King of Hollywood-Chapter 269 - 267 There Was None Before and There Will

Chapter 269: Chapter 267: There Was None Before, and There Will Be None in the Future!

Chapter 269: Chapter 267: There Was None Before, and There Will Be None in the Future!

Amidst Cameron’s excited screams, the duo that had migrated from the desk to the wall and then to the floor finally stopped their activities, the clothes strewn on the floor were all crumpled, and various items were scattered everywhere, evidencing the intensity of the battle.

By now, Adrian had visited the set four times since shooting began, each time sharing an exhilarating and passionate encounter with Cameron. Moreover, it was always her who gave him the signals. As for her producer boyfriend, they had broken up after the second time.

“Let’s get up now. Although we have some time, it’ll be troublesome if we don’t tidy up a bit,” Adrian said with a chuckle, having put on his shirt, and then he playfully grabbed her hand.

Indeed, if Adrian had to describe Cameron Diaz with just one word, ‘provocative’ couldn’t fit better. Although she appeared to be alluring and always maintained a dignified manner in front of many others, Adrian, who had “delved deep” in communication with her, understood exactly what kind of woman she was. Different from other actresses, Cameron was born into a wealthier family, sitting at the pinnacle of the middle class or at the bottom of the wealthy. With no worries for food and clothing and basically able to have whatever she wanted, she shared the common problems of rich children: frivolousness, love for novelty, and recklessness, hence her easygoing attitude to jump into bed with Adrian.

But she was, after all, different from those truly carefree rich kids. For instance, Adrian from a few years back. So, sometimes she acted with a strong sense of purpose, especially after a few years of modeling. Though young, she saw a lot clearly, which is why she had kicked her producer boyfriend to the curb and hooked up with Adrian.

How could Adrian refuse? At that time, Cameron was still quite young, her youthful vigor was enticing, and it would have been unfair not to thoroughly enjoy her advances. But he had no intention of taking it any further. Cameron had hinted as much, but Adrian had subtly refused without showing any signs of interest. His interest in her wasn’t very high—being friends with benefits was enough. If the mood struck, they’d have a go; benefits would still be provided, something he had hinted at when rejecting her.

There were plenty of good movies, and besides, “My Best Friend’s Wedding” was set to start production next year, and apart from Cameron, Adrian couldn’t immediately think of anyone else more suitable for the role of the lively bride.

After exiting a secluded room one after the other, Adrian chatted briefly with the crew members who had just finished shooting, then he left the set of “The Mask.” Nobody noticed they had been gone, or if they had, they didn’t care—such things were far too common.

Originally, there was another set he was supposed to visit, directed by Tim Burton: “Sleepy Hollow.” The project had been confirmed last Halloween. At that time, Burton was busy with a small production, a biopic of the famous ’50s B-movie director Ed Wood, so “Sleepy Hollow” had to be postponed. Burton promised to try and start shooting before February.

Adrian had agreed to Burton’s request. After all, “Sleepy Hollow” was almost ready to go; they just needed to wait until the schedule cleared up to begin filming. Plus, he could use this opportunity to get closer to Liv, who he’d been in touch with for nearly half a year. Adrian still found her rather elusive, despite her seeming indifference to everything, he felt there had to be more to her, particularly because—

“Really? You think the purple dress would suit me better?” Liv had asked Adrian this at a party, her bright blue eyes wide with curiosity, her lips shiny and enticing. Although her face was a bit long, it couldn’t hide her naturally innocent expression.

Every time this happened, Adrian would mutter to himself. For him, it was still the first time he couldn’t see through a woman’s heart. Or perhaps she genuinely didn’t care about anything, and he was simply overthinking?

But that was okay. In Hollywood, some things were just unavoidable. There might be conservative girls in the United States, but not in Hollywood. There might be traditional girls in the United States, but not in Hollywood. The so-called chastity that the media talked about was only relative. In this place, there might be those who emerged unsoiled, but unstained? Not a single one. Thus, he was bound to see through her eventually, especially now that he was intent on understanding her future.

Setting aside film production matters, Adrian then began to contemplate corporate development. As long as these few movies didn’t encounter any major issues, making a profit was certain. This summer, films like “True Lies” and “Twisters” would be released. Though Warner had partnered with other companies for these investments, the outstanding performance of Bossworth Film Company was undoubtedly set to continue. Spielberg’s film company might not be established for a few more months.

