The Best Director

In the elegant interview room of “Entertainment Weekly,” Wang Yang and Daniel Wu both wore blazers over jeans, sitting on the sofa undergoing this promotional interview. As reporter Chris Richie took notes, she nodded with a smile, listening to Wang Yang continue, “Making this movie, I learned a lot about gambling. Saying this might be a problem, Las Vegas won’t let me off the hook.”

Chris Richie immediately chuckled and, looking at the serious-faced director, exclaimed, “I hear that casinos in Vegas are very civilized now.” Daniel Wu also laughed and said, “I know a bit, Yang, there won’t be any trouble.” Wang Yang spread his hands and laughed, “You misunderstand me. I’m talking about being blacklisted by Las Vegas.”

“In fact, you don’t need me to tell you, everyone knows how incredibly difficult it is to get money out of slot machines, almost impossible, with only a very slim chance. However, everyone thinks they might be the lucky one, always possessed by the ‘give it a try’ mentality, or in search for excitement…” Wang Yang paused, then laughed again, “Blackjack is different. With the right dealing of cards, it has a set of winning techniques. Card counting takes it beyond mere gambling and gives players a chance to succeed.”

Chris Richie made a note and hummed, then asked, “What made you choose to shoot this story? Is there something you want to convey through it?”

“I definitely have something to say, but it might not be the usual cliché. Maybe people will know once they watch it. Another reason…” Wang Yang recalled his trip to Las Vegas at the beginning of last year and couldn’t help but chuckle: “You know, last year Tom Welling got married, and we threw him a bachelor party in Vegas, and then that night I played blackjack at a casino and won a lot.”

Thinking back on the craziness of that day, Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh again. Looking at Chris, who was full of interest, he laughed and said, “I was drunk at the time. I thought I was counting cards because I had just read Ben Mezrich’s ‘Las Vegas.’ But that wasn’t it. I just had a lucky streak, don’t follow my lead! If you don’t understand card counting and don’t have a professional team, playing blackjack is no different from playing slot machines.”

“So in the movie, everyone will see and learn what card counting in blackjack is really about. I guarantee it’s downright professional and practical,”

Wang Yang chuckled a few times. This was also a selling point for the movie, though naturally, only the most talented could learn it. He went on to reminisce, “After that party, I wanted to make two Las Vegas-themed movies, and ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ is the second.”

“You know it’s adapted from a true story, legendary, incredible, cool… very interesting!” Wang Yang said several adjectives in a row before nodding and laughing, “So looking at the book, I said that’s it, I’m going to shoot it! Later, I contacted Ben, I contacted Jeff Ma, and the whole story and details began to take shape slowly. Jeff!” He turned to look at Daniel Wu and said, “Jeff is really incredible! He’s like a living calculator.”

Daniel Wu nodded, also recalling some memories from the set, and added, “Jeff has a nickname ‘Intel Chip.’ During shooting, he taught me how to count cards, which was astonishing.” He made a surprised face with his mouth wide open, expressing awe, “I just couldn’t keep up with his speed of thought. It’s an admirable kind of cool. It wasn’t easy to act it out; Yang would be like ‘CUT, NO-GOOD!’ all day long.”

“Then I’m a bit surprised,” Chris Richie slightly shook her golden hair, lifted her pen, indicating it wasn’t a question, and said, “At school, Asians, especially Chinese, are the best at mathematics.” When touching on this ethnic topic, she smiled sincerely without any malice, talking as if sharing a funny story, “Every time I met a new Asian friend at school, I’d say, ‘Don’t you dare laugh at my math!'”

Wang Yang and Daniel Wu both laughed heartily. Her fine conversational skill didn’t upset them, and it was, after all, a fact. It could be said that the math genius Jeff Ma really has “screen credibility.” Being good at math is one of the main stereotypes for Asians in this country, along with being proficient in a musical instrument (violin or piano), loving Karaoke, Chinese people knowing Kung Fu, and the family running a restaurant…

And those stereotypes of being stereotypical, lacking personality, and being rule-bound are resented and bewildering to most Asians. Lin Yibin resents them, Kevin Spacey resents them, Daniel Wu resents them…

Wang Yang also felt a profound hatred toward such remarks, having detested them since childhood. He carried Chinese blood in his veins, and values such as diligence and family were deeply ingrained within him, intrinsic and indelible traits etched into his bones; yet he was far from the stereotype of a rigid and dull person. So, why was he sometimes so impetuous and reckless? It was precisely because he had never wanted to be that model image of a Chinese, a robotic figure.

