From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Jay Leno was slightly stunned, never expecting that the opening joke would circle back to him now with a follow-up response. If he, as the host, wasn't absolutely certain that this conversation hadn't been pre-arranged, he might have suspected the show had coordinated this response with Ansen beforehand.

Admiration flickered in his eyes, and he began to rub his hands together, ready to compete.

"The Tonight Show" was his territory, and he wouldn't let a young kid take the initiative.

After a pause, Jay Leno immediately launched his attack: "Are you saying you didn't plan to promote the movie on the show?"

Although Jay Leno still maintained a smile, and his words sounded like a joke, Ansen could still detect the hidden sharpness within.

Ansen looked at Jay Leno, "Isn't that decision not up to me?"

Jay Leno chuckled, keenly seizing the loophole in Ansen's words, "You mean, you want to promote it, but you don't have the power to decide, right?"

Ansen looked completely calm, "If I denied it, that would be irresponsible, right? After all, no one wants their work to flop. Conner, what do you say?"

Conner: ?

Conner couldn't keep up with the conversation, completely unaware of how he'd been dragged into the topic. Before he could even ask for help, he subconsciously nodded obediently.

This shift in topic was immediately effective. The tension between Ansen and Jay Leno was broken, and the studio finally found some breathing room, with suppressed laughter bubbling in their chests.

However.

Jay Leno wouldn't let Ansen off the hook so easily. This talk show king surely had some trump cards up his sleeve.

He waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, that's not what you said earlier. You rejected the record company's invitation, which is a different situation from them; so, your coming to the show today is also a different situation, right?"

He stopped short, but the implication was profound.

Although Jay Leno didn't explicitly state it, the subtext was very clear:

He was suggesting that Ansen had options and a way out, so he didn't care about the band's fate, and that he was using the band's story to promote the movie.

Such things were common in Hollywood.

The key was that Jay Leno was vague, not making accusations or jokes, which meant he had no position and left room for the audience to speculate.

Suddenly, Ansen was in a dilemma.

So, what should he do?

At this moment, Edgar couldn't help but feel his palms sweating.

The recording of "The Tonight Show" was indeed too important, and Edgar had to be there in person to manage it. He had no reason to miss the show's recording. But now, their little scheme to promote the movie through "The Tonight Show" had been exposed by Jay Leno, causing Edgar's temples to throb.

Of course, being exposed was not a big deal.

What he really needed to worry about was not the reaction and feelings of the three band members; but that from today onwards, rumors of Ansen being scheming might spread in Hollywood, which could have some impact on Ansen's image.

Edgar secretly clenched his fist, regaining his composure.

Although he didn't know what Jay Leno was up to, the situation could still be salvaged. After the show recording, he needed to meet with the producer and Jay Leno, so how should he approach it then?

His brain was working at high speed.

In fact, in the blink of an eye, Edgar had already begun to think about the plan; while on stage, the clash between Ansen and Jay Leno hadn't stopped.

Jay Leno looked at Ansen, with a hint of provocation and expectation.

The people in the studio didn't understand what was happening, including Conner, who couldn't immediately detect the abnormality. They just vaguely felt the air tightening.

All eyes were on Ansen.

But then.

Ansen simply shrugged, "Okay, you got me."

Conner: "Huh?"

Jay Leno: ? ? ?

Wait, what!

Ansen didn't give Jay Leno or the audience any time to react, immediately turning to the audience with a smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on May 3rd, 'Spider-Man' will be hitting theaters. Welcome everyone to go to the cinema to see the story of how a teenager's life is turned upside down."

Applause, cheers, whistles, screams.

Like a storm sweeping the entire venue, the entire studio finally reached its true peak at this moment, engulfed in the frenzy of a tropical storm.

Jay Leno: … …

He had to admit, he hadn't anticipated this.

"Scheming" is a negative word.

Although everyone knows that in the small world of Hollywood, everyone is calculating and planning, and those innocent and honest people have long become dregs; but still no one wants to admit that they are good at scheming.

Even top stars like Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, and Brad Pitt are no exception.

Looking at the reaction of Brad and Jennifer Aniston after the "Friends" crew revealed that Brad had asked for Ansen to be kicked out of the crew, you can see that they didn't dare to take risks, didn't dare to risk their image being tarnished, and in the end, they could only befriend Ansen to repair the rift.

It is conceivable that a newcomer like Ansen would naturally not want to be labeled as such.

This was precisely Jay Leno's trap—

He didn't state it explicitly, only implied it.

So, if Ansen explained, it would be equivalent to admitting it; if he didn't explain, he might fall into a public opinion storm.

Jay Leno was curious about Ansen's reaction.

Although "The Tonight Show" is not usually a "you are good, I am good, everyone is good" style, Jay Leno rarely attacks guests. Everyone is in Hollywood, and they will meet again, so there is no need to be confrontational.

Today, Jay Leno was interested in Ansen's performance and didn't stop himself, inadvertently revealing his sharpness.

However! But! Unexpectedly!

Ansen just exposed it like that.

Not only did he expose it, but he also took the opportunity to generously promote the movie.

Now, it was Jay Leno who was embarrassed.

If Jay Leno didn't recover, he might become the target of "scheming and attacking interview guests." With the summer season about to kick off, "The Tonight Show" cannot be involved in such controversy.

More importantly, Jay Leno admired Ansen's decisive response.

Instead of retreating, he advanced.

His upright and generous attitude turned the conspiracy into an open plot, making him seem aboveboard, and his image was immediately reversed.

Looking at the audience's first reaction in the studio, you can see the result—

After all, to be honest, isn't every guest who comes to "The Tonight Show" here to promote something?

So, what is the difference between promoting a band and promoting a movie?

Admiration, truly admirable.

During Jay Leno's brief stunned silence, his mind was also surging with thoughts. Then, a smile crept onto his lips, and a genuine smile began to surge.

Finally, he laughed.

"Ha."

Jay Leno shook his head slightly, and after finally waiting for the studio's frenzy to subside a bit, he spread his hands.

"Ansen, you stole my job."

This was equivalent to tacitly allowing Ansen to promote the movie.

Behind the audience, Edgar was dumbfounded. The crisis was resolved just like that.

As expected of Ansen.

Worthy of Ansen.

But, Edgar thought, maybe this was an opportunity, an opportunity for Ansen and Jay Leno to become friends, an opportunity for Ansen to make a breakthrough in the talk show field.

The actions that had already stopped continued to be busy.