King of Hollywood
Chapter 429 - 151: Tales of the Banquet

Chapter 429: Chapter 151: Tales of the Banquet

In the spacious hall, gentlemen and ladies in their finest attire sat around round tables, applauding and cheering from time to time for the man in the center of the stage who was delivering a rapid-fire series of witty remarks. However, this middle-aged man was not the steward of the United Countries, but a talk show host of ABC Television’s currently most popular show: Jon Stewart.

"... Then the father approached the president of the World Bank and said, ’I can recommend a vice president for you’; to which the president replied, ’I already have enough vice presidents’; the father immediately said, ’But this young man is Bill Gates’ son-in-law!’ The president immediately said, ’That’s wonderful! You see, this is how many deals in the world are made.’" Despite Stewart’s jesting, the audience once again burst into laughter and applause, and the object of the joke also smiled and shook his head as he clapped.

Bill Gates was not the first person he had teased, as countless others before him had been subjected to his witty commentary, including the Clintons. Although the event was attended by many celebrities and was broadcast live on television, the basic tone of the routine press reception was light-hearted, and it was standard for someone to do a spot of stand-up comedy, as long as the topics weren’t too extreme.

But he was definitely the last person to be teased by Stewart; after finishing this joke, the routine talk show also came to an end, and the television broadcast was temporarily paused, following which it was time for free activities.

"Congratulations, Mr. President, although it seems a bit late to say congratulations now, it’s surely more formal to do so in person than via a phone call or a card, right?" Adrian, wearing a bow tie and dressed in black tie, shook hands with Clinton politely, with a serious and respectful tone.

"Thank you, Mr. Adrian, it’s not too late at all," Clinton said, beaming with a look of proud satisfaction.

He certainly had reason to be proud; not only was he the second Democratic president to be re-elected since Roosevelt, but his luck had also been quite good. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, people began to focus more on life, and with a keen sense of the rise of the IT industry, he seized the opportunity to promote the construction of the information superhighway, making the United States seemingly better than it had ever been, and all this had become his achievement, just that...

Adrian casually glanced around with an impassive expression, having paid attention to this during his time at the White House but unfortunately was unable to see that famous White House intern.

"Who is this?" Clinton’s eyes lit up as he looked at the beautiful woman on his arm.

"Let me introduce you, this is Charlize Theron, my assistant secretary," Adrian promptly started the introductions.

Like him, Charlize was also in a black dress with semi-transparent sections around certain areas, complemented by long gloves and some jewelry decorations, exuding a mysterious beauty while still looking dignified and elegant.

The reason she was accompanying him to the cocktail party was because... well, it’s an honor to be invited to the White House for a dinner, even though this dinner wasn’t held at the White House—it was at the Hilton Hotel on [ ] Street. The White House itself isn’t that big and can’t entertain so many guests. Where else could it be arranged if not at a hotel? Surely they shouldn’t have a BBQ on the lawn? Although, indeed a U.S. president had done that before.

But the issue was, who was it appropriate for Adrian to bring? In terms of fame and experience, Julia was pretty much back on the throne of the box office queen, and she could be expected to join the $20 million club any day now, fitting to attend the cocktail party on her own; in terms of intimacy, Kate had given birth to a daughter, and no one was closer to Adrian than her; yet, when it came to being considerate and compliant, Monica and Sarah were the perfect candidates.

Besides, even if the other women weren’t suitable, they’d likely be jealous, analogous to spending important holidays with someone—if the choice wasn’t convincing enough, it would cause unnecessary trouble. That’s the worry with having many women, but Adrian had always enjoyed this kind of trouble. However, more importantly, the routine cocktail party was broadcast live on television, and whoever Adrian brought would probably be the talk of the gossip columns the next day, which was the real headache. So, after much thought, he decided not to bring anyone and chose Charlize instead. There shouldn’t be any gossip about bringing one’s assistant secretary to the event, right?

"It seems, Mr. Adrian, that you truly live up to your reputation as a workaholic, bringing your secretary even here," Clinton joked half-heartedly, then extended his hand to Charlize: "I’m glad you could attend the cocktail party, Miss Theron, and I hope you find it all satisfactory. Frankly, you are truly beautiful, like a pristine pearl."

"Thank you for your compliment, Mr. President," Charlize replied, promptly withdrawing her hand with composure.

"I’m sorry, Mr. President," Adrian chuckled as he interjected, "a pearl is not sufficiently descriptive to capture Charli’s beauty, I usually refer to her as the ’South African Beauty Diamond.’ Incidentally, she’s from South Africa."

"Really? That is indeed a fitting adjective, Mr. Adrian truly is an outstanding artist." Clinton even winked at him as he said this.

