King of Hollywood
Chapter 311 - Chapter 311 Chapter 38 The Work That Opens the Curtain of an

Chapter 311: Chapter 38: The Work That Opens the Curtain of an Era Chapter 311: Chapter 38: The Work That Opens the Curtain of an Era “Hey, ladies, what are you talking about?” With Adrian’s voice, the two women instantly stopped their conversation and looked over at him. Julia was tall and Monica was curvy; standing together they were quite the sight, each with their own distinctive beauty.

“Nothing much, just some stuff about life,” Julia was quick to answer. “What about you, Ed? Why didn’t you chat more with the pop queen? She must love talking with you.”

“That’s true, she just invited me for a private chat,” Adrian said with a smile, “but I turned her down.”

“Really?” Julia looked surprised, and so did Monica, though her reaction was more subdued.

“Because you are here.” Adrian spread his hands wide, and though he didn’t finish his sentence, the implication was clear: with you here, why bother mixing with that woman?

It was another reason altogether; with Julia and Monica in front of him, this was an excellent opportunity. How could Adrian possibly miss out on it for something minor? After all, Madonna was just a mature woman with a preserved charm. If he wanted to play, he could find a chance to have a thorough and satisfying time with her later. Why bother flirting with her here?

“I just checked the time, maybe we should head back, Ed?” Julia suddenly suggested.

“Now?” Adrian raised his eyebrows instinctively and glanced at Monica, “Are you sure, Julia?”

“Yes, there’s nothing else going on here anyway.” Julia shrugged her shoulders and also glanced at Monica, then smiled: “Oh, and thank you for buying those earrings. I really like them.”

Adrian couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Though she had said it was “just some stuff about life,” he had been observing them for a while before he approached. Julia’s show-off attitude was clear to see.

“If we go back now, the little ones might not be asleep yet, and it could be…” He showed an expression of ‘difficulty’.

“The little ones?” Monica seized the opportunity to jump in.

“Do you remember the little girl I told you about, Emma Watson? And Julia’s niece, Emma Roberts…” Adrian immediately explained to her, and Julia had no choice but to stand aside and wait.

“It sounds like they might be a bit too lively, such kids can be very clingy.” Monica nodded in understanding of Adrian’s predicament after listening, but then she smiled slightly with an enigmatic twinkle in her eye: “Why not come over to my place first? We can have a chat, and when we’re sure they’ve gone to bed, you can go back.”

Julia immediately frowned, sensing what was happening, but before she could express her refusal, Adrian had already spoken: “Sounds like a good idea, what do you think, Julia?”

“Let’s just go back and not bother Monica,” Julia said, maintaining her smile after taking a deep breath.

“If Julia is tired, she can go back and rest first. It’s no problem if Ed goes alone. He will like it there,” Monica replied, slightly puffing out her chest with a triumphant smile on her lips.

Julia’s breathing quickened in irritation, glaring at Monica but at a loss for words.

“Julia would love to visit your place, Monica. She’s never been there, right?” The last part Adrian addressed to Julia, and with a snap, his hands rested on the rear ends of both women.

Where a man places his hands on a woman is a matter of great significance. On the shoulder, they’re usually friends, and if there’s a hug, it might suggest a potential romantic interest; if it’s on the waist, then they’re an intimate couple; but if it’s on the buttocks, that means…

Feeling the touch on her backside, Julia looked around with a mix of anger and unease. Although she had deliberately chosen a corner to chat with Monica, and there weren’t too many people around, this was, after all, a public place. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed Monica looking back at her with a provoking gaze, and a wave of indescribable fury surged in her heart.

“Of course, I’d be delighted to visit,” she said casually, altering the words that originally reached her lips.

The competitive nature of women can sometimes be so amusing. Fully aware of Adrian’s schemes, fully aware of Monica’s deliberate provocation, and fully aware of what would happen if she went, she still agreed without hesitation.

I love all of this. Sitting on the bed in Monica’s bedroom, watching the two women crawling in front of him and enjoying the service, Adrian thought to himself with such exclamation.

With the post-production of “Forrest Gump” finally wrapping up, the first trailer aired on various TV channels on November 14th, and printed posters were simultaneously distributed to occupy various cinemas, convenience stores, and bus stations. Laverne, in charge of the entire marketing campaign, even bought several tens of feet of billboards at Times Square, placing Hanks’s iconic poster of him looking back while sitting on the bench, and garnering quite a bit of attention.

Naturally, Adrian was wholeheartedly supportive. He remembered that the original “Forrest Gump” had experienced an unfavorable start upon release and only after boosting the marketing efforts along with the film’s own quality, did the situation turn around quickly. Having learned from past experience, he was certain not to make the same mistake.

