King of Hollywood-Chapter 626 - 33 Are you interested in acting in movies?

Adrian responded with a smile, appearing somewhat interested but not giving Leighton a definitive feeling, handling it very appropriately so as not to stimulate Leighton nor give others a handle, while also winning some time to investigate whether there was someone behind it—though the likelihood was low, that level of observational skill he still possessed.

In Hollywood, such a place of glamour and excess, heartless situations are all too common. Before going to bed, there’s endless sweet talk, and after, it’s an immediate shift to a "I don’t know you" expression. From Marlon Brando to Jack Nicholson, from Clint Eastwood to Woody Allen, they’ve all had such experiences, and even Warren Beatty, praised by many women, did the same. He was gentle towards the famous actresses, but what about those who were not well-known?

With so many powerful people in Hollywood, only the women who slept with Adrian reaped any benefits. It goes without saying for the Miracle Girls; Drew Barrymore, because of him, obtained her own film production company and it thrived under the name of Universal—previously Bossworth. Cameron Diaz became famous because of him, her popularity in comedies reaching the likes of Julia Roberts. Cindy Crawford starred in "Sex and the City" and became a judge on "America’s Next Top Model," her already high popularity soaring to become one of the most successful supermodels of the first batch.

Moreover, her logic had significant flaws, there was absolutely no need for such desperate measures, but the saying "it’s hard to see the picture when you are inside the frame" always holds true; caught up in the situation, one often locks down their own logic, unable to see other paths, even though stepping out for a moment would reveal the issues. Adrian managed to take the initiative in many matters precisely because he was always able to look at problems from the standpoint of a bystander.

This also suited Adrian’s intentions, since it was now impossible to build relationships based on sentiment as before. Now that their relationship was purely transactional, naturally, there was no need for too many considerations. Of course, the proper care was still necessary, such as applying heat to her swollen areas, and incidentally allowing her to stay over at his place, where he also first got to see her relationship with her own mother.

"I don’t need you to worry about where I spend the night, I can take care of myself, you won’t lose anything, that’s that!" she said to her mother on the phone in a very cold tone in front of Adrian, which was also a kind of declaration: look, I’m not hiding anything from you. However, she didn’t know that Adrian had already investigated everything clearly.

Having stayed in Los Angeles long enough, whether it was "The Lord of the Rings," "Winter’s Bone," or "Erin Brockovich," post-production was proceeding smoothly, and the shooting of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" was also nearing its conclusion. Thus, Adrian soon set off for London—of course, stopping over in Boston, as Harvard University’s campus was still worth a visit.

Ivanka, just like last time, continued to follow Adrian to London alone. Charlize’s mentoring period had already exceeded the initial estimates by a month, but the results were satisfactory. At least, in private, Charlize told Adrian that Ivanka was quite capable, and once he approved, she could hand over all the documents to her. This was also why Adrian delayed his trip to London and arranged some work there, planning to stay a bit longer.

For Ivanka, this month of training completely scrambled her thinking. Every time she thought she had understood Adrian, Charlize would throw something new at her that surprised her, from work to family, from career to personal relationships. These revelations combined gave Ivanka, who was accustomed to following rules and occasionally trying to cross the line without ever truly doing so—and proud of it—a tremendous shock.

This excitement was intense for her, a realm she had never encountered before, and it even came with immense power. However, it also left her more puzzled as she increasingly couldn’t find her own place. At such times, only intimate moments with Adrian could calm her down. Although they didn’t make love frequently over the month, each occasion drew her deep into the experience.

"I need detailed information on this, also, how’s the basic itinerary coming along?" Adrian then asked, looking up. Ivanka immediately pulled out the documents from in front of her and handed them over neatly without any pause; she realized something as he continued to browse through them. Some responses had almost become instinctive.

That moment, she somewhat understood why Charlize always maintained an icy facade in front of Adrian and often teased, mocked, or ridiculed him, and why she always found him displeasing, always wanting to find his problems and create trouble. Once attracted by such a person, it’s impossible to maintain one’s sanity and composure without some contrarian methods.

However, knowing was one thing; it didn’t mean she had the means to retaliate, especially since Ivanka’s understanding was still vague.

It didn’t matter, at least she could still maintain her sanity for now, and one day she would have her revenge. The young girl comforted herself in her heart, whether it was for motivation or solace, only she knew.

