King of Hollywood
Chapter 658 - 66 Capitalist

Chapter 658: Chapter 66 Capitalist

"Tasting?" Adrian was stunned for several seconds after hearing this question, Lin Xilei’s expression never changed, as if she was talking about something very ordinary. Although this was exactly what he wanted to see, hadn’t she gotten into the role a bit too quickly? After thinking it over, Adrian then asked with interest, "Are there any options?"

Lin Xilei immediately handed him a folder, "I’ve conducted an initial selection. If none of these are to your liking, we can always consider others later."

Adrian took it with a puzzled look and almost spit out when he opened it. On the neatly printed copperplate paper of the first page were four photographs with clearly marked prices beneath them. Although it wasn’t spelled out what the prices were for, at this point, did it really need to be said? The folder contained 7 pages of 14 women, most of whom Adrian had heard of in his previous life... Such clear pricing...

"It’s a bit exaggerated, isn’t it?" Adrian said with a chuckle, lifting the folder in his hand. He was completely indifferent to the prices that easily soared into the hundreds of thousands or even millions. To him, it was just a drop in the bucket. However, this way of selection was indeed very unique.

This method of selecting goods was undoubtedly an insult to those women, but for men, it was a kind of pleasure, like an emperor in a traditional opera choosing his concubines by fanning their cards. The person who designed this really knew how to play to a man’s psychology.

"Not at all, this is just the price to invite them to participate," Lin Xilei shrugged at this point.

With that said, Adrian understood. Being invited to participate was one thing; getting them into bed was another. Of course, after splashing so much cash, getting someone into bed would be an effortless affair.

"How did you get this?" Adrian asked curiously.

"I thought you might need it, so I got in touch with that old lady who had tried to persuade Lin Zhiling before. She’s a pretty decent middleman," Lin Xilei continued to shrug, her gaze on the folder somewhat complex.

A middleman? Adrian raised an eyebrow and then understood, smiling without asking further. Then, he noticed her expression—initially puzzled, but he quickly caught on and chuckled to himself. If she hadn’t obtained her current agent’s role, she would likely have had her name in this folder as well.

"To be frank, this is right up my alley, but..." Adrian gestured as if he wanted to say something.

"This transaction is being carried out under extreme secrecy. The other party is a seasoned individual, and I’ve warned her and agreed to pay her extra to keep quiet. I assume you wouldn’t mind that, right?" Lin Xilei paused here, looking at Adrian and smiling, "Lin Zhiling doesn’t mind either."

Adrian looked surprised. He had reservations because he needed to consider Lin Zhiling’s public image. If he brought another woman over, wouldn’t that blatantly tell everyone that he was keeping Lin Zhiling? Even though it was a matter that would eventually come to light, delaying it was still preferable. Since Lin Zhiling had always been attentive and diligent in serving him, he didn’t mind considering things from her perspective.

Now, however... with a little thought, Adrian figured out Shuanglin’s intention and couldn’t help but shake his head with a silent laugh.

"Not satisfied? So, do you want to continue or not?" Lin Xilei sighed softly.

"Which one do you think is good?" Adrian asked with a smile, pushing the folder back. Lin Xilei immediately showed a surprised expression. Compared with Charlize and Ivanka, she was still not able to hide her reactions well enough, so this was all she could manage.

"This one, I guess. She played a dual role in ’Flying dragon in the sky’ broadcast on CTV last year and became a popular idol, known as the Queen of Taiwan’s prime-time TV series. Considering your taste from Japan, you should like her," Lin Xilei browsed through a few pages of the file and pulled out a photo to hand over, "And she’s about the same age as Zhiling."

"You know quite a lot," Adrian praised, once again sighing that if it weren’t for Ivanka being capable of taking on a major role, if she weren’t Chinese, being a personal assistant would be just perfect.

"So it’s her then." He flicked the photo, a rather delicate face with a smile, giving off a youthful and sweet vibe, "Miss Alyssa Chia."

Alyssa Chia was a born and bred Taiwanese girl. She appeared in some CTS movies during her teenage years, but it was not until after she graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and her father’s business failed that she officially entered the entertainment industry. Her career did not go smoothly for the first few years, not until she gained attention after starring in the Taiwanese drama ’Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, husband and wife of the seventh generation’ in 1999. Then, thanks to ’Flying dragon in the sky’ last year, she rose to fame.

A woman like this was easy to seduce. Although the middleman didn’t reveal Adrian’s identity, it was easy to persuade her. And then, again, having already participated, why pretend to be reserved? Especially when the other party was a media tycoon from Hollywood. At first, she was a bit nervous, but Adrian relaxed her with a few words, and then she looked at him with an indescribable excitement.

