Shadow Empire

Chapter 1071 Even Presidents Are Human

The film was a great success; you could tell from the expressions on the faces of some of the professional film critics in the audience.

When someone shows a desire to write something immediately, it means they have been moved by the content of the movie.

Whether good or bad, this movie gave them some ideas to express their emotions.

Next, the main creators will take the stage for a curtain call, followed by a brief interaction and exchange regarding the film's creation.

A staff member bent down and walked to Lance's side, then half-squatted beside him. "Mr. President, the producer is asking if you would like to go up and say a few words as well?"

"Or would you mind saying a few words if necessary?"

Lance shook his head. "I don't need to say anything. This is your hard work. Whether it's glory or humiliation, it belongs to you alone."

The staff member quickly left, bowing low. Barbara, who was next to him, glanced in the direction the staff member left and said, "They want to use your influence for publicity."

Lance shook his head again, "My influence isn't that easy to use."

As the leader of a gang, although he has been downplaying his role, his actual influence is not very significant.

Before coming to the Federation, and even now in the Federation's external propaganda, prisons and gangs have been presented as part of the mainstream social culture.

The federal agents won't tell outsiders that they discriminate against gang members and people released from prison just as much.

Especially in mainstream society, if they know you are a released convict or have a gang background.

Even if you perfectly meet their hiring requirements, or are the only one who does, they will still reject you.

Federals never say that to the outside world; they only promote what looks good: freedom, equality, democracy, and human rights.

It's like living in a paradise-like society called the Federation, where there is no discrimination, no harm, and no racial conflict.

But actually?
Only when they arrive will they discover that their claims of "multi-racial inclusion" are nothing but empty words, filled with hierarchical discrimination and contempt.

Having a gang leader endorse a product or service could only bring negative consequences.

This is different from him attending the premiere.

Barbara didn't want to figure out what the difference was; she took it as an excuse for Lance's reluctance to go up.

She then quickly touched up her makeup. "Then you'll have to sit here all alone. I have to go up on stage with them."

Lance did not refuse. After Barbara put down some personal belongings, she stood up under the spotlight.

She turned around and waved to the audience and media in the theater, then walked onto the stage amidst screams from fans.

There were sofas prepared on the stage, and she and the male lead sat on either side of the director.

Lance crossed his legs and watched the final "performance" of the evening.

Reporters and film critics always ask such tricky questions. One of them asked a question—

"Director, most of the war movies we've seen before have happy endings."

“For example…”, he gave about a dozen examples of movies in which the male and female protagonists, including the supporting actors, survived and completed their missions perfectly.

"But I don't know how to describe your film. There are 28 people in total, and each person doesn't have much screen time, but their distinct personalities and characteristics have left a deep impression on me."

"Just like everyone is a living, breathing person, with both good and bad sides."

“Everyone is very real. I like these characters, but I also have a question: why do they all die in the end?”

"Although the male protagonist survived, he was also severely traumatized, both psychologically and physically."

"Finally, I noticed a detail at the end of the film. In the scene where the male protagonist turns to leave, there is a tree with a noose hanging from it. Does this imply that the male protagonist will ultimately choose to end his own life and leave this world?"

Why do you prefer tragic stories instead of happy endings?

“I believe the audience would prefer to see these people alive, as if they came back to life in the final photograph, and reunited.”

Faced with this question, the director glanced at Lance, who was sitting in the front row, and said, "Your questions are a bit too numerous..."

People chuckled softly; the somber atmosphere of the film was gradually dissipating. After gathering his thoughts, the director said, "Because war itself is cruel."

"We cannot ignore the logic of reality just because we need artistic creation. On the battlefield, bullets, shells, and any factor that can be fatal will not avoid you just because you may be the protagonist."

"No matter who it is, the moment a shell falls next to you, you will definitely die, there will be almost no accidents."

"I know that the mainstream market now tends to trivialize and romanticize war."

"War is no longer a dangerous place where problems are solved through armed conflict; it has become a place where some handsome men and beautiful women fall in love."

"They can be biting their teeth on the battlefield amidst flying bullets, or they can unleash their hormones in the trenches."

"There are also some war comedies that portray both sides of the war as intellectually deficient."

"I'm not trying to criticize their films or their style of expression; I just think my films should be more authentic."

“When we were filming our first war movie, Chairman of the Board, Mr. Lance White, talked to us about this issue.”

