King of Hollywood

It was hard to describe Kate's feelings when, after more than eight hours, she opened the door and saw Adrian exhausted and travel-worn. She stood in the doorway for several minutes, then rubbed her eyes incredulously, screamed, and leapt into Adrian's arms. Her exuberant leap pushed Adrian back several steps before he could steady himself.

And it didn't stop there. The next second she sealed Adrian's lips with her own, continuing to passionately kiss him, uncaring of the saliva exchanged for minutes on end. She ignored the expressions of the passing pedestrians and her family standing at the door, as if this was the only way to express her overwhelming joy.

"I can't believe it... I can't believe... you... you're really here in front of me..." Kate cradled Adrian's face, too excited to form coherent sentences, her bright eyes shining with tears.

"You wanted me to come, so here I am," Adrian shrugged, offering a weary smile, "Besides, I'm on vacation right now, and it's quite convenient to get to London."

This brought another unabashed, passionate kiss from Kate. Women are like this, especially young women whose minds are clouded by love and emotions. Once their lovers show they place them foremost in their hearts, they are overwhelmingly touched. And if their lovers present it as if it's a trivial matter and convey that they can do it any time, it makes them feel even more satisfied.

Adrian, having lived two lifetimes, was all too familiar with these tactics.

In the following three or four days, Kate naturally took leave from school to spend every moment with Adrian. They traveled everywhere, even going to the northernmost part of Britain to see the sea. Even when her mother reminded her over the phone not to stay out for too long, she simply replied with, "I'm an adult now."

However, four days later, Adrian had to return to Los Angeles, as Laverne called to remind him about the weekend party at the Baccarat Hotel. As both the company's boss and the director and producer of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Memento," Adrian couldn't refuse, especially since there were important matters at the party. So even though they both felt it was too soon, they kissed goodbye at Heathrow International Airport.

"Hello, Mr. Adrian, so glad to see you." As Adrian handed his car keys to the valet, the lobby manager, who was waiting, greeted him warmly.

"Hi, Mabusi. How have you been?" Adrian smiled and greeted back. During that wild period, he became acquainted with managers of most famous hotels in Los Angeles, which was an asset.

"The same as always," Mabusi shrugged, "Is there anything I can assist you with today? It seems you..."

He glanced behind Adrian, a bit surprised, but Adrian, though amused, didn't show it.

"No, I have a gathering here, in the Blue Hall on the seventh floor," Adrian explained simply.

"Blue Hall?" As the lobby manager, Mabusi knew the kind of people meeting in the Blue Hall and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. The Playboy seemed to have changed. Of course, being observant, he wouldn't say more and discreetly stepped aside with a nod.

Adrian didn't say anything more either; he patted Mabusi's shoulder and headed towards the elevators. He quickly reached the seventh floor, gave his name to the attendant at the door, and walked into the Blue Hall, where the party had just begun.

The Blue Hall was moderately populated, with guests mingling in groups, holding glasses as they conversed. Most of them were employees of Bossworth Film Company, with a few being invited guests: first and second-tier actors and actresses, producers, and directors from various companies.

Parties are an integral part of American life; those labeled party animals often attend multiple events in one evening without feeling tired. However, parties are not just for revelry. Charity banquets, political fundraisers, social gatherings—all fall under the party umbrella. In some instances, parties are important social occasions that are instrumental in networking, such as this one, which had a significant number of Universal personnel.

"Hi, Ed, you're late." Branet Erwin was the first to spot Adrian, coming over with a broad smile to shake his hand.

"Sorry, I needed to adjust to the time difference, and the traffic wasn't too great on the way here," Adrian shrugged and glanced around, "It seems I'm not the last one."

"You won't be disappointed." Knowing what he was thinking, Branet patted his arm before leading him to a man of about forty-five or six.

"This is our general manager, Mr. Elaine Edo," Branet introduced.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Edo." Adrian smiled and extended his hand.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Cowell. Please, call me Elaine," the other replied with the same smile. "Although I know you're young, I was still amazed. Is it truly a young man's world now?"

"It's just a small achievement; I must work harder—you can call me Adrian."

"This is no small achievement, Adrian. Almost no director can produce two low-budget, high-grossing films within a year and win awards at various festivals. False modesty is arrogance."

"I'm just speaking the truth, Elaine. I don't deny my accomplishments are great, but I won't disregard others' contributions. Without my production team, without the excellent general manager, without Universal's distribution, who knows if I'd achieve such success?"

After some mutual praise and probing, Elaine excused himself, and Branet, who had been nearby, came over again: "Looks like you two had a good chat."

"Indeed, Universal has an outstanding general manager, I've learned a lot," Adrian nodded, "By the way, Branet, I haven't congratulated you on your promotion to department manager."

"I just got lucky," Branet shrugged, "Happened to cross paths with you."

They exchanged a look and laughed. They both knew that if only Branet had dealings with Adrian at Universal, he wouldn't be present today.

"Let's cut to the chase, which movie do you want me to direct? 'Scream'? Or 'American Pie'?" Adrian got straight to the point.

"Your choice," Branet spread his hands, "Both films are almost ready in pre-production. You can choose either to direct, and if you have any thoughts on the cast or anything else, feel free to say."

"Truly generous; I doubt many would say no." Adrian smiled. The offer from Universal stemmed from his achievement of producing two critical and commercial successes within a year and the screenplays he sold previously.

For instance, the high school comedy "10 Things I Hate About You," sold to Universal, was released in late January this year and grossed $42 million on a little over $10 million budget. Other studios, besides Warner, also profited one way or another. Warner, working with Adrian's provided suggestions, invited Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner to star in "The Bodyguard." Despite substantial investment necessitating moving it to this summer's release for optimal performance, those who attended screenings felt it was excellent.

As a result, Adrian's stature among the upper management of movie companies rose. With proximity advantages, Universal naturally sought to win him over further.

"So you agree?" Branet quickly asked.

"I'm sorry, Branet, though the terms are tempting, I already have other plans." Adrian shook his head, declining the offer, as being courted was still far from admiration.

"I remember you told me in London last year, no one understands your screenplay better than you." Branet persisted in persuading.

"Really sorry, Branet. At another time, I'd surely consider it, but I've already got other arrangements now." Adrian's response was sincere, "A new film is already in the works."

With that, Branet had little else to say, especially since Adrian owned his own film company.

"A new film? Your energy is impressive—the second work hasn't even finished its run," he quipped, "Alright, let's hope for collaboration in the future."

"Maybe we can collaborate now," Adrian suddenly suggested, "though in a different way."

"A different way?" Branet asked, puzzled.

"The investment for my new film is significantly larger than the past two. Maybe Universal could consider participating?" Adrian proposed with a smile.

Branet's eyes lit up immediately: "Could I know what kind of movie you're planning to make?"

"A drama, adapted from Stephen King's novella in 'Different Seasons,' specifically the second story: 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,'" Adrian calmly revealed.

"Didn't expect you'd set your sights on Stephen King," Branet exclaimed, "I need to discuss with Mr. Elaine, Ed, but I believe it should be no problem."

"I believe so, too," Adrian nodded. With the successes of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Memento," plus several previous screenplays, securing investment from a major company like Universal was straightforward.

However, what expressions they would have after a financial loss remained unknown to Adrian. Even though "The Shawshank Redemption" is acclaimed as the most perfect film in history and largely merits the title, few know that its initial box office was less than $30 million despite a production budget around $25 million.

(Your daily course, seeking recommendation, and seeking collection)