The Best Director

Chapter 147: Making a Scene in Las Vegas

The clear blue sky stretched over the desert, and on a seemingly endless highway, with a whoosh and a chorus of “Wahaha—” the laughter rang out as a silver convertible sports car sped by. Wang Yang was at the wheel, with Tom Whelan in the passenger seat. Zachary and Joshua in the back kept up a constant howl of excitement, all four dressed in casual clothes, grinning widely.

Yang, please, go faster!” Joshua said excitedly, pounding on the car door, “Take off, take off! Don’t waste this car and this road!” Wang Yang smiled, looking ahead to the open road clear of any cars, and floored the gas pedal, laughing as he said, “Guys, hold tight!” Zachary let out a “whoop,” waving his arms and shouting, “Las Vegas, here we come!”

Whoosh—! The silver sports car raced forward like lightning, speeding toward the horizon.

After wrapping up “District 9” in mid-January, Wang Yang had some free time on his hands. He wasn’t entirely without tasks; he had many suggestions for the editing of “Sweetheart” to set its style and pace, and was also following up on the special effects production for “District 9.” However, these were only occasional commitments, and he spent most of his time at leisure.

Last August, Tom Whelan, who had successfully proposed, was set to marry his fiancee, Jamie White, in Los Angeles on January 21st. As his wedding day approached, the first order of business was his bachelor party. Wang Yang and Zachary decided to take him to Las Vegas for a celebration. When Joshua heard, he insisted on joining the fun. As for the rest of Tom’s friends and brothers, they would throw another big party the night before the wedding.

Las Vegas, which translates from Spanish as “fertile grassland,” is named for being the only oasis with springs in the surrounding desolate desert. The city is most famous for its gambling industry; as the world’s largest gambling hub, it attracts close to forty million visitors every year and has gradually become a holiday destination for travel and shopping, transforming into a bustling, glittering city that never sleeps.

Upon their arrival in Las Vegas, the four checked into Caesar’s Palace on the Strip, greeted by the marble statue of Caesar at the entrance, and a massive fountain; inside were statues of goddesses, ancient Roman murals, and golden chandeliers, all emphasizing the luxury of the five-star hotel. From the expansive presidential suite, with floor-to-ceiling windows, they could take in the glamorous night view.

Hey, Joshua, you don’t look old enough to drink, do you?” Wang Yang called out as he saw Joshua opening a bottle of brandy at the bar and pouring a full glass. He shouted to stop him, laughing, “You can’t drink, I don’t want to get arrested by the police!” Zachary at the window, and Tom Whelan sitting on the couch, both chuckled and joined Joshua at the bar.

Joshua took a sip of his drink, smacking his lips and laughing, “Cut it out, who would care about this sort of thing for no reason? Besides, I look mature; at least 25.” He pulled out three more crystal glasses, filling them with brandy and smiling at them, “Fellas, have you forgotten this is a bachelor party? Screw it, no rules tonight, no paparazzi! Nothing can stop us, it’s all about partying!”

You’re right, tonight we’re going to have a blast with Tom!” Zachary agreed, picking up a glass; Tom also smiled and raised his glass, saying, “Thanks, guys!”

Wang Yang nodded, smiling. He hadn’t truly relaxed in a long while, as the past year had been entangled with various unpleasant, oppressive matters, and he was feeling quite weary. On this day, he would indulge in the long-missed taste of indulgence. Holding his crystal glass, he said with a smile, “Let’s have fun, but first, let’s drink heartily!”

Raising his glass, he looked around at the three of them and continued, smiling, “In a few days, our Tom will be embraced by matrimony, our trailblazer, pioneer, warrior! Let’s down this drink in one go, with no drop left behind! To Tom!”

To Tom!” Zachary and Joshua laughed as they raised their glasses towards Tom, and with a “clink,” all four tipped their heads back and gulped down the brandy. Setting down the glasses, they all winced a bit but then couldn’t help laughing. Joshua picked up the bottle to pour again, laughing, “Cool, this drink is fantastic, my throat, my stomach… perfect.”

Guys, when I get drunk, I don’t turn red, and I look the same as usual,” Wang Yang laughed, placing his glass under the bottle as the liquor poured out, “But I might do some crazy things, and I don’t know what they’d be. So, take care of me, I want to make it back to Los Angeles alive.”

