King of Hollywood-Chapter 616 - 24 We Are Very Similar

"I’m all ready," she said. "I’ve talked with Erin at least a dozen times, and I can say I know her better than anyone else in the world, except for herself. I’ve looked over the script countless times, and I could even recite it backward from the last page to the first..."

"Really? Then please recite the third paragraph from the last page," but before Julia could finish speaking, Adrian interrupted her with a serious yet surprised expression that left Julia, who was glaring at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Small Emma, who was flipping through the script beside them, couldn’t help but lower her head, hiding her face behind the document and shrugging her shoulders with a giggle.

"Alright, we’ll talk about that later. Please continue," Adrian said quickly, making a ’please go on’ gesture to change the subject as he saw Julia’s expression growing worse.

However, his interruption had dampened Julia’s enthusiasm for a lengthy exposition, and she promptly wrapped up their conversation, "In any case, I’m ready. The question now is, are you ready, Mr. Director who’s always running around everywhere?"

Looking at her elongated, sulky tone, Adrian couldn’t help but laugh. Just as he was about to speak, Julia quickly added, "And don’t say something like ’I’m ready too, and if the performance isn’t good, that’s your problem.’ Ed, I swear, if you give me a hard time on purpose, I will make you regret it."

"I already regret it," Adrian laughed and pulled her into his arms. "I should have been more intense last night, so you wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed today—Hmm, now doesn’t seem too bad to continue either."

As he spoke, the hand that was around Julia’s waist began to move upwards, but before Julia could say anything, Small Emma already covered her eyes, complaining "God, not again, can’t you consider the feelings of a child under ten?"

"Now you’re talking about feelings, huh?" Adrian immediately let go of Julia and picked up Small Emma, who began to scream and squirm in his arms.

"That’s enough, Ed." Julia shook her head with a smile at the two messing around in front of her, and all the accumulated awkwardness vanished in that moment.

"Did you hear that, kiddo? Your dear auntie is pleading for you," Adrian chuckled and finally let go. "For your aunt’s sake, I’ll let you off for now."

But Small Emma was not grateful at all; she scrambled away and hid behind the sofa, showing her teeth and waving her fists, "Who needs you to let me off? Just you wait, Ed, one day I’ll get you!"

"Not bad at all," Adrian clapped his hands twice. "I used to be a bit worried, but now it seems you’re the perfect choice for Oliver, Emma."

"Of course," Emma immediately brightened up and emerged with a triumphant look, her nostrils flared. Children are indeed fickle; the moment you touch upon something they’re interested in, everything else is promptly forgotten.

But soon, her mood dipped again as something crossed her mind, "But Ed, do you really think it’s a good idea for me to play a girl who does... does... striptease?"

"The thing is, this girl doesn’t know she’s doing a striptease, right? And she doesn’t actually strip," Adrian said with a smile. "Oliver is lively, innocent, and naive, just like her family, she has dreams and strives for them, and even though she doesn’t understand what she’s dancing, as long as it might make her a beauty queen, she couldn’t care less. All in all, it’s a really interesting role with a lot of potentials to play with. Why not try it out, Emma? I believe you’ll do great."

But Emma’s pout remained, "Are you saying that only roles like... stripteaser... show real acting?"

Adrian couldn’t help but laugh quietly; although the little one probably didn’t quite grasp the truth in her question, she had inadvertently spoken a profound truth. However, the reason behind it could fill a thick book, so it’s best to leave that alone and focus on remedying the little one’s fears.

"Are you scared, Emma?" Before Adrian could speak, Julia beat him to it.

"Scared? How could I be! I’m not scared at all!" Emma puffed up her chest and looked defiantly at her aunt.

"I think you should be able to distinguish between a role and reality, but you keep looking for excuses to get out of it. If that’s not fear, what is?" Julia shrugged, "When you first agreed to play in ’The Others,’ you didn’t hesitate at all."

"I did not, I just... I just..." Emma said somewhat annoyed, and then stamped her foot hard. "What kind of aunt talks about her niece like that!"

"Alright, dear Emma, think about the other Emma," Adrian, who had been quietly observing after Julia spoke, spoke up again with a smile that had a hint of the wolf in grandmother’s clothes, "Haven’t you always been envious of her? Haven’t you always wanted to surpass her? Now you have a chance, why not seize it?"

It had to be said, this hit Small Emma right where it hurt. Although Little Emma never boasted in front of her, she did play Hermione, who is very popular among children in the ’Harry Potter’ series of novels—how could Small Emma not be green with envy? Plus, even if she joined the ’Harry Potter’ cast, she could only have a cameo, not a main role. How could she be content with that?

