King of Hollywood
Chapter 642 - 50 The First WCG

Chapter 642: Chapter 50 The First WCG

Many times, a single event can cause a person to undergo earth-shattering changes, like a mild-mannered middle-aged man becoming bloodthirsty and terrifying, or a strong and unyielding "brave" becoming timid and fragile, or... a pure and simple girl becoming promiscuous and unrestrained. Was Paris Hilton also among these? Clasped warmly by the arm by a young woman, Adrian thought so.

"I really like most of the movies you’ve directed, especially ’Shakespeare in Love,’" Paris Hilton chattered away discontentedly, "the romantic love story between Viola and Shakespeare is just so moving. Why couldn’t you let them be together in the end?"

Unfortunately, dear Paris, we have to respect history, and historically, Shakespeare only married a farmer’s daughter," Adrian said with a smile.

"Just because of that?" Paris’s expression conveyed utter disbelief, which then turned into a hurt look as if deeply aggrieved.

Adrian laughed heartily, and then revised his statement, "In fact, you should know, sometimes an imperfect beauty is what leaves a deep impression. If I had arranged for a happy ending, would you still remember this movie so fondly now?"

"I probably... wouldn’t," Paris tilted her head in thought, "But my feelings for the movie might drop by two or three notches."

She had some brains after all. Adrian thought so, and then elaborated, "Actually, you don’t need to worry about that, Paris. At least in Viola’s heart, and in Shakespeare’s heart, they will always have each other’s shadow, unchanging until death. Many times, when men and women are passionately in love, they can’t wait to be together every day, but feelings can fade over time, and they’ll start to find it annoying to see each other constantly. That’s why Shakespeare and Viola ended up parting ways, and why Jack eventually sank to the bottom of the sea. Such an ending is for the best, both for the audience and the two protagonists."

After reflecting, Paris nodded in agreement with his words, her bitten lip and pitying look indeed had flavor. To be honest, she was quite beautiful with her natural platinum blonde hair and a pair of grey-blue eyes, certainly a man-pleasing sight. Her features might seem somewhat awkward when viewed from the front, but from a three-quarter angle, they were quite perfect. Combined with a distinguished upbringing and a hint of regal temperament, it was no wonder Rick Solomon wanted to pursue her.

Adrian looked around; that guy was nowhere to be seen, although Solomon had seemed quite upset and reluctant when Paris, angry at being deceived by him, had pulled Adrian away. But Adrian hadn’t really taken Solomon to heart. Although there was just a year’s difference between them, their statuses were worlds apart. If Solomon had just been some ignorant thug, he might have carelessly provoked him, but given that he dabbled in the entertainment industry, he was doomed to have no competitive edge against Adrian.

Adrian had some recollection of Robert Solomon, so he quickly dredged up a bit of information about Rick Solomon. The guy was now nothing more than a do-nothing playboy, living off his father’s legacy as a third-rate producer. However, being wealthy, having some connections in the circle, and being somewhat eloquent had allowed him to play around with plenty of second and third-tier actresses. With a nasty character, a penchant for swearing, and a liking for gambling, it was quite normal for him to do that sort of thing — yes, it was almost certain, he was that guy.

Poor Paris. At this moment, Adrian felt a tinge more sympathy for the young woman before him. She was unlike some women; born into the Hiltons, where high society demanded a good reputation, the scandal she caused was bound to bring plenty of censure in the family, not to mention women typically face more criticism in these matters than men. Actually, Paris also had some guts and capabilities. Considering how she dealt with that incident and how she later got involved in fashion design, founded her own brand, and tirelessly exploited every opportunity to promote it, she was a cut above those rich, gold-digging socialites who only knew how to spend money.

If it hadn’t been for meeting Ivanka so early, and his past impressions of Paris, she would have made a fine secretary or assistant. But now, at least he had changed her destiny, pulling her back from the edge of The Abyss. She was still a relatively pure girl, rather than a heartbroken and reckless society vixen. I am a noble person, Adrian thought to himself.

"Alright, I’m leaving now," he said to the young woman who remained somewhat shy in front of him after glancing around the hall.

"It’s only ten o’clock," Paris seemed a bit surprised, "Why not stay a little longer?"

"Most of the time, my daily routine is pretty regular if I want to maintain a strong physique, the nightlife has to be moderate," Adrian said with a smile.

"Really?" Paris couldn’t help but reach out and pinch his arm, her eyes glittering with curiosity, wondering about something.

