The Best Director

“Chinese Supernova Director Wang Yang Taken in by New York Police for Investigation!” When Fox TV broke this news, everyone who loved entertainment gossip—the fans of Flame Films, Wang Yang’s fans, Jessica’s fans…everyone was in an uproar. They were all guessing what this Mr. Nice Guy could have done—drug abuse, drunk driving, rape!? The next morning’s Daily Entertainment provided the answer.

This tabloid grabbed the headline, with the latest issue’s cover featuring a bold black font that read, “Miraculous Yang’s Assault, Unleashing Chinese Kung Fu in the Hospital!” Accompanied by a photograph of Wang Yang—taken not at the time of the incident, but a candid from his daily life. However, in the image, he had furrowed brows as if he was holding back anger.

According to Daily Entertainment’s report, the reason Wang Yang was taken away by the police was intentional assault. Two days ago, at Paraclete Private Hospital, he kicked and punched a reporter. The victimized reporter was none other than Cole Randston, from whose camera the photos revealing Wang Yang and Jessica’s romance had emerged.

Another image in the news showed a middle-aged white man with swollen eyes and a bruised face—the victim Cole Randston. While being interviewed, he still seemed to be in shock, “That day, Wang Yang just went crazy. He smashed my camera, then started beating me relentlessly. Yes, you know he’s not a slight man, he’s like the Terminator, and knows Kung Fu! I had no power to resist, I kept saying ‘stop, stop,’ but he continued hitting me, cursing ‘Son of a bitch, I’ll kill you!”‘

“Buddy, I lost four teeth to that young director, sustained minor internal bleeding, multiple soft tissue contusions… I’m not exaggerating, he nearly killed me! And all of this is certified by a doctor,” Cole went on to show the injuries on his body to journalists, saying, “These were all given to me by Wang Yang. I won’t let this go; he needs to apologize to me and compensate for my losses.”

The news once again boosted Daily Entertainment’s sales, and as the article hit the streets, it was quickly republished online, and then everyone following the story knew about it.

It turned out to be a fight! Many of Wang Yang’s fans let out a sigh of relief—intentional or not, assault was better than drug abuse or rape, and he had hit a paparazzo! Even though the paparazzi provided the latest photos and information of the stars, satisfying the fans’ cravings, they were nonetheless a detestable synonym, for it was they who had caused the death of Princess Diana.

However, not all fans were in the “firm support of Wang Yang” camp; many expressed their disappointment. No matter how annoying the paparazzi were, it wasn’t right to just hit people! Wanton violence is simply wrong.

Meanwhile, Jessica’s fans were visibly worried. In her fan forums, posts brimming with concern were everywhere: “Damn it, could Wang Yang be assaulting Jessica?”, “Jessica, please break up with him, don’t become a victim of domestic violence!”…

Many level-headed movie fans raised their suspicions—why on earth had Miraculous Yang gotten into a fight at the hospital? Was he there for treatment? And he must have known the consequences of fighting, especially since it had previously led to his expulsion from the University of Southern California. What could have made him so angry, or was it an outburst of humiliation? What could have caused him to lose control and attack a paparazzo?

As the situation became increasingly serious, Mark Strong and his team, organized to deal with the matter, all arrived in New York.

The team members included spokesperson Beggins Bill, who was in charge of dealing with the media and the public; defense attorney Vincent Grant, who had a wealth of experience in winning similar cases and was naturally responsible for Wang Yang’s defense; and a high-ranking bodyguard, Ethan Lachter, hired from the “Israeli Army Expert Security Company”, who was paid ten thousand US dollars a day. Given that Wang Yang was bound to be besieged by reporters during this period, he was tasked with security work…

The team was clearly divided in its roles and highly professional. Essentially, Wang Yang didn’t have to do anything; he wouldn’t even accept media interviews because speaking too much could lead to mistakes, any of which might affect the judge’s decision and his own image; explanations would come from Beggins Bill.

To Wang Yang’s surprise, Jessica also followed, dragging a small suitcase and wearing a solemn expression. Seeing that Wang Yang was alright, she finally smiled, as if they had been separated for a very long time. At their embrace, she held on tightly to Wang Yang, reluctant to let go for a long while.

In the living room of the hotel room—this was not the motel where Wang Yang stayed before—to avoid the reporters, he had checked into a highly secure upscale hotel. At this moment, Wang Yang and Jessica were sitting on the sofa, while Mark S. Grant and Vincent Grant sat opposite them.

