Chapter 212: Chapter 212: GOGOGO! (Vote for monthly tickets!)

Chapter Two Hundred and Twelve GOGOGO!

“NO, NO, NO! Margaret, I need them! I said I need them! Without them, there’s just no feeling… NO!”

In the dimly lit editing room, the same voice echoed with each edit. Although this was their fourth collaboration, the bargaining between the director and the editor never ceased. Margaret, wearing black-framed glasses, focused intently on the computer screen, controlling the mouse with one hand and pressing keys on the keyboard with the other, completely ignoring Wang Yang who was shouting beside her.

Upon hearing a long sigh next to her, Margaret shrugged her shoulders and said, “Yang, even though you just won an Oscar, I’m not buying that.” Both burst into laughter at once, and she continued with a smile, “I’ve been editing your movies for years. I know exactly what you want, and this is the best result.” However, Wang Yang shook his head and replied, “No, not this time, I need it to be more delicate.”

The theatrical version of “MIT-21-TEAM” was set at around 120 minutes, which was perfect for the entire story. A fast-talking gambling film like this couldn’t afford any sluggishness, keeping the audience excited from start to finish, feeling “nervously jumpy” was Wang Yang’s goal. This was not a visual effects blockbuster, so these thrills came not from visual stimulation, but from subtle psychology.

Avoiding mental fatigue and irritation was critical, and the movie’s plot didn’t linger on the original story’s subplots like family and classmates, who had almost no screen time. Emotionally, it only portrayed the loyalty and friendship of the MIT team and the changes in Jeff Ma influenced by them. The focus was the main story: learning card counting, sweeping Las Vegas, and the cat-and-mouse game with the detectives.

The movie’s structure was dual-narrative. One thread followed Jeff Ma and the MIT team’s perspective moving forward; the other involved the female detective’s flashbacks and interjections, with the timelines of the two narratives converging tensely.

For instance, the current scene with the female detective’s entrance took place in the story’s timeline after Jeff Ma had integrated perfectly with the MIT team, leading to a significant change and winning a lot of money from the casinos. Therefore, the casinos hired Beverly Keel to investigate. In the movie, right after this entrance scene, followed Jeff Ma and others departing from Boston, taking a flight to Las Vegas, and starting their new team’s first battle.

“I’ll do this part!” Wang Yang pulled over a chair and sat down, and Margaret reluctantly made space, Wang Yang took over the mouse, looked at the screen, and said earnestly, “Maggie, let’s see how I edit it!” He had long discovered that his Chinese heritage and love for Eastern culture had given him a keen sense of scene application.

Even though Margaret was a woman, he felt she was perhaps too straightforward, missing that bit of… the sound of silence that comes from heartfelt understanding.

The mouse clicked with a “ding ding” sound, the keyboard also produced a “da da” noise, and the sequence of shots on the computer screen was rearranged. After a while, the play button was pressed. Amid the mixed sounds of low and crisp footsteps, the camera focused on several people walking down the corridor; only their torsos could be seen, including a woman in a beige detective coat with her hands in her pockets, and two men in black suits who were security personnel.

The camera quickly swept over the faces of the two security guards, then switched to a full view behind them, where the woman’s light brown curly hair bounced as she walked. The camera moved to the doorknob, the security opened the office door, and the burly bald security supervisor sat at his desk, looking towards the doorway with a face full of joy, quickly standing up to greet, “Miss Kaylee, I’m so glad to see you! With your help, we’ll have an easy time catching those thieves…”

The scene switched to behind, the curly-haired woman entered the room, the next shot focused on their handshake, and then it slowly rose, revealing the woman’s face, the unmistakable Rachel who wore a faint smile. The security supervisor looked relieved, as if a headache was about to be solved, and praised, “Miss Kaylee, I’ve heard so much about you…”

“Have you prepared the things I asked for?” Beverly Keel had no interest in his praise and interrupted him. The security supervisor smiled unaffectedly and said, “Everything is ready, it’s right over there.” He turned back to the desk, pointing to a large stack of documents on it, “The capital losses of all the blackjack tables in the casino for the past six months are all in there.”

Beverly Keel sat down beside the desk and started flipping through the stack of documents with an expressionless face; the camera scanned a few close-ups of the security supervisor’s face, the wall clock in the room, and the soft rustling sound of the paper pages turning.

The tracking shots indicated that quite some time had passed. Suddenly, Beverly Keel, who had been silent, said, “These guys only show up on weekends, which means they have regular jobs. But in recent months, they suddenly appear every few days, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday… These months, it’s summer break.” She put down the documents in her hand and said, “This suggests that there’s a high chance they’re either teachers or students.”

