King of Hollywood
Chapter 497 - 218: The Record Company Affairs

Chapter 497: Chapter 218: The Record Company Affairs

"Is this... for me?" Gwyneth looked at him in astonishment. As the lead actress of "Titanic," how could she not know the value of this necklace? Moreover, after making the rounds at the auction, its price had tripled. Even she couldn’t help but be moved.

"Of course," Adrian replied with a slight smile, "Only Rose is worthy of owning the Heart of the Ocean—here, let me put it on for you."

Those words made Gwyneth’s heart bloom with joy. She immediately bowed her head, allowing Adrian to place the sapphire necklace around her pure white neck himself. Then she gave him a sweet smile, unconcerned about the many people at the auction.

As a result, this charity auction quickly became a focus for the media. Even though charity auctions like this were a dime a dozen in Hollywood and Los Angeles, and transaction amounts in tens of millions weren’t uncommon, what could compare to the Miracle Director donating that unique sapphire necklace used in the filming, buying it back at triple the price, and then gifting it to the movie’s leading actress, Gwyneth?

Although everyone knew Adrian was a rising media mogul, the media still hadn’t spared him from gossip and scandals. After all, he was also the Miracle Director. If he had wanted to hide behind the scenes like Eisner or Redstone, they wouldn’t have bothered him. But how could they ignore him when he was still stepping into the spotlight? Especially since he had achieved in just a few years what took others decades.

Fortunately, Adrian knew the rules well and often cooperated with the media. Even when they sometimes went overboard, he didn’t take it to heart, so the media knew where to draw the line. Even though there were previous reports about his flings with Julia, Monica, and others from the Miracle Girl series, usually, such fuss died down after the heat passed and the digging wasn’t as deep as with other celebrities.

This report was similar; it didn’t exaggerate much in its description. As for the tabloids, how many people would fully believe what was in those? If they did, no amount of discernment would help.

Despite this, these reports still drew a lot of attention. Although it was already almost April, the last echoes of "Titanic" stirred by the Oscars hadn’t yet faded. Together with the super-gossip of a man splurging to make the woman by his side happy—seen as extravagant in men’s eyes and romantic in women’s—and the occasional sightings of rumors about the Miracle Director and various actresses, even associated with a Miracle Girl tag, naturally, people were very interested.

As for those who thought this man was a scoundrel and then grew to hate him... no need to worry. This was, after all, for charity, and the auction money would be entirely donated to charity foundations helping people in need. Besides, the government was an excellent MT; there was no concern about people’s hatred being redirected.

Both involved parties were also vague about it, neither claiming they were dating. Adrian, however, quoted the line "No one is more suited to own the Heart of the Ocean than Rose," sparking quite a reaction among women. Gwyneth said nothing, but whenever someone brought it up, she would always respond with a sweet smile, which led to even more speculation.

No matter how the public speculated, it did not affect Adrian. He still continued supervising the post-production of "Mulholland Drive" according to plan, attending to company matters. The women around him reacted differently, but overall, there wasn’t too much turmoil. They might have had feelings of resentment or jealousy internally, but in front of Adrian, they just coyly uttered a few words and left it at that.

Adrian was aware of this, so when Charlize teased him about it, he smiled and responded, "How about this—I’ll produce a film starring you with at least two hundred million in investment, then earn ten times that at the global box office, break the Oscar records, and, in the wake of your near-miss with Best Actress, auction off the jewels used in the film and buy them back at triple the price to give to you. How does that sound?"

Though this wasn’t exactly fair, it was still much better than many Playboys, and the women were well aware of their positions. Naturally, like other women, Charlize also rolled her eyes at him after his remark.

"What do you think, Silver? Still sticking to your thoughts?" In the vast conference room, Adrian flipped through the data in his hands and then, with a smile, looked towards the young man sitting across from him, who had his face buried in the long table, looking somewhat dejected.

"It’s only been two weeks, and there’s still room for improvement. There’s no need to jump to conclusions so soon," Art Director Eric Norton mediated while giving the head of the marketing department a knowing look.

"Indeed, according to market feedback, both the first and second lead singles have received quite a bit of praise, and many people really like them. Moreover, reliable sources have informed us that the third lead single will continue to stay on the ’Billboard’," they calmly said, being well aware of how much Adrian valued this child of the Phoenix family, only slightly less than the two girls.

"Did you hear that, Silver? Everyone still speaks highly of you. How much longer do you plan to climb up there?" Adrian asked leisurely.

"I got it," the teenager, or rather young man, lifted his head weakly, "Thank you all for your support. I’m just a bit down, don’t worry about it, this little setback won’t beat me."

Saying this, he shifted his gaze to Adrian: "I still hold firm to my own ideas."

It might sound like stubbornness, but the pleading tone and gaze were very apparent. Up to now, Silver, who was determined to pursue a singing career, had released two EPs and a new album. Honestly, he wasn’t a bad singer, but for some reason, the sales of his albums were always just mediocre, even though people liked his songs, they couldn’t compare to other popular singers—not to mention those very popular ones, even Britney, who had recently released an album, surpassed him.

So Silver was quite frustrated, but obviously, this wasn’t enough to make him give up on his dreams, prompting such a gesture. If Adrian really demanded something of him, Silver had no choice but to agree, after all, Adrian had saved his most respected and beloved big brother.

Fortunately, Adrian didn’t harbor such intentions. He was actually quite eager to see what this youngster, who had entered the entertainment industry because he had saved River, would achieve. So even though he initially favored his acting, he agreed to release the record and did not use any past-life chart-topping songs to assist him.

"Alright then, but if I have a request..." Just as Adrian began, Silver happily jumped in, "No problem, whatever you need."