"What kind of war do we want to show the audience?"

"War is cruel, the pain it brings us is real, and we need to reflect on war and these pains, rather than turning it into something romantic or for entertainment."

"If someone romanticizes death or turns it into entertainment, then he must be a criminal."

"He is sending more young people to the battlefield in their own way, and once they are on the battlefield, they will find that the battlefields they see in movies are not the same as the real battlefields."

"This war may be coming to an end soon. We must leave something behind to warn future generations, so that they don't think that biting their tongues and being funny are war."

"Because besides these, there is also cruelty!"

The director said a long string of words, then glanced at Lance, and seeing that Lance didn't react, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Lance was unwilling to come up, he still had a way to use Lance's influence. He believed that many reporters would focus their cameras on Lance, thus indirectly leveraging Lance's influence.

He paused for a moment, took a sip of water, and said, "As for why I didn't use a happy ending..."

As he spoke, he took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. "Here is a fragment of a record, documenting an army on the front lines."

"Over the past two years, it has been nearly wiped out countless times, and rebuilt countless times."

"Thousands of soldiers were put into it, but now it still only has two hundred people."

"They wrote a magnificent chapter with their lives and blood, which is worthy of our respect. To respect them is to respect history and to respect ourselves."

This isn't exactly a direct answer, but it's still a solution.

The film critic was satisfied; he was now able to use these words, along with his own thoughts, to write a very good film review.

The atmosphere at the scene became even more heated. After discussing the core themes of the film for a while, people turned their attention to the male and female leads.

"Ms. Barbara, I heard that you also underwent sixty days of military training. What are your thoughts on that?"

Barbara sat on the sofa next to the director, her hands clasped together, looking deeply moved. "I don't know how to describe it. I didn't know much about soldiers before, but this time I know that they work very hard and have a very difficult life."

"I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to play a role in this film!"

"I also thank the soldiers for their contributions on the front lines, which allow us to have a better life."

A very safe and steady answer, and it avoided some of the questions.

The male protagonist's answer was roughly the same, after all, the core of the movie lies here, and no one can bypass it or go against it.

The atmosphere remained lively throughout, and a raffle was held after the Q&A session. Based on the invitation numbers (which were part of the specially made movie tickets), some movie props were distributed to the audience, including film critics, through a raffle.

Of course, film critics will receive an extra reward—fifty dollars and a set of war-themed desktop office supplies.

After the premiere, Barbara returned to Lance's side, and she seemed a little excited.

"Just now backstage, they said that the feedback from audiences and critics has been very good, and this film has the potential to be a huge box office success, and there is a great chance that it will win an award at the end of the year."

Tragic stories are always hard to let go of, which is perhaps why tragedies are often the ones that are more memorable, from operas to movies.

Comedy makes people laugh and then forget it, but only the regret in tragedy can make people feel uneasy for a long time.

Lance is essentially supportive of the producers' and crew's desire to win awards, saying, "I'll help them put in some effort."

Barbara's eyes gleamed. "Best Actress?"

Lance looked at him and pursed his lips. "I think you need to take some more time to mature."

Barbara was clearly a little unconvinced, "I've already won a Best Actress award."

Lance knew about the Best Actress award he had won before. "Was it because there wasn't much competition?"

This made Barbara very angry. "I work very hard and I'm very talented. I'm sure I can do it this time!"

Lance is not good. It is clearly a male-centric movie where everyone is dying one after another, including the battlefield nurse played by Barbara.

She was shot to death by a cannonball two-thirds of the way through the movie. If the female lead couldn't make it to the end of the movie, there would be some gaps in the plot and content, and these gaps would make her less memorable to the judges.

Barbara was still somewhat unhappy when she saw that Lance, though silent, had a judgment that conveyed a sense of arbitrary judgment.

Over the next few days, Barbara will also be doing two movie promotion events in New Gold City.

As the center of the federal economy, New Gold City is already in a class of its own in terms of box office revenue.

The box office figures here are very important to the overall box office of a film, and they are also a data basis for various evaluation agencies, including film companies themselves, to evaluate the overall box office performance.

If they can achieve excellent box office results here, they can use slogans like "New Golden City Box Office Champion" in their subsequent promotions to attract more viewers to the cinema.

In early to mid-June, before Barbara was to leave, Lance took him to a dinner party.

For this reason, Lance even had a top-of-the-line evening gown and corresponding accessories made for her overnight.

