Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 291 Cover Figure
Three poles in the sun.

Feeling something pressing on his chest, Wu Yuchen groggily opened his eyes and found a soft, delicate body pressed against his chest. His other arm was also being held by a beautiful woman. He pulled his arm away, pushed Anne Hathaway away from his chest, and took a few breaths.

He slowly sat up, stretched, and thought about the wild celebration last night. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Connelly, and Anne Hathaway were all there, and he had a great time playing King's Game all night.

He reached out and caressed Nicole Kidman's smooth, beautiful back. His relationship with this stunning woman was pretty much over. It had all been a transaction; he'd already helped her win an Oscar, and now she was ready to move on to something new.

This woman is shrewd. Unless Wu Yuchen is willing to continue helping her, tailoring movies for her, and providing her with big-budget commercial productions, why would she obediently play along with you?

Wu Yuchen smiled. He wasn't thinking about anything more with Nicole Kidman; a year had passed, and that was about it. If Nicole Kidman was alright ten years ago, she might be considered attractive now, but even if she's still beautiful, she's nearing the end of her prime!

Rather than giving her this resource, it would be better to promote some younger ones, like Anne Hathaway on his other side. Wu Yuchen reached out and gently squeezed the chest of this beautiful young woman, who was only 20 years old and in the prime of her youth, which woke her up.

Annie gave a slightly grumpy pout, then opened her arms, wrapped them around Wu Yuchen's neck, gave him another good morning kiss, and asked:
"Honey, I want to take a shower, want to come together?"

"Of course~" Faced with such an invitation, Wu Yuchen naturally wouldn't refuse.

Wu Yuchen got up, looked at Nicole and Jenny who were still fast asleep in bed, and took Annie's arm and walked towards the bathroom. Young girls are full of energy, healthy, and recover quickly.

In the bathroom, Wu Yuchen enjoyed a personal massage from the beautiful woman. His body, covered in shower gel, felt smooth and comfortable. He laughed and said, "If Peter Parker saw Mary Jane like this, he would be very sad~"

Mary Jane is the female lead in Spider-Man. Anne Hathaway smiled and said, "Maybe, but if I just beckon him, he'll obediently come back and lick my toes, just like I do for you~"

Wu Yuchen chuckled. Mary Jane in Spider-Man is quite cunning, having an ambiguous relationship with Peter Parker and constantly changing boyfriends; it's just a pity for the honest Spider-Man.

He then asked, "Annie, are you ready for Spider-Man 2?"

"Of course, I was ready two months ago. If it weren't for Tobey Maguire causing trouble, I probably would have finished filming by now!"

Previously, Tobey Maguire wanted to renegotiate his contract with the Spider-Man producers, even using his injury as a reason to coerce them. Unfortunately, Wu Yuchen didn't buy it at all. He had the production team's lawyer take the previous contract to his agent, while also contacting some male actors to reselect a successor for Spider-Man, showing that he was ready to change the male lead in the sequel if necessary.

After a month of back-and-forth negotiations, Tobey Maguire finally gave in, accepting a $15 million salary for the sequel and obediently reporting to the set. However, due to the need for retraining to regain his physical fitness, filming for *Spider-Man 2* won't begin until April.

Anne Hathaway tried her best to please Wu Yuchen, her eyes shining with tenderness and affection when she looked at him.

In Hollywood, handsome men and beautiful women are everywhere, and to climb the ladder, you need a lot of luck. Anne Hathaway felt she was incredibly lucky, meeting her mentor, Wu Yuchen, when she was only 18. This led to her landing a major role as the female lead in *Spider-Man* shortly after her debut. The film was a huge hit, grossing over $8 million and becoming a global phenomenon. It was a dream start!

This role brought her a lot of attention, turning her from an unknown actress into a second-tier Hollywood star overnight, and she received many scripts and offers.

