King of Hollywood
Chapter 447 - 169 More Tense Filming

Chapter 447: Chapter 169 More Tense Filming

He let out a long sigh, and Adrian finally opened his eyes, completely awakened. He moved his arms, intending to stretch his body, but he soon realized that was impossible and therefore gave up the idea. A woman lay naked on each side of him, covered only by a blanket that draped over their torsos, both clutching his arm tightly as they slept soundly, the corners of their mouths turned slightly upward.

"Hey, babes, it’s time to wake up." After lying in bed for a while, Adrian felt that continuing like this was no solution, so he decided to speak up.

"Let me sleep a little longer," murmured Gwyneth from his left, while Blanchett on his right pulled his arm tighter.

Adrian, unable to do anything else, lay back down, but a person who was already awake couldn’t just lie there forever. After being quiet for a few minutes, he started to move again gently. Fortunately, this time they didn’t react, letting him get up smoothly. However, as soon as Adrian got out of bed, the two groggy women immediately cuddled together to fill the gap he left behind.

Thankfully, the women didn’t sleep all day. After Adrian had his breakfast, they both eventually woke up.

"If there’s a next time, I’ll open the curtains and let the sunlight fall on your butts," Adrian said to Gwyneth and Blanchett as he steered a rented boat on the Thames.

"The French windows in the room seem to face west," Gwyneth asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That’s exactly what he meant," Blanchett quickly reminded her.

Gwyneth immediately understood and swung her fist at him in annoyance, while Adrian laughed heartily and dodged. Well, although he was dodging, he was just putting on a show, as Gwyneth’s fists still landed on him. Blanchett, seeing an opportunity, also joined, not only punching but also pinching with her fingers. Gwyneth followed suit.

This time, Adrian couldn’t laugh anymore. Getting punched a few times wasn’t an issue, as the women weren’t very strong, but pinching was different. Women from any country naturally knew this trick to deal with men.

"God, are you three years old this year?" Adrian complained in a bit of a mess, but unfortunately, the two excited women just laughed and paid him no mind.

But he wasn’t helpless. After taking a breath due to the pain in his back, he suddenly turned the steering wheel, causing the boat to zigzag through the riverway. Even though the boat wasn’t going very fast anymore, Gwyneth and Blanchett were still startled and thus stopped their antics.

"Now do you know who’s boss?" Adrian turned around, smiling at the two women sitting down.

"You just love bossing me—us—around," Blanchett huffed, with a significant pause before adding "us," which made Adrian slightly raise his eyebrows.

"Indeed, you don’t appreciate us one bit," Gwyneth chimed in.

"By the way, how do you find my newly purchased private jet? You should know that I haven’t even used it since Boeing delivered it," Adrian mentioned, deftly changing the subject, knowing better than to argue with women on this topic.

For a long time, his private jets had been obtained through long-term leasing agreements, but now that his company had grown to this scale, it was time to switch to an aircraft befitting his status. Adrian chose not to go for those private jets with complete models but instead directly ordered a 747-400 from Boeing.

Though the Boeing 747 was introduced to the market in the ’70s and it was nearly 30 years ago, it remains the largest passenger aircraft in the world, especially since Airbus’s A380 hadn’t been released yet. With two levels in the cabin capable of seating between 350 and 400 people, one could even throw a party inside it.

Since the ’90s, Boeing had stopped manufacturing any models of the 747 other than the 747-400, and Adrian had purchased the 747-400C model, which could switch between all-passenger and mixed cargo configurations. This flexibility provided ample space for hosting guests or transporting large items like cars and horses to desired locations as necessary.

Boeing had delivered this aircraft earlier in the year, but its interior was empty since it was intended for private use. It then took another six months to customize. A bar, dance hall, dining area, cinema, bedrooms, and even a small swimming pool -all luxuriously appointed- were installed. One could argue that in some aspects the plane might not match Air Force One, but the luxury inside was unmatched by that of the President of the United States or most CEOs.

With such expenses, the cost was barely more than his current mansion, of course, the maintenance would be costly - as it is everywhere in the world, maintenance definitely costs much more than the sale price. However, since Adrian had chosen such an aircraft for his travels, he wasn’t concerned about the maintenance expenses. Normally, wealthy people own cars, wealthier people possess yachts, and the super-rich, naturally, own planes.

