King of Hollywood-Chapter 188 - 189 Work and Life

Chapter 188: Chapter 189 Work and Life

“Today’s results are really not bad,” Adrian remarked with feeling as he got into the car after coming out of the building.

“Good results?” Charlize asked casually, following after him.

“Yes, I have a feeling that Charli, Britney, and Christina will all become idols that many people will crazily chase after,” Adrian declared confidently.

There was no suspense; both girls had agreed, even if they were startled by the harsh conditions. But having gone through the initial MMC selection, they understood the importance of opportunities more than their peers. As for what kind of company Adrian’s record label was, firstly, since it can be recommended by the TV department’s director, John Bryce, they believed it definitely wouldn’t be deceitful; secondly, their agreement was not enough—their parents had to agree, and the parents would naturally inquire.

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“Yeah, maybe you should take up fortune-telling, Ed, with your 100% prediction accuracy, you’d surely become the most famous astrologer,” Charlize couldn’t resist sarcastically saying.

“Really? Do you think I should change my career to become an astrologer?” Adrian asked seriously as he stroked his chin, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes.

“Oh, of course, you could also start a religion and claim that believing in me grants eternal life,” Charlize continued her sharp-tongued mockery, surprised at herself for feeling irrationally annoyed.

“That wouldn’t work, if I really did that, a whole bunch of Puritans would drown me with their saliva,” Adrian said, his laughter deepening; he seemed to find talking to Charlize very interesting.

Charlize was grinding her teeth, about to say something, when a soft cough suddenly came from the driver’s seat in front. The carriage quieted down, and after several seconds, the driver Glover, who had been intently looking forward, asked softly, “Shall we drive now, Mr. Adrian?”

“Yes, let’s head back,” Adrian immediately nodded. Even though he used to drive everywhere himself before, now that he had Charlize with him almost all the time, most of the driving was done by others.

The car hit the road, and the two who had been at loggerheads earlier, now fell silent. Charlize rested her chin on one hand, expressionlessly watching outside the window, while Adrian crossed his arms and smiled, lost in thought.

“Glover,” Adrian suddenly called the driver once they reached a street corner, “turn left, head south, we’re not going back yet. Let’s go to Disneyland.”

“Alright, sir.” Glover, as the driver, had no objections, but Charlize couldn’t help asking, “What are we going to Disneyland for? Did you suddenly come up with another plan?”

“Don’t worry, dear Charli, you’ll see when we arrive,” Adrian said with a smile, not elaborating.

“Don’t use such endearing terms, Mr. Adrian! I need to remind you, reporters are camping outside your villa all day trying to trace you. If you don’t want to be discovered, you’d better be careful,” Charlize said, raising an eyebrow.

“Be careful? Like how?” Adrian blinked at her.

Although she wanted to roll her eyes at him, after sighing inwardly, Charlize patiently explained, “Like calling ahead to tell them where you are, or showing up openly in public places.”

Who knew that, after hearing this, Adrian would burst out laughing, then wave his hand after Charlize furrowed her brow, “I’m not a celebrity, Charli, recognizing a director on the street is much harder than recognizing a celebrity.”

Charlize opened her mouth, then closed it; alright, she admitted she had overlooked that point. What’s more, she often unconsciously assumed Adrian was a big star. What a strange idea! Charlize shook her head inexplicably and simply shut her mouth completely, no longer speaking no matter how Adrian teased.

Soon, the car arrived at Disneyland in Los Angeles. Established in 1955, the Los Angeles Disneyland is the world’s first modern large-scale theme park. Disney combined movie scenes and animation techniques with mechanical equipment, integrating the theme across various attractions, providing visitors with unparalleled experiences that soon swept the United States and then the world. Every visitor to Los Angeles made it a point to visit here, so even though it was the off-season and tomorrow was only the weekend, the park was still bustling and vibrant.

“I don’t understand why I have to come in; the contract doesn’t state that I have to accompany you for fun!” Charlize, half-dragged into the amusement park by Adrian, finally couldn’t help complaining after several tours, but Adrian shut down her complaints with a single sentence: “You’re my assistant, I might need you to jot down any sudden bursts of inspiration.”