However, Anne Hathaway is now facing some difficulties. In addition to Spider-Man, she has two other films released, but both of them have flopped badly. Disappointment, criticism, and ridicule have begun to gather around her. Now, the outside world's evaluation of her is that she only has Spider-Man.

For an actress with little ambition, a lead role in "Spider-Man" would be enough to live off for a lifetime. But Anne Hathaway is different; she's incredibly ambitious and wants to reach the pinnacle of Hollywood, to become the leading lady.

If Julia Roberts can do it, why can't she? She believes her own qualities are in no way inferior to Julia Roberts's, and she even started from a higher point!
More importantly, her current benefactor, Wu Yuchen, is not only skilled in commercial films, but also recently won an Oscar. Best Director and Best Actress, coupled with commercial production capabilities, are enough to make any actress go crazy for him!
As long as Wu Yuchen is willing to help her, she believes that whether it's a top Hollywood actress or an Oscar-winning actress, it won't be a problem.

After a bout of heavy breathing subsided, Annie nestled in Wu Yuchen's arms and, taking advantage of his good mood, couldn't help but ask, "Darling, are you going to film the sequel to 'The Pirate King' this year?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Wu Yuchen said with his eyes closed.

Are there any roles that would suit me?

Wu Yuchen opened his eyes, glanced at her, stroked her hair, and asked with a smile, "Isn't one Spider-Man series enough for you?"

"But now people call me Spider Woman, and I don't like that title~ Darling, can you help me?"

Wu Yuchen smiled as he looked at the pleading look in the other person's big eyes.

He certainly knew Anne Hathaway's current situation—she was trapped in a role. This is a problem many newcomers face when they become famous overnight; many take a long time to break free, and some never do.

He certainly has the ability to help Anne Hathaway, but how could he possibly give it to her so easily?
Wu Yuchen didn't answer her directly, but asked, "Annie, do you know how many girls dream of being Spider-Woman? If I remember correctly, you're only 20 years old this year. It's okay to try and fail a few times. Just consider it as training. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Anne Hathaway knew from his words that Wu Yuchen didn't want to intervene, but she wasn't willing to give up. Last night, a single phone call had summoned her to Wu Yuchen's side, and she was even fawning over him with two other older women—wasn't she just trying to extract resources from him?
She could easily end her relationship with Wu Yuchen at any time, but when she thought about becoming an Oscar-winning actress and her bright future, how could she bear to do it?

Besides, even if she leaves Wu Yuchen, she might encounter a strange old man with weird quirks when she asks for help in the future. Wouldn't that be even more unpleasant?
Anne Hathaway blinked her big eyes and said, "Darling, compared to other film crews, I'd rather be by your side, receiving your guidance and training. I think that way I'll make much greater progress."

Wu Yuchen shook his head slightly and said, "There's no suitable role for you in the Pirate King sequel." Anne Hathaway wasn't disappointed; she continued, "Then, darling, do you have any other projects?"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "There is a project, and your age seems suitable. However, my energy is limited, so I don't want to get involved in this project."

Anne Hathaway opened her mouth, then pondered for a moment, understanding Wu Yuchen's unspoken message. He had a project suitable for her, but why should she just give it to him like that? She had already given him everything she could; what more was there?
Anne Hathaway then asked, "Honey, what's the name of this project? Is it really suitable for me?"

"The Princess Diaries. It's a script I wrote before. We'll see how it goes in the auditions."

For some reason, Anne Hathaway felt a strong attraction to the name. Moreover, this was a screenplay written by Wu Yuchen, which had won Oscars for best screenplay for several years in a row; Hollywood now knew just how capable he was at screenwriting.

"Honey, why do we need to audition? I think I'm perfect for it~ What do you think?"

Wu Yuchen gave a vague answer: "Maybe, but I can't gamble on that probability. I have to choose the most suitable candidate. I've written more than one script for it; it has the potential to become a series."

What does a series mean? It means that the first film must be successful, and very successful, in order to become a series.