With a chuckle, Zachary took another swig and waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Yang, everyone becomes someone else when they’re drunk. But don’t worry! I can handle my drink; I’ve got you covered.” Tom Whelan nodded with a smile, “Jamie usually doesn’t like me drinking, that’s why. But today, I’m going to let loose!” Joshua took out several different types of alcohol from a cabinet behind him, placing them heavily on the countertop and saying, “Let’s enjoy this party!”

Everyone nodded and laughed, talking and drinking, with the number of empty bottles on the table growing amidst the increasingly raucous laughter—one, two, three…

In the Caesar’s Palace casino, under the bright yellow lights, gamblers clustered around the different tables, with the low sounds of cheers and sighs rising and falling. Suit-clad waiters moved back and forth in the vast, crowded hall. By a Blackjack table, a flushed Joshua, Zachary, and Tom Whelan were standing, shouting with excitement, “We won again! Wow, FUCK, we won again!”

There were five people involved in the game at that table, and three had already folded. Wang Yang looked at his 5,6, and 3, glanced at a white man beside him who stood with a 9 and 4, and then at the dealer’s face-up 9- After a quick moment of thought, he smiled and said, “Hit me with another card!”

The play of Blackjack can be said to be simple yet can be complex. The game is divided between the dealer and the non-dealer, with each round starting by the dealer dealing two face-up cards to the non-dealer and one face-up and one face-down card to themselves. K, Q, J, and the 10 cards are all valued at 10 points, A can count as 1 point or 11 points at the player’s discretion, and the remaining number cards are calculated at face value. After the game starts, players are free to hit, aiming to get close to 21 points without busting—or going over—which counts as a loss.

When all non-dealer players have stood—chosen not to take any more cards— the dealer reveals their face-down card. If the dealer’s two cards total less than 17 points, even if it’s more than the non-dealer’s points, the dealer must continue to draw cards until the sum is 17 points or over. After exceeding 17 points, the dealer must stand. If they bust, they naturally lose, and if not, they compare the sum of their points with the non-dealer to determine wins, losses, or a tie.

Seeing Wang Yang ask for another card, the emotionless white croupier in a suit vest dealt him one. Upon revealing it, another 6! Joshua and others immediately cheered—it was 20 points with 4 cards! Wang Yang couldn’t help but curl his lips up and, pointing at the dealer with two fingers, laughed, “Stand. Sweetheart, the game’s over!”

The stoic dealer then revealed his face-down card, revealing yet another 6! Only 15 points, not enough for 17. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he drew another card and opened it, a Q] Joshua excitedly jumped up with a “YES!” As the dealer said in a harsh tone, “Busted, non-dealer wins.”

Bazinga!” Wang Yang laughed loudly as he hit the table and swept the dealer’s chips to his left side, where his pile of chips was as high as a small mountain. He grabbed a handful worth over ten thousand US dollars and pushed them forward, laughing, “Next round!”

Zachary and Tom Willing joyfully high-fived, Joshua was still excitedly jumping around, hands shaking Wang Yang’s shoulders vigorously while grinning through gritted teeth, “Man, you’re incredible, you’re like the God of Gamblers!” He recalled how every time they played Texas Hold’em or Omaha or anything, Wang Yang would always win! Shaking his head with a smile, he exclaimed, “I’ve always said it, Chinese Americans are natural-born gamblers!”

Yeah!” Wang Yang roared, clenching a fist in a muscle-flexing gesture, “I am Jeff Ma!” Joshua asked in confusion, “Who is Jeff Ma?” Wang Yang laughed heartily, turning to look at the three of them, “You don’t know? You don’t know Jeff Ma?” He looked towards the dealer with amusement, “Oh my God, they actually don’t know Jeff Ma! Then why are you here at the Blackjack table!”

The gamblers involved all frowned in confusion, clueless about who Jeff Ma was, and continued to place their bets on the next round. Wang Yang, with a look of shock, surveyed them and even seeing the dealer unresponsive, sighed, “Oh God, you’re so unprofessional! I recommend that book to you, that one… uh, um, oh! ‘Breaking Vegas’!”