Upon arriving in London without even allowing for a time difference, Adrian went straight to the set of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone," so when his weary, dusty appearance startled Little Emma, despite the clever kid knowing he did it on purpose, she gave up on fussing over issues of trust.

"You could have at least rested before coming," Little Emma said, standing on a chair to massage Adrian’s neck, "it’s not good for your health."

"I know, but if I spoke that harshly, I would feel extremely guilty, and that’s not something I want to experience," Adrian yawned listlessly but did not hide his thoughts.

Unfortunately, Little Emma’s light punch had no strength at all, not even good enough for a massage, let alone causing pain. Instead, her childish gesture made others around her laugh.

"You two have such a great relationship," Rowling commented enviously. She was having a bit of a tiff with her daughter at the moment. After escaping poverty and becoming a world-famous female writer, Rowling had found her second spring and started dating her dentist. They had even reached the stage of talking about marriage (this part is fiction)—but her daughter, almost seven, was unhappy about sharing her mother’s love and hadn’t spoken to her mother voluntarily for days.

"Don’t worry, if Jessica truly loves you, she’ll understand, Joe," Adrian offered comforting words before inwardly exclaiming: Why are there so many Jessicas?

Adrian, somewhat weary and tricky to tease, couldn’t be bothered, but teasing the children in the production crew was another story. Here, the quirky elf, Little Emma, had given many kids a bittersweet experience, always keeping her pranks well-measured so that they were frustrating but not suffocating. Especially Eric, who played Harry, and George, who played Ron; as two of the three main characters, they were pranked the most.

Of course, that also had to do with the boys being relatively quiet usually. Should Emma encounter a rival, she wouldn’t get much of an upper hand. For instance, the Adosi twins, who played the Weasley twins, were also good at pranks—perhaps the twin roles influenced them—they were evenly matched with Little Emma, and Adrian got to witness that this time.

"They just got lucky," Little Emma grumbled after the Adosi twins had exposed one of her pranks. At that moment, she sounded quite like Hermione, always striving for the best.

She was often very endearing, which is why, despite her tricks, she remained popular. During the shoot of the last scene, Adrian witnessed her cuteness. Everything was pretty much ready; they just needed Columbus’s command to start filming, but there were some technical issues still being discussed. Bored, Little Emma fiddled with a prop goblet, swaying it back and forth, then clank, it slipped from her hand.

After a long stunned pause, the little rascal stuck out her tongue, quickly set the goblet right, and pretended nothing had happened as she walked away, causing everyone who saw it to burst into laughter. The camera, fortunately on, caught her worried look, her sticking out her tongue, rolling her eyes, and her swift, oblivious getaway.

"At least they didn’t ask me to pay for damages, but even if they did, I wouldn’t. The prop was just too poorly made; it dropped after just a couple of shakes," Little Emma complained at a cafe on the outskirts of London.

Adrian sipped his coffee, smiling silently. He wouldn’t dream of mentioning to her face that the little tyke had been fiddling with the goblet for quite some time before that incident. Now, Emma in this life might be far different from her past-life image, but maybe that wasn’t so bad.

"What’s next? You always come here for coffee," Little Emma shifted the topic.

"The coffee here is decent, and the view is nice too," Adrian glanced outside then called the waiter to get the check.

A coffee, a juice, plus a small snack wouldn’t cost much, so he paid with cash.

"This is your change, sir," said the young waitress in a crisp voice, handing the money back.

"Thank you," Adrian replied with a small smile, then handed a five British Pounds note to her.

The girl’s face lit up with excitement, and her eyes twinkled. If others weren’t around, she might have jumped up to kiss him. Adrian was about to leave when he suddenly paused and studied her more closely.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" the girl asked, noting his gaze.

"Have we... met before?" Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"I serve you every time you come here for coffee. I work part-time here occasionally, but if you’re thinking of asking me out, that won’t work—I’m only thirteen," the girl replied cheekily, her speech mature yet bold.

"Wow, that’s surprising. I thought you were at least sixteen," Adrian was genuinely surprised. She was short, still her figure hardly seemed like that of a thirteen-year-old. "Can you tell me your name? Since I’m always served by you, maybe you can always serve me."

After a pause of two seconds, the girl briskly replied, "My name is Keeley, Keeley Hazell."

"Keeley Hazell? That’s a pretty name," Adrian raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly, "I’m Adrian, Adrian Cowell—by the way, Keeley, are you interested in acting in movies?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian to vote and support me, it’s my biggest motivation).

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