American History 1988
Chapter 167 - 161: Do Not Return Empty-Handed

Chapter 167: Chapter 161: Do Not Return Empty-Handed

Dean had just come off the stage, with the sound of music still continuing behind him.

Following the normal flow of the show, during the interval between the two guests’ appearances, David Letterman would air a commercial.

Despite Dean seeming to have said a lot on stage, the whole segment lasted only about ten minutes.

Under the agreement between Brad and NBC, Dean’s appearance was originally supposed to be around 8 minutes.

But perhaps because the show was going well, he went over by two minutes.

If it wasn’t for the cues from the staff on site, David Letterman might have continued chatting with him for a bit longer.

Stepping from the brightly lit stage into the dim backstage corridor, Dean unconsciously let out a breath of relief—it was finally over.

"Good Job, Mr. Hundred Million Dollars~"

A sudden teasing voice rang out next to Dean, and that was when he noticed the tall figure standing in the dimly lit corridor.

"Come on, that’s definitely someone playing a trick on me," Dean couldn’t help but smile, "Before opening it, I didn’t even know what was written on it."

Standing in front of him was Jennifer Connolly, waiting for her turn to go on stage.

"Really? But I found it very interesting. Dean, you are quite funny, and the show was a success."

With a touch of girlish enthusiasm, Jennifer’s voice was infused with the vibrancy of youth.

Though the hallway lighting was dim, Dean could still make out the smiling face of Jennifer, who was dressed in a long gown.

Influenced by her mood, Dean took the opportunity, while advertisements played during the show, to stop and chat with Jennifer.

"You know," Dean shrugged, "it’s just some sort of promotion, in reality..."

"Yeah, I understand," Jennifer knew all about the necessity for public relations, as her manager was currently doubling as her publicist.

"Anyway, so far, so good," Dean said with a relaxed spread of his hands, "Oh, God, if I could, I would rather attend a week of classes than be on a talk show."

His odd comparison made Jennifer laugh lightly, "At least we have the option to skip class, but not here."

"Right," Dean nodded in agreement, "Of course, if things don’t go wrong, the experience just now is actually pretty cool."

"Yes," Jennifer looked at him with a smile, "Dean, you are indeed pretty cool."

"Thanks," Dean was about to say more, but the commercials had ended, and a staff member signaled Jennifer to get ready.

"It’s all yours now, lady!" Dean said, lightly raising his fist as if to cheer her on.

"My pleasure," Jennifer said as she lifted her gown slightly and bowed, before turning her focused gaze back to the stage.

The girlish temperament slightly withdrew, replaced by the dazzling charm inherent to entertainment stars.

Wow~ that looks amazing, Dean thought, satisfied as he turned to leave the place.

"By the way, Dean, there’s a party after the show, are you coming?" Jennifer asked at the last moment before she went on stage.

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise, was this an invitation?

"Of course, I’ll definitely be there," he turned back with a bright smile.

Jennifer tilted her head and smiled faintly, her dark eyebrows standing out against her delicate face.

Once again, the sound of the band’s vigorous performance filled the studio, as David Letterman began to introduce the next guest.

They nodded to each other, and then with a signal from the staff, Jennifer lifted the hem of her gown and stepped onto the stage.

The familiar cheers echoed in Dean’s ears again. He had just turned around when he saw Jennifer’s mother Irin and her agent Brian also standing by the corridor.

"Hi~" Dean greeted with a polite nod.

"Hi, Dean, the show just now was a great success!" the agent, Brian, approached warmly, raising his palm for a high-five.

Dean hesitated for a moment before lifting his hand to return the high-five, "Thanks."

"You did great, you have a natural talent for the entertainment industry," Brian said as he handed out a business card, "RMS Company also handles all sorts of commercial PR work, feel free to contact me."

"OK," Dean took the business card, "I’ll remember you."

"Good," Brian’s smile widened upon seeing Dean accept the card.

He glanced at Irin beside him, then moved a step closer and whispered, "Jennifer really liked your performance just now."

Patting Dean’s shoulder, Brian gave him a meaningful look.

While the teasing had been plentiful during the live show, the title of a billionaire was surely enough to set many people’s hearts ablaze.

Dean’s gaze swept over Irin standing not far off, who, unlike her previous wariness backstage, was now smiling at him amiably.

Well, the allure of money is more effective than a handsome face.

Nodding at them, Dean walked with an easy stride towards the backstage.

He had to pass through the backstage area to return to the dressing room where he had first met Valentine and the others.

As he pushed the door open, Brad put his fingers to his mouth and blew a whistle.

"Brad, you’re now a partner of a talent agency, try not to act like a greenhorn,"

"Yeah, Dean!" Brad leaped exaggeratedly from the couch and then opened his arms wide. "Come on, give me a hug!"