Looking at them, Wang Yang gave a detailed account of the whole incident, eventually saying, “I was about to twist that guy’s arm off, but we were grabbed by the doctor’s security. Then I saw the doctor treating Brianna. I walked over to ask about the little girl. Thank God, she was resuscitated.” He smiled and then added, “When I turned back around, Cole was already gone.”

“Oh, I thank God too!” Mark S. Grant seemed to heave a sigh of relief and exclaimed, “Thank goodness you didn’t twist Cole’s arm.” He turned to Vincent Grant beside him and asked, “Vincent, what do you think?”

Vincent Grant was a middle-aged Caucasian man dressed in a black suit and wearing black-framed glasses, giving off a subtle air of authority. Upon hearing Mark’s question and thinking about what Wang Yang had just said, he asked seriously, “Mr. Wang, are you sure you were the first to strike?” Wang Yang nodded slightly and said, “Yes, I struck first.” Vincent Grant frowned and said, “The hospital should have security footage, which would be very damning evidence against you. No matter the reason, you hit first and caused personal injury…”

Jessica looked worried, her eyes blinking rapidly, as if she was desperately trying to think of a solution. Wang Yang took her hand and smiled reassuringly at her, saying, “It’s nothing.” Jessica gripped his hand back, smiling, “I know. It’ll be okay.”

“Did Cole really not move a hand at all?” Vincent Grant asked another question, adding, “Some provocation can count as well.”

Wang Yang thought for a moment, with the events of that day vivid in his memory, Cole’s ugly face resurfacing in his mind. He said, “I think there was some, on the way to the hospital while I was carrying Brianna, Cole intercepted me, blocking my path, which is also why I hit him.” He took a deep breath, gripping Jessica’s hand tightly, and clenched his teeth as he said, “It’s infuriating! The doctor said if we had been five minutes later, Brianna might not have been resuscitated. If Cole had delayed those five minutes, I would have killed him.”

“Good!” Vincent Grant’s eyes lit up, a serious face breaking into a hint of a smile as he said, “This clue is important. There was no surveillance on the road, so what happened there can’t be confirmed. We can argue that Cole was obstructing you the whole way and even laid hands on you, which greatly improves our chances.” Beside him, Mark S. Grant chuckled and said, “It’s true, it’s the truth!”

Wang Yang and Jessica exchanged a relieved smile, feeling a bit more at ease.

They talked for a long time, and Vincent Grant asked many questions, all of which Wang Yang answered seriously. Once he had no more doubts, he also had a preliminary defense strategy in mind, with a focus on affirming that Cole had indeed made a move on the street.

“Alright, we need to find Brianna and her daughter, they have to tell the truth.” Mark Slant stood up from the sofa, looked at Wang Yang with a smile, and said, “Now the most important thing is to maintain your image, not as someone with a mania for violence but as, a superhero!” Everyone in the room laughed, and Wang Yang shrugged self-deprecatingly. Mark Slant came up and patted his shoulder, adding, “Leave all this to us, my boss. You just need to rest up.”

Wang Yang nodded with a smile and said to the team, “Thank you all for your hard work.” He got up to see Mark Slant, Vincent Grant, and the others out, closed the door behind them, turned around and saw Jessica behind him, and smiled, “Hi, beauty!”

“Hi.” Jessica smiled, showing her teeth. They looked at each other quietly for a few seconds before she suddenly threw herself at Wang Yang, hugging his back tightly as if she wanted to melt into him. She whispered softly, “Yang, you really had me worried. I couldn’t sleep on the plane last night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw your face.”

Listening to her voice and holding her waist, Wang Yang felt very warm and relaxed inside. The silent pressure and trouble that this incident had brought him slowly dissipated in this embrace. Wang Yang lifted Jessica’s face from his shoulder and smiled, “Let’s see if my sweetheart has turned into a panda?” Gazing at her slender eyebrows, soulful large eyes, and the sweet and loving smile, he couldn’t help but be moved, and complemented with a laugh, “Wow, still so charming, with eyes like crystals.”

Jessica’s face was sweet as she gently touched the wound on Wang Yang’s forehead and said, “Look at you, with yet another badge of bravery!” She laughed and patted Wang Yang’s face, adding, “Yang, you really are a superhero.”

“Yes, the new member of the Justice League.” Wang Yang puffed up his cheeks playfully as he walked with her to the sofa, continuing, “Actually, I just did what I had to. The situation was too frightening then. Brianna—the little girl— her lips were almost turning black. I thought of our Juno; every child is an angel sent by God to bring joy to their parents, they can’t go back so soon… So 1 couldn t just stand by.”

