The Best Director

“Ms. Portman…” Wang Yang hesitated, could it really not be filmed right away? Would he have to wait until next June? In fact, he understood Natalie’s request was very reasonable and normal, yet there seemed to always be that slight wishful thinking, which made him unable to make a decision.

Just then, the door was knocked on “bang bang,” and Wang Yang glanced at the door before quickly walking over. Holding a phone with several cracks on the screen, he said, “I’m sorry, please wait a moment, someone is looking for me.” After hearing Natalie’s ‘oh,’ he put down the phone and opened the door, only to be stunned. Standing in the corridor outside were two middle-aged men in police uniforms, both with their hands on their guns at their waists, ready to draw them at any time.

“Are you Mr. Wang Yang?” The white police officer in front looked serious. He sized up Wang Yang and said, “I am Officer Brett, and you are suspected of an intentional assault case. Cole Randston has accused you of intentionally causing him bodily harm at Paraclete Private Hospital on August 23,1999, which is yesterday. Mr. Wang, we have enough evidence to arrest you, and you have the right to remain silent, but you need to come with us.” After that, he took out a pair of silver handcuffs from his waist.

“Oh, okay.” Wang Yang nodded calmly, not panicking at all, because he had thought about this scenario happening since last night. Dammit, Cole was still going to bite him. He pressed the phone to his ear and said, “Ms. Portman, I’m in trouble. I’ll contact you about ‘Juno’ later.” Natalie’s voice on the other end was confused, “Oh?” Wang Yang simply said to her, “The people looking for me are the police. I have to go to the police station now, bye!”

After putting away the phone, Wang Yang calmly shut down the computer in the room, put on a black jacket, and then walked to the door, looking at Officer Brett and the handcuffs. He frowned and said, “I am willing to cooperate with the police, but is that thing really necessary?” Brett shrugged and warned with a stem look, “Don’t play any tricks.”

“What tricks do I need to play?” Wang Yang smiled gently, closed the door, and walked towards the elevator, escorted by the two police officers, one in front and one behind. Although he had anticipated it, Wang Yang’s mood still sank. This was the first time he had been taken away by the police since he was 19 years old, and soon he would step into the police station for the first time as a suspect in a criminal case…

Throughout the corridor, in the elevator, and in the hotel lobby, people all along the way looked at Wang Yang being led away by two police officers. Their gazes seemed to regard him as a drug offender; even worse, a crazed murderer, otherwise, they definitely would have put handcuffs on the kid.

Once outside the hotel on the street, there was a police car parked by the road. Officer Brett opened the door and got in. At that moment, Wang Yang, standing next to the police car, suddenly became acutely aware of a camera’s flash lighting up his eyes. He frowned and looked around, soon spotting a black man not far ahead, continuously pressing the shutter of a long-lens camera. Wang Yang muttered a curse, “Shit…”

That guy wasn’t Cole, but what was the difference under the current situation? He definitely wasn’t some photography enthusiast but the detestable paparazzi. This meant that as early as tonight, or at the latest by tomorrow, the news “Wang Yang Taken Away by the Police!” would break.

Looking away, Wang Yang sat in the back seat of the police car with a calm expression, Brett seating next to him, and the other officer driving. As the police car started moving slowly, the black paparazzo ran up, trying to get a photo of Wang Yang inside the car, but he didn’t succeed and could only watch the police car driving further away with a sigh.

Looking at the streetscape receding outside the window, Wang Yang took out his phone and asked, “I can make a phone call, right?” Brett said indifferently, “Of course.” Leaning against the hard backrest, very uncomfortable, Wang Yang dialed a number and said somberly through the window, “Mark.”

“Haha, my boss, how coincidental? I was just about to call you!” Mark Slaughter seemed very excited, and without giving Wang Yang a chance to speak, he said cheerfully, “Some good news, haha! You are going to be on the cover of TIME Magazine. They just contacted us! This is fantastic; it will take your fame to a new level.”