A significant investment in marketing, coupled with TBS’s all-out promotion–even CNN, acting as a professional news network, found a loophole to give two lines of mention, which is the advantage of owning one’s own TV station–“Forrest Gump” naturally became the hot topic of conversation for Americans leading up to Thanksgiving. A new work by the Miracle Director and the Gold Medal Producer, with the addition of the last season’s Best Actor and the plot spanning the past forty years, sounded quite appealing.

“Indeed, it’s very appealing, but sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment,” said a host during his program, offering a contrarian view, or rather, to put it nicely, a different opinion existed everywhere.

“I completely disagree with this film, it has changed my novel beyond recognition! He promised to respect my opinion, but in the end, he kicked me aside because it didn’t fit his own narrative. He’s a tyrant, a dictator!” grumbled old man Gluum Winston when interviewed by reporters.

After this news was revealed, reporters immediately seized on it like treasure, launching an in-depth excavation and development. Suddenly narratives about the Miracle Director being a tyrant and dictator were rampant. Adrian didn’t respond to any of this, even if more reporters showed up near his villa. Those who liked to wildly speculate were mostly tabloids, and the more attention they were given, the more vigorously they pursued their agenda.

As for the film itself, Adrian, who personally supervised the post-production and attended the internal screening, was certain that 90% of these voices would disappear after its release, even if many still viewed “Forrest Gump” with skepticism.

“Speed,” which released a trailer simultaneously, although not as widely noticed as “Forrest Gump,” gained quite a bit of attention. Jean de Bont’s “Twisters” had just been pulled from theaters, grossing nearly 230 million in North America and accumulating over 100 million overseas.

Such a performance made him the most dazzling newcomer among commercial film directors this year, and now with a new film and still in the commercial genre, even if Keanu Reeves was only moderately famous and Kate Blanchett was a complete newcomer, there were still many looking forward to the release of “Speed.”

As for Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” it was set to release next year. A minor issue had arisen, meaning that post-production wouldn’t be completed until the end of December. Even with the commencement of marketing now, it would have been too late, so it might paradoxically achieve surprising results if released just before the off-season next year.

Thus, the only movie Adrian had left to focus on was just one–oh, and another movie that had been waiting too long, but it was worth it because it was set to kickstart a new era.

Thanksgiving was spent with Emma at the Godfather’s house. Adrian’s original plan was to have a celebration with the little girl along with Kate and Charlize. In the past, he might have worried about with whom to spend the holiday, but after the number of women in his life increased, it became less of a problem.

It was inevitable to have favorites, everyone knew it, but they didn’t want to accept it in their hearts. Women always hope to occupy the most important place in their lover’s heart. So as long as Adrian could maintain a relative balance, giving the women a sense of importance–even if just for a moment–there would be no issue; and this was precisely what he was best at.

He had intended to take Kate and Charlize to bed together again, but Claude called to say that his father hoped he could spend Thanksgiving with them, so Adrian had to abandon his plans and take Emma with him instead.

The usually mischievous little girl surprisingly behaved herself upon arriving at the Ronris family, completely unlike her generally carefree demeanor, charming and pretty in her dress, perfectly the demure little lady. Both the Godfather and Aunt Beth liked her a lot, and it was only while she sneakily made faces at Adrian that her true colors showed.

The Godfather invited him over for Thanksgiving, and it was clearly for more than just a get-together.

“I’ve looked over the proposal Claude gave me, Ed, and I must say, you guys are really dreaming big,” said the Godfather, entering the study with a chuckle. It sounded like he was teasing and bantering, but his affirmation was also very evident.

“Every young person has ambitions, Godfather; the key is whether they match one’s abilities,” Adrian replied immediately.

After sitting down in the chair, the Godfather looked at him and nodded, “Ed, you’re quite exceptional. I’ve said it many times, but each time I want to repeat it–no one could achieve such tremendous success in just a few years like you have.”

“You flatter me, Godfather. The biggest credit still goes to Claude, without his help, I would just be a decent director at best,” Adrian said, shrugging with a laugh.

“Enough of that now,” the Godfather suddenly said a bit annoyedly, “Every time I praise you, you always push the credit onto Claude. It’s almost becoming a routine; when do we ever need these routines? To avoid this situation, I swear to God, from now on I will never bring this up again. You?”

These words, half-complaint, half-joke, and laden with an elder’s care for a younger, warmed Adrian. He promptly raised his hand with a smile, “I also swear to God, never to bring this up again. You?”

The last question was directed at Claude, who was sitting beside them. Claude, who had been watching his father and best friend interact with great interest, was taken aback before exclaiming, “What does this have to do with me!”

Both the Godfather and Adrian burst into laughter.

What followed was a discussion about specifics, mainly between Claude and the Godfather, with Adrian adding a word here and there but only to a limited extent, mostly focusing on predictions about the future of the internet.

