King of Hollywood
Chapter 424 - 146: Melee

Chapter 424: Chapter 146: Melee

"Hello, Mr. Adrian... Oh, it’s Ed." Scarlett smiled sweetly, her eyes revealing a look of surprise, then she lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied.

She wore a white dress, and even her round-toed low-heeled shoes were white. Her golden long hair was tied at the back of her head with a white handkerchief, and accented with a dark belt and contrasting small accessories, which made her look particularly innocent and pure, like a little angel. Therefore, even though the curtsy was somewhat improper, it did not diminish her cuteness in the slightest.

"How does it feel? Is it any different from walking the red carpet at premieres?" Adrian, like a gentleman, leaned forward slightly and then asked with a smile.

"It’s no different," Scarlett shrugged, her eyes curving as if she was very happy, "just more reporters and celebrities, nothing to be nervous about."

Despite saying this, her constrained expression before Adrian had come over was clearly written all over her face. Although Scarlett was always bold, it was her first time attending the Oscar ceremony and the first time facing so many reporters—those at the premieres were child’s play in comparison. Her mother couldn’t accompany her throughout, so it was natural to feel a bit timid.

At times like these, when a familiar face whom she had a good impression of came to her side, she naturally relaxed a lot. Scarlett hadn’t forgotten that, during the scenes she shot with Tom Cruise, she was very upset because she couldn’t get it right repeatedly; only Adrian, who found her sitting alone, not only comforted her with kind words but also patiently analyzed the problems and continuously encouraged her. Even her father had never been so patient.

Both were artists, and though her father professed his love for her repeatedly, he could not even carve out time to talk to her heart-to-heart. Adrian, although not often, did seriously listen to her worries every time and answered her somewhat naive questions. Since then, Scarlett’s admiration had shifted from celebrities like Cruise to Adrian, especially after she learned of his achievements, which made her admiration grow even bigger.

"Well then, dear Miss Scarlett, if you don’t mind, would you like to join me inside?" Adrian asked, extending his hand.

"It would be an honor." Scarlett quickly and coquettishly placed her small hand in his.

Adrian straightened his chest and casually glanced at a few other women, then led the young girl towards the grand theater. Julia, Gwyneth, and Blanchett all discreetly rolled their eyes at him, while Rachel and Sophie seemed either disappointed or relieved. Although they were dissatisfied with the outcome, it was better than him choosing someone else in front of them, right? So, they didn’t mind too much, but it was different for another person.

Listening to the young girl’s lively talk until they reached their seats, Adrian finally separated from her. Scarlett’s seat was not far from him but also not close.

She truly was a beauty. Adrian thought to himself as he watched the young girl sit down. At her young age, Scarlett’s chest had already developed quite a bit, and her curvaceous figure stood out among her peers. Thinking about her impressive bust in the future, Adrian was very satisfied with his actions.

Be careful, moderate greed is best. He joked to himself in his heart.

As time passed, the start time for the award ceremony drew nearer, and more and more people filled the venue.

"Oh, Kate, you look absolutely beautiful today, how do you feel?" Adrian greeted Blanchett sitting a bit behind him with a smile.

The organizers always knew how to arrange the seats perfectly. This time, Adrian did not have any nominations, but "Jerry Maguire" and "The English Patient," both produced by his company, allowed him to be seated between the two crews.

"Not bad," Blanchett fiddled with a lock of hair by her temple and said faintly, evidently still disgruntled about something that had happened before.

"I’m not satisfied with that answer, this is your first time being nominated for Best Supporting Actress," Adrian reminded her.

"It’s just a nomination, if we’re talking about winning, perhaps that French actress is more deserving," Blanchett let out a snort immediately after speaking and regretted her words, realizing she had somewhat lost her composure.

However, Adrian didn’t tease her using her previous statement, he either chatted with people around him or was lost in his own thoughts, regardless of whether their behavior was because of Adrian or pretense, it at least made her feel somewhat better.

"Don’t worry, the answer will be revealed shortly, and even if you fail, it doesn’t matter. There will be many more opportunities like this," Adrian comforted her, then turned away.

He did indeed want to crack a few more jokes, but considering she was the only one by his side, he decided against it. Indeed, as soon as he turned away, he caught a couple of glances from the corner of his eye. No need to look; Julia and Gwyneth were far from here, and Nicole, although in the front two rows, had not turned her head from start to finish, so it must be Rachel and Sophie sitting by "The English Patient".

