Chapter 488: Completely Empty

Near the international arrivals area of Hongqiao Airport, several young people were waiting quietly. A few of them held large posters of Murphy and Gal Gadot with their names written in both Chinese and English, looking very noticeable, much like fans welcoming their idols.

However, they weren't fans. They were staff members from a top university in Shanghai, the co-organizers of this Sino-American Film Forum. Their purpose here was to welcome Murphy and Gal Gadot.

"Is Murphy Stanton very famous and important?" asked a woman wearing glasses who seemed unfamiliar with the name. "Why did they send six business cars to pick him up?"

"You don't know who Murphy Stanton is?" Seeing her confusion, a man with glasses looked at her as if she were an alien. "You're so ignorant!"

The woman was displeased and glared at him, "What did you say?"

"How can you be part of the film forum's reception team if you don't know who Murphy Stanton is?" The man continued, "Are you even a movie fan? Have you watched American movies? Do you know anything about Hollywood?"

"Alright, alright," a slightly chubby man interjected, trying to calm them down. "Why are you two arguing again?"

"I haven't seen any of Murphy Stanton's movies..." The woman seemed aggrieved. "Does that mean I'm not a movie fan?"

"You probably just watch mindless popcorn flicks," the man with glasses sneered again.

The chubby man quickly said, "Both of you, shut up! Not every Chinese movie fan has seen Murphy Stanton's movies. What's so strange about that? His movies haven't been widely released here."

Both the man and woman fell silent. After a while, the woman pulled on the chubby man's sleeve and whispered, "What movies has Murphy Stanton directed? Any famous ones?"

"Plenty," the chubby man stroked his double chin. "As far as I know, Murphy Stanton is almost like a god to many Chinese movie fans."

The woman looked at him, her eyes full of curiosity.

"He's directed movies like 'Hard Candy,' 'Saw,' 'Sin City,' 'Planet Terror,' 'Deadpool,' 'Gone Girl,' and 'Man of Steel,'" the chubby man continued. "Each one is a super classic black film."

"I've heard of 'Man of Steel,'" the woman finally recognized a title. "It was shown in theaters a few years ago."

She asked, "Has he won any Oscars?"

"He's been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars twice," the chubby man replied. "He also won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay."

"Oh…"

Hearing about the Oscars, the woman took it seriously and raised her voice, "No wonder the academy asked us to receive him with the highest standards."

Her voice was loud enough to reach the man with glasses. He snorted and said, "He's an internationally acclaimed director. Of course, the school has to give him the utmost attention. Just his assistants, bodyguards, and entourage alone probably number in the dozens. I'm not sure if six business cars are enough."

This time, the woman did not argue but nodded in agreement.

The two of them often bickered, but it was usually not personal.

The chubby man agreed with the man in glasses, "Yesterday, I picked up that actress surnamed Fan, who only recently became famous. Her entourage made it look like the U.S. president was visiting, with about twenty assistants and bodyguards, all acting very pompously."

"Forget the celebrities," the woman sighed. "This morning, I received a cultural expert from our country, and he had six students carrying his bags."

Their colleagues nodded in agreement. Recently, while receiving these domestic celebrities for the film forum, they realized how pompous they could be, with entourages that were intimidatingly large.

"How many people do you think Murphy Stanton will bring?" the woman suddenly asked.

"Bodyguards, assistants, and agents…" the man with glasses adjusted his glasses. "Conservatively, no fewer than ten."

Someone chimed in, "I think it could be twenty."

"Yeah," another person agreed. "He's a top Hollywood director with two Oscar nominations for Best Director."

"Doesn't that mean he'll have an even bigger entourage?" The woman started to regret joining the reception team. "These foreigners are even harder to serve."

The man with glasses and the chubby man remained silent. Others sighed and nodded. Receiving these celebrities was indeed not an easy job.

The announcement of the plane's arrival came on, and the chubby man reminded them, "Hurry up. They'll be coming out soon. Be prepared."

