King of Hollywood
Chapter 507 - 228: No Effort is Wasted

Chapter 507: Chapter 228: No Effort is Wasted

"Miracle Director is still as inscrutable as ever," Adrian read from the newspaper in his hands and chuckled. "First, he made a movie in a short time that caught everyone off guard with a style completely different from his previous ones. Then he declared it was a tribute to David Lynch, and indeed, the techniques are filled with Lynch’s style. It looks like only God knows what he’s really thinking."

"Look at what they’re saying, as if I’m an alien. If they could, they’d probably drag me out and dissect me." He tossed the newspaper aside and joked to the two women in front of him.

"I agree. I, too, would like to know if you’re an alien," Nicole said bluntly, sipping her tea. She hadn’t shown a good face to Adrian since the premiere when he had brought her to climax with his fingers in such an unexpected place and time. If she hadn’t quickly left under the cover of darkness before the lights had come back on and returned straight to the hotel, she couldn’t imagine what might have happened next.

Despite this, in bed, Nicole still seemed unwilling to concede, yet she actively catered to him. Every time she recalled that night in the dark theater, a thrill went through her. The movie had sparked much debate about its plot, but film critics from every country had given her performance high praise.

Having been in Hollywood for nearly ten years, despite having acted in numerous films and receiving some good reviews, when people mentioned her, they only thought of her as Tom Cruise’s wife or a "trophy wife." When had she ever received the kind of acclaim she’d gotten at the parties these past few days? Even if most of the compliments were either polite or attempts to flirt, they still made her feel vindicated, a stark contrast to the ones she used to receive about her beauty and sex appeal.

This man indeed could create miracles. Whenever she was alone, this thought invariably surfaced in Nicole’s mind. Then she would unconsciously grit her teeth. If only she had met him ten years earlier...

Of course, such thoughts were quickly dismissed. Nicole also couldn’t forget how Adrian displayed his possessive and conquering desires every time he pressed her against the wall, the table, or the bed. She wouldn’t let him achieve his objective; she didn’t want to let a man control her life again. Her current forbearance was just for future freedom; she wouldn’t become his pet or plaything like that other woman!

With this thought, Nicole glanced at Naomi Watts on the other side. Whatever affection there had been was now gone, replaced only by aversion in her gaze. Like Nicole, Naomi had been freely played with by Adrian in the theater. Although Naomi moved out of Adrian’s suite after returning to the hotel, she was back in less than two days, as close to Adrian as ever.

It went without saying that the recent praises from film critics had played a big role. Just listen to this: The most challenging role of the year so far! This was higher praise than for Nicole—another reason for Nicole’s discontent. If it weren’t for Naomi’s affair with Adrian, Nicole might not have minded; after all, they had once been friends and both were from Australia, where Hollywood actors from Australia remained united.

And, of course, some tabloids had fueled the rumors. The most astonishing claim came from World News Weekly, which alleged that she and Naomi were lesbians!

"The experiences of Nicole and Naomi in this film are strikingly similar; however, Nicole Kidman married the former star Tom Cruise instead of a major director. What’s most intriguing is that Naomi and Nicole attended the same drama school in Australia and were as close as sisters. According to insiders, Naomi even attended Nicole’s bachelorette party and had a conflict with her. Clearly, they had a relationship that couldn’t be disclosed. After arriving in Hollywood, Naomi remained relatively unknown, a stark contrast to Nicole..."

The report elaborated at length, employing the classic tactic of mixing truth with fiction. It forcefully linked various plot details from the movie to the two women, especially after introducing the concept of ’dreaming’, making it sound very believable. In summary, two beautiful girls fell in love at drama school. One of them married a popular star to advance her career in Hollywood and successfully became a notable actress. The other was heartbroken and even went as far as disrupting the other’s bachelorette party. Eventually, she also moved to Hollywood but remained unnoticed for years.