The reason why Small Emma started acting in movies was not unrelated to this, so using Little Emma to tempt her was definitely no problem.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a long while, the little one finally clenched her fist, "I’ll do it! I can definitely surpass Charlotte!"

"Truly worthy of being Emma’s aunt, you know exactly how to bring out her potential," Adrian teased Julia afterward, "But, are you really not worried about letting your niece play a little girl who stripteases?"

"I trust that someone wouldn’t be that unethical. This should be good for Emma." Julia said calmly and composedly.

"Thank you, it’s really nice to hear you say that." Adrian laughed heartily and kissed her on the lips, "Since you trust me so much, Julia, I promise to finish this movie in 6 weeks."

He smiled and pointed to his head, "All the scenes are already set in here."

Directing a movie may seem easy or difficult, depending on various factors such as setting the scenes, lighting and props, actor readiness, and so on. But ultimately, it comes down to the director’s own scheduling and control. Adrian remembered a movie that took only ten days to shoot from start to finish. Though the scenes were not many and mostly confined to a phone booth, there were some full street views, and the story was compact and engaging. Despite some bad luck causing delays in release, it still grossed nearly a hundred million dollars worldwide on just over a ten million dollar investment.

That’s right, it was ’Phone Booth,’ completed at the end of 2000 but scheduled for 2002 due to timing issues, and then delayed to 2003 because of the Washington sniper incident. Given the circumstances, the box office performance was still pretty good compared to the investment, and it could have been more if it had been released immediately. Adrian was considering whether to get the script for this movie out, and after some inquiries, it appeared there was no similar script in the industry. Handing it over to New Line would be a good fit, as they were missing a big chunk of profit without ’The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, and Robert Shaye was planning large investments. If there was a major loss, perhaps it would be time to take over.

Back to the main topic—’Phone Booth’ was able to wrap up in ten days thanks in part to the limited settings, but that couldn’t overshadow the director’s role. Deciding on the visual effects, setting the shooting sequence, and bringing out actors’ emotions were all the director’s duties. If the director couldn’t complete his job outstandingly, finishing the shooting in ten days would be impossible.

This is why Adrian was able to complete ’Winter’s Bone’ in five weeks and why he always emphasized actor readiness. With his past life experience and the last few years of honing his craft, he could perfectly visualize the scenes from his mind and then replicate them on camera. If it were not for this ability, how could he finish filming ’The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy around October? In fact, after wrapping up ’Winter’s Bone,’ he calculated that, barring occasional leave and some uncontrollable factors like weather, he could even finish everything in four weeks if all went well.

So, when he told Julia that he could finish shooting ’Erin Brockovich’ in six weeks, it wasn’t an overstatement.

In the following time, most of Adrian’s energy was focused on the preparation work for this movie, with plans to start shooting by late April at the latest. But there are always unexpected events.

"Maybe you should take a look at this," Charlize said as she walked in after knocking, placing a stack of documents in front of Adrian.

"What, have we found a suitable candidate?" Adrian glanced at the cover of the documents and then asked cheerily, "One or two?"

"You’ll know when you look at it," Charlize shrugged, not saying too much.

Times had changed, the group had become very strong, and Adrian knew it was impossible to recruit a new secretary assistant on a large scale like before, all the more because he had his own ulterior motives. Therefore, he could only proceed slowly through connections. Although it took more time, at least the safety could be guaranteed, and it allowed Charlize to do more preparatory work. After all, parachuting into a department head position required some tactics, but...

"Is this... are you kidding?" After flipping through a few pages of the candidate list, Adrian suddenly widened his eyes and then lifted his head in surprise.

Charlize didn’t speak, just continued to shrug her shoulders. Adrian felt like laughing but was also slightly bewildered. After thinking it over, he pressed the speaker button on his office phone and dialed the number.

"Hi, Innie, how have you been lately? I heard from your father that you’ve published two papers already, that’s really impressive. However, while it’s important to study hard, you should also take care to rest. It would be counterproductive to get sick from overworking, wouldn’t it?" Adrian started with some small talk before adding, "By the way, remember Charli? Yes, my secretary, she’s been promoted recently and I plan to recruit a new one, but in the application materials, I saw your..."

"That’s mine." Before he could finish, Ivanka’s clear voice acknowledged, "Is there a problem?"

"Um..." Adrian glanced at Charlize, whose lips were slightly curved in a half-smile, "Okay, I want to know, how did you find out I was looking to hire a secretary?"

"My dad mentioned it during a chat, and then after making some inquiries, I found out," Ivanka’s tone sounded relaxed, "Is there a problem?"

She had asked this for the second time. Adrian sighed silently before continuing, "If I remember correctly, Innie, you’re still at Stanford’s Business School, right? And you haven’t even been there for a full year..."

