"Last night, at a charity dinner held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, a verbal altercation broke out between Tom Cruise, Ryan Jenkins, and Nicole Kidman. The incident began when Mr. Cruise publicly questioned whether Ryan Jenkins' works were ghostwritten. To prove his innocence, Ryan, inspired by Fox's broadcast of the show Major Events on March 30 Over the Years, spontaneously narrated a script on-site based on the 1981 Reagan assassination attempt..."
Ryan lay sprawled on the sofa, switching to another TV channel—this time, a midday talk show.
"Ryan Jenkins is a genius, but just how much of a genius, no one really knows. The admirable Mr. Tom Cruise, with fearless sacrifice, showed the American public an astonishing glimpse of how a super genius creates a screenplay! At the same time, Mr. Cruise also performed a farcical clown act for everyone."
The host pointed to some photos taken at the event, speaking eloquently. Every sarcastic comment was aimed squarely at Tom Cruise.
"Hey, is this real? I heard that the latest computer tech can synthesize images," his co-host chimed in perfectly, expressing suspicion.
"Alright then. Just like Ryan shut Tom Cruise's mouth, let's shut yours too. Let's take a look at the footage taken on-site."
What followed was a series of edited clips, showing everything from the verbal exchange in the lounge to Ryan's wild performance—each scene appearing on the TV screen.
"Darling, stop watching. You still look really out of it," Nicole took the remote and turned off the TV.
"My brain is completely blank… I must've overused it," Ryan gently massaged his temples, trying to ease the slight headache. Last night had truly drained him—he definitely didn't want to go through something like that again.
Still, no one would dare to question him publicly again. Just this morning, NBC had allocated a special time slot to broadcast the full, uncut footage. One could imagine the kind of impact that would have.
The tabloid newspapers that had been attacking him quickly switched targets. With a new, ready-made scapegoat in front of them, how could they let the opportunity pass? Waves of criticism against Tom Cruise emerged, while Ryan was practically being worshipped. These people only cared about grabbing attention—they didn't care who they were slamming or who they were praising.
It had only been half a day, and all sorts of messy opinions and voices had surfaced. Of course, the media seemed to be working in unison, all echoing the same line: while criticizing Tom Cruise for his lack of manners, they subtly praised the boy.
"I strongly suggest that Miss Nicole Kidman take Ryan Jenkins for an IQ test—it will definitely reveal a shocking number!" This was the suggestion of a journalist who had been at the scene the previous night, published in a column.
Luckily, this wasn't the internet era yet, or it might've gotten completely out of hand—especially with fans on both sides, who surely would have been at each other's throats.
Nicole put away the newspapers scattered on the sofa, sat down beside Ryan, and gently rubbed his temples. What the little guy had done last night was simply insane.
To be honest, if Ryan hadn't held her back, she would've loved to give Tom Cruise a couple of hard slaps. Bullying a kid in public—how could he do something so shameless? Alright, Ryan didn't exactly act like a typical kid.
"Feeling better?" she asked softly.
"Much better. Nicole, your hands feel like they have magic in them." Ryan grabbed one of her hands and pressed it against his cheek.
Even as he said that, his eyes looked slightly dazed, as if he were deep in thought. Nicole sighed—he really could drift off at any moment.
"Ryan, it's time to go change. Gerald and Whitney Houston should be arriving soon."
"Alright." Ryan looked down at his loungewear and shuffled upstairs.
Even though he'd been exhausted when they returned last night, he was still too excited to sleep. Every time he thought about that handsome face, he wanted nothing more than to pour a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid on it.
Of course, that was just a fantasy—he had no intention of spending years in prison.
He definitely wasn't going to let this go. Sure, he didn't have the leverage to confront Tom Cruise right now, but he had a unique advantage that no one else possessed.
In his past life, because of his relationship with Nicole Kidman, he had seen nearly all of Tom Cruise's works. The next few years would be a crucial period in which Cruise would transition from superstar to one of Hollywood's "Big Four."
Ryan's plan was simple: strike at the root—take the roles that belonged to Cruise. A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview with the Vampire, Mission: Impossible, Magnolia—in this life, they would have a new leading man!
Don't assume these movies would fail without him. Sometimes, actors do make roles iconic, but 99.99% of the time, it's the role that makes the actor. This is Hollywood—no one is irreplaceable, not even Ryan Jenkins himself!