"So, can you show me what your nightlife is like, Adrian?" she suddenly lifted her head, her smile turning seductive.

...Well, I take back what I said about her "still being a relatively innocent girl."

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"You’re so strong, Ed, I love you," Paris curled up in Adrian’s embrace, kissing his neck and chest while murmuring, her face displaying a tired yet satisfied expression.

Adrian didn’t respond, simply tenderly caressing her body. Although Paris showed a shy side at this moment, the way she screamed and called out while on top was indeed quite lustful.

That’s why, although in the past life, Paris Hilton faced much ridicule and criticism over that affair, and some used the video content to prove she was madly in love with Solomon at the time—a woman in love lacks reason, and that was why she was played a fool. But that doesn’t mean certain qualities don’t exist, like this playful and novelty-seeking personality. Even if he had to employ tactics, he could still train her to be obedient, but was there a need for that?

What good would that do? If it was about getting top-quality women, there were plenty around him, so just having fun was enough. As Adrian kneaded Paris’s petite and soft body and listened to her languid hums, he thought as much. Hitting up a friendly match once or twice was fine, and besides... he could even record it. Of course, he wouldn’t be tasteless like that fool Solomon.

However, Paris seemed to have a different idea. After catching her breath, she turned around and lay on top of Adrian, hooked her arms around his neck and looked up at him with her dewy eyes, "Be my boyfriend, Ed."

"Your boyfriend?" Adrian raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes, you’re so charming, and you’re so gentle and considerate, and so strong, why can’t you be my boyfriend?" Paris giggled as she spoke, her tone teasing yet filled with a youthful vibe that was truly alluring at that age.

"But I don’t think you would tolerate your boyfriend having lots of other women," Adrian didn’t hide the fact, "I’m quite a playboy."

"How many women do you have?" Paris asked curiously. "I mean, those you’ve been in long-term relationships with."

"Probably in the double digits," Adrian considered before answering.

"What?" Paris’s face showed surprise. "Are you joking?!"

"Why would I joke," Adrian spread his hands. He wasn’t worried she would spread the word since some things were already widely known in the circle. As for outside the circle, he might not be able to influence all media, but journalists thinking of writing nonsense would have to think twice, weighing their own capabilities.

"How could... How is that?" Paris seemed somewhat dejected, even though she knew her idol was a playboy. But for him to admit to her face that he had many women he was in long-term relationships with, how could she not feel her dreams shattering?

"So... So you slept with me just for fun?" She asked immediately afterward.

See, this is women for you, Adrian sighed inwardly, blaming it all on me when it was you who initiated. Of course, he definitely wouldn’t say that out loud.

"When you meet someone you’re attracted to, you naturally want to sleep with her. It’s instinct, Paris." Adrian smiled, reached out, and pinched her chin. "You’re very charming, Paris, very attractive. Even though I have a lot of women, I’m different from those guys who just want to sleep with any female they see. I only spend the night with women who really have charm. Even though we only spent one night together, I know you will be very dazzling in the future."

"How could you think so? My dad never said that," Paris suddenly became cheerful again. "No wonder so many people say, only those who have slept with you are considered charming."

Women’s emotions change so quickly, but it’s exactly that which allows Adrian to succeed time and again. He immediately rolled over and pinned Paris beneath him: "So let’s continue, let me thoroughly understand your charm, as the night is still long."

Paris broke into giggly laughter, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Alright, to sum it up, the greatest gain from this trip to New York was getting Uncle’s support. Even though he didn’t make it explicit, it was pretty much a done deal. A smaller gain was saving a young girl from falling into depravity and having a good time with her. If the opportunity arises, he wouldn’t mind playing a few more friendly matches with her, and if they could play a two-on-one in the future, even better.

After returning to Los Angeles, life resumed its regular rhythm: cajoling women, coaxing his daughter, plus supervising the post-production of a movie. Even though Little Emma hadn’t been brought along to Australia or New York, she was still having a blast in Los Angeles with Small Emma and Lily, and had even managed to get Deva and Juliet to call her by name. This was indeed a depressing matter, considering the two little ones’ pronunciation of "dad" and "mom" were still vague, yet calling "sister" and "Emma" was exceptionally clear. How does one explain that if "emma" is short and easy to learn, what about "sister"? "Dad" and "Mom"? To this day, Deva and Juliet still call out "Dd" and "Mm."

