King of Hollywood-Chapter 520 - 241: Universal in Hand

"Avril, how long do you plan to stand there with that plate?" It wasn’t until her mother’s reminding voice rang out that the daydreaming Avril snapped back to reality, then with a flushed face, she hurriedly put the dishes she was holding into the dishwasher.

"Sorry, Mom, I was just... I was just a bit..." She wanted to explain, but her mother wasn’t blaming her.

"I know you’re excited, dear, and it’s okay," Judi said to her daughter with a smile, "I just wanted to say that if you really have something on your mind, you should go to the living room and talk to Dad and that Mr. Adrian, instead of using helping out as an excuse to hide here in the kitchen. The gentleman is probably going to leave in a few minutes."

Hearing her mother’s words, Avril’s cheeks turned red again and she began to hesitate. Just then, her father came in: "Avril, Mr. Adrian is about to leave."

"So soon?" the girl exclaimed in surprise, immediately dropping what she was holding and, with a hasty wipe of her hands, ran outside.

In the living room, Adrian, who had already gotten up, was saying something to Matthew. Upon seeing Avril come out, he gave her a smile, but she stopped in her tracks, not knowing what to say.

"Well, then I’ll be leaving. I’ve booked a room at the hotel, and it wouldn’t be economical to cancel now," he said. "Tomorrow I’ll be heading back; the vacation is almost over, and you’ll have plenty of time to think it over. I hope to hear some good news the next time I come."

"I will," John, standing behind his daughter, nodded, "I’ll see you out."

"Let me take Mr. Adrian out," said Avril, who had been standing there not knowing what to do, suddenly speaking up. Although she shrank a bit when all eyes turned to her, she quickly squared her shoulders.

"Okay, then you can take him," John said with a laugh and then made a beckoning gesture.

"Thank you, it’s an honor to be seen off by the respected Ms. Lavine," Adrian followed up, bowing slightly with a smile, very formally and respectfully, instantly drawing light laughter from Matthew and Michelle.

The girl’s cheeks grew slightly red as she stepped to the door in two or three strides to open it for Adrian, and followed him all the way to the street. She didn’t say a word the whole time, hands clasped behind her back, lips bitten, face tensed, completely lacking the lightness, flamboyance, and liveliness she had during the day. In fact, she had been like this ever since Adrian entered their home, and after hearing the purpose of his visit and knowing his identity, her condition became even more serious.

"That’s far enough," Adrian said after he stopped by his car, then he looked at the girl with interest: "Is there something you want to say to me?" freewebnøvel_com

"Yes... yes..." Avril lowered her head, then after several hesitant freckles, she drew several circles on the ground with the tip of her toe before speaking softly, "I’m... I’m sorry, Mr. Adrian."

"Just call me Adrian or Ed, then I can call you Avril too, which is a very nice name," Adrian said with a gentle smile, showing not a hint of blame, making the girl even more uneasy.

"Okay, Adrian... Ed, I just want to say that I didn’t mean it then, neither did my friends. We play on our skateboards all the time, but we’ve never had an accident before, so..." Her voice grew softer and she raised her head with an embarrassed expression, "So, I didn’t know what to do at the moment, and... please believe me, we’re not usually like that."

"Yes, I know," Adrian nodded, "as I said, I’ve been to this town several times before, and the residents are very hospitable, so I believe you didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t worry about it, I wasn’t hurt anyway—though it did hurt quite a bit when I fell."

Relieved by his words, the girl stuck out her tongue and sighed, "I also have to thank you for not exposing me in front of my parents. That really would have... If they had found out, then my summer vacation would be ruined."

"A girl who can sing publicly is definitely full of vitality and wouldn’t run away when faced with problems," Adrian waved his hand dismissively, "You are apologizing to me now, aren’t you? As for your parents, children will always have their secrets they don’t want to tell them. As long as the child knows what they can and can’t do, it’s not a big deal not to tell them."

He suddenly laughed, "Speaking of which, we really are destined. I made a special trip to Napanee to find you, and shortly after getting out of the car, you bumped into me full-on and sent me tumbling to the ground. It was fate that I should find you."

Avril burst into giggles at that, still a bit embarrassed, but undoubtedly feeling much better than before.

"Sorry, Ed, I... I just want to know, were you serious about everything you said today?" she suddenly asked, her eyes filled with hope and excitement as she looked into Adrian’s.

"Of course, although this will still require professionals to test and evaluate you, I trust my own judgment," Adrian nodded earnestly, "so I really hope you can agree."

"I... I’ll definitely give you a satisfactory answer!" Avril had wanted to agree right away, but unfortunately, she wasn’t yet in a position to decide, so she ended up saying that.

