King of Hollywood
Chapter 323 - Chapter 323 Chapter 50 Sophies Arrival

Chapter 323: Chapter 50 Sophie’s Arrival Chapter 323: Chapter 50 Sophie’s Arrival Pat, pat, pat, the girl quickened her pace into a small run, and the pigeons pecking at the ground suddenly burst into the air amidst a chorus of cooing, as if to blanket the whole of Trafalgar Square. The girl laughed heartily, jumping energetically among the flock of pigeons. With a click, her adorable image was captured in the camera.

“You are truly beautiful, Sarah,” Adrian said, lifting the camera with a smile.

“Really?” Sarah, smiling broadly, immediately came back to his side and began shaking his arm playfully, “How beautiful?”

“Extremely beautiful, the kind that belongs only to youth, transient but eternal,” Adrian said with a sense of wonder.

“Is it because we’re in London that you feel you need to become a bit more literary?” Sarah teased, smacking her lips before saying this, and Adrian couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh, pulling her into his arms. Then he lifted the camera towards them: “Alright, let’s take a picture of ourselves first.”

With another click, the close, smiling image of the two of them was preserved on the film.

“Why use a disposable camera, instead of an instant camera? That way I could see myself right away,” Sarah said, holding the camera.

“Instant cameras may be quick, but the quality isn’t very good. You might look beautiful but the photos might not turn out well,” Adrian said, holding her with a smile, “If you really want to see, I can get them developed today.”

“I know, I just…” Sarah rested her hands on Adrian’s shoulders, gazing at him for a while before saying, “You know, Ed, I’m afraid to put your picture in my bedroom.”

Adrian said nothing, instead he caressed her head, and after a moment, he spoke, “My promise still stands.”

“Of course, I’ve never doubted that,” Sarah suddenly laughed, then pouted her lips in a mix of annoyance and frustration: “I lied to my mum again, I told her I was meeting friends in London for a holiday.”

“You are on holiday, aren’t you?” Adrian said, suddenly lifting her chin and kissing her rosy lips. Sarah didn’t resist, closing her eyes and leaning back slightly, standing in the middle of the square, enjoying the kiss.

After a lingering moment, they parted and Adrian stroked her soft cheek with a small smile, “Alright, let’s go to Big Ben now. From up there, you can take in the entire view of this stretch of the Thames. You’ll love it.”

Sarah had come to London this past weekend, and before her, Monica and Julia had already visited, Blanchett had also promised to come over, and Gwyneth need not be mentioned, she even had a film to shoot here this year.

But not every woman who comes can stroll around London at leisure like this, the paparazzi’s tactics are actually very simple: their main method is to track celebrities by keeping tabs on their schedules. A typical example is to wait all day and night outside a celebrity’s home or hotel, ready to follow as soon as their subject leaves.

Don’t underestimate these guys’ stamina. For the sake of a piece of gossip, they can stand outside someone’s house for days and nights. Generally, once a celebrity’s schedule falls into the hands of these guys, it’s hard to shake them off. So as long as Adrian could slip away from the film crew without a sound, these guys basically couldn’t stir up any trouble.

Another tactic of the paparazzi is to rely on tips from the general public, such as spotting a celebrity at a certain bar or nightclub. Tabloids offer high prices for these tips, with a hot piece of news sometimes being worth thousands of British Pounds. Just a phone call could bring in an income, and there’s always someone who will be tempted.

However, this tactic must be built on a foundation that the public is very familiar with the celebrities being trailed by the paparazzi, like Tom Cruise, who would be recognized instantly wherever he appeared. But, how many people in the United Kingdom are familiar with Adrian? Although he also appears in newspapers relatively often, as a director and producer, the attention he receives is completely out of proportion compared to movie stars; how many people can remember his face?

See, that’s the benefit of remaining half in the shadows.

As for Sarah, her fame was limited to the United States; the likelihood of a British person recognizing her was probably even less than Adrian, so with a little makeup, the two could casually stroll around the streets of London.

However, that wouldn’t work for Monica or Julia; Monica is Italian, and with the popularity of “Pulp F**tion” in Europe, her fame there rivaled that in the United States. Therefore, when she visited the UK, Adrian took her to see the ancient castles in Wales, avoiding the bustling cities, and didn’t stay in Scotland or England.

Julia was different, “Pretty Woman” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral” had won her tremendous popularity in the UK. Although three more rom-coms had yet to be produced, she was fast becoming the favorite American actress among the British. If she were seen on the streets of the UK with him, the chances of being discovered by the paparazzi were over 80%. So, Adrian took her to Rotterdam to see the windmills before too many people knew of her visit to the UK.