Wearing clothes and accessories worth tens of thousands of dollars made Barbara a little nervous.

"What kind of party is this?"

She nervously clung to Lance's arm; in reality, they hadn't even arrived at the party venue yet and were still in Lance's car.

But looking at her own outfit and Lance's outfit, she felt that this was no ordinary party, because Lance had even groomed his eyebrows.

He stubbled out some of his stray eyebrows, which subtly changed his overall appearance. Although it was just a small change, it improved his overall image.

He rarely takes things this seriously—if he had always taken things this seriously, he wouldn't have bothered to groom his eyebrows at this time.

Lance lit a cigarette and rolled down some of the windows. "The armistice agreement is to be signed tomorrow, so tonight is a kind of early celebration."

“I was invited to attend, and everyone else brought their female companions. I couldn’t go alone.”

"And didn't you say that last time?"

Barbara raised her hand to stop Lance from continuing, her cheeks now feeling hot again.

"I understand!" she interrupted Lance, then added somewhat nervously, "Who were those people there?"

Lance took a drag of his cigarette. “There are some members of Congress, the Secretary of State, the President, and some foreign diplomats.”

"A very formal, but not too serious, party."

Upon hearing this, Barbara took a deep breath; this was quite different from what she had imagined.

Am I... suitable?

Lance looked her up and down and could only say that the tailor of this evening gown knew how to make a woman look alluring.

"Of course, you look absolutely gorgeous!"

Barbara lowered her voice slightly, "You know that's not what I'm talking about. I'm attending this banquet in my capacity. Is that appropriate?"

Lance shook his head slightly. "Whether it's suitable or not doesn't apply to you, Barbara."

"That depends on who you're with!"

Lance's confident words made him shine with a golden light even in the dimly lit carriage, dazzling Barbara!
She even had a clear, tangible sensation that she could feel herself secreting!
If we were to describe her feelings at this moment in a more intense, exciting, and daring way, it would be that she wants to get fucked right now!
The motorcade quickly arrived at the banquet venue, in an unremarkable house on the outskirts of New Gold City, a house belonging to the Vice President.

Celebrating before the armistice agreement is fully signed is indeed a bit...unserious for the public.

Therefore, this celebration was not suitable for public display, and there were naturally no reporters or similar people present, but everyone seemed very relaxed.

The war will end after the armistice agreement is signed tomorrow morning.

At this moment, whether they were Federation people, Slade people, or Dantra people, they all seemed exceptionally relaxed.

Regardless of winning or losing, they all achieved some of the goals they wanted to achieve, which, in a way, is also a kind of perfection!
Lance arrived just in time to meet Senator Cleveland.

“I feel like I’ve seen this beautiful lady somewhere before!” Senator Cleveland greeted her with a smile.

His wife whispered a reminder, "We've seen Barbara's movies; her performances were outstanding!"

Senator Cleveland then realized that he hadn't touched Barbara or shaken her hand. In formal social situations, men shouldn't touch women unless the woman initiates the contact.

Barbara, linking arms with Lance, lowered her body slightly as a gesture of courtesy, as did Senator Cleveland's wife.

As for the two men, they shook hands quite naturally.

"Thank you for your approval, Madam," Barbara said, appearing very poised. Although she was somewhat nervous and reserved, her overall demeanor was impeccable.

Senator Cleveland certainly wouldn't pay much attention to such an ordinary "minor character." He quickly looked at Lance and said, "The president is coming tonight. I've already spoken to him about your situation. He might want to talk to you privately, so please prepare accordingly."

Lance nodded. "I will."

Senator Cleveland didn't talk to him much more, after all, there were many important people here, and he had to entertain them. "Have fun. You should know many of the people here. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me anytime."

Lance shook hands with him again and said "thank you," then watched Senator Cleveland and his wife leave first.

Barbara finally breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, "My God, I never imagined you could be so popular. He's one of the hottest senators right now!"

People's curiosity about Congress is like their desire to find out how many eggs are in a henhouse; they won't rest until they find out exactly how many.

It's no secret to the public which senators have more power in Congress.

It's perfectly reasonable that Barbara knew Senator Cleveland.

She found it hard to imagine who Lance knew!

"He just said that the President wants to see you alone?"

Lance glanced at her sideways. "What's wrong?"

"That's the president!"

Lance remained calm and composed. "The president is a human being too!"

(End of this chapter)