“The Clinton administration’s information superhighway is nearing completion, and Claude has already introduced you to Yahoo’s growth momentum. They’ll probably go public before Christmas. For a long time to come, the internet will be ruled by network portals–the so-called portals are applications that lead to certain types of comprehensive internet information resources and provide related services. I’ve talked privately with Jerry Yang and David Filo, and they really agree with my ideas. I believe by the second half of next year at the latest, we can achieve profitability…” Adrian talked on and on, and the Godfather listened intently.

In reality, this wasn’t much different from describing the prospects to investors to raise funds, although Benedict Ronris was both Claude’s father and Adrian’s godfather. Business was business after all, especially such a huge investment, and it was essential to come up with something convincing.

“Okay, I think there should be no problem,” said the Godfather after thinking for a long time, following Claude and Adrian’s turn to present. But as soon as they relaxed, he added, “However, Eisner is not the type to give up easily; you might have to wage a tough war.”

“Yes, I know, Godfather, but we have to try,” shrugged Adrian.

“Good luck, Ed,” the Godfather said, patting him on the shoulder with a smile, as if he had more to say. Adrian raised an eyebrow until he saw Claude giving him a sideways thumbs-up secretly. Well, that must be a good sign, but it’s best to hold off on using it until after the year 2000.

Since they had basically come to an agreement, Adrian left with Emma, the little one being very much adored by Aunt Beth. When they left, Aunt Beth couldn’t help but ask when she would visit again.

“What kind of magic have you used on Grandma Beth to make her like you so much?” Adrian joked, pinching the little girl’s cheek, on the way home.

“I didn’t do anything; just chatted with her a bit…” Emma tilted her head and blinked, “a bit about you–I don’t understand any of it.”

Adrian suddenly squinted, cupping the little one’s head with both hands, staring at her coldly. However, the little tyke didn’t take any notice of him, yawning widely, not caring that her cheeks were squished in his hands into some sort of swallow shape, then burrowed into his arms, “I’m so sleepy; I want to go to sleep.”

Facing this, Adrian had no recourse but to roll his eyes and adjusted himself to let her sleep more comfortably.

“Ed,” Emma tugged at his collar then, “I’m going back soon; can you sleep with me for the next few days, please?”

Adrian sighed and patted her gently on the back, “No problem.”

“Don’t you lie to me,” the little girl looked up at him, her bright eyes filled with infinite longing.

“When have I ever lied to you?” Adrian gently pinched her little nose affectionately.

The little girl giggled twice and burrowed back into his arms. Adrian seemed to think of something and patted her again, “Emma?”

“Hm?”

“Want to watch an animation? It’s a really good one.”

“Is it really that good?”

“Of course, when have I ever lied to you?”

“I want to watch!”

“Alright, we’ll go in a couple of days.”

Two days later, Adrian, along with his secretary Charlize and Emma, arrived at Pixar’s headquarters, to fulfill the promise of showing the little one a very good animated movie–more precisely, an animated film–that was essentially completed: Toy Story! This was indeed the movie that was previously mentioned, one that would mark the beginning of a new era.

Compared to Steve Jobs, the well-funded Adrian was undoubtedly more generous, and as a result, the production process sped up a lot. The animated movie, which was supposed to be completed mid-1995, was almost finished by the end of 1994.

“Quite exceptional, this is the most touching animated movie I’ve ever seen,” Adrian said cheerfully to the studio manager, Ed Kammer, and the director, John Lasseter, while sitting in the conference room, “Remember what I said before? Whether animation has life depends on the people who make it, not the way it’s made!”

“Of course, maybe my personal impression doesn’t mean too much, but I’ve also brought someone else with me,” Adrian said, glancing over at the little one nearby, who was playing with the Woody and Buzz Lightyear toys, “Emma, do you think it’s good looking?”

“Pretty!” The little one giggled, waving the toys in her hands, “They are all so cute!”

At this point, she suddenly frowned, looked at Woody and Buzz Lightyear, lifted them up, and asked unhappily, “Why aren’t they talking now?”

This childish statement immediately brought laughter to everyone present, whether it was John Lasseter, Peter Docter, or Andrew Stanton, and even Charlize, who was busy writing something on her propped-up thigh, couldn’t help but smile.

“The feelings of children are the most direct,” Adrian made a ‘how about that’ gesture.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Kammer said sincerely, then turned to the little girl who was still awaiting an answer, “And I’m glad you liked it too, Emma.”

The little girl blinked, resigning herself to not getting an answer, sighed, and picked up Buzz Lightyear, making him do a flying action, and in her young voice, shouted, “To infinity and beyond!”

Laughter filled the conference room again, and then Adrian immediately turned to Kammer and Lasseter, “Okay, now let’s talk about the distribution issue. My opinion is there’s no rush, we’ll talk about it next summer.”

(To be continued. For more chapters, please visit www.NovelFire.net. Support the author, support genuine reading!)