King of Hollywood

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"...Red tea?" After a long pause, Catherine finally uttered a word, her face maintaining a blank expression as she stared at the coffee pot in Adrian's hand, as if she didn't know what the word meant.

Adrian helplessly shrugged and poured the red tea from the pot into the cup he held, then raised it, "Red tea."

After speaking, he brought the cup to his lips and was about to take a sip when he suddenly sensed something, closely observed it, and sniffed it before abruptly flinging the cup away.

"Damn it! Bloody hell!" Adrian shouted, dodging the liquid splashing from the cup when it hit the ground. The coffee pot in his hands clattered with his movements as if the "red tea" was about to overflow from it.

Without thinking, Adrian also threw the coffee pot away, continuing to shout angrily while dodging the splattering liquid from the pot. His manner was both embarrassed and peculiar.

Catherine stared dumbfounded at everything unfolding in front of her, and when she finally understood, she burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?!" Adrian snapped, brushing off his clothes and glaring at her, not anticipating that Catherine would laugh even harder, eventually leaning against the wall and laughing heartily, as if she hadn't been this happy in ages.

Adrian raised his hand wanting to say something, but finally could only stand with his hands on his hips and an annoyed expression, watching her.

"Sorry... I'm sorry... I just..." Catherine finally managed to control her emotions, but after one glance at Adrian, she couldn't help but burst into laughter again, her eyes still slightly red from earlier crying, making her look incredibly odd.

"Alright, alright, I'm done." Seeing Adrian's face begin to frost over, Catherine finally restrained herself.

Adrian then looked at Catherine and then at the coffee pot and cup on the floor, feeling a rush of depression. To think he could grab the wrong coffee pot so carelessly! Truly... damn it!

He pressed his lips together and said no more. As he didn't speak, Catherine also remained silent, and the room fell into a sudden quiet. The two merely stared at each other, a strange atmosphere spreading.

Finally, after a long time, Adrian coughed lightly, "Alright, let's call it even—this time, I mean it."

Catherine tilted her head and looked at him for a long time, "Okay, let's call it even."

Not sure if she recalled Adrian's earlier embarrassment, her eyes curved again, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Still, to spare Adrian's feelings, she slightly averted her head, though a few giggles occasionally escaped her fingers.

Adrian wasn't angry; he merely gazed at the girl's face. At this moment, Catherine held a special allure, her features were quite delicate, with clear eyes and refined brows, blending Western and Eastern characteristics, likely a mixed-race child. If not for needing to appear shabby for the film, with just a hint of makeup, she would undoubtedly be a very pretty and elegant girl. Though the light streaming through the window wasn't bright, it cast a youthful beauty across her face.

"What are you looking at?" Catherine noticed Adrian's gaze, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"You're very pretty, Miss Bequina." Adrian didn't hide his opinion.

"Um... thank you." Catherine reached up to scratch her cheek, seeming somewhat embarrassed.

"I mean it," Adrian continued looking at her, "If you applied a little makeup and dressed up slightly, you'd surely charm many."

"Hey, I say, are you trying to hit on me?" Catherine suddenly placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she looked at him.

Adrian didn't say anything, folding his arms and staring at her for several minutes until Catherine showed a dissatisfied look before he shrugged, "Alright, we should head back; break time is over, and filming must continue."

Saying this, he led the way toward the door, leaving Catherine a bit bewildered, but she immediately followed after him.

She's the one, I want her! After stepping out of the room, Adrian glanced at the shadow trailing behind him and said this to himself in his mind.

The filming of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" was quickly nearing its end. It was a wise decision for Adrian to leave those fragmented shots in the room for the last, as the actors who already developed some degree of understanding were unlikely to have issues cooperating, so it didn't differ from other times. Of course, changes occurred, such as Mr. Director's improved attitude toward that girl serving as a temporary actress. However, no one asked why—after all, it wasn't any of their business, right?

"Do you know why I wanted you to do it this way?" After calling for a break, Adrian walked over to Catherine. She still had her hair puffed up and wore a Bohemian-style floral dress, only now holding—or rather, wielding—a machine gun!

"Um... you want... to create a contrast." Catherine pondered before answering.

