America Tycoon: The Wolf of Showbiz

The sky turned pitch black, and the air grew cool. Martin set up a barbecue grill on the clearing in front of the RV, specifically to entertain Jody, who had come from far away.

Thomas, who had just hurried over, carried a bucket of beer and poured a cup each for Martin, Louise, and Jody.

Bruce brought over some roasted vegetables and meats.

This was Jody's first real face-to-face meeting with Martin himself. She raised her cup and said, "Thank you for your hospitality."

Martin clinked glasses with her, smiling, and said, "You should thank Old Cloth instead."

Jody drank the wine in her cup and blew a kiss to Bruce.

Bruce glanced at Jody's slender figure and pretended not to notice.

Jody then toasted Louise and Thomas separately and then chatted with everyone like any ordinary friend.

Even though she had gotten a lead on the way over—there was big news from two crews shooting in Death Valley—and was dying with curiosity, she still managed to suppress it.

Jody always believed that with the special relationship she had with Old Cloth, she would definitely get the firsthand detailed news.

The small party didn't last long. Martin, Thomas, and Louise went up into the Mercedes RV together.

They started to discuss today's events.

Louise had already found out who Johnny Depp's financial manager and investment manager were.

She opened her laptop in the car, pulled up a webpage, found some information, and pointed at two images on the screen to Martin, saying, "This is Depp's investment manager, Joel Mandel, and this is Depp's accountant and financial manager, Robert Mandel."

Martin asked, "Are these two brothers?"

"Yes, they are brothers." Louise thought Depp really had issues, "The younger one oversees the investments and tax matters handled by the older one. They even co-founded the same financial firm. Could anything be more absurd?"

Martin thought for a moment and then asked, "What's the reputation of the Mandel brothers like?"

Louise shook her head, "The outside world isn't very clear on that because for the past eight years, they've mainly been dealing with Depp-related business. In other words, a Depp alone is enough for them to earn a high income."

She added, "The Mandel brothers have known Depp for nearly ten years, and they're said to have a very good relationship."

Martin couldn't help but sigh, "Depp really treats his friends well."

Though he said this, the necessary actions still had to be taken. He said, "Find a way to get in touch with these two people. As for how to do that, you guys decide if it's feasible..."

Louise and Thomas nodded lightly as they listened.

The former said, "Let's try. If it doesn't work, we can think of other methods."

Thomas took over the conversation, "I'll also think of some ways on my end."

Martin spoke again to Louise, "You've come to the crew, so stay here for a few more days. Try to get close to Megan Ellison whenever you can. Maybe you'll find some common topics of discussion."

Louise understood immediately, "With Depp's temperament, are people like Megan Ellison about to explode any time now?" Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

Martin said, "Not in the short term. I heard that the production budget for 'The Lone Ranger' increased to $250 million because of Depp."

Louise said, "With such a huge investment at stake, I'd hold back too."

It was getting late, so Thomas said his goodbyes and left.

Louise said candidly, "There are no hotels nearby, so I'll just stay here for the night. As for that actress girlfriend of yours, tell her to find someplace else to stay."

Martin had already received a call from Daddario, "She was frightened last night, and she's gone to see Jessica Chastain tonight."

…

On another RV nearby, Bruce opened his laptop and began playing the videos he had recorded.

From last night's armed attack on the Mercedes RV to Depp getting a faceful of mud in the afternoon, all the videos were there.

The more Jody watched, the more excited she became. It really was big news!

She asked Bruce, "Are all these for me?"

"I invited you here, of course, they're for you," Bruce said directly. "The only condition is that you release the news in the most unfavorable way possible for Depp."

Jody considered seriously.

Bruce continued, "You're a professional, this shouldn't be difficult; after all, the whole situation was stirred up by Depp himself."

After watching all the videos, Jody commented, "The evidence only goes as far as confirming Depp's buddy was the one contacting the dealer, according to the FBI. But anyone who watches these videos will definitely pin the whole thing on Depp."

She dragged the mouse to another video, "There's also the second conflict, where Depp triggered it. He urinated in public towards your crew and then engaged in mass mockery… That's right, put this video shot by cellphone together with the DV footage. It accentuates Depp's public indecency and insult to women, which will inevitably result in a barrage of criticism against him."

Bruce said, "That's exactly what I want."

From a gossip hound to climbing her way up, and then serving for years at TMZ, Jody became deputy editor-in-chief, fully responsible for entertainment gossip after the Weinstein scandal. She had a keen insight into these matters.

"If you want to bring down Depp, these alone are far from enough. Even if he falls from his position as a leading Hollywood star, the hundreds of millions of dollars from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Alice in Wonderland' will ensure he lives comfortably," she said.

Jody made such a statement because in the process, it would generate a lot of hot news.

Bruce vaguely agreed, "Let's vent our anger first."

Jody sorted out the videos and mentioned, "Depp's news also involves Martin. It's a cakewalk to make it to the front page headline on TMZ, and it's only right to be highlighted in red on the home page for a week straight."