It’s a great and fun book, you read it, then you’ll know how to become a Blackjack winner… haha!” As he spoke, Wang Yang suddenly burst into loud laughter—the first card the dealer dealt him was the Ace of Hearts! Joshua and the others also chanted nervously, “Blackjack, Blackjack!” The expressionless dealer continued to deal the second round of cards, a Spade Jack, causing him to furrow his brow.

FUCK, Blackjack!” Wang Yang slammed the table, causing chips to bounce up, his laughter uncontrollable, “Blackjack! Haha, you’re doomed, absolutely doomed!”

The other four players at the table were all envious. The so-called Blackjack— also the game’s namesake—consists of an Ace with any 10-point card, beating any other 21-point combination and guaranteeing victory.

Wang Yang, with arms crossed, leaned back into his chair, eyes playfully on the dealer, who let out a burp. Zachary and Tom Willing also emitted proud chuckles while Joshua, pumping his chest like King Kong, suddenly noticed an Asian man with square features and black hair walking by and called out to him, “Hey dude, come gamble with us! Jeff Ma’s right here! Jeff Ma!”

The man came to an immediate halt and looked over at them, seeing three people who seemed as excited as if they were drunk and another Asian grinning and flashing a V-sign. He paused, surprised, and blurted out, “Wang Yang?” Wang Yang laughed and shook his head, showcasing his pair of Blackjacks, “Wang Yang? I’m Jeff Ma!”

By then, everyone at the table had stood, and the dealer slowly flipped over his card—5 for the face-up and King for the face-down—and said dryly, “Dealer hits.” He drew a card, the Two of Diamonds, and declared, “Stand, dealer has 17 points.”

YES!” The four cheered as they raised their fists, while the losing gamblers let out a heavy sigh, seemingly conceding to the idea of giving ‘Breaking Vegas’ a read. Wang Yang, the smile still broad on his face, collected over ten thousand chips from the win, looking at the nearly 100,000 in chips he had amassed, he suddenly thought of the sum that would get the casino’s attention and realized it was no longer interesting, throwing all the chips into the chip bag and standing up with a laugh, “Guys, I’m out! It’s no fun—”

Hey, let’s have a look around the streets!” Zachary suggested with enthusiasm, and all three nodded in agreement, laughing and heading outside while Joshua’s steps began to weave slightly. At that point, the Asian man suddenly chased up from behind, calling, “Wait a minute, Mr. Wang!” Wang Yang, arm over Tom Willing’s shoulder, turned around in confusion and asked, “What’s up?”

The Asian man smiled and reached out a hand, introducing himself, “Mr. Wang, my name is Justin Lin, Lin Yibin, also a fellow Chinese American, and I’m a graduate of the Theater, Film, and Television department at UCLA.”

Wang Yang acknowledged with an “oh” and shook his hand, laughing, “Nice to meet you! We Trojans beat your Bruins by 2 points! Haha, just kidding…” Wang Yang then shook his head, Justin Lin, Lin Yibin? That name seemed vaguely familiar—who was that again? Unable to figure it out, he waved his hand and said, “Anyway, great to meet you, Justin, catch you later!”

No, Mr. Wang, actually, it’s like this.” Lin Yibin smiled, thinking about the ridiculous reason he was wandering around the casino, he took a deep breath silently, and told himself: “This is a good opportunity, either to pull in some investment or just max out the credit card to get the money!” He warmed up a bit and said with a smile: “I’m preparing to make an independent film and have several ideas. Do you have time to hear about them?”

With a calm and sincere smile on his face, he looked at the three tipsy men and Wang Yang, who was listening earnestly, and said: “Mr. Wang, to be honest, I need some funds to make a movie. I am confident that I can impress Flame Films.”

Wow, making a movie! Come on, you should have said so earlier!” Wang Yang punched him excitedly in the chest, swiftly flailed his fists a few times, and laughed: “We’re all Bruce Lee! I totally support you! FUCK, you should have come to me sooner!”

Lin Yibin was taken aback, and suddenly, a bag full of chips was stuffed into his hand, with such force that it made his chest ache a bit. Wang Yang laughed and said: “There might be, uh, how much? Maybe $100,000, who knows!” Then he frowned and added: “But $100,000 might not be enough, right? What’s the budget for your movie?” Lin Yibin couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Was this really happening?

Seeing Wang Yang’s earnest expression, he burst into joyful laughter, gripped the bag tightly, and nodded: “It’s enough, it’s enough! I have some money of my own. Thank you, Mr. Wang!”