Far and Away and Eyes Wide Shut can still be yours! I'm generous like that, right? Ryan sneered.
Of course, he knew that even without these films, as long as Tom Cruise still had box office appeal, he could still land other roles and not necessarily fade away.
But having slandered the most important person in his life, Ryan wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully without getting revenge.
When Gerald and Whitney Houston arrived hand-in-hand, Ryan scratched his head—it was obvious they had come to an agreement beforehand.
Together with Nicole, he led them and Kinsley into the parlor. After everyone was seated, Gerald handed a folder to the boy through his assistant.
"Ryan, here's the script. I've already had someone organize it."
Ryan opened the folder and quickly flipped through it. The script was printed, and none of the scenes he had improvised were missing.
"Thank you, Mr. Gerald."
"It's like this," Gerald said, pointing at Houston. "If I'm not mistaken, you had Whitney in mind for the role of Rachel?"
"Yes," Ryan nodded. "Actually, while I was developing the idea, I already had that in mind. The role of Rachel should be played by a real-life diva—and Miss Houston is the only one who fits the bill."
"Can this script be handled by Warner Bros.?" Gerald was clearly a straightforward businessman. "We've always had a good working relationship with Whitney."
Working relationship? Ryan mentally rolled his eyes. Everyone knew Whitney Houston was signed to Sony Records.
"Is there a problem? If there is, feel free to speak up," the man clearly wasn't afraid of negotiations—he was more afraid of silence.
"Mr. Gerald, I believe you've read the script." When Gerald nodded, Ryan continued, "It's not a complete script. It was something I came up with on the spot, and many scenes still need to be added and revised. Plus, the songs Rachel sings—I'll need time to compose them."
"We can wait." Warner seemed quite sincere.
"Then we can work together on this." Ryan gave a verbal agreement. After all, this story originally belonged to Warner. "As for the specific terms and structure of the deal, once the script is finished, Pat will talk to your people."
"Alright then." Gerald could only nod. He continued, "Also, I'd like to invite you to do a demo at Warner Music."
"I'll have to pass on that."
Seeing that the other man still wanted to persuade him, Ryan added, "I'm sorry, but I promised Hollywood Records that if I ever pursued a music career, I'd give them priority consideration."
Gerald said a few more things, but Ryan used the importance of keeping one's word as an excuse to decline. It was true—reputation was vital in this industry, and keeping your promises was considered a virtue.
In the following days, the villa was harassed non-stop by reporters. Some TV stations, desperate for news, even parked their broadcast vans across the street. It wasn't just Ryan and Nicole who were annoyed—even the servants were getting swarmed by paparazzi, hoping to extract some exclusive scoop.
Unfortunately for them, all those people had signed strict NDAs. Unless they wanted to lose everything in legal damages, they knew better than to say a word.
Ryan didn't really mind—he could go a month without leaving the house and be perfectly fine. Besides, he had to revise the The Bodyguard script, and the songs needed composing. From his past life, he only clearly remembered two of the songs from the film.
As for the others, he didn't feel like trying to recall them. He decided to replace them with his own original work. It would be a good trial run for his songwriting. In any case, as long as those two songs were included, the movie wouldn't have any major issues.
But this kind of situation couldn't continue forever. Ryan might be fine staying indoors, but Nicole wasn't.
Tons of magazines and TV programs had submitted interview requests. Kinsley's stack of invitations was already several inches thick.
"Ryan, the best solution is to do a joint interview or go on a talk show," Kinsley suggested. "You can't stay silent forever. Tom Cruise is already doing PR with major media outlets—we have to fight back."
"Fight back?" Ryan scratched his head. That video recording was ironclad. No matter how many statements Tom Cruise made, the public would still see him as a bully and a man of poor character.
"Fine," Kinsley sighed, "even if you don't care, think about Nicole. Everywhere she goes, she's trailed by paparazzi—it's seriously affecting her work."
"I see." Ryan finally put down his pen and looked up from his desk. "So, what do you suggest?"
Pat Kinsley was clearly prepared. She handed him an invitation. "NBC has a new evening talk show. Don't worry, you don't have to go to New York—they've got a studio in Burbank."
Ryan took a glance at it and immediately broke into a cold sweat. The show was called Face to Face! The name alone sounded like something from Chinese state television.