Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Returning to the Public Eye
Street lights began to glow, and under the bright lampposts, the ancient and narrow streets appeared deep and dim. Yet, at this hour, the sky wasn’t completely dark, and between the classical high-rise buildings, a thin strip of dark blue made the already quiet streets seem even colder. Thankfully, couples strolled by one after another, and the strong light spilling from the shops, along with the music wafting in the air, added a lively contradiction to the street.
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“What did you say just now? ‘Streets like this are everywhere’?” Monica laughed lightly, her slight drunkenness apparent as she wore a long dress and a silk coat, her flowing hair endlessly alluring.
“At least in Europe,” Adrian said as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “I know what you want to say, Monica, but I never included the United States from the outset, so your point is moot.”
“I knew you’d say that; you’re deliberately leading my thoughts astray,” Monica sighed, leaning almost entirely on Adrian, which made her stagger somewhat as she walked. The irregular tap of her high heels on the cobblestones contributed to the chaotic noise.
Adrian stroked her cheek without saying another word, and they continued, embracing each other along the winding streets until they reached the wide avenue. Colorful neon lights suddenly hit them, fully revealing the Parisian night before their eyes.
“I’m going back,” Monica said, resting her head on Adrian’s shoulder as she looked at the street scene.
...
“To Italy? Or Los Angeles?” Adrian asked, caressing her hair.
“Of course, Los Angeles. I’ve been invited to a business event,” Monica replied, looking up at him.
“That’s great. Attending more events like that will increase your exposure and help boost your fame,” Adrian responded, pinching her chin.
Monica looked at him, then suddenly cupped Adrian’s face and kissed him hard. The continuous buzz of their intense kiss was unmistakable, but the passersby paid no mind, not even sparing a look of surprise—such passionate kisses were a common sight on the streets of Paris.
The kiss lasted for several minutes, and when they finally parted, Monica’s face flushed, her breaths coming in gasps as she nearly collapsed into Adrian’s arms, whether from lack of oxygen or from being so stirred, it was hard to tell.
They embraced for a while longer before Adrian spoke again, “Let’s walk back. The hotel isn’t far from here.”
Monica, having regained some composure, heaved a soft sigh without a word and looped her arm through his.
“By the way, you’re quite good at Italian cuisine,” Adrian said suddenly after they had walked a few steps.
“I’ve only tried making it two or three times,” Monica responded, lifting her head in confusion about why he’d bring that up.
“Well then, rate yourself. How do you compare to an average chef?” Adrian asked with a smile, “You have a good palate, don’t you?”
“Of course, I can’t compare. Cooking takes a lot of effort,” Monica frowned.
“I think, when you have some free time, you could flip through some cookbooks, read autobiographies of famous chefs, and imagine what a great chef does while cooking, what they’re like when they rest, and what their lives are like when work and personal life mix,” Adrian gestured.
Seeing Monica frown even deeper, he clarified, “The new movie I’ve prepared for you is about a chef and the kitchen. Don’t ask for specifics now, it’s still just an outline, but I believe it’ll be a great story. Before that, you need to familiarize yourself with everything in the kitchen—perhaps have your agent arrange for you to spend a few days apprenticing in a restaurant kitchen.”
“A story about a chef and the kitchen?” Monica repeated with newfound interest.
“Yes,” Adrian nodded, “by the end of the year at the latest, you will be able to see the script. I’m tailoring this role for you, I want you to dazzle in Hollywood!”
Listening to him speak, Monica didn’t utter another word, her arm just clutched a bit tighter.
To be honest, Adrian was not willing for Monica to leave just yet. He knew that the so-called invitations for business activities were just an excuse. The problem was that due to the broadcast of the tango segment in “Scent of a Woman,” all the British entertainment reporters, large and small, had been drawn to the studio, watching his every move—a complete star treatment.
Their dates in London had always been quite secretive; Monica had only appeared at the studio twice, and the staff thought she was just passing by for a visit. After all, it was their first collaboration with these Britons, who knew whether they would sell the news to the tabloids for money? Moreover, although Emma had her outings reduced by her aunt, she still came over to bother him.
