But was it really luck?
Looking at the boss's narrowed eyes, Downey suddenly felt that he might have been too naive.
He had read some magazines that reported on Laila's previous promotional strategies, not to mention the various commercial ones, just in terms of movie promotion. Laila was leagues ahead of other companies. As for commercial promotion, it was even more needless to say. If she hadn't declined invitations from numerous companies early on, she might have become a legend in the field of business planning.
Well, in reality, she was already a living young legend. Victoria's Secret Angel and Burberry, just these two projects were enough to make her memorable throughout the industry.
With previous examples, it seemed plausible that this incident could be utilized as a new promotional tactic. So when did she start?
Downey furrowed his brows, unable to come up with a result no matter how much he thought about it, so he decided to stop thinking about it. Anyway, no matter how powerful she was, she was his boss. Having a powerful boss meant he wouldn't have to worry about going hungry. How great!
On the second day of the program, the events exposed in yesterday's program once again became a highly anticipated piece of news in the reports of major media outlets.
If a few kids did something risky, like running to a bar, it would usually result in a few inconspicuous lines in a newspaper corner when caught. But this time, their luck was bad; it involved Downey, dragged in Cole, and got mixed up in a case, resulting in their inevitable exposure.
Fortunately, Laila wasn't a heartless person. When taking down the video, she also took some measures to protect the girls in the videos. Moreover, she didn't mention their names throughout the video. Children grow up quickly, and in a few months, the girls might look significantly different from how they appeared in the video. How many people would know that they were the rebellious girls from the sensational video by then?
The incident became significant in the media. Perhaps due to its involvement with minors, many well-known figures stood up. Some criticized the inadequate protection of minors, some pointed out issues with bar management, and many condemned problems in children's education.
In short, after a few days of uproar, public attention had completely shifted away from the fight between Downey and Cole. Almost no one remembered their affairs.
Old West also wished for this kind of situation. Having spent a considerable amount of money to hire professional online commentators to downplay Cole's matter, he also took the opportunity to seek a chance for reconciliation.
That's why they say experience is key. Old West knew that approaching Laila might not yield any results, so he went directly to Oswald, the old man. They had some polite exchanges at social gatherings and the like before. The old man was a person with a hidden agenda. Even if he, like many others, looked down on the "dirty" West family, he would maintain good manners on the surface.
Old West sincerely brought his son to apologize. He knew Laila's importance in the Moran family, but he had underestimated it.
Oswald cherished Laila to the bone, but out of consideration for her fighting on her own, he had been watching from the sidelines. However, everyone in the family knew how much effort he had put into suppressing his anger. Unfortunately, Old West brought the "culprit," Cole, in front of him. How could he be polite then?
Fortunately, the old man remembered he was an elder, so he refrained from using harsh words to scold a junior. However, being an Englishman who had married an Oriental woman, he had learned many Eastern techniques, such as beating around the bush, sarcasm, and scolding indirectly. Without using a single dirty word, he managed to make the West father and son feel so ashamed that they could hardly lift their heads, utterly embarrassed.
However, Laila had anticipated that the West family would go to her grandfather for mercy, so she handed the handling of the matter over to her grandfather.
She knew that even if she wanted to send Cole to jail, with the evidence she had, it wouldn't be enough. With the financial power of the West family, there were a hundred ways to clear his name. After all, this was a capitalist society. Money could do so much here.
So she didn't insist on him going to jail. But there's a saying, "It's easy to escape death, but hard to escape life." Although she couldn't send him to jail, she could extract some "compensation" from the West family. Old West, with only one son, should be very "willing" to take out something from his pocket in exchange for his son.
With Oswald's intervention, Laila could wait with a smiling face for the fattened meat to be cut off and sent into her pocket. So she no longer paid attention to those matters and focused on the upcoming release of "Iron Man."
It's really not easy! Looking at the arranged schedule for the premiere in her hand, she sighed with emotion.
Fortunately, all the hard work paid off. Now public opinion had completely forgotten the criticism of Downey, instead praising his character and the heroism he showed in this incident.
There's nothing more positively charged than the message of "a prodigal son's return." Especially when this prodigal son had recently saved a child from a tragic life.
In interviews with Downey, he used his superb acting skills to portray how a prodigal son had reinvigorated under the discerning eyes of his boss Laila, and how the heroic deeds of Iron Man had moved him, changing his life.
The interview, once broadcast, garnered countless praises.
"He is a true hero."
"I believe it was Iron Man who changed him!"
"Everyone should have the chance to correct themselves!"
Some people thought he was just taking advantage of the situation for publicity, but in the unanimous praise, those comments quickly quieted down.
People didn't want to see negative comments about him; they wanted to see a positive actor. Especially for comic book fans and die-hard Iron Man enthusiasts, they were actively spreading the news about the movie's release. Unlike a few days ago when they were boycotting, they now believe that Downey is the most suitable person to play Iron Man because he was a person of noble character.
Downey found the term "noble character" embarrassing. Thinking about the fact that he was an unforgivable villain just a few days ago, this feeling of embarrassment was about to explode.
Anyway, he was grateful for the support of those people. Whatever extraordinary virtues they saw in him, he thought those people were just too adorable.
Turning that support into box office numbers, he felt that it was the greatest contribution he could make to the movie. Hopefully, this support would last until the movie was taken down...