At this point, the narrative diverged from the film. The latter, spurred by disdain, managed to capture the former’s heart and eventually divorced her celebrity husband to be with her. Then, a major director, upon learning of their story, adapted it into a movie.

It was a very novelized account, but considering the reputation of the newspaper, it was not surprising they wrote it this way. Normally, it might have been dismissed, but with "Mulholland Drive" frequently headlining the news during the Cannes Film Festival, and the resemblance of the real-life events to the latter part of the movie’s plot, along with pictures of Nicole and Naomi holding hands at the premiere, it drew considerable attention. Some even speculated online whether Nicole’s divorce from Cruise was actually because of Naomi.

Only a fool would believe such a story! While sipping her tea, Nicole shot Adrian a covert glare as he chatted cozily with Naomi, clearly pleased with the reports which provided him a convenient excuse to orchestrate certain events. In fact, the night of the premiere, he had attempted to involve them both in a threesome, but both Nicole and Naomi had refused.

"Speaking of which, Ed, did you make this movie as a tribute to David Lynch?" Naomi’s voice floated into Nicole’s ears, "Nicole would want to know too, right?"

While inclined to object, Nicole swallowed her words and looked towards Adrian, curious herself. After all, many prominent critics affirmed that the style of "Mulholland Drive" was very much like Lynch’s, and if the director and producer’s names were replaced with Lynch’s, there likely wouldn’t be as many questions.

"Do you really want to know?" Adrian asked with a slight grin, his gaze shifting between Naomi and Nicole before saying, "Firstly, the style of the film is indeed Lynchian, and secondly, I have no need to pay tribute to anyone."

This statement left both women somewhat puzzled—acknowledging that he indeed used Lynch’s style, yet claiming no need to pay tribute?

"Confused? That’s the point. The intention was to create a film that isn’t meant to be fully understood." Faced with their befuddled expressions, Adrian laughed heartily and refused to say more, except for a teasing remark after Naomi had badgered him coyly for a while, "You’ll find out in a few days."

He never engaged in futile efforts. Producing "Mulholland Drive" and rejoining the Cannes Film Festival wasn’t just about giving Naomi a chance to rise to fame and pulling Nicole into the scenario, but there was an even more significant purpose.

To achieve his goal, he had put in a lot of effort, but most of it had not been used; comparatively, he had somewhat underestimated these professional film critics. The analysis by Roger Ebert alone was impartial and quite accurate, while the critic who proposed the possibility of it "being a dream" also took him by surprise.

The theory of "it being a dream" was quite popular in his previous life. Although there were many places where it did not make sense, or even seemed far-fetched, it was sufficient for ordinary people. They wouldn’t analyze a movie over and over. Just being able to sort out the general logic to display their sense of superiority was enough; the rest did not matter. Key evidence for this theory occurred when transitioning between two stories, when the cowboy who had once threatened director Adam opened the bedroom door and said to Betty/Diane, lying on the bed, "Time to get up, beauty."

In Adrian’s version, the cowboy simply swaggered out without speaking. Adrian was curious if, without this line, anyone would still conclude it was "a dream". Although it didn’t matter if they did or did not, he had already arranged for people to throw the topic into the mix when the time was right, but it’s interesting how these preparations ultimately proved unnecessary.

Similarly, with regards to the David Lynch-style approach to the movie, he had to admit that both among film critics and movie fans, there were some significant figures. Thankfully, this stratagem didn’t end up being a waste of effort. A few days later, another surprising report appeared in the Los Angeles Times and was subsequently reprinted by other newspapers.

"Clearly, the Miracle Director was trying to prove something. Think of the initial reception when ’Eyes Wide Shut’ was first released last year; almost overwhelmingly people said he couldn’t produce such a work. Even after it was confirmed, there were still those who expressed doubts, even thinking Kubrick’s guidance played a significant part. As a young man who became an internationally renowned director in just a few years, though he didn’t respond to these comments, he inevitably harbored some resentment. Therefore, he thought of a good way to counterattack, by making a movie similar in style to a certain director."