Rebellion and maturity were themes he didn’t elaborate on much in “MIT-21-TEAM”, but they were “words he wanted to say”.

“Actually, I could have been a mathematician, except that every time I saw those numbers and symbols, I’d get a headache,” he said.

Seeing Wang Yang’s earnest expression, Chris Richie couldn’t help but smile, while Daniel Wu shrugged and said, “I was never good at academics.” Chris Richie nodded in agreement, dropping the ethnic topic, her pen returning to the paper as she asked with a laugh, “Yang, how do you rate this movie, and what are your expectations for it? I have to remind you, gambling films are never easy.”

“I know,” Wang Yang’s gaze was filled with confidence. If he hadn’t turned into a crustacean, this movie was bound to be a success! Offering fans more certainty was the least he could do, his promises had never been broken. Considering this, Wang Yang cast aside any trace of the Chinese modesty and laughed, “OK, let’s make it clear! I believe ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ will set new records for its genre. We can do it, it will succeed!”

Chris Richie’s eyes sparkled, exclaiming “Wow,” his statement had just doubled the value of the entire interview! Fearing he might backtrack, she didn’t press further, leaving room for editing in the response. She switched gears with a smile, “Yang, we know ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ just wrapped up last month. Rachel was the leading lady in your first movie, Jessica in the second, and then there’s Natalie and ‘Juno’. This year, all three of these women are in your new films.”

She asked with a smile, “In your movies, who do you think performed better? What’s your opinion on them?”

“That question…” Wang Yang smiled, raising an eyebrow, then shifted his sitting posture, stroking his chin and looking at the female journalist with a playful grin, “They were all great! Can’t I answer like that? One’s my girlfriend, two are good friends; it’s hard to make a comment that keeps everyone happy.” Daniel Wu chuckled, and Chris Richie jokingly rebuked herself, “Well great! If they’re happy, I’m not.”

“Natalie is a very smart person,” Wang Yang mused on her on-set performance and character, answering truthfully, “Very clever and unique, with a high level of understanding, always able to think outside the box. When you entrust her with a role, you feel secure. And then there’s Rachel, she’s also very smart, very low-key, humble, and friendly, she fully grasps what you need from the character, and often has ideas that make you think, ‘GOOD!’…”

As he spoke, a sweet visage began to appear before his eyes, while under Chris Richie’s pen strokes, he continued with a smile, “Jessica is also intelligent and hard-working, the joy on set, carrying an infectious charm that brings happiness, like an angel.”

“Hmm,” Chris Richie nodded slightly, finished recording, and quickly posed the next question.

Though the July 11 release of “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” didn’t receive unanimous praise from film critics, with a fresh rating of only 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, it enjoyed an 86% approval rating from audiences, showcasing its popularity. With North American box office earnings nearing $200 million, forecasters predicted that a global turnout of $500–600 million would be no problem for the film, positioning it to become a new cash cow for Disney.

“Heavenly Soldiers” wasn’t as fortunate, with a 17% freshness and a 54% audience approval indicating its poor reception, and box office forecasts for North America hovering between $50 and $60 million.

The Michael Bay-directed, Will Smith-starring “Bad Boys II” premiered on the 18th as scheduled, immediately attracting a slew of negative reviews from film critics—23% fresh rating, criticisms labeling it tiresome, noisy, sickening… The Washington Post’s Jon Thompson stated, “Following ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’, Will Smith has sadly reverted back to the tragic old ways, delivering performances that are far from moving.” Rotten Tomatoes summarized it as “Two and a half hours of explosions and dumb jokes.”

However, the audience loved the “explosion Bay”, with an 80% approval rating and many exclaiming how thrilling and satisfying it was. It could be said that “Bad Boys II” totally exhausted the visual stimulation of that summer, paving its way to recoup its $130 million budget at the box office.