The computer screen froze on the security chief’s somewhat surprised and incredulous expression. Margaret adjusted her black-framed glasses and mused, “Yang, I don’t think this is concise enough.” Wang Yang let out an involuntary laugh and spread his hands, “Knock directly and then come in for a handshake? That would be concise, but it lacks any atmosphere.” Margaret expressed her opinion, “You’re going after this ‘atmosphere’ of yours at every turn. Doesn’t that drag on a bit? Remember not to drag it out.”

“No, how could this be dragging? This part is less than two minutes,” Wang Yang shook his head, continued clicking the mouse while looking at the screen. Margaret frowned and said, “I’m talking about the overall style.” Wang Yang turned to face the serious middle-aged lady and insisted, “Margaret, I’m aware of the big picture—trust me! Without these shot effects, Rachel just wouldn’t be cool. She needs to be tough! And then she says ‘they’re students,’ that’s what makes the MIT team look impressive.”

“That also sets up the audience to have enough expectations about what comes next. How did this group manage all of that? Of course, they know Jeff Ma must be great, they knew that before walking into the theater, so what we need now is to stimulate their nerves! If we take away these shots, I think it would be ineffective.” Wang Yang raised his eyebrows in a strange tone, “Aunt Maggie, how could you not know that I love these tactics? I’m fascinated by the atmosphere!”

Margaret looked innocent and said, “I know! But this time… it’s too fast, the lines and the cutaways are quick, and it feels oppressing, the audience might feel out of breath.” Wang Yang smiled upon hearing this, “I’m honored to be critiqued for being too fast, but I don’t agree completely. I think you’re underestimating the young audience’s capacity to keep up. We’re living in an era where everything is fast!”

“And not everything is fast, right? Aren’t there plenty of slow-motion shots?” He tapped a few keys on the keyboard, adjusting the frame rate of the upcoming shots, and said with a smile, “If we don’t speed up where we need to, then when we get to the cool slow-motion scenes, the audience’s reaction will be much less intense because that’s the moment we give them a chance to breathe, but it’s still cool. The fast pace earlier is also delicate and professional. Give it a try!”

“OK.” Knowing his temperament, Margaret conceded, for he made some good points. But as for the final effect, it remains to be seen in the theater. She reminded him, “Yang, this is a risky style!”

“Yes, I know. Let’s try it! After watching the movie, they might take a deep breath, feel a bit exhausted, think a lot… but our goal is to keep them interested, focused throughout the movie until they reach the climax and feel excited and exhilarated!” Wang Yang threw a punch into the air; the ideal effect made him somewhat elated, and he said with a smile, “So we need to find those precise moments, arrange them appropriately, just like a rollercoaster. You’ll be tired after the ride, but thrilled during it.”

Margaret nodded silently. The previous edits she had worked on, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ and ‘Juno,’ had a warm and affectionate style with a leisurely pace, in stark contrast to this current project. She laughed and said, “Perhaps I’m just getting old.”

“No, you just haven’t shifted your attitude, but I know you truly understand what I want. Let’s get it right!” Wang Yang turned to look at her earnestly, “I don’t want this to be a featureless, bland commercial soap opera.” Margaret adjusted her glasses—okay, let’s nail this risky style! She nodded seriously, “Alright!”

The next sequence, Jeff Ma’s first visit to the casino, was a critical scene to edit. Having joined the team, completed his training, and passed the tests, all the anticipation built up previously was for this moment of entering the casino for the first time.

With the experience from ‘The Hangover,’ Wang Yang knew exactly how to depict Las Vegas, and how it differed from Boston. From the start of filming, he had planned the lighting and color scheme. Though Boston was depicted in the snowy winter, it felt warm, a clean and clear space filled with a campus vibe, like ‘Juno’; while the daytime scenes of Las Vegas were particularly bright, with the nighttime colors somewhat hazy.

The atmosphere of the settings was drastically different. On one hand, there were sexy, fiery girls, luxurious suites, expensive cars, gamblers red-eyed from frenzy, and so on… As Jeff Ma just stepped into the Caesar’s Palace Casino, apart from seeing his teammates, there were the mad gamblers, loud curses—all aimed at highlighting their skills in contrast to the gamblers, though they also posed as gamblers.

This trial run was conducted without any direct dialogue—just gestures and codes, the modus operandi of the whole card-counting team. To make the audience see clearly and feel it was cool and stylish, it had to be edited very cleverly.

“To win money, finding the right blackjack table is critical!” The instant Jeff Ma steps into the casino and looks around, we’re flashed back to Amanda teaching in front of a classroom blackboard. She writes quickly with chalk and says briskly, “One, look for tables with fewer people. The fewer there are, the more rounds you can play in a box, and the closer your actual gains will come to the expected; two, find dealers who shuffle less. They have no strict rules! Different dealers, different approaches!”