“Oh! Wow…” Wang Yang sighed without any joy, the cover of TIME Magazine? He laughed at himself and said, “Mark, some bad news, I’ve been arrested by the police.” Mark Slaughter was taken aback, then asked, “What do you mean? What do you mean you’ve been arrested?” Looking at Brett next to him, Wang Yang, touching the wound on his forehead, said, “I am suspected of an intentional assault case. The paparazzo Cole Randston has sued me, and right now, I’m on my way to the police station with the police…”

Mark Slaughter immediately cursed “Shit,” but then quickly calmed down, saying very seriously, “Yang, don’t say anything. Keep silent! Don’t disclose anything related to the case, don’t answer any questions. Whatever they ask, say you will wait until my lawyer arrives, understand?”

Wang Yang nodded, “I understand.” Of course, he knew this; he wasn’t ignorant of the law. In fact, he was very well aware that, although Cole was a scumbag, he was the one who had initiated the physical confrontation and had caused Cole to lose at least three teeth, which already constituted intentional assault.

“Yang, I’ll arrange for a good lawyer to bail you out immediately, but it will take some time,” Mark Stelonte said, and then admonished him again very seriously, “Remember, don’t say anything to the police!”

“I know!” Wang Yang responded, recalling the black paparazzo from earlier, he said, “There’s another thing, the paparazzi got some photos earlier.” On the other end, Mark Stelonte responded helplessly, “I knew we couldn’t keep this under wraps! It must be Cole Randston’s accomplices, they won’t miss this opportunity, damn paparazzi! Sigh, let’s not worry about that for now, we’ll think of something once we get you bailed out and figure out what’s going on.” After the call ended, Wang Yang leaned silently against the backrest, not blinking for a long time. Officer Brett next to him heard Wang Yang say something about “paparazzi” and seeming to recall something, he looked at Wang Yang with confusion, and then exclaimed in surprise, “Wait, you’re really the Amazing Yang?! Oh my goodness, how could I only remember now? You are the Amazing Yang!” Wang Yang responded with a smile, “Yes, I am.”

Officer Brett said somewhat excitedly, “My daughter loves your movies! Uh, that ‘High School Musical’ one. She’s a die-hard fan. She bought five sets of the original CDs just to get your autographed poster, but she never got it.” He quickly took out a notebook and pen from his pocket and handed them to Wang Yang, saying with a smile, “Hey, give me an autograph, my daughter has wanted this for so long.” Wang Yang nodded and took the paper and pen, signing it. Officer Brett added, “Please write ‘May Kayla Brett be forever beautiful and happy’, thanks a lot.”

Wang Yang wrote as he requested, and added with a smile, “I was arrested by your father, but please believe me, I am not a violent maniac.” He returned the paper and pen to Officer Brett and said with a laugh, “Say a few good words for me, I don’t want to lose your daughter as a fan.”

“Oh! Never, she’d consider anyone who speaks ill of you an enemy,” Officer Brett laughed, shaking his head. He looked at the signed notebook with a father’s tender affection and exclaimed, “I finally have some credibility as a dad, Kayla is going to love her dad. This is an autograph from the Amazing Yang!” The black police officer driving in front chuckled, “Lucky you were on duty for this one, right?”

Brett laughed and then turned to Wang Yang, “Amazing Yang, keep making good movies, don’t let my daughter’s idol turn into a shooting star.” Wang Yang nodded, and Officer Brett patted his shoulder, asking, “My daughter is waiting for your new work, what was that movie called…?” Wang Yang smiled, “Juno.” Officer Brett’s eyes lit up as he nodded, “Yes, ‘Juno’. Please, it must be well-made!” His smile was full of doting love as he continued, “Kayla keeps saying ‘Juno’ is definitely going to be an outstanding film, she’s already sure of it.”