Women... Adrian sighed inwardly, the thought of Rachel and Sophie’s usual antics almost made him laugh, was it really true that the best are those you can’t have or are about to lose? Unfortunately, I don’t believe so, so... he shrugged and turned his attention to the stage. Now was not the time for such thoughts; tonight’s award ceremony might lack his works but was nevertheless a fierce battle.

As always, the ceremony began with a dance and song number followed by the host’s humorous interjections. This year’s host was still Billy Crystal, and admittedly, his skill in lightening the mood was top-notch; his few simple words had everyone roaring with laughter.

"You all know, being a host isn’t easy, especially hosting an award ceremony like this. You have to be serious when it’s time to be serious, funny when it’s time to be funny—God, even a circus clown needs time to change costumes," Billy Crystal complained loudly on stage, followed by a roar of laughter from the audience.

Although the night didn’t start with the Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards, it kicked off with various technical awards, and the competition instantly felt intensified. Back in early February at the Golden Globe Awards, "Saving Private Ryan" and "The English Patient" had already clashed, with "Saving Private Ryan" capturing Best Director and "The English Patient" getting Best Picture, a tie of sorts. Now, they were continuing that battle at the Oscar ceremony.

First, "Saving Private Ryan" snagged the sound and sound editing awards, then "The English Patient" claimed art direction and costume design, followed by a tug-of-war over cinematography and editing, eventually splitting the awards as if slicing a cake, with "Saving Private Ryan" capturing Best Cinematography and "The English Patient" securing Best Editing.

"It’s really eye-opening, knowing how to ensure a movie will definitely win an award? It’s simple, make a movie equally outstanding and compete fully with previous works," Crystal couldn’t resist making such a jest on stage.

After these awards, Best Supporting Actor and Actress were finally announced, and much like Adrian remembered, Little Cuba Gooding from "Jerry Maguire," playing the foul-mouthed, reckless American football player who still held his own convictions, clinched the Oscar statuette.

This year’s Best Supporting Actor category lacked strong competitors, Armin Mueller-Stahl was German, and this was his first Oscar nomination, so he was out of contention; Edward Norton, still too young and new to the movie industry, was also a first-time nominee; James Woods was the most mediocre among the candidates, while William H. Macy was good, but Gooding was equally outstanding and his skin color this time played a role in tipping the scales in his favor.

This was a significant encouragement for the "Jerry Maguire" team. Although they didn’t have as many nominations as "The English Patient" and "Saving Private Ryan," they had several, but only clinched their first now, how could they not be relieved? Even Tom Cruise seated in front who rose to congratulate Gooding upon his return had not only their good relationship to credit but also saw a glimpse of winning.

Next up was Best Supporting Actress, and to be honest, both Sophie and Blanchett performed very well. Although Sophie fell slightly short of Juliet Binoche’s original performance, it was just a slight difference, and under his guidance, Blanchett had begun to show her rightful demeanor, but winning might still be a bit challenging. Hollywood isn’t very fond of French actresses, and although this was only Blanchett’s second nomination, as an Australian actress, she had an advantage but was also a first-time nominee unless exceptional circumstances arise, the Film Academy’s judges wouldn’t consider a first-time contender.

Sure enough, standing at the center of the stage, last year’s Best Supporting Actor, Kevin Spacey, loudly announced the name: "Lauren Bacall, ’Double Mirror’!"

The small screen was immediately dominated by Bacall’s aged face as she responded excitedly to the congratulations from those around her, while Adrian sighed deeply in his heart. Bacall’s award was largely based on age and seniority, this actress, who had stood out since the 1920s and became famous in the 1960s, had almost half a century of acting career. When the primary criteria for decision-making failed, these factors became very important.

To Adrian, if it were just about acting, Sophie fully deserved such an Oscar statuette, but unfortunately, she was French. Although it was just for a few seconds, when Bacall’s face expanded to fill the screen, Adrian still noticed Sophie’s disappointment, though when she looked over at "The English Patient" and clapped calmly, Adrian was sure he had not seen it wrong.

It was normal, besides a newcomer award when she was young, she had hardly received any honors, which was one of the reasons Adrian could keep her in hand, but unfortunately, some rules even he could not break now. But that was alright, to have hope was to have expectation, plus...

"It’s really a pity, Kate," Adrian turned around and looked at Blanchett behind him.

"It’s okay." Blanchett was equally calm, as if she wasn’t the woman who had shown anticipation when her name was called.

"Really?" Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Should I be very upset?" Blanchett gave him a glance and then hesitated for a moment before whispering, "You... said before, didn’t you, that there would be plenty of chances."

"Of course, I did say that and I meant it." Watching her complicated expressions, Adrian’s eyes brightened and he chuckled.

Good, just completely let go of your last bit of dignity, and let me knead and shape you further.