"I’ve already gone through the textbooks for the next few years," Ivanka interrupted him again unapologetically, "Since the day I entered Stanford, I’ve devoted all my time and energy to studying, almost giving up all leisure time, even when I’m home on vacation. You should know this, right?"

"But..." Adrian tried to say something but was interrupted once more, "Even my tutor admits I’ve done very well, and if I keep it up, I could earn enough credits by the second half of the year to start working on my thesis. So, if I apply for an internship now, the school would not object. Of course, if you think I’m not suitable or you’re worried about something, you can refuse. That’s it, I have a lot of coursework to finish."

After she hung up without hesitation, practically saying "Don’t bother me unless it’s necessary," Adrian couldn’t help but sigh again.

"It seems someone is very determined to get revenge on you," Charlize remarked teasingly. She was always like this, like when she used to joke about him wanting to find two beautiful women—not mocking him a little seemed to make her uncomfortable.

"This is so embarrassing, have I ever done anything excessive?" Adrian scratched his head in distress.

"Do you need me to list examples?" Charlize retorted immediately.

"Alright, let’s not talk about that, what’s next... what do we do?" Adrian spread his hands, appearing troubled.

"You should have made a decision, haven’t you? Or do you want me to find this poor girl and tell her that she’s now in the clutches of the Great Demon King, and that all her struggles and resistance are expected, and she’ll never escape his grasp?" Charlize rolled her eyes at him and then walked out of the office.

Adrian chuckled and shook his head before leaning back in his chair and took a deep breath. This was definitely not what he’d expected. He knew about Ivanka’s situation at Stanford; she went from being a model walking on runways, exuding her charm and pride, to becoming a study fanatic. He did bear some responsibility for this, but to recruit her as his secretary...

It wasn’t a question of Ivanka’s qualifications or that he was worried she’d do something foolish. He understood Ivanka’s motives; what Charlize said wasn’t wrong, but he had to consider other factors.

Although there was a lot to think about, the tasks at hand didn’t stop, like the interview—even if he had decided to reject her, he still needed a valid reason.

"Why did you apply for this position?"

"I studied this field, and I’m very interested and passionate. I believe I can get more training in such a large company."

"What do you understand about this position?"

"The everyday administrative affairs of the office, drafting and binding various documents, as well as signing for, delivering, expediting, and retrieving, clearing, and destroying them; recording various meetings and managing conference affairs..."

"How would you evaluate yourself?"

"Composed, meticulous, patient. Although I don’t have much related experience, there is great potential for growth."

Finally, the questioning ended. The three interviewers began whispering amongst themselves. Although they appeared to be seriously discussing the matter, both the interviewers and the interviewee were aware that the real decision-maker was the attractive blonde girl sitting quietly on the side, noting everything down.

"Thank you, Miss Ivanka. We’ll contact you if there’s any news," said the middle interviewer in a somewhat performative manner after their mock deliberation.

"Thank you." Ivanka stood up, nodding with a reserved smile.

Dressed in a sharp dark-colored business suit with a short skirt, her golden hair cascading like a waterfall, complemented by flesh-colored stockings and a pair of 5-inch strappy heels, she projected an impressive aura, especially with her mannerisms, fitting for a lady born into wealth and with a modeling background. Even when she was diligently studying, Ivanka maintained her poise and beauty daily, let alone now.

"What do you think?" Ivanka had left, and today’s interview session came to an end. The note-taking Charlize also came to the inner room, where Adrian had stayed throughout, closely following the interview process.

"I think she suits OL attire better than you," Adrian remarked after some thought.

"Hmm?" Charlize raised an eyebrow.

"The curve of her behind is quite similar to yours, but the curve of her front is considerably higher than yours, very seductive. Oh, I’m starting to miss the feeling of holding it in my hands," Adrian said with an exaggerated tone, even making a pinching gesture, completely resembling a tasteless lecher.

"I knew it. One shouldn’t trust a man’s observational skills, especially not a lecher’s." Charlize didn’t bother to play along, just rolling her eyes at him.

"Okay, okay, let’s talk business," Adrian laughed, raising his hands in surrender before pausing and then asking, "What do you think, Charli? How do you feel about it?"

"What do I think?" Charlize pursed her lips, "I believe she would be a suitable candidate for the secretary assistant position."

"Secretary assistant? You mean she can handle it alone?" Adrian asked with some surprise.

"Yes," Charlize nodded, "If it were over half a year ago, I wouldn’t have had this opinion, but considering what I’ve learned from you about her actions after entering Stanford, I believe she has the capabilities to take on these tasks."

She paused here for a moment before continuing, a mysterious gleam shining in her eyes: "More importantly, although she and I are at opposite ends, in many ways, we are very similar!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it and give your monthly support. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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