America 1987

Chapter 38 Explanation

However, her previous worries overshadowed the joy that Catherine should have felt.

She was wearing a champagne-colored slip dress with straps as thin as hair, which seemed to slide down her back, showing off her feminine curves.

David was standing to her side, and he could see her slender waist and full hips. Even the hem of her skirt barely covered her thighs. The designer of the women's loungewear really understood men. David almost became aroused again after just one glance.

He came up behind Catherine, put his hands on her shoulders, glanced at the contents of her bowl, and frowned.

"Cathy, is something on your mind? You've seemed a little off these past few days."

Hearing this, Catherine was slightly pleased with David's thoughtfulness, but then he did something completely different.

"Before, after we finished, you would cling to me like an octopus. Why have you suddenly become so cold lately? Have you changed your mind?" David suddenly leaned down and quickly put one of the other's ears into his mouth, deliberately sticking his tongue inside.

"Wait a minute, David," Catherine instinctively flinched, "Why are you doing this again?"

Suddenly, I became much more energetic when practicing my voice than before.

David seized the opportunity to take Catherine's seat and pulled her into his arms, refusing to let her leave. "I can't help it. I tried to subtly ask you before, but you either avoided the question or pretended not to understand. You're always preoccupied. If I don't do this, I'll probably have something on my mind too."

"Alright, alright, just ask whatever you want to ask. I've noticed you've been so distracted ever since the premiere. It's been so many days, you're really good at holding it in. Hurry up and ask, we still have our morning exercise afterwards."

Seeing this, Catherine had no choice but to gather her thoughts, then looked up and stared directly into his deep blue eyes, his amber eyes unblinking. "David, tell me the truth, you..."

She paused slightly, but still asked the question, "Are you planning to break up with me in a few months?"

After asking the question, she immediately held her breath, staring intently into the other person's eyes, afraid of missing any information.

David simply blinked, utterly bewildered, and gently touched her full forehead with the back of his hand. "You don't have a fever, Cathy. Why are you suddenly asking me this? It's not April Fool's Day, is it?"

April Fools' Day originated in France, spread to England in the early 18th century, and was then brought to the United States by British immigrants. It has now become an international holiday.

"Answer me first, yes or no?"

"No," David lifted her round, white chin, looking intently into her eyes, "Why would I want to break up with you, Cathy, if I'm not any different?"

"Then," Catherine's tone suddenly became agitated, she pushed his hand away, wrapped her arms around David's neck, and pressed her forehead against his, asking, "why won't you admit our relationship in front of the reporters? Don't tell me about protecting your personal image; I'm not some innocent, pure woman."

"The 'pure and innocent' persona" refers to the public image cultivated by an artist, characterized by purity, innocence, and no flaws. While there is no requirement for them to remain single and they can have relationships, these relationships must be low-key, monogamous, and free of scandals, and ultimately, they must lead to marriage to be considered a successful outcome.

The romances of female celebrities are part of the "pure love narrative," and anyone with a brain knows that this is impossible in the entertainment industry. Therefore, actresses generally do not establish such a dreamlike persona when they first debut, and even if they do, they will quickly find a way to transform themselves after they have gained a foothold.

After a brief moment of thought, David Ovitz, unsure why his original reason had failed, had to come up with a new one: "Kathy, do you know why Harvard issued a rule in '84 prohibiting relationships between teachers and students?"

This is yet another reason David has given for his actions.

In 1983, the provost of Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences wrote an open letter to the university, arguing that the romantic relationship between teachers and students was wrong.

This letter sparked a major debate across the American education, women's rights, and legal communities.

As a result, in 1984, Harvard University took the lead in issuing a rule prohibiting professors (including their student assistants) from having romantic relationships with the students they directly teach and mentor. This was the first rule on teacher-student relationships issued by an American university.

In 86, the University of Iowa followed suit and issued similar rules.

In fact, by 87, only about 24 universities across the United States had voluntarily regulated teacher-student relationships, and most of them were "limited prohibitions" rather than complete bans.

A complete ban on teacher-student relationships only gradually became the mainstream approach after the 2001 incident at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.

The main reason for the ban is the imbalance of power between the two sides.

From this perspective, using this as an analogy for directors and actresses is extremely appropriate.

After all, a director's power on set is far greater than a teacher's in school. Because the director holds the power of life and death over casting, screen time, and editing, actors are in a weaker position.

Therefore, if a director and an actor officially announce their relationship, the focus of public opinion will quickly shift from their work to speculation about "unspoken rules"—the actress will be labeled as "climbing the ladder by relying on the director," while the male director will face accusations of "abusing his power."

This industry sensitivity makes both parties more inclined to keep their relationship secret and avoid public scrutiny.

Therefore, David's reason is theoretically quite convincing, even though his initial real reason for not revealing it was simply to avoid public criticism when he started having a harem...

As a result, the reason he randomly came up with was actually presented in a very convincing and reasonable manner, making him seem completely considerate of the other person. By the end, he almost believed it himself, let alone Catherine.

No wonder, the wives of many famous directors, both domestic and international, even if they were actresses before marriage, mostly transition to behind-the-scenes work or simply retire from the entertainment industry after marriage.

David Ovitz watched as Catherine gradually let go of her worries after listening to his explanation and analysis, and couldn't help but sigh that he seemed to have learned a new knowledge point without even realizing it.

So, in order to give Catherine a chance to apologize for her misunderstanding, he decided to help her review the ballet dancer's foot-pointing and flexing exercises.

Catherine was naturally happy to do so. She would practice whenever she had free time, which would help her strengthen her calf muscles and shape her legs.

Pointing and flexing the feet is the most basic foot training in ballet.

The trainee should keep their legs together and straight, with their back upright, then press the insteps downwards, extend their toes outwards, and bring their toes towards the arch of their foot, forming an arc. At this point, point your toes.

Next is the flexion of the foot—the toes are flexed back, the heel pushes outward, and the instep and calf form an acute angle.

Throughout the process, the knees remain straight, and only the ankles move; when pointing the toes, first push the instep and then point the toes; when flexing the feet, first flex the toes and then flex the instep, controlling each joint one by one.

David counted the beats for him, emphasizing control with slow tempos and reaction with fast tempos.

Pause for 1-2 seconds at each position to allow both partners to feel the muscle contraction together.

Because she practices frequently, she has excellent endurance and managed to persist for more than forty minutes.

Catherine used a wet wipe to clean her sticky soles, hugging her knees. While admiring her training, David accidentally spilled the fresh milk he was drinking onto her feet.

It really is fresh milk. This is an American dietary tradition. Their most common breakfast combination is bread and milk. The milk is taken directly from the refrigerator and drunk without heating. Babies have been drinking it since birth.