Entertainment: Starting as a Succubus, Taking Hollywood by Storm

Brittany Murphy's death sent ripples through Hollywood, though they faded quickly. After all, the stunning beauty was past her prime, her career already on a downward slope. Just before her death, she'd been dropped from the cast of The Caller. After her passing, she became fodder for the tabloids, with all sorts of outlandish stories flying around. One neighbor—a mildly famous model—even called the police, claiming Brittany had been screaming wildly on her balcony and that she'd heard gunshots. Later, it was confirmed the so-called gunshots were just the hum of a nearby generator.

Nicole posted a message on Facebook: "Farewell, friend… The world has lost a ray of sunshine. My deepest condolences to Brittany's family, husband, and mother, Sharon."

She wasn't trying to exploit Brittany's tragedy—she genuinely mourned the loss.

Brittany Murphy's ex-boyfriend, Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher, shared the news widely and thanked Nicole for her kindness. Fans of Two and a Half Men might recognize him. When the show's producers decided to replace the controversial Charlie Sheen with Ashton, it sparked a wave of backlash from fans of the sitcom. But Ashton proved himself capable. In his first season replacing Sheen, Season 9 of Two and a Half Men drew massive attention, peaking at 28.74 million viewers in the U.S. The 18-49 demographic scored an astonishing 10.7 rating, setting a record for the show's highest viewership.

In Hollywood, the land of endless gossip, Brittany Murphy's death faded from the headlines within a week. As Avatar's promotional campaign grew fiercer, all eyes turned to the film.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama, grateful for Hollywood's support, delivered a reward. On December 12, representing the U.S. government, he finalized a new supplementary agreement with [Chingchong] after prolonged negotiations over cultural products, including films. The agreement increased the number of Hollywood films [Chingchong] would import—regular revenue-sharing films rose from 20 to 21, and special revenue-sharing films from 14 to a higher quota.

For a moment, all of Hollywood was singing Obama's praises.

"James Cameron's decade-in-the-making masterpiece Avatar is about to hit theaters!"

"Highly anticipated, James Cameron's Avatar, powered by cutting-edge 3D IMAX technology, is poised to spark a third cinematic tech revolution, following Terminator and Titanic."

The Oscar-favored theater was packed to the brim. The premiere of Avatar matched the grandeur and excitement of an Oscar ceremony. With James Cameron's current status in Hollywood, his films never lacked star-studded support. Over a hundred A-list Hollywood figures walked the red carpet, one after another.

On both sides of the carpet, fans roared with excitement, shouting the names of the stars as they passed.

When Martin stepped onto the red carpet with Yang Mi, the cheers reached a fever pitch.

Photos of Yang Mi and Martin walking the Avatar premiere red carpet spread like wildfire online, reaching websites in [Chingchong]. Fan Bingbing, Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, Zhao Junqi, and a slew of other major Chinese actresses were stunned. Who was this girl? How did she get to walk the red carpet with Martin? Who was backing her?

At the courtyard house, Zeng Ni, who'd also seen the news, wasn't as shocked. She said to Hu Jing, "That's Yang Mi, right? Such a pretty young woman…"

Hu Jing snorted. "She's quite the smooth talker. Right after filming Harry Potter, she came straight to the courtyard to visit me. Makes it hard to even stay mad at her."

"You weren't there that day—you were off shooting," Hu Jing added.

[TL/N: Do you remember the time when Martin went to [Chingchong]? They might have met there. I don't know, since I skipped translating that arc.]

...

At Liu Yifei's house, her mother sighed. "If only you hadn't passed on the role of Cho Chang back then, all this spotlight on Yang Mi would've been yours."

Liu Yifei stayed silent. She couldn't exactly tell her mother that Yang Mi's current success wasn't just because of playing Cho Chang—it was also because she'd become Martin's woman, wasn't it?

Liu's mother scrolled through the mouse wheel. Below the photos were captions explaining who was who, their status, their connections—big-name international directors, global superstars, even CEOs of the Big Six studios. Liu's mother was consumed with regret.

Sitting beside her, Liu Yifei hugged her laptop, browsing sohu, a web portal Martin had a 0.9% stake in, which offered deeper industry insights. "Reports say actress Yang Mi will star in Martin Meyers' new film, taking the lead female role opposite international superstar Leonardo DiCaprio. Yang Mi previously played Cho Chang in the film adaptation of Martin's Harry Potter, where she first met him…"

Yang Mi was on fire. If her role as Cho Chang had given her a small spark of fame, this news of her starring as the female lead in a Hollywood film was about to make her a blazing star. Her manager was flooded with calls—audition invites, direct role offers, one after another.