"You haven’t heard my request yet," Adrian said with an amused glare. "Alright, starting from now, take some time to practice the British accent."

"British accent? Why?" Silver was immediately puzzled.

"Next year I have a big project in preparation, and I suddenly think you’re quite suitable for one of the roles. Let’s see, you’re already 5 feet 5 inches (170 cm) tall, right? By the end of the year, you should be able to reach 5 feet 7 inches (175 cm), right?" Adrian speculated as he looked at him.

"Such things... who can guarantee?" Silver widened his eyes as if he didn’t recognize him.

"In any case, you have half a year to work on it. By the end of the year, I need you to have grown to 5 feet 7 inches (175 cm) and be able to converse fluently in a British accent with others," Adrian spoke leisurely.

"This..." Silver choked up in his clothes—after all, he had already said it wouldn’t be a problem, "Okay, then can you tell me what kind of movie it is?"

"Sorry, it needs to remain confidential for now." Adrian said irresponsibly as he spread his hands apart. The young man immediately rolled his eyes dramatically and buried his head once again on the long table, eliciting a round of light laughter.

"Alright, everyone, that’s it for today. Eric, stay behind," Adrian announced the meeting was over.

After everyone had left one by one, Adrian gave the art director a thumbs-up, "Well done, Eric, I saw the information, and it’s just like we imagined... no, even better than we expected!"

"Yes, beyond imagination. Although I had anticipated it would be very popular, I didn’t expect it to be this explosive," Norton nodded somewhat sentimentally, "This should be credited to you, Ed."

"Come on, I just made some rough suggestions. Without you and your team, such results wouldn’t be possible," Adrian said earnestly.

As expected, "Baby, Love Me One More Time" was still on the Billboard charts, holding firmly to the top spot. Britney had also become the most noticeable new singer at the beginning of ’98. It was extremely wise to spend a large sum to bring Eric over and to give him authority.

"Thank you, we can do even better," Norton nodded without any further modesty.

"So, Christina’s new album can also be prepared, right? The theme song she sang for ’Charlie’s Angels’ is also very popular," Adrian continued.

"Yes, but I’m currently busy with Britney’s matters. It might take some time as you know, the record company isn’t very big," Norton said humorously with a shrug.

"I know, I know," Adrian laughed heartily, "Don’t worry, I will expand our scale. The record company will soon step up a notch—although it will take some time, we can start collecting songs, right?"

"Of course, these two things don’t conflict. If you have any ideas, be sure to tell me," Norton said with a cheeky grin.

"Don’t look at me for ideas, Eric. This isn’t movie production, I don’t have that much inspiration," Adrian chuckled, about to get up and leave, but then he sat back down, having thought of something else.

"What do you think about Silver?" he asked after a moment’s thought.

"He has some strengths in singing, but..." Norton looked thoughtful, "I don’t know how to describe it, it’s just that I feel like he’s missing something. It’s a clear yet vague feeling."

"Alright, I understand," Adrian nodded after hearing his description. Then, after a moment of reflection, he left the conference room.

If he didn’t intervene and left things as they were, Silver might end up empty-handed in both fields. Adrian thought as he walked. Initially, he agreed to produce Silver’s album, partly for River’s sake and partly hoping to help him navigate this awkward age of fifteen or sixteen. "The Sixth Sense" was already enough to make his name.

However, Silver obviously preferred music and also had some talent—although not as much as in acting. But if he couldn’t address this issue, he would still be in the same situation. Moreover, Jobs had already practically sorted out Apple, and it was likely to turn a profit this year. That idea must have already appeared in his mind, which could greatly impact the record industry. If too much time was spent on music at the expense of acting...

Suddenly, Adrian shook his head, "Oh well, let it be. I don’t need to prove anything using him, and taking on too much might even make him resentful. Still, it might be time to talk with Jobs about that matter—no, maybe I should wait a bit longer, maybe next year or the millennium. And since I already have that trademark in hand, it should be Jobs who comes to me."

"Oh, Britney, you’re truly enthusiastic," Adrian said with a satisfied tone after catching his breath.

"I’ve missed you, Ed, whether singing, on shows, or even masterbating, I’ve been thinking of you," Britney breathed hurriedly, her eyes already watery, as if silently expressing her longing and desire.

"Yes, I know. I’ve missed you too," Adrian spoke tenderly, his hands continuously roaming over her body.

Previously, when Britney was on a nationwide signing tour, since her family was always with her, and Adrian was busy with "Mulholland Drive" at the time, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. For Britney, who was just tasting the flavors of affection, it was undoubtedly an agony. She had secretly called Adrian quite a few times to complain, unable to refrain from expressing her desires and hinting that she hoped he would visit.

But Adrian didn’t agree. Although it wasn’t particularly hard to avoid her mother and find a private place to get intimate, firstly, the risks were hard to estimate, and secondly, he wanted to see how well his training had worked.

"You’re already a big pop star, Britney. Remember what I told you?" Adrian chuckled lightly, leaning in to bite her earlobe gently. Although he had asked this countless times, he didn’t mind asking a few more times, as some matters require persistence.

"Oh, of course, I’ll never forget," Britney said breathlessly under his touch, her eyes half-closed with a faint, intoxicating smile, "Ed said I would definitely become a pop queen."

"That’s right, it’s just the beginning," Adrian laughed heartily. Indeed, this beginning was better than in his previous life, and there was no reason they couldn’t do better this time. As long as she fully committed herself to him and worked whole-heartedly on her music, truly becoming the next Madonna was not an unrealistic fantasy.

(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to qidian.com to vote and support me, your support is my greatest motivation.)