“I will,” thought Wang Yang, feeling an immense warmth in his heart. Kayla, as well as his other fans, trusted and supported him so much, how could he let them down? Would “Juno” be an outstanding film? That was what he strove for. Even though Officer Brett got the autograph and his attitude became friendlier, engaging in conversation with Wang Yang as they traveled, it didn’t mean Wang Yang’s treatment changed. Upon arrival at the police station, Brett and several other officers interrogated him. Because Wang Yang chose to remain silent, his answers were “I will discuss everything once my lawyer arrives,” which naturally led to no progress in the police inquiry. Following procedure, Wang Yang was taken to the detention room.

Standing outside the detention room, looking at the room locked with large iron bars, housing several temporarily detained individuals, with a burly black man covered in tattoos, a drunkard asleep on the floor, and a delinquent girl adorned with earrings, nose rings, and lip rings… Wang Yang suddenly remembered something, stopped in his tracks, and turned to the fat officer escorting him, saying, “I need to make a phone call.”

“Okay,” shrugged the fat officer. Wang Yang walked over to the wall-phone, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number. Swiftly, a crisp and pleasant voice answered the phone, “Hello, who is this?” Looking around, Wang Yang said with a smile, “Hi, Jessica, it’s me.” At the sound of his voice, Jessica immediately laughed and playfully said, “Miss me?” With a smile, Wang Yang replied, “Something happened, and I felt I needed to tell you right away.” Jessica detected something amiss in his tone and her brow furrowed, asking with concern, “Yang, what’s wrong?” Wang Yang said calmly, “Cole filed a report, I’m at the police station right now.” Jessica asked in a panic, “Oh my God! Are you okay?” Wang Yang quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry! I’m fine, there’s nothing big, it’s just temporary detention. Mark is already arranging for a lawyer to bail me out.”

The fat officer gave Wang Yang an impatient look and took a couple of steps forward, saying tersely, “Are you done? Hurry up!” Wang Yang gave the officer an “almost done” look, shielding the receiver and said, “Jessica, don’t worry! This is just a new experience, not a big deal. I have to hang up now, so I’ll say good night to you now, good night!”

“Yang, Yang!” Jessica called out a few times, and as she heard the beep of the phone, she clenched her eyebrows tightly, her heart equally seized.

Seated in the corner of the detention room, Wang Yang crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Listening to a tough-looking black man cursing, “Fucking hell, I didn’t steal anything, I just found it…,” and the snoring of the drunk, “Gur—Gur—,” he looked up at the ceiling. For some reason, he felt very calm; he didn’t want to think about the case. He remembered Officer Brett’s words, “It must be well-made… My daughter has already decided ‘Juno’ will be a good film…” and Natalie’s words, ”1 believe in half a year, I will be Juno… I’m confident I can completely inhabit her character.”

“Hey, handsome, what are you in for?” A white, blonde girl, dressed like a delinquent, sat down next to Wang Yang. She touched his arm and said with a smile, “Nice muscles!” Helplessly, Wang Yang warned her, “Don’t touch me.” The girl continued to stroke his chest, throwing a seductive gaze and purred, “You can touch me though.”

Wang Yang rolled his eyes and moved aside, but immediately, the bad girl leaned in again…

During the evening news broadcast, Fox News reported the latest story: “Supernova Chinese American director Wang Yang was taken away by New York police for investigation!” On the TV screen, several clear photos showed Wang Yang being escorted into a police car by two officers. His face was calm, and as he faced the reporters’ cameras, he didn’t show any panic or attempt to hide, even appearing to have a slight smile.

The Fox newscaster explained to the audience, “We don’t yet know the reason why Wang Yang has been taken away by the police, but one thing is for sure, this young director is in trouble.”

No sooner had the news hit the streets than Wang Yang’s movie fans exploded online—is Magical Yang arrested?! Is this some kind of joke?! The always positive and wholesome Magical Yang has been taken away by the police?! Please, he doesn’t club, he doesn’t party, his daily life almost always involves walking his dog with his girlfriend, he’s the epitome of a ‘good guy,’ and now he’s in trouble? What on earth did he do?!