Bruce reminded her, "Many people saw what happened last night and today. The crew is temporarily away from the city, and I've taken the relevant videos. For the moment, nothing has leaked out. You should rush back and publish this as soon as possible."

Jody copied the files onto the storage drive she'd brought with her, checked the time needed to copy them, and said, "It won't be too late to leave in fifteen minutes. Make the most of the time, Old Cloth, don't make me take the initiative every time."

Bruce clenched his teeth and made another sacrifice.

Half an hour later, he personally escorted Jody out of camp.

Jody took a helicopter rented by Bruce back to Los Angeles.

That very night, related news appeared on the homepage of the TMZ website.

The video involved two Hollywood superstars, Martin and Johnny Depp, and it quickly exploded in popularity.

The next morning, it climbed to the top spot on the Google trending searches!

The two people mentioned in the video had completely opposite reputations.

The majority on the internet praised Martin.

"That's Martin for you, those three idiot traffickers actually brought the goods right to his doorstep and even tried to launch an attack; aren't they asking for death?"

"Those traffickers carried guns and explosives and were ready to fight at the drop of a hat. Luckily, they were up against Martin. If it had been someone else, they'd be seeing God by now."

"The person who made contact with the traffickers is the most despicable one, clearly intending to harm Martin!"

"That's Johnny Depp's doing! First, he went nuts and ruined himself, and now he's dragging others down with him!"

Depp, on the other hand, was subjected to a fierce cyberbullying campaign.

"Drug abuse during shooting, it's so typical of Depp. No matter how stupid his actions are, I think it's normal for him."

"River Phoenix took drugs at Depp's bar and died just dozens of meters away, right? I thought Depp learned from River's lesson and had quit everything. Turns out I was too naive."

"Depp's behavior is simply despicable!"

"To quote Depp's fans, even though my Depp smokes, drinks, gets tattoos, abuses drugs, cheats, drives under the influence, and engages in various other forms of reckless behavior, but my Depp is a good man!"

"Johnny Depp has no respect for women whatsoever. I call on all female fans to boycott his movies!"

"Depp is openly insulting to women!"

This last point was quietly promoted by some, and combined with the video, it quickly spread, making Depp the new target of feminists.

But these weren't enough to take down Depp, so Martin did not yet inform Jolie or Aniston.

The main goal was to destroy Depp's affinity with the general public.

Depp's fans were also cursing Martin.

For example, "Martin Davis is being too dramatic. It was all a misunderstanding that the traffickers went to the wrong place. It's not that big of a deal, couldn't they just talk it out?"

People with such opinions immediately encountered a wave of rebuttals.

"A misunderstanding? Guns and detonators laid out in front of you, and that's a misunderstanding? What if I contact a few gang members to point a gun at your head and call it a misunderstanding? Would you agree to that?"

"Just talk it out and the misunderstanding is resolved? The video makes it clear as day. Martin simply asked Depp to apologize to 'The Martian' crew, so what did Depp do? He undid his pants and urinated in front of a group of women! That's insulting to women! Insulting the whole crew!"

"If you ask me, Martin is too nice. He should've gone there and turned Depp into a pile of mush right then and there!"

The related news continued to trend high.

Of course, Depp's diehard fans would still support him, but his popularity with the general public plummeted.

This was not just baseless speculation or fabrication, as the video was too damaging.

Even though Depp's spokesperson responded immediately, it couldn't stem the tide of public opinion, especially the onslaught of feminist keyboard warriors.

In fact, in recent years those who had worked with Depp expressed that he was very difficult at work and that being in the same crew with him was like living through a nightmare.

Riding the wave of this attention, Disney Studios and Davis Studio ramped up their promotional efforts, and 'The Martian' became known throughout North America.

The popularity of the film skyrocketed.

The production officially released the first promotional poster, featuring Martin with a space helmet on, standing on the barren surface of Mars.

In addition to the film's name and the list of key creative personnel, the poster also featured a prominent subheading.

"Survive or Die!"

The then-shooting movie 'The Martian' saw a surge in popularity!

Almost simultaneously, the novel version of 'The Martian' was officially published, and after three consecutive days of book signings in New York, it easily entered the top three on the New York Times Bestseller List!

Andy Weir became an instant hot-shot bestselling author across America.

One newspaper joked, "For authors hoping to make their mark with a single book, don't hesitate. Take your work-in-progress and head to Los Angeles to find Martin Davis or Davis Studio. As long as Martin takes a liking to it, you'll quickly become a bestselling author!"

Though meant as a joke, this was also a reflection of reality.

Davis Studio opened an email account for script submissions, and suddenly the number of submissions soared, with not only scripts but also many novels being sent there.

The scene was comparable to that of a small publishing house.

The studio assigned dedicated staff to handle the matter, and they digitized and forwarded the submissions to Martin's email, allowing him to peruse them at any time.

No one could guarantee that among these submissions, there wouldn't be another novel like 'Gone Girl'.