Adrian had seen such gazes many times before, so there was no burden on him when he pinned her down on the bed, thoroughly enjoying Alyssa’s obsequious flattery. Of course, a four-way orgy was a must, Lin Zhiling’s indifference meant this very thing, and since she had joined in, how could Lin Xilei escape?

Alyssa Chia obviously had never played these games before. She was somewhat resistant at the beginning, but after a brief struggle, she submitted and gradually became more proactive. Despite this, for Adrian, it was just a fling. Not to mention all the things about her that he remembered, having those two Asian girls on his shelf was enough, he took Lin Xilei out of curiosity and to find a good agent for Lin Zhiling – the investment was very cost-effective. As for Liu Yufei, it was partly to verify the truth about the various stories about her and her mother, and partly for Cho Chang in the ’Harry Potter’ series – the original was just too terrible.

That was where it ended. Collecting too many Asians meant the already limited good roles had to be divided even more, and Hollywood’s discriminatory attitude towards Asians was not something a media tycoon could change alone. So, when Alyssa Chia was still fast asleep that morning, Adrian told Lin Xilei that was all there was to it; it was fine to have fun with a suitable person, but he wasn’t going to take anyone back with him.

Adrian knew what Shuanglin wanted; their desire to join forces for more benefits was the same as the last time Lin Xilei recommended Liu Yufei. But actually, there was no need for that – as mentioned earlier, the more there were, the less they would get.

"For me, just having the two of you here in Taiwan is enough," Adrian said, looking towards the door on the other side of the room. Soon, Lin Zhiling, wearing a bathrobe, wiping her wet hair, and smiling shyly, walked out.

Without a doubt, it had been another wild four-way last night, otherwise Alyssa Chia wouldn’t be still asleep even now, of course, that also had to do with being played by three people in turns.

"So you don’t need to worry so much, okay? Just maintain the situation as it is now." After Lin Zhiling settled into his arms, Adrian pinched her chin and said, while also reaching out and tweaking Lin Xilei’s cheek.

"Understood," Lin Zhiling said sweetly, and despite Lin Xilei still smiling faintly, her expression clearly relaxed.

That was the end of the Taiwan trip. Leaving Lin Xilei to accompany Lin Zhiling for the promotion of ’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, Adrian returned to Los Angeles. After resting for two days, he went to the UK following the Los Angeles – New York – London route, something he had to do every year, but Little Emma would never be satisfied.

"You’re late again, why couldn’t you come earlier?!" Even though Little Emma was very happy to see Adrian, she still waved her arms and angrily questioned him.

"Alright, alright, Your Majesty," Adrian kneeled in front of her, adopting the pose of someone presenting themselves to the queen, and said very seriously, causing laughter from many people including her aunt.

Little Emma pouted unhappily and glared at him, but Adrian didn’t care and pinched her cheeks, shaking them several times as she opened her arms wide and made a fierce "I’m going to bite you" face, which was completely void of Hermione’s usual wit and calm, causing another round of laughter.

"Well, no matter what, I’m here now, can’t you give me a smile?" Adrian spread his arms.

"You want a smile from me? That’s not so easy," Little Emma folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, then made a long list of demands, even one as unreasonable as using a private jet to take her all over Western Europe and parts of Eastern Europe over the next few days. Surprisingly, Adrian agreed to all of them.

"Tell me honestly, Ed, why were you so quick to agree? If it were before, you would’ve cut half of the demands at least," Little Emma said, snuggling into Adrian’s arms on a bench near Mälaren Lake in Stockholm, all bundled up in a thick fleece coat with gloves and earmuffs. She also giggled and started pulling his cheek, as if hiding another person underneath.

"Because after ’Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is released at the end of the year, playing as carefree as you are now will become impossible," Adrian stroked her head as he said this.

"Oh? Is it really that powerful?" Little Emma blinked.

"Trust me, as a director who’s not too bad, my judgement is generally not wrong," Adrian shrugged and said with a "modest" tone.

"Not too bad?" Little Emma placed her hands on her hips and huffed, "If the Miracle Director says he’s only not too bad, then should the other directors be ashamed enough to consider suicide?"

"Then why ask!" Adrian immediately grabbed her and started tickling, as the little one struggled and started to giggle loudly.

After the two of them calmed down from their roughhousing, Little Emma, catching her breath, hugged Adrian and rested her head on his shoulder, contently saying, "I love you, Ed."

Hearing her emotional words, Adrian inadvertently furrowed his brows but quickly regained his composure and gently patted her back, "I love you too, Emma."

Aside from visiting Little Emma and spending time playing with her in London, checking on the progress of ’Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was also one of his tasks. Essentially, the film only had some finishing touches left, and other than the opening and closing credits that hadn’t been added, everything else was complete. Adrian watched a few clips selected in his London studio and, to be honest, Chris Columbus had done a very good job. Truly worthy of being a director known for creating family-friendly films; therefore, ’Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ should also be scheduled next.

