his cameo in The Big Bang Theory in a few days. At most, he asked about whether the postponement of Twilight 3 to the end of December would affect this year’s box office performance, etc.

He answered these questions in a proper manner and then stayed at the dinner for a while.

Then, because of a misunderstanding with someone, he didn’t want to stay any longer, so he left.

It was just right, he had wanted to leave early, but had to stay a little longer for the sake of face.

With this excuse, he really slipped away very quickly.

Moreover, he asked Qi Yuntian to check out and buy a plane ticket in the car. It was only around 9 o’clock in the evening at this time. If he hurried, he could buy a red-eye flight in the early morning. After packing up, he could fly directly to Toronto. When he arrived at Pearson International Airport, it should be morning local time, which could save him a day.

Qi Yuntian and Alison already knew what had just happened at the dinner, and both of them were smiling happily.

“Don’t you know? Didn’t I tell you?” Elinson said incredulously, “Originally, the hosts they contacted were Hathaway and Frank. Now the wind has changed. I guess the two of them are discussing this matter, but you went up to them and wanted to chat. Of course they thought you were showing off.”

Chen Nuo said helplessly: “How should I know? I didn’t pay attention to this at all. I just went over to get a glass of wine and just wanted to form a threesome.”

Qi Yuntian laughed and said in Chinese: “In the end, they gave you the cold shoulder.”

Chen Nuo ignored him and said to Alison, “Although we have officially received the invitation, I am still hesitant. Of course, I do hope you can convince me, Alison.”

Elinson laughed and then said, “No problem, Chen, I have a good reason.”

“what?”

“If you agree, although it will be very tiring and busy, you will be the first Chinese to host the Oscars in history.”

Allison paused and said in a clearly inflammatory tone: “Not Asian, not Chinese, but an actor who is clearly from China, standing on that stage with Chinese nationality, standing at the most important and grandest awards ceremony in the world, saying whatever you want to say, and commanding everyone on the scene.”

“This has never happened in the 83-year history of the Oscars.”

“Chen, don’t mention how this will help you win the Oscars in the future. I just want to say that as long as you really do it, I think it doesn’t matter even if you bring your daughter to a public appearance the next day, really.”

This is what a top public relations expert is.

Every word was fatal, stabbing Chen Nuo’s soft spot.

When he heard the end, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but start recalling in his mind some classic jokes from the more than 2011 Oscars ceremonies from 2024 to 10 that could be used.

(End of this chapter)