Adrian was momentarily taken aback but then he understood the meaning, since Clinton was aware of his workaholic reputation, he would naturally also know about those romantic escapades. He wasn’t exactly a good man himself, and that White House intern was but one of the many fleeting lovers—naturally, there would be a sort of understanding reserved only for men.

"Obviously, some things have not been concealed well enough, thankfully no one has confronted me with evidence, otherwise denying it would be quite disastrous, wouldn’t it?" Adrian replied off-topic with a laugh, giving him a meaningful look, and Clinton’s face also flashed a look of surprise.

Truth be told, his impeachment was entirely undeserved; it’s an unwritten political rule for interns to provide services to some important figures, all under the guise of one-night stands, of course. Clinton was impeached for lying, not for having an affair with a White House intern. Which prominent figure doesn’t have a few lovers? Even Bill Gates had so-called intimate female friends.

But who could blame him for infringing on certain people’s interests? Being framed in such a way was nothing unusual. As Claude had said, the President of the United States is just a glorified butler, and getting him out of office isn’t all that difficult.

However, Clinton also had his backers, like the booming IT companies that benefited from the Information Superhighway Act, plus the public had a favorable impression of him, and various other factors combined, so the impeachment ultimately fizzled out. That’s why Adrian gave Clinton such an oblique hint, even though the latter wouldn’t be too troubled without his reminder—taking something from someone and playing up to them was, after all, something he enjoyed doing, right?

"I suppose Miss Charlize must be very capable if Mr. Adrian keeps her by his side," a voice chirped in from the side, no need to look to know it was Clinton’s wife, Hilary.

She spoke with a smile, then glanced nonchalantly at her husband, who’s eyes briefly betrayed a look of awkwardness, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Yes, I often tell Charli that I can’t imagine what it would be like without her by my side. She is my best assistant," Adrian stated, patting the hand Charlize had looped through his arm and then, with a sudden change of subject, added, "Just like Mr. President, if you didn’t have your remarkably capable wife, there would probably be quite a few more issues to deal with."

"Who knows?" Hilary replied with a smile, but the pride that shone in her eyes revealed that she appreciated Adrian’s compliment.

Clinton didn’t continue the conversation and soon left with his wife.

"Mr. President seems to be somewhat afraid of his wife," Charlize observed, watching the retreating figure of the United States’ chief steward, and then with a thoughtful look turned to Adrian, "Your comment was hinting at something, wasn’t it?"

She really was very smart, especially since she’d been around Adrian for so long, she had somewhat grasped some of his habits.

"Perhaps, Hilary is quite a formidable woman too," Adrian dodged the latter question, replying with an ambivalent tone, and then, as if struck by a thought, he laughed, "You know, there’s an interesting joke about them."

"Oh?"

"One day, the presidential couple went back to their hometown for a vacation, and on the way, their car ran out of gas, so they stopped at a gas station to refuel. It turned out that the middle-aged man working at the gas station was an old college classmate of Hilary’s, and they had even dated. After chatting and reminiscing for a bit, the couple left the station. After a long while, Clinton remarked nostalgically, ’You see, dear, how important encounters in life are, if you had married him, who knows what your situation would be now. Do you know how Hilary responded?"

"How do you respond?"

"Hilary replied, saying that if I had married him back then, he would be sitting in the White House right now, and you would be serving travelers at a gas station!"

Charlize was stunned for a few seconds before she covered her mouth and snickered.

"That’s too mean," she said with a laugh, "Mrs. Hilary wouldn’t really say that, would she?"

"If it were in private, she definitely would," Adrian said, shaking his head, "In fact, Hilary played a huge role in getting Clinton into the White House. Hilary is a true strong woman."

"Strong woman..." Charlize muttered thoughtfully for a bit before suddenly changing the subject: "By the way, when did you start calling me ’South African Beauty Diamond’?"

"Just now, and the President himself found it quite fitting. Is there something you’re not satisfied with?" Adrian asked jokingly, "Isn’t South Africa known for producing the best natural diamonds?"

Adrian had noticed all of this; since the "confession" that day, Charlize had immediately reverted to her usual self in front of him; calm, rational, yet passionate, always quietly arranging everything perfectly, including dates with other women. Their relationship was also quite delicate, almost like with Kate, as she too was a rather special existence. So, although what Adrian said was mostly to reassure her, his hope that she could witness the birth of his empire was genuine.

This made Charlize’s status a bit complicated. Adrian would have liked to have her by his side from the beginning to the end, but that was obviously not possible. Charlize had a soft side, but she also had an independent streak. To completely erase that would be to lose what made her unique. But now it seemed he had come up with an idea.

The banquet continued, with a relaxed atmosphere and not much different from any other banquet, apart from the political undertones that made it reminiscent of a campaign fundraising event. Adrian spotted many familiar faces, like Arnold Schwarzenegger; it was no surprise. Thinking of his wife and recalling his future, it made perfect sense for him to be here.