Besides, even if DreamWorks were established immediately, as long as Bossworth Film Company continued to maintain its current momentum, the other major production companies would inevitably take notice. Claude had thought of some strategies and achieved certain results recently, but had not solved the problem fundamentally. Adrian thought back through his memories and came up with a plan, conveniently he was set to attend a… negotiation, after which he planned to have a thorough discussion with Claude.

The black Lincoln stopped in front of the private club. Ted Turner, who had been resting with his eyes closed, then opened his eyes, straightened his clothes, and stepped out of the car after the valet opened the door, taking a moment to survey the club’s exterior before entering.

Although he was now 55 years old and had many wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, Turner still looked very healthy and spirited. For this meeting, he had even specifically dyed his greying hair black.

“I have to tell those kids that I’m not old enough to be trifled with,” he had told his wife that morning, Hollywood’s famous movie star Jane Fonda.

Though he displayed such confidence in front of his wife, deep inside, he was filled with worry. The current situation with TBS was not very optimistic. AC Media had clearly been planning for a long time and had chosen to make their move just as he had successfully acquired New Line but had not fully integrated it yet. They caught him off-guard and had several follow-up moves. After a series of combinations, he had yet to regain the disadvantage.

Of course, Turner wasn’t going to show his worry on his face; that would be the same as telling the other party: “My situation is terrible now, you can strike at will.” As an old fox who had been fighting in the business world for decades, had personally founded TBS and developed it to its current scale, how could he make such a rookie mistake.

“Hey, Ted, you really are punctual,” came a warm voice as the doorman opened the door for him. A young man followed with a smile on his face and extended his hand.

“I didn’t expect you to arrive earlier than me, Claude,” Turner said with a smile as he shook his hand.

“That’s to be expected, from any angle you are my senior, I should be the one waiting for you,” Claude said sincerely, which could not help but make Turner feel more favorably towards him.

Frankly speaking, he was an excellent young man, modest and polite, with good breeding and manners, and quite astute, capable, and courageous in business—almost a carbon copy of his father and without Old Ronris’s flaws. Although Turner had only met with him a few times, he had left a deep impression on him.

Under different circumstances, Turner would have liked to engage in a good conversation with this young man, but now…

“How have you been considering our proposal, Ted?” After exchanging pleasantries and waiting for the waiter to bring over the tea and coffee, Claude got straight to the point.

“This is not a good proposal, Claude,” admitted Turner as he sipped his black tea with serenity. “I acknowledge your offer is fair, but some things cannot be measured with money.”

“Really? If the buyer were Warner or Universal, offering the same price, would you respond the same way?” Claude adjusted his seated posture and asked in an offhand tone.

Turner, who was holding his teacup, twitched his eyelid and replied somewhat illogically: “The thing is, neither Warner nor Universal have made an acquisition bid, have they? Specific questions have specific answers.”

Claude shook his head with a suppressed laugh, ignoring his concept-switching reply, and continued, “You should know, Ted, that we hold more chips in our hands than you do.”

“I’m well aware of that, but I also have my share,” Turner shrugged. “Although some directors have already leaned towards you, this doesn’t mean I lack allies. Morina and the others will stand with me!”

“Is that so?” A hint of scornful smile flashed across Claude’s face. “I regret to inform you, Ted, that as of yesterday, Mr. Morina White has sold his shares to me.”

“Impossible!” Ted Turner cried out, first showing a surprised expression, then turning his aging face beet red with anger. Nothing angered him more than hearing about an ally’s betrayal on the day of negotiations.

“It’s true, Ted,” Claude said with his hands open. “The other remaining directors are also tempted.”

“Do you think this will make me submit, Claude?” Turner took a deep breath and then calmed down, exhibiting the remarkable mental fortitude typical of an old fox.

“If you really think so, you are gravely mistaken. You should be aware that there are methods I do not employ, not because I can’t, but because I choose not to,” he said, fixing Claude with a piercing gaze.

“Of course, I know, Ted, which is exactly why I invited you over, and why you agreed to come,” Claude said calmly. “I want to make it clear, we are not trying to take anything from you, Ted. On the contrary, we want to develop TBS into something much bigger, to grow to be on par with the Four Major Broadcast Companies!”

Ted frowned as if he wanted to say something but ultimately just shrugged non-committally.

“I know what you’re thinking, Ted,” Claude said with a slight smile, seeing right through him. “Indeed, we are very young, having been established only three years ago – your skepticism is understandable. However, we have our reasons too.”