The clinking sounds of slot machines bring the camera back to the casino. Jeff Ma walks around, looking around and seeing Amanda and the others already seated…

“Margaret! The slow-mo and fast-mo shots at the blackjack table have to work together perfectly! This part is crucial! Let’s nail it!”

“I know, Yang, you don’t need to shout at me, I know.”

As days passed by, new progress was made in the Iraq War. After intensifying their forces and dispatching separate units, the allies captured key cities like Basra and strategic positions, completing the encirclement of Baghdad. Suddenly, the war became one-sided. On April 8th, American troops couldn’t wait for their allies and from both the south and north, pushed directly towards Baghdad. The bombing resulted in the capital losing electricity, water, and communications, and the US forces successfully took over the Rashid military airfield to the southeast of Baghdad.

On April 9th, American tanks rolled into Baghdad. The anticipated fierce street fighting did not occur. The American forces occupied Saddam City, a large slum area populated by Shia Muslims, where the local populace genuinely welcomed the troops; there was little resistance as they moved into the center of Baghdad. That evening, the military toppled the statue of Saddam in “Paradise Square” in the city center, and citizens of Baghdad swarmed over the shattered remains of the statue, trampling it underfoot. On the 21st day after the beginning of combat, the allies declared, “Baghdad has been fully captured!”

In America, the pro-war public was overjoyed. Although the war had some mishaps, it seemed to be coming to a perfect close! On April 10th, the US military stated, “Saddam’s regime has not fallen, and more intense battles are yet to come.” Only with the capture of Saddam’s hometown, Tikrit, would the war officially end.

On Friday, April 11th, the original release date for “Saw”, which was postponed to October 31st this year due to the war. That evening, Wang Yang called up James Wan and Leigh Whannell in Los Angeles to meet for drinks at a bar. In the leisurely bar with its soft music and tranquil environment, the three sat around a round table, laughing and chatting while sipping on beer.

Ever since trying acupuncture, Leigh Whannell’s headaches had progressively eased. The nerves in that area had become calm, and now he could sleep soundly without medication. However, this painful experience was unforgettable, and his fear of death made him treasure life even more. Speaking of the war, he was naturally very emotional, as Australia had also sent troops to participate in the joint military operation.

“Suddenly we’re at war, so many people dead!” Leigh Whannell, holding his glass, slammed it heavily onto the table, his face flushed with emotion, and next to him, James Wan muttered darkly, “They should really catch George Bush and make him play the ‘Saw’ game.”

“The key issue is the post-war situation is hard to control…” Wang Yang took a sip of beer. The recent success of the war had led to some mockery on his blog. He shrugged and said, “Anyway, it’s good that it’s ending! Turning on the TV every day, it’s all about the war, even drinking and chatting, it’s about war! It’s time for it to end.”

It did not take long before the US forces captured Tikrit. On April 15th, the allies officially announced, “The main military operations of the Iraq War have ended, the coalition forces control the entire territory of Iraq.” The principal war lasted a total of 27 days, with 128 American soldiers killed and approximately 20 billion dollars spent. This outcome was acceptable to the pro-war camp, while the anti-war faction was already discussing withdrawal plans, and the mood of the public slowly returned to its former cheerfulness and laughter.

Not many people were cursing the wonderful Wang Yang because he had never claimed the war would be lost but said it would last a month. So, the fans and moviegoers chose not to dislike or be annoyed with him. His wartime analysis and predictions were precise, though perhaps he was too pessimistic about the aftermath. Didn’t they see the Iraqi people celebrating the fall of Saddam’s government?

For Wang Yang, the end of the war was like a dark cloud finally clearing. The impacts on his life and work were gradually diminishing. Days flowed by, and he spent almost every single one in the editing studio, sometimes working on producing tasks for shows like “Prison Break,” as well as the final preparations for “The Devil Wears Prada.” During this time, Jessica also devoted herself enthusiastically to work, researching her script and character, and coordinating with the makeup and costume design departments for the production.

When the date reached the 28th, although it was a Monday on the calendar, Wang Yang and Jessica took the day off because it was her 22nd birthday.

The two didn’t throw a birthday party and didn’t have an intimate gathering with close friends like last year either. Apart from the inappropriateness of throwing a large party right after the war, they wanted to enjoy a sweet day together on this special occasion.

Early in the morning, Wang Yang and Jessica went to Santa Monica, walking hand in hand on the beach for a while. They bought some food and drinks from a beachside shop and then sailed out from the marina in their own yacht, heading towards the vast blue sea. In America, owning one of the 16 million yachts is not so rare, with an average of one in every 5% of people. Their medium-sized leisure yacht wasn’t too difficult to operate with just a steering wheel and communication systems, and both of them knew how to handle it.

