Chapter 938 - Scream

As soon as Laila saw that the post was made by Horton, she knew it would be filled with praises for her.

Being overwhelmed by too much praise can easily dull one's fighting spirit, so Laila didn't hesitate to click on the post. After all, she is the youngest Best Director winner at the Oscars; how could she not withstand such temptations? If she couldn't resist, then she needed more practice!

Opening the post, the first thing that appeared was a photo of Laila receiving the Best Director award from director Martin.

Horton excitedly described how thrilled he was at that moment, and below were numerous comments echoing his sentiments.

"I screamed so loud at that moment, I scared my boyfriend!"

"You're lucky, you only scared your boyfriend. I almost got my arm pinched off by my mom because I scared the baby in the next room and made it cry."

"Haha, I didn't scream."

"I'm the girlfriend of the guy upstairs, I can confirm he didn't scream, but when I screamed, he got so scared he fell off the couch."

Laila laughed at the comments, amused by the fans' reactions. It seems even her fans were pleasantly surprised by her win.

However, Horton didn't see it that way. He believed, "Laila deserved this award. 'The Lord of the Rings Trilogy' is the best movie I've ever seen, and it's also her best work. It's likely even she won't be able to surpass it."

Not only did he write this, but he also explained his reasoning: "Tolkien's novel itself is a masterpiece, which ensures that as long as the storyline is handled well, it's already a great story. I doubt anyone questions Laila's directing skills. With a great story and a great director, it's only natural that such a classic film was made."

Laila pondered over his words. It's true, her filmmaking skills are now very polished; she could take any script and turn it into a perfect movie. But if she wants to aim for another Oscar, simply making a movie isn't enough—that might only win a few technical awards.

If she wants to stand on that podium again, she needs a better story to film. Her ability to adapt scripts has already been acknowledged by the Oscars, but what about original scripts?

Her biggest wish now is to write her original script, film her original movie, and win Best Director again to prove her capabilities.

But the biggest problem she faces is not knowing what kind of story to tell.

In her past life, she wrote many scripts during her spare time while filming TV shows, constantly revising them and seeking potential investors. Those were indeed her original works, but if she were to film them now, her undefeated reputation would surely end.

The reason is simple: those scripts were written under special circumstances in her past life, not to win awards but merely to attract investors. Therefore, they were tailored to please investors, with costs squeezed to the limit in hopes of gaining their favor.

Although this approach did get her noticed by some, her path was still fraught with difficulties. Either her scripts were stolen and credited to others, or she couldn't even get a chance to pitch them. As a small-time director, she couldn't fight against those in power, and no one would believe her if she spoke out. It was only her stubborn nature that kept her going; anyone else might have given up many times over.

But now it's different. She has become the youngest Best Director winner at the Oscars, and she might hold this record for decades, just like the previous record holder whose record she broke.

Whatever she films now will attract attention from people all over the world—fans, media, critics, and curious onlookers. This attention means she must take her work seriously. She also carries the honor of the Moran family, so she can't act recklessly. This means she must be very careful with her original script; unless she's sure, she won't release it!

Alright, Laila has to admit, she hasn't decided what to write yet. There are many stories in her mind, but none that she particularly loves.

After reading Horton's praise-filled post, Laila browsed through many other comments.

Overall, the current public opinion is still in her favor. Although there are always some who try to stand out by expressing different views, and hidden anti-fans stirring up trouble, for now, the situation seems manageable. This is a comforting piece of good news. She doesn't want her happy day to be ruined by troublemakers.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Demi walked in.

"BOSS, these are the clippings I've organized for you."

"Thank you for your hard work." Laila took the clippings and started flipping through them.

To quickly grasp the coverage in print media, she usually asks Demi and her secretarial team to organize all the reports the day after important events. This saves her a lot of time flipping through newspapers. With many girls in the secretarial office, each can quickly find the news she's interested in.

Today's newspapers, or rather, recent newspapers, require their help to organize and summarize. Unlike the general comments online, the reports from formal media and professional critics provide her with significant insights. She also wants to figure out her next steps.

Demi is very experienced with clippings. She categorizes all the reports: those about Laila, those about "The Lord of the Rings," those about other awards won by the company, those about other films, and those about other award winners, all separated.

What amused Laila was that the reports about her ring were also categorized separately. They included speculations about the ring's value, guesses about the brand, and curiosity about her wedding date. She thought Demi wasn't that curious, but it turns out she's just like any other woman.

Laila suddenly realized that Demi wasn't that young anymore. She vaguely remembers the girls in the secretarial office mentioning that Demi has a boyfriend, so why hasn't there been any news about her getting married? When Laila joined the company, Demi was already 24 or 25, and now nine years have passed...

In Western eyes, this age isn't considered too old, and without family pressure to marry, if it were her, she probably wouldn't want to marry so early either.

But thinking about Roy, she decided to refocus on the clippings, lest she think too much and have to face his pitiful expression again.