No no no, it’s definitely not enough! I know the higher the budget, the happier the director…” Wang Yang waved him off and started patting his pockets, looking around at Joshua and the other two, asking: “Does anyone have a pen, anyone have paper?” The three shrugged their shoulders, and Joshua laughed: “This isn’t a school, buddy, this is a casino!”

“I’ve got some right here.” Lin Yibin quickly pulled out a pen and a small notebook from his pocket and passed it over: “Here.” Wang Yang happily took it and scribbled down numbers, saying with a smile: “This is my cell phone number, my home phone number, my parents’ restaurant’s takeout number… Contact me again!” He handed back the pen and paper, laughing and slapping Tom-Welling’s shoulder: “I’m going to play with these guys now, you know he’s getting married soon, god, he’s getting married!”

Tom-Welling nodded happily and said: “Yeah! I’ve been with her for almost 5 years, the moment I saw her I said ‘I’m gonna get that girl’! And now we’re getting married!” He gave a thumbs-up to himself and said: “Tom, well done! Zachary whistled, and Joshua exclaimed with a series of “woos”: “I want a long-term romance too! I want to get married too!”

Watching the clearly inebriated trio, Lin Yibin was at a loss for words, turning to Wang Yang, who said with a smile: “Mr. Wang, thank you so much! I won’t trouble you anymore, I’ll contact you.”

Call me Yang, what’s with this ‘Mr. Wang’, Mr. Wang’, it’s silly!” Wang Yang said impatiently, frowning, stepping forward to clap Lin Yibin on the shoulder, speaking earnestly: “We’re all Chinese! Chinese people should help each other out; Old Wu always says that! So don’t be polite with me, absolutely not! All you have to do is make a great film, and make us Chinese directors proud! I love movies, I love you!”

He blew several kisses in succession, and then his eyes lit up with interest: “Haha, I think there ought to be a film about Jeff Ma, the MIT gambling team! Interesting!” Joshua immediately cheered: “A gambling movie? Buddy, I can’t wait to watch it!” Zachary also chimed in: “What’s it about?” Wrapping his arms around them, Wang Yang walked towards the exit of the casino: “Please, no movie talk tonight, it’s time to party!” After a few steps, he looked back and laughed: “Justin, keep it up! Remember to contact me! That money isn’t enough!”

I will!” Lin Yibin clutched the chip bag and the piece of paper tightly, watching the four men disappear among the gamblers before he finally turned away, laughing and cheering in a muted voice: “YES, YES!” He had heard that Yang was a sociable and easy-going guy, but he never imagined it could be like this! He wondered, did Wang Yang also drink too much?

On the Las Vegas Strip, the night lights of the tall buildings on both sides were dazzling, as the four men walked aimlessly, arms around each other, singing songs.

Zachary’s singing came to an abrupt halt as he said: “Oh, I really need to pee, toilet, toilet!” Tom-Welling pointed to the illuminated sign nearby and laughed: “Go over there, I’ll cover for you!” Wang Yang laughed so hard he cried, saying: “Zachary, the paparazzi are hiding in the dark, you’ll be on the headlines tomorrow!”

Guys, actually…” Joshua blinked and said on his own: “I want a cool tattoo. My parents are so messed up, can’t Catholics have tattoos? I’m going to get Jesus inked!” Wang Yang shoved him hard and laughed: “Then go, GOGOGO!”

Ding ding ling ding…” The annoying cell phone ringtone kept ringing, as if it just couldn’t be turned off. Wang Yang made a disgruntled “ugh” sound, turned over to keep sleeping, but the ringing continued. He opened his eyes with difficulty, everything was a blur, his head ached, his whole body ached… He fumbled for the ringing phone beside him, answered and said: “Cough, hello, hello…”

Hey, Yang? Good morning.” The person on the other end was Jamie White, she asked with a laugh: “Why are you answering the phone? Where’s Tom? How was your night out yesterday?”

