King of Hollywood

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Two more days passed, and the filming of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" was finally completed, making the whole crew cheer with joy. For the second- and third-tier actors involved, no longer having to endure the torment of this "terrifying" director was indeed a blessing. The crew members who had to continue weren't so lucky, although Adrian "mercifully" gave them two days off. However,...

"Rest as much as you can, the upcoming period will be even more hectic, and I will squeeze every ounce of energy out of you," Adrian announced, with Dennis also included.

"Even if you can't help much professionally, offering some services shouldn't be too hard, right? There's no choice, the budget and manpower are insufficient, and this is your field anyway," Adrian said persuasively, causing Dennis, who had planned to have a good time in London for a few days, to dismiss the idea.

Adrian didn't want it this way either, but as he told Dennis, there weren't enough people, and he had to handle all the post-editing himself. With time running tight and less than a month before the Venice Film Festival registration deadline, he had to let Dennis and a few other staff take care of all the trivial matters, allowing him to seize every moment for editing.

"The day after tomorrow at this time, I'll probably be working frantically in a studio in London," Adrian sighed after checking the time, "Make the most of your rest."

After counting his belongings, he walked out of the room and into the hotel's reception hall, leaning against the door to gaze at the street's scenery. After about ten minutes, he checked the time again and started counting in his mind. When he reached fifty, the person he was waiting for appeared at the staircase of the hotel.

"Hello, Miss Bequina," Adrian waved in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Cowell," Katherine, carrying a bag, nodded with a smile but with no other expression.

"I thought you had gone back. Your mother called the day before yesterday. From her tone, it seemed if you didn't return soon, she would come here herself," Adrian joked.

"She always does that," Katherine laughed and shrugged, then changed the subject: "Honestly, if you hadn't been deliberately difficult, I might have gone back earlier."

"Hey, we agreed that we're even," Adrian reminded, seemingly a bit annoyed, causing Katherine to chuckle as she waved her right hand, "Okay, we're even, I won't mention it again."

"Are you in a hurry to go back? If not, how about a cup of tea together?" Adrian asked.

A surprised expression flashed across Katherine's face, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded, "Alright, then."

They chatted as they walked around the street, eventually finding a cozy little café.

"You mean to say that from the start of filming until now, you haven't had a chance to browse around this little town, Mr. Cowell?" Katherine asked curiously after dismissing the waiter.

"Just call me Ed. Titles like 'Mr.' and 'Miss' are too formal," Adrian laughed.

"Okay, Ed, you can call me Kate. That's what my friends call me," Katherine didn't refuse.

"You've probably heard that due to some reasons, I've been rushing the filming. Besides, I still need to write some novel fragments or outlines of scripts I conceive daily. Except for filming needs, I hardly ever go outside," Adrian explained.

"You know, Ed, you truly are a strange person. While making a film, you're also writing novels—amazingly well, and you can conceive an interesting idea in such a short time." A slight blush appeared on Katherine's face as she spoke.

"I've wasted way too much time before, so I want to make up for it," Adrian shrugged, "Besides, 'strange' isn't exactly a compliment. I don't think I'm comparable to those guys who like to dye their hair in bright colors, wear black leather jackets, and ride Harleys around, or those who sit at the street corner all day in checkered shirts and straw hats watching pretty girls."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh, "I never said that; you're the one saying it."

She then looked at Adrian with interest, "Honestly, you seem quite different from the previous days."

"I've been resting for two days, setting aside things that trouble me—naturally, I'd be different," Adrian suddenly sighed, "But it's only for these two days. Once back in London, the post-production work will start again. Damn, I haven't been to London since my grandmother died; I really want to walk around."

"Was your grandmother British?" Katherine asked curiously.

"When I was a kid, I often traveled between Los Angeles and London, and apart from my parents, I was closest to her," Adrian nodded.

"No wonder your London accent is so good."

"If you'd like to hear, I can do a bit of Oxfordshire or Cornwall accents too."

With that, the conversation started to flow. Although they mostly talked about trivial life matters and whatever came to mind, they were still engaged in warm discussion. With their tea, a few low chuckles would occasionally arise, and the sun, rare as it was, peeked through the thick clouds, casting a warm hue into the otherwise quiet café.

