Chapter 373: Gentle Push

Summer was on the horizon, and the heat was steadily increasing in Atlanta.

In the late morning, Sibi Blažić left the studio and made her way to the commercial district of the Gray Film and Television Center, where she had been visiting a particular cold drink shop for the past two days.

After placing an order for a cup of low-fat ice cream, she settled into an empty seat, leisurely savoring each bite. Meanwhile, in a nearby booth, a group of women delved into a discussion about the latest celebrity gossip.

One of them exclaimed, "Remember when the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' crew was filming here a few months ago? Spielberg's godson was trying to get closer to Cate Blanchett, who played the heroine."

A middle-aged woman with a lively voice continued, "Big stars, by nature, are trained to express their emotions professionally. Cate Blanchett, in particular, is more emotionally expressive than the average person and tends to be quite spontaneous."

Another woman with a husky voice chimed in, "It's nothing unusual. You spend all year in Atlanta and have limited exposure. I've traveled with crews to New York and London, and I've witnessed countless on-set romances between lead actors."

A skeptical voice added, "I even saw Martin Davis enter Angelina Jolie's trailer once. I heard Jolie's delighted laughter with my own ears. People thought they only got together last year, but in reality, it started during the filming of 'Wanted' here."

Someone else inquired, "Was Anne Hathaway part of it at that time?"

The reply came, "Probably not."

Another voice remarked, "Martin's quite the matchmaker. He managed to mend fences between those two mortal enemies."

These two women were clearly from Atlanta and took pride in their local knowledge.

Initially, while enjoying her ice cream and eavesdropping on the Blanchett-Martin-Jolie gossip, Sibi Blažić felt uneasy. But when she heard a particular sentence, she dropped her spoon into her ice cream and leaned in to listen more closely.

The woman beside her mused, "Is Bale going to confess?"

These words darkened Sibi Blažić's expression, and her anger ignited. She had briefly worked as Winona Ryder's personal assistant in the 1990s, and her connection with Bale was through Winona's introduction.

The world had witnessed and heard plenty about Hollywood stars breaking up and reuniting, both on and off the set. If it had been just Bale and Blanchett getting together, Sibi Blažić would have been upset, but not to the extent she felt now.

But Bale had betrayed her! Sibi Blažić distinctly recalled Bale attributing his tears to an accident during filming. She had her doubts back then but chose to trust him.

However, what these women were saying seemed to confirm her suspicions. Besides Cate Blanchett's involvement in Christian Bale's tear, everything else they mentioned matched what she had heard before.

They were telling the truth. Hibi couldn't stay silent, "Don't speak nonsense. Bale is at the studio, and he'll set the record straight."

These rumors were flourishing only because Bale was present. If he were absent, no one would dare discuss him.

Another voice chimed in, "In the 'Dark Knight' crew where I work, there's an evident clash between Bale and Martin. Martin is friendly and amiable with the crew, but Bale wears a sour expression and dislikes everyone, especially Martin. Whenever Martin tried to engage him with a smile, Bale responded with cold indifference."

A male voice interjected, "Because of Heath Ledger, you must have heard about Heath Ledger's drug driving incident in New York, right? It's said that Bale exerted pressure on Martin and Aniston during that time, which resulted in a lasting grudge."

The skeptical voice agreed, "Yes, I was on the 'Dark Knight' set, and many people talked about it. And that's not all. Bale couldn't stand Martin because he strongly recommended Heath Ledger to play the Joker, but Ledger was rejected due to his drug addiction. The crew hired Martin, and Christian Bale felt that Martin had taken his place. They were good friends, so they've been at odds ever since."

Though Sibi Blažić was seething with anger, she remained composed and recognized the credibility of the gossip. This aligned with what she knew about the feud between Martin and Christian Bale.

A quieter voice asked, "Why did Christian Bale support Heath Ledger so much? There aren't many instances like this in Hollywood, are there?"

The deep voice responded, "There aren't many, but we've seen cases like Leonardo and Tobey Maguire, Mel Gibson and Stallone supporting Robert Downey Jr."

The male voice continued, "I worked on the set of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and occasionally overheard Cate Blanchett's assistant mention something. The relationship between Christian Bale and Heath Ledger is quite peculiar."

The quieter voice understood the implication, "Romantic?"