Therefore, with so many reporters swarming around, it was inconvenient to be seen with Monica anymore. The reason they ran off to Paris this weekend was precisely because they were nearly photographed by a reporter during one of their trips. If that got out, it would undoubtedly lead to some uncontrollable situations.
Monica understood this as well, so she took the initiative to say she would go back, and Adrian tacitly accepted her decision. Although he didn’t care about reporters or public opinion, there were still some things that had to be taken into consideration. It was something that had to be presented sooner or later, but it shouldn’t be now; the timing was not yet ripe.
After sending Monica off from Paris, Adrian returned to London to concentrate on dealing with those annoying flies. The post-production of “Howards End” was already mostly done, and it was expected to be completed after Halloween, so he couldn’t allow the reporters to disrupt the normal workflow.
“Don’t worry, you will find out in time, please be patient, okay? Having waited this long, why care about a moment longer?” When the number of reporters blocking the outside of the studio increased to more than a dozen from various regions, Adrian finally broke his silence with a brief response.
Although he didn’t answer questions like “Why, after being put on ice for so long, did you suddenly broadcast such a clip?”, “Is the new movie not progressing smoothly, and do you intend to distract attention with previous work?”, or “Are you lacking confidence and wish to test the waters with a previous film first?”, this small response still excited the reporters.
After that, two starkly different theories appeared in the newspapers: one was that Adrian had a winning ticket in hand and would surprise everyone in the upcoming time, a notion mostly held by the American media; even though they had ridiculed Adrian a few months earlier for the style of his movie, they still sided with him after the various events ignited by “Howards End.”
The other theory was that Adrian was being deliberately mysterious to cover his own unease, a view held by 90% of the British media; after all, they had already ridiculed him greatly over the last “Howards End” incident and had no reason to change their minds because of a single film clip.
As a result, inevitably, the two viewpoints collided once again, prompting a myriad of opinions that drew many onlookers. The culprit of it all, Adrian, simply hid inside the studio; with both Kate and Monica away, and the little one being kept at home due to the excessive number of reporters, he simply moved into the studio. The reporters couldn’t possibly chase him down inside, could they?
Though most of his energy was spent on the post-production of “Howards End,” Adrian still kept an eye on the news outside, using the opportunity to broadcast the tango clip to attract the public’s attention to “Scent of a Woman,” which was part of the publicity plan from the start. For various reasons, this movie had to premiere before “Howards End,” so it naturally needed to return to the public eye. Of course, if they weren’t aiming for the box office, a simple promotion before release would suffice, as long as it won the favor of critics. But what film company would quarrel with box office success?
Adrian and Laverne had agreed on it early on, and now that he had recaptured people’s attention, it wouldn’t be long before the trailer was released. With Laverne in charge of the promotion, Adrian was very assured.
Aside from this, he still had many other matters to attend to. Not to mention the little one, although she was currently at home, he had to sneak out occasionally to see her, or she’d be incessantly unhappy on the phone.
Then there were the preparations for “True Lies” and “Philadelphia Story.” Cameron and Demi might not have as thorough an understanding of the whole movie as he did; making a movie required a lot of their time. Especially Cameron, with his perfectionist nature, might not even be ready to start shooting by the end of the year. Demi, on the other hand, had done nicely, persuading Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks.
As for “Schindler’s List,” with Adrian’s pointers, Spielberg had flown to Poland after two months of preparation, but it would still take a while before filming could start, with the Polish set alone being enough for a headache.
That over with, there were some script-related matters, such as his immediate faxing back the outline of the script he had prepared for Monica, so that the company’s scriptwriters could add to it.
“No Reservations,” that was the movie Adrian had chosen for Monica, a film jointly produced by Germany and Italy in 2001 that had earned a good reputation. The American remake a few years later, though not well received, managed to achieve decent box office results. And since romantic comedies weren’t particularly demanding on an actor’s skills, allowing Monica to play the role of the beautiful chef was more than appropriate. Moreover, the remake was criticized because the plot was too similar to the original, lacking in novelty. Therefore, by finding a director who could understand Adrian’s intentions, the movie could be a hit with both critics and audiences.
Besides this, another script was also almost finished.
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