"Well then, I’ll arrange for someone to come as soon as possible." Adrian patted her head and then got into his car, waving goodbye as he left.

After watching the car drive far away, Avril cheered, jumping three feet high on the spot, then hopped back into her home.

"Look at Avril, how excited she is," Matthew said with a teasing tone, shaking his head as his sister couldn’t contain herself upon entering the door.

"Looks like our daughter has made up her mind, John," Judi spread her hands toward her husband.

The girl then realized that her whole family was still in the living room and had to calm down a bit. Not bothering to roll her eyes at her brother, she asked a bit nervously after her mother had finished speaking, "What’s wrong, Mom? Is there a problem?"

"Don’t be nervous, dear. Your mother is just a little worried," John said, "Even though the United States is just south of us, Los Angeles is still a bit far from Napanee."

"What does that matter? Ed said that I could go to Los Angeles as an exchange student, go to school while receiving the related training, and you can come to see me at any time, and I can come back at any time," Avril called out in agitation, "Oh, Mom, I’m already an adult, I can take care of myself! This is an opportunity, a really good one!"

"How about that, Judi, I told you, Avril is a very opinionated kid," John laughed heartily, then pulled his daughter over and gently patted her tender shoulder. "There, there, dear, don’t worry, we’ll arrange everything for you, as long as Adrian shows enough sincerity."

Returning to her room, after setting aside all the excitement and agitation she had accumulated that evening, Avril was overwhelmed by a dizzy sensation, as if a huge pie had fallen from the sky and hit her on the head. Thinking about the unprecedented surprise and envy in her brother’s and sister’s eyes, she felt immensely pleased, especially after her brother told her Adrian was a famous media mogul in Hollywood who rarely made a wrong judgment about people. The currently popular Britney was discovered by him, and this made Avril exceedingly proud.

Britney was nothing; as long as I work hard, I will definitely surpass her. The girl encouraged herself in her heart. However, when she wanted to pick up her guitar and play a tune as usual, she found she couldn’t concentrate. The scene from the skateboard accident that afternoon kept reappearing in her mind. She had almost forgotten the specifics, only remembering how, as she rushed down the slope, a tall figure suddenly appeared from the other side, and then she collided with him, screaming.

That hurt a lot, with both of them tumbling to the ground. One can imagine how forceful the impact must have been. If Adrian hadn’t cushioned her fall, if she had hit the ground, she might have been injured by now. A smile crossed the girl’s face; before getting up, she must have been lying on top of him, and upon reflection, she could still feel Adrian’s solid chest.

A sudden knocking sound pulled Avril out of her reverie. She looked around and realized the noise was coming from the walls, both at the head and foot of her bed. Even a knee-jerk thought would tell her what was going on. Rolling her eyes, she approached the window, raised the glass, and stuck her head out irritably to ask, "What now?"

"Why didn’t I hear you singing tonight?" Michelle’s head poked out from the neighboring room’s window.

"Yeah, suddenly it feels odd without it," Matthew’s head also emerged from a window on the other side.

"Ha, when I used to sing, you complained it disturbed your sleep; now that I’m not singing, you say you’re uncomfortable with it," Avril rolled her eyes unapologetically.

"Because you might be going to Los Angeles, and then we really won’t be able to hear you singing next door," Matthew said.

"Yeah, maybe we’ll have to buy your album to listen to it," Michelle nodded vigorously.

"Then just wait and buy my album," Avril chuckled, promptly withdrew her head, lowered the window, laughed out loud three times, turned off the light, and jumped into bed.

The previous pleasure once again dominated her thoughts. No wonder, as the middle child in the family, she wasn’t as valued as the eldest, nor as pampered as the youngest—although her parents still cared for her a lot—and without a sibling in the same position to confide in, she had always enjoyed showing off, seeking more attention and focus. That’s why she loved singing and being the center of attention. From joining the church choir to buying equipment to perform at the flea market, she had often pleaded with her parents.

Now someone had approached her, saying they believed in her potential and wanted to sign a contract with her, and this person was known for their astute judgment. How could she not be thrilled and excited? It was the first time someone had so thoroughly affirmed her. Even if her parents thought she sang well, they had never said anything like this. Moreover, he had traveled all the way to Napanee to find her and got knocked to the ground by her as soon as he arrived. It couldn’t be anything but fate.

The girl in the covers giggled, thrashed and kicked about in the bed for a while, then fell into a sweet sleep, exhausted.

Leaving Napanee, Adrian headed directly south to New York for a clandestine rendezvous with a certain lady before flying back to Los Angeles on his private jet from Toronto. Although there were minor hitches, this journey generally satisfied him. He all but secured Lin Zhiling, and the future rock witch was nearly pocketed as well. Even though he mentioned having professionals come for an assessment, the decision to sign was still ultimately his to make.

