"Knock, knock... knock, knock, knock."
"Lyman?"
A continuous knocking sound echoed, inevitably causing annoyance.
Sigh, disturbing dreams.
Lyman slowly opened his eyes on the hotel's large bed.
Feeling a bit dizzy and nauseous, his whole body felt exhausted, and one side of his body was numb.
The pale yellow ceiling came into view, and the retro chandelier and exquisite decorations felt familiar. Lyman's mind gradually cleared. Last night, he indeed drank quite a lot.
Glass after glass, not wanting to offend anyone's face, he had no choice but to drink it all.
Such is the nature of social gatherings. Lyman had attended many similar drinking sessions in his past life as well, but since coming here, he rarely drank like this.
After all, now he was in the limelight, and more people were willing to approach him.
It's a good thing, he chuckled.
Severe headaches and dizziness coupled with the knocking on the door made Lyman struggle to get up.
However...
"Ah..."
"Hiss... huh?"
A soft exclamation followed by a pair of jade-like hands wrapping around him, just as he was half-sitting up, Lyman's brain suddenly crashed. What happened last night?
Soft hair cascading down, a fragrant embrace.
This appearance, this touch, isn't this Eva?
How did she end up here?
Wait, this is his usual hotel room.
What's going on? He needs to sort this out.
Lyman racked his brain but couldn't recall how Eva ended up in his hotel bed.
Her slender arm, tightly hugging Lyman's waist.
The upper body adorned with only a white bra, revealing the embossed lines of the underwire.
In this side position, the cleavage looked even more profound.
The strawberry marks on her neck made Lyman feel like he had missed out on many exciting plotlines.
He slowly released Eva's embrace, intending to put on his clothes and go outside to curse the person who was still knocking on the door.
However, before he could even finish putting on his pants, Eva seemed to sense something and her beautiful eyelashes fluttered twice.
She woke up.
Eva looked at Lyman beside her and smiled.
"What's wrong?" Lyman was still somewhat dazed. "Why are you here?"
The girl smiled, looking somewhat content.
Last night, Eva stood in a corner of the crowd, watching one person after another surrounding Lyman.
They chatted and laughed, with both men and women present. The women were particularly flirtatious.
Eva had been feeling quite lonely, but surprisingly, after getting a bit tipsy, the first person she thought of was him.
"Last night, you brought me here. You had the driver take us back to the hotel, and I got the room number from the front desk," Eva said.
Lyman rubbed his head but still couldn't recall.
Perhaps he was too overwhelmed with all the flirting he received last night, coupled with the drinks, which led to this situation.
"It's alright, thank you for bringing me back," Lyman said. He was always carefree and thought it best to let things flow naturally. Although he initially wanted to set boundaries because he knew he couldn't control this clever and ambitious woman.
She wanted too much, and Lyman was destined not to give her everything she desired.
Eva's smile stiffened for a moment, but then she remembered what happened last night and became happy again.
She had no idea how tempting she looked at the moment.
Lyman gazed at her beautiful face, captivating eyes, and unforgettable figure.
A sense of desire ignited within him, and he no longer cared about the person knocking on the door.
Knock all you want; I have more important things to do now.
As the saying goes:
In slender grace, a coral hill does pose,
Her gentle temples adorned, sleeves like clouds compose.
Past beauties reunite, destiny's delight,
In love's discourse, they dance through the night.
In crimson ripples, mandarin ducks embrace,
Tresses, like dark silk, interlace, hearts race.
Sandalwood's treasure, against snowy breast lies,
Twilight rain lingers, dampening garment's guise.
Since I don't remember last night, let's relive it once more.
Then, Lyman went to the bathroom to take care of his personal needs, and he felt refreshed afterward.
He glanced at Eva, who was still lying on the bed.
After calling out to her, he walked out of the room, leaving her behind.
By that time, the knocking on the door had already ceased.
He didn't bother to care, accepting the breakfast brought by Thomas and ordering a cup of hot coffee. He ate with gusto.
"Feel free to sit," in the hotel lobby, he saw Eva coming downstairs, so Lyman casually greeted her.
Enjoying his French bread and bacon and eggs, René walked in from outside.
"Hey, Lyman, I knocked on your door earlier, didn't you hear? It's already past two in the afternoon, and I thought you weren't hungry," René said.