Although the plane was essentially ready for use before he came to London, it still needed some time for test flights - the Boeing 747-400 had added a digital control system and no longer required three pilots - so he hadn’t been able to depart on what was arguably the world’s most luxurious private jet. However, since Gwyneth and Blanchett, the leading ladies of two movies, were coming to join the crew, he simply had them ride with him on the plane to show it off ...

"Oh, it’s truly magnificent; I doubt anyone has a private jet that can compare."

"It’s so luxurious... It’s unbelievable. When I first boarded, it felt like I was dreaming."

Listening to Gwyneth and Blanchett’s praise, Adrian’s lips slightly curled upwards, and one could perceive their differing personalities from their comments.

"All right, ladies, if you’ve enjoyed yourselves, let’s go ashore," he said, inviting them to disembark. "Make the most of these next few days, as soon you’ll be under constant surveillance by the paparazzi again."

Yes, most of the British public and media were still captivated by the news of Diana’s death, and the seemingly indifferent actions of the Royal Family, inflamed by the media, only worsened this conflict outside Buckingham Palace, which was piled with various bouquets. In discussing this, both Gwyneth and Blanchett had expressed sympathy for Diana and also viewed the Royal Family’s behavior as rather heartless. Women are emotional beings after all.

It was indeed thanks to this situation that Adrian felt confident enough to boldly take the two women out for a stroll. Of course, necessary precautions were still in place, such as wearing large sunglasses, but it was much easier than at other times.

Thanks to the Royal Family, and thanks to the princess as well. He often thought to himself. Although it might seem inappropriate, at least it must be acknowledged that he did indeed benefit from it, didn’t he?

All in all, Adrian, Gwyneth, and Blanchett relaxed well over the weekend, with each night filled with passion. If it weren’t necessary to avoid attracting attention, he might have had them check out of their rooms.

Such an occurrence was rare; although threesomes had happened before, they were usually spaced out over time, not for several days in a row like now. Interestingly, on Saturday night, Gwyneth and Blanchett were hesitant, having been together the day before and wanting to refuse, but after Adrian forcibly dragged them into his room, by Sunday night they willingly crowded in together, which certainly said a lot.

"Some people are happy, while others are not," Emma felt very aggrieved when she showed up on set on Monday, unable to go out with Adrian over the weekend, her lips pursed in a pout. It made sense, as he had promised at the beginning of the year that she could come to the United States and spend two months during summer vacation. Emma eagerly awaited summer, only to be told that he would soon be filming in the United Kingdom, where he would join her in London.

Thus, the little girl started counting on her fingers, and by the end of August, almost at the end of summer vacation, Adrian finally arrived. Even then, he didn’t take her out, leaving Emma very, very unhappy and sad.

"I’m sorry, I had some things to take care of, I promise it won’t happen next time," Adrian said, wiping the little girl’s eyes with a tissue while soothing her. Emma’s eyes had begun to redden when he approached without exchanging more than a few words with her; had he not comforted her quickly, she might have burst into tears.

"Liar," Emma said, pouting and sniffing.

"I really didn’t, Charli must have told you, I truly had other matters," Adrian spoke gently.

The little one immediately came closer, sniffed forcefully at him, and then huffed loudly before she started looking around the crowd for the two women she was looking for. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find them and ended up glaring at Adrian and huffing even louder.

Are you a puppy? Can you smell that well?" Adrian looked at her in silence before laughing at her adorable action.

"Alright, Emma, I promise I will spend next weekend with you properly, okay?" He pinched her cute nose and said with a smile.

After hesitating, the little girl nodded and then waved her fist warningly: "Don’t stand me up again."

"Okay, if I fail to keep my promise again, let God punish me," Adrian raised his right hand solemnly, and after Emma smiled, he remembered something else and asked, "By the way, I heard you had a fight with Keira?"

"Yes, she thinks I’m annoying, always asking questions non-stop, but I didn’t, I only asked a few," the little girl said feeling wronged, "And it’s not the first time we’ve had such arguments."

Adrian wanted to ask what questions Emma had asked Keira, but considering Keira’s sensitive nature, he could guess some of it. However, it wasn’t good to explain it too clearly to the little one.

"There must be some misunderstanding here; you and Keira are friends, and very good friends at that. Don’t give up your friendship over this misunderstanding. I’ll make her apologize to you, and you should forgive her and refrain from asking those questions again, okay?" He carefully chose his words, and Emma nodded, seemingly understanding.