On the 25th, “Extremely Small Spies 3,” “The Era of Galloping,” and “Tomb Raider 2” were released; aside from “MIT-21-TEAM” on August 1st, there was “American Pie 3” and the action comedy “Mandarin Duck Kidnappers.” This was a new battlefield for a head-on clash, featuring three action comedies, one R-rated campus comedy, and one historic sports film; while “MIT-21-TEAM” was classified as a drama/comedy.

And its most direct competitor was “American Pie 3”. This series of campus films, called a revival of the high school genre along with “High School Musical” since the summer of 1999, was finally coming to an end and just happened to clash with Wang Yang. Many media outlets called this a “belated encounter.” The competition for the weekly box office champion from August 1st to 7th also became more suspenseful.

But for many media and movie fans, their focus was not on this head-on battle, not on “American Pie 3,” “Mandarin Duck Kidnappers,” “Extremely Small Spies 3,” etc., especially after the latest issue of “Entertainment Weekly” hit the shelves. They excitedly found a topic and suddenly, there was an incredible gossip narrative: “Magical Yang declares war on Steven Spielberg!”

When “MIT-21-TEAM” first surfaced, it was not viewed favorably by the media due to its unpopular true story genre of “Las Vegas + con artists + gambling,” coupled with an Asian male lead.

Not long after, during the Christmas season, “The Hangover” firmly proved the moneymaking ability of Las Vegas, the oasis city in the desert, with a North American box office of $320 million and a global haul of $617 million, proudly topping the “Las Vegas” box office rankings; the Steven Soderbergh-directed, star-studded “Ocean’s Eleven,” could only rank a distant second with a North American gross of $183 million and $450 million worldwide.

This was a successful foray and attack. The wild humor of “The Hangover” had significantly boosted audience confidence in “MIT-21-TEAM”. Finally, it was time for the con artists and gambling to take the stage.

Now, topping the box office rankings for “con artist” themed movies was “Catch Me If You Can,” also based on a true story, directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken, with the same PG-13 rating, drama/comedy category, but a different production budget of $52 million.

And the final box office for “Catch Me If You Can” was $164 million in North America and $352 million worldwide. Following on the leaderboard were “Gambler Ma Huali” with $183 million globally, “White Men Can’t Jump” with $90 million, “The Buffinger Plan” with $98 million…

Now, Magical Yang claimed he wanted to “set a new record for the genre!” According to the logic of the gossip media, this naturally meant “to defeat ‘Catch Me If You Can’ at the box office record!” Initially, some gossip media had provocatively suggested a showdown with Spielberg, and Wang Yang’s confident expectations seemed to be responding to that.

“Wang Yang can’t wait to challenge Spielberg’s status? How absurd!” Online, in the comments section of this gossip news, many netizens shared their thoughts. Challenging status was just an exaggeration, but not many believed in this “record-breaking” attempt. Look at the cast, lead actor Daniel Wu versus Leonardo DiCaprio—Who is Daniel Wu?

Morrison C commented, “It seems like the Oscar has made him arrogant and foolish. A trophy doesn’t guarantee a $352 million box office! Really looking forward to seeing him speechless.” Amy countered, “Magical Yang never meant those things, it’s just the boring media twisting words, I’ve seen it too much.”

“Records are there to be broken!” Catherine appeared very supportive, writing, “I adore Magical Yang’s confidence. Because we can, we dare to say it! Anyway, I’ve already bought a presale ticket, aren’t you going to watch?” Carlisle followed up, “I did too, in fact, my circle of friends has been looking forward to this movie for a long time. Just the story alone sounds cool…”

Not only Wang Yang and Daniel Wu gave exclusive interviews. The other main actors of “MIT-21-TEAM,” Natalie, Rachel, and others, according to their varying popularity and fame, engaged in interviews and reports for major newspapers, popular magazines, some local city papers, and websites.

“It was an unforgettable and extraordinary experience, a very rare opportunity! Working with a group of talented people, I learned so much. It’s quite amazing and relaxing to work under a director who is just one year older than you; you don’t feel any pressure at all, ‘Hey, where’s the director? After filming for so long, I’ve never seen him on set.’ Our set was filled with laughter every day, it was fun, Yang and Natalie always had those really interesting jokes,” Alexis Braidel answered during an exclusive interview with “The Chicago City Paper,” when asked “What does being in this movie mean to you?” Talking about the romance with Joshua Alba sparked by this film, Alexis said, “He’s a very hardworking and ambitious man, which I find attractive. Our relationship is now very stable.”