Despite their complaints, the woman raised her sign high, clearly displaying Murphy Stanton and Gal Gadot's names in both Chinese and English for everyone exiting the plane to see.

The passengers trickled out slowly, as the flight didn't seem too full. After a while, the man with glasses recognized two familiar faces. He often watched Hollywood black films and instantly identified Murphy Stanton and his girlfriend Gal Gadot.

"They're here," he alerted his colleagues.

As he spoke, the two figures came closer. Seeing them, including the woman and the chubby man, all the reception staff were stunned.

Gal Gadot, wearing dark sunglasses and a gray fitted casual outfit, walked ahead. Her tall and slender figure naturally attracted attention. More striking than her figure were the two large bags she carried on her back.

Behind her, Murphy pushed a luggage cart with two large suitcases.

Looking behind Murphy, they saw nothing. No entourage, no bodyguards, no assistants—completely empty…

"This… this doesn't make sense," the woman muttered. "How is this possible?"

Where were the assistants? The bodyguards? The agents? How could an international director arrive without any entourage when even domestic celebrities always came with a group?

This absolutely did not make sense!

In no time, the two had walked out of the gate. The chubby man was the first to recover, "What are you staring at? Go help them with their luggage!"

"This doesn't make sense," the man with glasses mumbled.

Ignoring him, the chubby man approached Murphy, "Hello, Director Stanton." He introduced himself, "I'm with the reception team for this year's Sino-American Film Forum…"

After he finished speaking, Murphy smiled and nodded, replying in Chinese, "Hello, nice to meet you."

The chubby man was momentarily stunned, then switched to Chinese, "Director Stanton, your Chinese is excellent."

He signaled to the others, "Quick, help Director Stanton and Miss Gadot with their luggage."

Several people moved forward, but Gal Gadot waved them off, saying in English, "No, thank you. We can manage ourselves."

Murphy understood that different countries have different customs, and adapting to local customs is the best approach. Here, treating guests warmly was customary. To avoid making their hosts feel inadequate, he whispered something to Gal Gadot, who then nodded and handed over the luggage except for her handbag.

The group headed outside the airport. The woman walked next to Gal Gadot, constantly looking back, still unable to believe that Murphy and Gal Gadot were alone, with no entourage.

Unable to contain her curiosity, the woman mustered the courage to ask in broken English, "Miss Gadot, may I ask you a question?"

Gal Gadot turned to her with a friendly smile, "Of course."

The woman immediately asked, "You and Director Stanton have no entourage?"

"Entourage?" Gal Gadot didn't quite understand.

Murphy did have a few bodyguards but didn't bring them along. He mentioned that personal safety wouldn't be an issue here.

"People to help with your luggage," the woman pointed to the luggage cart.

"We don't need them," Gal Gadot smiled again. "This is how we usually travel."

Hearing this, the woman looked at Murphy, who was walking ahead, chatting casually with the chubby man, without any director-like airs.

After leaving the airport, Murphy and Gal Gadot were directly taken to the Peace Hotel on the Bund, where the organizers had already booked their rooms.

"Director Stanton, please rest now," the chubby man said after bringing their luggage to their suite. "If you need anything, call me anytime."

Murphy nodded and politely said, "Thank you."

The chubby man and his team quickly left. After Murphy finished some paperwork, he and Gal Gadot headed to the elevator. While waiting, a woman nearby seemed to recognize Murphy and excitedly spoke in Shanghainese. Murphy didn't understand but guessed she wanted an autograph from the pen and paper she presented.

Both he and Gal Gadot signed for the Shanghai woman before the elevator arrived.

As they entered the elevator alone, Gal Gadot asked, "Aren't you fluent in Chinese? Wasn't she speaking Chinese?"

"That was a dialect of Chinese," Murphy explained briefly. "She's likely from Shanghai."

Sensing something different in Murphy's tone, Gal Gadot inquired, "Are Shanghai women special?"

"Of course," Murphy shrugged. "Shanghai is an international metropolis. The native women here naturally have their own pride."

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