Writing Web Novels In America-Chapter 343 - 327: Working for You

The next morning, in front of a cake shop in Brooklyn.

Wang Jian hung up the phone after hearing Matthew had arrived in Los Angeles. He glanced around at the security personnel and the photographers Universal had hired, and gave a slight nod.

"It’s show time," he muttered quietly to himself.

Although it was necessary to show sincerity to negotiate with Universal, which meant cooperating with the hype around a scandal,

Wang Jian wasn’t selfless.

He was always considering how to exploit the situation to gain more.

After consulting with the legendary journalist Woodward, Wang Jian decided to make Caroline his rumored love interest.

This was because Caroline’s unique background naturally provided fodder for discussion.

As the daughter of a notorious Wall Street swindler, many despised her, but even more people sympathized with her plight.

A 20-year-old girl who strived to live well through tremendous family upheavals was indeed pitiable.

If he stepped in now to help Caroline despite public opinion, he could easily earn the public’s goodwill.

This role was quite similar to a prince rescuing Cinderella from a life of poverty.

Renting a cake shop on short notice was due to the former billionaire’s daughter seemingly only knowing this trade.

And for himself, he hoped to use the publicity to show his more down-to-earth side.

Just like Hemingway, who after writing "The Sun Also Rises" and "A Farewell to Arms," was simply a well-known author,

but became a national icon after publishing "The Old Man and the Sea."

Wang Jian believed this was largely due to the "creative process" published simultaneously with the novel.

"The quality of the work is certainly important, but letting the public know that a famous author also fishes and drinks excessively is presumably another reason."

"So, perhaps making cakes might have a similar effect?"

Of course, for Wang Jian, these were purely considerations of self-interest.

But for Caroline, it caused some misunderstandings.

After finalizing the promotion and premiere contract with Universal, she thought that this gift from God had been completely unwrapped.

She and Max had earned a total of sixty thousand US dollars from Universal and the bestselling author.

"This money is completely sufficient as startup capital for the cake shop," she thought hopefully.

Yet last night, Universal informed her that she only needed to cooperate with the promotion to receive a small cake shop lease for a year.

Moreover, they specifically mentioned it was the bestselling author who had personally invited her.

If the almost intimate encounter in Los Angeles had been just a moment of gratitude coupled with a long bout of loneliness,

now, Caroline truly believed that the bestselling author had taken a liking to her.

"Otherwise, why wouldn’t he invite Max?"

After a night of restless thoughts, for reasons unknown, she chose not to inform her partner but decided to come to the cake shop alone.

She examined her outfit in the mirror.

"Tight shirt, pencil skirt." Caroline nodded to herself, feeling quite satisfied.

In contrast, she subconsciously straightened her chest and nervously tapped her high heels.

But when Wang Jian pushed open the door and entered, Caroline was slightly stunned.

Because the young Asian man, usually in business attire, was also wearing a Brooklyn waiter’s uniform today.

"Uh..." Wang Jian looked at Caroline, feeling she seemed less like she was portraying the "struggling poor girl" and more like a fashion-forward woman off to shop on Fifth Avenue.

"Um, do you have any other clothes?" he pointed to himself, then at the photographers outside.

Caroline’s face flushed red, and she quickly nodded, "Yes."

But after changing into her usual waitress attire, she appeared somewhat uneasy during the occasional eye contact with Wang Jian.

It goes without saying, Universal’s stylist was extremely professional.

He directed Wang Jian and Caroline to mimic actions like smearing cream on each other’s noses, making cakes hand in hand, and even the classic embrace from behind like in "Ghost."

These actions were both romantic and mundane, perfectly aligning with Wang Jian’s needs.

But they also made him somewhat annoyed.

For Caroline, however, it was a different experience altogether.

"Doing housework while being photographed..." Caroline murmured, "It feels both distant and vivid."

She glanced briefly at Wang Jian, "I absolutely love this kind of life under the flashlights."

"Mr. Wang, we’ll be leaving now," the person in charge from Universal said respectfully.

"Hold on," Wang Jian pointed to Caroline, "What about the ten thousand dollar fee and the lease transfer papers for this shop?"

Well, without stepping on his own interests, Wang Jian was generally a good person.