Basically, they would visit on the weekends, stay for two days, and then return. Julia’s stay was a bit longer; she spent two extra days on set before leaving. Their attitudes towards Adrian could be discerned from this: Monica and Sarah were utterly compliant, while Julia always sought to stand out–of course, this also had to do with the fact that the Oscar nominations had not been announced when Julia visited, and there weren’t many journalists lurking around the set.

Adrian didn’t mind, knowing how they thought was essential for him to react appropriately. For instance, while both were utterly compliant, Monica’s compliance was a mix of interest and emotion, and Sarah’s dedication was more wholehearted. Adrian naturally wouldn’t be disappointed, but couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if Blanchett visited.

But these were concerns for another time; he didn’t have the leisure to ponder these matters now. At this stage, his focus was elsewhere as the shooting progressed smoothly, and at last, the beautiful and gentle French princess was set to make her entrance.

“I’m so pleased to see you again, Sophie; you look even more beautiful than you did six months ago,” Adrian said, extending his hand the moment Sophie Marceau appeared at the VIP gateway at Heathrow Airport.

“Thank you, Ed. I’m also delighted to see you again,” Sophie said with a faint smile, dressed in trousers and winter clothing, with a light-colored coat draped over her shoulders, her long hair flowed smoothly, enhancing her melancholic temperament.

However, in Adrian’s memory, the belly that should have been protruding was flat, without the slightest trace, indicating that some things had been brushed away by the butterfly’s wings. He’d had people look into it discreetly; over the past several months, Sophie had visited Poland twice, each time staying for less than a week, with the most recent visit in October. You could guess what might have happened.

The rift probably existed long before. Although Adrian had met Sophie just once, he was entirely certain of this from all her behaviors. And his appearance had inadvertently hastened these changes, leading to the current situation. Even knowing that countless such events would occur from the moment of his rebirth, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation knowing a life that should have come into this world had vanished because of him.

But it was just a fleeting moment, and Adrian quickly recovered. After making a welcoming gesture, he gave Sophie a meaningful glance discreetly. It’s okay, I’ll make it up to her one day.

“By the way, congratulations, Ed. They say you’re very likely to become the youngest director to win an Oscar after having already potentially secured the Palme d’Or at such a young age,” Sophie said as they walked.

From this statement, you could tell what the French were counting, insisting on placing the Palme d’Or first to flaunt their discernment, a mannerism as childish as a sulk which was really quite ridiculous.

“Thank you,” Adrian replied politely, unsure if Sophie shared that perspective, but the beautiful woman quickly dispelled his doubts: “I made a special trip to the cinema to appreciate ‘Forrest Gump.’ Even though it’s a fictional story, I believe the good qualities Forrest embodies are always deserving of praise. You are an outstanding director.”

Sophie was very sincere in her tone, which broadened Adrian’s smile, but now was not the time to discuss this.

“I’m very sorry about something,” he said as they were about to reach the end of the corridor.

“Oh?” Sophie looked at him in confusion. Adrian made a gesture, and the few people following him immediately formed a circle around him, her, and her assistant, then the first two went to the door.

Seeing such a setup, Sophie guessed the situation and casually took the sunglasses from her assistant and put them on. As the corridor door was opened, the clicking of business instantly rang out alongside the flash of cameras, and the crowd outside started to get noisy with endless calls of “Mr. Adrian.”

Adrian smiled and nodded but didn’t respond to any questions; he simply escorted Sophie to the outside. Soon the crowd let out a gasp, “It’s Sophie Marceau! Sophie Marceau!”

The camera lenses that had been aimed at Adrian paused for two seconds before immediately turning towards the beautiful woman by his side, followed by a frenzy of shutter clicks. Even Sophie, who had faced countless such situations, was taken aback by their enthusiasm. Thankfully, Adrian took her arm right away, preventing her from freezing on the spot.

“Miss Sophie Marceau, may I ask if you will be playing the leading lady in Mr. Adrian’s new movie?”

“Can you tell us about the new movie, Sophie?”

Various voices overlapped, each one with an eager look, as if they couldn’t wait to shove the microphone into her mouth. And as the airport exit drew closer, the questions asked grew more indecent.

“What is your relationship with Adrian, Sophie?”

“There are rumors you’ve broken up with Andre; is it because of Adrian?”

Hearing such questions, Sophie’s composure nearly faltered as her face slightly changed color. Luckily, the limousine was just a short distance away, and she was the first to get in when the bodyguard opened the car door. Adrian also planned to get in, but a voice shouted out from the crowd, “Are you really not going to say anything, Mr. Adrian?!”

Adrian thought for a moment and finally turned his head, “Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll reluctantly say a few words.”

The noisy scene instantly quieted down, and the reporters all fixed their gaze on him, not wanting to miss a word. Adrian glanced at everyone, then smiled slightly and held up three fingers, “I’ll only say four points.”