"So, why is it that you must participate in the Venice Film Festival? There isn't only one film festival in the world. You could take your time and enter another festival once it's better made," Katherine brought the conversation to the film.

"Because of time, I wasted a lot of time," Adrian sighed.

"Wasted a lot of time?" Katherine was puzzled.

"Yes," Adrian lowered his eyes and flexed his fingers, "My parents died two years ago, a plane crash."

Katherine gasped softly.

"I'm very sorry," she said.

"It's alright, things are much better now, but..." Adrian looked out the window, the street much brighter with sunlight trickling through the thick clouds, "I drank heavily for two straight years, slept late every day, went out messing around, and came back in the early morning to an empty home."

Katherine fell silent as if she had been stirred by some memories.

"I understand," she said softly, "My father died when I was six. He was a great comedian, frequently let me ride on his shoulders and took me to the set to play... Even though it's been over ten years, whenever I think of it, I still feel... I developed anorexia because of it..."

Here, Katherine suddenly waved her hand, and her brows knit together, a flicker of irritation crossing her pretty face. She rummaged through her bag for a cigarette, drew one out, and put it between her lips, flicking the lighter open.

Having taken all this in, Adrian suddenly reached out and took the cigarette from her mouth, "That's not a good habit."

"What are you doing?" Katherine looked at him, astonished.

"Smoking does you no good," Adrian said casually.

"What I want to do is my business," Katherine was growing angry.

"The harms of smoking for women greatly outweigh those for men. Kate, you're so beautiful; how could you let cigarettes diminish that beauty?" Adrian didn't seem to notice her anger.

"I think smoking is my business and has nothing to do with you!" Katherine's tone became irate.

"Yes, I know, but, Kate, smoking won't stop you from missing your father, just like no amount of drinking could change the facts when I woke up the next day," Adrian spoke sincerely, gently holding Katherine's hand, "Try another way. I don't think your father would want to see his daughter addicted to smoking."

His thumb slowly stroked the back of Katherine's hand.

Looking at Adrian, Katherine was silent for a long while before finally standing up and gently withdrawing her hand. She picked up the cigarette from the table and toyed with it. Adrian didn't stop her or say anything further.

"I think I should go," Katherine said softly.

"I'll walk you out," Adrian nodded, settled the bill, and saw her to the street, hailing a taxi for her.

"For a time, I was a heavy smoker, but later quit under my mom and stepfather's supervision. My stepfather told me the same thing," as she opened the car door, Katherine said to Adrian, her bright eyes flashing with a mysterious light, "Today, it just suddenly...struck a chord... Thank you, Ed."

"My pleasure," Adrian smiled.

Watching her get into the car and leave, until the taxi disappeared at the end of the street, Adrian finally retracted his gaze. Progress was good; she listened to him and wasn't angry about his somewhat inappropriate act, indicating that he already had a place in her heart, besides...

Adrian lowered his head and gently rubbed his fingers as if he could still feel the soft skin of Katherine's hand. Generally speaking, if a woman doesn't dislike a man's touch on the back of her hand, she likely feels something for him.

A woman's hand is far more sensitive than a man's, especially the area between the thumb and forefinger. A man can judge a woman's feelings towards him based on stroking there. Though Adrian was slightly opportunistic, Katherine's response explained it all.

"Alright, this is wrapped up for now, finish the more important things first," Adrian muttered while looking at his fingers, shrugged, clenched his fist, tidied up his clothes, and walked back toward the hotel.

After resting for another night, Adrian brought his team back to London. Due to budget constraints, the rented studio was a mess and small, but it didn't bother him.

"We're here to work, not enjoy ourselves. Even if the conditions were worse, we must continue and not fall on the road to victory," Adrian encouraged everyone in the chaotic editing room.

He wasn't without money to rent a better studio; Wilson, the lawyer, had just left London, and they had agreed on terms with Universal for the two scripts. Even a tenth of what they offered would be enough. But Adrian didn't do that, sticking to the plan, and even after returning to London, he continued staying in a small hotel with his staff.

$200,000 had already exceeded what he remembered as the cost of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Should there be additional investment? That's not a good habit. Just as he previously considered, if this still overran the budget, how could he make films in the future? Guy Ritchie could edit this film in a small studio—why couldn't he?

(Speaking of which, you guessed it too well, specially translated the surname and first name separately...)

"""