King of Hollywood
Chapter 334 - Chapter 334 Chapter 58 The Leisure Chess and the Large Ship

Chapter 334: Chapter 58: The Leisure Chess and the Large Ship Preparing to Accelerate Chapter 334: Chapter 58: The Leisure Chess and the Large Ship Preparing to Accelerate “You, my friend, while everyone else is throwing their celebration parties right after the award ceremony, you choose to do it days later. Are you trying to show off your uniqueness?” In a corner of Adrian’s modern villa, Claude teased his buddy with a laugh.

“Hey, I’ve been running around for company matters. How can you say that? Should I be throwing parties at home every day?” Adrian spread his hands as if he’d been greatly wronged.

Claude laughed out loud, waving his hand dismissively, “Alright, alright, I was just saying. No need to make a big deal out of it, right?”

“If I hear such words again, I’ll kick you out of here,” Adrian threatened, half-joking, half-serious.

“Are you sure?” Claude raised an eyebrow, sweeping the hall with a significant look.

“Uh… okay, just kidding.” Adrian wanted to persist, but when he noticed Sarah, Blanchett, and Gwyneth all looking his way at the same time, he had no choice but to surrender.

How could the women closely related to him not come to such a celebration party? Therefore, aside from Kate, who was unable to attend because of her increasingly large belly, Monica, Julia, Sarah, Liv, Blanchett, and Gwyneth all showed up. In such circumstances, it wasn’t appropriate for Adrian to chat too intimately with them, as it could lead to dissatisfaction among others, and being too cold would dissatisfy those in front of him, let alone if they all came over–that would be even worse.

Monica, Julia, and Sarah might not take it to heart–with Julia possibly feeling slighted–but the other three were a different story. Although Liv always claimed she didn’t mind these things and would often ask Adrian during dates how his other women were, acting as if all this was perfectly normal, from her shyness and reserve after giving her virginity on the beach, and the way she felt after she asked about the other women, suspecting Adrian talked them up too much, she would then seek ‘revenge’ in bed–although it always ended with her in ecstatic agony.

So, only God knew how Liv would react in such a situation, and the same went for Blanchett and Gwyneth. They had some understanding of his affairs but that didn’t mean they were ready to face them. Many people react differently knowing about a situation and seeing it, so acting rashly could turn out to be very bad.

Gwyneth was easier to handle; after all, she still needed him. The new movie adapted from a Jane Austen novel had already started preparation. Blanchett, however, was different; she was a woman with a strong personality. If Adrian hadn’t moved fast, taking advantage of her just-out-of-college obscurity to instill certain concepts and using quite a few tactics to temporarily secure her, it would be extremely difficult to win her over a few years later.

All in all, until he could be sure of what might happen or completely conquer them, Adrian wouldn’t allow the current situation, which was why he rarely hosted parties at home.

But now was an exception. This was a party celebrating his Oscar for Best Director, and not only had he become the youngest ever to win the award, but he had also taken home three and a half trophies in one go. So, he had no choice but to keep Claude by his side all night, pretending to be busy with matters to avoid them.

Besides them, there were also women here who had played friendly matches with Adrian and might do so again in the future. It wasn’t Drew Barrymore, nor was it Cameron Diaz, but Cindy Crawford.

As one of the original supermodels, and with “Sex and the City” premiering a week before the Oscars–not as stunning as “Friends” but under Adrian’s guidance skipping those immature parts–Cindy’s fashion sensibility added a lot of points to the show–the acting was still mediocre–yet the first season’s premiere still garnered quite a few positive reviews, and TNT’s subscriptions increased significantly. Even if the increase didn’t meet expectations, the feedback from audiences made everyone believe the show would be popular.

Cindy, already starting to dabble in film and television, therefore, received more attention in this area, making her attendance at Adrian’s celebration party a given. Since the two were just fooling around, she had no qualms like Monica and the others. Even as Adrian pretended to discuss business with Claude, she still sauntered over and chatted with him. Even though it was just a few words, Adrian could feel certain piercing gazes.

He really was a glutton for punishment. He sneered at himself internally but didn’t take it too seriously. He made these arrangements to prevent certain things from happening, not because he feared them. He was confident he could resolve any unexpected incidents; otherwise, how could he pursue his ambitions?

The only thing that depressed Adrian was that Rachel also attended the party, yet he couldn’t go over and chat with her because of the current situation. “The Rock” had started shooting and “Independence Day” of course hadn’t fallen behind, right in Studio 34, where Rachel played the role of Connie, the ex-wife of Jeff Goldblum’s character and also the White House spokesperson.

After returning from San Francisco, Adrian went to the set of “Independence Day” and had talked with Will Smith and director Roland Emmerich, but Rachel kept a certain distance from him, always making sure to stay within sight of others during their conversations. This gave Adrian a feeling of amusement mixed with helplessness.