"You have to give me time to rest, Ed. I haven’t had a proper chance to spend time with my wife and kids in a long while," Columbus sighed plaintively, with some reluctance.

"Yes, I know, Chris, I see all the hard work you’ve put in," Adrian smiled and persuaded, "But as you also know, children tend to grow up quickly, especially around the age of ten. If we delay too long, the ones who looked like children in the first part might easily pass for 13 or 14 years old in the second, creating an incongruent feeling."

He paused there before continuing, "Besides, I’m not planning on having the crew start shooting right now, as long as we don’t start filming before July, you have plenty of time to spend with your family."

Columbus still appeared indecisive. In his heart, he agreed with Adrian—children’s series were like that; if time wasn’t seized quickly, once the kids grew into adulthood, it was impossible to recapture that original feeling. Plus, he was very fond of the "Harry Potter" series of novels; otherwise, he wouldn’t have moved his family to London for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone."

But the issue was that it was a Herculean task. Columbus, who had personally handled casting and production from the get-go, had a clear understanding that it required his attention in shooting, production, post-production and more. Besides, Rowling was involved, and any script direction needed her approval. Making such a film in under a year seemed nearly impossible. And with four novels in the series to date, and Rowling suggesting there might be a total of seven, my God, was he supposed to spend seven or more years in London?

Doing the same thing too much, no matter how much you enjoy it, can lead to fatigue. After the initial excitement had faded, his children grumbled about their father being absent from long periods, either on set or in the studio. This conflict weighed on him.

Adrian, of course, noticed this and didn’t pressure him. "Here’s the thing, Chris, you’ve read all four of Joe’s current novels. From the third one on, they become more adult-oriented, so you only need to direct the first two. I think that shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"Alright, you’re the boss," Columbus sighed and after some thought, reluctantly agreed.

Indeed, as the series progressed, it became more adult-oriented. A family-friendly style director like Columbus was ill-suited for this—this is why some people always say the first two films were the best, as they retained a sufficient amount of childlike wonder.

Of course, director suitability was an issue, but after the production of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," the young actors were mostly settled into their roles, so the subsequent films could be produced more slowly. Adrian believed that as long as the directors were willing to listen to him and Rowling, the subsequent films would at least be better than in his previous life. Speaking of which, the young actors performed very well; Little Emma didn’t even need to be mentioned—Rowling herself praised her, saying that in front of the camera, she was the unequivocal Hermione. Eric Rice, who played Harry, and George Sanders, who portrayed Ron, also did well. It seems that as long as children grow up in a healthy environment, they have an indescribable aura.

Like Little Emma, though she had experienced such a calamity, and her aunt’s attention inevitably shifted after having her own child, Adrian became her emotional anchor and played an important role in her growth, allowing her to grow up healthy—oh sure, it’d be better if she wasn’t so precocious and overly quirky.

Since Columbus had agreed, pre-production for "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" could formally begin. With the experience from preparing for "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone," most matters could be delegated to others, and he could comfortably make time for his family, as long as they started filming before July. Half a year for shooting should be sufficient; if not, Adrian could even delay the release of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" a bit—it was originally scheduled for the Christmas slot at the end of the year, anyway.

The reason for this was to avoid the situation where, after a blockbuster hit, young actors would halt filming to renegotiate their contracts for higher pay. Such an occurrence is quite normal; anyone’s first acting fee isn’t high, but once they’ve shot to fame, demands for increased pay are inevitable. Although Universal’s pay to them was relatively generous and the contract stipulated gradual increases—with the payment for the second part being higher than the first—it paled in comparison to the potential high film revenue.

So such an event was bound to happen, and would likely be supported by the seasoned actors in the crew. As a capitalist, Adrian naturally would do whatever maximized profits—okay, that’s a joke. What he considered more was that if an agreement couldn’t be reached, the shooting could stall, rendering any prior rush to film a waste.

More importantly, if the delay turned out too long and the young actors grew significantly taller and more mature, they would have to reshoot as much footage as differed from what was already filmed, leading to severe waste.

But avoiding lengthy negotiations wasn’t possible. If it were a series of just two or three movies, he could easily prepare a contract with high pay upfront, minimizing the waste of time. However, the "Harry Potter" series would likely be seven parts, and if actors demanded increased pay from the start and he were to meet their high demands, what if their appetite grew with each film? Of course, with the high revenue from the "Harry Potter" film series, such negotiations were inevitable, but control had to remain in his own hands, just as he had done with raising the fees for the six leads of "Friends."

In sum, finishing the filming of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" before the release of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" was very much necessary... Well, from this perspective, Adrian was indeed a capitalist. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support at qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation.)