"Oh, I must have been fast asleep and didn't hear. Sorry, René. Come, sit down. Have you eaten?" Lyman continued to welcome him. As for why he didn't hear, there was no need to explain in detail.
Eva ate her French toast and blushed slightly upon hearing Lyman's lie.
René sat down without saying anything about Eva's presence. Last night, he had seen Lyman with Eva.
As for their relationship, Lyman had been vague, and he didn't feel the need to clarify it.
"Here, Lyman," Thomas said while reading the newspaper and handed a copy to Lyman.
Lyman took a sip of coffee and accepted it.
Obviously, the content in the newspaper was related to their work, "Fury."
"'Fury' satisfies the audience's desire for grand scenes. The intense battle scenes are exhilarating and adrenaline-pumping. The film doesn't overly focus on visual spectacle, neglecting character development. With the brilliant performances of actors like Nicolas Cage, Heath Ledger, and Jon Bernthal, it also portrays a precious camaraderie that leaves people with deep feelings..."
"The director masterfully captures the film's atmosphere, character development, and camera work. The story's pacing is not dragged out, immediately immersing the audience in the wartime setting. It signals that this film won't disappoint. And indeed, it lives up to expectations. This is undoubtedly an excellent World War II-themed movie, with unique depictions even in tank scenes. I heard they used real tanks for filming, which should be accurate... I highly recommend everyone to watch it."
Reading this, Lyman nodded. The American news media is still quite on track; pay them, and they'll sing your praises.
He flipped open another copy of the New York Daily News and easily found content related to "Fury".
"The director begins with magnificent war scenes, which truly capture the audience's attention. The opening is concise, introducing the wartime background during the end of World War II through an old woman's memories of her deceased son. Without giving any time for reaction, the film transitions to a front-line confrontation between the Allies and the Germans. The entry of a dozen tanks in formation is imposing: advancing parallel to the infantry, the enemy is fiercely suppressed with artillery fire, rendering them almost defenseless. The roar of tanks accompanied by exploding shells on the ground..."
"The sense of war is overwhelming, igniting the audience's hormones. The film's true charm lies in its reflection on war's dehumanizing nature. Watching the young Norman grow step by step and the constant price he pays is unexpectedly heartbreaking..."
"Amidst iron and blood, love and righteousness, without excessive affectation, "Fury" remarkably portrays a resolute and principled touch that reveals the most genuine and brutal aspects of war. The ordinary soldiers, calmly marching towards death, even upon reflection, will still touch your heart and bring tears to your eyes... Highly recommended."
"Congratulations, dear... Lyman," Eva also looked at the newspaper, although there was no mention of her presence. She still felt happy for Lyman and smiled at him.
Although receiving compliments felt good, Lyman didn't think much of it and said lightly, "Paramount's PR team did a good job." Praising Paramount Pictures, he continued, "We've just started, all these media praises are too superficial and not worth emulating."
He looked at several newspapers, all of them praising "Fury" from various angles.
The flattery was too obvious, and even Lyman felt that they went overboard. It was just a commercially-oriented film, but they made it sound like it was going to win an Oscar—truly not low-key.
What he didn't know was that these newspaper reports were just the tip of the iceberg. Those film critics hadn't even started yet.
Film critics were indeed strange beings.
In the future, with the rise of the internet, they would lose their influence and popularity. But at this time, they were still the first impression and choice for North American audiences.
The reason why these film critics were willing to praise "Fury" was partly due to the effect of receiving payments and perks, but also because the film did scratch some people's itches.
The focus on character development over background and visuals was rare within the framework of World War II-themed films.
With media recommendations and some film critics' support, the word-of-mouth for "Fury" was gaining momentum and unstoppable.
Paramount, CAA, and EuropaCorp's efforts had not been in vain. Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Le Parisien, and other high-selling newspapers also followed suit, generating a good level of movie attention and influence.
However, for the feedback "Fury" would get in the market, all of these were superficial. Only box office numbers, the most concrete data, would be convincing.
After having lunch in place of breakfast, Lyman checked the time; it was already after three in the afternoon.
Setting down the last newspaper, Lyman stood up and said, "Let's go, let's visit Paramount Pictures and see how the previous promotions have worked. Hopefully, these reviews can attract more audiences into the theaters."
"It will definitely work," René affirmed.
"What about George?"
"He went to the headquarters of Paramount Pictures early this morning. He cares about it more than we do."
"Haha." Lyman didn't mind René's teasing.
George was always responsible like that.