Dean shook his head helplessly but still smiled and walked over.

"Good Job, boy~" Brad slapped his back hard, "I told you, you’ve got the potential to be a superstar! Ah~ Mr. Billionaire?"

"Okay, the only thing I want to ask now is, where the heck did those top ten lists come from?" Dean was skeptical that NBC was intentionally stirring things up.

"Who cares," Brad said nonchalantly, spreading his hands, "that’s not what we’re worried about right now!"

Brad pointed at the TV on the wall, "Dean, I watched it just now: tonight’s show was a huge success!

I even have a feeling that you’ll receive scripts from Hollywood by tomorrow!

As for the crappy Bell Company, let them drown in the public’s denunciation!"

"Wow, that sounds great." Dean hadn’t expected Brad to be so optimistic.

"You have no idea what this means, Dean!" Brad said excitedly, pacing around the room, "The ’Late Show with David Letterman’ has millions of viewers; it’s not something newspapers and magazines can match, nor is it like a local Bay Area TV station."

"Alright, thanks again for your help, Brad." Although it was Dean’s first time dealing with a TV show, he knew by Brad’s reaction that it was extraordinary.

"Dean, are you sure you don’t want to consider Hollywood? Oh~ damn it!" Brad ruffled his hair in frustration, "I actually wish Bell would bankrupt you guys, so I could blatantly convince you to sign an agent contract."

"Alright, buddy, let’s go find Valentine and the others." Dean knew he was joking; his only way into Hollywood would probably be through investment - acting wasn’t for him.

"Ok, maybe we should really celebrate." Brad took Dean back the way they came.

"Heard there’s a party later?" Dean remembered Jennifer’s invitation.

"Yeah, that’s exactly what I was about to say; there’s a party every night in Hollywood." Brad pointed outside to the bustling traffic, "Dean, did you know? Life in Los Angeles goes from 2 AM to 5 AM."

At this time, everyone was busy with the show, and in a little while, around 1:30 AM, the TV station would actually close up.

Back in the green room, Valentine, Anna, and the others naturally congratulated Dean profusely.

The talk show tonight was live, not pre-recorded, so Valentine and the others in the green room saw Dean’s performance on the program.

"Great job, Mr. Hundred million~" Valentine now loved this nickname, thinking it was a good omen, a good sign for the Byte Company’s IPO.

Dean just shrugged his shoulders; he was now even too lazy to object.

"Buddy, after the show airs tonight, Bell Company will definitely be scared shitless," Valentine ruffled Dean’s hair, "I’m even eager to head back to San Francisco right now."

"There’s a party later, and Dean will be attending," Brad held back the workaholic, "Don’t you want to relax a bit? The hottest girls in California are all in Los Angeles!"

Faced with Brad’s suggestive winks, Valentine turned to look at Dean.

"It’s early morning now; are you planning to drive back to San Francisco overnight?" Dean’s reasoning was impeccable.

"OK," Valentine said with little enthusiasm, spreading his hands, "I’m off to rest at the hotel. Dean, remember we still have to hurry tomorrow."

Dean was going to say something more, but Brad stopped him. "Let the guy rest; at his age, even the spiciest girls are no use."

Dean nodded in agreement, "So? What now?"

...

"Hi~ Mr. Hundred million."

"Hi~ Dean, make sure to kick Bell’s big ass hard!"

"Give that hound a taste of its own medicine!"

Amid the deafening music, Dean was greeted by a series of hellos as soon as he entered.

Overwhelmed, he could only smile in response, while Brad slapped Dean’s shoulder, laughing, "See, you’re a celebrity here."

"Did they all watch the live broadcast just now?" Dean wondered, was David’s talk show so popular?

"This is Hollywood, Dean." Brad was unsurprised, "Any interesting news in the circle spreads across Beverley Hills in less than an hour.

How long did you expect something that happened just a few blocks away to take to spread?"

Alright, Dean laughed and engaged those who came up to greet him casually while reluctantly accepting the reality.

He didn’t recognize any of these people; despite being new to the scene, it seemed like he had become a well-known star.

No, there were not no familiar faces; he saw Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Johnny Depp...

Indeed, in Beverley Hills, the chances of running into a celebrity were higher than meeting a random person.

Women dressed provocatively, shaking their bodies freely, and flashing lights.

Clearly, the party tonight wasn’t a social ball, but a place to unwind and have fun.

Taking two glasses of champagne from a waiter’s tray, Brad handed one to Dean, "Alright, buddy, now’s your hunting time.

A friendly reminder: your girlfriend is over there on the balcony. David was not as polite to her as he was to you, so seize the opportunity and don’t come back empty-handed!"

Watching Brad go off to mingle with the big-name stars with his glass, Dean just shrugged.

Alright then, Hollywood, here he comes.

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