Chapter 392: Want a Kiss?

As the finale angel, Alessandra Ambrosio walked back to the end of the runway, golden leaves floated down from above the hall, and a white spotlight shone on her. Complemented by her outfit and the runway set design, she seemed like an angel descending to the mortal world or a fairy arriving in the mundane realm.

To become an angel, one must have their own style and be able to master several others.

Fresh styles always bring fresh excitement, and excitement can be said to be a major reason why Victoria's Secret angels are so popular.

To maintain that fresh excitement, Victoria's Secret updates its angels periodically. Just like in Duke's other life, many angels who failed to bring new excitement were often dropped after their contracts expired. Victoria's Secret would then look for new angels to bring fresh appeal.

The cycle of renewal is an eternal theme in this world.

For instance, previous Victoria's Secret finale models were mostly Heidi Klum. However, due to age and other reasons, Victoria's Secret would not renew her contract after this show, and she would officially retire as an angel.

That said, Victoria's Secret has a more humane approach in such situations, rarely announcing contract non-renewals publicly. For example, Miranda Kerr and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, former angels discarded by Victoria's Secret, claimed to have left voluntarily, and Victoria's Secret rarely issued public rebuttals.

Of course, these former angels are also smart and only speak ambiguously, stopping short of challenging Victoria's Secret.

Alessandra Ambrosio's appearance as the finale angel signaled the end of the show. According to tradition, Victoria's Secret would auction the finale outfit on the spot. As for whether there were shill bidders, only Victoria's Secret management knew.

The Evening Star robe was priced at a staggering $8 million. This price was partly for the publicity and partly due to the significant value of the gemstones used.

Before attending this show, Duke had already arranged with Leonardo DiCaprio to act as a shill if no one else bid. Leo would bid for the robe at the listed price on Duke's behalf.

This move would not only create additional buzz but also avoid suspicion. After all, everyone in Hollywood and the US-UK media knew Leo was a notorious spender, beloved by auction houses, the art world, and the fashion industry.

Duke had advised him to exercise restraint, but Leo seemed immersed in his indulgences. Luckily, he showed some moderation, and this involved personal freedom, so Duke could only give a friendly reminder.

However, Leo wasn't needed this time. A Brazilian tycoon threw out $10 million and took the Evening Star robe home.

The final extravagant act added a perfect touch to the show. Subsequent media reports focused heavily on this event, particularly on Alessandra Ambrosio and the sky-high price of the Evening Star robe.

The show achieved its goal of stealing headlines and generating publicity.

Three days after the Victoria's Secret show, Warner Bros. rode the wave of buzz by holding a press conference to release a new series of posters. These posters, themed around angelic elves, featured Victoria's Secret angels playing female elves in the film, led by Arwen.

Victoria's Secret angels differ from ordinary models. While standard runway models don't prioritize facial beauty, Victoria's Secret has strict standards for appearance. Even if some angels don't align with Eastern aesthetics, they are undeniably beautiful and often epitomize beauty in the eyes of most people.

Faces that perfectly suit Western aesthetics, slender and graceful figures, combined with 40 pairs of mesmerizing long legs—these elf posters' popularity was a given.

As the summer blockbuster season approached, the promotional campaign for The Fellowship of the Ring grew more intense. After staying in London for two days, where he also checked on the post-production progress of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Duke returned to Los Angeles to oversee the final stages of The Fellowship of the Ring's post-production.

Before that, he edited the film's first theatrical trailer and handed it over to the Middle-earth studio.

The promotional effort was in full swing. Duke's personal website was continually updated with images from The Fellowship of the Ring, snippets of so-called insider information, and behind-the-scenes videos.

The most popular content, however, was a parody poster of Aragorn and the Uruk-hai leader kissing. The quirky poster not only didn't harm the film's reputation but went viral online. It appeared on numerous forums and portals, inspiring countless memes.

"Want a kiss?"

The Uruk-hai's face was replaced with Bill Clinton's, pouting towards his election opponent George W. Bush.

"Want a kiss?"