Casually taking something from the opulent Universal to give to this down-and-out billionaire’s daughter made him feel somewhat like Zorro.

"Oh, of course," the Universal representative quickly pulled out a check and a document.

"Miss Caroline, just sign your name here, and this shop will be yours for a year."

Looking at the shop transfer contract, Caroline felt a rush of emotions.

This was the first glimpse of dawn in her life since her family’s bankruptcy.

But the help came not from her formerly kind-hearted friends or relatives but from this enigmatic bestselling author who had unexpectedly entered her life.

"Alright, pack it up," Wang Jian said, a hint of discomfort causing him to shift his body slightly.

The earlier motion had smeared some cream on him.

"Is there a staff bathroom in the back?" he casually asked a Universal worker while taking his clothes from them.

"Yes," the employee replied promptly.

"Then you can go ahead, my bodyguard will send me off in a bit."

Caroline watched the Universal employees leave and glanced toward Wang Jian heading to the bathroom to shower.

As she stuffed the transfer documents into her bag, a sudden realization dawned on her.

"Everyone else has left; only he remains here."

And...he is taking a shower!

She scrunched up her nose and said through gritted teeth, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do."

Soon, Caroline made a decision.

She locked the door and turned to head toward the bathroom as well.

Of course, talking about love after only a few meetings sounded pretentious.

What drove her to act so boldly was more of a desperate grasping at straws in the dark.

"If you like it, then take it," Caroline murmured to herself as she stepped into the bathroom.

"And a lover of an artist, even in high society, isn’t something to hide."

Wang Jian, who was showering, saw a pair of long legs in high heels appear before him.

He was startled at first, then shrugged indifferently.

Truth be told, having lived in the United States for a while, Wang Jian had come to understand the relationships between men and women here.

When everyone is unmarried and finds mutual attraction, a one-night stand, as called 419 here, isn’t really a big deal.

The key issue was that Caroline, with her past as a socialite and billionaire’s daughter, still carried a significant aura.

"And with the accentuation from the high heels, these legs..."

The two exchanged a look, said nothing, and began to make their moves.

Wang Jian, burdened by recent events, had been repressed for too long and carried some pent-up emotions.

It was unclear what mindset Caroline had, but she was letting him have his way.

However, both had forgotten that this was a bathroom, and Caroline was wearing high heels...

Thus, following a posture akin to the "Golden Rooster Stance," two screams echoed in the bathroom.

"My foot..."

"My..."

A couple of minutes later, the two emerged from the bathroom somewhat disheveled.

Wang Jian immediately called for his bodyguards, asking them to bring the car to the front of the shop, preparing to take Caroline to the hospital.

"Uh..." he then said sheepishly, "When the doctor asks, just say you fell during work..."

Seeing his embarrassed demeanor and recalling his entourage in Los Angeles and New York, Caroline’s anger somehow subsided.

With a teasing tone, she asked, "Are there many who do my kind of job?"

"Uh..." Wang Jian looked at her, unsure how to respond.

The situation was just too embarrassing.

"What topic should I use to ease this awkward atmosphere..." he pondered briefly, soon recalling her extraordinary career ambition.

"By the way, how do you plan to run this shop?"

"Recently, due to the movie and promotion, it should be profitable," indeed, Caroline seemed more concerned with her career than watching Wang Jian’s awkwardness.

"But afterward, it will have to operate like a normal shop."

Wang Jian thought about what Woodward had said about Twitter’s potential, far beyond the current situation.

"Don’t know if you’ve heard of Twitter?"

"Using it as a promotion channel might be something you could try."

Wang Jian glanced at Caroline’s swelling ankle and felt somewhat guilty.

Moreover, since Twitter hadn’t found a way to be profitable yet, he also wanted to try Woodward’s strategy.

"I can give you some US Dollars as an investment."

"And even get Twitter to verify you, directing some official traffic your way."

Wang Jian, thoughtfully speaking, felt more fluent, "You and Max are still very popular."

"You could post some pictures of making cakes and some personal life updates."

"In this competition, having a differentiated Twitter promotion might be considered a unique feature of this shop."

Caroline looked at the endlessly talking Wang Jian, slightly zoning out.

Then, she asked with a smile, "So you’ll be the major shareholder then."

"Does that mean I’ll have to work like this for you often?"

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