At this, he checked his watch, then let out a sigh with a smile: “Someone else was supposed to be here waiting with me for you today, but he hasn’t shown up yet. I don’t know how much longer he will be.”

No sooner had he spoken than a knocking sound was heard, and a young man walked into the private room and warmly embraced Claude. He appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with neatly combed brown hair and rare pure black eyes, his features as though chiseled from marble, very handsome.

Turner immediately recalled the name of the young man, Adrian Cowell, the so-called Miracle Director and chairman of AC Media. What was he doing here? Turner wondered. As the chairman of a company, it was completely within his rights to inquire into the company’s acquisition cases. However, when investigating AC Media, he knew that all the detailed affairs were managed by Claude, and Adrian seldom interfered. Adrian focused on making his films, so what was his purpose in appearing here? To persuade himself? How was he going to persuade him?

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“You’re at least 20 minutes late,” Claude complained at that moment.

“Sorry, the traffic in Los Angeles is terrible, almost as bad as New York,” Adrian explained, “I drove here myself today. I was on a call before exiting the freeway and didn’t catch the traffic broadcast, so I took the wrong exit, ending up stuck until now.”

As he spoke, he walked over to Turner, who had stood up, and smiled while extending his hand: “Hello, Ted, it’s good to see you again; you haven’t changed a bit since a few years ago.”

A few years ago? Turner was taken aback, and then he remembered Adrian’s father, which lead him to consider what the younger man had been like before and the achievements he had acquired over the past three years. He suddenly felt a substantial fondness. Turner himself had started his own business at the age of 24, after his father had committed suicide.

“You seem much more mature and steady than before, Adrian,” Turner said lightly, his tone carrying a hint of praise.

“What have you been discussing?” Adrian asked as he sat down, speaking in a lively tone.

“About our plans for TBS,” Claude shrugged his shoulders, eyes darting to Turner.

“If I may be so bold, Ted, what do you think are the necessary conditions to develop TBS to the level of NBC?” Adrian asked bluntly, then without waiting for an answer he raised his hands and began to speak, “Of course, I’m not from this line of work, so I definitely don’t see the issues as completely as you do, but I know one thing is very important, and that is ratings. With sufficiently high ratings sustained over time, reaching the level of NBC isn’t hard, and I can guarantee that the high ratings will persist!”

“Persist?” Turner suddenly wanted to laugh; Adrian was so arrogant.

“Yes,” the young man’s lips curled slightly, as if he didn’t find his own words at all amusing, “You should know which TV show has had the highest ratings recently on NBC, right? It’s produced by the Bossworth Film Company, and I have many more TV show concepts like that. Perhaps they can’t all match ‘Friends,’ but I guarantee the quality. Additionally, I have numerous variety show concepts, and they too have guaranteed ratings. Oh, and there are also talk shows, which mainly rely on the host’s skills. Beyond that, sports programs might need experts. However, I fully believe that once the ratings reach a certain height, all these issues will be easily resolved!”

“It seems the Americans have chosen Mr. Adrian to be their spokesperson; they watch whatever Mr. Adrian tells them to watch,” Turner said with a cup of tea in his hand and a slight touch of irony in his voice.

Adrian laughed, crossed his legs, sat upright, and folded his arms in the air, eyes peering directly at Ted Turner, “Three years ago, I told Claude that I, a person ignorant of movies, wanted to direct a film and achieve outstanding results in the shortest time. Claude didn’t believe it; two years ago, I told the CEO of the subsidiary film company that I wanted to make it so Al Pacino and Emma Thompson each won the Oscar for Best Actor and Actress with two movies. He also didn’t believe it; one year ago, I told the staff of the subsidiary film company’s TV department that ‘Friends’ would be an unprecedented success, and they were skeptical; now I’m telling Claude that next year I’ll get the Oscar for Best Director. Do you think he should believe it or not, Ted?”

Turner looked at Adrian, somewhat stunned, and for a moment did not know what to say.

“You should have seen my profile,” Adrian’s smile carried a hint of defiance, “Can you tell me, Ted, who in the film and television production field has achieved what I have in three years? Let’s put it this way, on this matter, whatever I say will happen, certainly does happen. I have never failed before, and I won’t in the future!”

His dominant words echoed in the room. Although Turner’s brows were furrowed enough to kill a mosquito, looking at Adrian, who never spoke, he had the illusion that he wasn’t sitting in front of Adrian but rather a younger version of himself. (To be continued, if you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!)