Jessica nodded with a smile and said, “Yes, you’re right, well done!” Wang Yang teased her, “Hitting people isn’t right.” Jessica rolled her eyes playfully and laughed, “Except for Cole!” Wang Yang laughed, “Yes.”

As they talked, they sat down on the leather sofa in the living room, leaning against each other, occasionally looking into each other’s eyes, enjoying the sweet silence. Just as Wang Yang was about to kiss her, Jessica suddenly asked, “Yang, you mentioned Natalie Portman helped bail you out, did she get back to you?” Wang Yang kissed her lips and mumbled, “It’s settled, Juno will be played by her. But she needs time to research and understand Juno, and she’s going to college, so ‘Juno’ won’t start filming until June next year.”

“Next June?” Jessica kissed him and then turned her head to look at him, somewhat excitedly saying, “Yang, does that mean you’ll have some free time? How about you do ‘High School Musical 2’?” Wang Yang shook his head with a smile, “Jessica, you know that’s not possible, the director for ‘High School Musical 2’ has already been chosen.” Jessica became more sober and smiled somewhat wistfully, “I was just joking.” ‘High School Musical 2’ was going to start filming in September, which was less than a week away, and she was set to meet with the crew in Salt Lake City. They would be apart for more than two months, and she just didn’t want to let go.

“Hmm, I won’t be idle either,” Wang Yang said, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, “I’ll start by shooting that story about the pursuit of happiness.” Jessica nodded and smiled, “Good luck, I’ll be rooting for you!”

“Thank you, Jessica, what kind of shampoo do you use? It smells really good…” Wang Yang took another deep sniff, then lifted his head to look at her and said playfully, “Last night, I was in the holding cell, and I was actually hassled by a girl who seemed to be in a gang. She kept saying, ‘Let’s have some fun, let’s have some fun.\'” He said irritably, “Please, there was another scary-looking guy who resembled Tyson; and on the floor lay a drunkard. How could I have fun?”

Jessica’s eyes widened in feigned shock, “Would you have had fun if it was just the two of you?” Wang Yang suddenly looked just as surprised, furrowing his brow, “No, no! She’s no match for my girlfriend; ha ha, 1 only play with my girlfriend Mary…” He laughed and leaned in to kiss her lips, but Jessica burst into clear laughter, shaking her head to avoid him, and cried out, “Don’t touch me!”

“I said the same thing to that gang girl last night, but she said… I’m afraid that won’t do!” Wang Yang laughed heartily as he jumped off the couch and swept her up in his arms, exclaiming, “Oh my God, you’re so heavy!” Jessica struggled, kicking her feet and laughing, shouting, “Jerk, put me down…” Wang Yang, looking strained, walked toward the bedroom all the while gritting his teeth, “Stop moving, I can’t hold on!” He kicked the bedroom door open and fell onto the bed with Jessica in his arms.

Just as the two were kissing breathlessly, a cell phone ringtone suddenly blasted out.

“Oh God…” Wang Yang rolled over helplessly from the bed, while the lying Jessica had a face full of laughter, clearly finding it amusing. Wang Yang picked up the cell phone from the bedside table, saw “Natalie Portman” displayed on the screen, took a moment to catch his breath, and then answered the call, “Hello, Miss Portman, what’s up?”

Natalie could tell from his voice that he wasn’t too enthusiastic; she said apologetically, “Mr. Wang, I’m sorry, did I interrupt you?” Wang Yang glanced at Jessica beside him and smiled, “It’s nothing, I’m fine.” Jessica got up and leaned over, resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Actually, I have a question about Juno; I want to know what her star sign is?” Natalie asked with interest. Wang Yang was taken aback, “Her star sign?” Natalie hummed a response and laughed, “I thought it might be useful for analyzing Juno’s character.”

“Oh! That makes sense.” Wang Yang smiled, but he had never thought about it before; what was Juno’s star sign? Seeing Jessica trying to get off the bed, he quickly grabbed her and said into the phone with a smile, “Pisces, she’s a Pisces! Anything else, Miss Portman? Oh, then goodbye.”

“Okay…” Natalie hadn’t finished saying goodbye when she heard a woman’s laughter on the other end of the line, followed by the phone beeping away. She frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and murmured to herself, “Seems like I’ve interrupted something.”