“I’m so disappointed! So disappointed! So disappointed! So disappointed!…”

In the spacious and cozy living room, Joshua sat on the sofa with a gloomy face, incessantly flipping through channels with the remote control, venting angrily, “I really didn’t expect him to rape! If he wanted to have an extramarital affair for one night, how much would it cost to hire a prostitute!? How much does it cost to pick up a girl at a bar? It doesn’t cost money! To resort to the worst way? Jesus! Kobe was so stupid!”

Joshua was furious about the news that Kobe Bryant was accused of rape, a reality that many Lakers fans could not accept. When Wang Yang first heard the news, he was very surprised and then felt it was a shame. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “I’ll wait for the outcome of this incident before I make any judgments. But brother, welcome to the embrace of the Warriors Team! Warriors, Warriors!”

“No thanks,” Joshua waved his hand listlessly and said, “I’ll still be a Lakers fan in the future, but no longer a Kobe fan, even adultery is terrible.” He no longer thought about it and suddenly chuckled, “Yang, can’t you really let me have a sneak peek at ‘MIT-21-TEAM’? It’s so embarrassing, I’m a production assistant after all!”

“Not this time, wait until you’re a producer,” Wang Yang said, his face becoming serious, and he added in a deep voice, “Joshua, I called you here today because there’s something very, very important to ask you face to face! No phone calls, no emails, no messages… I speak, you listen, you speak, I listen, limited to that, got it!?”

“Oh… what is it? Very, very important!?” Seeing his serious tone, Joshua couldn’t help but become very curious and excited, nodding quickly, “I get it, I get it! Buddy, now I’m absolutely a person who can keep a secret!”

Wang Yang nodded solemnly, looking left and right to see if there was any suspicious creature! Although Jessica wouldn’t suddenly come back from the park with her dog, it was still better to be careful! He got up and walked towards the backyard, “Come with me!” Joshua turned off the TV and quickly followed, laughing gossipingly as he asked, “Yang, I saw in the news these past two days that you’ve declared war on Steven Spielberg, is that true? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I also don’t know what’s going on,” Wang Yang’s mind wasn’t on those rumors at all, replying offhandedly, “But life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what the next one will be. $352 million in box office receipts, we can do it! OK…”

While they talked, they came to the garden and sat down on the wooden bench beside the sycamore tree. Once he confirmed everything was secure, Wang Yang leaned close to Joshua’s ear with a mysterious face and whispered the details of his marriage proposal decision, excitedly laughing, “I plan to get busy with ‘MIT-21-TEAM’ stuff, and then propose in September! Now I have to prepare well, little brother, the proposal method I’ll think of myself; but as for the ring, what are your thoughts for me?”

“You, you…” Joshua was stunned, muttering, “You, you, you’re going to…”

“Shh—! You absolutely can’t let it out! Don’t mention it to anyone about anything related to this!” Wang Yang’s expression turned grave again, his eyes emitting a threatening look as he coldly said, “If any word leaks out, resulting in her not being surprised when I propose, I’ll tell Ali you’ve been married before! I’ll also tell her that your current efforts are for picking up girls! Yes, this is a threat!”

“Oh my God! Yang, that’s too harsh…” Joshua immediately covered his mouth in panic, his muffled voice seeping through his fingers, “You can’t do that! You can’t…” Wang Yang urged, “Then hurry and help me!” Joshua scratched his head in resignation, not able to think clearly, “But I don’t even know what style of engagement ring she likes? Why not just probe her indirectly?”

“Sure! Then let me also probe what Ali thinks about you getting married?” Wang Yang let out a heh-heh laugh, then suddenly said sternly, “Think about whether she ever mentioned before! Whether she likes diamonds? Gemstones? Or all silver? If diamonds, how big…”

Joshua furrowed his brow deep in thought, as if he could see countless rings flying before his eyes. She had a garage full of bridal magazines – who knows! (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please visit , more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)