"Maybe I should invite you and some of the finest action stars together for a grand-scale action movie," Adrian suggested to him in jest after exchanging a few words.

"That would be great, I’d definitely join in," Schwarzenegger casually replied.

But Adrian didn’t rush to seal the deal while the iron was hot. He was joking, and Schwarzenegger’s personality was similarly playful. Besides, The Expendables was still merely a concept at this stage; it was enough to lay down such a foreshadowing. Yet, from two other people, he received somewhat surprising news.

"Are you saying you’re really going to start filming the prequels to Star Wars, George?" Adrian asked with a doubtful tone that seemed to convey disbelief.

"Of course, do I look like someone who lies?" Lucas feigned displeasure, then was suddenly embraced by Adrian.

"It’s about time, you know how long we’ve been waiting?" Adrian pounded on his back so hard that Lucas rolled his eyes, while Spielberg laughed heartily on the side.

"Alright, alright, kid, if you keep this up, I’ll be broken by you," Lucas complained after breaking free.

"I can’t be blamed for this. Whose fault is it that you’re only starting now, after all these years?" Adrian said with an expression that clearly read ’that’s your mistake.’

"When will the shooting start? How’s the pre-production going? What time period does the story cover?" He quickly followed up, seeming every bit the die-hard Star Wars fan.

"Don’t rush, we’ve only just begun," Lucas quickly said. "It’s about Darth Vader, or rather Anakin Skywalker’s younger days, including how he was taken in as an apprentice by Qui-Gon Jinn, how he fell in love with Queen Amidala, and how he turned to the dark side of The Force, etc. I’m planning to make it a trilogy as well," Lucas explained.

"So, you already have the right actors in mind?" Adrian naturally asked.

"How could I? The others are manageable, but the two main characters are a bit more troublesome. Anakin is alright; he’s just a kid in the first movie, and we have enough time to select the right one. But Queen Amidala is a bit more difficult." Lucas sighed then. "According to the setting, Amidala became queen at a young age. She’s smart but not mature and independent enough yet. I need an actor who can convey this conflicted feeling of striving for independence but not being able to achieve it yet, and she has to be very young. That’s not going to be easy."

"Is that so?" Adrian stroked his chin in mock thoughtfulness for a moment. "Perhaps I can recommend an actor for you."

"Oh?" Just as Lucas was about to say something, Spielberg, who had been silent until now, looked on with curiosity.

"She’s quite young but also very talented. She has tried roles like the one you mentioned and has some experience. Plus, she’s quite smart," Adrian said with a smile, a glint in his eye. "But I can’t be completely sure since I’m just going by your rough description. Maybe we can set aside another time to discuss this in detail?"

"No problem," Lucas immediately said. "In fact, I was hoping to talk to you about scriptwriting. You’re a golden screenwriter and even provided Steven with a great story like ’Saving Private Ryan.’ Maybe you could help make the prequel trilogy fuller."

"That would be perfect. I’d be delighted to help," Adrian readily agreed.

This conversation could be described as both unexpected and not. He had been calculating the start time of the Star Wars prequels—Natalie’s claim to fame. While his presence alone could make her famous, it was hard to reach the height of popularity that Queen Amidala’s character achieved. Natalie became a household name in the United States largely thanks to the Star Wars prequels. Never underestimate the American fervor for Lucas’s space opera.

Still, Star Wars was ultimately Lucas’s work, and he could dine out on that project for a lifetime. Adrian had never imagined he would stumble upon such an opportunity here, and one couldn’t help but say his luck was too good. Considering his relationship with Spielberg and the reputation and connections he had built among Jewish people with ’Schindler’s List,’ securing the role for Natalie wouldn’t be too difficult.

After a few more words with Lucas and Spielberg, Adrian said his goodbyes with Charlize, who hadn’t said a word from beginning to end, but he was confident she had taken note and that once they returned to Los Angeles, she would start arranging what he had planned.

Adrian glanced at Charlize casually and walked toward the far-left corner, where one of his most important targets for the evening waited.

Two middle-aged men of similar age were in a heated debate there. Although they seemed to get along well, with both generally wearing smiles on their faces and not raising their voices, the expressions that suggested they only had eyes for each other made it clear that the debate was anything but simple. Moreover, a fair number of onlookers surrounded them.

Both men wore glasses, but the one on the left had an excellent posture, and despite wearing a tie instead of a bow tie, his humble smile and scholarly appearance hardly betrayed his ruthless business acumen. On the right was a man with a full head of hair who, even in such company, seemed unwilling to shave off his beard, and he appeared to always wear his trademark black turtleneck, his brow furrowed as if always ready for battle.

That’s right, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, two titans who’ve had an immense impact on the IT industry. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to vote and support it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)