raknovel Chapter 89 Identity Swap
Chapter 89 Identity Swap
Chapter 89 Identity Swap
When Zeke rushed to the boutique entrance, two reporters with cameras were blocking the doorway, flashing their cameras wildly into the store, and shoving their microphones right in front of Judy, who was frowning, so close they were almost touching her face.
Christie, standing beside her, was pale and too frightened to utter a sound.
"Judy, everyone says 'Pretty Woman' is basically disguised child pornography. As a high school student who played a child prostitute, how dare you watch this kind of movie? Aren't you worried about being led astray?"
One reporter spoke very quickly, continuing to provoke and fabricate stories.
"Don't talk nonsense, I've never seen it. It's just a boutique," Judy immediately retorted, frowning.
Stacy, carrying a pile of clothes, stepped forward and blocked Judy's path, her face haughty. Her fists were clenched: "Watch your mouths. We're just here shopping, don't try to spread rumors."
Zik quickly assessed the situation: cheap suits, rough fabric, loose fit; the reporters didn't look like respectable people either, mostly tabloid paparazzi.
A second glance at the old and rudimentary equipment in their hands confirmed his suspicions.
He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind; these days, celebrities often don't have many good ways to deal with tabloids and paparazzi.
Physical violence? This group is masters of tantrums and shamelessness. Once there is physical contact, they will immediately fall to the ground and stage an accident, then fabricate a scandal of a celebrity committing violence, leaving the victim speechless.
Arguing and confronting each other? The recorder is on, and taking things out of context and omitting the beginning and end are their usual tricks. A few words of dispute can be edited into a lot of bad news, and the more you explain, the more passive you become.
Moreover, revealing his identity might expose his relationship, and he doesn't want to be bothered by such scoundrels in the future.
Simply ignoring it and leaving or hiding in the car isn't a good solution either. Once the photos are leaked, they'll immediately be labeled as "feeling guilty and trying to avoid suspicion," becoming a laughing stock.
As for filing a lawsuit to protect one's rights, that would be exactly what the other party wanted.
A lawsuit is enough to boost their traffic and generate a lot of buzz, but the legal process is lengthy and cumbersome, and the lawyer fees are exorbitant, making it a complete waste of time and energy.
But right now, the situation is extremely favorable to him: he is not a big star, his face has never been on any media pages, he is completely free from public opinion constraints, and he can move forward or backward at will.
Having made up his mind, Zik stepped forward and patted a reporter on the shoulder: "Hey buddy, I'm from the Casablanca Film Department. Are those photos you took of this lady for tomorrow's National Enquirer?"
The reporter, looking smug, said, "Yes, so what?"
Zik sneered, pulled out a Casablanca business card, flicked it with his fingertips, and the card landed precisely on the reporter's chest before gently sliding off.
"That will be troublesome." He raised his hand and pointed to Stacey in front of him, exuding an aura of authority. "This is a new actor that Casablanca is currently evaluating, and the two people next to him are his entourage."
"You just filmed our company's trade secrets without permission. Your film is now in the possession of our legal department."
"Either hand it over, or you can expect our lawyer's letter. Mr. Peter Cooper will be happy to use tabloids like yours as a publicity stunt for his new project."
Stacy immediately understood, rolled her eyes in perfect unison, hugged the bag tightly, and looked indifferent and arrogant.
"Huh? That explains why there was that weirdo following us. Zeke, call the company and tell them there's a corporate spy stealing project data."
The smugness on the two reporters' faces froze instantly, their expressions changing drastically. They quickly put away their cameras: "Wait! We...we were just taking pictures of that child star, nothing more—"
Zeke didn't give them a chance to maneuver. He stretched out his arm and firmly put his arm around Judy's shoulder, while gently blocking with his other hand, protecting the timid Christie behind him.
"This is our company's temporary consultant. Now, either you hand over the film and tapes, or I'll take everyone to the police station to give statements. Choose one."
The other reporter panicked completely and quickly grabbed his colleague who was still trying to argue, whispering urgently, "Forget it, let's go. These Casablanca people are all crazy."
The two dared not waste any more words, hurriedly took out the film reel and cassette tape, reluctantly handed them over, and turned to flee in panic.
Watching the two hastily flee, Zik raised his voice in warning: "If I see you snapping photos of her again, it won't be as simple as just handing over film!"
