As February neared its end, on the very day Ryan left Los Angeles, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for the 64th Academy Awards. He was once again nominated for two awards: Best Original Screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle and Best Original Song for I Will Always Love You.
The film he starred in, Terminator 2, not only held the title of last year's box office champion in North America but also received six Oscar nominations. However, as always, sci-fi movies weren't favored by the Academy, and all of the nominations were in technical categories.
> "Although Ryan Jenkins and Drew Barrymore insist they're just ordinary friends, we can tell from the photos and their interactions that there might be something more between them. According to sources, the two were seen goofing around at Universal Studios as early as last year. Perhaps in the near future, Hollywood will witness yet another sister-brother romance."
"Stop! Nat, can you not read that?" Ryan interrupted Natalie's soft reading.
They were in the first-class cabin of a flight to London, sitting side by side. After meeting up in New York, the two had boarded this plane together, planning to make a brief stop in London before heading to the film set in Krakow.
Before boarding, Natalie had deliberately bought a stack of newspapers. Once the plane reached cruising altitude, she purposely picked out the tabloids full of absurd gossip about Ryan and Drew and read them aloud in a voice just loud enough for Ryan to hear.
"Alright."
Even though she said that, Natalie pulled out another tabloid, quickly flipped to the gossip pages, and frowned when she saw a photo of Ryan embracing Drew.
> "When Miss Drew Barrymore embraced Ryan Jenkins, he showed no signs of rejection or discomfort. This suggests that this kind of physical closeness is common between them, or perhaps they've grown used to it. Moreover, we've received reports that Ryan is currently writing a script tailored for Drew to help her out of her current struggles. Their relationship is clearly far from ordinary. Even though Ryan is only twelve years old, his precociousness and brilliance are well known across America. It's hard to believe he wouldn't be attracted to a seductress like Drew…"
Damn it! Ryan shot Natalie a glare, and the girl snorted coldly but finally stopped reading.
A seductress, really? Maybe in the eyes of Westerners, Drew was a pretty and sexy girl, but in Ryan's opinion, with her stocky build and rough features, at best she was just "not unattractive."
The mainstream papers were more reasonable. Even if they published photos from that moment, they rarely made wild speculations. After all, anyone with half a brain could see it was just a polite hug between friends. But tabloids didn't care about such nuance. Since they couldn't get access to Ryan directly, they simply relied on their imaginations, taking "reading between the lines" to the extreme.
Even though most of the stories were based on "anonymous sources" or pure conjecture, their tone made it clear: When did you two get together? How far has it gone?
According to a call from Drew, there were already plenty of paparazzi camped outside her place, obviously up to no good. She even provocatively asked Ryan if he dared come to her house.
Ryan wasn't an idiot. If he got caught entering or leaving Drew's place at a time like this, those paparazzi would lose their minds.
"Nat, stop reading those tabloids. They'll drag your IQ down to basement level!" Ryan didn't even ask—he simply grabbed all the tabloids from Natalie's side and tossed them straight into the trash.
"Ryan! Hmph~"
Natalie gave him a glare and opened the only remaining paper—the New York Times supplement—and quickly flipped to the bestseller section.
It was the latest North American bestseller list, and at the top was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She glanced briefly before searching further down, quickly spotting her target at position forty-seven—Resident Evil.
Ryan was her only friend, so she naturally paid close attention to him. Natalie knew that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Resident Evil had both been released on February 1st. Due to the increasing popularity of the first three Harry Potter books and Ryan's recent media spotlight, Goblet of Fire had achieved astonishing sales right out of the gate.
Of course, whether books or films, success in this era depended heavily on marketing and hype. The publisher had invested quite a bit in advertising, and with Ryan's wildly successful album riding high, they created a massive wave of buzz.
As for Resident Evil, once the manuscript was received, they had held off publishing it—despite the Japanese edition already being released in Japan last year—specifically to piggyback off Harry Potter's momentum.
In truth, the strategy worked quite well. Releasing the two books simultaneously didn't create any backlash. In fact, many Harry Potter fans picked up Resident Evil as a side purchase when buying Goblet of Fire.