Unaware of the outside world’s buzz about his arrest, Wang Yang was in the detention cell, exasperatedly trying to avoid the bad girl’s advances. The more he evaded, the more persistent she seemed, continuously harassing him.

“Give me a break!” Wang Yang had completely given up, having already cursed and deciding against fighting, not wanting to add an actual assault charge to his troubles. He looked at the bad girl and pleaded, “Can’t I just sit quietly?” The bad girl laughed, shook her head, and sashayed towards him, saying, “Let’s have some fun!” Wang Yang took a deep breath in irritation and said, “Bullshit!”

Just then, a Black officer appeared to be walking over. Indeed, he opened the iron door and said, “Wang Yang, come on out, someone’s posted your bail.” Wang Yang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, gave the bad girl a wry look, and eagerly walked out. Mark’s lawyer sure was quick, he thought he’d have to spend the night in the cell.

Once out of the detention cell, Wang Yang followed the Black officer to the registration desk, where he saw the lawyer who had bailed him out—a middle- aged white woman in a women’s suit. Extending his hand, Wang Yang asked, “Hello, are you the lawyer Mark sent?” The white lady shook his hand and smiled, “No, my name is Jane Logan, I’m Natalie’s lawyer.” Wang Yang then realized Natalie had helped him, and he smiled back, saying, “Alright, thank you.”

After accepting Ms. Logan’s bail, Wang Yang retrieved his phone and other belongings, ready to leave the police station and head home.

“Come with me, there are paparazzi waiting at the front door.” Ms. Logan led Wang Yang towards the police station’s back exit. Along the way, Wang Yang asked, puzzled, “How does everyone know I’m here?” Ms. Logan smiled and replied, “It’s no secret, easy to find out.”

Exiting the back door of the police station, a chilly wind made Wang Yang tighten his clothes. He looked up at the dazzling night sky before briskly following Ms. Logan to the parked car and getting into a black sedan. To his surprise, Natalie was sitting in the back seat. He acknowledged her with a nod and smile, “Ms. Portman, thank you for your help.”

“Hey!” Natalie, her hair tied in a ponytail, punched his shoulder and teased, “How was the detention center? Did any big, strong guys take a liking to you, you know, with arms as thick as a woman’s thighs and a shiny bald head?” She shrugged dramatically and said, “They love your type the most.”

As Ms. Logan drove off, Wang Yang fastened his seatbelt and looked at Natalie with confusion. Natalie, growing impatient, made a face and said, “Hey, don’t tell me you got dumb.” Wang Yang uttered a sound but before he could say anything, Natalie suddenly burst into laughter and clapped her hands, exclaiming, “Mr. Wang, I was just doing my Juno impersonation.”

“Oh!” Wang Yang got the joke and couldn’t help but grin, remembering her performance, and commented, “Pretty good, but a little over the top.” Natalie thoughtfully nodded in agreement. Looking at her now calm demeanor, Wang Yang thanked her again, “Thank you for your help, or else I might have really gotten into a fight in there. Honestly, someone was eyeing me.” He chuckled and waved his hand, “Just kidding.”

“Mr. Wang, it’s just a small favor between friends, nothing to thank me for,” Natalie said seriously, “And I hope you don’t misunderstand, this wasn’t me trying to get the role of Juno.” Wang Yang shook his head with a smile, “No, of course not.” Natalie confidently added, “But I do hope to land the role. I’ve found myself falling in love with Juno; she’s so unique, yet…”

Natalie looked into his eyes, her voice sincere, “I don’t want to ruin this role. Acting in it now, with my current understanding and state, would only result in a half-finished product. I need time!” She continued, trying to persuade him, “Mr. Wang, you wouldn’t want to ruin this movie either, would you?”

