To watch or not to watch is our business

Whether Tom Cruise would distance himself from Scientology due to today's incident, Lyman couldn't say for sure.

In reality, whether he distances himself or remains close, as long as he doesn't leave, it's just an excuse for others to attack and tarnish his reputation.

Looking back over the past few decades, aside from the time he divorced Nicole Kidman and people brought up his faith, it's only now, when all these scandals have surfaced, that this aspect has been brought up again.

Although Lyman hadn't interacted with Tom much, he believed that with the kind of person he was, being deeply entangled with Scientology, there must be other hidden factors involved.

Since he didn't speak about it, Lyman didn't feel it was his place to ask.

It was his business, and what was he, an outsider, supposed to do?

Even if they were friends, Lyman could let a few hints pass, but whether Tom listened or not, he had upheld his sense of friendship. He had no regrets, okay?

But looking at Tom's current state, there seemed to be a feeling of "throwing caution to the wind"...

Lyman didn't have the resources or time to continue pondering over these matters. He was busy browsing the Yahoo community.

Due to the demands of promotion, it was already 11 PM by the time he returned to the hotel.

Instead of rushing to take a shower, he opened his web browser.

What the host had mentioned today had piqued his curiosity.

Searching for keywords related to "Miscreant", he stumbled upon a fan forum.

It was a type of communication platform where users posted and replied, similar to later-day internet forums.

Wow, it's really popular. There were already several thousand threads discussing the movie.

"Are there any other good gangster movies? Seeking recommendations."

"Damn, I usually hate melodramatic scenes. In my opinion, they're just a bunch of idiots whining for no reason. But in this movie, the camaraderie between the third-in-command and the undercover cop, the way they support each other, it feels so genuine. Especially that casually mentioned line: 'If I were still alive, what would you do? Would you kill me?' I'm a grown man, but watching that scene made my eyes a bit moist."

"The final twist was so cool, even though the process was incredibly brutal. But seeing Tom take the seat of power at the head of the table, the way those people bowed and scraped, it was really awesome."

At the beginning, the forum posts were relatively normal, all discussing the plot. But as Lyman scrolled down, he quickly found the continuation of the host's question.

A user named "Kobe's Fadeaway Jumper" posted: "Did you all catch the little Easter egg at the end? I feel like "Miscreant" might have a sequel. Think about it, the screen time for the Chairman is so limited, and the internal depiction of the society isn't very detailed. It's very possible that this was setting up the groundwork for a sequel, telling the story of these two individuals rising from the streets to become the brains of the organization."

1st Comment: I agree with the previous comment.

2nd Comment: Saying that makes me suddenly realize it. I originally thought it was about reminiscing after becoming the Chairman. So, it's actually foreshadowing for a sequel.

3rd Comment: If there's really a sequel coming, I love this movie too much. God, I can't wait anymore.

4th Comment: I've already watched it three times in the cinema. Looking forward to the next installment.

...

Damn, their imaginations are wild.

Even he himself hadn't considered what more content could be added to "Miscreant", and they're already pointing out the direction.

Could it be that the little Easter egg he added at the end actually has such profound meaning? Isn't that far-fetched?

Lyman silently closed the website.

He turned around, took a shower, and prepared to rest.

However, this kind of night was destined not to be quiet.

In the evening, several regional television channels under Viacom's family of networks simultaneously aired a live interactive program.

It was a live interview with moviegoers who had just watched "Miscreant" in the theaters, conducted through cinema connections.

On screen, the excited moviegoers who had just enjoyed a superb film didn't hold back their praises for "Miscreant".

"It's amazing. I'm going to watch it again with my girlfriend."

"Tom went through so much hardship. He was always trapped, but luckily he broke free from the cage at the end of the story."

"Nicky, you're the best."

Perhaps due to having just finished the movie, most of the interviewees were in high spirits. They were eager to share their viewing experiences, gathering in front of the cameras, reluctant to leave.

"I'm on TV, yay!"

Okay, some strange characters were mingling among the fans.

"The actress who played the wife is named Eva Green, right? She's so beautiful. I'm becoming her fan."

"The movie is great, the actors delivered brilliant performances."

...

Such scenes played out in more than a dozen regions across the United States, letting even more audiences learn about this outstanding film currently in theaters.

In a suburban community on the outskirts of Houston, a family of three sat together having dinner, listening to the sounds of admiration coming from the television.

The young man's parents couldn't help but look up. "What are they doing?" the mother asked.

"It seems like they're supporting a movie," the father replied.

Their son, who was in high school and knew a bit more, explained in detail, "It's "Miscreant", a movie that's currently showing. I've heard classmates talk about it; they say it's really exciting."

"Do you want to go watch it? It's been a while since our family watched a movie together," the father picked up on his son's thoughts and suggested.

"Of course."

"Then let's go watch it together tomorrow afternoon," the mother added finally.

As for the negative rumors about Tom? Who cared?

Only those who were easily swayed by others' words to stir up emotions would truly believe them. Most people were just there to watch the spectacle.

Besides, true fans of Tom wouldn't suddenly change their views because of something like this. The divorce scandal with Nicole Kidman didn't cause such a huge uproar either.

Were there any significant signs of Tom's career declining due to the scandals? And the word of mouth about the movie, recommendations from people around them, these factors held more power to draw people into the theaters than any news report.

On the contrary, Paramount's adept handling of the situation was evident.

They didn't bother with clarifications. After all, no matter how much support they voiced, falling into the trap set by others would only fuel the fire of the scandal and increase its popularity.

Steering clear of unnecessary explanations, focusing on the movie itself, naturally deterred the media from continuing to hound Tom's private life.

After all, without the spotlight and public attention, who would continuously cling to the topic?

Everyone was smart, no one was a fool. Apart from Tom having a bit of bad luck, no one suffered significant losses.

"Miscreant" continued to sell well, with increasing box office revenue. Universal Studios managed to lure in some of Tom's critics to their movies through this crafty maneuver. Although they still fell short, at least the films wouldn't end up incurring losses. Their jobs were secured, and the initial goal was achieved. That was enough; they didn't expect much more.