Is that Jamie? Wang Yang rubbed his face vigorously and instantly felt much more awake as he said, “Uh, it was right next to me so I picked it up, wait a second, Tom, Tom! You must have had a lot of fun yesterday, oh my God!” As his vision cleared and he looked at everything before him, he couldn’t help but exclaim, muttering to himself, “I think some crazy stuff happened…”

The originally luxurious and tidy presidential suite was now a complete mess with bottles of alcohol, clothes, and other debris strewn all over the floor. The sofa was overturned, the large flat-screen TV had a hole in it, and the floor lamp was smashed… Zachary was lying beside the sofa, snoring, with hair as messy as a bird’s nest; Joshua was lying on the floor covered in blankets, and on his exposed shoulder was a black tattoo of a bearded man’s head…

What the heck happened!? Wang Yang slowly stood up, his head heavy and dizzy, but his nerves were startlingly clear. This scene felt all too familiar! No way! He quickly said to Jamie, “Tom hasn’t woken up yet. We were all drunk last night; I’ll tell him to call you back later!” As soon as he hung up the phone, he started shouting frantically, “Tom, Tom! Tom—”

Hmm, what’s up…?” A languid voice came from the other room, and Wang Yang immediately ran over to open the door, relaxing with a smile when he saw Tom lying in bed. He said, “It’s nothing, Jamie called. You can go back to sleep for now.”

Turning back to the main hall, he looked at the chaotic room, shaking his head and laughing nonstop, his memory of last night an indistinct blur, unable to figure out how things got this way!

Thud! He suddenly felt his feet give way, seeming to trip over something, and he tumbled to the floor. Sitting up in pain, he picked up the object that had tripped him, a standing piece of stiff paper, and read from the blurred paper inside, “Marriage Certificate…Marriage Certificate!?” He quickly closed it, breaking out in a cold sweat as he said, “Oh my God! Oh—my—God!”

Besides being known as the Gambling Capital, Las Vegas also has another nickname, “The Marriage Capital of the World,” because the marriage licensing bureaus here never close. A man and woman looking to tie the knot do not need to show any proof of identity and just need to pay a 55-dollar fee. Within 15 minutes, the couple can have their marriage certificate, followed by a quick ceremony at a nearby chapel with any random person pulled off the street as their witness.

Looking at the marriage certificate in his hands, Wang Yang swallowed hard, his throat feeling like it was on fire as he prayed, “Not me, not Tom, none of us…” He took a deep breath and opened it abruptly! He saw written “Joshua Alba,” it was Joshua’s name!

Hahaha…” He couldn’t help but burst out laughing, shouting, “Josh, Joshua! Wake up, you’re in trouble; no, you’re married, haha, wake up!”

Joshua let out a few mumbles and turned over several times, but eventually he slowly opened his eyes, confusedly saying, “What are you talking about? Why does my shoulder feel a bit itchy…” Rubbing his eyes, he looked down and froze for a few seconds, then shouted in a ghastly scream, “Aaaah—what’s going on!? There’s a tattoo of Jesus on my shoulder!!!”

Buddy, I think you should worry less about that tattoo for now, oh my God, ha ha…” Wang Yang laughed until he was nearly out of breath, waving the marriage certificate in his hand and throwing it towards Joshua, laughing, “You should check this out, Joshua, you’re going to have problems, this…haha! You married Scarlett…”

He covered his aching forehead, chuckling spasmodically as he continued, “But it’s not Johnson, it’s Jackson… Scarlett Jackson!”

I don’t understand; what are you saying?” Joshua scrunched up his face in confusion, inspecting the tattoo on his shoulder for a while before picking up the stiff paper and reading it softly, “Joshua Alba… Scarlett Jackson… Lawfully wedded…” He scratched his head, piecing things together, “Hmm, Joshua Alba seems like it’s me? And Scarlett Jackson…”

His eyes widened in shock, and after a few seconds, he burst out yelling, “Who is she!!!???”

PS: Lin Yibin had decided in 2001 to max out a dozen credit cards to produce “Better Luck Tomorrow,” which participated in the 2002 Sundance Festival. However, here the timeline is pushed to 2002. Ben Mezrich adapted Kevin Spacey (Jeff Maj’s real-life story into the book “Bringing Down the Las Vegas, originally published on September 9, 2003, but here it’s released in 2001. Lastly, Tom Willing and Jamie White originally got married in May 2002 and have been together ever since, but here it’s moved to January…

Additionally, you might want to guess what the next movie plan will be? Heh, I’m telling you it’s an easy guess this time!