Absence from the storm

"What about the Academy? What are your plans?" Renly's words reached Andy as he walked away, causing his steps to momentarily pause in surprise before he cast a quizzical glance back.

Renly gently quirked his lips, a faint smile dancing in his eyes. "Refusing the host's invitation at the last moment and being absent from the banquet—no matter the time or place, it's highly impolite." Refusal also required skill.

A look of surprise flickered in Andy's eyes, but his amazement wasn't directed at the question itself; rather, it was Renly's current demeanor that puzzled him. Today's Renly wasn't purely Renly; he seemed half Adam and half Renly, leaving one unable to predict him. However, at this moment, Renly had shown concern, as if he understood Andy's difficulties. This caused a trace of amusement to glint in Andy's eyes.

"Leave it to me, and you don't have to worry," Andy replied with a smile. A vague framework had taken shape in his mind. He needed to calm down and carefully plan things out. After a moment of thought, he began to explain, "I'll discuss it with the crew, and we'll start promoting in advance. That's the best approach. You're currently shooting, and your absence from the awards ceremony is due to objective reasons—health problems. It's the truth, isn't it?" It was just that the truth underwent a special artistic process and effective guidance to achieve the desired outcome.

Renly had a background in journalism, so he naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Andy's words. However, he didn't intend to delve further; he didn't have the energy to care about other matters at the moment. "If it helps, a paparazzo came to the set this afternoon. We had a brief conversation."

"Paparazzi?" Andy's mind started spinning rapidly. "Do you know his name?"

"Elliot Cort."

Right after Elliot, who had just returned to his hotel room, inexplicably sneezed, followed by a second and a third one, he felt utterly bewildered. It was utterly inexplicable.

The voting for the 83rd Oscars had officially concluded, marking the beginning of the statistical phase. This meant that the tumultuous year-long hustle and bustle had temporarily come to an end. The Academy's public relations frenzy had finally ceased, and now the results were out. The entire Hollywood was about to enter a waiting phase while simultaneously indulging in revelry.

Who would walk the red carpet? What kind of evening gown would A-list actresses choose? Would rumored couples appear together? What big names would be present as presenters? How would the newcomers to the Oscars fare on their debut? Would the alternate nominees offer surprising red carpet appearances? Would the attendees and their partners show fresh and intriguing combinations? Who would be adorned with the most expensive jewelry of the evening?

Questions like these, and many more, no longer revolved around the little golden statue. All eyes were temporarily focused on celebrating the essence of the ceremony, enthusiastically discussing these hot topics, commonly referred to as gossip.

Even Las Vegas joined in the excitement. As a world-renowned gambling city, it was only natural for various award results to be open to betting. However, apart from that, they also opened speculation on details such as the color or brand of actresses' dresses. More than winning or losing, these bets were primarily about participation, allowing everyone to be part of the Oscars' grandeur, feeling the atmosphere of entertainment unto death.

The atmosphere of revelry was gradually beginning to fill the air.

The tension in the spring seemed to have loosened a bit. The intense competition's acrid scent had slightly abated. People began to join the global spotlight of celebration. From the red carpet onwards, every moment, every action, every furrowed brow, and every smile would be thrust under the spotlight. Whether they were observers or the observed, no one wished to take things lightly.

Amidst this bustling excitement, a piece of news rapidly spread across the internet, swiftly entering people's view, "Renly Hall Diagnosed with Terminal Illness, Currently Receiving Secret Treatment."

What!

Renly was actually hanging on a thread of life? What on earth was going on? Everyone began to discuss it fervently.

Who was Renly? He was the most talked-about and highly regarded newcomer of the past half-year. Not long ago, he had managed to draw considerable attention with news from both the Sundance and Oscars.

There were even those who started to speculate on whether Renly would defeat his competitors and snag an Oscar. However, such a possibility was truly slim, and the market for such speculation quickly faded. Nevertheless, this didn't diminish the attention centered around Renly. Many might not even know him, but they had at least heard the name "Renly Hall".

Now, Renly was diagnosed with a terminal illness?

People's attention toward unfortunate disasters was always fervent. It was as if the tumultuous years when Britney Spears went off track—shaving her head, drinking excessively, gaining weight, flash marriages and divorces, getting pregnant and giving birth, publicly cursing—had sparked countless discussions. Journalists continuously reported on various aspects, frequently making entertainment headlines.