Objectively speaking, Ryan's name and the popularity of Harry Potter definitely boosted Resident Evil's sales. And considering there was no game to accompany it, the fact that it made the bestseller list at all was already surprising.
However, when Ryan glanced at Natalie, he just shrugged. Publishing Resident Evil was really just to spite the Japanese a little. He didn't care much about sales. Anyway, Kinsey had already registered a lot of things in advance—like Resident Evil, like Battle Royale, etc.
At that moment, Natalie began reading softly again—this time clearly from a book review.
> "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire maintains the imaginative and whimsical tone of the series. As Ryan and the protagonist age, the story naturally becomes more mature, but it remains a captivating read. Possibly even more outstanding than the first three, this series is on track to become the best all-ages literary work of the 1990s."
> "As for Resident Evil, it reads more like a thriller adventure wearing a zombie disguise. While it uses technological elements to explain the cause of the zombies, aside from some exciting action scenes and a bit of gore, and perhaps a warning about unchecked corporate expansion, it doesn't offer much food for thought. Compared to the childlike charm of Harry Potter or the intellectual weight of Jurassic Park, it's not even in the same league. I would suggest that Ryan Jenkins stop trying his hand at these 'mature' themes and stick to writing stories suited to his age. That's the path he should be walking right now."
Looking at Natalie as she put down the paper, Ryan asked, "That's the latest review?"
"That one's actually fairly restrained. Want to hear the harsher ones?" Natalie raised her brow.
Looking out at the clouds streaming past the window, Ryan stretched and said, "Forget it. As boring as it is, I don't feel like torturing my ears on purpose."
"Hmph~" Natalie snorted dismissively.
"Dear Nat, do you have something against Resident Evil?" As long-time friends, Ryan could easily guess what she was thinking.
"The book's really not that good. Hmm… something to buy before a flight and toss in the trash when you land," Natalie critiqued bluntly. "And the female lead, Alice? She's just a symbol. No personal traits at all. Just another muscle-bound, brainless superhero."
"Alright, alright, you're right. Alice is basically a superhero!" Ryan shrugged. "Don't forget, she already has superpowers by the end of the book."
"So that means you're planning a sequel?" Natalie's eyes widened. For some reason, ever since reuniting with Ryan, she found herself nitpicking him constantly.
"No interest. If anything, I'll authorize someone else to write it."
Natalie wrinkled her little nose and gave a slightly smug smile. No matter the situation, if she could get one up on Ryan, it always made her happy.
The flight from New York to London was about seven hours long, crossing five time zones. Naturally, newspapers alone weren't enough to pass the time. Ryan could manage, having grown used to life in the air, but Natalie—being younger and more petite—started yawning after another half hour of chatting.
"Get some sleep, Nat." Ryan waved down a flight attendant and asked for a blanket.
"…Alright."
Previously, it had always been Kinsey acting as his caretaker. Now, he had somehow become Natalie's. But with Mrs. Shelley and Kinsey both seated a few rows back, it was up to him to fill the role.
Watching Ryan carefully tuck the blanket around her, Natalie suddenly felt that maybe her behavior since boarding the plane had been a little excessive. Maybe she shouldn't have read all those gossip columns in front of him on purpose.
"Have a good nap. I'll wake you before we land," Ryan said with a smile.
Natalie pouted, but just before closing her eyes, she asked impulsively, "Ryan, is it true—what they're saying about you and Drew Barrymore?"
"Oh God, Nat. I never should've let you read those tabloids. Your IQ's obviously taken a hit." Ryan grumbled. "You know how idiots deal with smart people?"
Before Natalie could reply, he continued, "They drag the smart person's IQ down to their level—and beat them with experience in stupidity."
"You're so annoying, Ryan." But Natalie had gotten the answer she wanted and closed her eyes in satisfaction.
Wishing you sweet dreams, dear Nat!
Watching the little girl fall asleep, Ryan took out his sketchbook and began drawing with his graphite pencil. Natalie's adorably sleepy expression gradually took shape on the paper.
After a while, Ryan smiled in satisfaction, scribbled the date and location in the corner, and carefully stored the drawing away. It was a little memento of their friendship. Maybe ten years later, it would be fun to look back at it again.