The male voice clarified, "It's not just romance; it goes both ways. Think about it; similar rumors have circulated in the industry and turned out to be true, like Martin having a threesome with Jolie and Aniston."

The skeptical voice concurred, "That makes sense."

The quieter voice inquired, "Who's the initiator and who's the follower?"

The male voice asserted, "In 'Brokeback Mountain,' Heath Ledger seemed to take the lead."

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, the sound of retching filled the air. The three women exchanged surprised glances but continued their gossip, now shifting their focus to Morgan Freeman and his granddaughter.

Sibi Blažić covered her mouth, her stomach churning from the ice cream she had just consumed, making her feel nauseous.

She held an unexplained disdain for homosexuality.

In the end, Sibi Blažić couldn't help but rush into the restroom, where she regrettably vomited.

The rumors circulating on set were surprisingly accurate. For instance, in the 1990s, there was gossip about Winona's kleptomania. While most, including many journalists, dismissed it as nonsense, Sibi Blažić knew it to be true.

Sibi Blažić had absorbed much of the gossip floating around and deemed it credible. Consequently, she believed that the part about Christian Bale and Heath Ledger was equally valid.

Regardless of how Christian Bale was characterized, Sibi Blažić 's tolerance wavered.

Her vomiting wasn't limited to the ice cream she had consumed but also included her gastric juices.

Three middle-aged women engrossed in gossip concluded their ice cream and continued their discussion about the lives of the crew and stars before departing from the ice cream shop.

The shop was brimming with people like them, passionately discussing celebrity tales while savoring their treats.

This was simply human nature. In a studio setting, people naturally congregated and gossiping about celebrities became an inseparable part of the conversation.

The trio left separately. A man pulled out his cell phone and made a call, stating, "Teacher, it's done."

Meanwhile, Robert held a quiet conversation with Andrew from Gray Films in the lounge of Gray Film and Television Center, softly affirming, "I understand."

He sent Bruce a cryptic one-letter text message.

The voice on the other end of the phone returned to his crew, aware that there was still work to be done.

Robert and Andrew chatted emotionally with Martin for a while, given their long-standing acquaintanceship.

Shortly after, Robert bid farewell and departed. As he left the studio, he coincidentally spotted Bruce, lowered his window, and exchanged a few words and nods.

Bruce knew that their actions had been executed, and the impact depended on the individuals involved.

Robert drove away in his Cadillac, while Bruce stopped at a convenience store to buy some items before returning to the crew's location on his electric cart.

Elsewhere, the Joker was holding a meeting with Gotham's gang bosses.

Martin's performance continued to improve, and he was in excellent form. Although they had to shoot multiple takes, it was at the director's behest to ensure the best shots for post-production.

During a break, Martin entered the rest area. Bruce approached him and told him, "It's set in motion."

Curious, Martin asked, "Any reactions?"

"I did some digging, and it turns out Sibi briefly worked as Winona Ryder's assistant and holds strong homophobic views," Bruce explained his strategy. "So, I fabricated a rumor that they were gay and spread it in a way that was 99% true and 1% false."

He then answered Martin's question, "Sibi Blažić retched on the spot and promptly rushed to the restroom."

Martin touched his makeup and commented, "That's the reaction we needed..."

Bruce reminded, "Sibi Blažić's first love was taken by a homosexual, so her aversion runs deep. I doubt she can endure it."

Martin smiled and said, "Keep an eye on Christian Bale; we need to be good Samaritans. Let's invite the crew to witness the spectacle."

Bruce quickly attended to other tasks.

When the crew wrapped up their work, Martin suddenly spotted Bruce at the studio's entrance and hurried over.

Someone ran in from outside and whispered to familiar faces. Many crew members headed outdoors.

Martin followed suit.

The screenwriter displayed remarkable awareness and immediately followed the crowd.

In the open area outside the studio, multiple trailers designated for the production crew were parked. One of them was Christian Bale's resting trailer, where heated arguments were audible.

"It's a falsehood. Those rumors are all true," Christian Bale swiftly concluded. "This is untrue!"

"I've had enough of your lies!" Sibi Blažić opened her bag, retrieved the statue she had used over the past two days, and forcefully flung it.

With a resounding impact, the statue struck Christian Bale on the head.