This was a segment from the article, which seemed to suggest Adrian was narrow-minded and intolerant of criticism. However, a surprising conclusion emerges upon closer analysis: if the Miracle Director wanted to mimic that director’s style to make a movie, he certainly could, and he could do it in such a way that people wouldn’t notice.

Indeed, that was the case. If it hadn’t been for someone mentioning that ’Mulholland Drive’ bore a striking resemblance to David Lynch’s style, perhaps no one would have noticed. Thus, the already confusing situation became even more chaotic. Why exactly did the Miracle Director make such a movie? Was it to pay tribute to David Lynch, or as the article suggested, just to prove himself? Neither journalists nor critics dared to draw a definite conclusion.

If only Adrian had been willing to shed some light, but the problem was that journalists could never catch him. Even after this article came out, though he began appearing at certain social gatherings, layers of journalists stationed outside the hotels still couldn’t track his whereabouts. As for the critics, directors, and producers who also attended these gatherings, they couldn’t pry any information from him. Every time the subject came up, Adrian would skillfully steer the conversation away and would often leave before long, making it impossible to grill him for answers.

Adrian didn’t particularly care, though. It seemed excessive to mobilize so much effort just to craft this impression, but considering it also sweetened things for Naomi and Nicole, further tying them to his side, it seemed worthwhile. Moreover, these arrangements would play some role in the future—though unclear, it was always good to be prepared.

So he had been quite carefree these past several days. Despite the throngs of journalists around the hotel, Cannes still had many films competing, which inevitably divided their attention. Plus, no security was foolproof, and anyway, how closely could these journalists really cooperate? Besides engaging in recreational activities in the hotel, he also enjoyed outings, taking Naomi to private beaches—not in Cannes, but the southern French coastline was long enough to allow for nearby city visits. Even if the beaches might not be on par with Cannes, they were certainly not far behind. During these excursions, he also took care of some other matters.

"You don’t know how enchanting you look like this, Sophie," Adrian murmured as he kissed the back of her neck and shoulders, "I really don’t want to let you up, for like this, you belong only to me."

"But you won’t belong only to me," Sophie retorted with a hint of jealousy from beneath him.

Adrian couldn’t help but laugh silently. As the host of the film festival held at home, Sophie Marceau, who had just finished filming ’Anna Karenina,’ could hardly not attend Cannes, especially with Adrian bringing his new movie there. Yet as a woman who had once engaged in outrageous activities with him in Paris, unknown to anyone, how could she not be aware of the relationship between the lead actresses of ’Mulholland Drive’ and him?

Despite knowing what kind of person Adrian was, seeing was different from knowing, so how could Sophie truly be happy about this? So when Adrian had sneaked to see her the previous two times, she had sent him packing with just a few words.

"You know why," Adrian whispered seductively, nipping at her ear, as he removed the fabric tied around her wrists and ankles.

"If not for these little games, why would you come see me?" Adrian teased, not worried that Sophie might be harboring andere thoughts because apart from sweet words and gentle care, she also had received two Oscar nominations as supporting actress.

It might seem vulgar for such a refined woman to stay alongside a Playboy for this reason. But reality was harsh. Since the youth awards, Sophie hadn’t received any significant honors and could barely nab a nomination. For actresses, this was indeed a tragic affair. They could be without money but not without honor; in this regard, the profound extent of the language must be acknowledged—the word "fame" always follows "fortune".

Thus, Adrian could keep such women by his side, whether they were willing or not.

"I know you might be upset, but no worries, the film festival is almost over. How about I spend some quality time with you in France thereafter?" Adrian added, "Plus, in a while, I’ll be filming a movie in Europe, seeing you will be much easier then."

"Filming a movie in Europe?" Sophie now raised her head, looking at him with a contemplative expression. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote and recommend it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)