Bab 202: **Chapter 200: The Scandal Plan**
*Bang, bang, bang!*
In Los Angeles, at Muscle Beach Boxing Club, Link, wearing a blue training vest and shorts, was sweating it out in front of the punching bag.
His album *Forward* continued to sell well, and the competition with East Coast rappers had subsided. The early filming for *Valentine's Day* was also completed, allowing him to spend more time in the gym, focusing on his fitness and boxing skills.
While he was training, Katherine and Emma Stone walked in.
Katherine was now the president of Palm Bay Talent Agency, overseeing the daily operations of the company and also managing Selena and Emma Stone's careers.
For a top-notch agent, handling several stars was well within her capabilities.
Katherine was dressed in a gray business suit, wearing glasses, and had a tall, elegant presence like a career professional.
In terms of looks, Link got seven points from her and three points from his own later efforts.
Emma Stone followed closely behind her, with her shoulder-length, golden-brown hair falling neatly, wearing a blue knitted top, a skirt, and blue high heels, looking very demure.
However, looking at the figure hitting the punching bag, Emma's blue-gray eyes were filled with a hint of unease, her fingers nervously clutching her skirt.
"Don't worry, Link isn't that petty," Katherine reassured her.
"Really?" Emma Stone asked uncertainly.
A few days ago, while shooting a music video, she didn't know Link was the company's boss and only saw him as a big star. She had wanted to impress him, so she went all out during her performance, often overshadowing Link, leading to many NG (No Good) takes for him.
It felt great to overshadow a big star and put in a lot of effort. She even boasted about it to her colleagues, saying Link's acting was mediocre.
But later, when she overheard other company staff talking, she learned that Link was a major shareholder and the behind-the-scenes boss, and Katherine was his mother.
She felt mortified and embarrassed about her earlier behavior.
When Katherine mentioned coming to discuss a movie project with Link, Emma Stone volunteered to apologize in person.
"Hey, Katherine and Emma, you're here!"
Seeing them approach, Link stopped training, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and went to the resting area.
"Mr. Baker, I'm so sorry!" Emma Stone quickly stepped forward and sincerely apologized.
"Sorry? Why are you apologizing?" Link asked, puzzled.
Emma Stone blinked, wanting to say she shouldn't have overshadowed him during the shoot, but saying it that way seemed like a second injury to him.
Katherine smiled slightly and put her arm around Emma's shoulders. "It's okay, it's all in the past. Link has never held it against you."
Emma Stone looked at Link uncertainly.
"Oh, I remember now."
Link smiled at Emma Stone. "I remember during that breakup scene, I had 12 NGs. Afterwards, you quietly cheered 'yeah' when I was struggling. Was that intentional?"
Emma Stone's face instantly turned red.
During the MV shoot for the breakup scene, she had thoroughly enjoyed her performance, making Link have to redo the scene 12 times.
Link's expression had turned dark, and she was thrilled to see a big star like him struggling. She couldn't help but secretly cheer "yeah."
She hadn't expected Link to hear it and bring it up directly.
If it weren't for the contract with Palm Bay Talent Agency and the company's good treatment and resources, she might have considered quitting the industry immediately.
"Good performance! You're indeed a talent that Katherine has high hopes for. Keep up the good work."
Link smiled.
"Mr. Baker, aren't you angry with me?"
"It's okay, let's not mention it anymore and don't tell anyone else, or I'll feel embarrassed."
Emma Stone nodded repeatedly, but thinking about how she had boasted about overshadowing Link to the company's colleagues, she felt a bit anxious.
"Link, here's the script for *The Scandal Plan*. Take a look."
Katherine sat on a bench and handed him a script.
Link opened it and saw the script titled *The Scandal Plan*, which was about a high school girl who, in an attempt to stand out, fabricated a scandal about herself, claiming she had slept with a boy and was no longer a virgin. This caused her to become a hot topic at school, but also led to ridicule and isolation from her peers, and someone even hung a broken shoe on her door.
Link had seen this movie before and found the plot a bit strange. It seemed like something that might happen in an American Pie scenario, where American girls are portrayed as promiscuous.
But in this movie, a high school girl announcing she wasn't a virgin led to her being ostracized and receiving a broken shoe. It didn't seem like something that would happen in America.
However, after living in America for over a year, he realized that America has 50 states, each with different cultural norms.
Some states are more open about sexual attitudes, with pre-marital loss of virginity being common, especially in the coastal states on the East and West Coasts. In contrast, in more conservative areas, many women still maintain their virginity until their wedding night, particularly among those with strong religious beliefs.
*The Scandal Plan* took place in a conservative region.
"The script is good. What's the situation with the production company?"
Link asked.
"Originally, Gemstone Pictures agreed to invest in the film, but they want a more popular actress for the lead role instead of Emma. Now, the producer, Will Guller, is considering recasting."
Will Guller, the producer and director of this film, had previously worked on *Cheerleader Summer Camp* and *The Scandal Plan* was his second film.
Due to the average box office performance of his debut film, Will Guller had struggled for six months to find investors. It wasn't until last month that Sony's Gemstone Pictures agreed to invest.
The film was officially greenlit and began casting.
Emma Stone had performed well in several campus comedies like *Rock King* and *Campus Bunny*, received invitations for auditions, and won the role after three rounds of auditions, earning Will Guller's approval.
However, the producer sent by Gemstone Pictures was unhappy and wanted to replace Emma with a more famous actress for better box office security.
Will Guller faced a dilemma: change the investment partner or change the lead actress. Clearly, replacing the actress was easier.
Katherine, aware of this situation, contacted Will Guller and Gemstone Pictures for negotiations, but progress was slow.
Link, having learned about this from Ms. Mandy, called Katherine and asked her to bring the script over, wanting to verify if this *The Scandal Plan* was the same project.
It turned out that the original *The Scandal Plan* was Emma Stone's breakthrough film, which did very well at the box office and helped Emma rise to become a second-tier Hollywood star.
This indicated that the project had investment potential.
After reviewing the script, he confirmed it was the original.
"Katherine, what's the budget for the film according to Will Guller?"
Link closed the script and asked.
"The preliminary budget is $8 million!"
"Only $8 million? Katherine, tell Will Guller that Palm Bay Pictures is willing to invest in this film."
"Link, you want to invest in the whole amount? That's too risky. The film industry is extremely competitive, with four to five hundred movies produced each year, most of which lose money. Don't be too impulsive. I think participating in the investment and production would be good too."
Katherine advised.
"I understand, Katherine. Don't worry about it. You handle the production side, and I'll take care of the investment."
Link said.
Seeing his determination, Katherine stopped persuading. The script was good, and the investment wasn't too high. Moreover, Link had been considering investing in films, so this project was a suitable opportunity to test the waters.
Emma Stone sat beside them, listening to their conversation.
When she heard Link say "only $8 million," she looked at him in surprise.
Eight million dollars was no small amount for anyone, but Link mentioned it so casually, which seemed very impressive.
What shocked her even more was that Link, who was just a year older than her, had earned all his money himself.
How could he be so amazing?
Emma Stone stared at Link in awe until Link looked over. She blinked, lowered her head to look at her water bottle.
"Emma, keep it up! I'm rooting for you!"
Link clenched his fist and smiled.
"Okay, I will."
Emma nervously bumped fists with him.
(The End of this Chapter)
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