"They are smart kids, they know who’s good to them and who’s not," Little Emma boasted with a triumphant grimace, as if she no longer needed Adrian. Of course, if he dared show a hint of "let’s call it quits," she’d immediately employ various tactics to cling to him.

Among these, there was only one thing that deserved Adrian’s attention, and that was the first WCG to be held in Los Angeles after the E3 Expo.

There was no doubt that when this idea was proposed by the restructured Blizzard Entertainment, most of the game companies showed great interest. Perhaps this competition might not do much to promote the games themselves, but it had substantial potential in promoting gaming culture. With the support of ABC, companies like Microsoft, EA, and others joined in one after another.

What followed were various disputes, such as the venue of the event, the format and process of the competition, and the rewards, among other things. The most important concern was the selection of games for the competition. There couldn’t be too few or too many, so the debate was fierce. This was also a good opportunity for promotion, as having one’s own game become a part of the competition, and hyping up the WCG meant drawing in crowds of people.

The companies involved in planning the event argued back and forth for several months before settling. Decisions such as holding the event right after the E3 Expo were no small matter, but the final confirmed games for competition were five: Activision Publishing’s Quake, Microsoft’s Age of Empires, EA’s FIFA 2000, and Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft and Counter-Strike.

Counter-Strike, which was launched in mid-1999, immediately received rave reviews and a following upon release. This fast-paced shooter game quickly became popular among gamers and had a solid reputation. Along with the developed internet services in the United States, there was hardly any gamer who hadn’t played it. Likewise, the game was also welcomed around the world. Aside from Japan, which naturally wasn’t too enthusiastic about online games, Counter-Strike almost swept the globe, making it an ideal candidate for the WCG.

After all, the idea originated from Blizzard Entertainment, who also had the support of ABC and stood with AC Media in the background. Besides, Counter-Strike and Quake had a close relationship, so having two games as competition items was only fitting. Moreover, as soon as the major companies had outlined the initial shape of the WCG, Adrian had ABC start with the promotions, and then deepen the coverage step by step as negotiations progressed. This served as a warning to the other companies: even if negotiations fell through, they intended to proceed alone, and if they succeeded, the others shouldn’t expect to share in the spoils.

Of course, the more important reason for doing this was to completely nip the ideas of the South Koreans in the bud. Once the United States started an overwhelming promotion of the WCG, would they still have the audacity to put forward their proposal? The answer, naturally, was no. But even so, one should not underestimate their thick skin. As soon as word spread in the United States, Samsung immediately approached them to offer sponsorship, but Adrian had Blizzard Entertainment flat-out reject them.

Since Adrian had taken the initiative to prepare the WCG, he didn’t want these guys to get involved anymore. Whether or not there was Korean funding wouldn’t affect the development of the event. Hollywood’s movies, after all, dominated worldwide without their help. Moreover, due to certain reasons, they couldn’t accept sponsorships from mainland China, but Taiwan’s sponsorships were acceptable, which could also help tap into the East Asian market.

However, this meant that the skilled StarCraft players from South Korea who should have emerged may be lost to obscurity, but what did it matter? Who would care?

It must be said that holding the WCG right after E3 was an excellent idea. Thanks to extensive pre-event publicity and the fact that visitors for E3 had not yet left, utilizing the same venue was logical, ensuring a large influx of onsite spectators, despite the fact that the competition was mostly amateur. ABC’s special programming for WCG also garnered good viewership ratings, and suddenly, the WCG became very well-known.

"By next year’s WCG, even if it just maintains its current popularity, that will be enough," said Adrian, somewhat boasting to Claude.

Despite this, he wasn’t entirely certain that this WCG could surpass its predecessor from his previous life. Although the South Koreans were irksome and had initially turned to eSports to pull themselves out of a financial crisis, their national commitment was precisely why the WCG of the past was so successful. Now that it was in the hands of American game companies, while they were wealthy and influential, it was difficult to produce a few high-caliber gaming pros, which made it challenging to take the event to the next level.

Then again, Microsoft was already starting to branch out into games and was reportedly developing a new generation of game consoles. Their say in the WCG was more significant than before, and with the involvement of EA and Activision, the future was uncertain. So why worry so much? Besides, games didn’t hold a particularly large share within AC Media. Adrian soon stopped thinking about this and shifted his focus to television and film production.

Temporarily setting aside movies, on the television front, there were several promising new series set to premiere this fall. For instance, Two and a Half Men, but the lead was no longer Charlie Sheen—it was... Robert Downey Jr! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to cast your votes for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)