In the following days, the debate over "Lust, Caution" became increasingly fierce. All media in Los Angeles, including newspapers, radio stations, and magazines, got involved in the discussion. Moreover, the scope of this discussion continued to expand until even university professors and scholars participated.


    "Boss, I can''t take it anymore! So many people are cursing us outside, and we haven''t reacted at all! Isn''t this too pathetic?" Gans and Fatty came to my office almost every hour. There was a radio in their room, filled with curses. A large number of protesters and defenders also appeared outside the DreamWorks gate, each holding their own reasoning and refusing to give in, and they almost got into a fight in the end.


    "If the enemy doesn''t move, we won''t move. Don''t you understand this principle at all?! The more such a time, the calmer we must be. What''s the use of being anxious!" I glared at Gans and Fatty viciously, and the two guys immediately behaved themselves.


    "Boss, after what you said, I seem to think that this debate seems to have been deliberately created by someone?" Gans suddenly realized.


    "I think so too!" Fatty patted his own head hard.


    "Then analyze for me, who is it?" I smiled and looked at the two of them.


    Gans flipped through those newspapers and then said seriously, "Boss, have you noticed that in this matter, the one who first started it was Alan Kelly, the theater manager of Paramount? Also, that Nis von Goethe is no good either. I made some inquiries. He is Chu Ke''s loyal lackey. Moreover, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has always had a very good relationship with Chu Ke. So I think it''s this son of a bitch Chu Ke."


    Fatty nodded while listening and added, "Boss, Chu Ke didn''t attend our premiere, nor did he sign a contract with us. This further shows that the old guy has a problem."


    "What you said makes sense, but can you tell me why movie giants would be so ''fond'' of our small company?" Suspecting others always requires reasons.


    "That goes without saying. Chu Ke is stingy by nature. That time at the city hall, boss, you really lost face for him. How could he let you go?" Fatty said very affirmatively.


    Gans stepped forward, pulled a chair and sat in front of me, excitedly saying, "Yes, yes, boss, do you remember? They also made a ''Civil War'' this year that conflicts with ours a bit. If our movie takes up the market in advance, who will watch their movie? Just for this reason, he must want to kill us!"


    I nodded. It seemed that Gans and Fatty still had some brains.


    "Have you thought of another point? The several companies that signed contracts with us this time, like MGM, First National Pictures, Universal, etc., don''t have a good relationship with Chu Ke. They are Paramount''s strong competitors. If our movie becomes popular, these companies that signed contracts with us will gain huge benefits accordingly, which is definitely not a good thing for Paramount." I mentioned another possibility altogether.


    "Great! Admire! As expected of the boss!" Gans gave me a thumbs-up.


    I glanced at him helplessly and then frowned, "But have you noticed that under the surface of the lively and noisy debate this time, many people have remained silent?"


    "Are you talking about Old Ma and them?" Gans withdrew the expression of sudden enlightenment just now and asked.


    "Not only Old Ma, but Universal, First National Pictures, Warner Bros., Columbia, etc., these companies that signed contracts with us have not made statements. If one or two don''t make statements, it''s normal, but it''s a bit strange that they are collectively speechless at this critical moment. Therefore, I always feel that this matter is a bit strange." Under my analysis, the faces of Fatty and Gans became heavier and heavier, pinning all their infinite hopes on me.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I opened the newspaper on the table and continued, "Kelly and von Goethe are from Paramount. There''s nothing much to say about messing with us. Why would a person like Bishop Frankenstein, who usually doesn''t show up easily, suddenly blow up? What''s even stranger is that the ''Christian Truth Newspaper'', which has a close relationship with the bishop, is surprisingly quiet. Isn''t this suspicious?"


    Gans and Fatty looked at each other, and neither could say a word. Only the sound of the noisy radio from the next door could be heard in the room.


    "Boss, what should we do?" Fatty said with a sad face.


    I walked to the window, stared at the protesting crowd outside, and said word by word, "Wait, wait for those divers to come up."


    This storm came unexpectedly. I knew that the best choice at this time was to keep silent. Before everything was made public, let those people make noise. I had a hunch that it wouldn''t be long before they showed their true colors.


    I usually stay in the company and don''t even go out of the gate. Business and related work are done by Gans and Fatty leading people. As for James, Howard, Tim, Valente, I specifically gave them two tasks.


    The four of them were divided into two teams and, according to my instructions, lay in ambush near the Los Angeles St. Peter''s Cathedral and the ''Christian Truth Newspaper'' like secret police, closely monitoring the movements of the bishop and the newspaper leaders.


    Five days passed, and the debate over "Lust, Caution" not only did not weaken, but with the screening of the movie across the United States, it triggered a nationwide discussion wave. Not only the film industry participated in the discussion, but later, scholars from different fields such as the religious circle, the philosophical circle, the psychological circle, and the educational circle also published articles. Major newspapers spared no effort to hype, making "Lust, Caution" suddenly enter the focus of the entire American public opinion.


    First, the Los Angeles Catholic Diocese took the lead, and the Catholic Churches in California and Nevada in the West jointly issued a boycott "Lust, Caution" initiative. Then, the Protestant churches in Washington State and Oregon accused the Catholic Church of interfering in social life. The two sides debated fiercely from their respective religious positions.


    What followed was the chaotic quarrel of newspapers and broadcasts of all sizes across the country. In the end, even the "New York Times" was involved. On June 28th, the cultural commentary section of the "New York Times" published three articles. These three articles elevated the debate from random trivialities to the height of film progress and the development of civilization.


    The author of the first article was John Dewey, the president of the American Psychological Association and the Philosophy Society, known as a famous pragmatist educator and an academic giant in the United States. The old man is definitely a heavyweight figure at the senior level in the American academic community, especially respected in the education field. The turmoil brought by "Lust, Caution" made the old man feel that he had to speak out. At the invitation of Alon Resadie, the editor of the "New York Times", he wrote a very long article.


    The article reviewed the historical status quo of the United States in the 1920s: "This decade, that is, the decade after World War I, the United States achieved a myth. The national strength has made great strides and the economy has developed rapidly. We call it ''Coolidge Prosperity''. This is a good thing, and we have to admit it."


    Then Dewey raised a sharp ideological issue: "But this has also brought a huge problem, that is, the economy has prospered, but people''s cognitive problems and thinking problems have not kept up. Our thinking is still at the stage of farmers in the Civil War period, still clinging to their own piece of land or several factories. Society is as closed as medieval Europe when the Black Death was rampant. The American people should be in an era of ideological revival!"


    Then Dewey talked about my movie: "The reason why a ''Lust, Caution'' directed by Mr. Andrew Coliono has caused such a big response in society like a bomb during this period is only one, not that this movie is not good, but our heads have problems. Our eyes have been covered with too much dust and it''s time to wipe them off and use them to look into the distance! This movie has an extremely open approach, revealing the essence of human beings and the fundamental meaning of life, which is thought-provoking. It has its unique philosophy in philosophy. The war in the movie and the oppression of war on human nature reflect very clearly the destruction of the soul by the machine age industry in our era!"


    Although I have reservations about his understanding of my movie, what he said is basically correct. Especially the following paragraph: "From my own years of research, American college education should be like this movie, paving the way for pioneering innovation and pursuing the origin of the world, rather than developing in the academic atmosphere of conservatives. If so, God will not bless us, and God will not bless America! I call on all Americans to watch this movie. Those governors, congressmen, and even our President Coolidge should watch it!"