This time, the faces were those of Abraham Lincoln and the Statue of Liberty.

"Want a kiss?"—Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman.

"Want a kiss?"—Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.

"Want a kiss?"—James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger, rumored to be collaborating on Terminator 3.

Some even swapped in Duke and Tom Cruise's faces. To many fans, these two were undeniably best buddies at the moment.

While it didn't reach the level of future internet memes, "Want a kiss?" became a catchphrase of the era within just over a month.

This exceeded both Duke's and Warner Bros.' expectations.

But it was a good thing. Soon after, the website uploaded a full video of Aragorn and the Uruk-hai leader's "kiss." The highlight of the video, however, was a female makeup artist stealing the scene.

Rejected by Viggo Mortensen, the caring makeup artist gave the Uruk-hai a comforting kiss.

"How could she kiss that thing?"

"That lady has some seriously bold taste..."

Comments flooded the video below, and despite Duke selling his Yahoo shares, his personal website's link remained off Yahoo's homepage. Still, the site's traffic remained high and kept climbing.

"If I were Aragorn, I'd rather give up being King of Men than kiss that Uruk-hai!"

"Why not kiss? Maybe after the kiss, the King of Men and the Uruk-hai could live happily ever after, creating a unique bloodline in Isildur's lineage..."

Seeing this, Ivanka Trump nearly spat out her drink. She refreshed the webpage but found Duke's site unreachable.

Thinking it over, she picked up her phone and called a number in Los Angeles.

"This is Tina Fey…"

As expected, the person answering wasn't Duke. Ivanka quickly explained her issue and waited. After a while, Duke's voice came through, "What's up, Ivanka?"

"Still busy?" she asked with concern.

"Next month is the screening," came the tired response. "I need to finalize the cuts for the sample reel."

Ivanka, highly intelligent and once Duke's personal assistant, knew when to speak and when to refrain. She quickly said, "Your personal website seems to have an issue..."

While speaking, she refreshed the page again, still unable to load it.

Mentioning this, she added some technical jargon, "The website just released the Aragorn and Uruk-hai viral video..."

Her concern was evident—this might impact the film's promotional campaign.

"I'll have someone look into it."

After a few minutes, Duke returned to the phone. Ivanka asked, "What's the issue?"

"Too many viewers flooded the site at once," came his slightly helpless reply. "The server crashed. It's time to upgrade the server."

"Indeed, it is!" Ivanka agreed.

She'd handled tasks related to that website. Since The Matrix, its traffic had surged. Even without Yahoo's link, the buzz around The Fellowship of the Ring only increased. The site had become a major gathering place for Duke's fans online.

"Oh, by the way, Duke," she remembered something else. "Our own website now has dedicated servers. Great news—the number of registered users has surpassed 5,000, and its influence is spreading to other universities in Pennsylvania."

"Keep up the good work, Ivanka."

Hearing this, Ivanka knew what to do next. "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. If I have time, I'll come to Los Angeles to see you."

After hanging up, Ivanka refreshed Duke's site again, still unable to access it. She sighed. The server wasn't bad—just how many people flooded in simultaneously to crash it?

How many were eagerly anticipating the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

Not much of a movie buff herself, Ivanka couldn't help feeling curious. After all, she had participated in this project and was eager to see its outcome—whether it would succeed or...

Ivanka shook her head. How could Duke possibly fail?

Thinking of Duke, her thoughts drifted to their shared venture. If the website developed well and became a company, moving its base to the Greater Los Angeles area upon graduation made sense.

There, the industry cluster was massive. Talent was easier to recruit. It was the second-largest city in the US...

In moments, Ivanka found countless reasons to support her idea, the strongest being proximity to the largest shareholder.

Shaking off these scattered thoughts, she opened her social media site, gazing at it as if envisioning her future. This was her career and her future!

Class was about to start. Ivanka shut down her computer and stepped out of her apartment building. The sunlight outside had grown intense. The summer blockbuster season was quietly approaching.

"By then, I'll be on vacation too. Perhaps I should head to Los Angeles for the premiere?"