Upon hearing Carl's request, Monet immediately thought of the work referred to as the "Titanic Sequel," known as "Revolutionary Road." The story depicted therein could essentially be understood as the post-America life of the surviving Jack and Rose. However, this portrayal gradually dismantled their once beautiful love through the trivialities of life. With this in mind, Monet decided that he absolutely could not write this novel.
So, he declined with, "I'm sorry, Mr. Carl, I'm not skilled at writing this kind of story."
Originally, Monet believed that Carl would be angry due to his refusal, considering the tempting offer of a thousand dollars. However, Carl's response surprised Monet, as he said nonchalantly, "No problem. If you can't write it, I'll just relay your words to Rose."
Seeing Carl's expression, a shiver ran down Monet's spine. He suddenly realized that if Rose were to hear him say this, wouldn't it affect her feelings for Jack? Whenever she reminisced about Jack, she inevitably imagined the happy days they could have had in New York if Jack hadn't died. Now, by saying he couldn't write it, wasn't he essentially implying that he didn't have faith in their future?
But if he did write it, unless he followed Carl's suggestion of wildly altering the story to favor Jack, or artificially creating a deity-like Jack, it would be difficult for them to lead the conventional notion of a happy life. Of course, he could also depict a more profound spiritual happiness, which Monet believed they should value more. Yet, wouldn't that indirectly admit that their material life might not be particularly joyful?
From this perspective, Carl's proposition was a strategic move. Regardless of whether he wrote it or not, and regardless of how he wrote it, Carl could achieve part of his goal. For instance, if Monet didn't write it, it would signal his lack of confidence in Jack and Rose's future. If he recklessly gave Jack unrealistic advantages, that essentially showed a lack of faith too. If he portrayed their lives truthfully, it would accentuate the disparities between their current life and Rose's.
In any case, whatever he chose, it would introduce some doubt and uncertainty into Rose's feelings for both him and Jack, thus achieving Carl's objective.
The reason Monet was chosen to write this was that he had witnessed firsthand the romantic relationship between the two and had documented, described, and extolled it. If even he didn't believe in their future, the impact would be maximized.
Originally, Monet had prepared for Carl's retaliation due to his failure to disclose Rose's whereabouts, but he never expected Carl to abstain from physical or verbal aggression. Instead, he retaliated in this "bloodless" manner, leaving Monet without a proper response.
After much consideration, Monet felt he could only give his best effort. So, with a hint of embarrassment, he began, "Um, after thinking it over, I suppose I can write it, but I can't guarantee it'll be as exciting as 'Titanic.'"
"That's fine. I believe that anything written by you, Mr. Monet, will make Rose very happy. However, I hope you can finish it by the end of the month. Our wedding is on the first of next month, and I'd like to put an end to all emotional entanglements before then. Well, I'm entrusting this task to you!" Before leaving, Carl generously placed the agreed-upon payment of one thousand dollars on the table.
After Carl left, Shan Shan, observing Monet's pained expression, inquired with concern. Monet proceeded to confide in her about his troubles. Then, intrigued, she asked, "Since Mr. Carl doesn't seem to like Miss Rose very much, why is he going through so much trouble to marry her?"
"A significant part of this has to do with Rose's background. Nowadays, even though many Americans are wealthy, their lineage isn't noble enough or their families aren't ancient enough. Thus, they seek out a fallen aristocrat. As for the fallen nobility, no matter how noble their title, it can't mask their struggles or erase their debts. So, they end up marrying a nouveau riche."
This kind of situation has been quite frequent in the past two years. That's why high society marriages are not connected to love or lack thereof; they are all about individual interests," Monet explained.
"But isn't a lifetime with someone you don't love a painful life?" Shan Shan inquired further.
Monet chuckled softly and replied, "Wealthy individuals like Carl can't possibly spend their whole lives facing just one woman. To him, Rose is essentially an expensive vase used to showcase his affluence. At other times, he can easily find other women, possibly more than one!"
"I get it now. She's like a mistress, right?" Shan Shan exclaimed, suddenly comprehending.
Monet nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Whether it's Chinese or foreign men, they're all the same. Once they have money, how could they settle for just one woman?"
"Will you be like that too if you become wealthy in the future?"
"Me? My first step is to figure out how to become wealthy."
As Monet chatted with Shan Shan, on the other side of New York City, the wife of author Archie B. Gracey IV complained to her husband, "Look, you've personally experienced the Titanic incident, and yet you haven't thought of writing a novel about it!"
Gracey sighed and replied, "Who said I haven't thought about it? I had already thought about it while on the lifeboat. It's such a thrilling experience, an extraordinary theme. But before I even got off the ship, I received warnings. And you know that behind the Titanic is the Morgan Group. Who dares to provoke them?"
"But how can Mr. Monet dare to write about it?" his wife asked in confusion.
"Because what he writes is what White Star Line and the Morgan Group want to see. I must admire him for this. He's really clever; he not only found a suitable angle, but also received the support of the Morgan Group," Gracey answered admiringly.
"Then why don't you write something similar?" his wife suggested.
Gracey waved his hand dismissively. "It's futile. Even if I write something better than 'Titanic,' it's still Monet's work, so it won't have the same effect. Moreover, my professional ethics wouldn't allow me to follow such trends."
However, he then changed the topic: "But you know, some trends can still be followed. For instance, I can write something like 'The Lucky Japanese Man.'"
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