Then two important awards followed, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay. "Jerry Maguire" had just competed with "The English Patient" for Best Supporting Actress, and now it had to contest with "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Original Screenplay. Dramatically, after both "Jerry Maguire" and "The English Patient" had just lost for Best Supporting Actress, they lost again in Best Original Screenplay to the Cohen Brothers’ "Fargo", based on a true story.

It was quite amusing. Even Billy Crystal joked on stage, "This is really too bad, as everyone can see, ’The English Patient’ and ’Saving Private Ryan’ have been fiercely competing in every category, but they never win when up against ’Jerry Maguire’, so other movies should hope to be nominated alongside them if they want to win!"

There was a burst of laughter. It was indeed just so, though there were only two awards, such coincidence was almost too incredible. However, Adrian’s focus was elsewhere. Earlier, the Best Adapted Screenplay went to "Sling Blade", a low-budget film directed and acted by Billy Bob Thornton, which was quite niche but artistically solid, and was a deserving winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. However, connecting these two awards, it seemed that the Film Academy was using this to showcase their fairness.

Who knew what they were thinking, didn’t last year’s events explain everything? Oh, of course, the media said it was intentional by the Film Academy, then guess what they would say this time. Leaving the theater hall to the restroom, Adrian thought this while washing his hands at the sink, then a pair of hands reached around from behind him, sliding down and adroitly unzipping his trousers.

"When did you also start liking sudden attacks, Qiqi?" Adrian calmly asked, feeling the tender hands.

"I thought you’d like it." Kirsten’s round face suddenly leaned out from his back, throwing a flirtatious glance at the mirror, especially when she noticed the change in her hand and showed an excited expression.

"Calling me here, it must be something important, right?" Adrian turned around and raised the scrunched paper he had caught in his palm.

"I’ve missed you, Ed," Kirsten immediately showed a wistful expression.

She was dressed in a shoulderless, purplish-red velvet gown, complemented by black sheer stockings and small leather shoes with straps, her golden hair hanging down in soft waves, elegant and generous. Combined with her expression at the moment, she looked irresistibly charming. Before Adrian could speak, she suddenly withdrew her hand, then leaped up, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Little fairy..." Adrian only managed to say this when the girl covered his mouth.

The rustling sounds began, and he didn’t speak much. Since she was so eager, he decided to tease her thoroughly. After all, he had anticipated this and had locked the bathroom door when he came in.

Though the little fairy was exceptionally proactive, how could she possibly overpower Adrian? Soon, she was struggling to catch her breath, but Adrian did not let her go. After another entanglement, he finally left Kirsten, who was kissed into a bewitched stupor, her cheeks flushed with a lack of oxygen.

"Ed, you’re really annoying, always like this." After catching her breath a bit, Kirsten half-opened her watery, sultry eyes and complained discontentedly, her buttocks still gently rubbing against him. Each time it edged lower, a hint of longing flashed in her eyes.

Adrian chuckled lightly, somewhat proudly as he gently slapped her buttocks, another of his conquests. Initially, the other side of the little fairy wasn’t so obvious. She was just precocious, but as her relationship with Adrian deepened step by step, she had to constantly play the good girl in front of her mother and the public. Only in private with him could she show this other side unreservedly, and over time...

"Ed!" Kirsten’s chiding voice was softer, mixed with a cute yet longing expression that would have made anyone else lose control.

But Adrian was different, his smile becoming more playful, "What are you worried about, Qiqi?"

A hint of panic flashed in the girl’s eyes, but she quickly lifted her chin defiantly, "Shouldn’t I be worried?"

"Of course not, a smart and tempting girl like you is rare," Adrian caressed her cheek, "So even if I wanted to, I couldn’t."

"So you admit it?" Kirsten pouted, then showed a resentful expression again, "Why, Ed?"

"Come on, my little fairy, it’s just one more month. Can’t you wait even that long?" Adrian gently kissed her lips, "I wouldn’t mind here, but it would hurt too much for you to even walk afterward."

"One more month?" Kirsten looked at him puzzled, but as he whispered in her ear, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"I promise to make a deep impression, Ed." Her smile was both innocent and alluring.

"I definitely believe that," Adrian bit her delicate earlobe lightly, "But how about making a deep impression on me now?"

"Oh, certainly." Kirsten giggled.

She quickly got down from Adrian and waited until he was seated on the washbasin, then Kirsten bent over with a coquettish smile. Thus, while guests outside speculated and marveled about the awards, Adrian was thoroughly enjoying the little fairy’s oral indulgence in the bathroom. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and support it at qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation.)