Chapter 1102 - The Shift in Public Opinion

Once enough people began paying attention, all sorts of skewed thoughts influenced by the article started to emerge. Some had already begun speculating: Were all those awards Laila won in the past also deliberately given to her just so the major award bodies wouldn't be labeled as "sexist"?

Otherwise, how could someone so young have already won so many top-tier awards?

It was around this time that Laila, after being alerted by Demi, finally saw the article.

After reading it, she couldn't immediately think of any way to undo the damage. The content felt too real, and even worse, it could very well become reality.

Whether she tried to explain or not, readers of the article would already be led to a conclusion unfavorable to her. Even some award judges who hadn't previously considered such things might now unconsciously start seeing things in that light.

If this continued, it really could result in awards being handed to her precisely because of those assumptions, not because she deserved them.

She couldn't allow that to happen!

Countless people might be willing to accept such an arrangement just to win awards, but not Laila.

She couldn't stomach it. She even made up her mind: If this issue couldn't be resolved, she would withdraw from all future film awards.

As for making films? Of course, she would keep filming. So what if she stopped winning awards? She already had everything she ever wanted—any more would be just icing on the cake. That kind of loss… she could live with.

Yes, she kept telling herself that.

But in the end, she couldn't lie to herself.

Why do all filmmakers crave those awards?

Because they are valid. Who doesn't want recognition from others? Even she, for all her success, needed more than just box office numbers—only awards could tell her if her work was truly acknowledged.

And now, a single article might cost her the path to future recognition.

How could she accept that?

While she racked her brain trying to find a solution, the external storm continued to intensify.

The first wave accused her of using the "sexism" label to pressure the awards into giving her recognition, aimed at discrediting her credibility.

Now, a second wave had emerged, targeting her work itself.

"Laila Moran, truly the greatest director of this century? Worthy of being called a living legend of Hollywood? Who exactly gave her that title?"

The article started with a barrage of questions that immediately seized readers' attention, compelling them to read further.

And then, of course, it answered those questions itself—not in Laila's favor.

"How can someone not even thirty years old receive so many honors? Greatest? Living legend of Hollywood?

Everyone knows that ever since the invention of cinema, outstanding directors and actors have emerged one after another.

We're still captivated by their old films today.

But tell me—has any director ever been called a 'living legend'?"

"Maybe some people argue it's because of her box office results. Fine. She's done well in that regard.

But don't forget—there's another director who completely outshone her in that department!

Remember the whirlwind that was Avatar? Over 3 billion dollars worldwide! The top two spots in box office history are both held by that great director.

And yet… has anyone ever crowned him a 'living legend'?"

"Let's look at the Golden Globes.

Was it a mistake to give Best Director and Best Picture to him and Avatar?

Didn't we all go crazy for that groundbreaking film?

But the outcome got entangled in a gender discrimination scandal, and our brilliant director, Cameron, lost the award he truly deserved.

Has anyone considered whether that was fair to him?"

While praising Cameron's box office dominance, the article subtly—and deliberately—undermined Laila's achievements.

It completely ignored how many films she had produced in the same period, and how much revenue she'd generated.

The author used a single movie to convince readers that the real award-worthy legend should've been James Cameron, not Laila Moran, who paled in comparison on every front.

Gradually, this narrative began to take hold.

"Laila's not as great as we thought, is she?"

"Who even came up with the whole 'living legend' thing? Don't tell me… she called herself that, and got the media to spread it?"

"She's the heir of Moran Media. Getting media outlets to promote her would be child's play."

Then someone unearthed a copy of Entertainment Weekly, which featured a headline calling Laila the "Living Legend of Hollywood."

Of course, it was referring to Laila.

That screenshot went viral.

It gave the article even more credibility because everyone knew Entertainment Weekly was one of the biggest media outlets under Moran Media.

With that, the narrative shifted drastically under the guidance of unseen hands.

Laila didn't even have time to respond.

Even Entertainment Weekly, an unexpected casualty in all this, could only suffer in silence.

They wanted to scream: "Look at the publication date, will you? Back then, everyone was calling her that—we were just following the trend! How did it suddenly become our invention?"

But their explanations couldn't reach the public, and even if they did, few would listen.

To the masses, the fact that Entertainment Weekly used the term meant they had pushed it out.

As for whether other outlets used the same label, who could prove they weren't just copying it from them?

In other words, the truth was now irretrievable.

No one could say for certain where the term "living legend" had originated.

The only evidence people had was the Entertainment Weekly headline.

Naturally, everyone believed it was Moran Media orchestrating the entire thing, designed to boost the image of their little boss.

People had been blinded.

They only saw what the puppet master wanted them to see—and forgot what they had once witnessed with their own eyes.

They forgot that Laila had never once called herself a "legend" in any public setting.

They forgot how brilliant her films were.

They forgot how deeply her work had once moved them.

They also forgot how much they used to look forward to her movies.

How furiously they used to fight for her when her films didn't win awards.

Now, public opinion was taking a dark, twisted turn.

More and more people began to feel they had been "deceived" by Laila—

How could someone so young act so high and mighty in front of veteran directors who'd made countless classics?

If she were a living legend, then what title should all those other legendary directors be given?