Was it that if he talked to her privately, he was going to eat her? He shook his head and sighed in his heart–however, if he thought about it, that was indeed the case. The first time in London, after an afternoon’s chat, he had gotten her into bed; the second time in Prague, because she went out with him, she was dragged into the hotel room by him, albeit reluctantly.

However, he had thought she would refuse the invitation to the party, yet to his surprise, Rachel hesitated for a while before accepting.

“It’s really great that you could accept,” Adrian had said at the time, deliberately using a tone of relief, looking at Rachel intently with a smile. Upon hearing his words, Rachel laughed, a smile that seemed both forced and complex.

He didn’t know if she had sensed anything or what impact this could have on her. When his gaze flicked over to Rachel, Adrian couldn’t help but think this to himself. But now wasn’t the time to talk about it.

“Alright, let’s get down to business,” Adrian waved his hand, swiftly changing the subject, “You mentioned on the phone that you want to increase the amount of financing. Do you mean it, Claude?”

“Although I hate to admit it, unfortunately, we have to do this,” Claude sighed. “Eisner really is a formidable figure who has weathered many storms. Although it’s just a slight advantage, he has managed to maintain it, and the situation doesn’t look good for us.”

Adrian frowned slightly. Since Eisner got the upper hand through rumors, he had maintained this advantage. Claude had tried numerous methods and had managed to turn the situation around for a while, but soon it had been countered again by the other side.

As things stood, the takeover battle had become deadlocked, and ABC had taken the opportunity to make a small fortune. However, getting out of the acquisition was still unlikely. If things continued this way, the prospects for AC Media weren’t looking good, so Claude was thinking of increasing the amount of financing in an attempt to regain the initiative. But if it came to that…

“If you think it’s the right move, then go ahead,” Adrian said after thinking for a few minutes, having made a decision. He wasn’t good at this stuff, so he left everything to Claude’s judgment, “as long as the control of the company remains…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly closed his mouth. A previous idle move suddenly sprang to his mind.

“I think, although Eisner has the ability and is very powerful–he grew Disney from a company worth a dozen billion to its current level–I’m sure he must have enemies inside, right?” Adrian suddenly asked.

“That’s for certain, with his style of micromanaging everything yet insisting on doing so much himself, and his stubborn and autocratic approach, he’s bound to offend many people,” Claude nodded. “It’s not a good idea, Ed. Even if there are dissatisfied people inside Disney, they won’t be dragging Eisner down at this time, unless Eisner makes a serious mistake in his decision-making.”

“What if he has indeed made a serious mistake?” Adrian’s eyes lit up.

“What if he has?” Claude suddenly turned to look at him. “What have you thought of, Ed?”

“He has indeed made a major blunder,” Adrian said with a smile, “Just wait another three months. After the summer season arrives, the executives at Disney will realize how utterly wrong Eisner has been.”

“Three months? Summer block?” Claude asked, puzzled, “What on earth are you talking about?”

“You should remember, Claude,” Adrian’s smile grew even wider, “I did warn you.”

“You mean…” Claude thought carefully for a moment before it came to him, “You’re talking about that!”

“Exactly, that,” Adrian said, nodding without waiting for him to finish. “I said it would be a hit, and it definitely will be a hit. My judgment won’t be wrong. Disney will surely regret their rashness.”

“Okay, okay, you’re the Miracle Director, you’re a gold medal editor, you have the Midas touch, if you say it’ll be a hit, then it surely will be a hit,” Claude sarcastically conceded, then bowed his head in thought. After a few minutes, he looked up again, “I’ve done a rough assessment, if it really becomes very popular and gets the majority of good reviews, it won’t count as a major mistake, but it’ll be enough to throw Disney into chaos for a while.”

“Then let’s just wait and see, we’ll know the result in, at most, three months,” Adrian confidently declared.

Postponing the release to this year’s summer season was originally intended to see if it would affect the acquisition battle. Unexpectedly, not only did it play a role, but it could also potentially become the key to turning the situation around; it seemed God was still on his side.

Despite this, a more detailed assessment still required thorough data, so the next day Adrian returned to the office to start compiling the information Claude needed.

As for what ultimately happened at the party, it wasn’t much really. The women all left quietly one after the other. Monica was the first to go, then came Sarah, followed by Julia, then Blanchett and Gwyneth, with Liv trailing last.

Adrian always managed to appear by their side when they were leaving, and then he escorted them out. The only time he was alone with them during the entire party was when they said their goodbyes, and he didn’t say more than ten sentences in total. The women, being smart, didn’t say much either, bidding him farewell in their own ways.