Keira soon came to visit her parents on set, and Adrian took this opportunity to have a chat with her, first complimenting her excellent performance in the Star Wars prequel that met his expectations and promising her a role, which left the young girl giggling. Then he brought up her quarrel with Emma.

"Don’t forget, you are at least five years older than Emma, you are her sister, and you should protect and be patient with her, so why argue over such a small matter? I know what you want to say, Keira, but after all, she didn’t mean any harm, right? You are a talented and outstanding girl, you will definitely succeed in the future, so why bother about these things?" After reiterating the same themes of "misunderstanding" and "friendship" to Keira, Adrian added these words.

"I understand," Keira said after a pause, "Thank you."

She was still a child, after all. When children argue, as long as the argument isn’t too harsh, reconciliation often follows if there’s an opportunity. Keira, sensitive but not foolish, knew the importance of friends. Although she seemed indifferent to Adrian, his words still carried weight in her heart, so the two quickly made up.

Let’s talk about the filming of the two movies. With the arrival of the two leading actresses, both films started to enter into more intense production phases. This unprecedented approach left many people overwhelmed, but at the same time, it filled them with curiosity. It’s hard to say for others, but in the hands of the Miracle Director, a miracle might just happen.

"Very good, Gwyneth, your performance was quite nice, though a bit more anguish would be even better," Adrian clapped his hands and said to Gwyneth and Judi Dench on set.

"Do we need to do it again?" Gwyneth immediately asked.

"No, no need for now. Let’s see how it goes when Viola has to marry Sir Weiser. I’ll make my judgment based on your performance at that time," Adrian shook his head, "Take a good rest now. I need to head over there."

"Okay then," Gwyneth shrugged and walked towards her spot, whispering as she passed by Adrian, "Do I look good?"

"Oh, definitely, especially the way your maid was brushing your hair and you were pushing out your chest," Adrian chuckled softly.

Gwyneth huffed lightly, but deliberately stuck out her chest as she walked away, causing Adrian to burst into laughter. The scene just filmed was of the heroine before she went to sleep. Gwyneth, in a lace-trimmed classic white nightgown, her hair disheveled and her delicate shoulders exposed, was indeed exceptionally seductive.

After leaving the set of "Shakespeare in Love," Adrian quickly arrived at the set of "Elizabeth." The film crew was a short distance from the studio, in a fairly beautiful manor. At this moment, the main actors were already in place, most importantly Blanchett portraying Queen Elizabeth—oh, currently still Princess—and Dennis portraying the princess’s lover, Robert Dudley.

"Sorry to have kept everyone waiting, oh, look at you, Kate, you look beautiful," Adrian swiftly entered the set.

"Need a bit more time, Mr. Director?" Blanchett asked teasingly, "We’ve been waiting for a few minutes already."

"No, no need. I finished pondering it over on my way here; we can start immediately," Adrian laughed and signaled everyone to prepare.

Blanchett gave a faint smile and moved to the side to wait. Meanwhile, her hands were playfully twirling her hair, giving a demure womanly air, her outfit of classic dark green further enhancing her quiet but enchanting demeanor.

Adrian briefly admired her in his mind but did not linger, calling Dennis over to give a few last-minute instructions before letting the actors take their places.

This scene depicted Elizabeth before her coronation, when she was still a carefree maiden, dancing gracefully surrounded by her maids to the music, everything seemingly so beautiful. However, the arrival of knights sent by Mary I disrupted her peaceful life, fearing the raise of her Protestant sister to the throne would weaken England’s Catholic power, Mary I ordered Elizabeth locked in the Tower of London hoping to execute her for treason, thus beginning the legendary life of the virgin queen.

Frankly speaking, "Elizabeth" was not particularly outstanding as a movie. The entire story had many issues. For example, although Sir Walsingham was supposed to be powerful, his portrayal in the film did not showcase his characteristics well, only shining in three moments—killing a bribed bodyguard, locking up key characters to pass a proposal for Elizabeth, and infiltrating Scotland alone to assassinate the Queen of Scotland. Overall, it failed to convey that this man was the right-hand man of Queen Elizabeth.

Additionally, there were many aspects that started promising but ended poorly, such as Walsingham’s spy sent to Spain being mentioned only once, then doing nothing and being killed off quickly; or the Spanish assassin with a flamboyant and eerie presence who...just disappeared.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and support on qidian.com—your support is my greatest motivation.)