From Wu Yuchen's words, Anne Hathaway knew he was very optimistic about "The Princess Diaries," which made her even more determined to acquire it. However, she knew that with her current resources, she didn't seem to be able to sway him.

Seeing Wu Yuchen's attitude, Anne Hathaway was silent for a moment, then smiled at him and said, "Honey, I recently met a good friend, and I think she would be very willing to be with me and receive your guidance~"

"Oh? What's her name?" Wu Yuchen asked curiously.

"Jessica Alba. The female lead in 'Dark Angel,' do you know her?"

Jessica Alba!
Upon hearing this name, a beautiful face immediately came to mind for Wu Yuchen. She wasn't the same type as Anne Hathaway; she was a Latina beauty, but her beauty was in no way inferior to Anne Hathaway's. At her peak, she was hailed by many media outlets as the most beautiful woman in the world. Sexy, beautiful, and sweet!
Thinking of Jessica Alba, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but feel a surge of attraction. He narrowed his eyes: "Annie, how did you two meet? Are you close?"

"We became friends after a previous audition. Honey, would you like me to bring her over?"

Wu Yuchen's lips curled up as he rubbed her shoulders, revealing a smile: "Annie, you really are my little darling~ 'The Princess Diaries,' as long as you act well, I guarantee it will become your signature role! From now on, people won't call you Spider Woman anymore, but Princess Anne!"

Anne Hathaway smiled immediately upon hearing this, and gently bit Wu Yuchen's ear, promising, "Darling, I'll always be your most obedient little Anne~"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen burst into laughter.

……

Having achieved so much at this year's Oscars, many might think Wu Yuchen would be taking a break, but in reality, he's even busier. For example, right now, he's being interviewed by Time magazine.

The United States has three major current affairs weekly magazines: *Time*, *Newsweek*, and *American News & World Report*. In China, *Time* magazine is the most well-known.
At that time, its status in the eyes of the Chinese people was practically the bible of news media!
Of course, Time magazine itself has a great influence around the world, and each issue's cover features a highly influential figure, usually a head of state, political elite, or business tycoon.

One of its aims is to keep up with the times; for example, world-class superstars like Michael Jackson have appeared on the cover more than once.

In fact, this isn't the first time Wu Yuchen has been interviewed by Time magazine. After all, he has already achieved considerable success in Hollywood. He was interviewed by the magazine two years ago when "Amour" won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and "The Sixth Sense" was a huge success. He was interviewed again last year after the huge success of "The Pirate King" and "Spider-Man".

But this time is different, because Time magazine is going to feature him on the cover of this issue!

Chinese people have appeared on the cover of Time magazine before, but mostly as political figures. Gong Li was the first Chinese celebrity to grace the cover in 96, followed by Wang Fei, Jackie Chan, and others. Relatively speaking, cover stars are more favored, given their inherent exposure; directors and other behind-the-scenes figures have a significantly lower profile.

However, one thing is certain: they were all featured on the cover of Time magazine's Asian edition. Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, has garnered cover appearances for all regions globally!

Wu Yuchen's Oscar for Best Director is historically significant, breaking the white monopoly and further demonstrating America's inclusiveness and openness to the world. Of course, Wu Yuchen's achievements in various aspects—box office success, awards, and current influence—definitely deserve him as a cover figure and the phrase "the pulse of the times."

Click, click. Usually, Wu Yuchen would point the camera at others and take pictures, but now he was being directed by the photographer to pose in various ways, and in the end, the most suitable one would be chosen as the cover.

After the event, Wu Yuchen shook hands with a female reporter to see her off.
"Director Wu, thank you so much for accepting this interview!"

"I was also very pleased to have had a pleasant conversation with you, Ms. Tina."

After seeing the group off, Wu Yuchen's phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was Han Sanping calling. He was a little surprised, since Han Sanping had already called him yesterday.

After answering the call, Han Sanping didn't stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Brother Wu, when will you be back?"

(End of this chapter)