Wang Yang fell silent. At that moment, he vaguely heard that voice again, “Please, make sure it’s filmed properly…” Gazing at Natalie’s earnest face and thinking about her performance just now… He suddenly smiled, having made up his mind, he nodded and said with a smile, “You’re right! Miss Portman, I will postpone the shooting of ‘Juno.\'” This way, he also had more time to perfect the script and storyboard for ‘Juno’; moreover, he could start filming ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ first, towards which he felt equally impulsive and passionate.

Hearing him agree, Natalie immediately showed a very happy smile. She clenched her fists and couldn’t help but give Wang Yang a push, laughing, “You’ll know, you’ve made the right choice.” Wang Yang exclaimed “Wow!” as Natalie suddenly turned serious again, “Mr. Wang, I have another request. Could we keep this under wraps from the media for now? I don’t want to be bothered.”

“Of course, we’ll announce it when shooting begins,” Wang Yang said without hesitation, because that was also his intention. If they announced now that Natalie Portman would star in Juno, he could already imagine how the gossip media would report it: “Best Director’s First Step in His Pursuit?” “Has Yang Split with Jessica?” “Yang and Natalie’s Romance in Progress!”…

Just thinking about it was unbearable! Thankfully, all that might happen in June next year, not now. But there were already enough troubles at the moment… Wang Yang rubbed his forehead and pulled his phone out of his pocket, saying, “Miss Portman, I need to make a call.” Natalie nodded with a smile, “Go ahead.” After speaking, she turned to look at the street scene outside the car window.

Wang Yang restarted his phone, which signaled many, many missed calls. He browsed through them; they were all from friends he knew well—Valerie Fiest, Michael Pitt, Harry George, Tom Willing, Zachary, Joshua… Looking at each number, he smiled faintly, feeling warmth in his heart. His finger suddenly stopped as he saw the latest missed call on the screen—the name was “Rachel McAdams.”

Rachel… How long had it been since he’d talked to Rachel? Just as Wang Yang was getting distracted, the phone suddenly rang, startling him: “Oh!” He awkwardly adjusted his position and saw the incoming call—it was Rachel… Wang Yang took a deep breath, shook his head vigorously, and answered, “Hi, Rachel.”

“Yang, are you okay?” Rachel asked eagerly from the other end, her voice filled with concern and worry. Although she couldn’t see him, Wang Yang shrugged with a smile, reassuring her, “Thanks, I’m fine, don’t worry! I’ve just been bailed out.” Rachel’s voice, however, did not relax, she asked, “What happened? What did you do?” Wang Yang simply stated the reason, “I hit a paparazzo, and they filed a complaint with the police.”

“What!?” Rachel seemed surprised, then became angrily, “Yang, why can’t you stay calm? Why hit someone? Can’t you keep from worrying people?” Wang Yang said urgently, “Rachel, do you think I’m someone who goes around hitting people for no reason?” There was silence on the other end, then Wang Yang faintly heard her sigh with helplessness and melancholy, his heart clenched, and he heard Rachel say, “Sorry, Yang… I’m glad you’re okay. I think you have lots of calls to make, so, goodbye!”

“Wait…” Wang Yang couldn’t help but call out, but the phone emitted a series of “beeps.” He frowned and let out a sigh, then dialed his home number in San Francisco to explain things to his parents.

Natalie calmly looked out the window but couldn’t help overhearing Wang Yang’s conversation. Rachel? Was that Rachel McAdams? She glanced at Wang Yang and listened to him making calls to family and friends, but his tone was so lighthearted, clearly different from how it was when he talked with Rachel just now.

Wang Yang dialed another number, “Hi, Jessica, I’m fine, I’ve been let go…” He laughed and then said tenderly, “Don’t worry, I’m a member of the Justice League, nothing will happen…”

So, this was his girlfriend? Natalie suddenly chuckled. She felt a bit like those gossip newspapers.

PS: Wow, I am super, very, extremely in need of monthly votes, about to fall to seventh place, and there are only three days left this month! Hold on, everyone, shower me with your monthly votes, let ‘Best Director’ stay in the top six!