Monica and Sarah both gave him a kiss, neither passionate nor cold; Julia took advantage of his distraction and elbowed him gently in the ribs; Blanchett kept a few inches of distance and gave him a courteous hug before getting into her car; Gwyneth just smiled and hooked his arm, walking him to the door with no further gestures; it was only Liv who was still giggling with an air of nonchalance and shook Adrian’s arm, wanting to linger.

Of course, this was a joke. Her mother, Bibi Bill, had warned her several times to go back home after everything was over. In the end, Adrian was left to spend the night “lonely” and “solitary.” Oh, and Charlize was there too, but alas, she had gone to rest in her room before the party ended, which was a great pity and frustration.

As for Rachel, she left before Gwyneth. Adrian escorted her to the door as well, but they kept an even greater distance than Blanchett, and apart from a “goodbye,” they exchanged no words from beginning to end.

Now, let us return our gaze to Adrian’s office, where apart from compiling the necessary data for Claude, he was also negotiating with a certain individual who had agreed to discuss that sensational masterpiece.

“The interior looks good, especially these details; they’re almost indistinguishable from the original. I can imagine how much effort you’ve put into this,” Adrian praised, holding two photos of a room’s interior, one colored and one black and white, comparing them for a long time.

“Of course, attention to detail is crucial when producing such a grand and excellent film,” James Cameron said proudly, but then let out a sigh, “I’ve decided to build only half of the cabins; we’ll just flip them during shooting.”

James Cameron, after several months of surveying the Atlantic, had returned to Los Angeles by the end of January and immediately rushed off to Mexico to select a location to start building a 1:1 scale model of the big ship. The chosen place was still Rosarito by the Pacific, a location with wide-open terrain and nice scenery. More importantly, the costs were significantly lower than in California; if it had been San Jose or San Diego, just the rental fees for the site alone would have been painfully high.

“Oh?” Adrian raised his eyebrows in some surprise, then showed a slightly teasing smile, “I never thought you’d be frugal, Jim. Why didn’t you think of this when you were exploring the wreckage of the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic?”

“I know,” Cameron suddenly coughed, “Just because I spent too much at that time, that’s why I… You can’t blame me, Ed. When you go deep into the sea and observe the wreckage of that big ship at a never-before-seen distance, you can’t describe the overwhelming feeling. The Titanic truly was a pinnacle of industrial achievement at that time.”

“Yes, yes, just like, I actually don’t want to buy this thing, but it’s just so exceptional that I’m forced to pay up–this excuse sounds so familiar. Let me think…” Adrian tapped his temple with his finger, then showed a look of sudden realization, “women often say this when they go shopping and sweep through the stores.”

“Alright, Ed, I’ve already decided to reduce the shooting budget. What more do you want? Is exceeding the budget the right approach?” Cameron spread his hands in a somewhat helpless gesture.

“When will shooting approximately start?” Adrian asked with a smile, changing the subject. Cameron had already talked about this at the party last night, but due to certain matters, he was invited to discuss it today.

“We can start by the latest in the summer vacation.” Cameron considered briefly before giving an answer.

“If it’s settled, remember to notify me to transfer the third installment of funds into the account.” Adrian nodded; he had promised to invest two hundred million but in installments. This wasn’t just because he couldn’t come up with the funds all at once, but also because Adrian was certain that if it was transferred in one go, Cameron would definitely spend it freely without hesitation.

“Is it time to prepare for casting next?” he then inquired.

“Yes–do you have the right candidates in mind?” Cameron, of course, understood what Adrian meant.

“Almost. I’ve already thought of the female lead; I’m still deliberating among a few options for the male lead.” Adrian nodded, “Let’s do this: you conduct a few small-scale auditions and get a more concrete image of the characters. After I’m done with the production of the new movie, we’ll have a full discussion.”

“No problem.” Cameron immediately agreed.

The conversation ended there, and after Cameron left, Adrian immediately got down to writing detailed feedback for Claude about what had been discussed at the party, to make sure Claude understood his perspective and could maximize the benefits.

As for “Titanic,” the epic film, it had been entirely handed over to Cameron now, with the only concern being money. The man might burn through cash, but he produced quality films. As for the male and female leads, he was actually still hesitant about the male lead. Leonardo was certainly fine, but why not give the opportunity to someone from their own circle? Of course, this still depended on what Cameron thought, because the female lead was already decided, and he didn’t intend to hand it over to anyone else.

Adrian wasn’t really interested in “Fert;” in his opinion, Rachel’s level of plumpness was already enough. If it wasn’t for having other plans for Rachel, he would have seriously considered letting her try for the role.

“Mr. Adrian.” The answering machine on his desk rang, and Charlize’s business-like tone came through, making Adrian shake his head with a bit of a smile. But her next sentence made his smile unfathomable, “Miss Kirsten is here.”

“Let her in,” he said, stroking his chin.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)