Years ago, when he visited the set of "Fly Away Home" in Canada, he had swung by Napanee Town, but since he was with Gwyneth at that time, he did not stay for long. He had indeed visited a few times afterward—he did not lie to them about that—then quickly found his target, which wasn’t difficult considering the town’s population hadn’t even reached ten thousand.

He waited ever since, until he heard singing at the farmers’ market and took the time to listen before choosing to pay a visit this summer. The timing was impeccable. Too early, and Avril’s fundamentals were still shaky; suspicion of ulterior motives might arise, and there was the risk of stunting her growth. Too late, and some other record company might snatch her away, which would be disastrous.

To others, making such a commotion for one singer might seem foolish, but to Adrian, it was a fascinating endeavor. What could be more intriguing than watching a girl grow and mature, and then signing her? Now that he had the chance to do something interesting, why wouldn’t he?

Of course, he did not anticipate that his "welcome" would be such an assertive one. Despite insisting he was alright, Adrian had to admit lying there on the ground, his back truly hurt. She lived up to her reputation for being outspoken, providing a rather unique introduction that piqued Adrian’s interest even more. Thus, he abandoned his original idea, instead proposing that Avril come to Los Angeles as an exchange student to attend school and receive training. Having just finished eighth grade and it being the summer holidays, it was the perfect time to apply. Although there might not be much time, with Adrian’s influence, arranging for a girl to come to Los Angeles as an exchange student was easy.

She was so delightfully charming and full of potential and character, that of course, she should be kept under close watch. Even though the Lavine Family said they needed to consider it, the outcome was predictable. When summer ended, Avril would be studying in Los Angeles and beginning her training with the record company.

Lin Zhiling also returned to Los Angeles with him, and for her, deciding what to do was a simple matter. Soon, Adrian received her call, and the detour to pick her up—from Napanee to New York, then to Toronto—was an opportunity to show off his private jet.

As he anticipated, Lin Zhiling, with her uncomplicated mind, was stunned by the luxury of the private jet, overly excited throughout the entire journey. Adrian had to guide her on an extensive tour of the plane, putting aside his plans for in-flight passion temporarily. There would be plenty more opportunities in the future.

For a woman enamored with vanity, simply giving her a sense of unattainability was enough to make her humble and cower at your feet. Then, by showing just the right amount of kindness and surface-level respect, letting her realize her own worth, attain some degree of honor, and gain fame, she would obediently stay by your side.

The first two conditions were now met, as for the latter, there was no rush. Once back in Los Angeles, Adrian arranged for Lin Zhiling to further her studies at an acting school as she had no prior foundation and needed to start from scratch. It worked out well since the film adaptation of "Resident Evil" wouldn’t start shooting until at least the end of the year, leaving time for preparation.

In addition, she needed an agent, preferably a Chinese immigrant from Taiwan to facilitate better communication. However, after the agency brought over a list of suitable agents, he noticed a surprising change and shook his head at how much the world had evolved.

Regardless of the current transformations of the world, one thing remained unchangeable. In late August ’98, AC Media officially announced the successful acquisition of Universal Pictures from Seagram! The news caused a significant stir in the industry. Many were aware that Universal Pictures’ acquisition, just like that of TBS and ABC, meant AC Media could now hold its own against the other six major Hollywood movie studios.

Everyone remembered how much vitality TBS and ABC had gained under the management of AC Media, and how much Adrian Cowell, labeled the ace screenwriter, Miracle Director, and Gold medal producer, contributed to that success. With Universal Pictures joining, the generated benefits would be more than the sum of its parts. How long had News Corporation and Viacom taken to reach such heights? It was enough to elicit envy and resentment.

However, those envious and resentful would never know how much effort AC Media had put into acquiring Universal. Even though Viacom was eyeing CBS, Warner and Disney were forming a new cable network, and News Corporation was recovering and consolidating its strengths, it didn’t mean they were happy to see AC Media grow.

When AC Media acquired TBS and ABC, many thought they would sink into a quagmire. Yet, the instant success of several dramas and reality shows, especially for ABC, reinvigorated the stations and secured AC Media’s victory. The stability of their rapid expansion came down to the man who might indeed be considered a miracle. With Adrian at the helm, AC Media seemed invincible in film and television production.

Nobody would make the same mistake twice. Even if they were busy with their issues, underhanded tactics were not off the table. Seagram even tried to engage in cross-shareholding during the turmoil. Alas, AC Media still procured Universal Pictures. This was partly because the schemers could not exercise their full power, but also because AC Media had an exceptional CEO and a chairman who wholeheartedly believed in him!

(To be continued... If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast your recommendations and monthly votes at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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