"Correct, a frail and erratic girl who is easily ignored suddenly stands up, raises a machine gun, and rapidly shoots; such a strong contrast is both striking and very funny," Adrian patiently explained, "During post-production, I'll transform this scene into slow motion. You wouldn't want to see yourself in a hesitant state, would you?"

"Oh, of course." Catherine hurriedly said, "I understand you now, I promise not to make the same mistake again."

"Good, basically, don't think too much, just act like you're venting, holding the machine gun and pulling the trigger." Adrian nodded, turning to call for the next shot.

An assistant approached at this moment, "Mr. Adrian, a gentleman is looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

"Yes, he said he was…" The assistant glanced around, leaned in, and whispered a few words.

Adrian nodded and changed his decision, "Let's take a 20-minute break."

After saying this, he followed the assistant swiftly out of the crowd, arriving soon at the director's rest area. Extending his hand to the man he had met once before, he said, "Hello, Mr. Branet, nice to see you here."

"I'm also pleased to see you again, Mr. Adrian." Branet Erwin from Universal Pictures' Script Development Department smiled and shook his hand, "Frankly, it's not easy to find you here, why not film in London?"

"The story takes place in East London. You might know that the security situation there has always been less than ideal." Adrian simply explained. In fact, this wasn't the main reason; the main reason was that filming in the suburbs was cheaper! From this point, Adrian spared no effort to keep costs within $200,000.

Of course, such reasons couldn't be disclosed, so after exchanging a few phrases like "It's just in the outskirts of London" and "It still counts as a London-based story," the two sat down at a small table to discuss business.

"So, have you considered it?" Adrian poured coffee for himself and Branet from the coffee pot, his gaze wandering afar, where Catherine from the crowd also looked over. Upon seeing his actions, she gave an exasperated eyeroll.

Adrian chuckled lightly, handing the cup to Branet.

"We have considered it carefully, and a price of half a million for two scripts is acceptable. However, we also hope Mr. Adrian can ensure the creation of further sequels." Branet took a draft agreement from his briefcase.

"You're considering sequels this soon?" Adrian skimmed through the contract with slight surprise.

"We all believe that's the right decision." Branet shrugged.

"Maybe..." Adrian furrowed his brow slightly as he replied. Generally, according to Hollywood rules, deciding to make a sequel for a movie usually only happens after the first-week box office results come out post-release. After all, making movies is sometimes like gambling, profits or losses only revealing at the last moment, no reason it should fail for him.

He obviously forgot how surprising his approach was, as making movies might indeed be akin to gambling, but producers in movie companies firstly evaluate the potential of profit or loss after receiving a script, clearly distinguishing which films might lose money, which might be profitable, and which could be smash hits. Although judgments aren't 100% accurate, they range between 70%-80%; otherwise, given Hollywood's rate of several hundred films released annually—not to mention independent films—they would have long been bankrupt.

Now, a young man had simultaneously presented four scripts, all evaluated with high potential for profit, especially "The Bodyguard" falling into Warner's hands, not to mention the two even superior scripts.

"American Pie" needs no explanation; though it's one of those crude comedies full of toilet humor, it appears incredibly authentic. For young Americans with similar experiences, it's undoubtedly a highly enjoyable film; while "Scream," a film discussing a horror movie within a horror movie, and extensively detailing survival rules, is an extraordinary idea. It also subtly touches upon the impact of horror movies on teenagers, with significant potential to achieve both box office success and acclaim.

In such ways, no film company could underestimate Adrian, who brought forth these six scripts, as this is also part of Hollywood's rules—pragmatism.

As long as you demonstrate value, as long as you bring them benefits, they will appreciate you, engage with you, and cater to you. But once you lose your value, they will also abandon you without hesitation.

Adrian might not have realized this temporarily, but he'd understand eventually, given his goal was the entire Hollywood. Currently, he had noticed another problem from the draft agreement in front of him.

"Priority purchase rights for sequel scripts at the same price, and a deadline for delivery once production is decided..." Adrian placed the draft agreement back on the table, smiling at Branet, "This deal isn't exactly favorable, Mr. Branet!"

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