“First, the new movie is indeed about a war that took place in the Middle Ages in England.” He bent down the first finger.

“Second, the story of the new movie is just that–a story, not actual history.” The second finger also bent.

“Third, Miss Sophie Marceau is indeed the leading lady in the new movie, and I am delighted to be working with her.” Now the third finger.

“Fourth, she will be playing a princess from France.” The last finger bent down too.

After finishing his words, he didn’t look back and got into the car. The media, catching on, wished to stir up a commotion again; flashbulbs began to flicker, but none of this stopped the camper van from slowly driving away.

“An unexpected start.” Watching the reporters still surrounding the camper van trying to take photos inside, Sophie opposite Adrian said this in a light tone.

“When I arrived, it was very low-key, but I was recognized by the reporters at the airport, you know,” Adrian explained, “I’ve been receiving a lot of attention lately, and since it’s tough for them to get news out of me, that’s why this kind of thing happens.”

Although the crew had always been very tight-lipped, it was inevitable that some information would leak, such as a famous European actress playing the female lead of the movie and her upcoming arrival on the set. Besides, unlike Monica or Julia who have private jet transfers, it was natural for Sophie to draw the attention of the journalists.

“It’s really surprising; you seem more like a celebrity than I do.” Although there was a joking tone in Sophie’s voice, she did not refuse the champagne that Adrian offered her, but her gaze still remained outside the window.

Adrian, sensing something, closed the door of the camper’s liquor cabinet without revealing his feelings and, after a slight contemplation, he pretty much understood. Since he could inquire about Sophie’s news, naturally, she could also learn about his, obviously having heard about those rumors and gossips. But no matter, there was a long future ahead with plenty of time to get along.

After Adrian’s welcome of Sophie at the airport was disclosed by the media, the buzz that had subsided over the new film by the Miracle Director flared up again, especially after Adrian personally confirmed at the airport that it was a war film and that Sophie would be playing a French princess, stirring hot discussions in both the UK and France.

The French were naturally smug, thinking the Miracle Director had a good eye. Although Adrian was dismissive of European films, his reputation among French filmmakers was still pretty good because of “Pulp Fiction” and the Palme d’Or.

“Although Adrian has been moving towards the mainstream in the past two years and has begun to put aside his original edge and sharpness, there are still many excellent works that are eye-catching, like ‘The Professional’ early last year. Even the recently released ‘Forrest Gump’, despite being overly praised, still showed an impressive historical canvas. Adrian always knows how to surprise the audience, and we have every reason to believe that Sophie can display different charms in his film,” read an article in Liberation.

The British, however, were more focused on which French princess Adrian might be filming, turning history upside down to find the suitable character and speculate which battle might be portrayed, mostly zeroing in on the House of Plantagenet. There were many French princesses who had married into England throughout history, but the House of Plantagenet was a cadet branch of the Anjou Dynasty, so the media were generally leaning towards this, with nobody considering the formidable “French Mother Wolf.”

While mainstream media each had their biases, the tabloids in both countries surprisingly agreed on issues like “Sophie has a new love affair, ending cohabitation with Andre” or “Sophie Marceau sparks with the Miracle Director.”

The tabloids’ ability to fabricate such stories was quite formidable, and coupled with the fact that Adrian had previously been involved in rumors with Julia and Monica and was both young and single, these exaggerated stories, some of which were described as if the author was standing right next to the action, still delighted many people and sales of the tabloids soared.

Seeing this, paparazzi naturally wanted to get more news, and journalists who had already left the vicinity of the filming location were again waiting around. But no matter how boisterous they were, the crew never responded; they kept them out and continue to film the movie unhurriedly.

“Look, isn’t it beautiful?” Adrian couldn’t help but exclaim when Sophie Marceau, wearing a golden prop crown, covered in a white sheer veil, and dressed in traditional French attire, stepped out of the trailer.

He then lifted the little girl he was holding in his arms, “What do you think, Emma?”

“Parfait! Parfait!” The little girl clapped her hands joyfully and called out loudly in French. Born in France, although her parents ran between London and Paris, she spent most of her time in Paris at the age of one. Despite returning to the UK after that disaster, she still had some recollection of French, and with Adrian occasionally teaching her a bit of the language, she still remembered some simple words.

Listening to Emma’s praise, Sophie couldn’t help but smile at her, her brown and bright eyes lightly curved, and her gentle demeanor was fully displayed, eliciting admiration.

“Alright, let’s get started.” Adrian said, gesturing for the assistant director and director’s assistant to get ready, while he reached out and stroked Emma’s little head; having this little one around was indeed convenient. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendations at QiDian (NovelFire.net). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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