The most direct example was that every once in a while, an actor who had been missing for a long time would be "pronounced dead". Then, the person in question would have to appear and clear things up, confirming that they were still alive.

Yet, the next time such news appeared, people would instinctively believe it again.

However, this time, the person involved wasn't a faded actor who had disappeared from public view. It was an emerging star on the rise. As a result, this news was explosively sensational. In just six hours, the view count had astonishingly surpassed a million!

Major news outlets all swiftly paid attention, only to discover that the source of the news was the National Enquirer. This immediately deflated the reporters' enthusiasm.

While in North America, supermarket tabloids of all sorts abounded, it was undeniable that the National Enquirer was their unrivaled leader, the undisputed powerhouse. During its peak, its circulation reached a staggering five million, even competing with major newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle and the Chicago Sun-Times.

However, supermarket tabloids were just that—supermarket tabloids. Their reports were almost unscrupulous, even once having reported on an extramarital affair between extraterrestrials and Hillary Clinton. They had confidently asserted that Hillary was pregnant with an extraterrestrial's child.

Over the past decade, they had created numerous sensational and short-lived fake news stories, including the globally circulated news about a "pregnant mummy." Even professional news outlets like Reuters and the Associated Press had reprinted this fabricated news. When the truth was revealed, the entire media sphere erupted.

Without exaggeration, the National Enquirer wasn't so much a newspaper as it was a story newspaper, including works of fantasy fiction.

In North America, paparazzi was a legitimate profession, and gossip was legitimate news. However, even in the realm of gossip, there were codes of conduct. For instance, in North America, the gossip website TMZ had the highest online viewership and visits. Their reports were considered authoritative because they went through multiple confirmations before publishing. Magazines like People and Entertainment Weekly followed the same practice.

Of course, even in gossip, there was a possibility of falsehood. However, these gossip outlets made efforts to verify information and didn't spread hearsay or baseless rumors.

If this news had come from TMZ, its credibility would have been at least eighty percent. However, the source was now the National Enquirer, which plummeted the credibility to ten percent.

Just a month ago, Renly had appeared lively in Park City, attending the Sundance Film Festival. How could he suddenly be diagnosed with a terminal illness? Even if it was a sudden diagnosis, it wasn't plausible for him to immediately be in the secret treatment phase, was it?

Initially, media reporters hadn't intended to pay attention to this absurd fake news. However, the speed at which it spread was exceptionally rapid. Riding the wave of the Oscars, in less than twelve hours, the view count had already surpassed three million and was continually multiplying. It seemed nearly unstoppable.

The news was presented convincingly, not only listing the hospital where Renly was receiving treatment but also providing a blurry photo of him hooked up to an IV. The outline of the person in the photo bore some resemblance to Renly. Moreover, the report emphasized that the other patients around Renly were cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Reporters paused to seriously think about it, and then they realized something was off. Just like with Elliott, they followed the breadcrumbs, unraveled the threads, and were left dumbfounded: there might be some truth to this news.

In an instant, the lines to Andy's Innovative Artists management company were flooded with inquiries.

Facing this situation, Andy, unusually losing his composure, burst out, "What kind of ridiculous news is this! It's complete nonsense! Renly is in the best condition! I've already responded before. Renly is working on a new project! He's currently in Seattle filming an entirely new production, collaborating with Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, and others. He's in excellent health, without any problems whatsoever! If you don't believe it, you can go to Seattle and confirm it yourselves."

Andy almost shouted at the reporters, venting all of his anger. At the end, he declared that Innovative Artists would sue the National Enquirer for defamation and damage to Renly's reputation.

Leaving aside whether Andy would actually sue, this firm stance was unwavering.

This time, the reporters were left dumbfounded. Renly was fine—this wasn't surprising. What was shocking was that Renly's recent absence wasn't due to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", but because he was collaborating with Seth Rogen?

This was definitely sensational news. Dropping "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was already enough to astound people, but even more surprising was that a promising newcomer like Renly had chosen to participate in a comedy, and moreover, collaborating with Seth Rogen.

Was it a crude and vulgar comedy? But why? Renly didn't really have any image constraints, so why choose to act in a comedy? This wasn't exactly a positive factor for an actor's image!

Truly perplexing.

What was more important was that Renly was in the midst of shooting a film. How did the National Enquirer get hold of such explosive news? Why did they drag Renly into this? Was this a bolt from the blue calamity?

Amidst the anticipation of the masses, the Hollywood expedition team made their dazzling entrance.