Looking at the disheveled isolation area, he was at a loss. He had hoped to show the boss how well he managed the park, but now it had turned out like this – he would consider himself lucky if he wasn't scolded by the boss.
As he reported the "disaster" to Laila with a lowered head, he didn't receive a reprimand. In truth, Laila didn't mind. After all, there was still plenty of time before she officially started shooting, and the area could be cleaned up.
After several days of shooting, all the filming tasks were finally completed. Laila didn't waste any time and left the park that day with the models and the two reluctant hangers-on.
Needing to fly back to the Victoria's Secret headquarters, Laila had Roy and Leonardo act as protectors to escort the models, while she took the completed photographs back to her home in Hollywood. She claimed it was for work, but in reality, there was only one reason – she hated flying.
Meanwhile, on Billy's end, the smoke bomb had also been set off. A "resourceful" journalist, armed with a hundred thousand dollars, managed to pry open the lips of the administrator, revealing that the area they had cleaned up was indeed the location for their big boss's upcoming film.
But that hundred thousand dollars didn't go to waste. The journalist also uncovered a heavyweight piece of news – Laila's new film would still be an action movie!
This single piece of news was enough to earn the journalist a substantial reward, and this was why so many journalists were relentlessly pursuing Laila. Spend a little money to buy news, and in return, reap even more benefits from the media. Why not?
The newspapers that exposed this news saw a sharp rise in sales, and both the newspapers, the journalists, and Billy all profited. As for the readers, they certainly weren't left empty-handed – for the price of a single newspaper, they got the information they most wanted to know.
But an action movie? Why another action movie? Did Laila not get enough satisfaction from "Rush Hour"? Everyone knew the situation with that film – an oriental martial arts film featuring an Asian lead and a black actor as the secondary lead, with an Eastern martial arts theme. No matter how you looked at it, it was a movie with a high chance of flopping. Did she want to venture down that unsuccessful path again with another martial arts film?
The outcry from her fans began to grow like a snowball, and anywhere related to Laila and her films, similar sentiments could be heard. Some even threatened that apart from horror films, they would refuse to watch any of her other movies.
In response, many were privately amused by Laila's predicament. Even her fans were declaring they wouldn't watch anything other than horror films. Was she going to stubbornly stay on this path that led nowhere?
If she had directed bad horror films, then perhaps it wouldn't have caused such a fuss. Unfortunately, her horror films were excellent and could even be considered masterpieces in the horror genre. To have such a talent for horror and then turn around and make action films – how could she?
In this era without social media, without friend circles, the gap between fans and idols was much larger than one might think. The fans wanted Laila to stop making action films and return to horror films, so they resorted to staging a sit-in protest outside the Phoenix Film Company.
This delighted the media, who always hoped for a little chaos. Upon receiving news of the protest, they rushed to the Phoenix Company, with two TV stations even bringing their live broadcasting trucks.
Laila was at her Beverly Hills mansion, engrossed in designing storyboards for "Kill Bill."
When she learned that her fans were protesting to this extent, she was a bit surprised. She leaked some information about her new film a few days ago to test her fans' reactions and start some buzz. She hadn't expected it to escalate to the point where there would be a sit-in protest outside her company's gates. Was this a testament to her immense charm or a lack of trust in her?
Regardless, even if she ignored the chaotic journalists and media, she had to stand up and say something for the fans who had always supported her.
So, an hour later, she appeared outside the company's gates.
Upon her arrival, the journalists swarmed around her like bees, their gazes fixed on her as if they were seeing a pot of gold.
"Director Moran, will you cancel the preparations for the new film due to this protest?"
"What are your thoughts on this protest event?"
"The new movie..."
Laila ignored the journalists' frenzied questions as usual, and instead, accompanied by her bodyguards and Claire, she walked up to the group of fans who were sitting quietly.
Today, she was dressed in a relatively plain outfit – a plaid shirt paired with jeans. She looked like the girl next door who could appear at any moment. Because of her previous health issues, she still had a somewhat frail appearance, even now. The slightly oversized shirt only accentuated her delicate figure.
Originally, she had been working on designing storyboards, which involved some painting. This had the potential to stain her clothes, so she chose to wear something simple. Her fatigue from not getting enough rest over the past few days also showed on her face.
In the eyes of her fans, this image painted a different story. They saw her as someone who was worn out from worrying about them, and suddenly, the stern words they had prepared to say were held back involuntarily.
Laila looked around at the fans who had gathered in layers, easily numbering two or three hundred sitting outside the company gates. Combined with the dozens of journalists and photographers who had rushed over, the area outside the gates was packed to the brim.
Perhaps it was time to consider expanding the space at the gate. What if more people came to protest and there wasn't enough room to accommodate them all?
Well, that was an absurd thought, but who could say such a thing wouldn't happen? "After this is over, have Louise arrange for the front to be tidied up and the fence removed," she told Demi, who was by her side.
"Understood." Demi nodded instinctively. It was only after her words were recorded in her notebook that she suddenly froze.
A fence? What fence? How did the boss suddenly bring up a fence and connect it to the current situation? At a time like this, shouldn't the focus be on comforting these fans rather than concerning herself with some inexplicable fence?
But at this moment, Laila didn't have the time to explain her perplexity. She walked up to the fans' group, flanked by bodyguards, and met their eyes seriously as she scanned each face.
When some of them met her gaze and guiltily lowered their heads, she finally spoke, "I'm here. If you have anything to say, just tell me."
The fans exchanged glances with each other. Finally, a young person in their twenties stepped forward, saying, "Director Moran, we hope that you won't make action films anymore. You're a genius in horror movies, so why not use your talent where it belongs?"