Due to the nice weather, their plan was to spend the whole day at sea and then watch the sunrise over the ocean the following morning before returning.

The night sky, dotted with countless stars, was incredibly serene, with their white yacht lit up against the dark blue of the sea. After a day of joyous frolicking, fishing, barbecuing, swimming… and having watched the sunset, Wang Yang and Jessica snuggled together on the yacht’s open deck, covered with a warm blanket, basking in the breeze. They exchanged sweet and trivial endearments, admiring the sparkling stars above.

“That one! I like the bright one on the left,” Jessica said, leaning on his shoulder and pointing with her left hand. Wang Yang looked up at the myriad of bright and dim stars and suddenly laughed, “There are so many on the left! Are you talking about the Big Dipper?”

A hint of confusion crossed Jessica’s face as she asked with a laugh, “Is that the Big Dipper?” With an “uh” sound, Wang Yang truly didn’t know which one she meant, and said with a laugh, “It might be, we’ll know if we get lost. So which star do you think is home to aliens?”

“I don’t know…” Jessica turned her head, scanning the vast expanse of the starry sky, and then pointed and laughed, “That one! It seems to have some blue light, truly beautiful…” Wang Yang still didn’t know which star she was referring to and smiled, “Not as beautiful as you.” Jessica sweetly asked, “Really?” Wang Yang answered, “Really.” As they talked, they kissed, and even though they didn’t know how many times they had kissed today, they still felt an endless sweetness and joy.

After kissing for quite a while, they finally parted, a bit out of breath, and exchanged smiles with bitten lips.

“Jessica.” Wang Yang tightened his embrace around her body, looking into her eyes filled with love, and said tenderly, “Happy birthday! Make a wish!”

“Hmm!” Jessica’s heart was filled with happiness, and she felt incredibly wonderful at that moment. She nodded slightly and said, “I’m going to make a wish!” She closed her big eyes and brought her hands together in silent prayer, “Lord! I’m really, really happy, thank you! I hope the one I love continues to be happy and healthy…”

Watching her close her eyes with devout sincerity as she made her wish, Wang Yang glanced at the peaceful night sky, and before she could finish, an idea suddenly struck him. He called out in a rush, “Oh my God, a shooting star! Don’t open your eyes! Make a wish quickly, it’s double the insurance for a wish!” Noticing that her eyebrows and eyelashes fluttered, he shouted earnestly, “GOGOGO! It will definitely come true!”

“I want to get married!” Hearing about the falling star, Jessica couldn’t help but feel immensely surprised and eager, urgently shouting out in her heart the wish she desired the most, beyond her regular wishes, one that she had been making at every opportunity since last year, “I want to marry! I want to be Yang’s wife!”

Noticing that she seemed to have finished making her wish, as her eyelashes flickered and she opened her eyes, Wang Yang looked up at the night sky and exclaimed in surprise, “Wow—! That shooting star was so bright! I’ve heard that the brighter the shooting star, the more powerful it is, sweetheart, this means your wish will definitely come true!” Jessica had no doubt, as seeing shooting stars at sea was not unusual, and her face was filled with a smile of happy anticipation as she murmured, “Oh God, that’s good…”

“Wait a second,” Wang Yang, looking at her eyes shining like stars, suddenly felt a bit uneasy. If her wish didn’t come true, wouldn’t that make her doubly disappointed? So he smiled and asked, “With such a good opportunity just now, what did you wish for?” Jessica didn’t answer, but rather coquettishly pouted and slapped his chest lightly, playfully scolding, “How could you say your wish out loud?”

Wang Yang leaned toward her ear and whispered, “Tell me! Just say it quietly, it’s okay, neither the Lord nor the shooting star will mind.”

“No!” Jessica playfully turned her head away and laughed, “It’s a secret.” That wish must not be spoken of, but she believed it would come true! Even if there were no shooting stars and no birthday wishes, she couldn’t reveal it! She felt a kiss on her ear, followed by a ghostly voice, “Jessie, be a good girl, tell me—” Undisturbed, she shook her head and laughingly said, “Yang, I won’t tell! I’m waiting for it to come true!”

“How about this? I’ll tell you my birthday wish for this year…”

“I won’t listen! Even if you tell me, I won’t say it, I won’t!”

※※

※※

※※

PS: A new month has started, and I earnestly plead for everyone’s monthly votes! Last month, with everyone’s effort and help, the book reached a new peak of achievement, number 46 on the monthly ticket list! But we can do even better! I will continue to work hard this month to update and write good articles for everyone to read! Let’s aim for the monthly category ticket list and challenge the top spots! Thank you, brothers!