The turmoil has completely subsided, and the streets have returned to quiet.
Zeke turned to the girls beside him, gave Judy a casual shrug, and said, "Done. That's what Brownsville taught me: don't reason, make trouble. Looks like Los Angeles is similar."
Christie's eyes were full of admiration: "Zek, you're amazing."
Judy's brows relaxed, her earlier gloom and grievance vanished, and she smiled as she put on her sunglasses, a hint of smugness in her expression. She affectionately took her boyfriend's arm and whispered, "Let's go."
As the group turned around, Qi Ke caught a glimpse of a tall figure standing not far behind them.
The guy who just fought PONG is standing there expressionless.
This guy didn't stand out when he was sitting there, but now Zeke estimates he's over 1.9 meters tall, with a straight posture like a signal tower.
It turns out this guy had been backing him up the whole time. His size and expressionless face were quite intimidating, no wonder things went more smoothly than he expected.
The arcade enthusiast smiled broadly: "I was thinking of coming to help you out, but you resolved it with just a few words."
"Thanks, buddy." Qi Ke felt a warmth in his heart and gave the other person a crisp high five.
The man shrugged: "It was nothing. We've been playing Pong for almost an hour, so we're practically acquaintances, not strangers."
A clear, slightly reproachful female voice rang out, and a blonde woman hurried closer in high heels: "Jim, I swear, if you don't come now..."
Urged on by his wife, the man reluctantly pouted and prepared to leave. He turned back to look at Zeke and called out with a smile, "This game isn't over yet. You owe me a round."
"Ha~ I'm always ready." Zeke blinked, bent down to pick up the business card that had fallen to the ground, and waved it. "My name is Zeke. You know where to find me."
He was secretly pleased with himself; he hadn't lost a single match in their previous battle, a complete and utter crushing defeat.
The group got back into the Mercedes, and Zeke asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is this movie really that popular? Why are the paparazzi specifically targeting Judy to stir up trouble?"
"This production team did approach me before, but I didn't want to act in it, so I turned it down," Judy explained.
Stacey added with a sneer: "This film is highly controversial and has been banned in the UK and several other countries, but it was rated R and released first in the US."
Christy, who was also in the back seat, was clearly full of gossip. Her eyes darted back and forth curiously, but she didn't dare to ask too much because Judy was there. She looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't, which was quite funny.
Zeke clicked his tongue in amazement. No wonder Evelyn was so concerned and even a little afraid; it turned out that Brooke Shields had indeed taken on the role that Judy had given up.
He didn't ask any more questions. After returning home, he spent half a day watching the TV news to find out what kind of uproar "Pretty Baby" had caused.
After the film was released in the United States on April 5, it almost immediately tore apart the entire American public opinion field, which was roughly divided into two camps: the art world strongly supported it, while the general public and conservatives were furious.
This month's People magazine directly questions the magazine on its cover with a large headline: "KIDDIEPORN?"
Offline protests have erupted one after another, with cinemas across the United States being protested, pastors publicly preaching condemnations, and women's groups taking to the streets to demonstrate, strongly demanding a complete ban on the film and even calling for criminal prosecution of all creators.
The media argues almost every day.
A group of well-known mainstream film critics have consistently stood by and defended the film, saying: "It's wrong for director Mahler to be criticized for this film. It is the most imaginative, the smartest, and the most original film so far this year."
"It is a re-enactment of an era, a place, and a tragic chapter in American history; Brooke Shields' performance is amazing, nuanced, and profound."
Zik silently labeled these film critics as perverts in his mind: Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, Vincent Camby, chief film critic of the New York Times...
Newsweek gave it high praise, calling it "an elegant, satirical and profound film that precisely explores the boundaries of the human mind, thought and body that are perplexing."
What surprised Zeke the most was that Rolling Stone also publicly praised director Mahler, saying that his works have a detached and clear-headed attitude of reflection, possess a unique moral view without being preachy, and are extremely profound.
Ironically, a TV presenter was introducing how popular the film was at art-house cinemas, while call-in messages from viewers were scrolling down the screen.
"This is the epitome of evil."
"This is an utter and complete sin."
Zik stared at the screen and muttered to himself, "No wonder Neil said we shouldn't get involved in this mess. This is Hollywood's real fig leaf, letting art take the bullets for it."
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