“I totally believe you’re a genius, Ed, whatever you play can inspire great ideas or scripts,” Charlize said resignedly, biting her teeth, half in jest and half sarcastically.

“Just when she was about to take back her words, after riding the pirate ship, Adrian sat quietly on the bench for a moment before quickly starting to speak, ‘A 17th-century pirate story, where the protagonist is a somewhat neurotic pirate captain. He’s a bit greedy and afraid of dying and likes to show off his cleverness, but when it really counts, he always makes the right decision and takes responsibility; he knows when to beg for mercy and won’t stubbornly resist, yet he also has his own bottom line; a bit effeminate, fond of posturing, but he does not lack the manly bravado expected of him. He owns a compass that points to the place he most desires and the fastest pirate ship in the world, which he got from a powerful magic user — adding a bit of fantasy sounds good.'”

“Although initially a bit flustered, Charlize quickly took out the notepad and pen she had with her, and started taking notes rapidly. She had done this often, so even though Adrian spoke suddenly and hastily, she still managed to jot down the most important ideas.”

When he finally finished, Charlize let out a long breath and maintained her writing posture for several minutes before looking up, “Anything else?”

“For now, producing it isn’t difficult, but the CG might be expensive, and the actors… So, it’s better to wait another five or six years, until the technology is fully mature. However, scriptwriters from the review department can start writing the script ahead of time, ready to start production whenever the timing is right,” Adrian pondered for a moment before responding.

“Anything else?” Charlize noted these words.

“Yes, let’s go there now,” Adrian laughed heartily, linking his arm with Charlize’s and heading towards the Ghost House. Charlize rolled her eyes, wanting to loudly protest, but in the end, she held back.

Next, from the Ghost House to the Ejection Tower, they nearly played through all the major parade attractions and also many smaller games like shooting. Charlize felt extremely helpless, irate, and baffled, but had no choice but to patiently accompany Adrian everywhere. However, after she started to accept and relax, especially when riding on the carousel cheerfully shouting to Adrian who was standing outside, she became as happy as a child. This lasted until they got off the roller coaster.

“Are you okay, Charli?” Adrian was supporting Charlize as they walked from the roller coaster’s exit.

“I’m… I’m fine… I’m very good…” Charlize said shakily, gasping with widened eyes, her legs weak and leaning on Adrian as if she couldn’t walk by herself without him.

“I’m surprised, I thought a girl who had practiced ballet would have a good sense of balance, and wouldn’t feel the world spinning just from a roller coaster,” Adrian burst out laughing.

“This is my first time on this thing…” Charlize glared at him resentfully, clearly unhappy with his schadenfreude, “Who knew… does a first-timer have to act as if it’s nothing big?”

“Alright, alright,” Adrian continued laughing, “You’re a woman after all, I understand, let’s rest for a bit.”

Charlize glared at him again but said nothing, instead slowly walking towards a bench, leaning on Adrian. It was only when she almost reached the bench that she startled and realized something unusual. Adrian’s right arm was around her waist, and his left hand was firmly holding hers, her entire body leaning against him, which was… too intimate—something she urgently needed to avoid.

“I can walk by myself.” A few steps from the bench, Charlize pushed Adrian away, trying to walk by herself, but her legs buckled due to the lingering dizziness, almost causing her to fall to the ground.

“That’s alright, Charli, you haven’t recovered yet.” Adrian promptly supported her, and Charlize did not push him away this time, silently letting him help her sit down on the bench.

“Do you need anything? I’d be happy to help,” Adrian, sitting next to her after letting go, asked.

“No, no, nothing,” Charlize closed her eyes and covered her forehead, taking a long time before she finally looked up, her expression much colder, “Adrian, if there’s nothing else, may I go back now?”

“Go back? Why?” Adrian looked at the sun, currently sliding westward, but still far from setting, “We’re having a good time, aren’t we? It won’t be late to go back after dinner when the sun has set.”

“I thought this was work,” Charlize took a deep breath and said seriously.

“Do we really need to strictly separate work and life?” Adrian shrugged nonchalantly.

“Of course! Work is work! Life is life!” Charlize suddenly raised her voice, “I don’t want work to affect life! Nor do I want life to interfere with work!”

Despite her steely gaze fixed on Adrian, her chest heaving with emotion, her heart was in complete turmoil.